Book review: The Sweat of Gods

Sweat of Gods

This blog covers topics in cycling that go beyond race results, I often try to look at the business behind the sport. An inspiration for this was the book by Benjo Maso “Zweet der Goden”, originally in Dutch and since translated by Michiel Horn for Mousehold Press and better known as “The Sweat of Gods”.

Cycling is full of myth and exaggeration, perhaps more than other sports. Tales from past races have become legend and Maso, a Dutch sociologist, explores the history of cycling to unpick myths, exposing the commercial pressures behind the sport. The basic premise is that business has driven the sport. Whether it is manufacturers trying to sell bicycles or newspapers selling copy, commercial conspiracy turned races from mere competitive rides into gladiatorial conquests of dramatic proportions.

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Getting the Euro look

You might have seen the Euro Cycling Rules on the internet. It’s amusing and like many internet successes it has a grain of truth along with some humour. We might mock the obsession with riding with tubs and obligatory white shoes but ultimately, who wouldn’t want to have shiny kit and the finest wheels money can buy?

I’ve ridden in several English-speaking countries and found the image of Euro-cycling was especially strong in Australia where, anecdotally, many riders fantasised about riding in Europe. Some would return from trips a little downbeat, although usually very satisfied with the whole thing.

The reason for the disappointment? They discovered that whilst the Alps, Tuscany or the Italian lakes can offer fine riding, the local riders themselves are not as elegant. Put simply, the Europeans just aren’t what many anglophones call “Euro”, a concept associated with The Rules.

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Emails

A brief note to say thanks to readers who have emailed in recent days. Technical problems have prevented me from replying but I’ll get back to you in a couple of weeks’ time (I’m away, see previous post).

The dying art of wheelbuilding

Wheel building

A fine racing bicycle was once a blend of art and craft but most of today’s bikes are the product of assembly lines and supply chains. Look at a team issue bike and perhaps the only remaining parts requiring a human touch are the wheels. But even this is dying out. Here’s a look at why factory wheels are increasingly dominating the market.

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Highlights of 2011 – Part I

I’m going to pick five moments from 2011. They are a personal choice like any list sometimes you omit more than you include but I’ll explain each moment. They’re presented in no particular order.

Hushovd Lourdes

First up is Stage 13 of the Tour de France from Pau to Lourdes. Allow me to set the scene. We had Thomas Voeckler in yellow and a relatively short stage across the Pyrenees dominated by the hors catégorie Col d’Aubisque. Revisiting my preview of the stage I called things quite well predicting a breakaway and pointing out the descent would suit risk takers. But few thought Thor Hushovd was going to win.

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Breaking away (out of office notice)

I’m going away for the next two weeks. But the blog won’t be hibernating, instead I’ve gone through my to-do list of pieces and cued up pieces for a fortnight. There will be something on here almost every day with pieces on rider wages, the art of wheelbuilding, Belgian food, book reviews, competition giveaways, some … Read more

Review: Hincapie George Signature jacket

Having agonised over the difficulty of giving the totally impartial review, I find the more I think about things the only possibility is to emphasise the personal experience. So with this in mind here is my take on the Hincapie George Signature jacket.

As reminder, I’ve been on a quest for a jacket that fits tight, that does not balloon up when riding. After all, rain is not a freak event and putting a shell jacket on shouldn’t mean you look like the Michelin Man just because it’s wet outside or you’re descending a long mountain pass.

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Pro Tour wages compared to a soccer team

Monday’s piece on French teams and their future in the sport resulted in plenty of debate. In summary, French teams have modest budgets and operate under a tax system that makes recruiting big names harder. But for all the talk of rising costs and teams struggling to meet a rider’s wage demands here is a fact to ponder on:

The total wage bill for all of the 489 riders in the UCI World Tour is less than the wage bill for l’Olympique Lyonnais, a French soccer club.

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Where are the characters and personalities?

Bernard Hinault, a man with a big personality (or a personality disorder?)

Read up on the history of the sport and larger than life characters appear. You don’t just have names, you have nicknames. The “Cannibal”, the “Eagle of Toledo”, the “Butcher of Sens“. Bernard Hinault scared, Mario Cipollini wowed. Nowadays pro cycling just doesn’t seem to have these references and personalities.  Today the “The Butcher of Irun” is the man who supposedly supplied contaminated meat to Alberto Contador, not a charismatic racer.

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Book review: The Competition Bicycle

Competition Bicycle Book

“The Competition Bicycle, a photographic history” is the full title of Jan Heine’s book and this is what the book is all about. It features 34 bikes from the earliest race bikes to modern era machines and there are extensive studio photographs of each machine.

The bike is the star in this book. You might have seen black and white images of Fausto Coppi on his Bianchi or faded colour images of Eddy Merckx on his orange bike in the 1970s but now you can see these bikes in full colour. Each bike gets several pages of photographs with some text to explain history and context of the bike. For example Merckx’s orange frame is labelled “Eddy Merckx” but is actually a De Rosa. The author has taken care to find the authentic machine.

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