Reinstate the jerseys

(click picture to enlarge)

Take a good look at the picture from the Vuelta homepage. By the looks of things, it might be the battle for KOM but it is not. It could be the fight for GC, but Degenkolb doesn't quite add to the equation, does he?

Yes, of course it is the point classification, or "sprinters' jersey."

Make the competition a competition
Traditionally, everyone got a feeling for the jerseys, they are brilliant in themselves, not only a thing to aspire to for the riders, but an easy way for beginners of the sport to get an understanding of what is going on. Say "yellow jersey" and most people on the planet will relate that to the leader of the Tour de France. What a  fantastic brand.
Jerseys in cycling are sort of iconic and need to mean something to everyone, its bounderies and framework clear cut to avoid confusion. If riders, sponsors and fans miss out the sense-making, where would that lead us?

At the same time it is easy to forget that the green jersey is not a sprinter's jersey, it is the points classification. Two different things. Does the GC winner need an extra one or is it possible to turn it into a sprinter's jersey? Perhaps will the result be that several more sprinters would show up for the entire vuelta, instead of leaving early as we have witnessed before.

Edward Pickering from Cyclingsport magazine wrote an excellent comment on the competition for the polka dot jersey a compelling one, I'd expect the ASO to learn from this. The fight for jerseys should be special to all the different categories of riders, hence the increasing specialization in cycling today. Mark Cavendish fought very well for the red point jersey in the giro, only to loose for Rodriguez by one small point at the very last possible stage (yes, there are points in the last TT too, but not likely Cav or Rodriguez would grab one). Battles like these are amazing to witness, for everyone. For the organisers, fans and motivational for the riders to be a part of themselves.

Summary
So ASO, please do us all a favour and reinstate the jerseys. Bring them back into the spotlight and make the competition for each a good one.

French Cycling - the hope is located in Besançon

Today we witnessed one of French cycling's hopes, Thibaut Pinot, claim the stage win on a very entertaining stage. Pinot happens to be the youngest rider in the tour this year only 22 years old. The stage brought fireworks as the broadcast started as the riders crossed the km 0, so the insane tempo and break away-attempts got caught on tape.

Besançon is one of my favourite cycling cities. It could be because its very French name fascinates me, but also due to the fact that I, since I started following the tour, have heard the name mentioned frequently enough to link the name to the tour. Tomorrow the tour will arrive in Besançon and the French media will guaranteed talk about French Cycling's hope.


However, French Cycling's hope is not a rider, it is located in Besançon.

The home of French Cycling's hope

Science meet sports - Australian Cycling and British Cycling lead the way
Down Under, the Australian Cycling had a new and interesting approach to sports performance. Sports in Australia was gathered under the umbrella of Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and later the Australian Sports Comission (ASC). Linking track performance to road, gathering the most promising riders and staff, basing the education and training on research, proved to be a recipe for good results. In addition to being a fun place to work, the emphasis was constantly on development of performance. The man who started this model related to cycling was Gary Sutton, head of AIS cycling. Together with Neil and Gary Stephens and Shayne Bannan, all lifelong friends and associates, the pace and direction for Australian Cycling was set. Shane Bannan became head of cycling at a later stage. 
All the buzz words now familiar with BC was used here, like "rider-centric", "technology based" and so forth.

The first initiative - the original

British Cycling is based on the Australian model. Back in the day, Shane Sutton, after his days as a rider, was Welsh cycling coach. He looked to his brother in the AIS for inspiration, used the same template and got a job at British Cycling (BC). Peter Keen, currently special advisor for performance at UK Sports, had developed sports science techniques in the UK and took them with him to BC. It's fair to say the adaption of the AIS plans and template proved valuable, as the two countries have been the leading nations on track ever since as well as bringing very good talent to the table in both track and road.


Essential in both AC and BC is government sport funding. No medals=less funding. With the medals come money, easy calculation.  

The second initiative - rider centric and based on research principles 

French Cycling is on the move 
As certain as the Spring sun will melt snow away, the French sports media will bring out the hopes of French Cycling. Over the years many have been called, but few have past the test consistently. Arguably, French Cycling has been carried on the shoulders of single riders and staffers, giants in cycling whose romantic stories from back in the day gets increasingly better every time they are told. Ideas on training, nutrition and physiology was poor and in many cases, missing. Norwegian pros have told stories from French teams as late as after the millennium where French riders only ate the inside of a baguette in fear of gaining weight. The coaches weighing the riders on a frequent basis and the only issue at hand is body weight and body fat. Not exactly scientific based and systematic approach, is it?

