HomeDiariesLe Tour de France 2009 - Stage 15: Pontarlier > Verbier, 207.5km
We finished in Verbier today, but first, a little diversion; I’ve always admired Bradley Wiggins as a pursuiter, but as a roadman, he’s never cut the mustard; the cycling saddo’s bible, ‘Velo‘ doesn’t lie:
’03: # Tour de L’Avenir, prologue.
’05: # Circuit de Lorraine, time trial,: # Tour de L’Avenir, stage.
’07: # 4 Days of Dunkirk, prologue,: # Dauphine Libere, prologue,: # Tour du Poitou Charentes, stage,: # Duo Normand.
’09: # De Panne, time trial,: # Tour of Qatar TTT.
Contador stamped himself all over the race and his team today.
It’s not bad, but it’s not amazing – today was amazing; he dropped Lance and was driving in front of Nibali and Schleck.
I thought that maybe the Head’s sedate progress through the Pyrenees had been responsible for his exalted GC position – but no, today was a death race with the absolute best on the planet.
Alberto Contador; any man that can win the three biggest stage races in the world is special – today he put a line under, boldened and italicised the word ‘special.”
The thing about what we do is that you don’t see much of the race on TV; but I believe that Lance was big enough to admit that he didn’t have it and that the skinny man from Madrid is the best – respect to you too, Mr. Armstrong.
We had around 1:45 to drive from the digs in Dijon, to the start.
During the drive I began to rough out the piece about Lance’s bike, on the BlackBerry.
Driving the course is always fun, but you have to be paying attention all the time and make sure that you take sufficient pictures to support the piece.
I write most of the words as we go.
At the foot of the Verbier climb they halted all traffic not directly involved with the race; we could have chosen to take the cable car up, but I’ve done that before, at the Giro, a few years ago – getting of the hill was terrible.
We settled for walking up a bit, taking some pics, then watching the finale on the TV in a little outdoor bar.
By the time we reached them, I had the day’s piece and the Armstrong bike piece filed.
The words are only half the battle, though – the pictures have to transferred on to the laptop, culled, edited, labelled and sent, then the “label holders” have to be inserted into the text.
And, of course, there’s always the pallava to get on-line to send the images.
I can’t imagine how it must have been in the old days; photographers had to develop their pics in the bathroom and arrange for couriers to collect and deliver them – I guess we have it easy, when I think about it.
The wi-fi wasn’t too much of a struggle and the guys that run the place are helpful, so again, “musn’t grumble!”
Rest day today; we’re working our way towards an interview with the Schlecks, this morning – wish us luck!
Breakfast calls.
* * *
Al Hamilton
“Casi Hincapié”
That’s the headline in AS this morning, nearly Hincapié; the American missed it by five seconds. Winner Ivanov. : It has been eight years since the Russian champion won in 2001 in Aix le Bains.
Poor old, popular, likeable George.
Hincapié “Una lástima no ser lider” – ‘it’s: a pity I’m not the leader’ is a bit of an understatement. But you have to feel sorry for the man who was so close. He said;
“it’s a pity I didn’t get the yellow jersey by only 5 seconds. It was hard work in the break to get the gap on the peloton, Garmin and Ag2r didn’t give me anything”.
“Rocky” is now how AS sees Lance Armstrong, at a hotel on a crossroads in Vosge a man with no less than 40 guards making a imaginary police cordon.
Lance Armstrong is the mysterious person waiting, dressed in a grey sweat top with the hood pulled over his face; it’s Rocky Armstrong. “They will never find anything ever” that’s what Lance has to say to the UCI, referring to the dope controls.
Mother and father (and uncles and aunts) of Alberto Contador are at the race to see their son take the race in Verbier. Paqui and Francisco have made the trip from Pinto, near Madrid, to see Alberto, as you would expect from a mother she said he (Contador) “has no rivals”. Aunty Esther sums it up with “Contador, El Mejor”, The Best!
