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Cycling, Tour de France 2011

Tour de France 2011 – Part 2: Rest Day Reflections

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My original intention was to post my thoughts on the Tour daily, but life got in the way. So these are my thoughts on the first nine days

Stage 3

Stage three from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon was the first of this years tour that offered an opportunity to the pure, as opposed to uphill sprinters. It followed a fairly predictable pattern, an early break by a few riders from French teams and/or Vaconsoliel, steadily reeled in by Garmin and HTC, with some help from other teams. I suppose that it was also fairly predictable, that being his first opportunity at a stage win, things didn’t go quite right for Mark Cavendish aka “The Fastest Man in the World”©. I’m not sure if Garmin successfully disrupted his lead-out train, or whether HTC just messed it up, but either way they failed to deliver him at the 200m to go sign the way they normally do. Garmin have clearly worked out who is going for what sprint and the Maillot Jaune Thor Hushvod, who no longer has the absolute top end speed of a flat-land sprinter, gave Tyler Farrar a perfect lead out to take his first ever individual stage win in the Tour de France.

Tyler Farrar wins Stage 3

About six weeks ago Tyler Farrar’s friend and training partner Wouter Weyland was killed in a horrific crash at the Giro d’Italia. Tyler dedicated the stage win to his memory.

“Cav” also ran into an almost inevitable conflict with the Race Referees. At the intermediate sprint, both he and Thor Hushvod were trying to get the same wheel, with the inevitable bit of pushing and shoving. Neither of the riders thought much about it, and it looked fairly innocuous to me, but the referees thought otherwise and disqualified them both from the sprint and fined them 200 SFr.

Stage 4

Stage 4 finished on the Mur de Bretange which is a beast of a hill in the middle of Brittany. It is about 2km long and ramps up at around 8 to 10%. So http://www.slipstreamsports.com/garmin-slipstream-pro-team/pro-men/thor-hushovd was widely tipped (including by himself) to lose the maillot jaune. It was a stage made for the type of rider who excels in the Ardennes classics. I other words Philippe Gilbert. It didn’t work out as expected though.

The peleton caught the inevitable breakaway a bit before the serious bit of the race. When it cane to the Mur a few riders had a dig including Gilbert and Contador but the guy who hung on to win by about a tyres width was Cadel Evans. Considering the length and the quality of his career I was slightly surprised to find that this was the first ever stage win in the Tour de France. Climbing out of his skin and into sixth place, in the same time as the winner was the MIghty Thor, holding on to his yellow jersey for another day.

Stage 5

Stage 5 took us from Carhaix to Cap Fréhel we were still in Brittany, narrow winding roads cross winds and lots of opportunities to crash. The stage was sort of sprinters stage, but the finish was again uphill, not as long and steep as yesterday, but steep enough to make it difficult for the flat-earth sprinters. Mark Cavendish decided to prove the organisers wrong. I’m not sure where he popped up from, but in the midst of a bunch of uphill sprinters like Phillipe Gilbert and Edvald Boassen-Hagen “Cav” popped up to take the stage.

Stage 6

Stage 6 took us from Dinan (in Brittany) – Lisieux (in Normandy). It was another uphill finish. Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar must be wondering exactly what they have done to upset the organisers of the Tour de France.

The stage was notable because it was the first stage won by a British team for 43 years, not as long as the wait to win Wimbledon or the World Cup, but up their with them. A slight pity then that the winner was a Norwegian riding for Team Sky. Edvald Boassen-Hagen was perfectly set up for the stage by Geraint Thomas and took the win well. Oh the other Norwegian on the tour took third on the stage and kept the maillot jaune for another day.

Stage 7

Stage 7 ran from Le Mans to Châteauroux . Chateauroux was the scene of Mark Cavendish’s first ever stage win in the Tour de France, so would anyone like to guess what happened. Correct, HTC with all nine riders on the front gave Cavendish the perfect lead out, dropping him off with about 200m to go and he finished the job. It was probably made slightly easier because a crash delayed Tyler Farrar, the only other sprinter in the same league as “Cav”, wasn’t around to contest the sprint.

