The Tour de France visited Lyon last summer and was greeted with huge crowds. Now the racing is back and so is summer with scorching temperatures forecast for the opening time trial.
Book Review: The Climb
The Climb by Chris Froome
The latest book from the production line of British cycling autobiographies featuring cyclists that are still mid-career but red hot given the Chris Froome vs. Bradley Wiggins stories and unlike the books by Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, this is Froome’s first book.
The rivalry and gossip over team leadership have grabbed the headlines but there’s more, an alternative title could have been “Out of Africa”. For many readers though the big question is whether it explains how Froome burst from caterpillar to yellow butterfly.
Who Will Win The Dauphiné?
Who Will Win The Dauphiné? Perhaps it’s the wrong question because what we really want to know is who has won the Dauphiné so we can extrapolate into July. But this is a problem because the upcoming week brings one of the best stage races of the year and it ought to be enjoyed in its own right.
Wednesday Shorts
Luka Mezgec of Giant-Shimano wins the final stage of the Giro. He was visibly faster and the image above helps show why.
Look at him compared to Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp), Mezgec’s head and shoulders are angled low while the other two have their heads higher than their backs.
Having Fun
It should be the best job in the world to ride the top races and get paid for it. Some of the best bikes in the world are washed and prepped for you, roads get closed for you like a visiting head of state and thousands of fans wait by the road for hours to cheer.
Only too often many teams and riders show the pressure with stern faces and serious press releases. It’s exhausting but still, it’s all meant to be fun right?
Race Rules and Adverse Weather
Without wanting to revisit the Giro’s Stelvio scandal again the stage and ensuing debate was still instructive as a means to explore race safety, especially the rules for racing in cold weather.
After discovering the UCI rulebook has little to say on descending a snowy mountain pass many have called for new rules to regulate racing in poor weather. It sounds sensible given the dangers and regular visits to the high mountains. But the more you look at it the harder it is to define a sensible rule.
Book Review: Shadows on the Road
Shadows on the Road by Michael Barry
Timing. Had this come out years ago it could have had the sensational impact of Tyler Hamilton’s Secret Race given it details doping on the US Postal team. But coming out in 2014, long after the USADA report it’s a very different matter.
If the book has generated headlines about Tramadol and race fixing this isn’t a tale of scandal. Most of the intrigue is reserved for the unreported aspects of the life of a pro cyclist, from injury to travel.
The Moment the Race Was Won: The Giro
Nairo Quintana leads on the stage to Val Martello. He’d gone clear on the descent of the Passo dello Stelvio launching a post-race controversy – one of many to mark the race – but it was on the climb to the finish that he built his lead.
This was a race with plenty of action with no team was able to control the race either in the plains or the high mountains. Here’s a look back at events and some thoughts on the race.
Giro Stage 21 Preview
The final stage promises to be a procession followed by a city criterium. If the “fight for pink” is over there’s still a fight for the red jersey and the stage win.
The Steeper The Climb, The Easier It Is
Monte Zoncolan awaits the riders in the Giro. Climbs like the Stelvio, Galibier and others have rich history but Monte Zoncolan’s as new as you get. Although it had been climbed before from Sutrio it was only in 2007 that the road from Ovaro was used with its infamous gradients.
But what makes a climb tough? The steeper the slope the more the contest is reduced to a rider’s power to weight ratio, stripping out tactics, roadcraft and everything else that makes road racing such a subtle contest.