2012 highlights

Yes, it is that time of the year and I'm a bit late. But, what better way to end 2012 but to take a look at the very best moments, at least from my point of view.

Readers of this blog will recognize as I say that this is difficult to do as cycling, as any sport, is so connected to emotions. But, where is the fun if one cannot have an opinion, right?

I've divided the year into certain categories, to be a bit systematic in my approach:

Best attack
Tom Boonen's attack during Paris-Roubaix - With some 60 kilometers to go, Tommeke takes off and doesn't look back. I remember his DS saying in a video "Amazing, he's still going over 50 km/h!" Now this number could be all talk but anyway Boonen walked the walk and made the Belgians sing and dance his techno song once more.

Boonen breaks away

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Honourable mention: De Gendt's long-distance haul on the penultimate stage of the giro, he almost pipped Hesjedal for pink.

Most emotional win
Matteo Rabattini's stage 15 of the giro - arguably the most heroic stage win of the year. What cycling is all about really, an attack just 18 km into the 169 km stage and held off, even as Rodriguez joined him just 400 meters to go.

Best teammate
Edvald Boasson Hagen - Yes, I'm biased but I know I'm not alone as Velonews also awarded him the price. To selflessly put his own ambitions aside and work for Wiggo and Sky like he did during the tour was amazing. Of course, many members of the Sky-train did the same, and deserve a mention as Sky brought some stars to France. EBH dropped Basso and other top notch climbers from his back wheel, not once, not twice but several times in the mountains. Still his palmares in July had of a couple of podium spots. That's what true champions do; when they are not allowed to win, they set themselves new goals and deliver the goods.

Best team

Team Sky and Omega-Pharma Quickstep. Not only referring to the rankings as pictured, but also to other criteria. As mentioned Sky's domination at the tour, and the fact that many different riders did win on OPQS are some of the key elements in my opinion.

Also worth a mention is the total destruction of Radioshack during the tour, which mysteriously gave them the best team award. Anyone watching the last couple of days witnessed teammates not cooperating. Of course you can always blame the UCI point system as always but still.

Best race
The Olympic Road Race for women produced some of the best racing I've seen all year. Hopefully they get the recognition they deserve in 2013.

Best cycling media outlet
1. Velonews - This was a tight race. I have to say it's just the last couple of years I've followed Velonews closely, mostly due to the fact that they traditionally have been more oriented towards the American audience. However, Velonews has taken huge steps the last year, clearly the crew is doing something right.

2. Velonation - this crew has a slightly different approach than Velonews, as Velonation has a more in-depth style, going further and deeper than any other outlet. Perhaps not first with the last but very well connected in the different aspects of the pro cycling world and I do enjoy the interviews.

3. Bikeradar - tech style. I'm not that into tech myself, I want my equipment to function. That said I do care about detail, style and quality. So, James Huang et al - here is to you guys.

Best blogger
Inner Ring - not much to say really. Balancing news, in-depth analysis of everything from races, climbs and teams to the financial elements and UCI rule book, he's on it with an objective point of view.  Funny or sad, depending on your preferences, is that he is seldom mention in #FFs. Probably because everybody is following him anyway. If you don't already, get your head out of the sand.

Worst team
Astana, Katusha - Ethics, finances. Hiring old school dopers, firing old-school dopers whilst being catched for doping yourself, the list goes on. Dodgy as few, they should attend Branding 101. Radioshack's top manager Johan Bruyneel deserves a mention too, dragging a team down. There is a "t" in team, and there are some 70-90 people involved in a team so the responsibility is huge. Sadly, the riders and other staffers suffer, that's how the cycling environment of today. Nuf said.

Best marketing
The RCS and OPQS - Open, friendly, fan-oriented, available and innovative.

Worst downfall
Lance Armstrong - you all know the story and my point of view. I unfollowed Big Tex recently, he's not worth it.

Nice guys
NYvelocity and Cyclismas for setting up the Paul Kimmage fund.

