The good people at the AMGEN Tour of California have announced a competition to design the jersey that will adorn the leader of the race’s Breakaway From Cancer Most Courageous rider… and you have a competitor to vote for!  VOTE HERE

I took a lot of enjoyment out of designing our Loving The Bike 2012 team kit, and in our opinion it turned out great.  The design process was made easier by knowledge of Photoshop CS5 and new designs for the team kit range are underway.

Very recently I stumbled across this competition to design a jersey for the Pro peloton and just had to have a crack at it. I kept the strong bold colours of the 2012 jersey which show off the ToC and Breakaway from Cancer spirit as well adding in the Breakaway logo in a Garmin-Sharp inspired pattern. I feel it’s striking and would be able to stand out from the crowd.

Although there is a great prize up for grabs to whoever gains the most public votes for their jersey design, I’m unlikely to be able to capitalise on it from this side of the pond and that’s not why I’m doing it. I enjoy designing cycle kits and would be very proud to see this riding the roads of California!

This competition is all based on public opinion so if you like my design, please take a few moments to vote for my jersey and spread the word. You can VOTE HERE for my jersey and design and submit your own here.

If you need a jersey or kit designed… let me know!

Stevie

Last night saw Bradley Wiggins crowned ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012′ despite an extended field of competitors. Great Britain has experienced a stellar year of sport which included the London 2012 Olympic Games and of course, a historic win by Wiggins and Team Sky at Le Tour de France.

The annual event has a range of awards from ‘Unsung Hero’ usually given to non sports stars who help members of their community to achieve their potential, to ‘International Personality of the Year’ which was taken home by Usain Bolt this year. Due to London 2012 being such a success for Team GB the normal shortlist for the main award was extended from 10 to 12. Some felt there should have been a separate title for Olympic competitors but this had the potential to water down the main award and I’m glad they chose the format they did. Contenders for this years main event included sailing legend Ben Ainslie, heptathlete and all round babe Jessica Ennis, the sensational Mo Farah, golf supremo Rory McIlory and track king Sir Chris Hoy.

The shortlist is compiled by a panel of male and female sports editors and journalists but the final vote goes to the public and is always hotly contested. Although not greatly appreciated outside the UK, for British sports stars the award is a big deal. London’s Excel Centre hosted the awards dinner last night and it looked immense! I have never seen a bigger sports awards ceremony and it did justice to the fantastic year of sport we have witnessed in 2012. And who better to award Wiggo the main prize but Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge or Kate Middleton to those not eligible for a stay in The Tower.

This award has been scooped by 3 cyclists in the last 5 years (Sir Chris Hoy 2008, Mark Cavendish 2011, Bradley Wiggins 2012) and goes some way to illustrate the upsurge in popularity of cycling in Britain. The only question now is if Wiggins does defend his Yellow Jersey in July despite initially stating he would focus on the Giro, can he make 2013 even more epic and take the top public voted sports award for a record second year in a row!?

UPDATE

Below is a link to a video that emerged on the BBC website of Wiggo jammin’ at the after show party! Such a dude!

There comes a time in every cyclists’ season when the gluttony of an extra spoon of sugar in the coffee or a cheeky pain au chocolat or three over the winter catches up with them and something snaps. When that happens and the balance of treacle sponge versus training regime swings towards the more energetic activities THESUFFERFEST are always round the corner waiting to pounce give you a darn good seeing to… and this time it’s no different!

THE WRETCHED works on the premise that you’ve had a terrible season, under performed at every race and the team are in desperate need of a win at the Tour de France. Unfortunately the French have gone on strike and in order to get the stage done, the TDF powers that be are going to condense the 7 hour stage into just 35 minutes, something that sounds ridiculous but you never know these days! After a quick warm up powered by the strange but enchanting rock sound of Banstead band Redados you reach the top of Box Hill, which featured in the Olympic Road Race. It was great to see the Box Hill climb in a Sufferfest video as I’ve ridden it many times and is fairly local to me, but it also highlighted the hierarchy of the climbs I’ve ridden in real life as this was merely a warm up!

On to the job at hand and all the Sufferlandrian DS had asked is that you follow every break, take the King of the Mountains competition for the day and win in the final sprint. Now if you’ve never ridden THESUFFERFEST before let me tell you it is very similar to real racing, just without the handlebars bashing into you or the crazy noob in front swerving all over the road. Throughout the video there is the feeling that something is about to go off. When you are not attacking, you know that something is going to happen and begin to beg the riders around you to give you a few more seconds respite before it all goes off again.

The early attacks ping off the front

Some slick new graphics and the great choice of music (as always) make this video one that you will love to hate from the word go. The music, all by bands that I’ve never heard of and frankly probably wouldn’t have done if they weren’t Sufferlandrian national treasures is one of two main driving forces behind this video. Everyone’s had that feeling at some stage where music cuts deep into your soul. A ballad you attribute to the ups and downs of your first love. The rock anthem that swells and makes you feel invincible. Or the fun summer tune that stays in your head for months and makes you dream of beaches and cold beer. This video has them all and with the change of scene comes a change of music and each time you get a new song you thank Merckx as it just fits so beautifully and either soothes those muscles as you briefly recover or drives you on like a lunatic.

