Thoughts on teamwork and the tour

Almost there

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Let me start by apologize for the few posts I've written during the tour. Blame work, and partly that I have enjoyed watching cycling all day and evening. Instead, I have tweeted more, microblogging so to say.

Today we witnessed Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky winning the 2012 Tour de France. I feel a bit uncomfortable saying it out loud, because the race continues for two more days, three if you count the parade in to Paris. Freak accidents and mechanical breakdowns could happen. We've seen Michael Rasmussen loose a podium some years ago during the last TT, crashing twice and throwing the bike into the woods wearing the climbers jersey. But by the looks of things, Team Sky have this one under control, the same control they have had of the tour.

Some have critisized the tour of being boring and predictable, and that Team Sky "ruined" the excitement by being so strong. I think the reason is not just one, but several.

• First of all the route sort of favors the TT specialists, that we've known since the route was unveiled last October, everybody understood that.
• Secondly, the crash at stage 6 injured many riders and some even left the race. Crashes the first week is nothing new but difficult to avoid as nervousness and inattention haven't let go yet.
• Our expectations to the tour. Fans want to see dancing pedals and furious attacks around every corner as well remembering this tour as the best ever. Preservation of team's goals once its in within reach as well as UCI point system and physical limitations, are some of the reasons our expectations weren't met.
• Total domination by Sky is another reason as they are just too strong to combat.

Oiled maschinery in action - "We've trained for this."

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Ambitions aside
I have previous written about this issue and all of you who follow professional cycling are aware of this. Sometimes it be painful to watch, as riders setting their personal ambitions, dreams and aspirations aside for the team's decision. Sky have done that this year to the fullest. The tour is one of the very few races, if not the only one in cycling, where 2nd and 3rd are not the first losers.

Today we all witnessed the climbing skills of Chris Froome, he is, in my eyes anyway, the best climber of all the riders in this year's tour. It is hard to watch Froome not getting another stage as "payment" as almost all had wanted that to happen. It's easy to have this perspective, at least when we are not certain of the communication between the two riders in question and the team car. Wiggins said after the stage that he had given Froome the "go" to get the stage win but Froome chose to stay with him. I have yet to see any comments by the DS.
People have speculated if Froome can win a tour himself in the future, and I have no doubt he will, if he's got the same support as Wiggins. It's also important to remember that Froome knew what he signed up for, he's newly renewned his contract, and is paid to help Bradley win. This is the objective perspective of course. Froome will be a giant in the years to come, he's been struggling with sickness the last couple of years but is back now. Imagine where he will be in two years of solid training by Kerrison in Sky?

I have written about Wiggins and Froome earier this tour, you can read that here.

Edvald Boasson Hagen who was free to go during two stages early in the tour, after that he has set his own ambitions aside selflessly. Towing an insanely amount of kilometres at the front, today he even pulled the main group to the bottom of the last climb, loosing several climbers in the making. What could he have done if he was not destined to work for Wiggins? Froome said in an interview today that he though EBH could win the yellow jersey one day and that he was totally blown away by EBH's capacity.

Same goes with Mark Cavendish, the reigning WC, the best sprinter of them all, reduced to a mere shadow of himself (or his capacity). Seeing carrying water bottles and being supportive of Wiggins is fine and he's got one stage so far.
It is easy to say that "yes, this is what they all should do." That is correct, but these guys are not just anybody. It takes a certain mindset to be a professional cyclist, and it takes a certain mindset to be as good as these guys are.

It is a bit ironic that Radioshack-Nissan lead the team competition. Today we saw Klöden riding past Zubeldia without helping him, Zubeldia being #5 GC prior to today's stage but dropping quicker than the US interest rate. So much for that, team competition is obviously more important. So Radioshack-Nissan is on track to win the best team competition for being a bunch of individuals. Lovely.

Danish dynamite
Who else but Chris Anker Sørensen? Trying hard for almost the entire tour to succeed in a brake, today he tried to fetch a newspaper out of his spokes in-flight, cutting three spokes in the process. The result was visible for all. Florence Pommerie, one of the tour docs, changed his dressings three times, claiming CAS "didn't have any pain, it just bled much." As of now, it's uncertain whether CAS will begin tomorrows stage as he undergoes surgery as we speak. Riis was quoted saying that CAS didn't have much flesh on two of his fingers left.

Danish dynamite

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Swede Kessiakoff deserves a mention too, fighting for the KOM jersey for two weeks, only to be bypassed by the clever Voeckler the last two days. Today's KOM battle was almost more interesting than the GC.

Summary
One could say the 2012 tour de France is over, but we've got a couple of stages left. The design of the very tour, incidents and injuries during the tour, the fans' expectations and the Team Sky domination are some of reasons this year's tour have been quite predictable.

Always nice but at the same time frustrating to see good riders giving up their own ambitions to meet a "higher" goal set by the team. Payback will come and hopefully everyone will be happy. After all, this is teamsport.

The tour de France is soon over. But fear not, the Olympics are soon here as well as Il Lombardia and the Worlds.

2012 Tour de France - Will Froome attack Wiggins?

Not this time.

Today we were once again reminded how wonderful cycling is. A stage packed with all the drama you could possible imagine. Celebration, sorrow and pain. Emotions in sports meeting the cynism of professional sport. I have no doubt that this stage will be remembered and debated for a long time. To me, it was one of the best stages in years.

Now, which hat to wear, the objective one who refers to professional sport and the business point of view or from a fan perspective?

Froome tows the GC contenders - doing a mighty good job too

Photocredit Joel Saget (Afp/Scanpix) downloaded at Procycling.no, here

The frame
Race director Jean-Francois Pescheux had set up a stage which energised "attack". Being only 148 kilometers long it is rather short but the climbs makes it a monster and a giant. It seems ASO have looked to RCS when deciding the parcourse of this year's tour. The stage today was great, and provided a frame for fireworks, and as promised it was. Race favourites Nibali and Evans trying to attack, only to be reeled in by Sky. The battle at the front of the break was equally interesting and entertaining.

The battles
There have been so many domestic battles in cycling, probably more than most of us know to. That is one side of cycling I truly enjoy, the personal sacrifice riders make. Giving up own chances for others is special in today's society, call me a romantic but that's how I feel. Every now and then leadership within teams gets questioned or challenged if you like. Bear in mind that being a successfull cyclist is demanding, being a professional rider is an indication that you probably pocess more of certain abilities than most don't. Being a star or a star in the making isn't making things easier. It can even split a nation, like it did back in 1940 when Fausto Coppi was brought on the Legnano team by Eberardo Pavesi to ride for Gino Bartali. Bartali representing the traditional and rather conservative south part of Italy versus young Coppi from the modern and industrialized north.

Cycling will ever forget the 1986 Tour de France where Hinault had publicly stated he would support LeMond but that didn't turn out the way anybody expected, least LeMond. Hinault broke free and got a five-minute lead on his teammate. LeMond got the lead back eventually but Hinault never stopped attacking. On stage 19 Hinault was brought back by his teammates Hampsten and Bauer with LeMond as the race leader. That said, the two shared leadership in the La Vie Claire team but the lack of leadership/guidance from the team manager the tone, quickly became umistakenable.

More recently we've have the 1997 battle between Ullrich and Riis, where Riis was leader and Ullrich was supposed to work for him. It didn't take long before Ullrich realised that Riis was in trouble as he couldn't take the tempo set by Pantani and Virenque. On stage 10 Riis was dropped again and Ullrich dropped back to the team car asking for permission to attack and leave Riis behind. Ullrich got the permission and went ahead to win the tour.

Possible today?
When is it allowed to attack the team captain and the yellow jersey? Today we saw Christopher Froome blowing the tour up with his superpowers. It was just amazing to see him and his performance. He made many proud today, including himself although it might take time to realise. However, it was clear he was stronger than Bradley Wiggins, tour leader and team leader, today anyway. I tweeted earlier that this is a part of professional sport, not just today but that's how things have always been. Team Sky was created to put a Briton on the top of the podium in Paris, they even presented a timeframe when they established the team, within five years. Yes, Froome is Briton too so that can apply for him as well, but the team is build around Wiggins.

Will Froome get his chance in the tour as the lead character? No doubt, and it can even happen next year while he's on Sky. This year's course fits Wiggins better than anyone (besides Froome..) and next year we will have Contador back from his doping ban, making the competition better. Wiggins have five riders designet to help him win the tour. After that, anything can happen. One should also remember that this was just one stage so it's impossible to rule out that Wiggins had a "bad day", if you can call it that. That said, I believe Froome is the best climber in this year's tour without a doubt, but what can you do? It is not abnormal to see people more clever or doing a better job than their boss, but this is totally different or at least totally different rules. This is sports and we link so much emotions to it. At the same time it feels so wrong to see a rider who has been sacrificing so much through the years, having trained, slept, ate and dreamed about achivements and when his finest moment is within reach, he's not allowed.

After the stage Froome took the wrong way down from the mountain, when he finally realised, Norwegian TV2 was there and got some interesting words from him, here.

"Sean Yates said stop, wait for Bradley." "So it is important to follow team orders?" "Yes, if everybody did their own thing it might as well be an invidual sport." "So no mutiny?" "No mutiny, not now." "But you will get your chances?" "I'm certain I will get the chance some day, I see the big picture and know my work will get noticed."

Conclusion
The objective part in me says that this is something Froome probably had foreseen. At least if I was his mental coach I would prepare him for this. He may not like it, but he's there with one purpose, to support Wiggins. That he's doing so well is great, also for Sky because they have one more card to play if their leader for some reason falls through. If there is any comfort, Froome won many fans' heart today. He has just performed the best job application possible, both internally in Sky and for other team owners.

Can Froome do what others have in the past, attack their team mate to possible win the tour? I doubt that, because he could find himself on a flight back to Monaco the next day. Froome is a professional athlete and would never come to the tour with another purpose. He is #2 in line and he is very much aware of this.
But, if he continues this way, arguably he can finish the tour knowing himself as well as proving to others that he is the moral winner of the 2012 Tour de France. Remember, Paris is still far away.

The Schlecks vs Bruyneel - rumble with a cause?

What is next?

Photo credit Barry Ryan, downloaded here.

Many have had their attention on the "situation" in the Radioshack-Nissan-Trek team the last weeks. Fränk Schleck exited the giro after the team had laid down some heavy work for him, and Bruyneel couldn't understand why he (Fränk) left because "He might have had an injury to his shoulder, but yesterday he finished with the best,” Bruyneel told Luxembourg newspaper Tageblatt. “So his physical condition could not have been bad, when he rides with the top 10 places.” as the article over at Velonation says.

The athlete's perspective
Rumours about an uneasy situation within the RSNT-team have been circulating for some time, but this statement, if true, really made the headlines. First of all, it is not easy for any of the parties. Fränk and Andy, where Fränk apparently was the driving force of leaving Saxo in the first place, had a nice first year at Leopard. They surrouned themselves with people they knew, like team manager Brian Nygaard and sports director Kim Andersen to mention a few. Suddenly they found themselves without the power and control any longer. Nygaard got squeezed out, in came John Bruyneel who are used to get things his way. One can only speculate what has been going on behind the curtains of the team bus but Kim Andersen got sidelined too, something the brothers took very hard.