Most embarrassing moment
Phillip Hindes' deliberate crash and the British journalists who defended him - one of the top Olympic controversies during the London Olympics, the place where good sportsmanship should reign took a beating. BC sprint coach Jan van Eijden said, rather blunt and/or arrogantly, that "something must have been lost in translation as Hindes just recently moved to England." Really, on national TV Mr. Eijden, please reconsider before you tell everybody watching that they are fools. To take advantage of the existing rulebook like that was not good, nor was the "national Olympic googles" some of the British journalists had during the Games. Hopefully it will be long until we see this happen again (at least four years).

Hindes on the downside

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Man of the year
Travis Tygart - without a doubt. He went where very few had dared to go, he did it with integrity, objectivity and with no intention to back down for the immense pressure he and his crew were exposed to. He changed cycling for life, as of now, we are just learning what will happen. This case will tear through cycling for years to come on every level.


Bring on 2013!

Kjærgaard speaks out - sort of

Just as I started to feel Armstrong fatigue after following the recent developments, as probably you all did, the snowball from the Armstrong/USPS-affair came to Norway.

Norway hasn't had that many doping cases, a couple of weightlifters for steroids, a race walker was busted for EPO last year, and a couple of the odd "it was in my supplements"-excuses are pretty much it. Even a horse is listed as one of Norway's doping scandals. Says perhaps much about Norwegians too, what do I know. 

Kjærgaard during today's press conference

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It isn't that Kjærgaard doped that surprises me, followers on twitter would know my position, although I put my pride in not openly judge riders without proof. It's not a fair fight. I remember when I started following pro cycling seriously, I almost laughed at the idea of an omertà in cycling, that it was something the conspiracy thinkers out there had cooked together. However, it didn't take long to get an understanding that something was lurking in the dark. Today, as Kjærgaard admitted doping, his fear of the omertà was obvious.

Two stories

Among the journos at the press conference today sat Mads Kaggestad, former Credit Agricole now cycling commentator on Norwegian TV2. He rode at the same time as Kjærgaard (2003), on different teams obviously. Today he confronted Kjærgaard harshly, on several subjects such as who was involved behind the scenes, Johan Bruyneels touch in the matters at USPS, how he refused to believe that Kjærgaard and the other riders at Chicken and USPS didn't talk about doping "at all", as Kjærgaard said. 

On one hand you have Kjærgaard, a talented rider, one of the few Norwegians who went pro, did scoop up a couple of good palmares on his way, arguably being one of Norway's top three cyclists. He rode together with Lance Armstrong on his team, one of, if not the greatest rider on the planet. On the other hand you have Kaggestad, a very talented rider who also turned pro, but instead of going to a dodgy team he went to Credit Agricole under the watchful eye of Roger Legeay. He never got the same palmares as Kjærgaard, struggled in the increasingly faster peloton in the beginning of the millennium. But he never gave in. 

Today I saw an angry Kaggestad confronting Kjærgaard and the two careers puzzled me. To see and feel the emotions Kaggestad had, not only because he "knew" something wasn't right back then, but also due the fact that Kjærgaard has lied to Kaggestad's and everyone's face the last 10-15 years. As who has my respect today, it's quite clear. I had much respect for Mads Kaggestad before, both because of what he accomplished as a rider and because of his commentator skills, but today he earned even more. To compete in a peloton that goes faster every week, year after year, and still maintaining his stance is remarkable. He almost ran his body in the ditch as the dopers increased the tempo. Kaggestad says to Procycling.no that he feels doping to a certain degree ruined his career. 

Kjærgaard on Chicky

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Kaggestad questioning Kjærgaard

Photo credit Erlend Aas, Scanpix

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Many, many riders didn't dope, I hear you say. True, then they all deserve an extra clap on the shoulders. It is difficult when dreams meet reality. When real life obligations meet demands. I think I have my priorities clear and my suitcase of courage, but that's me. Kaggestad can face others with pride, while the one who doped quietly wiped tears today in a press conference. In the end, Kaggestad won.