10/10, full on, no holds barred

The other noticeable driving force behind The Wretched is the use of such recent Tour de France race footage. Taking officially licensed footage from the 2012 Tour de France makes this video a delight to watch whilst your legs feels like they are about to fall off. As with the on-screen stars of most of THESUFFERFEST videos, over the 35 minutes of pain I grew to hate Cadel Evans who backs you into the pain cave and then sets the wolves on you. Any stage that finishes with a 3 man battle between Tommy Voekler, Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt has got to have been a tough one and this training video definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Having been an avid ‘Fest lunatic for some time now I’ve done my fair share of roller riding in front of the TV and would definitely say this is up there with the toughest of the videos that have emerged from the depths of THESUFFERFEST pain cave. There is a great range of videos in the series now with editions covering all aspects of racing and something to suit everyone. There will always be the classics, the favourite videos but if you are about to buy your first training video and get on the road to glory make THE WRETCHED your first buy and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be flogged, abused and left crying in a pile in the corner, but you won’t be left wanting.

Purchase The Wretched or any The Sufferfest video right here.

Another double LovingTheBike thumbs up to THESUFFERFEST team!

Stevie

With the incredible success of Britain’s Bradley Wiggins last season, it’s no surprise that the Brits have got cycling fever and excited about being in France to witness the TdF first hand next year.

British Cycling Success is Boosting Tourism 

By Leandro Paragas

Recent British success in world cycling has resulted in a very sudden interest in the sport.  Following Bradley Wiggins’ victory in the Tour de France, many people are already looking for discount holidays and packages from travel companies like Holiday Hypermarket and the chance to cheer on British riders in next year’s race.  Fortunately, there are several deals that offer people the chance to witness the key stages of the race without spending a fortune.

A number of different terrains and challenges await the riders, making it the ultimate test of stamina.  The tour takes in some of the most stunning scenery France has to offer, forcing riders to demonstrate their various skills, such as climbing, sprinting and endurance.  For many, the most iconic images are those of the final stage’s sprint down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.  There are a number of options for anyone wanting to follow the entire tour or simply take in some of the highlights.

Next year’s tour promises to be one of the most exciting ever.  The likely return of Alberto Contador will ensure that Bradley Wiggins is pushed all the way for the 2013 title.  In anticipation of this great event, several travel companies are offering packaged deals which allow fans to follow the whole race.  Perhaps the most impressive package involves travel by luxury coach to every single stage.  For one price, travel, food and accommodation throughout the trip is included; an ideal scenario for those wanting to see the whole event without the hassle of organising a long and complex journey.

There are also a number of shorter deals that include travel and accommodation to specific stages of the tour.  For the more energetic cycling enthusiasts, many travel companies offer the chance to follow in the footsteps of the professionals.  As well as watching some of the key stages, fans will get some expert training and the chance to ride along some of the Tour de France routes; there surely can be no more exciting way of experiencing the spectacle.

Key stages of the 2,000 mile race can be enjoyed at any time of the year.  A particular favourite with enthusiasts is the Alps base tour . It includes a number of stunning ascents and descents against the spectacular backdrop of the Alpine mountains.  Many packages include the use of professional cycles, tuition and all of the necessary equipment.  As cycling continues to capture the imagination of new fans, interest in these types of holiday will probably continue to rise.

As part of our continuing series of inspirational guest writing we have a timely piece about the personal battles people face with parts of the Tour de France.  Having suffered a stroke, Kim battled with courage and strength to take on her personal challenge at the 2009 Tour de France.

“…the nastiest hill I ever climbed”

I cried today while riding the bike. Why? Cuz I made it to the top of Cole de Romme—a Cat 1 climb. It wasn’t pretty, I took a hike with my bike many times, don’t think I rode an entire km without stopping at least 2 times, but the point is, there are no mountains in Austin, so I rode like I had trained…up a hill, rest on the downhill repeat. Only this time it was ‘pedal up the mountain, stop and walk a bit, take a picture, repeat’. Back in Nov 15, 2007 I couldn’t walk and today I made it to the top of Cole de Romme! You do the math… 8.8 km from elevation of 502m  to an elevation of 1297 m! There’s about 3 feet to 1 meter!

I took my pic (below) at 5 km to the finish, then again at 1 km, by then I figured I would make it. I didn’t ride the entire last km, I stopped at least 3 times! The top was so crowded, I probably inched the bike across the line. I found someone to take my pic, then went over the line, then started crying. It was at this point that I realized I was going to be ok, I can survive a stroke & continue to live life.

I rode down about 3 km to a spot above a hairpin turn. I could see the riders coming up (a lot faster than moi) then, I would turn around and take pics. Haven’t looked at the pics yet, but I did get to see the Devil and the Norway chicken.

The race was incredible and in the words of Lance Butler, “…these guys are professional”

I think my overall time to reach the summit was about 2 hours.(I’ll let you do the math on the mph…remember I hiked with a bike quite a bit.) It didn’t take me that long to go downhill, rode the brakes the entire time down…the thought of road rash to match my 5” x 3” bruise on my butt will slow ya down! (the previous day I slipped on some stairs and landed on my right butt cheek..the blood thinners must have still been in my system, because the bruise is huge.

Mt. Ventoux is out of the question, it was amazing how long it took to go 5k and to do that 5 times on a steeper grade, not worth it.

I’m a very fortunate brain injury survivor. Thank you Alison and Mom! love ya!