Nothing ruins a day more for a top athlete than breaking the daily routine. Top athletes have their days all lined up, what to eat, what to train when, how many hours to sleep and so forth. Predictability and stability is key. Suddenly they (apparently) was denied this by an intruder ordered in by Becca himself.
This is one side of the story, and there are at least one more, if not several.

Everybody in the cycling media and others, me included, love to point out if something's out of the ordinary with the Schlecks. But is it really? The brilliant INRNG has a good comparativ analysis of Andy Schleck last year and now, and I have to agree, I don't think we've seen the last of the Schlecks. They will be strong in July both of them.

Fränk making a choice?

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Public vs internally
What can the reason be that the rumble between Bruyneel and the Schlecks got public in the first place? T tell you the truth, I was surprised to see this happen in the media the way it did. Was it good journalism that brought it out, was it pressure that had to be steamed? Was it a part of someone's strategy of getting that dirty laundry out in the open to make a point? Whatever the reason(s) this doesn't look good for anyone.

A team manager could be a manager or he could choose to be a leader. At the same time, riders could act professional in the public, after all, this what is expected of most others in their work-life if they struggle with a leader. Who lose? Everyone. The team as questions converning leadership, direction and power keep popping up making it difficult to perform, the Schlecks as they might come across as difficult to work with, Bruyneel as his public rant harms people's impression of him and Becca as his dream might not come true this year. Sponsors don't like what they see either. In addition to this fans all over the world witness team members and leaders rant in public and accusations fly everywhere. Who to believe?

Normally, the truth lies somewhere in between.

But please, take control over this situation and keep it internally. Let the legs do the talking.

The giro did the job - what's next for cycling?



No words needed

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That's it, the 2012 giro is over. It all happened way too fast, the days of hurrying back from work to catch the last 50 k's live on the TV are definitely over. Following the race was excellent due to social media, allowing fans to follow the race at the same as doing the household tasks.

The changes
The RCS, organisers of the giro, promised some changes from last year's debated course, and they kept their promise. Many shorter stages, cut down on transfer length between stages, are some of the actions the organisers chose. And the result? I haven't seen a more open and exciting giro in years. Of course, this is not something the RCS have the sole resposibility for, as you all know, they create arenas for the teams and riders. What happens in a stage or in the race is solely up to the riders and the repective teams.

Earlier we've seen endless, boring stage races where one team towed their leader to the beginning of the mountain and it all exploded last 10 k. I think we're seeing a new beginning on the horizon. Shorter stages opens up a race on a totally different level, many more riders can actually be a star. Braveness should be rewarded, and it was, at least twice. I will forever remember the bold push by Rabottini who clung on to Rodriguez and won the stage after spending the whole day in the break was spectacular. I was hoarse after that stage, tell you that. And De Gendt, who was the only one who dared to take the mighty mountains of Moltirolo and Stelvio by force, in which he was rewarded with a brilliant giro podium. Racing a stage race has changed from getting that huge attack and gain 5 minutes, to the accumalation of the seconds on every stage, every day. Yes it is three weeks of racing and you've got like 3500 km to do it, but it comes down to that guy who gets the small seconds every time.

The brave should be rewarded. If I could decide, that would be the mantra for the future of racing.

Being a facilitator is not easy though, as many will have an opinion on the race, the logistics and for certain the course it self. Social media have flattened the playing field as riders and others can reach the organisers quickly and broadcast their meaning. Judging by the response from the riders they seem pretty content with the RCS.

Fighting spirit can take you here...

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Appearances
Many riders deserve a mention, I will just come up with some. Taylor Phinney, who was the first giro leader, was a fine ambassador and fought with his heart. All heart was also the reigning WC Mark Cavendish. I have to admit that I pictured him leave the race after ten days or so, bringing some PR to Sky Italia, the giro and of course to Sky, but he didn't crack. He stayed all race, giving all he had. Can't blame him for not trying win the red jersey. How long he will be in the tour is another chapter.

The fact that sprinters can win without a train is something i like to see. Guardini and Ferrari took care of that, the latter did not get the prize as the giro's most popular rider week one.

Last but not least; the Maglia Rosa himself Ryder Hesjedal. I had him as a possible podium contender if he was in shape, and he delievered the merchandise. He really wanted that win, that was easy to see. The attack on stage 14, he did the same on the queen-stage on Stelvio and he really did his part of pulling during the race. A consistent approach to the giro paid off after three weeks of battle in Italy. The days of the big time-gain is probably over, from now on it is all in the details every day. It is supposed to be a fight for the seconds.

Summary
Three weeks and 3500 km done, a brilliant giro is over. We've seen some outstanding racing and the excitement stayed until the last day. A recipe for good entertainment. Provided by the RCS, given to us by the riders. I hope racing continues to develop, I hope organisers of stage races shorten most of their stages like the RCS did, and above all I hope to see riders stepping up and claiming their place in the history books.

A nice way to summon the 2012 giro is Cavendish' words to Velonews: “The Giro is the hardest grand tour in the world. The Tour is different; it’s the racing that makes it hard. Here the mountains are diabolical. It kills you.”

The Glava of Norway

Today the Glava Tour of Norway begins, a five stage tour around the Eastern part of Norway. The race builds on Ringerike GP, a UCI race several big stars have entered over the years, usually in the beginning of their pro career.

Glava - the main sponsor
Many of you are probably familiar woth much of the work being layed down to organise such an event. Many sponsors contribute in different ways, local corporate organisations use the event to marketing themselves both locally and perhaps trying to be recognised internationally as well. So what kind of company is Glava?