The basics

To me this is about the fundamental element of sports; a level playing field. The payment of hard work, dedication, brilliant tactics and teamwork is the key reason I follow sports. Maybe over the edge romantic, but that's how it is. The idea of someone playing by a different set of rules makes sport pointless, meaningless.

Reading Tyler Hamilton's book "The Secret Race" was interesting, not so much because of the doping itself, mostly old news except the scale of it, but more due to the insight on Hamilton's personal level. What is it like to live a lie for so many years? Earning your job, perhaps some of your friends, your network, your house and car on something fake? Like it or not, it does something to you. Read the book, Kjærgaard did and said on the press conference that he was hoping to learn and feel what Hamilton did as he came forward with the news. 

Doping isn't (just) cheating, cheating is what you can do in card games. No, doping is fraud. You earn money, that means someone else loses. You win and get famous, that means someone else will not get the sponsors you do. There are many more than just the riders involved too, take a look at Rabo, that's some 80-100 people who have secured income just one more year. They have families etc etc, you follow my lead here, no doubt about that.

Omerta is still here

During the press conference I was waiting to see Kjærgaard namedrop some of the people behind the organized doping. Actually, it was Kaggestad who first asked about the people standing in the shadows. Suddenly Kjærgaard's body-language froze (even more). In the beginning he couldn't recall one person in any teams he had doped in.  As he received heat he mentioned Del Moral's name once, but the words "closed communication between me and the doctors", "closed network", He even said that he didn't know if Kim Andersen knew he (Kjærgaard) doped when he was on Andersen's team, even though the team doctor did the injections. To me this was a great disappointment, I had hoped he would provide info on the main characters in the shadows. Perhaps it wasn't the time nor place to call out everyone who was involved. Kjærgaard rather pathetic said he "didn't recall anyone directly involved in doping on any of the teams he rode for." He came clear on his own, but it became clear to me that the omertà still is alive and kicking.

Kjærgaards predecessor as national sports director, Svein Gaute Hølestøl, knew Kjærgaard doped back in 1999. He was a fellow Norwegian pro cyclist in Belgium at the same time as Kjærgaard. Hølestøl was sports director for Kjærgaard on the national team later, knowing Kjærgaard had doped. 

Kjærgaard will be interviewed by Antidoping Norway on his experiences, and that might clear some matters up, at least I hope he take advantage of that possibility. 

Conclusion

Today Steffen Kjærgaard, former USPS and former national sports director Norwegian Cycling, admitted doping in his career. He sat there crying, admitting that he had planned to take this secret with him right until the end. He was pushed to confess, by the recent events in cycling. His honor is gone, as he has kept a lie for 15 years. One of the things annoying me the most is him being a leader. Having responsibility for the development of others is disturbing. 

Today I also saw the omertà alive and kicking, and what it does to people. It need to stop.

I sincerly hope Kjærgaard finds some inner peace in coming forward, but I see that is a small comfort to all the people he robbed and deceived. Living a lie is never easy.

More on the case:

TV2
VG
Procycling.no

Contador advertising more than ever

There is a difference between pay and income for cyclists. As described earlier by the always to the point INRNG, the average annual salary for cyclists is €264,000. Of course, this does not reflect reality. Only a handful of the riders earn this kind of money, and then I haven't even described the financial situation for the female riders.

Riders need to make money doing other things beside just riding bikes, after all, prize money and image rights aside, there is more money in advertising and personal deals and sponsorships. I'll write more on that later, on the new blog.

Today I learned that Geraint Thomas is doing an advert for wristbands, that is so last year, isn't it?

Another thing I learned today was that Alberto Contador may be banned from cycling, or at least banned from competing, but I seem to notice Contador everywhere I look these days. Is the man more popular among (Spanish) companies than ever? Some would say he probably need the money now more than ever before, with the legal bills he had the last couple of years.

You all have seen the pictures of Omega Pharma- Quickstep advertising for pillows? Here you have Alberto Contador advertising for a mattress:

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.

Moments in cycling 2011

In the bag...

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Off season is finally over, teams and cyclists are gathering on different team building sites, some to "boot camp", while others, like Saxo, turns to exotic Israel for their first team building. Is it time to review the year now?