Col de Romme, 8.8 kilometers, average grade nine percent. I think Lance Armstrong said, “Col de Romme, the nastiest hill I ever climbed.”

Thank you to Kim for sharing her story. I’m sure many people reading this will know someone who has been affected by a stroke and it’s a heartening story. Congratulations Kim, hopefully with some LovingTheBike and #bikeschool help we can get you scaling Mt Ventoux!

Stevie

Wow! What a month it has been in the world of professional bike racing. In an attempt to keep those post-Tour blues at bay for one more day I thought I’d share the last set of photos and videos from my time at this years Tour…. all the way back in the first week of July, and also some thoughts and feelings about how this years Tour has been played out.

If Carlsberg made Tours…

The 2011 edition of the Tour de France has already been called the greatest of all time by commentators, journalists and fans alike due to the awesome sporting spectacle that was displayed. I’m not sure I agree it was the greatest ever… as much as I do not particularly like the man, Lance Armstrong gave us some stunning sporting moments during his reign, most of which are hard to succumb. That aside, it was a beautifully hard way to spend a July and even before a pedal was turned I knew this years Tour was going to be special for me. As well as my impending Tour holiday (which I will stop going on about at some point this year… probably), as June drew to a close I found myself in the privileged position of dishing out help and advice to Tour virgins who were determined to get involved and enjoy what can for some, be a long and uninteresting sporting occasion. I’d need a third hand if I was to try and count the amount of times this month I’ve had to try to explain to people why Mark Cavendish can’t, won’t and doesn’t want to win the Yellow Jersey but they were almost all to people who had very little interest in the Tour. What I was really interested to do (and think I at least partially achieved) was to give those lovers of cycling who do not normally watch professional road racing a head start to enable them to enjoy the Tour. I’ve had personal messages from many people who found my previous posts (here, here and here) helpful and I really appreciated them. I have to remember sometimes that not everyone who loves bikes, loves bike racing but I know I’ve helped a handful of people access and understand, what I believe is one of the most beautiful sporting spectacles in the universe.

There were some fantastic moments in this years Tour which were created by a few key moments:

The new points system for the intermediate sprints and the end of the stages really mixed it up and made the Green Jersey more of a fight which needed to be defended at all times. Commonly known as the ‘sprinters’ jersey due to the amount of points available at the finish lines, this year it was great to see the teams backing the biggest sprinters actually having to do some work during the day to chase back breaks and lead-out for the intermediates. It is a great new system which Christian Prudhomme stated was designed, in part, to ensure a superb sprinter such as Mark Cavendish didn’t finish his career without winning the points classification.

A resurgence of French riders dominating at the Tour always invigorates the fans and in turn the race. Although we had to wait until stage 19 at the top of Alpe d’Huez for Pierre Rolland of Europcar to take a French stage win, the 9 days Thomas Voeckler spent in Yellow was truly inspiring. Every fiber of my being wanted Tommy V to hang on until Paris. He personifies everything that I love about the sport of bike racing and the fact so many said that the man wearing Yellow coming out of the Pyrenees should win in Paris gave Voeckler a superb chance to hang on. It wasn’t to be but alas, the French were well represented in the race and as a result the country and fans went made for the Tour.

Thor Hushovd is a particular favourite of mine and he wears the stripes of the World Champion with pride, guts and sheer brilliance. His two stage wins, in particular his first into Lourdes on stage 13, were superb and I had chills watching him ride to those finishes. Like Cadel before him, Thor really ‘races’ the Rainbow Jersey which is what we all want to see.

By having Thor Hushovd and Thomas Voeckler in Yellow for so long it meant that the ‘real’ GC contenders were left to battle each other on the road without the pressures of the Yellow Jersey. The lack of Yellow in the locker of one of the GC contenders might seem moot but the responsibility of leading the GC and wearing the Golden Fleece brings with it certain responsibilities of the rider and his team. This can mean sometimes that the racing is quite predictable as the leaders’ team is sent to the front of the peloton to chase down breaks and they are generally the ones tasked with taking the race to the others. By keeping the Yellow Jersey away from the biggest GC hopefuls meant they were able to battle each other with a little more freedom, which was shown by the fact the media focused a lot on the mistakes the riders were making due to the added pressure.

Although nobody who rides a bike likes to see crashes, the rough and tumble nature of this years race displayed in a harsh way the physical strains that the riders go through. Many won’t have heard of Johnny Hoogerland before his unceremonious ‘de-biking’ when he and Flecha were taken out by the ‘France 2/3′ car, but I can assure you he has always been a complete lunatic on a bike and always excites races with his kamikaze breakaways and sheer panache. There were some horrible crashes but most of the riders battled on, making us all realise, we probably couldn’t do what they do however much we want to! Other notable crashes came from Bradley Wiggins, Tom Boonen, Alexander Vinokourov, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Janez Brajkovic, David Zabriskie, David Millar and Chris Horner.

Cuddles… If there is one man who is capable of displaying what this sport means to so many millions of people across the globe it must be Cadel Evans. The man is built of true Aussie grit and shows his face and rides his bike all year round rather than concentrating on Grand Tours.

I’m not going to attempt to recap the whole of the race, but you can check out a lot of great writing and fantastic photographs of the Tour at Steephill.tv and also over at CyclingTipsBlog.com (I know The Boss won’t mind me linking you away to Wade’s site… just finish reading this first please!) I’m off to watch re-runs of the Tour and cry into my Team Sky merchandise. While I’m doing that, check out the final installment of photos and videos from my time at the Tour. I hope you all have enjoyed July as much as I have. Let’s do it again next year!