Thor Hushvod finished 7th and kept the lead for yet another day

Other news from a British perspective was  that Bradley Wiggins had to abandon, following a chute which left him with a broken collar-bone. This was a big disappointment as was in excellent form. I don’t think he would have won the race, but he would have challenged for a place on the final podium.

Stage 8

Stage 8 from Aigurande to Super-Besse Sancy was supposed to be the stage when the favourites showed their hand for the first time, and it was definitely the stage that would finally see Thor Hushvod relieved of the Maillot Jaune. The Moyen Montagne of the Massif Centrale was supposed to be too much for him, the first Category 2 climb of the tour and then the climb up to Super Besse should surely see him out the back.

Thor Hushvod Yellow @Super Besse

Yet again this didn’t happen. The favourites were understandably a bit reluctant to blow their brains out for gains that would be insignificant when the real mountains arrive in the middle of the week. and Hushvod well supported by his team, finished comfortably with the leaders yet again.

Stage 9

A crash strewn Stage 9 from Issoire to Saint-Flour was the day that Garmin-Cérvelo and The Mighty Thor ran out of luck. A massive pile up on the descent from the Puy Mary saw Alexandre Vinokourov, Jurgen Van den Broeck, his team-mate Fredrik Willems and Garmin-Cervélo’s Dave Zabriskie all forced to abandon. Later on to wards the end of the stage a piece of what at best could be described as thoughtless driving by a French television car took out two of the riders, Juan-Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland, in the winning break. Flecha seemed to get away comparatively minor with cuts and bruises, but Hoogerland was pitched into a barbed wire fence.

Garmin’s original tactics had been to put David Millar into the break which everyone knew would include Thomas Voekler. This would have had two effects. First it would have put the onus on the other teams to chase and secondly as Millar was only 8 seconds off the lead himself, it would have discouraged Voekler as Millar would have inherited the Yellow Jersey if the break had made it to the finish. Unfortunately Millar had a minor fall and was still being patched up behind the peleton when Luis Leon Sánchez (who won the stage), Voeckler, Sandy Casar, Hoogerland, and Flecha took off.

The crash on the Puy Mary caused the peleton to declare a temporary truce to allow the riders caucht behind the crash to get back on, and by the time the truce was declared over the break’s lead had gone out from a manageable three minutes to round about ten. In addition Thor’s man for pulling back the breaks, Dave Zabriskie, was in an ambulance with a broken wrist. So after a full week on Thor’s shoulders the Maillot Jaune passed to Thomas Voeckler. The last time he held the jersey was in 2004 he kept it for ten days. His dogged determination to keep it turned him into the most popular rider in France. I doubt he will hold it for that long this time, but he should keep hold of it until The Pyrenees.

Rest Day

The first nine days have already shaped the Tour quite a bit. Two riders(Bradley Wiggins and Jurgen Van den Broeck) who had legitimate aspirations of standing on the podium in Paris are out. Alexandre Vinokourov a rider who does shake things up with his attacks is also out. Other contenders such as Andreas Kloeden, and Alberto Contador have been involved in crashes, Contador more than once. The problem with this is that even though the damage is limited to a bit of road rash, every time you come off it takes a little more out of you. The Schlecks and Cadel Evans have both escaped so far.

In my opinion the two main stories so far have been Thor Hushvod’s defence of the Maillot Jaune and Phillipe Gilbert’s attempts to win the Green Jersey and stages. The Green Jersey competition looks like a three-way fight between him, Mark Cavendish and Jose Joaquin Rojas. Cavendish is the best sprinter, Gilbert can pick up points on more hilly stages, but probably not in the high mountains, Rojas can do a bit of both, but isn’t as good as Gilbert in the hills and isn’t as fast as Cav in the sprints. Thor Hushvod shouldn’t be ruled out either. If you asked me to place a bet my money would be on Cavendish, but I would want decent odds.

