Le Tour De Force 20th Luglio 2012
I’m not a good cyclist but I seem to have always been “into
cycling” in one way or another. My family are not in the least bit sporty,
although I do remember all five of us going for a long ride when I was quite
young. My parents don’t do and never have done any sport, but they do have some
folding bikes which they use occasionally and my gran was a very keen cyclist –
but that was out of transport necessity in London, rather than any desire as I
understand it. She grew up very poor in Chiswick and to get anywhere she would
need a bike, and talked about cycling to Brighton some times. In fact, at one
point she gave me her full length oil skin. I carried it for a while but never
used it. It was freaking heavy.
Anyway, I have digressed very quickly. I’m not a good
cyclist but I really enjoy it. When I was about 14 I bought my first “good”
bike. I saved up two years worth of Christmas tips from my paper round and
bought a Raleigh Elan for a mighty 209 GBP. This was a good bike at the time,
with Reynolds 501 tubing, and a Shimano DuraPace oval chainset. A gimmick maybe
(more of a recent incarnation below) but it was a great bike. I had this for
many years, and in fact I only got rid of it when it had completely rotted
through the stem. I only know this as I was cycling one time and turned the
handlebars , which turned without the stem turned as it had peeled away with
rust!
Around the time of 14, 15 and 16 I used to ride with my
school friends. We would ride from our place, through the countryside (5 mins
from ours and we were in deep countryside) and down to the river.
We were all very keen at the time and started to watch Le
Tour de France, naturally, as that was the big thing in cycling.
We rode together a lot, and often I rode alone. There was a
20 mile loop that we did, and often I did double the loop on my own, and really
enjoyed it. And then one day I stopped. I remember the stopping very clearly.
The route took us from the heights of Mapperley Plains down to the River Trent,
turned along the Trent for a few miles, around Caythorpe area, before heading
back up, I think Catfoot Lane or maybe Podders or Gedling Lanes. One time I was
riding this route on my own, turned on to the part by the river and hit some
wind. Not a normal wind, but a huge freaking wind that just blew me backwards.
Well, I continued on, but the progress was slow and painful, and probably as
slow as walking slowly. And that was it. I hated it and gave it up.
We had some fun during school with cycling. During sixth form, we set up a little
cycling club during games. Whilst others were playing football or cricket, we
would get our kit on (team kit, with those leather helmets) and go cycling for
3 hours, and then come back to school again. This went on for a few weeks, when
the teachers started to trust us and would allow us to just come back to the
school fields and then wave before going home. We started to test the system by
going to the pub on our trips (I am completely against drinking and riding now,
after the Roche lips incident, but that is for another time) and then come
back. Eventually it dwindled away into getting our gear on, going to DK’s house
to drink loads of beer, smoke, and watch purn, before riding to school as drunk
as skunks and then going home.
And apart from that I hadn’t done much. I remember always
having bikes. An MTB whilst an undergrad, and there was the time I cycled from
Telford to Loughborough with no training, and without a pump – classic. Then
before my PhD I was spending a lot of time cycling from Whitechapel to Chadwell
Heath, for obvious reasons, well that is to see someone and to not spend money
on the train! In fact, this fitness I built up there was what set me on my
rowing path.
I cycled a little during rowing. It is almost expected that
rowers make good cyclists – strong legs, good pain threshold, brain dead, etc.
In fact, on the superstars program, the rowers always kicked @ss on the cycling
events, and it is often used by national teams for winter and cross training.
Nasty Nick got given two Treks at one point. Well, one Trek
A1000, but it turned into two for a variety of reasons. They were kindly given
to me, and were probably the smoothest and nicest bikes I have ever ridden –
nothing more wonderful than a smooth bike straight out of the wrapper, never
ridden, when you are sued to rubbish bikes. Also, I have ridden the sit up and
beg type bikes in the Grenoble synchrotron over the smoothest tarmac, well
almost a marble internal pavement, that you can imagine, whilst on the night
shifts, and that still rates as one of my favourite cycling experiences.
At some point I bought a couple of other bikes. A cheap
Claud Butler MTB in London, well Isleworth that set me back 150 GBP new, and I
still have! Plus another Claud Butler touring bike, again I still have it, and
although it is entry level it is damned solid and I have used it loads, and
still use it for my touring trips. The MTB I used for some trips in forests in
Hertfordshire, and Berkshire with Jules and Smokey, as well as some Adventure
Races with Roche people and Stu. The touring bike I used for commuting to work.
A mighty 13 miles, but I sued a great big pannier and used to take my laptop
with me, which made for an uncomfortable ride, coupled with bad roads, with
many pot holes, plus the lack of respect from
Hertfordshire drivers, did not make it fun.
Le Tour was always there. Myself and my father enjoyed it
massively when I was young. We followed the guys when I was growing up –
LeMond, Fignon, Big Mig Indurain. We swapped stories and watched it whenever we
could on the tv as it swapped between C4, ITV, ITV2 and lord only knows where
it is now. In those days there were no British interest. Well, that’s not true,
but there was just no tradition of British interest. There was a Scottish
climber – Robert Millar who won the polkadot jersey for the King of the Mountains in 1984, and apart from
that, prior to 2012, there had been only 4 men who have held the Maillot Jaune,
over a mere 11 days in it’s 100 year or so history. Tom Simpson – a tragic
character from the 60s who died on Mont Ventoux in 1967 with amphetamines in his system.
Sean Yates in the 1980s wore it for one day, and then came the next
generation. First there was Chris Boardman. He turned from a game-changing
track cycling career with several magical bikes that really turned the world on
its head. He was a time trial expert and won several TTs, and sometimes held
the jersey for a day or two before dropping back. David Millar followed in his
footsteps ten years later, winning TTs, and holding the jersey for a day here
and a day there.
Other cyclists came and went, but there were very very few Brits.Then there were the big stars, Marco Pantani – piratto,
elefantino, and Lance Armstrong of course needs no introduction.
Meanwhile, Team GB started to throw money at track cycling –
medals started to come and names like Chris Hoy, Chris Boardman, Bradley
Wiggins, Victoria Pendlington began to become household names, winning multi
championships at World and Olympic level.
In fact, here is a graphic of the top tens of Le Tour over the years - the UK is in dark red, and you can see it's not there so much. Blues are France and Belgium - their dominance has waned.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18922101
And finally we are here – from 20 years ago where there
would be maybe one or two or no British interest in Le Tour we are standing at
the edge of a truly momentous change, with Bradley Wiggins – aka Brad aka Wiggo,
who, barring disasters, could become the first ever winner of Le Tour de
France. He has held the maillot jaune for x days and going into a flat stage, a
TT and the final stage, it is almost in the bag.
Of course, we had had the phenomenon of Cav – Mark Cavendish
- in the past few years. Undoubtedly the best sprinter in the world, and
arguably the greatest sprinter of all time, he has won over 20 stage in Le
Tour, the world chmapionships, the Sprinters Jersey (Green) in Le Tour and is a
legend. Add to that we have Chris Froome, who is running Wiggo a close second,
and actually was better than Wiggo in La Vuelta last year, and as we all know,
could probably have won Le Tour this year, if he wasn’t playing domestique to
Wiggo.
Then we have Rogers, Millar, Cummings, as well as other guys
not here this week, including Ben Swift, who are ready to dominate the world.
Add into the mix the strength of women’s cycling – track cycling is massive, as
is road cycling with stars like Nicola Cooke, and also BMX and MTB too. This
truly is a golden age for British cycling and I love it.
As much cycling as I do, I am still a rower at heart. When I
see a river I assess it for how good it will be to row (although I have seen
myself assessing them for swimming suitability recently!), and when I talk
about rowing it moves my heart. But, the fact of the matter is that cycling is
wonderful and I freaking love it. I love nothing more than seeing “normal”
people cycling. When I go to a city like Amsterdam, or Bologna, or Cambridge,
or Boston, or Milan, where EVERYONE is cycling, I just love it. Love it. Miss
it. I can’t say that, ok – Siena is stupidly hilly so it is impossible for
normal plebs to cycle, but the cycling around and about here, especially where
I have just moved, is stunning. Absolutely stunning, so I cannot complain.
I love the banter. I love the technology. I can look at bike
purn, and data, and power, and cadence and GPS all day. I accept that I am
slow, and I am tentative at best downhill and cornering, but I still love it.
The last few weekends I have been on the old Claud Butler MTB riding the Via
Francigena and just loving it. I just like the freedom of being on a bike. My
dream is that when I hand in my notice I will head of on my bike (Dawn
permitting) and do something crazy, like doing a world tour for a year. I accept
my slowness, and it is rammed home to me when I ride with the reasonable
cyclilsts, and the girls(!) around here. But I still love it. I love bikes, and
always need n+1. I love bike kit, and I think this equation is n+2. I am
useless with the technology. Essentially they are really simple machines, but
they are a pig, or maybe an art form, to get right. A local guy, described them
as being so simple, but so much more difficult to get right than any moped, on
which he is also skilled.