(Ignore the first 8… you’ve seen them… WordPress gallery had a coronary whilst I was uploading and I can’t figure out the cure)

Eventual winner Cadel Evans in the Green Jersey for the TTT

Astana TTT

The chasing peloton coming past us in St Lumine & a little message from me & @AndyMWild

2 idiots, 1 bike… says it all really! Good times!

Stevie

As promised, this week I have the sights, the sounds… and the slightly drunk provincial early evening bike races that occured over stage 2 & 3 of this years Tour whilst @SteamyWynndows, @AndyMWild & I were there. After a lot of walking on day 1 to catch the action in two of the best places on the course we took Sunday at a slightly slower pace… even if the riders couldn’t. We took our chairs, set up next to the barriers and relaxed between teams coming through in the Team Time Trial. The boys really enjoyed the TTT as it was a different experience completely to the, ‘elbows out’ hustle and bustle of a Tour stage start & finish (they are both clearly well versed in the ‘elbows out’ technique as no Frenchy or Bacon Stealer was able to steal our prime spot all trip). After the stage we went back to the team bus area and I got my Canadian flag signed by Rider Hesjedal, had photos with David Millar (at which point I went a little funny in the head & started mumbling something about his book with a ginourmous smile on my face), got a copy of the days L’Équipe signed by quite a few riders AND met Geraint Thomas whilst he was doing his warm down who signed some hats for us and gave me a water bottle. Winning!

The last day of ‘live’ Tour viewing was spent in a little town called St Lumine. We were looking for a different experience for this day too so I picked a random, small village the route was going through and headed for it. I had no idea what the town/village was, I was just hoping it had a bar… as it was @AndyMWild‘s day to drive and it was SCORCHIO! St Lumine was perfect. Residents were out in the main centre, they shouting, cheering, generally being ‘Tour French’ and we were made to feel right at home by a local man directing traffic and a Gendarme (who didn’t shoot us… which is always a bonus!) After the race came through St Lumine, we quaffed some more beer, ate some pizza cooked by a man in a converted ice cream van and then dashed up the road to St Philbert where we had the jolly good fortune to stumble in to a beer tent with a large projection screen showing the race! There we met ‘James’, a fellow Brit on a touring holiday and there we stayed. 4 Brits, cheering on the Team Sky boys whilst hoping for a Cav win (which never happened).

That last day of the Tour for us was one spent drinking, waving flags like mad men and doing dances in the streets. It was finished by some drunken bike racing along quiet provencial streets towards the beach where we took dinner, drank some more stubbies on the beach (which in turn caused us all to swim in the sea for a very VERY short period of time) and then wiggle our little sit-up-and-beg’s home once it was too dark and we had run out of beer!

All in all, a fantastic holiday. I know MrsD doesn’t read this so I am safe to say it was the best holiday I’ve been on and I can only hope that feeling I got on Le Gois on day 1 can be repeated on my wedding day… otherwise I’m toast! Enjoy the photos and videos. There will be more to add to this over the coming week (@AndyMWild has such a plethora of international sports events to attend he still hasn’t got round to sending me his snaps) which I will announce on Twitter.

The lead group making there way into the final km on stage 1

Saxo-Bank Sungard coming through our position on the TTT course on stage 2

Philippe Gilbert’s Omega-Pharma Lotto on the TTT course

Alessandro Vanotti rolling through a long way down on his Liquigas team mates

After hanging in the team bus area I got to meet Geraint Thomas, who signed some hats for us and gave me a water bottle! (And gave me a funny look for being a bit weird before I was unceremoniously shifted by the press officer)

Geraint doing a post stage interview for BBC Wales

The break comes through St Lumine with the church bells ringing in the background

A drunken ride to the beach on our borrowed sit-up-and-begs. @SteamyWynndows may need to perfect his commentating skills as firstly, not sure the horse racing commentator voice fits and secondly, in what world would Cav and Clenty be racing to the finish together!? Bless him… he knows better know!

As I mentioned above there will be more pics and video uploaded here over the next week (I hope) but I’ll let the #bikeschool tribe know via Twitter when there are updates.

Stevie

The 2011 edition of the Tour is already shaping up to be a spectacular affair in more ways than one. A huge number of crashes and abandonment’s from some high profile GC contenders (though not the most in Tour history… yet), some superb breakaway riding from… yes you’ve guessed it… Tommy V and Johnny H and then a couple of combustion-engine induced ‘chutes’ just for good measure. Before we get on to the nitty gritty of this week’s #bikeschool post I’d just like to share with you all the mountain points and combative rider competition podium ceremony for Johnny Hoogerland after his horrific crash (courtesy of @Cycloboredom)

Earning your Yellow wings

All that mushy stuff out of the way, firstly I’d like to apologise for the lack of previously promised ‘live’ Tour blogging and tweeting from France. It appears France has not yet heard of free WiFi (or ‘WifFee’) and there 3G coverage is so poor, postcards would have been a more appropriate method of keeping you updated. That said, whilst I was in France I barely had time to send a few tweets out, never mind compose the kind of witty banter this blog has come to represent. For those that aren’t aware, my trip comapanions were my brother Andrew (@SteamyWynndows), and my most favourite of northern flavoured people Andy (@AndyMWild). Neither version of Andrew would say that they are ‘in to’ cycling the way I am but both are huge sports fans and understood before we went why the Tour causes such a hoopla and wanted to experience it for them selves as a sporting spectacle (my brother actually un-followed me on Twitter and Facebook a long time ago due to my incessant cycling talk but has now had some sort of epiphany which you can read about here).