As regards the General Classification, from what I have seen so far, my judgement is that Contador is not at 100%, Andy Shleck hasn’t tried anything so far but has covered any moves without apparently breaking sweat. Cadel Evans looks close to his best form, has been aggressive, without wasting too much energy, and generally looks up for it.

My men for the podium in Paris (barring accidents or illness) are those three, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if someone like Nicholas Roche or Tom Danielson sneaks onto the bottom step.

Cycling, Tour de France 2011

Tour de France 2011 – Part 1

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Prologue

Well there isn’t a prologue this year. So you will have to make do with my musings on what is going to happen.

The GC (General Classification or Yellow Jersey) is I think it is a straight fight between Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard (last years winner) and Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek (last years runner-up). Schleck probably is a slightly better climber than Contador and has a stronger and more experienced team, (you don’t get stronger than Fabian Cancellara or more experienced than Stuart O’Grady and Jens Voigt), but Contador proved in 2009 that he can win without a team, or indeed with a team gave that appeared to be actively working against him. Contador is by far the best individual time trialist. The Team Time Trial is fairly short so no team (except possibly Euskatel) should lose too much time.

Who is going to win? I don’t know, but I will be very surprised, barring accidents or an early intervention by CAS, if Contador and Andy Schleck are not on the top two steps. The third step could be occupied by any one of about ten riders, Bradley Wiggins, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto and Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team among the candidates.

The Points Competition (Green Jersey) has a new format this year with only one intermediate sprint per stage and not the two or three that there were in the past.. The other big difference is that the intermediate sprint is now worth 20 points to the winner with points going down to the first fifteen riders across the line. This means that anyone who wants to win the competition will have to go for the points at the intermediate sprint, unlike in earlier years when the overall contenders could rely on a breakaway mopping up the intermediate points and only have to worry about the final sprint. On paper the favourite to win the green jersey is Mark Cavendish, but he has a habit of sitting up in a sprint when he knows that he has been beaten, thus dropping points by finishing tenth when he could have been second or third. Thor Hushvod has stated that the Green Jersey is not his aim this year, so I think that it could well end up on the shoulders of his team-mate Tyler Farrar.

The King of the Mountains Competition (Polka Dot Jersey)has in recent years become a completion fought out by French riders who got themselves into early breaks and hoovered up the points available before the GC contenders started racing properly in the latter stages of the race. Like the Points competition the scoring has been altered this year, with fewer points available on the lesser climbs. This is possibly to discourage the opportunist French breakaway riders and encourage some of the bigger names to make it a goal if they lose time in the GC. Having said that I would like to see David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis win.

Stage 1

Saturday’s stage, unusually wasn’t a prologue time trial, but a road stage with a reasonably steep uphill finish. Philippe Gilbert was such a short-priced favourite for the stage that one Belgian punter was heard to remark that it would probably cost him money even if Gilbert won. Surprisingly enough Philippe Gilbert did win it and in style. His team controlled the race well into the finalé, including an amusing to watch, although probably not to do, 100m turn on the front, uphill, by André Griepel. Fabian Cancellara attacked with about 500m to go, forcing Gilbert to go probably a bit earlier than he had planned, but if Spartacus goes, you have to go with him if you want to win. Gilbert caught him and sat on for a few seconds to see what was going to do, then went himself. Cadel Evans tried to bridge across but didn’t manage and came second, with Thor Hushvod coming third and setting himself up nicely for an attempt at the yellow jersey in the following days team time trial.

The other incident that shaped the day, and could yet shape the tour was a mass pile up with about 10k to go. A spectator got too close to the action and caused an Astana rider to crash , bringing half the peleton with him. Alberto Contador although not actually involved, was caught behind the crash and lost about a minute and a half to his rivals.

