With the weather forecast suggesting showers are likely between now and Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and rain on the start line in De Panne today, here’s a quick look at an item of pro kit that’s not often featured: the rain bag.
This is a small bag belonging to each rider containing the clothing they need on a rainy day. It’s packed into the team car and can be brought out in case of rainy weather. The pro cyclist’s version of an umbrella.
This promotional video for Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad was doing the rounds last year but a comment from a reader mentioned it and I think it’s worth a mention in its own right, especially if you did not see it last year. The road graffiti saying “God is terug” means “God is back”.
You might know Andy Rihs as the boss of BMC Racing but he’s become wealthy by creating a hearing aid company, Sonova. A Swiss company, Sonova is the world’s leading manufacturer in this sector. If you haven’t heard of it, you might have known it under its previous name of Phonak. The company was started by cycling aficionado and wealthiest man in cycling Andy Rihs, it’s grown from a tiny start-up into a medical electronics giant.
Only the company took a hit today with its CEO and CFO both tendering their resignations whilst Chairman Andy Rihs is to step down as a result of what the Financial Times calls “an insider trading probe”.
The Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, is a bike race held this Sunday. But it is so much more than a bike race, so much more than a sports event. It is a sociological phenomenon, a cultural and national event.
Many countries have days on the sporting calendar that take on a national significance. France obviously has the Tour de France, Italy has the Giro d’Italia. Australia has a horse race, the Melbourne Cup that is described as “the race that stops a nation” and that’s apt for De Ronde and Belgium. Britain has the Grand National horse race and the FA Cup final and there’s the Superbowl in the US. But I still don’t feel these events get the measure of what’s coming this Sunday in Flanders.
L’Equipe has a good interview with Grégory Baugé, the triple world champion on the track. There’s plenty of detail about the riding, the training and hopes for the Olympics in 2012. But there are two things that stand out from my road-biased perspective: the idea of racism in pro cycling and a contest with Mark Cavendish. In covering them I don’t want to diminish the rest of the interview, the bits I’m picking up are not the main subjects of the interview. You can read some of the highlights of the interview in English over at cyclingnews.com.
I had fun in the finale, when you had to ride up to the front of the peloton to do the sprint. I loved to win. I think a road career would have been difficult for me with my skin colour; the scene is not ready for it yet.
One of the most feared ramps of the Tour of Flanders, the Koppenberg is 600 metres of cobbles. It comes as the ninth climb, after 181km, so it is not usually a launchpad for the win. But it is highly strategic. The photo above is one of many from over the years, crashes are common the slippery cobbles and many have to complete the climb on foot. Lose momentum, lose the race.
It’s been a good start to the season for the French. Thomas Voeckler stands out but there have been plenty of wins from others, from Samuel Dumoulin and Jérémy Roy as well as strong performances from Yoann Offredo. Another name to add to the mix is Skil-Shimano’s Alexandre Geniez.
Two takes from the weekend’s racing: the Boonen-Cancellara duel and why the Critérium International needs reviewing.
I know I give the politics of the sport plenty of attention here. For me it would be good if the sport could be run better, everyone stands to gain and taking a look at the issues is often interesting. But probably like you, I find it’s much better watching actual racing rather than following the politics.
March isn’t finished but it’s been a superb start to the season. Whether it’s via a suspect pirate video stream or in glorious HDTV, watching some of the racing so far has been a joy. For all the infighting off the bike, the battles on the road are much more gripping. That said, there’s a start point and and an end to the racing, the issues facing the sport are obviously more nuanced and complicated. Whether it’s race radios or Alberto Contador, we simply don’t know what the future will bring. Plus there are rumours a rider has tested positive. Let’s hope it’s a false alarm.
I’m slightly reluctant to cover this topic in case someone decides to go out and try this in a rush and ends up the wrong side of local traffic laws or worse, in hospital. So a word of caution first in that this is dangerous and I’m covering what the pros do rather than suggesting you try it for yourself.
Motorpacing is a common technique used by the pros. It has several uses: