keep on ridin'

Inspirational stuff. This also reminds me of a group of older Italian dudes I once saw riding up the Tourmalet. They all appeared to be in their sixties, super slim, riding state-of-the-art De Rosas and Colnagos, climbing like mountain goats and having a ball. A love affair that lasts a lifetime.

english classics

Weller, Smith and Wiggins. 

the wrong fight to pick

I was disappointed to read Contador's comments that followed his Tour de France victory. You would think that 24 hours after a Grand Tour win, Contador would be thanking his team instead of bemoaning the lack of support and attacking Lance Armstrong. First up, from an outsiders point of view he seemed well supported by Popo, Zubeldia, Kloden, Paulinho AND Armstrong . I'm a believer that you can't win a three-week tour without huge efforts from the troops and Astana's first and third on the final podium points only at a serious, concerted effort from ALL involved. Even after Contador's boneheaded attack that dropped Kloden, his teammates were there until the end, ensuring his second Tour win. Secondly, I'm unsure what he is hoping to achieve by stating that he has no admiration for Lance. It seems a strange admission at best. Undoubtably he has been upset since Lance's return and this is somewhat understandable. One minute you are sitting pretty on your throne and then the King returns from the dead and asks for his crown back. But if Contador feels overshadowed by LA despite winning four Grand Tours in as many starts, then he just needs to get over it. You just don't survive cancer and then go and win seven Tours. But Lance did and just like every other rider from Armstrong's (extended) era, Contador will have to accept that it's Lance who has transcended his sport and in doing so wields a disproportionate amount of power. In the end, the old racing adage that the road will decide who is number one proved true and this is all the solace that Contador should need. Looking for anything more just appears childish.

a cleaner, brighter tour

I always get the post Tour blues. No matter that I spend much of the year telling non-cycling friends that there are indeed OTHER races worthy of their intention, when the final lap around the Champs is complete and the jerseys are presented I'm already looking towards next's years race. Maybe it's just the blanket TV coverage, the constant web updates and actually seeing bike racing in the newspapers that makes withdrawal symptoms a natural response to the conclusion of the race. Or perhaps it's just the magnitude of the race itself. Of course their are other races, and sometimes they are more exciting but there is nothing remotely like the Tour de France in terms of sheer scale, both real and imagined. Watching the human bouillabaisse that threatened to swamp the slopes of Ventoux was to witness the power and the pull of the Tour in all its glory. Anyone who has attended a mountain stage knows that the seething mass of humanity teetering on the brink of chaos defines the Tour as much as the courage and the suffering of the riders that they have climbed, camped and clambered to see. Fifty thousand plus clinging to every available space on Ventoux was a beautiful confirmation that bike racing's demise has been greatly exaggerated. Doping scandal after doping scandal may have filled column inches, may have encouraged those who thrive on the negative to ready their pens for an obituary of a sport that is rarely understood by those who watch from afar. But for those of us who cared bike racing wasn't going anywhere and this year's Tour is reason for more optimism. As I write this there have been no positive tests among this year's riders. This may change of course. I sat enthralled by the performance of Di Luca in this year's Giro only to have to stomach that feeling again when his positive results were announced. But unlike the darker years, when suspicion clouded entire races and entire teams, I have confidence that the riders who cheat now, cheat alone and will get caught. It's not bike racing that is sick, just a few individuals who chose to disrespect a sport that has given them so much. That professional cycling does more than any other sport to weed out those who dope means that the spotlight will always shine brighter on it and that sometimes the glare will unfairly incriminate those who are only guilty of working hard and making sacrifices. But as I watched Armstrong, the Schelcks, Wiggins and Contador climb Ventoux I saw thousands of believers cheering them to the summit. And more importantly I saw believers who now have a real reason to be just so.

paris

Another Tour ends and ends with a bang. I'm not sure how many bike lengths Cav won by but it was a margin of victory that you rarely see in today's sprint finishes especially in a stage as prestigious as the Champs-Elysees. Dominant doesn't really do Cav justice but it will have to suffice for now! I'm going to attempt to look at the Tour more closely over the next few days but a quick summation would be a successful Tour, in spite of the Pyrenees being muzzled. I think the best three riders ended up on the podium and there were some great individual performances that punctuated the battles, squabbles and dominant story lines of the three weeks. 

ventoux beckons

After yesterday's impressive TT win, Contador's lead looks unassailable. However the race for the final two podium places is on with Ventoux the perfect battleground. It will be explosive for sure, with the Schelck brothers, Lance, Wiggo, Kloden and Nibali all having to monitor attacks while looking to land a counter punch too. It will be brutal!

get ready...

for amy jayne

brotherly love

Stage 17 always looked like it could be decisive and it proved to be the case. There were many great performances from the Schelck brothers tag-teaming to perfection to Hushovd's pursuit of points, Vande Velde riding as hard as he could in support of Wiggins to Nibali descending like a man possessed and of course Armstrong, who once again silenced his critics (here's hoping anyway) with a another ride that defied his advancing years and the time he has spent away from racing at this intensity. Contador's attack that left Kloden for dead was a strange move indeed. Maybe it was miscommunication? Who knows? From a possible 1-2-3 on GC standing, Astana will now need to pull out all the stops in today's TT if they are to get Armstrong and Kloden on the podium in Paris. Logic says that both of these riders will be able to make up time on the Schelcks today and with Ventoux still to come, they will need minutes not seconds. More fireworks to follow. Lots more...

jens voigt update

Looks like Jens is OK, relatively speaking, after yesterday's awful crash. Very glad to hear it. One of my all-time favourite bike riders.

grin and bear it

There's nothing quite like watching a rider completely bury themselves in pursuit of victory. Mikel Astarloza's stage win today made for great viewing as he broke away from a group of four with under two kms to go. It was bike racing at its best with Astarloza's contorted face perfectly capturing the emotion and the pain that always accompanies a hard fought win. A demonstrative rider like Astarloza, whose toothy grin/grimace is something of trademark, is always more fun to watch than a rider who masks the huge effort you know he has just made. Elsewhere, Andy Schleck attempted to claw back some time on Contador on the last climb but Alberto looked more than comfortable and never lost Schleck's wheel. Other GC contenders also looked at relative ease despite Schleck's turn of pace, including Wiggins. Armstrong too looked good, jumping from a select group (and leaving them in his wake) to rejoin Contador, Schleck, etc. before they reached the summit. I'm sure Schleck will give it another dig tomorrow though...

untouchable

Contador's impressive display at Verbier confirmed that no one can match his explosiveness in the mountains (as we expected). He has that ability to just go, and then go again (and again if necessary) that no other rider in the current peloton has. The pace was brutal on the early stages of the climb and many suffered, making it impossible for anyone to respond to Contador's attack. Leadership issues dissolved as quickly as he climbed the final five km and now he's in yellow, who is going to take the jersey from him?  But again it was Armstrong and Wiggins that really impressed me. If my recent posts are starting to read like the LA appreciation society,  it's only because my level of appreciation for him continues to grow with every passing day of this Tour. It was very cool to watch Lance and Tom Watson at the Open yesterday, both shattering myths about age and what you can achieve in the twilight of your career. They always say that you never remember who came second but I think the 2009 Tour de France and the 2009 Open championship will prove an exception to the rule.

crapola

The damage from yesterday's crash turned out to be far worse than first thought. Broken wrist. Tour over. I was looking forward to watching Leipheimer in the Alps and he would undoubtably have played a big role in these tough stages. Here's to a speedy recovery Levi.

a week is a long time in cycling

So I go to Spain with my girlfriend for a week of sunshine and while the climate, food and general relaxed atmosphere was at odds with our everyday life in England (that means better climate, better food and better atmosphere!) the Tour remained oblivious to our eight day excursion and progressed onwards...which meant more Cav dominance, continued Astana leadership rumblings and some great breakaways that actually stayed away. I managed to catch some live coverage and it was the riding of Armstrong and Wiggins that really caught the eye. Wiggins continues to show the hard work he's done is paying off as he morphs from track ace and TT specialist into a complete bike rider capable of going up super steep stuff in super steep company. Lance looks somewhat like the Lance of old, which is both ominous for the rest of the peloton and frankly quite amusing. Like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, when push comes to shove he will perform and the more that is written and spoken that suggests (and hopes) otherwise, the better he seems to perform. I'm enjoying the new Lance for what it's worth. The harsh, unforgiving edges have softened a little (but not enough to lessen his competitive drive) and his great racing brain is more apparent than ever as age dictates that pure aggression alone will no longer do. I hope he's there doing battle in the Alps. Contador and Andy Schleck may prove too much, who knows? But while they have many more great days ahead of them, this might be Armstrong's last hurrah. Overly sentimental? Yes I am. 

start counting

Is there a surer bet in cycling right now? Perfect leadout coupled with unrivaled speed. Can Cav better his stage win tally of last year? Watching him battle to stay in green right to Paris is going to be fun to watch. 

boonen in

So Boonen will be racing tomorrow after all. I can't imagine this has been the best preparation he's ever had...got to feel bad for Allan Davis too. 

red kite prayer

Fans of the BKW blog will be pleased to know that one of its main men Padraig has launched a new online venture, Red Kite Prayer. Expect the same quality of writing, thoughtful comment, sound observations and genuine passion for bikes and bike racing. I look forward to seeing it develop.

Monaco

I've been looking at Saturday's opening TT in Monaco and it seems like it plays right into the hands of the GC contenders. With about half of the 15 km's uphill, it's far too lumpy for the rouleurs and prologue specialists but also has enough rolling sections that it doesn't really favour the pure climber either. Contador, Leipheimer, Armstrong and Evans will no doubt prosper and right off the bat we could see the GC order established. Perhaps more interesting will be the performances of Carlos Sastre and Andy Schleck, who will need to minimize their losses in the time trials if they are to grab a spot on the podium.