Stage 2

The second stage of this years Tour de France was the Team Time Trial. Jonathon Vaughters the owner/manager of Team Garmin-Cervélo has tried to win a stage of the Tour de France for the past three years. In addition he has a bit of an obsession with the Team Time Trial. This is probably due the fact that one of the highlights of his career as a cyclist was winning the Team Time Trial stage in 2001 when he was a member of Roger Legay’s Credit Agricole team.

It all worked out perfectly for him and the team. They won the stage by 4 seconds and moved Thor Hushvod out of his world champions rainbow strips into the Maillot Jaune, though today he was rather incongruously wearing the polka dot jersey of the leader of the King of the Mountains competition. If you want to know why I suggest that you read the minutiae of the Rules & Regulations of the Tour de France (in French).
This is link is David Millar’s reaction to the win

Below is Johnathan Vaughter’s reaction.

Book Reviews, Cycling

Book Review: Racing Through the Dark by David Millar

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Racing Through the Dark by David Millar is an honest self-written account of his descent from an extremely talented young rider to a two-year ban for admitting to using various proscribed substances and through to something like redemption.

Racing Through the Dark cover

A confession; I have been a fan of David Millar more or less since the beginning of his career. Apart from his obvious talent, he always came across as being more interesting than the average cyclist. His answers to journalist’s questions were always a bit less bland.

I was there in 2001, wearing my “It’s Millar Time” t-shirt, in Dunkirk, when he crashed (and as the book tells started his burn) in the prologue. He may have heard my shouts of encouragement as he struggled up Cap Griz Nez, swathed in bandages, just about hanging on to the back of the peleton. I was as surprised and shocked as anyone when he admitted to doping in 2004. I was at the top of the hill at Southborough when he took the King of the Mountains points on the stage from London to Canterbury. So to the book.

The opening two short contrasting chapters set the tone for the book. The overture if it was an opera. The first chapter is his telling of his arrest and interrogation by the French Police that led to his confession of having used performance enhancing drugs.

The second chapter, set five years later, is his story of a magnificent, thrilling, but ultimately futile attempt to win the Tour de France stage from Girona (where he now lives) to Barcelona. Through his words you can capture the renewed joy that he has in the sport of cycling.

Tracing his path from an idealistic neo-pro to his eventual downfall is a fascinating psychological journey. While never excusing himself from responsibility, he shows clearly that unless you were a far more stable and emotionally mature person than he was then, the culture around you drew you into doping. The point at which he finally gives in and agrees to dope is strangely and chillingly banal and matter of fact.

His path back from the depths of 2004 in Biarritz, sitting on the steps to the beach with his sister Francis, wishing he had a fast forward button, to the closing paragraphs, the morning after celebrating his Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, is neither smooth nor straightforward, but it is ultimately an uplifting story. He has problems with the French Justice system and the French Tax authority. His new team, Saunier Duval seemed to have similar problems to those he met at Cofidis, with riders notably Ricardo Ricco appearing to use EPO and other banned substances, and the management turning a blind eye to the goings on. Joining Jonathan Vaughters’ Slipstream team, with its anti-doping ethos, finally gave him something to believe in.

The book is about as far removed from the bland hack written “autobiographies” of sportsmen and women that we normally expect as can be. It is an open, honest and at times raw account of the pressures and strains that a top sportsman encounters. I think that it is a book that everyone should read, not just cycling fans. And if it does not win this years William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, then I will definitely read the book that beats it.

Book Reviews, Cycling

Racing Through the Dark by David Millar

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I have managed to get hold of a copy of David Millar’s book Racing Through the Dark (Orion, 18.99 rrp) in time to read while I am on holiday. Richard Williams reviews it in today’s Guardian book reviews.

He says about the book:

David Millar provides one of the great first-person accounts of sporting experience

The definitive review will be on this blog after I get back from holiday.

The review also covers Richard Moore’s Slaying the Badger (Yellow Jersey, £12.99), which tells the story of the rivalry between Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault and the 1986 Tour de France. I think that it will also be worth a read.

Cycling, Environment

Persuading the UK to get on its Bike.