I have been thinking of making a "best of 2011"-post for a couple of weeks, I really enjoy reading others posts about that, searching videos on YouTube and so forth. This year has been fantastic, we have seen great racing taking place. Luckily, there was a certain spread in winners, perhaps with the one exception being Gilbert. He didn't win the most obvious race, Il Lombardia, hope the other riders see this as a sign everybody can be beaten. 2011 also proved to be a very sad year with the tragic death of Wouter Weylandt.

It is not easy to evaluate top performers in sports, too many feelings, nationalities and other interests involved. I have decided to call them moments, to avoid the best performers debate, in my world, top performer does not automatically equal winning, although I do of course, recognize the obvious achievement.


The list
10. The aggressiveness of Francais des jeux, putting riders in almost every breakaway this season, making it very entertaining to follow races. Chapeau Jérémy Roy and the others!

9. Team Britain during the Worlds in Copenhagen. It been long since I have seen a team riding at the front all day, all riding so selflessly. Ok, so it went to pieces the last oh-so important kilometer but still, delivering a sprinter like Cav in that position with one click to go should ensure business, which it obviously did.

8. French cycling's riders Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland. Voeckler actually got recognized by many as a genuine contender for the GC, he put up a terrific fight. His TT skills is something he need to work very hard to be a podium contender next year. Rolland partly for his win on Alpe d'Huez and partly for his part in defending Voeckler's yellow. I think he will be a force to follow closely in the years to come.

7. Edvald Boasson Hagen's stage win in Pinerolo Tour de France. First of all because of a will to win and a stamnina few riders have. The day before he was outsprinted by fellow Norwegian Hushovd, EBH then decided to win the next day. Trying relentlessly to get in the breakaway all day, he succeeded, rode Chavanel off his wheel and solo'ed to the finish line. Perhaps it's time to stop calling him a giftet talent by now?

6. "New" riders stepping up to the challenge. We had many this year, too many to mention all, but Sagan, Kittel, Degelkolb and Offredo to mention a few, is just great. I really see this as a new start if you like, for cycling, after many dark years.

5. Mark Cavendish winning the green jersey. I could say the worlds too, but it is his achievement during the tour that I feel deserves a mention. With new point rules he stepped up to the challenge and really fought for his points, everyone of them. His wins were amazing, not every win as dominating as last year but still mighty impressive. The green jersey is dear to me, it is not a pure sprinter's jersey, more of an allrounder, at least historically speaking.

4. Alberto Contador and his giro was just phenomenal. No one was even close. He came to the race with a big uncertainty hanging over him, as I write this it still is. He proved to be very strong psychologically, one can say much about him, but that really impressed me. His way of climbing on the stage to Etna really gave the race a serious blow, being so much better than the rest. He rode well during the tour too, proved to be strong mentally again, and he contributed to an excited race with his attack.

3.  Thor Hushovd's solo win during the tour wearing the rainbow jersey. A sprinter turned classics rider, Hushovd attacked early on the stage and fought his way over Col d'Aubisque, to pass the brave Roy with 3 clicks to go. Fantastic to see a stage win like that in that jersey, brought back memories of times almost forgotton in cycling. Powerhouse Hushovd.
 
2. Cadel Evans winning the tour. Evans have tried many times, this time he got it, leaving the two Schleck brothers as runners up. L'Equipe showed a drawing in the newspaper the day after, where Cadel holds two spotted fur up while standing on the podium. The team rode steady the whole tour keeping Cadel out of harm's way and he finished it off with a powerful TT securing the yellow jersey. Classic scenes.

1. Phillipe Gilbert winning almost all he wanted. Unbelievable palmares, winning the Ardenner triple in a convincing matter. Crowning the year by wearing yellow and green during the tour, winning a stage too. No wonder he tops almost every ranking.



