Betty and I are flying over to Germany tomorrow in preparation for our marriage that will take place on Saturday in Hameln. We'll then be heading off on our honeymoon for a couple of weeks of beach life, aarrh, I can't wait!
During this time I doubt I'll manage to get anything posted but I will be back during the second week of June ready and primed for the build up to the Tour de France as well as trying to work extra hard at cycling myself into some kind of condition in preparation for a number of cyclo-sportives that I'll be taking part in over the summer months.
Enjoy the remainder of the Giro and catch up with you on my return.
Up until the early stages of this years Giro d'Italia the race director Angelo Zomegnan was one of Lance Armstrong's (Astana) biggest fans. I'd imagine Zomegnan thought it was great news that Armstrong had decided to ride the Giro. His thinking would have been that the worlds highest profile cyclist would bring a huge amount of valuable exposure to Italy's grand tour.
Following on from Armstrong's whinge about descending in the wet during stage 7 it's alleged he played an integral role in organising a protest by the riders over concerns about the safety of the 9th stage Milan Show 100.
After racing 1 lap of the circuit the riders decided to stop racing and an agreement was made that the general classification would stay the same with only the stage win up for grabs.
With Pedro Horillo's horrific crash still in the minds of all the riders I'm sure it wasn't only Amrstrong who was pushing for yesterdays racing to be neutralised, however, several riders acknowledged that Armstrong had a hand in organising the protest.
“After the first lap, Lance said this circuit shouldn’t be raced on,” said Filippo Pozzato of the Katusha team. “It turned into a big mess. Decisions like that shouldn’t be made during the race but before. Often when you make decisions during the race you make mistakes.”
As for Zomegnan, he was clearly livid that what was supposed to be one of the show piece stages commemorating the Giro's centenary turned into what was, for the most part, a training ride, albeit with the tempo being wound up in the final 2 laps followed by a sprint finish. You can bet Zomegnan isn't best buddies with Armstrong any longer.
"This circuit required explosive bursts. It required riders to get their butts up off the seats of their bikes, and some riders who are not so young anymore apparently don’t feel like doing that,” Zomegnan said. “Instead, it seems like their legs have become shorter and their tongues longer.”
I could see from the television pictures there were a few cars parked on the street in addition to tram lines and traffic islands. The riders judged the presence of these as unsafe and are the reason given for the protest.
If the riders aren't prepared to race in these conditions what does it say for the future of other technically challenging races such as classics like Paris-Roubaix. Will it be judged the cobble stones are too big to ride on?
I don't think racing bikes is any more dangerous than it was in the past, meaning it's always been a high risk sport. Maybe some of the riders, including Armstrong, should consider whether they are up to meeting the demands of racing bikes at the highest level. Maybe some of them should consider retirement if they don't like the risks.
As for the publicity that Armstrong has brought to the Giro, I would suggest he has so far damaged it's reputation with his actions which is big shame considering there has been some extremely exciting racing.
On the small matter of racing, Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) won yesterday's stage in impressive fashion by beating Allan Davis (Quickstep) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin - Slipstream) to the line and in doing so took his first solo stage victory of this years Giro.
As I write this post I'm sat on my sofa after having cycled 100km with James this morning through the beautiful Essex countryside. There aren't many more satisfying feelings than arriving home after a good ride, getting showered, having lunch, then flopping on the sofa to enjoy a couple of hours of live coverage of the Giro d'Italia courtesy of Eurosport. Perfect!
James and I managed a fairly leisurely average speed of 27kmh through rolling hills, picturesque villages and short sharp ascents. The wind gusted from all directions making for some very noisy conversation as we attempted to shout to each other over the sound of the wind.
Although there were some very threatening dark clouds above, the rain held off with the sun managing to make a number of decent appearances.
My legs felt pretty good, it wasn't quite a Lance Armstrong no chain on the bike situation, but there is certainly a fairly descent base level of condition in my legs.