I cannot begin to describe how amazing it all was. The holiday, the company, the cycling, the vantage points we found, the buzz, the hush of the crowd, the weakness of my knees (from not only getting a high five from Laurens Ten Dam on the Le Gois during the ribbon cutting ceremony of stage 1 but also a cheeky smile and wave in our English screaming direction from Geraint Thomas, Cav, Dave Zabriskie, Cadel Evans, Thor Hushovd and Jens! himself) I literally cannot write how great it was, so I’m not going to do my noggin-box’s memory zone too much of a disservice by attempting to talk you through every part… it is an experience you must do for yourself, and I hope one day you will all get that chance. What I have got for you is lots of pictures! Below is a fraction of the hundreds of shots we took over the holiday but they are the cream of the crop from my Canon on day 1. We started with an early rise to get off of Noirmoutier where we were staying as both routes off the island would be shut down at around 9.30am. Then, after a 6km walk in scorching weather and flip flops, we reached the Le Gois, which is a causeway accessible at low tides linking Noirmoutier with Mainland France. My brother and I holidayed on Noiroutier when we were younger so had the advantage of knowing the area a little (even if he is an awful map reader) and we headed straight for the ribbon on concrete running through the mud to look for a vantage point. Then we waited. And we waited for quite a few hours. but at no point did any of us think, “Oh why am I doing this? I could be by the pool drinking a beer!” The atmosphere, anticipation and eventually the publicity ‘caravan’ was intoxicating. After the caravan passed through, we waited a little more and an eerie hush fell all around with the anticipation of the riders. What happened next was truly amazing and I’m not ashamed to say I literally went weak at the knees. The peloton was halted for around 5 minutes by Monsieur Prudhomme for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the Tour’s entrance into the Vendee region. And we happened to be standing right where they stopped. Cue a barrage of shots and lots of shouting rider’s names which caused them to look right down my lens. It was awesome. And then they left, as quick as they arrived. We then flip-flopped our way back to the car and drove across country, racing the Tour and made it to the finish in time to see the caravan again, get lots of free hats (most rather silly) and be in a prime location to see the finish within the final km. Those that watched that day will know how much the late crashes splintered the race in the final few km’s but this only added to the excitement of seeing riders coming through in dribs and drabs fighting to stay on and not loose too much time.

Anyway… I’m doing what I swore not to do… the pictures speak for themselves. Next week I’m hoping to have the photos and videos from stages 2 and 3 on here for you once we have collated our media resources.

Check back next week for stages 2 & 3 pics and videos!

Stevie

ED – Just as this post was about to go live I received word from the lovely people at ITV who host the Tour here in the UK that the predictions I made on behalf of LovingTheBike.com have just been published. I may be last in the list but it’s a damn fine list to be bottom of! Here’s the link to ‘What the Experts are Saying’!

Oh yes folks…. it’s just 5 days until the 2011 edition of the Tour de France and I for one can’t wait! As some of you may know I’m heading to France at the end of the week to take in the the sights, the smells and the atmosphere of the Tour as well as to get hit with quite a few bottles of Evian and mini PMU lions thrown by the caravan  procession. This is a particularly exciting time for those interested in Pro Cycling, but as we identified a few weeks ago there are people out there who are going to be watching the Tour for the first time. This means their virgin-like goggle balls and confusion filled noggin-box may need some assistance in understanding what is going on in the race which will only increase their enjoyment of it. So I’ve put together an idiot’s guide below to assist in building up those noggin-boxes. (The astute readers out there will have noticed the apostrophe signifies the guide belongs to me, therefor I’m the idiot… ergo… you can’t be angry me with for calling it an idiots guide. WHAMMO! Another English language linguistic masterclass!)

The gloves come off in July

The Tour can be very casually described as a mind-meltingly painful 3,550 km (or 2,200 mile) bike ride around France and some neighbouring countries. Approximately 190 riders will set off from Fromentine as the the race heads in a northerly direction towards Brittany before spearing south towards the Pyrennes, that straddle the French-Spainish border and then just when you thought they couldn’t throw any more at the riders, they pop over to the Alps in the east and make them suffer before heading to Paris and the Champs Elysee on the 24th of July. Oh… and they will average a staggering 40km/h (25 mph) over the course, often riding much, much faster than that. Like I said… mind-melting!

As they travel across the beautifully varying terrain of France there are 4 distinct types of stages that you’ll see, each with certain riders specialising in that type of ride, which is why the construction of an well rounded is often essential to winning the Tour.