Honourable mentions
Hoogerlands bravery after being clipped by that French TV car, the way the giro handles social media. It is smaller than then tour, and the tour is the pinnacle of the cycling season, no doubt. Still, being able to explore new media and interact with fans is branding at its best. It is all about hearts and minds, I guess.
Tony Martin putting an end to Fabians dominance in the TTs with his win at the Worlds. Another achievement worth mentioning, as was Froome in the Vuelta. Getting Cavendish, Jens Voigt and Cancellara on twitter has made me many laughs this year.

There were of course other incindents we won't miss. The crashes at the tour bringing down the number of GC contenders was terrible to watch. Yes, a natural part of pro cycling, but still. The ongoing Contador case is very embarrasing for cycling, for the UCI, for the Spanish cycling federation and not least for the riders left to compete with riders under investigation.


And who can forget the tragic death of Wouter Weylandts during the giro. WW108

Dopers redemption - what does it take?

It's August and silly season is "officially" all over us. Everybody knows the talking has taken place during the season and especially during the tour, nowadays it's all about the formalisation itself, aka the signature. Some riders have been assigned as stagiares and are new to the pro peloton, while others are not to be found in the pro ranks next season due to lack of performance, old age or other reasons. Among those who are returning to the pro or conti peloton are riders having spend a year or two outside for doping conviction. What to say about this? The ones who have failed to live up to the expectations of fans, teams and public, who fooled not only themselves but others who trusted them? What makes their return ok?


The idea of this post has been on my mind for a long time, or perhaps the right way of putting it is; many times have this subject crossed my mind. As you all know, doping has been a part of cycling as in every other professional endurance sport for many years. I have mixed feelings bringing it up too, sometimes I'm quite tired of hearing about it, feeling that too much emphasis is being put on those who cheats instead of those who don't. But, with this post I hope to learn more about why some rider are forgiven, while others not.

There are examples of riders who doped who are being welcomed back into the sport and now are ambassadors/spokesmen against dopers, David Millar is one. Why are some riders, convicted or currently under investigation, treated differently than others?
Contador's racing in the Giro and the Tour seemed to make more people forgive/forget the Damocles sword of doping hanging over his head.
How important is the scale of offence? If a rider's caught being 32, is it plausible to suspect him of doping his/her entire career? Are all dopers the same, if not, how do we measure that?

Everybody won't get a second chance
I read an article in procycling.no where Thomas Dekker's return was covered. I found that very interesting and I got new earned respect for Vaughters, not that I didn't have it before, but the article made me think. Dekker's tests from 2007 was retested, proving postive for EPO, and the following years were hard on him. After many conversations and discussions with Vaughters, Dekker went through intensive testing prior to be selected to ride for Chipotle, Garmin's farmer team. Dekker had to prove for Vaughters that he was capable of being a rider on a certain level without doping and according to procycling.no, Dekker had to cooperate with WADA. Dekker himself said he "feels a responsibility to inform young riders about the dangers of doping."

People deserve a second chance, right? Nobody's perfect and mistakes are being made by everyone. I know from earlier debates on twitter that some do not agree with me on this, but that is how I feel. I feel there is a huge difference between now and before. Ok, money's on the table and riders need a job, but times are changing. It is not the same like back in the 90's, even though judging by today's races and stages, it sometimes seems difficult to understand that. It is possible to get an exciting race climbing over only one HC mountain instead of riding over three HC in a stage.

I still get just as upset when a new positive test are being revealed. I find this whole debate difficult since feelings are involved too. As a result, a person's attitude or opinions towards a sport is not entirely rational, making argumentation often agitated.
I must say I don't view riders I've admired the same way after they have been caught, I think no one does. A large chunk of respect of that individual will always be gone, and I will always wonder if they still dope. Like it or not, that is my view.

Done their time
Some riders and fans say that since riders have done their time, it is ok to welcome them back, just as any other criminal are/should be in our society. But is it that simple?
I read on twitter today that what we as fans feel about riders prior to the offence is more important than people will admit. One matter many have mentioned is the doper's willingness to admit their sins in public. This will over time improve the rider's image. I guess it something about stepping up and take responsibility that makes us more able to forgive. Like in ethics and moral, honesty is important for how we judge people. The riders have people surrounding them, family and friends, having disappointed someone close to you, who trusted you, must be awful.