On the subject of the weather and Armstrong I noticed on his twitter that he was complaining about having to finish yesterday's stage with a descent in the rain. He said:
"Done with st 7. I've seen it all now. 25 mile fast decent to the finish. In the pissing rain. Makes no sense. The boys in the bunch are livid"
I can understand Armstrong being a bit nervous about descending fast in the rain because of the broken collarbone he sustained a few weeks back. Many pro's have to try to overcome the fear of high speed descending after returning to racing following recovery from a crash.
However, I have to agree with David Harmon's sentiments from Eurosport when he says it's a bit rich of Armstrong to complain about being made to descend in the rain. After all it's the same for everyone. Does he expect the organises to re-route every mountain stage whenever it rains just so he doesn't have to risk descending in the wet? You know how the saying goes, If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Now, back to the Giro on Eurosport with David Harmon and Sean Kelly.
El Diablo runs with the peloton during yesterday's stage 6 of the 2009 Giro d'Italia. Photo: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images
This photo shows Dieter "Didi" Senft aka El Diablo running along with the peloton in yesterdays 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia.
Didi is a 57 year old cycling fan from Reichenwalde in Germany who is best known for his annual appearance in the Tour de France where he can often be seen running alongside the riders in many of the mountain stages.
Didi is something of an institution in the cycling world having been seen in the Tour since 1993 wearing his red devil costume and holding the trademark trifork.
Apparently Didi's inspiration for dressing up as the devil came from German cycling announcer Herbert Watterot who called the final lap of local criterium races the red devils lap.
El Diablo's appearance certainly looks like it got a good laugh out of Fabian Cancellara who can be seen in this photo immediately to the right of the trifork having a giggle.
These photos are taken from an independent magazine publication called Glory Days by Pascal Alexander. There were only 95 copies printed in A5 size and all are hand numbered. I'd imagine they'll be very collectable.
I love the middle photo, instantly recognisable as Mont Ventoux. I rode up that mountain once with a hangover, god it hurt! The hangover was well and truly gone by the time I got to the top 2 hours later though. Quite a remedy!
Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini) signs in prior to yesterdays stage. Photo: Sirotti
Yesterdays victor and current holder of the maglia rosa, Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini) signs on prior to the start of yesterday's stage. Only in Italy would they have a mirrored sign in board. I'm sure Filippo and Franco are very happy about this.
I cycled into central London on Saturday afternoon to buy a few bits and pieces. After the shopping was all done I was riding home and on an impulse and against my better judgement I decided to pop into Condor Cycles to take a look at their clothing range.
After a quick browse around the clothing rails I decided against buying a t-shirt I liked in favour of saving my pennies and buying a cycling cap instead. I'd been after the Mapei cap to add to my collection for quite a while and at £5.99 it wasn't going to break the bank.
I took the cap over to the counter, pulled a £10 note out of my wallet and waited to be served. One of the staff had his back to me busily surfing the net, his colleague hunched over the counter filing in some paperwork looked up and went to another part of the store. After a couple of minutes he returned to the counter and his paperwork, then after another minute he looked up at me and asked me if I was waiting to pay for the cap. I nodded and handed over my £10 note, he took the note and put my change down on the counter in front of me without a word or eye contact and continued with his paperwork. I asked him if that was what he would call service with a smile, he didn't respond, so I asked him the same question again. He looked up and told me I wasn't very friendly either. I left the shop feeling pissed off with myself for spending money in that store.
That was my shopping experience in Condor Cycles. Actually I only have myself to blame. I had promised myself not to shop in Condor many months before and had only broken my boycott to take advantage of the Rapha sample sales the store has held recently.
My previous bad experience in Condor happened when I asked one of the staff if they had a pair of Rapha gloves I was after. The man told me they didn't have any in stock. I asked him if he knew if I could visit the Rapha showroom to purchase them. He told me I couldn't. I asked him if he had their telephone number. He told me he hadn't. I went over to the counter, found a copy of Rouleur, got the Rapha number, called them and they told me I could come over and buy the gloves from their showroom.