So here, we are Le Tour 2012. Team Sky has been assembled
the past few years, with the aim of getting someone into yellow, on the Champs
Elysee. This year Cavendish has been sacrificed, and he has taken it like a
man, winning but one stage early on. In fact, when Wiggo changed from track to
road, he made a great start, finishing 4th behind various drug
cheats, and everyone wondered if he could make it, but then he disappeared for
a couple of years. Last year he crashed, so we never saw what he could do
against Contador, another conveicted drug cheat. He gets some abuse – no one
rates him, gives him the time of day,
and he really has had to do it the hard way. This year has been tough – the
press, the riders, the teams, and even the WAGs have been on his ass, but he’s
doing it, and I am over the freaking moon.
It has been a great tour. Ok, we are without Contador
(doping) and Andy Schleck (crash) and now have lost the weak Frank Schleck
(doping – divot) but even so, you’ve gotta race who turns up. The press have
turned on him like usual, but before the tour, everyone’s money was on Cadel
Evans – last year’s winner – to take it comfortably, but he’s buried him.
Actually, it’s not him – it is the might of Team Sky. Team Sky are Team GB –
they have a contract and they support road cycling and trakc cycling, with lots
of ground roots support as part of the deal. Of course, team is multinational
with Boassen Hagen (Norway), Richie
Porte (Aus), Michael Rogers (Aus) and many others flying the international
flag, but it’s GB at heart.
One day some idiot threw tacks all over the road at the top of a climb, just before a massive descent, and Cadel got punctured badly. Wiggins forced the group to wait for Cadel which was well received by the French press.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/9402466/Tour-De-France-2012-Bradley-Wiggins-says-stage-14-sabotage-exposes-how-vulnerable-peloton-is.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/9401525/Tour-de-France-2012-stage-14-Bradley-Wiggins-hailed-as-Le-Gentleman-after-race-is-attacked-by-saboteurs.html
Doping has taken a back seat for once, although the Schleck
feck up was a real disappointment. Of course, he’s claiming poisoned meat, like
they all do. Interestingly, on Rai TV they didn’t even mention one word of it –
classic Omerta! Link. The doping has been so bad looking back at tour winners
in the past 10 years, there are few that have not been caught, disgrace. I
really hope it sorts itself out,.
Pinarello sponsor the teams with pro Italian bikes. Shcweet
bikes too, although I really do not think that any bike technology makes any
difference any more, else we would see all the top teams on one bike, The bikes
are nice, and the TT bike is fantastic. This was an eye opener for me. Wiggo
rode an asymmetric chain ring, a vizor which was jettisoned as some point, a
water bottle which was jettisoned at one point, and the other teams, including
Cadel Evans at BMC, are just not being so pro in their organisation, this is
shocking, shocking. Just throwing time away. Of course, coming from a triathlon
background, and needing every microsecond, I am just shocked, with the
difference between Wiggo and Cadel in terms of: water bottles and placing, aero
kit – helmet and vizor, gloves, arm warmers (streamlines), shoe covers…the list
goes on – I’m sure that Cadel has just p1ssed away time. Wiggo also rides a
non-symmetric chain ring – have no idea if that helps, but clearly it is not
hindering him. Saturday will be telling, as earlier Cadel was saying that Wiggo
has never been on such a long and hard tour and that he might blow, or tire
into the third week, but so far, he has been a beast (when Wiggo is at his
side).
The wheels are stealth on the TT bike. This means that they
are using different ones to the normal sponsor, I think they are lightweight, a
surprise, as I’m sure Pinarello must be paying Sky a fair whack of dosh for
them to ride their bikes. I would love one of the TTs right now.
Right, main point. In defence of Wiggo. The guy is freakin
great and damn you all who say otherwise. When he led Boassen Hagen into a
sprint earlier in the week, round some tight corners, when he could’ve just sat
back and scratched his @ss I was really touched.
He’s a passionate guy with a quick tongue. I’m all over
that.
He swears like a mofo. I am freaking loving that. Earlier he
said clints and all sorts about the people who were claiming he was doping and
I love that!
"I say they're just fucking wankers. I cannot be doing with people like that.
It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can't ever imagine applying themselves to do anything in their lives.
It's easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of shit, rather than get off their arses in their own lives and apply themselves and work hard at something and achieve something. And that's ultimately it. Cunts."