Prologue – Not classified as a full stage, this is a short (usually 10km or less) individual time trial (see below) used to decide who has the honour of being the race leader the next day. There may sometimes be short individual time trials in the middle of a stage race but these are usually mountain top finishes and it is only the first stage of a Grand Tour* that is classed as a Prologue. (*The 3 Grand Tours are Giro d’Italia, Tour de France & Vuelta a España)

Flat - Most of the race takes place on “flat” roads. This doesn’t mean they are without undulation (in fact, they often include climbs that would terrify a club cyclist). But they invariably feature most of the competitors riding together in a big “peloton” (or pack) for 200km (or 125 miles) and can end in one of two ways: with a “breakaway” victory by an individual or small group; or, typically with a hair-raising bunch sprint. When the entire peloton crosses the finish line in a bunch, every rider in that bunch gets awarded the same time. This is why the GC contenders do not care so much if they finishes 143rd, because as long as there’s no gap between person who finishes first and the group of people they are in, they’ll still get the leader’s time.

Neither of these scenarios have much of an impact on the overall standings of the race because breakaways are always chased down by the peloton if they contain serious contenders and bunch sprints result in all or most of the field being given the same time for a stage. But victory or a high place does generate small time bonuses, contribute towards other Tour awards and allow riders to pay back their sponsors with much-desired TV time.

Mountain- Most Tours are won in the mountains. Fact! And mountains come in all shapes and sizes (all mind-melting), with climbs rated four, three, two, one or “hors” catégorie, the latter being the most steep and literally translating as ‘out of category’. Climbing from sea level to 2,000m (often more than once in a day), separates the men from the boys and one bad day can cost huge chunks of lost time. Real Tour contenders have to be able to hang with specialist climbers going up and everyone must hang on for dear life on the way down. Hill-top finishes often break apart the field most because they leave no time for anyone to catch up lost time on a descent.

Time Trial – Every man against the clock. These are shorter stages of around 50 km (as opposed to 150-250 km). But lots of time is won and lost as Tour challenges flourish or falter. The last-placed rider on the day of the time-trial rider first, followed two minutes later by the next highest, and this carries on until the race leader starts. Many Tours, including this years, also feature a team time trial, where the clock stops on the fifth of nine riders to cross the finish line. Both these types of stages can have a huge impact on a riders hopes of victory. It’s all well and good being the best climber in the mountains and putting 5 minutes between you and your rivals but if you teammates have a poor time-trial pedigree then the team event may end up losing you lots of your tour-winning minutes!

Les Maillots

The biggest prize in cycling is a yellow jersey in Paris. This signifies overall victory in the Tour de France, an honour won seven times by Lance Armstrong and five by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Possibly the first thing people think of when the Tour de France is mentioned is ‘The Yellow Jersey’. But there are other jerseys available to win. And it may shock you to know that there are some riders who do not want to win the yellow jersey, or at least understand they do not have the all round capabilities to win it, so focus on the more specialised competitions explained below.

Yellow – This is the jersey everyone wants (ish). If you are in it, you are the overall race leader on aggregate time since the start of the Tour. It often changes backs a few times, particularly during the early flat stages of a Tour. But it normally finds its final resting place after a time trial or a gruelling hill-top finish in the Alps or Pyrenees. The use of an aggregate time does mean that it is possible to be in the race lead and wearing the yellow jersey even if you have not won a stage but have been placed consistently high on each stage finish… although I can’t remember a time when that happened!

Green – The sprinter’s (or points) prize goes to the most consistent stage finisher and is normally worn by one of the big powerhouses of the field. With a sliding scale of points available to the first finishers on any day, contenders for this jersey bunch at the front of the peloton for dangerous sprints on flat stages. The rules for this competition have changed slightly this year but they are explained further down the page.

Polka Dot – Conversely, King of the Mountains contenders live for the climbs. They tend to be slimmer in build and bounce up slopes to pick up the points on offer to the first riders over every hill. As well as the GC (general classification) contenders being very good mountain climbers, they will have certain domestiques who go up hills like a goat and will assist them in the high mountains by pacing them or chasing down dangerous breaks that challenge a riders race lead.

White – This goes to the best placed under-26 rider in the general classification and is often battled for by the younger riders as fiercely as the yellow jersey as it can be seen as a prelude to future Tour victories.

Rainbow – This is not up for grabs in the Tour, but can be seen on the back of the World Road Race champion Thor Hushovd (if he’s not wearing yellow or green, of course). Country champions also have the right to wear national instead of team colours.

In addition to the above competitions, there are three related awards available, one of them of dubious distinction:

Combativity – The cyclist who is deemed to have put in the bravest show on a stage wins the right to wear a white-on-red race number (as opposed to black-on-white).

Lanterne Rouge – This is the mocking moniker for the last-placed man in the overall classification, named after the red light shown on trains to mark the rearmost carriage. This man is often found towards the tail of the field, which is a risky spot. On any day, if a rider falls too far off the pace, he can be swept up by the “Broom wagon” and out of the Tour. As this post went to press I was still trying to confirm this ‘competition’ still exists as ASO, the Tour organisers, were planning on removing it as riders were intentionally trying to win the Lanterne Rouge by going slow. Essentially trying to get round France in the slowest time possible that the time limit would allow.

Team – There are 21 teams of nine cyclists. After every stage, the times of the first three riders across the line from each team are added up and counted. The team with the lowest aggregate time in Paris wins the award and each rider in the leading team will wear a yellow backed number on their jersey during the race . It’s usually the last award presented on the podium… and the one we care least about!

All Change!

For those who have got to grips with the rules and regulations of the Tour in the past… tough luck. The powers that be at ASO have decided to change some of the rules this year for the points and mountains classifications in order to liven it up a bit. At first glance it doesn’t look like it would make much difference but bear in mind that if these rules had applied last year, Mark Cavendish would have been crowned the points victor rather than Alessandro Pettachi!