In short they told me the exact opposite of what the assistant told me. Now, if the assistant had been a new boy that didn't know better I wouldn't have minded but he wasn't a new boy, he was an old boy, someone who has been working at Condor for many years. He should have known better than to try and fob me off with some bullshit answer.
So there you go, two bad experiences at Condor. That is definately enough for me to say I won't be visiting their store again. If you want to visit a bike shop in London where the staff offer a high quality of customer service DON'T GO TO CONDOR CYCLES!
I went for a bike ride this morning and wore a maglia rosa in honour of both the Giro d'Italia and Mark Cavendish.
At the time it didn't feel like an entirely satisfying ride due to my puncturing and then later two spokes popped out of the front wheel.
However, in hindsight it was a good ride. Not in the sense of it being a good workout, it was more to do learning new things and meeting interesting people.
I learned how easy it is to pump up a tyre with a co2 canister, believe it or not I had never used one until today. I'm going to buy a load and take them on weekend rides from now on.
Later in the ride I realised my front wheel was slightly buckled, then shortly after I heard a rattle. After close inspection it was clear that two spokes had become loose. As I was stood at the side of the country lane with my friends trying to work out if anyone had a spoke key along came an old gentleman on a bike. Straightaway I could tell he was an old boy that had been cycling for many decades, he must have been 85 years old. He asked us if everything was ok and we told him we needed a spoke key. Slowly the old guy rummaged around in his saddle bag pocket and found a key. My friend James who is better than I at trueing wheels had a go at fixing my wheel, as he did, the old man told us his wife had died last year close to the time of their 60th wedding anniversary. I told him I was sorry to hear that and thanked him for the use of his spoke key.
Turned out he had ridden 60km the previous Sunday. I came away thinking I'd like to be like the old man, if I'm lucky enough to make it to his age. To be able to get on my bike and cycle for miles enjoying the countryside and the sense of freedom it brings. Being able to do that when I can hardly walk because I'm old and frail, I'd be very happy with that. And to be married for nearly 60 years, wow, what an achievement. I felt sorry for the old guy being alone now although he seemed happy enough smiling as he was telling us about himself, a droplet of sweat running off his nose from the effort in the late morning sun.
I made it all the way home minus two spokes and was surprised by the robustness of the wheel. I suppose most wheels are designed to be able to get you home minus a few spokes. I'm sure there are riders who loose the odd spoke or two off one of their wheels during this Giro d'Italia but will still manage to make it to the end of the stage, at least in the gruppeto.
Speaking of the Giro I think it's fantastic to see Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) pull on the maglia rosa and defend it as he did today but I would also like to see him remain humble in victory. Cavendish is a young man who says what he thinks and can usually back his statements up with winning performances. I think though that he should try to steer away from lining himself up for a 'fall' and let the racing do the talking. Starting fights with the Garmin-Slipstream team, for example, isn't going to do him any favours.
I'm a big fan of Cavendish and always quick to post news of his victories on this blog, I just hope he doesn't get too arrogant with all the success.
Hat's off to Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini) today who proved at the age of 35 he can still beat even the fastest on his day. It was a solid display of sprinting from quite a long way out, Cavendish just couldn't find a way around settling for second place.
Binda aboad his single speed bike sports the World Champion colours on his chest and Italian National Champion colours on his arms
Tomorrow sees the start of the 92nd Giro d'Italia on its 100th anniversary year. In honour of this great sporting occasion I thought it fitting to write a few words about one of Italy's greatest ever cyclists, Alfredo Binda.
Born in 1902 in the small town of Cittiglio near Varese Binda grew up just over the Italian border in the Southern French city of Nice. As a young man learning a trade in plastering Binda discovered his real talent was with cycling.
1922 saw Binda turn professional and although he scored some small victories the next 3 years saw him gradually improving on the bike.
Binda's big breakthrough came in 1925. Not only did he win the Giro d'Italia but later in the season he won the Giro di Lombardia. He was a phenomenal all-round cyclist and was fast becoming one of the true greats of the sport.
In total Binda won 5 Giro d'Italia's (1925, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1933) a record only ever equalled by Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx. To me that says it all right there. Coppi and Merckx are such legends, for them to join Binda in a select group of 3 says so much for Binda's extraordinary ability.