He’s ginger. That means he has the power. Nuff said.
(Although those ginger sideys/you beauties MUST be slowing him down on the TTs
– he can shave his legs and his knuckles but not his beauties – I don't know if
that is awesome or foolish, but I will fall into the awesome camp, for the
ginger power.)
He’s a proper bloke, with problems, from a normal
background. Brought up in Kilburn and accepted a complete nutter, with alcohol
problems – just like most decent, dedicated, goal-orientated sportsmen. I love
that. He has been very open about his problems as has Obree, Boardman,
Pendlington etc. Good on him.
He’s not flawless – Froome has baby sat him. Actually that’s
not true. Froome is the Domestique, and was offered deals at other teams,
clearly is a legend, and was ill earlier this year. But Froome has been his
right hand man and been a crucial part of the organization. Jealous Europeans
have moaned about the dominance of Team Sky the past three weeks, but they have
done a job in an incredibly impressive way. Good on em.
He’s made the switch. From track to road. That is proper
hard. He’s lost something like 10 kg. That is incredible. He has learnt to ride
mountains. And if you watch him and Froome, they ride them sat down at high
cadence and reel in attacks – it is incredibly impressive.
He’s a TTer. If I were to have a go at cycling, this is what
I would like to do, and Wiggo is the best. OK, Cancellara slapped him around on
the prologue, but on the first real TT he kicked @ss, which is impressive
considering he was wearing that all yellow one piece, with long balck socks. It
must be difficult to kick @ss under conditions like that!
He’s not afraid to mx it up, Nibali gave him some rotten
grief (Siciliano!) in the early part, for “giving him a stare” at the finish
line – bless! Actually, it was directed at someone else who had ridden
dangerously, and this clearly upset Nibs. They had a bit of a hug and make up
the next day.
He’s smashing the aussies. I’m a Brit. I love trakc cycling
and rowing. I love n othing more than seeing the aussies getting whipped when
they think they’re gonna win J
He’s big. In fact, most of Team Sky, in fact all except
Richie Porte are big. That is above 181 cm (my height) – with several of them
being at or near 190 cm. This team are giants for cyclists and I love it.
Wieners, schmieners. Mind you, I bet none of them need a seat as wide as mine!
It’s been a terrible year for crashes, and thankfully Wiggo
has avoided that. The first few days were terrible. Stu O’Grady came out and
said that a lot of the younger lads in the peloton did not know how to ride a bike,
and Sky have been lucky/skilled to avoid the crashes, by and large. Cav, of
cours, got caught up in many at the beginning, but nothing critical. I’m of the
same mind as these guys – every time I go out and get back without crashing I
count my blessings. Gotta expect to crash everytime and be happy when you
don’t.
Of course, it’s not been plain sailing. All the banter, and
the banter about Froome being better than Wiggo has been tough for all. And
when the WAGs of Froome and Wiggo weighed in it really didn't help – but it was funny for the fans on twitter!
http://road.cc/content/news/61829-team-sky-wags-show-strain-tour-hots-up%E2%80%A6-twitter
"
Froome would finish third in the stage, just ahead of Nibali and Wiggins, and immediately afterwards, Froome’s girlfriend tweeted: “Beyond disappointed…,” adding, “I know what happened just then.”
In another tweet a few minutes later, she continued: “If you want loyalty, get a Froome dog… a quality I value… although being taken advantage of by others!”
Mrs Wiggins, who earlier had tweeted with unwitting prescience, “Down tools everyone, the merde is about to hit the fan #whatgoesdownmustgoup,” tweeted after the stage – and after Ms Cound’s tweet about “loyalty” – “See Mick Rogers and Richie Porte for examples of genuine, selfless effort and true professionalism.”
That tweet was immediately retweeted by Ms Cound, prefaced by the word, “Typical!”
"
The last two days were the biggies. Two massive days in the
Pyrenees – over the Tormalet – insane. And the Sky Boys have dominated,
absolutely dominated. Cadel blown, Nibs dropped. Wiggo had a wonderful quote
"
“They all go uphill – they’re all tarmac,” Wiggins said of the Tour’s big climbs.
“It doesn’t matter what name is on them … it’s hard work.”
"
So, I am excited to watch all Le Tour this weekend, to get
some British win. It has taken a long time, and I think Wiggo is worth it.
Great effort Team Sky, it has been a pleasure to watch. It’s in your hands – go
deliver!
Over n out.