The super human performances is not as visible as before. I take this as a good sign. When somebody is performing well, I will from now on say that "well, someone has to be best". I choose to keep my faith, because there are some signs that we are witnessing an increasingly clearer peloton. I will put my scepticism and cynicism behind me, after all, with riders like Sagan, Kittel, Pinot, Degenkolb, EBH and G, the future has never looked so bright.

#FF on the blog for a change

As most of you already know, my last posts from the tour and up until now is found on www.cyclismas.com, a new site dedicated to cycling. Humour and some good analysis/comments to be found there, from @UCI_Overlord to @sofaboy and @autofact.

I will try to post some of my post here as well, to have this site "up-to-speed" when I return full time to this blog.

I tend to give #FFs a bit random on twitter, a bit uncertain of every use of the microbloggingsphere I guess. Those of you who follow my tweets will probably know who I enjoy to interact with. However, there are others as well...

I love to discover new things and to learn, that also applies on twitter and in the cycling world in general. That's what I enjoy the most on twitter; to get inspired, educated, meaningful discussions (both to watch and be a part of), by people from all over the world. Stories, news, comments, analysis. 

How fantastic is that? Interact with people all over the globe in a blink of an eye.
Sometimes, twitter takes too much time. There are others around me who wants a part of me, and I have to choose my time spent on the internet in accordance with this. Get me right, it's not actually even a choice to make, as I have a clear understanding of what's important in life. This is just to inform you why I sometimes go underground.

This time I chose to do something new in terms of #FFs, posted here on the blog. Sorry for no hyperlinks, but that would ahve taken too much time. If you see someone you don't follow, search them up and add.

#FF news:
@cyclingnewsfeed
@velonews
@biciciclisimoweb
@roadcc
@Pro_Cycling
@paveblog
@cyclismactu

#FF people in no particular order:
@daveno7, @dimspace, @SSbike, @sitdowninfront, @cycletard, @flammecast, @sofaboy, @irishpeloton, @gekke82, @LeeBoyman, @FlashingPedals, @GiusiVirelli, @BikeTart, @podiuminsight, @Queenofthecols, @leguape, @euanlindsay, @Sprinting4signs, @jon_cannings, @_Gavia_, @_mattio, @gematkinson, @ShaunaSmash, @CleoPompom, @thomas_lequipe, @inrng, @micacquarone, @velocb @Cyclopathic, @jeremyrauch, @humphr, @jeffvolkmer @chestnut38, @festinagirl @MonaLS85, @pllb, @quinn_e, @arlo_m, @abandonedbike, @jennyvelo, @propulse, @jenscer, CycleGirl108, @peletonmagazine, @reitbakk.

#FF humour:
@dwuori
@UCI_Overlord
@mmmaiko

#FF photographers (they are incredible):
@OnevFoto
@jeredgruber
@cammilemcmillan


I am 100% percent sure I left someone who didn't deserve it out in the cold. So, for those of you who is not there - sorry! Fix that next time then.

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.


  
     

Shoemaker stay at your last?

In the peloton again


Photo by Roberto Bettini, downloaded here.

Stefan Schumacher is back in the peloton. After his ban of two years for CERA in 2008 he was allowed back in cycling by the team Miche in 2010. Traces of CERA was also found in his samples from the Olympics in Beijing as well. Now Schumacher came back in 2010, so this is no big news really, despite the fact that it has been a long time since I've heard much from him. Some will say this is a good thing.

Some of you might recognize the team Miche. Yes, it is the same team who let Michael Rasmussen into the warmth of cycling hospitality again. Or put in another way, there is probably a reason why an Italian small team like Miche took him in, I doubt any other team would, at least not a team in the World Tour.

Team Miche is now called Miche-Guerciotti. The latter is a company producing all kinds of bikes while Miche is producing wheels, cranks, groups and chains.

Now, Schumacher is back and apparently he does it quite well. Today he finished 8th place on stage 1 of Giro del Trentino, just ahead of Ballan, Kreutziger, Scarponi, Ignatyev and Popovych. The results are here. Let's hope he's not nervous about entering the anti-doping control after the stage.