In the points competition there will now only be one intermediate sprint during each stage, as opposed to two or three in the past. Here 20 points are on offer to the first rider and a sliding scale for those close behind down to 15th place. At the finish line the points will vary, with 45 points available to the winner on a flat stage, 30 points on a hilly stage and 20 for a mountain stage and again, with points down to 15th. Due to these changes an intermediate sprint is worth the same as a stage win in the mountains when it comes to the green jersey.

I’m unsure what to make of this. The increased weight of the intermediate sprint could be a significant tactical change in the race. We might see some breakaway artists rack up points, then again we might see breakaways reeled in just so a challenger close to the green jersey can sprint for more points. Mark Cavendish will appreciate the chance to take big points in a sprint final but first week of uphill finishes could well see a more rounded rider wearing green (think Thor Hushovd who loves an uphill sprint), especially if they can latch on to a breakaway to mop up points from the intermediate sprints on a mountain stage. Certainly no rider can leave it to the finish line to get their points which has consistently been Cavendish’s tactic purposely ignoring the intermediate sprints in previous years which has surely cost him the title.

The King of the Mountains award has also changed with lower rated climbs now getting fewer points, with only the first rider to the top of a fourth category climb getting one measly point. There are still 20 points for a hors catégorie climb but whereas 10 riders over the top used to get points, now only the first six get points and even then the sixth rider gets just two points. Plus points are doubled for the four HC summit category finishes. This is a clear way to reward pure climbers. No longer can a rider poach points on the flat stages and top up with a couple of Alpine breakaways. Not that this strategy was ever easy but last year’s winner Anthony Charteau managed to win the competition yet stay relatively anonymous which doesn’t make for exciting racing. This time points are distributed to those crossing the high climbs with an even greater advantage to those in contention at the finish of a stage compared to the earlier climbs on a stage.

So… if you;ve got all that, this is where you maths (not math) comes in.

The mountain points are distributed like this:

And the green jersey points are distributed like this:

Every stage of the Tour de France is classified with a ‘coefficient’, a category to determine how hard they are and the easier the stage, the greater the number of points available for the green jersey competition. I have no idea why the have used the word ‘coefficient’ as it just seems to confuse matter. It is merely a rating of difficulty like in stroke index in golf. (I will not be providing a 101 in Golf for those that don’t understand the stroke index system but this may assist with any technical golf problems) In 2011, the stages and their green jersey points will be distributed in the following way:

Coefficient 1: Stages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15, 21
Coefficient 2: Stages 8, 9, 16
Coefficient 3+4: Stages 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19
Coefficient 5: Stage 20 (time trial)

In reality, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about these changes and where the points can be won as the commentators and media will be hammering it home at every moment possible but I thought it would be good for those who are interested to get the low-down early on.

The Countdown Begins…

This time on Friday I will be touching down in Nantes airport and on my way to Île de Noirmoutier where I spent a very, very happy childhood and adolescence on the beautiful sandy beaches… and bars! The riders will be leaving Fromentine on the mainland, coming across the bridge on to the island and then leaving via Le Gois, which is a tidal causeway usable only at low tide. The race will be neutrlised across Le Gois and then start racing proper when it hits the mainland again. I’m still quite nervous about my trip as although I’ve seen the Tour once in France and once in Britain, it’s the first time I have purposely followed the Tour and so detailed plans have been constructed! Add to that my brother and a good friend are coming along too and I don’t want to be disappointing them! Hopefully it’ll all come together… and if not I’ll just drown them in Kronenbourg and they’ll forget what happened the day before! I am planning on blogging from the Tour, hopefully with pictures but keep you eyes peeled as I’m still not sure what form this will take. I’ll be at stages 1, 2 & 3 with the second stage being a team trial (which I’m really looking forward to) so keep an eye out on your telly boxes for a giant Union Flag (and probably a Manchester City F.C. flag too) on the side of the road. I’ve even got a maple leaf flag for Ryder Hesjedal! Just because I can!

However you experience the Tour this year I hope it is a spine tingling experience for you and it feeds that inner craving for sporting excellence that only the Tour can provide. It is a truly fantastic event I cannot tell you how excited I am.

Wherever you are, keep the wind to your back and the sun on your face, this is going to be a great month.

Stevie

(with outrageously plagiarised cool-dude tag lines. Cheers @PedalmanTO!)

By my calculations it is exactly 18 days until the start of this years pinnacle event in the season’s calender, Le Tour de France. This year’s event is set to be a real spectacle with 4 mountain-top finishes and the re-installment of the team time trial as well as enough flat stages for the sprinters to shake a stick at. [ED - While we are on the subject of mountain-top finishes, here's a neat little fact for you to taunt your buddies with. This year's Tour passes over the highest mountain it has been over in it's history. Le Col Agnel stands at 2,777m and will be at an average of 6.5% and has only been used in Le Tour once before in 2008 when Egoi Martinez crested the summit first with Simon Gerrans eventually taking the stage win.]