Glava is a Norwegian industrial company who "developes and produce market insulation materials and other products."  Using the slogan "Good insulation is envirmonmental protection”, GLAVA ® have a broad range of products for building insulation. The main product is glasswool which is widely recognised as the leading insulation in the world. Almost every house in Norway has these materials, yellow matts are roled out in the walls and on ceilings.The company also have other materials and experiments with differents foams.

GLAVA ® insulation for houses

Glava is one of the companies that supports cross country skiing and cycling the recent years, something marketing manager Øystein Kvam highlighted recently. The race director of Glava tour of Norway is Birger Hungerholdt. Ring a bell? Hungerholdt is Edvald Boasson Hagen's manager and he has been a key player in making the Glava tour what is is. As Edvald Boasson Hagen said to the local newspaper in Lillehammer today, "I'm not sure if stage 4 is buildt spesificly to me, but I guess Birger had me in his thoughts". But as Edvald discovered during his recon of the climbs, they are tougher than he expected. Although the race pass by Edvald's childhood home, not once but twice.

Read more about Glava on their website here.

Summary
The Glava tour is a huge race for Norway and is a leap in the right direction for cycling in Norway. The sport has been through a remarkable development with pros like Arvesen, Hushovd and now Boasson Hagen and Kristoff too are leading the way.
Hopefully you know what kind of company Glava is, tune in to watch the game, nothing is written in stone and I expect a fight all the way for the overall win.

Glava Tour of Norway's official website is here. 

Birger Hungerholdt - race director and EBH's manager.

 

Milan-Sanremo - Eggs, baskets and tactics

Team Sky ready to roll at Milan-Sanremo

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Last Saturday we witnessed the first monument of the season unfold, la classica di Primavera. Just taste the word for a while, it carries memories from a past and promises to the future. It is a magnificent race and as the longest of the calendar as well as being a monument, it is a prestigious race to win.

Much have been written about Mark Cavendish, Team Sky's primary hope, since he got dropped 90 kilometers from the finish line. Almost too bad since I feel we all should write about Simon Gerrans and his brilliant win. His win was nothing short of impressive, Gerrans win proved he was the smartest rider, smartness triumphs strength any day.

Questions to ask

Over the years I have learned that "one never questions decisions taken in the heat of battle". One can bring them up when the timing is adequate, to study and to learn, but since we didn't have the shoes on at the time, who are we to judge?

However, the things we can question are tactics and strategy. Those are made prior to the race, making is easier for the roadcaptains and riders to act and react without always checking with the team car. Act upon intention, if you like.

Tactics are meant to maximize the team's strength and possibilities while at the same time reduce risk. Giving the riders and staff the comfort of having the upper hand is crucial. Tactics and planning should identify key terrain, address the team's advantages and make a systematic approach to gather and present the information surrounding a race. Another important issue is war-gaming or what-if's. Take a look what Petter Northug, x-country WC and Olympic champion said after winning the Worlds:

When the start signal goes, I feel prepared because I have done those 50 kms several hundred times before, going through every scenario possible in my mind.

Sessions like these are important to athletes. Being mentally prepared can make the difference between success and failure. Knowledge of training, nutrition and technology have been researched thoroughly over the recent years and information about these matters and training methods are merely a click away. One could say that this has levelled the battlefield for the riders, and the main difference that remains, is mental coaching.

Team Sky Saturday 17th of March

Two favourites for the race, how plan and create tactics to match both? As Steven De Jongh said to procycling.no after the race, the team was supposed to ride primarily for Cav, if there was a minute or less gap at the Le Manie, the team would drop back and help Cav getting back to the bunch again. To me this is a strange tactic. Yes, the MSR was one of Cavendish' main goals for the season. Yes, Cav is lighter than last year and has shown good shape, but tactics are supposed to exploit possibilities, not minimizing them.

Eisel and Cav at ToQ  -  Cav, the season's long with many possibilities

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EBH, Sky's second favourite, was left with Löfquist, who did a good job bringing EBH to the front over the Cipressa and near the front on the Poggio. But still just one man in support.

To order the whole team back to help a rider showing weakness with seven more climbs 90 kilometers left, kind of limits your options, doesn't it?

I'm not in any position to say things would have been different if EBH got more support, I usually refrain from if’s and maybe’s, but I think it's a strange tactic by Team Sky. Eisel, Cav’s wingman explained what the team tried to do when bringing Cav to the peloton failed (via Velonation):

“After speaking to him it was me who originally made the call for the guys to stop riding on the front of that chase group,” he said. “But then we changed our mind because if we got back on then it meant some of us could work for Edvald instead, so that's what we tried to do.”

One would expect Sky to learn from last tdf where the whole team was set up to bring Wiggo to the podium. We all know what happened to Wiggo, who unfortunately broke his collar but Team Sky had a great tdf without him. This shows the potential in this team. EBH nabbed two stages, G in white for days (losing it when the whole team waited for Wiggo), Uran in white for days too.

Cav was humble enough to let the team know he wasn't feeling too good on stage 3 of the Tirreno-Adriatico, giving EBH the chance to sprint for the win, so I believe Cav has a clear understanding of his capabilities and he has shown leadership before, taking care of his teammates.

Question is, to what extent do the management provide sufficient resources to other riders? Team Sky is a British team, with roots all the way back to BC and track. Is it more difficult to divide resources to others when you have the reigning WC onboard? As far as we know, Cav felt good right upon the beginning of the race, but tactics need to cover all aspects and be known in advance. 

Norwegian cycling experts have questioned on procycling.no how much influence Brailsford and Ellingsworth had on Saturday's tactic. Of course, one could say Norwegians are biased in this matter as nationality goes, but questions like these do have a rightful place.