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The Walking and Cycling group have released an interim report. It makes disappointing reading for those of us who see the bicycle as an essential part of a less energy intensive transport strategy. To sum the report up in a few words; The adult population of the UK just doesn’t get cycling, except as a leisure activity.

I’m trying to work out why? Does the image that we project as cyclists put people off? We are not all Lycra clad and super-fit, but if that is the image we project then it is understandable why the public think that they wont and don’t want to make the grade.

Typical British Cyclist ?

In the Netherlands, which in many ways is the European country that most resembles the United Kingdom, about 25% of all journeys are made by bicycle. In the United Kingdom it is about 2%. So what I want to explore is what makes the Dutch get on their bikes and the British get in their cars.

Typical Dutch Cyclists?

What are our reasons/excuses for using our cars and not our bikes?

The weather is often given as a reason, it rains a lot in Britain. It does if you live on the Northwest coast of Scotland or in Cumbria, but I refuse to believe that it rains more in the populated areas of Britain than it does in the Netherlands. Even if it does rain more, to quote some one, possibly Billy Connelly “there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing”

The Netherlands are much flatter than the United Kingdom claim the motorists. I will agree, that for the most part they are, but there are bits of the Netherlands that are far from flat, and large areas of the United Kingdom, such as London that are less than Alpine in their hilliness. Flatness of the countryside is a double-edged sword, as any one why has cycled across the Fens into a head wind will tell you.

In my opinion the biggest obstacle to getting the British on their bikes is a justified fear of the traffic in our cities and towns. I do think that the dangers of cycling in Britain are often overstated, but I cannot pretend that they are non-existent.

Mrs johnm55 loves cycling, put her on her bike out in the countryside, especially on a sunny day with the prospect of lunch at a country pub, and she is in heaven. But she hates cycling in London. She finds the conduct of a significant number of other road users intimidating. They rarely leave a safe distance between her and their vehicle, they overtake at inappropriate times and they are rude and impatient. As a result, when she does use her bike in London she tries to find routes that keep her away from traffic as much as possible. The problem with such routes are that they are usually rough surfaced, tend to take you away from populated areas, are often poorly lit after dark, and often have pedestrians wandering willy-nilly across them. Pedestrians who get upset, and as rude as any motorist, if you ring your bell to warn then that you are coming up behind them. (Possibly they would prefer it if you yelled “get out the #@*!#@!# way you moron.”, but Mrs johnm55 is a very polite woman and would never even think of saying things like that. johnm55 at times takes a different view.)

All this means is that compared to cycling on the road, cycling on traffic free routes, in London, often is a very slow way of getting from A to B.

Now, look at the photo of the Dutch cyclists above, what do you see under their wheels?  Correct, a well surfaced (motor) traffic free cycle route. The Netherlands has a has a comprehensive network of traffic free cycle routes which is one reason for the Dutch getting on their bikes. When the cyclist In the Netherlands has to share the road with cars, as they have to, even with a well designed system of cycle routes, The Netherlands has another advantage. In common with most other European countries the Netherlands has what is often known as a law of Strict Liability. The law assumes that unless proven otherwise, if a car collides with a more vulnerable road user (cyclist or pedestrian) then the car driver is at fault. The video gives explains how it works:

Any law similar to the Dutch law is of course anathema to our motoring organisations and Jeremy Clarkson, so there is not a lot of chance of a law like it being passed in this country any time in the near future. Of course a law of strict liability only goes so far. Hopefully it will make drivers slightly more careful around cyclists and pedestrians.  It is also comforting to know that your loved ones will be taken care of if you are crushed by a lorry, but it is probably fear of getting crushed by the lorry that stops you getting on your bike in the first place. So we are back to needing effective cycle routes.

London’s developing network of Cycle SuperHighways are a start, but the one I have used CS7 still allows cars to park on it, forcing you out into the main traffic. Car drivers also don’t seem to take all that much notice of the blue bit of the road surface that is for cyclists alone. Driver education might help. Getting more cyclists out on the road would definitely help to make life safer for all cyclists.