Are bike races of today too hard?

Yesterday we saw the Matt Goss powering across the finish line after some 298km on the bike. Milan-San Remo is a special race, not only a race with history but it is also the longest one-day race in the World Tour. Read about my thoughts on MSR here.

Bike races of today do varies in length, they have to since the strain is different from race to race. Since organisers have a certain perception of the strain they put on the riders, they have made the mountain races/stages shorter than the flat ones, especially in stage races that is.
Most of the Classics are long, L-B-L some 255km, P-R 280km and the Ronde at 260km. However, these races are the Classics. If they changed much, they wouldn't be classic races, would they? The Classics complements bike racing, it takes a whole different rider to win a 260km cobbled race than a mountain stage in Paris-Nice or the tour. The mountain stage to Alpe d'Huez in this year's tour is 109km.

Why do I put myself through this?

Photo by PBKblog.com, here.

Some riders have said that bike racing today is so tough that they balance on a very thin line expose themselves to them. Some riders and and a few analysts/commentators/bloggers have criticised race organisers for fuel more fire to the doping debate, indicating that riders have to dope to cope with the strain. As if the riders don't have free will..
Complaining over hard races is nothing new in bike racing, remember what Octave Lapize said to Desgrange and other officials after climbing the Aubisque in 1910: "Vous êtes des assissins!"

Who shall the race organisers have in mind when organising races? Riders, fans, the UCI, TV-producers or those in front of the TV home?

Christian Prudhomme says this about next years tour:

The route of the 2011 Tour has been determined with two objectives in mind: to set the pace from the beginning of the race and maintain suspense right up until the very end.

Of course he's speaking with a "sports perspective" in mind here but it is an indication of what ASO believe is important. The 98th tour consists of 21 stages and 3471km in total. There are 10 flat stages, 6 mountain stages, 4 mountain hilltop finishes and 3 medium mountain stages. The last week of the tour brings 4 mountain stages with a average length of 160km. Imagine doing that with 2700km in your legs.

Is it time to consider reducing the strain on the riders in some races, while at the same time making them more exciting for TV-producers as well as fans? Is it possible to make races "epic" without reaching 280 + km?

Or isn't it so that the very essence in sports is too constantly push the limits of human endurance?

Cycling and dogs

No, this is not an attempt to verify how many riders who own one, I have no statistical data to back up whether riders are a group who dominate the dog-owner federation or not.
Why do I write about dogs here on my blog now? Because a back stage picture brought it all back to me today. Here is a picture of stage winner of Tirreno-Adratico Michele Scarponi stroking his dog.

Picture by @giroditalia

Dogs can be a riders best friend and its worst enemy. That's enemy if you are a doper. Dogs in cycling first came to my notice when Operation Puerto broke in 2006. The famous, or notorious if you like, Doctor Eufamiano Fuentes, assisted many road cyclists, athletes and footballers to manipulate their blood. Very strange that a gynecolgist is the man to ask for blood transfusions, even more strange that a Spanish football team hires him today after all that have happened.

In order to keep control of everything, Fuentes made the riders and other athletes to come up with their pets' name. For many riders it was their dog's name. Joerg Jaksche "Bella", Alejandro Valverde "Piti", Ivan Basso "Birillo", to mention a few. Michele Scarponi was codenamed "Zapatero", but I have not been able to find out if that is the name of his dog. Since the Spanish police found many bloodbags in Fuentes care, a simple DNA-test would quickly dismiss riders who not were involved. But that never happened, because that would be to "put the legal system to the test since everyone is to be considered not guilty until proven so". The blood bag with the initials A.C. was never testet for DNA either, and I hate to speculate on who that might be.

Dogs are family and of course they are present whenever the rest of the family do something. Like watch the Tour de France. This is something Marcus Burghardt of then team T-mobile, got a very close encounter of during the tour of 2007. Luckily injuries were avoided, on both of them.
PS! Notice the wheel.