So while the Aussies and Brits had enjoyed the fruits of a scientific, systematic approach to training for years, the French still had focus on length and riders' weight. But, after many years of under development in both the coaching part as well as rider development, a welcomed change came.

The Université de Besançon has a faculty called UFR Staps de Besançon/L'Upfr Sports, regarded as one of the best coaching education there is. Science, nutrition and multidisciplinary activities all incorporated to give the coaches the best preparations possible. The Faculty claim to use "technology in order to be effective both in work and academics in the analysis, interpretation and understanding of sporting events." Names like Jean-Baptiste Quiclet (Saur-Sojasun), Frédéric Grappe (FDJ) and Anthony Perrin, are all recognized in the cycling community as excellent coaches.

In addition to this, Besançon also has a cycling "high school", where the country's most promising riders study and receives feedback from some of the finest coaches in France. Arguably the best amateur team in France, Club Cycliste Étupes, a team which also happens to be the recruiting base for Ag2r, originate from Besançon. Well known riders like Bodrogi, Calzati, Dessel and not surprisingly, today's winner Thibaut Pinot, all come from this team.

Summary
Despite suffering from being late to the party, the French coaching education in Besançon is scientific based and has a systematic approach to the important details necessary to put their riders on top of the resultlist.


Today's win by Pinot is another indication that the future for French Cycling is brighter than ever.

Pinot crossing the line happy and with hearing problems after Madiot's screaming

Downloaded here. 

  







The post is inspired by the book "Røff guide til Tour de France 2012" by Johan Kaggestad, own knowlegde and some very useful guidance by a friend.

Three teams are flourishing so far - why?

The road season is back on track with season openings on far warmer latitude than I'm familiar with this early. Tour Down Under kickstarted it, while we now have the riders enjoying six-star hotels in Qatar and Oman. That said, racing took off in Portugal today too, with the Volta ao Algarve.




It pays to be a winner

Photo by Karim Jaffar/Afp, downloaded here.

 So far this season has been dominated by the two Belgian teams Omega Pharma - Quick Step (OP-QS) and Lotto-Belisol (Lotto), with Italian team Liqigas-Cannondale (LIQ) as the third team that made the headlines so far. It is a mix of both young and experienced riders who have claimed the podium. I like the fact that several young ones have developed further. LIQ riders Oss, Viviani and of course Sagan, have all raised the bar to a level few have been able to follow so far. The experienced Greg "Hendy" Henderson has taken charge of the lead-out train in Lotto, given Greipel the lead-out he was missing last year. Boonen is back looking as strong as ever, while teammate youngster Andy Fenn won in Mallorca.

Easy come easy goes
It is difficult to predict the future, if not impossible, but lets take a closer look at OP-QS. The merger last year when Marc Couke, the CEO of Omega Pharma, promised to keep the money in a Belgian team, has so far proved the critics wrong. Patrick Lefevere can smile all way to the team car with Couke's rumoured €4,5 mill tied into the team. Together with the sale of the majority stake to Czech businessman Zdenek Bakala, the finances seems to be working well.

The team has a great roster, including some riders from HTC who needed a contract found a spot in the belgian team. Not that those rider neccessarily is better than the others, but there is something that comes along for free, in a positive way when recruiting riders from the best team in decades; winning culture. Reporter Geir Økland, who reported for Norwegian TV2 in Qatar, spoke to DS Peeters to get the team's recipe for success, these are the key points:

• The team is stronger than last year (riders)
• Better mentality among the riders
• "hungry" new riders on the team keep the pressure up during training
• More chiropractors and physios have kept the injuries low

In addition to this, Brian Holm has arrived as DS. He played a vital part at HTC, where they cultivated the scientific approach that increased both the individual development of each rider as well as building the team super strong.

Summary
It is too early to say if the playing field will be leveled out, but for the other teams I do hope it. For what is worth, I believe these teams has been given an indication that their plan during the short winter has worked well. They are heading into the spring season with their head held high. But, now every rider has done the difficult, hard work, from now on it's all about racing to fitness. The season is still young.

Money talks - cycling and corporations

Some have just too much...

How is it possible to write about this subject without sounding like a character from the movie "Team America" or being perceived like a socialist? Not that there anything wrong with that of course.

The corporations are apparently a big concern among cycling fans. This morning I saw a debate on twitter by some journos and commentators and I felt the need to throw myself in that discussion too. I think the debate is needed and it is indeed appropriate due to last Sunday's Paris-Roubaix. I have never seen so many discussing whether Vaughters and Hushovd did their job or not by not giving Cancellara a helping hand up to the lead break. I have said mine about that episode, and I am still divided about what I mean about it.
A battle of emotions vs rationality if you like. And there are rules too, the powerful unwritten ones, I have to add.