Possibly the choice of bikes on sale in the UK doesn’t help either. It is getting better, but if you go into the average bike shop in Britain you will be hard pushed to ride out on a bike that can be ridden wearing a suit. By that I mean a bike with full mud-guards, an effective chain guard, and an upright riding position. Strangely enough his type of bike is known in the UK as a Dutch roadster.

An additional problem is where people keep their bikes when they are not in use. I used to keep all my bikes safely locked up in the shed in my back garden. The five or six minutes it takes to get the bike out of the shed and on to the road, then make sure all the back doors and gates have been re-locked is not a big deal, if I am going out for an all day bike ride. However, if all I am doing is going along to the shops to get some bread and milk, it is easier to take the car. The car sits outside the front of the house, all I have to do is unlock it and jump in.
I overcame this problem by keeping my old bike locked to a strong point at the front of the house. This makes it at least as easy as using the car for short trips.

I was going to insert a mini rant about cycle helmets at this point, but he post is getting a bit long so I’ll save it for later.

To sum up; I feel we need to do the following to encourage more use of the bicycle for transport.

This study took place in Copenhagen, Denmark over 14.5 years. It found that cycling to work (an average of 3 hours cycling per week) decreased risk of mortality by about 40% compared to a sedentary control group. This study involved 30,000 people. The study took into account age, health status, and socio-economic factors such as education. It also found that older people gained even more from physical activity than younger people.

Next time for the sake of your health and the planet’s health, if you are going to the shops or the pub or to work, and the journey is five miles or less, think about walking or using your bike, it will probably be quicker anyway.

Cycling

A good weekend for British Cycling

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It has been a fairly impressive weekend for British Cycling.

Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) won in the time-trial at the Bayern-Rundfahrt on Saturday (beating World Champion Fabian Cancellara by 30 seconds in the process) .
Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas (also Team Sky) also produced a strong ride to take him into the leaders jersey. He and his team successfully defended the lead on the final stage yesterday to give him his first major stage race on his palmares.

On top of that on the other side of the Alps in Milan, David Millar (Team Garmin-Cervelo) won the final stage of the Giro d’Italia

David Millar
Cycling

Every one should have a bike like this

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My Old Bike
My Old Bike

It’s definitely not my best bike (that’s my old ‘racing’ bike), it’s not the bike that I cover the most miles on (that’s my touring bike), but it is the bike that I use the most often. I have had it for nearly twenty years now, . It lives outside the front door, ready for action. It’s the bike I ride to the shops, to the pub and occasionally when the work I have to carry out and the sites I need to visit on a particular day fit in, the bike I ride to work.

It was found in a skip, although probably the only part of it that is left from the original bike is the frame. The handlebars and brake levers were salvaged from a bike that a friend of mine had wrecked. He did quite a good job, the handle bars were just about the only part that was reusable. How he managed to do it without causing similar damage to himself is still a source of amazement. Some bits, like the super-duper suspension seat post, were bought for another bike, then discovered to be the wrong size when I got them home. Other parts were acquired from my other bikes as they wear out, or are replaced by something newer and shinier.
Below is a slide-show illustrating some of the unique features, such as the aerodynamically enhanced duct-taped mudguard, the custom ‘chipped’ paint job, the Christmas tree of lights (in the hope that Wallington drivers will actually see me on winter nights) and last but not least the ‘D’ lock that is probably worth more than the bike itself.

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Cycling

Interesting time-trial results at the Tour of California

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Yesterday’s (20 May) Tour of California time-trial threw up what for me was a quite interesting result. Not so much that Dave Zabriskie won the stage, in what was a record time for the course, what caught my attention were the results from the women’s time-trial that was run on the same course just before the men’s race.

What I have done in the table below is to superimpose the results of the women’s time-trial on the results from the men’s. Although none of the women came close to beating the top men, all but two of them finished with times that were better than some of the elite of the male professional peleton. The winner of the women’s race Kristin Armstrong (no relation and not his ex-wife) would have finished 94th which is more than respectable.