Before the stage to Colmar we heard Evans and Schleck say they were going to attack and nothing happened. Well they are both saying it again about today’s stage to Verbier. Andy Schleck says “we have a plan” lets see.
Oscar suffered from pellet wounds after being shot with an air rifle!
“The Tour is exposed to lunatics…” those were the words of Tour director Pescheux after the incident of Oscar Feire and Julian Dean being shot.
The police are questioning two 16 year olds who had an air pistol. The Tour is guarded by 55 moto police and a total of 25,000 police covering the 3,459 kilometres of road and over 1,000 other members of safety organisations.
The back page of AS thinks team Columbia were the big losers yesterday, no points for Cavendish and no yellow jersey for Hincapié”.
Marca opens with the abandonment of Tom Boonen, maybe he shouldn’t have started?
Also top stories are the declassification of Cavendish for irregular riding in the sprint. Alberto Contador is quoted saying “today things will change, there cant much more possibilities for movement, this is a very beautiful stage”:
So there you have it, let’s hope something happens today!
Ed and Martin, our top team! They try to do the local Time Trials, the Grand Tours and the Classics together to get the great stories written, the quality photos taken, the driving done and the wifi wrestled with.
Steve Beech has ridden two Milk Races and ten 12 hour races, so when he tells you that this year's Scottish '12' was the hardest one he's ever ridden, he knows what he's talking about. He's also held the Scottish record, with 275.258 miles - set in the Glasgow 12 in 1991, until Joe Wilson updated it; that distance is however, still the Scottish vets record.
'Time trials are boring!' say the road men. But run it through the middle of one of Europe's great cities, with the best 'chrono men' on the planet jousting for a rainbow jersey through dense crowds and it's far from boring - spectacular! We got to the World Road Championships 2011 course early to see what we could see.
Dutch 15 times former motor paced world champion Bruno Walrave is the man with the plan - and the keys; but he's, 'in a meeting... Bruno is pushing 80 years-of-age but let’s just say that; “age hasn’t mellowed him.” Eventually the door opens and we're in business – handshakes, the key, creds and unload the mobile home.
Ed and pals spent a few days at the Gent Six Day, catching up with the racing and old friends, and taking in the world cup cycle-cross race at Hasselt as well - but before we consider the racing at the track we have to think about the entertainment; whilst Belgium is a modern country and advance technologically we still marvel at the track-side entertainment; it’s like stepping back to a miners’ welfare in the 70’s – but the crowd loves it - and so do we...
If you're a rider, you've have had issues with 'les vitamines' and Paul Kimmage turns up at your press conference, best ask for a brandy to sip, forget that Vittel. Kimmage is the man who wrote 'The Rough Ride', an exposé of his experiences as a young 'green as grass' young pro and his flirtations with 'the needle.'
On the 28th March my Asfra Racing Team (and support club) headed to Montreuil sur Mer in France. The race had the mixed characteristics of a race in France, a Belgium kermesse and almost like a criterium in the UK. 23 laps of a 3.8km circuit was the order for the day... oh, and I met Kurt Asle Arvesen...
Stage 13 took things back up a level but on a parcours which didn’t make for ‘The Bigs’ to do anything but mark each other. Unlike the Tour de France where there have been years where the honour of France has been saved by a single stage win by the likes of Sandy Casar, the Vuelta has always inspired it’s children with Spaniards well to the fore. When it comes to stage wins the ‘Home Boys’ always reach deep into their top hats to find a rabbit with Daniel Navarro at last giving Cofidis something to smile about.
In part one of the interview respected and award-winning Irish journalist David Walsh discussed his interest in Lance Armstrong's motivation, his willingness to take part in a lobby of Irish cycling clubs to call for an EGM so that Pat McQuaid's nomination for a third term as UCI President was not backed, and recounted some startling stories including Johan Bruyneel shooting up with cortisone just for fun. Here in part two Walsh tells us about his time spent with Team Sky during their training blocks in Tenerife, what's happening with the action group "Change Cycling Now" and exactly what he thinks about Garmin rider Dan Martin's win in Liège last Sunday...
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