Month: July 2011

The Spin: Stage 7

Stage 7

Famous for its 24 hour motor race, the start town of Le Mans will have hosted the race for no more than 18 hours before the riders head off to Châteauroux, a town famous for nothing.

The stage crosses flat  terrain, if you think France as the land of baguettes and croissants, this is where the flour comes from, with fields of cereal as fare as the eye can see. The race also passes through the Loire valley, home of many impressive châteaux and vineyards. But I have to describe the landscape as there’s not much to say about the stage.

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Chapatte’s Law

Robert Chapatte

Robert Chapatte was a professional cyclist for 11 years, riding the Tour de France nine times and finishing 16th in 1949. He was the first French cyclist ever to do a TV interview and perhaps this encounter with the media changed his career forever.

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The Spin: Stage 6

Stage 6

The longest stage in the race but no marathon. The races leaves Brittany and heads for Normandy and its woodland bocage where they grow the apples to make calvados. Note the presence of three categorised climbs, if a breakaway goes then someone has the chance to take the King of the Mountains jersey, albeit with a slender lead.

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Advertising with the Tour de France

The video above is an advert from Škoda, a car brand belonging to the Volkswagen group. Once infamous held up as examples of why the Soviet Union was doomed Škoda is a modern European manufacturing success story.

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Cavendish, the greatest sprinter of all time?

Cavendish Cap Fréhel

With his win today on the Cap Fréhel, Mark Cavendish’s total of Tour de France stage wins stands at 16 stage wins. That puts him above  übersprinter Freddy Maertens but still a few places behind André Darrigade, the Frenchman who took 22 stage wins from 14 Tour de France appearances. Aged 26, Cavendish has time on his side to achieve more wins.

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The Spin: Stage 5

Stage 5

Cap Fréhel is a small peninsula, a cape, on the coast of Brittany with only 1,600 inhabitants and the actual finish location is the village of Pléhérel. The arrival of the race today will probably be the biggest thing to happen in the village’s history. It’s a unique setting with tall cliffs above the sea, heathland and salty air.

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Brittany, hotbed of French cycling

Tro Bro Leon

The Tour de France is racing across Brittany at the moment. This the region in north west, the big finger that pokes westwards into the Atlantic. It’s a hotbed of French cycling where many a village festival is accompanied by a small race and where one of the biggest races in France takes place, the GP Plouay.

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The Spin: Stage 4

Stage 4

It’s Philippe Gilbert’s birthday today. He won the opening stage of the Tour on the day of his wife’s birthday and everything points to a repeat today. Almost.

The first climb La Côte de Laz is 1.6km at 5.9%, big ring territory and only one point on offer as it’s a fourth category climb.

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Bonjour mediocrity

Ag2r collective

“We’d fixed the goal of finishing between twelfth and fourteenth place and we’re right on cue because we finished thirteenth! The result on the day was rather satisfying”

That’s Ag2r-La Mondiale’s team manager Vincent Lavenu speaking after yesterday’s team time trial. Homer, not the ancient Greek but the Simpson, said the secret to happiness was low expectations so their must be smiles all round with Ag2r yesterday. Aiming for 12th-14th spot, the team hit the mark for sure. In fairness, the team does not have many rouleurs and the goal was realistic rather than romantic.

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Enforce a rule or scrap it

Radioshack team car

There’s a mini-fuss at the moment over some of the UCI rules. Specifically rule 1.3.014 requires the saddle to be level:

1.3.014 The saddle support shall be horizontal. The length of the saddle shall be 24 cm minimum and 30 cm maximum.

Only during the season some riders have been using a tilt on their saddle. Some prefer this position naturally but there are biomechanical gains possible for a time trial where the rider tips the nose of the saddle down. When turning a big gear they can push against the saddle as they push down on the pedals. If it helps, think of it like doing a leg press when you’re seated, if you want to push big weights whilst seated then it helps to do it with your back against something. In years past some riders have gone to extreme examples which have since been banned.

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