In the United Kingdom we have had women in the past such as Beryl Burton and Yvonne MacGregor who could compete with and beat the men. Beryl Burton famously broke the British 12 hour time-trial record by catching and passing Mike McNamara who was on his way to setting a new British Men’s record. Yvonne MacGregor found that the men who were scheduled to start anything up to five minutes before her, frequently pulled out of the time trial, not wanting to be caught and passed by a woman.

However, Beryl Burton and Yvonne MacGregor were in the main competing against amateurs, good amateurs, but amateurs never the less. The men Kirstin Armstrong and the other women were up against (indirectly) were some of the top professionals in the world. Nick Nuyens whose time was beaten by four of the women won this years Ronde Van Vlaanderen..

I suppose I should add a couple of caveats: The women were racing a one-off event and not one stage in an eight stage race. They are some of the best female time-trialists in the world, and a lot of the men, like Nick Nuyens, are not exactly famed for their time-trialing abilities.

It is still, I think an impressive performance by all the women concerned.

Combined results Men’s & Women’s Time trial
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 David Zabriskie (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 30:36
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack 00:14
3 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad 00:40
… …………………… …..
90 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 03:51
91 Daniel Martin (Irl) Team Garmin-Cervelo
92 Jesus Del Nero Montes (Spa) Team NetApp 03:53
93 Anders Lund (Den) Leopard Trek
Kristin Armstrong (USA) Peanut Butter & Co/Twenty12 03:54
94 Baden Cooke (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard 03:55
95 Karl Menzies (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 03:59
96 Andrew Pinfold (Can) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 04:00
97 Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank Sungard 04:01
98 Tom Zirbel (USA) Jamis – Sutter Home 04:02
99 Martin Pedersen (Den) Leopard Trek
100 Alexander Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth 04:03
Amber Neben (USA) HTC-Highroad 04:07
101 Jose Fernando Antogna (Arg) Jamis – Sutter Home 04:09
102 Robert Forster (Ger) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
103 Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Team Spidertech 04:11
104 Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team 04:12
105 Luca Damiani (Ita) Kenda/5-hour Energy 04:13
106 Tyler Wren (USA) Jamis – Sutter Home 04:14
107 Anibal Andres Borrajo (Arg) Jamis – Sutter Home 04:15
108 Lucas Euser (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 04:17
109 James Driscoll (USA) Jamis – Sutter Home 04:18
110 Jeremy Powers (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda 04:21
111 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Team RadioShack
112 Alexander Gottfried (Ger) Team NetApp 04:22
113 Andreas Dietziker (Swi) Team NetApp 04:30
114 Jonas Aaen Jorgensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard 04:32
Charlotte Becker (Swe) HTC-Highroad 04:32
Evelyn Stevens (USA) HTC-Highroad 04:32
115 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Saxo Bank Sungard 04:33
116 Kevin Lacombe (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 04:38
117 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team 04:39
Emma Pooley (GBr) Garmin-Cervelo 04:42
118 Phillip Gaimon (USA) Kenda/5-hour Energy 04:42
119 Martin Gilbert (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 04:43
120 Alex Hagman (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda 04:48
121 Alastair Loutit (Aus) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda 04:51
122 Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team Type 1 – Sanofi Aventis 04:52
123 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) HTC-Highroad
Tara Whitten (Can) Team Tibco 04:53
124 Andrew Bajadali (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth 04:55
125 Andy Guptill (USA) Jamis – Sutter Home 05:06
126 Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team NetApp 05:12
Amanda Miller (USA) HTC-Highroad 05:15
127 Ken Hanson (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda 05:17
128 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth 05:22
129 Stefan Denifl (Aut) Leopard Trek 05:32
Rhae Shaw (Can) Hagens Berman Cycling 05:30
Alison Starnes (USA) Peanut Butter & Co/Twenty12 05:35
Emilia Fahlin (Swe) HTC-Highroad 05:44
130 Will Routley (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 05:45
Janel Holcomb (USA) Colavita Forno d’Asolo 06:18
131 Alejandro Alberto Borrajo (Arg) Jamis – Sutter Home 06:45
Heather Jackson (USA) Trek/K-Swiss 06:56
Jessica Phillips (USA) Team Ajax Tavern 07:10
Cycling