Hushovd had one chance, when the lead break still was one break and Hushovd/Cancellara/Ballan was only 25 seconds down. But then again, I wasn't there, I don't know what Hushovd thought and now all that's left is speculations and history.
I guess I hadn't said mine after all... well, enough with that.

There are perspectives of course, and that is important to have in mind. Very little point in discussing if the parties discuss views from different perspectives. You are certain not to reach an agreement, a discussion can be entertaining based on different perspectives, by all means.

Cycling - is not a team sport   
That got your attention, no? I have written before that cycling is a team sport, no doubt about that. But is it possible that we have different perspectives here as well? On one hand we all have the notion that cycling is a romantic sport where the riders battle man versus man, where the strongest survives by attacking the other up the Gavia - the fans' perspective. Another perspective is the sponsor's: "Hey, here I paid millions of dollars and I want a return on that investment! Don't mess this one up!" In addition to this you have the riders' perspective, their dreams and goals. What about media's perspective, they who has the power to decide the agenda afterward? Which perspective shall be given the proper attention by whom? What perspective did Vaughters choose on Sunday?

A team manager has to win. It is not necessarily so that the team manager have special feelings for who shall stand on the very top of that podium. A win is a win. And from a team's as well as a sponsor's perspective, it is much better to have a winner in a race than a 3rd place. My point is that success mean different things to different people. And when sports are taken to a high enough level, the money rules.

Where is the cash return?
How is it possible most cycling teams are not able to earn cash? Not many team managers have a business background and that could be a disadvantage when the negotiations begin. Is it just me or have the number of wealthy businessmen investing in cycling increased the recent years? Is this because they don't have much to do or do they see a potential others don't? Flavio Becca, James Murdoch, Zdenek Bakala et al, are investors who want some return of their investment. What could that be? TV-time from a breakaway or a podium at Scheldeprijs? No, I don't think so. It could be that by controlling the team's legal aspect, one could control more than others, for instance like where and what sponsors to include where on jerseys, cars etc.
But cycling will likely end up like football (soccer for you American readers..), some rich investor want something to own and to make sure he gets something back, he will exploit every opportunity, turn every rock, to get some return on his/her investment. Part of that is to control risks.

Can I take it with me after the show? 


Photo downloaded here.

The downfall is that in the world of business, sometimes you don't get what you've paid for. Risk is you loose it all. Who will abandon ship first? That knows the businessman and the team manager. And besides, we saw what happened in December with Oz project Pegasus.

I think it is about time team managers and owners meet corporate rules with the exactly the same - corporate rules. Make demands, read carefully long-time business plans, take control as much as possible. With the brain as well as the heart. Many managers are ex-riders, nothing wrong with that, as long as they stick to being managers, all the way.

Summary
Cycling is indeed a team sport. As long as you refer to the executive part of it, from a team perspective. Those romantic days of individualistic heroics are not gone, but it's likely that they will occur more rare. Because corporate ideas are here now, and they have another dictionary of what "team" mean. At least to what purpose it is for. And as you all know, there is no "I" in team, is it?

Why cycling has changed my perspective of sports

Will I make it to the finish?


Photo by www.teamtraveller.com , downloaded here - Creative Commons attibution.

I consider myself as a competitive guy. I like to win, not just in playing cards with mates but also in sports. This is how I've always been. At the same time I can enjoy when athletes I admire or look up to win, especially on the TV... They deserve it, having devoted so many hours on training, setting other parts of life aside for a period of time. Things like late nights with friends, excessive partying with friends, spending time with family. Most say they don't regret it, they just prioritise differently. I admire people who are able to do just that, seeing them in tears at the podium while their national anthem is on the speakers.

Achievements in sports
"Everybody loves a winner", they say. "2nd and 3rd place are first losers", others says. As I have mentioned before here and here, and as you all know, cycling is a team sport.
What I love about cycling is that people, at least those with some insight of the sport, celebrate the performance as achievements on their own in addition to the winners. We celebrate and admire those who have the desire and will to attack, even when they are so tired and you can se other riders' eyes are filled with despair. Those who give their all for other team mates, making sure the leaders are ready and fit when the decisive attack of the day comes. We celebrate those who each day step on their bike, although their bodies says "not again". We admire those who have devoted themselves to cycling, those riders who have that all-or-nothing mentality. We celebrate those who decide to play along with the environment instead of fighting against the bad weather that makes the riding tedious. We celebrate those who get up with the morning mist to ride their bikes.