Summary

I hope to see a different set of tactics later in the season. Team Sky has such a strong roster that they have many cards to play. If a rider is given a protective status, perhaps it is better to have more than just one man in support. How will Team Sky solve tour de France?

There is nothing wrong in having options, to have the eggs in different baskets, you never know when you'll need them.

Milan-Sanremo - preparations meet tactics meet luck



La classica di Primavera

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On Saturday the 103rd edition of the Milan-Sanremo will take place, a race often referred to as "la classica di Primavera". I wrote a post last year including some of the race history, you can find that here. 

Shorts
As the Italian name suggests, Spring is finally here, at least in countries close to the Mediterranean. At 298 kilometres long, Milan-Sanremo is the longest race in the season, normally the longest races don't cap 280 kilometres, like the worlds. Some have criticized the race for being boring with the action only taking place the last 20 kilometres with the Cipressa and Poggio as the ultimate pinnacles the riders deal with. I see this as a beautiful race going through a nice part of Italy. However, I can relate to the fact that the race is on fire the last 30 kms.


One for the sprinters?
The race is also called sprinters' classic but I find the race as not always living up to this name. It is difficult to pinpoint one single reason for this but 298 kilometres is very demanding any day of the week, not to mention this early in the season. The distance makes even the smallest climb difficult, which is why the Cipressa and/or Poggio often determine the winner or at least define the decisive break. Normally, the fastest sprinters doesn't win. Actually I don't like this term, as the fastest guy is the one to cross the finish line first, right? The ones who have prepared the best as well as being lucky, will be there in the final. Often those two go hand in hand, just read what Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, said about luck:

"Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck."


Wide open for the opportunists
As I often repeat it is impossible to predict the future and guessing the winner is difficult. It is easy to name ten-fifteen riders who can be among the winners on a given day, but that does not impress anyone right? So let me just name some of the riders I expect to rock the race, and quite frankly, I see them all up there. But remember, this is racing and anything can happen. Last year Hushovd was in great shape but found himself caught behind a crash just before the Cipressa. I guess he won't be that far back on Saturday.

Ready for the long haul?

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I have narrowed it down to these five riders. There are many more, but what fun is it to mention they all? The list is based on form, capacity and former achievements. Of course, choice of tactic play a part here too.

Peter Sagan
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Oscar Freire
Fabian Cancellara
Tom Boonen


Tactics and strategy
How do you control all the different outcomes in a 298 km long race?

Normally a break takes off early, often gaining a significant lead. One thing is certain though, the ones in that breakaway will never make it to the finish line first. This Monument in cycling is so prestiguos to win that teams have brought their very best hoping to win, making sure a breakaway will not survive. The ones in this breakaway will be riders from teams getting a wildcard, who will honour the sponsors as well as the race itself by being in the front. Teams with a favourite might also sneak in a rider or two as well, for two reasons. 1) having an exuse not to use strength rallying the break in later 2) the possibility of having a rider up there who can provide cover if the lead man comes up or just to be a free asset.

The last 30 kms - who will be the strongest?

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Watch closely 10-15 kilometres or so prior to the Cipressa, riders slip backwards to get bottles and food from team cars, as well as receiving final advice/orders from the DSs. Some riders will try to help their leaders to the front in hope to avoid any chaos that might occure in the peloton. The sprinters will fight for their lives to stay near the front, to avoid sliding too far back on the climb. All this while the riders who picked up fluids and food try to make their way to the front to support to their leaders with some crucial food or drinks. The pro teams have own nutrition experts, like Team Sky's Nigel Mitchell, who have sorted a menu suited to each rider on every step of the way.
We'll have the usual attack on the Cipressa or the Poggio by Nibali and Garzelli or other punchy riders. In addition to this, the Italians will try to snatch a win on home soil. Count among them Pettachi, Viviani (evil tongues will say Sagan will ride him in like Nibali if he can) and Sacha Modolo, remember his 4th place last year?

Radioshack-Nissan could use Italian star Bennati or Fabian for a late attack whilst BMC could do the same with GVA or Gilbert.

Summary
The first of cycling's five monuments is here, and the strong men will battle it out. I'm excited to see how the different teams play their tactics. Having just one egg in the basket can bring a devostating result as the peloton is tired, teams not all that organised this early and everybody wants to secure a place in the spotlight. We will see if Roald Amundsen's words is valid still on Saturday.

Let's have a look at the frenzy in the last kilometres Milan-Sanremo 2011 where Matt Goss won.

AIGCP vs UCI - why confidence matters

JV talking to the press

photo downloaded here

Yesterday we saw the AIGCP (Association des Groupes Cyclists Professionels) has no confidence in the UCI leadership. AIGCP held a meeting in Paris on Friday, voting on different key subjects. The AIGCP is taking care of the pro teams interests and it not a small thing they are coming out like this in public.

Now, many would say that this is nothing new and it is not getting us anywhere since the UCI don't care what the teams think anyway. I beg to differ. This is a new twist to the ongoing "battle" between pro teams and the UCI. The AIGCP is an organisation which depends highly on who's leading it. Jonathan Vaughters is currently the president of the AIGCP and has been in fights with the UCI over several issues the last years. Remember the radio ban?

What is it about
I see this as a two-fold battle. Firstly it is about power. The AIGCP stated in a release to cyclingnews that the AIGCP is under-represented in the decision-making process pertinent to the sport of professional cycling. The AIGCP has tried to be more influential in pro cycling for a decade, gaining more influence could be a good thing but this is also about money, lots of money.