As I write this, the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse are in full swing where some of the big guns are showing their worth, knowing that it is vital in preparing the body for the perils of Le Tour as well as being able to get the closest possible reconnaissance of your rivals before the riders arrive on L’Ile de Noirmoutier on the 2nd of July. We have already witnessed a somewhat crazy, if not enthralling (compared to last year) Giro d’Italia with notable rides from Scarponi, Gadret, Nibali, Rodriguez and the punchy José Rujano who all seemed to be fighting for 2nd place after Clenbutador turned on the gas in the mountains.

The ‘Alternative List’

Over the next few weeks you will undoubtedly be inundated with lists of possibles, probables, big hitters and no hopers for this years Tour. Quite boringly these official publications, online and in print, have their image to think about and don’t generally rock the boat… well now you have me! Here is the ‘Alternative List’ of information on some of the biggest riders (and one other) in this years race with my own take on their chances…

Alberto Contador, Clenbutador, Clenty… what ever you want to call him he is going to play a big part in this years Tour, as he has done over the past few years. The diabolical state that he and the UCI have left our sport in over the last 12 months is unexcusable to you and I but the powers that be seem to sleep soundly at night. The wins that he gifted to José Rujano, Igor Anton and Paolo Tiralongo in this years Giro in an attempt to gain kudos points to cash in at Le Tour made me choke on my filet mignon. Personally, I cannot fathom how anybody who knows anything about professional cycling could cheer for Clenty and I hope he snaps a spoke or drops a chain on every major climb and gets found to be the cheating ass that we all know he is. That is all.

Brother Grimpeur the Younger, Andy Schleck has to be classed as the bookies favourite of all ‘never-tested-positive’ riders. Baring a mind bendingly stupid Schleckanical, Andy will have a strong team around him that will able to control the race until they hit the mountains, and if all else fails, he has been working on his camouflage and concealment to enable him to hide 10km from the summit and just jump out from the woods in front of the leading group. After coming so close in the last two years the Grimplette will need a large wallet in his jersey pocket to take this years event and may be better off trying to secure the white jersey of the Young Rider classification for the last year he is eligible.

I’ve never hidden my feelings about dopers or those ‘that have never tested positive’ but annoyingly I have a soft spot for Veino. Whether it is his sheer brazenness, his tears following his first win after returning from his ban in the 2009 Tour de L’ain, or the realisation that he is one of the only remaining cyclists left in the peloton who I loved to watch when I begun to get into the sport. Every sinew of my body tells me I should want to throw a lead filled bidon at his tiny blonde head but my noggin-box stops me every time and I end up screaming “Gitmek Veino, sadece fincanda piss yok!”

Cadel ‘Cuddles’ Evans generally looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp but opitimises everything that is Australian. He might look like a bag of melted Hershey’s Kisses but with a flash of those amazingly vein-busted legs, a cheeky joke with his 2km wide gob and the dulcet tones of his Northern Territory upbringing he could have your girlfriend away from you in a second… and have you believe it was your fault! A true Aussie! Cuddles may be 63 years of age but he is one of the most exciting riders to watch in the Pro peloton and able to finish 3 week grand tours with only 1 working elbow, which is not something that has been said about many cyclists. I love Cuddles’ post race comments as much as seeing him gnarl his way to victory and hope he can be the first man in history to race Le Tour for a full 50 consecutive years.

Given his recent Tour de California victory and the fact that 90% of this posts’ readership is probably American I though I should add a Yank into the list to keep the flying monkeys from the window. If you hadn’t already realised this post does not have a massive basis on facts… and that’s what makes Chris Horner a perfect pick for the US’ entry into the ‘Alternative List’. After being shepherded around the suburban roads of California by his team to the biggest win of his career, Horner made my favourite quote of the year thus far when discussing his Tour pedigree:

“I have definite plans of riding there in 100 percent form. I will focus solely on working to bring my form back up to 100 per cent for the Tour de France. I plan on being top five, if not on the podium. I think I can climb with anyone in the world and I’ll show that in July.”

Sorry what!? You can ‘climb with anyone in the world’ now that you’ve won the Tour de America!?!?! I beg to differ… nay… I say you frickin’ can’t! I’m not belittling the ’4th Grand Tour’, really I’m not, it really was an exciting event this year that I enjoyed watching, but Horner was in the same kindergarten class of ’48 as Cuddles! He got 10th overall last year but I think he may have inhaled some funny smoke from all of those college kids lining the Californian roads if he thinks he can mix it with the bog boys come July. Not to mention, I can’t think of a suitable nickname for him… he’s got no chance!

Twiggo has just taken victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné and in doing so, has probably smashed to smithereens all possibilities of winning Le Tour. Like any true Brit, the Mod-father performs well when he is able to be humble and stay out of the limelight but falls to useless stiff upper-lipped pieces when people start looking at him. After his great performance in the 2009 Tour, his preparation for 2010 mainly consisted of riding every race that supplied you with a starting number and thus he had enough energy to competitively race the first 70% of every Tour stage and began to falter just in time for the live TV coverage to start, which made him look like an ass! This year is different. He and Team Sky’s Davey B recognised the mistakes they made with his preparation straight after he’d ballsed up the 2010 event and are ready to crack some skulls… but then he went and won on Sunday and now his odds are as short as Samuel Dumoulin, D’oh!

Let us know who you will be cheering/booing for in July and please remember, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine and do not represent those of The Boss or Lovingthebike.com! If you wish to sue, please be aware I have very very little money… it’s probably not worth it!

Lead, follow…. or get out of the way!

@StevieDexter