I truly believe that sports need to have this perspective in addition to all the others. This is a perspective that won't bring the most $ in the bag, but to me it is important. Maybe we all can learn something by uphold this perspective?

The rider Michael Barry writes in the book Le Métier after completing a TT: "A mechanic takes my bike from me and pats me on the back. He congratulates me - not for the result but for the effort."

Cycling's rising stars

Off season is inevitably moving towards the end, riders have dusted old dust off their bikes and spent hours on those long, slow rides that builds basic endurance. Important work, laying the foundation to be able to sustain those endless hours on the bike racing endlessly around Europe in just some months time. Muscles who haven't felt a bike for weeks suddenly find themselves without the much needed efficiency they had before, the pedal stroke feels completely without the well known fluidity. The extra pounds in body weight gained makes the riders feel like the wind's holding them back on every acceleration, forcing them to a halt. Luckily, the only comfort the riders have is that they know or hope that every rider in the world feels the exact same way.

Off season has actually been made shorter every year, the PROs starts TDU in just three weeks. Who will make claim the season 2011 of the "new" pros? With the term new is this context I don't mean the absolutely newcomers, those who went through the grades being continental or even stagiaires making their first contract now. I am talking about those who took us by storm this year, those few who came from nothing and despite that earning respect by the peloton.

I will leave the obvious battles of the giants at le tour or the giro for now, those will be discussed much later.

Peter Sagan

The soon to be 21-year old Slovak who took the cycling world by storm last spring, will probably have a  season just as strong as last year. After winning the points jersey at Paris-Nice along with two stages, he disappeared. Rumours has it that Liquigas-Doimo has done so in order to protect their new star, making sure he get the appropriate amount of time to grow. What kind of rider is he? Some says he'll be a classics rider, some says he can be a top sprinter like Cavendish, others that he can be a GC rider if he drops some pounds. Big engine evolved from his time in MTB, he surprised many being so strong at that age last year. I personally believes he can be a new Gilbert. Aggressive, strong in climbs, not afraid to go into breakaways combined with his superb finish. Do not be surprised if you see Sagan first over Cipressa in 2011.

Picture taken by Chris Graythen

Richie Porte


Being the last man standing in Saxo 25-year old Porte could be Riis' only hope. The talented Tasmanian surprised with a strong 7th in his GT debut in the Giro including winning the young rider jersey. He also held the Maglia Rosa for three solid days, he lost it when he got sick due to food poisoning. Like many good GC contenders he is also good in TT, just missing the podium at Geelong this year. His background as a triathlete made it easy to find his place on the TT bike I guess. Porte started cycling for real only in 2006 so he truly have some good years ahead of him. With his superb season this year I believe he can really make a difference next year, at least if he is the only GC rider Riis has left.

Picture taken by Robert Prezioso

Taylor Phinney


The American wonderboy with the great genes could very well be making it next season, although much points towards a season of learning and adapting. Probably worse teams to be in when it comes to learning, bet Evans, Hincapie and Ballan takes him under their wing. His transfer to BMC surprised some, who had foreseen a transfer within the line going from Trek-Livestrong to Radioshack.
Despite his young age, he has already won U23 Paris-Roubaix two times as well as two U23 World TT Champion titles. Add a super strong track career to the equation and you'll have a rising star.

Picture taken by Quinn Rooney

Edvald Boasson Hagen


The quiet Norwegian has been predicted an astonishing career and this season was supposed to be his. An uncooperative achilles put an effective stop to his own and everybody else's ambitions. Hagen did a superb start of the season, winning in the points jersey in Oman, along with a solo stage win. Stage wins in Tirreno-Adriatico and critérium du Dauphiné and two podiums in le Tour speaks for itself. Who knows what the outcome would have been if he didn't get injured. Boasson Hagen is a man for the classics although he hasn't proved himself during the longest classics yet. The upcoming season will be exciting, Boasson Hagen has been training well so far this winter, riding hard on MTB and skiing with fellow Team Sky riders Kurt Asle Arvesen and Lars-Petter Nordhaug in the forest surrounding Oslo.

Own picture 2010

In Norway there is an expression that says "the new wine", referring to the newcomers who threatens the established silverbacks. These above mentioned riders are cycling's new wine- hopefully not the beaujolais noveau that causes big commotion and fuss, then suddenly they are gone. They are some of the new, the untouched ones for the time being, not affected by any of what has been haunting cycling the recent years. To me, these riders are some of the many who bring hope to the sport. Lets hope for a wonderful next year, hopefully one or more of these above mentioned riders will rise to the occasion.