As AIGCP stated in that release, they represent 2000 employees and 321 million euros per year. They want a fair and equal say. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, although it isn't crystal clear to me exactly what the AIGCP want to do when/if they got it. Television revenues are important because the financial possibilities when it comes to attract sponsors has never been so hard. Cycling teams are mostly being run by former riders and it could be difficult to deal with the business aspect of managing a team. After all, there is nothing indicating that being a world class athlete makes you a world class manager. This is known as the Peter principle.

Being able to decide more of the structure of the World Tour is something I feel the teams should be able to do. After all, their sponsors are interested in getting their ROI, the team has a certain amount of riders and staff and do not want to travel the world on tights budgets and time schedules. Should teams make money or get their budget in zero?

Summary
To be able to decide more of the structure of the WT is something I feel the teams should be granted, as well as getting a fair share of the televsion revenues. However, I think the AIGCP could be more open to expressing what their intentions are beyond these matters, as they criticize the UCI for being "secretive" and closed.

BMC - the pressure is building

The World Tour circus has been ongoing for one and a half months now, travelling from Down Under to Asia and the Middle East. The riders have enjoyed some nice weather and been riding with their new kit, some with their new team for the very first time. Some teams have been winning "every race" (as I wrote here) while others have yet to open the champagne.

Worried yet?

Photo downloaded here.

Winning is contagious
Yesterday I talked to Mads Kaggestad, former Credit Agricole, on twitter. He mentioned that the pressure is now on for the big teams who have yet to win. I support this fully.
Of course, the riders on teams that haven't won anything yet will shrug the shoulders, look distant and say that "the season is still young" or that "the goals are the classics" and so forth. But, beneath all that, I suppose there is a tiny piece of uncertainty building. Nothing big, nothing you'll loose sleep over. Yet.

Thing is, big teams have big riders. Big riders get the support, meaning that "less experienced riders need to seize the possibilities", as Kaggestad said. So far they have not, meaning that the team's stars need to step up to do the job and win. After all, that is what they are paid to do.

Take BMC, having last years WC, tour winner, and rider of the year. The pressure on these guys is intense. Luckily, the three of them have been in the spotlight before and are familiar with pressure and how to deal with it. Have in mind, being mentally strong has nothing to do with being emotionless or "switched off", it is how you deal with pressure.

Solutions
There are many things one can do to deal with this, in my work I see this all of the time. Getting on the offensive and in that "zone" is critical, over-analyzing the preparations, the training and the team, are just some examples of how not to do it. Hopefully, staff and riders have been in situations like this before and have a strategy to cope with it or race coaches who are trained to work on these matters. Let's not forget another fact in favour of the stars; having adjusted your form during the better part of a decade helps too.

Summary
The season has been on-going for nearly two months now. Teams like OP-QS, Lotto, Sky and LIQ have all nailed a victory or three each, bringing the riders' shoulders down and creating smiles all around. Meanwhile, other big teams, like BMC has yet to prove themselves. This may lead to pressure building, both within the team, from sponsors and from fans. Will discipline remain? Who has the mental strength to perform? Only time will tell. 

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.

A change in strategy and tactics

It is impossible to predict the future with certainty, that is a fact. We can say what we think will happen, based on previous sightings or by falsification an hypothesis. In modern science, predictions are much used and quite reliable too, they say. Whether they are or should be considered as truth or just beliefs, is hard to say. But as everything these days, testing might be handy in situations where one does not know the future. According to Platon, Socrates, the old philosopher, said that "knowledge can be true belief - if it has been given an account of.", explained in a way, or defined if you will.

My coming prediction will have to wait to be falsified but I sure do think so and I do hope it will be true because people, we may have witnessed a change in cycling sneaking up on us.

Contador attacked and won on Mount Etna

photo downloaded here.

Leadership, orchestrating and sheer will
I wrote a post in 2011 about strategy and tactics just before the tour, you'll find it here. This post proved to be one the most popular ones, and I believe I'm not the only one finding this subject interesting.

My prediction for 2012 is that we will see more aggressive riding, more surprises, more spectacular attacks and more battling mano-o-mano in the GTs. Is this new, is it even worth mentioning, I hear you say. I think so. Even if the emperor hasn't got new clothes on, this is something I think we will see more to in the year to come. Why?

Of many reasons. Firstly I will like to point you to the excellent post by @Irishpeloton earlier this week, about Froome losing the Vuelta with 13 seconds.  That is amazing, or devastating, depending on your state of mind, but 13 seconds! That bring back memories of the battle between Le Professeur and Lemond. Now, the post by Irish peloton brings another factor to the table, time bonuses, but I will focus on the little things for a second. Just think about it. Three weeks of racing and 13 seconds in total between losing second place and winning first. When people, and probably Froome himself too, finally understood that he was a genuine contender for the victory, every second counted. People on twitter kept blaming Froome for not climbing 2 seconds faster than Cobo the last four stages, something that would put him in first place. Others blamed team management for not putting all forces behind Froome when he was clearly in better shape than Wiggo those weeks.

The same mistake we make in football, or soccer to you Americans out there. Every time a team is about to drop a league, people remember the poor wing missing the penalty shot in the last game, not the ten opportunities the attacker had to score during the first ten games of the season, which also resulted in losses. You might call this example borderline nonsensical but I think we will see an increased focus on the seconds from day one.

Fireworks in the making...

Photo by Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images, downloaded here.

Secondly, the parcourse invites to daring, spectacular attacks. Both Acquarone and Prudhomme have promised easier race this year than the last, something that could bring fireworks to the Alps and the Dolomites. Easier, shorter stages combined short transfers and a cleaner peloton will really make a change in team strategy and tactics. Remember Andy Schleck's and Contador's attack during the tour? One could argue that that was their only chance to gain time on the opponents, but I think this was only the beginning. The GTs of 2012 are set up so that one cannot sit and wait for the last TT (unless your name is Cadel or Wiggo) to determine the winner, every GT contender has to take advantage of his/her strength as well as surprise the opponents. 