Ronde Van Vlaanderen

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The Ronde Van Vlaanderen  (Tour of Flanders if you don’t speak Flemish or Dutch) takes place tomorrow. It is one of my favourite races of the year. One of the reasons that I like it so much is that it very rarely throws up a lucky winner. The combination of cobbles and short very steep hills almost always seems to ensure that the strongest rider wins.

To give you a taste of what is to come here is Fabian Cancellara winning last years race. The commentary is in Flemish, which I think adds to the atmosphere.

It is easy to see how the (false) rumour that he had an electric motor hidden in his down tube started when you watch him attack on the Kapelmuur.  The rider in the Belgian Champions Jersey that he leaves for dead is Tom Boonen.

I got quite excited last year because for a little while I thought there was a possibility of the first British winner since Tom Simpson. David Millar made a strong attempt to get across to Boonen and Cancellara on the run to the Muur van Geraardsbergen and for a while it looked as if he might make it, but he didn’t quite have the legs. There are a couple of shots where the camera flicks back to the chasers. He is the rider being dropped.

As for this years race, if you have put your money on any one to win it has to be Cancellara. He was impressive last weekend winning the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke, and it is difficult to see past him. Thor Hushovd is more focused on next weekend’s Paris-Roubaix which he has already stated that he would love to win while wearing the Rainbow Jersey. Phillipe Gilbert, while not without a chance, is probably building his form to peak for Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he has a better chance to win.

However, impressive as Cancellara was winning last weekend, Tom Boone was as impressive winning Gent-Wevelgem last Sunday. I’m not saying he will win, but he has form, and being Flemish, he will always be up for it.

So tomorrow it will all be played out on the 256 km road to Meerbeke. Unfortunately I can’t be where I would like to be, near the top of the Kapelmuur, so I will have to see if I can find a live feed on the internet instead.

I will be drinking Belgian Beer for the duration of the weekend to help with generating the proper ambience.

Cycling

Boris Bikes

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I had my first ride on a Boris Bike today.  Boris Bikes, (or to give them their proper name The Transport for London Cycle Hire Scheme) for those of you who may be unfamiliar with them, is a scheme set up about a year ago, that allows you to hire a bike for short periods at a nominal fee. It was inspired in the main by the Parisian Velib scheme. It costs £1 to register for a day and after that journeys of up to half an hour are free.

Boris Bikes
TfL Hire "Boris" Bikes

My first job of the day was at the top end of the Kings Road and my second one was at the other end. I suppose I could have walked or taken the bus, in fact I was going to walk, but as I was passing a bank of docked bikes inspiration struck. It takes about 60 seconds and a credit or debit card to obtain an unlocking code, and punch it in. Pull the bike out of the dock and you are off, London is your oyster. Actually if bike hire could be tied  into the Oyster Card scheme that would be brilliant.

I was quite impressed by the bike. The riding position is very upright but comfortable. They are heavy but you get the feeling that if you were in collision with a double-decker bus, it would be the bus that came off second best. (Disclaimer – I strongly  recommend not putting this theory to the test). There is something about them that encourages a relaxed, literally no sweat, style of riding. The three gears are more than adequate for any hills that you will find in Central London. I wouldn’t choose one for a full day ride in hilly countryside, but for short (up to half hour) trips in London they are brilliant. I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t fit my rucksack into the luggage carrier, as I don’t like cycling with a pack on my back. But my rucksack is quite big, and for the ten minutes each way it wasn’t too bad.At the other end you just put the bike back in its docking station and leave it. When you want to use a bike again you just put your credit card into the reader, it checks that you have already paid and issues you with a new unlock code, and off you go again.