Summary
I truly believe riders, team managers and DSs have learned that every second counts, bonus seconds or not. Some may say that this is nothing new, that is a "normal" change in tactics. I do not think so, I see this as a summary of several factors; parcourse, "wake-up calls" throughout the season, less doping in the peloton, the utilisation of ones speciality/strength on another level and the element of surprise. Leadership will be key this year, both on and off the bike, from the team car and at HQ. To orchestrate the team to perform at its best, to actually dominate the attacks the opponents miss or didn't foresee. I believe we're in for a treat this year, just wait.

Transfer season - not everybody continues as cyclists

From front of the peloton to the back - transfers just as important

Photo downloaded here.

It is transfer season indeed. Every single day we read about riders changing team, staying with present team or just rumours, more or less accurate depending on the source.  The newest “rumour” on the notebook is that of Tony Martin, going to Omega Pharma – Quickstep. Apparently, this is just a rumour, because others, like Daniel Benson of CN, say that Martin has yet to sign the contract. Confused yet?

Not all riders are going to continue on the bike. Some will not seek the roads again, having studied while riding or due other reasons. Some continue behind the wheel of a team car, taking up on the important role as DS or rider developer. Why is this worth mentioning, I hear you ask. Well, firstly it is a topic many have neglected so far, which in itself makes it interesting. Secondly, a move like this is crucial for the future of the sport, something that should interest all of us.

For the rider making that leap might find it difficult in the beginning. Some might find it hard not being in the spotlight themselves for a change, knowing that the world does not rotate around them anymore, some will experience a feeling of not knowing if he has what it takes. The team owner might fear the Peters Principle, since great palmares as a rider, not automatically guarantees any success as a DS.

If we look at cycling the recent years it has evolved and it has done so in many ways. Like @sofaboy wrote in his post recently, “it’s time to start believing again”. We can all irritate our heart out on behalf of some decisions made by the UCI and we can debate this over and over again – so we should. But in addition to this perspective, culture can arguably being built from the bottom and up. This means that we should follow closely what happens inside teams, not only who the riders are, but also who is doing what, who’s coming from where stating what earlier. We should demand some answers from teams who hire people with dodgy backgrounds. Yes, as Brailsford said earlier: “it is difficult to find skilled people nowadays who hasn’t got a past”. Well, that may be true some years ago, but I don’t believe it is wise to hide behind that conclusion any longer. There are many talented people out there with a burning desire to help riders and teams develop further. 

I want those riders who continue as DS, or in other positions in teams, to be the best. They must have integrity, respect in the peloton, they must have something to contribute in order to make a difference. It could be that my expectations are high, perhaps too high, and it may be that I will be disappointed. Still, this is my view and hope. Luckily, I can think of many riders who can fill such positions when the time is right. Arvesen at Team Sky, Pinotti at HTC to mention a few.

So let’s not forget that transfer season brings hope to the evolvement of cycling from inside teams’ staff too.

Dirty tricks in the peloton

What happened
Yesterday, the Norwegian edition of Procycling, procycling.no, published a story from Glava Tour of Norway. The Glava Tour of Norway, a 2.2 race where many Pro Conti teams participated, took place this weekend in Norway.

The bearer of the polka-dot jersey, Swede and member of Team Sparebanken Vest-Ridley Christofer Stevenson, was allegedly obstructed by a competing team several times. This made him lose the battle for the KOM jersey. At the time, Stevenson fought with Joker Merida rider Stian Remme for the jersey, and the intermediate mountain points were key.

Before the final stage, Christofer (left) poses with his brother  Michael

Photo by Jarle Fredagsvik, procycling.no downloaded here.

According to Stevenson himself, happening just before the final mountain sprint, he was first "surrounded" by two Joker Merida riders just before a turn, where one them forced himself in front of Stevenson, apparently leaving Stevenson with two choices; out in the ditch or hit the brakes. Stevenson hit the brakes, lost Remme's wheel and had to start all over again. Just as Stevenson began to sprint, he felt an elbow or a hand restraining him by holding his hip, making it impossible to sprint properly. The result was that Remme won the final intermediate KOM sprint while Stevenson finished 4th or 5th. Remme won the overall KOM competition.

A furious Stevenson drifted back the UCI commissaries, who didn't notice the episode from their car. After finishing the stage, a video analysis of the incident didn't reveal any irregularities. Stevenson's brother, riding for a different team, confirms the episode as he allegedly saw it take place. The episode resulted in Stevenson writing an angry post on his blog, saying that "what Joker Merida did was as bad as doping".

The Joker Merida DS, Gino van Oudhove, said to procycling.no that he didn't realised any irregularities during the episodes and feels the riders and staff representing Sparebanken Vest have handled the incident "in a ridicules way". Riders on Joker Merida denies having done anything wrong.

All or nothing?
What can we learn from this episode, is it possible to reach a conclusion? Probably not. At some point, all that is left is word against word, and I don't know whose words you like best.

I got to thinking, does this happen in the PRO peloton in the World Tour? We are accustomed to see riders from different teams shake hands as the brake away gets swallowed by the peloton, but what happens in the bunch? In my opinion, it is a very different thing to use team tactics to neutralise intermediate sprints, as we have seen in the tour, to hold a rider back physically.

Do you know any episodes from the PRO peloton, please do comment.


  
     

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?

Man vs machine - on the cobbles

The Queen of the Classics is soon over us and every team who have a desire to make a difference have already been out on the cobbles to reconnoitre the pavé. They have been doing all they possibly can prior to the race to test different tires, shifters, frames and forks. The tech-factor is unmistakable high this year, and both Cyclingnews and Velonews have many good articles out with pictures, found respectively here and here.

I'm not all that interested in tech myself. I'm on the level where I want my equipment to function properly, without ruining my experience on the road. My perspective is that I'm supposed to use it, not necessarily know all about it. What interest me though, is the difference in technological equipment teams utilise on the cobbles compared to other races.
Cycling has really become a technological arena where everybody is trying to get the better of their opponents. Chapeau to those engineers from SRAM, Campa and Shimano, dodging all teams who want the best and be alone with it. How do they sort that out? Money talks and personal relations are key.

Some time ago I interviewed Igor Turk, a Team Sky mechanic. I focused on the tech-aspect as well and how they prepared the bikes for the cobbles. You can read the post here.

Here are a couple pictures that indicates some of the tech-features teams and riders utilise before this year's Paris-Roubaix, for more pics check out the websites:

Notice the longer blades on Hincapie's fork, making it difficult for mud and dust to gather.


Photo by James Huang -downloaded on Cyclingnews- here 

Dura-Ace Di2 shifters are placed on the drops, some have "thumb-shifters" on the top of the handlebars.


Photo by James Huang - downloaded on Cyclingnews - here

Those were the days...? Eddy at the Lombardia


Picture downloaded at Pez cycling - here.

The unsung heroes II

Is there no I in team?

Riders always get the most attention, at least in most teams. During the Grand Tour TV-viewers, at least the most eager ones, turn on at 11:30, just in time to see Christian Prudhomme waving the flag to the riders. Then of course, you don't think about the riders' freshly washed bibs and jerseys, the perfectly balanced food and liquids you see the riders receive food in he feed zone. You probably don't use much energy thinking of the soigneurs who prepared it in the morning under the chef's watchful eye.
In the last blogpost I stated that cycling indeed is a teamsport. This post is about them you don't often see, but their role in the team is of most importance.

Who are these people? 

Gerard Vroomen's Cervelo Test Team consisted of 85 individuals, whereas 39 of them were riders including men and female riders. That is 46 soigneurs, masseurs, mechanics, race engineers, marketing people, chef(s), bus driver(s), sports directors (DS), doctors, physiotherapists, coaches, sponsor liasons and the list goes on. 

These guys work when the riders are sleeping. Everything from washing bikes and jerseys to mixing liquids for the next day, that's their job. Do you think riders carrie their own luggage to the hotel room? At least not after 5 hours on the bike in hot conditions mid-summer. Riders are still responsible to pin their own number before start, most do so on the actual race day, some do so because they are superstitious, others because that is just how their ritual is.

Before the race, some soigneurs prepare their rider's legs, a rub down with oil, softening the muscles while the riders cope with their own nervousness their own way. The strokes are unique to each rider, the soigneurs know exactly how each rider prefers his massage. After a race, the soigneurs take care of the riders, making sure they are well hydrated and fed a small meal to help recuperating. Later the they put up their massage table and works the knots and stress out of the rider's bodies, making the muscles regain their softness. Basically, a soigneur makes sure that the rider only has to think of the upcoming race. Everything else the soigneurs take care of.  

The chef along with the soigneurs have prepared today's meal which will be handed out to the riders in the feed zone. There will also be a back-up some kilometres up the road if a rider would miss the bag. Carefully put together founded in nutrition but put together to the different riders' best. Also some bags are placed in the DS' cars along with coke and cookies in addition to the bottles, spare bike parts, wheels and other necessities.    

Picture by clarkmaxwell

During the race, the DS governs the team using the two-way radio as well as the pre-planned tactics ruled out earlier that day, giving information to the riders of breakaways, any obstacles ahead of the peloton like a narrow brigde, how long to the next climb and so forth. In the team car he follows the live television feed as well as the official race radio if there are any.

Immediately after a race or stage is over, the rider's bike is taken from him, hosed down and thoroughly examined by the mechanic responsible. They work efficiently while the riders walk stiff and sore to the teambus. Most times a rider doesn't even see his bike before the next day, unless there is a discussion about whether to use a different chainset for the next stage. Every detail counts, from seat height and type of saddle to distance saddle behind braquet are important as every rider have their own opinion of how this should be and the mechanics have the data on each rider stored. If they experience a problem or wish to discuss a matter, they might call for support from the i.e SRAM or Shimano, they of course are present at every race. 

Dinnertime

After the riders have received their massage, the mechanics have stored the bikes in the truck there is time for dinner. Normally they all eat together, sharing a large meal with perhaps a very small glass of wine. 

People following a team during a GT will see the difference as time goes by. The happy, nervous chatter will not be there at the end of a three week tour, the riders still eat but they "force" the food down rather than enjoying the taste.

Sponsors are circulating the team constantly, trying to get a picture and a few well ment words with the stars.

The riders turn into a team on the bike. The sporadic chatter amongst the riders bring them together, their weaknesses as well as their strengths are invertible revealed during the training rides together at camp. There is no way of hiding, and the riders can after the first camp figure out those who will sacrifice their chances for the team benefit and those who will not.

The team hiding behind the spotlight turn into a team off the bike. Having devoted their life to other's well being, they rarely are given appreciation for what they do. But one thing is clear; a good soigneur will be missed.

Leading a professional cycling team today is difficult. A dynamic, complex structure, lots of logistics and tiny details people normally don't even think of, become critical in order to succeed. After all, a team win together, but loosing is still something you do on your own.