If you look a little closer at the way Binda won those 5 Giro's you'll see he claimed a phenomenal total of 41 stage victories. This is a record that stood until 2003 when Italian sprint king Mario Cipollini surpassed it. In 1927 Binda won 12 of 15 stages and in 1929 he won 8 consecutive stages. They call Merckx 'The Cannibal' for the way he would eat up victories but surely the same can be said for Binda.
Not only did Binda excel in the Giro, he also won the World Championships 3 times, a feat equalled by Merckx but not bettered. In addition he won 4 Italian national championships, 4 Giro di Lombardia and 2 Milan-San Remo classics.
At Binda's height of dominance the promoters of the Giro d'Italia started getting concerned about revenue losses. The race was seen as becoming boring and repetitive due to Binda's winning ways. In 1930 a delegation was sent to see Binda and sponsor company owner Emilo Bozzi. A gift of 22,000 lira was offered , cash in hand, if Binda considered not racing the 1930 Giro. Of course Binda accepted the offer, it was enough money to buy 2 fine houses in Milan.
In later years Binda became trainer to both Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
Alfredo Binda passed away in 1986 aged 83. Today the women's professional bike race, Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio is named in his honour.
I just submitted my Velogames team in readiness for the start of the Fanstasy Giro game. As with all fantasy league games the point of Velogames is to choose the team you feel most likely to score the most points and in doing so win, in this game the stage or even possibly the entire Giro.
Velogames doesn't offer any prizes for winning but it's free to enter and is good fun to see how your team compares against the competition.
For more details on the rules and how to enter click here.
Here's my team details:
Name: Easy Rouleurs
Rider 1: Levi LEIPHEIMER, AST Rider 2: Christian VANDEVELDE, GAR Rider 3: Carlos SASTRE, CER Rider 4: Joaquin RODRIGUEZ, GCE Rider 5: Mark CAVENDISH, COL Rider 6: Gabriele BOSISIO, LPR Rider 7: Marco PINOTTI, COL Rider 8: Pavel BRUTT, KAT Rider 9: Stefano GARZELLI, ACQ
After extensive trials prior to last years Tour de France Garmin-Slipstream's riders are now using the NormaTec MVP compression machine, otherwise known by the riders as Space Legs to help with their training and racing recovery.
The technology was originally developed to help treat patients with circulatory diseases stemming from diabetes to cancer. However, the riders have also found use for them in helping to minimise negative effects on performance due to micro trauma normally caused by intense training and competition.
Typically the riders use the Space Legs for 30 minute periods 2 to 3 times per day, once in the morning, once immediately before or after massage, and once just before bed.
In this Sunday's Observer Steve Bloomfield wrote about an upsurge of interest in competitve cycling in Rwanda that may see Team Rwanda represented in the 2012 Olympics here in London and who knows maybe we'll even see representation in the Tour de France by a Rwandan rider in the next few years. Bloomfield talks with American ex cycling pro Jock Boyer who is now the first coach of the Rwandan national cycling team about life in the East African country and the teams goals and ambitions. Read more here.
Armstrong's time trial beast with art by Shepard Fairey
Armstrong's ride bike with art by Kenny Scharf
This year's 92nd Giro d'Italia will be ridden for the first time by Lance Armstrong. Having broken his collar bone only a fews weeks back I don't expect Armstrong to win the race. However, one thing is for sure, he will be looking good aboard his newly completed Trek art bikes designed by Shepard Fairey and Kenny Scharf. Both bikes will feature in Nike's upcoming Stages anti-cancer art show benefiting Livestrong that will debut on 16th July in Paris at Gallerie Emmanuel Perrotin during the Tour de France.
I'm not normally one to feature 'trick' cycling in my posts but Danny MacAskill from Edinburgh Scotland demonstrates stunts and tricks on his bike that I didn't think possible until I saw this movie clip. Really you should watch this.
Staying with 'cobbled' theme if your a fan of the Spring Classics, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Gent-Wevelgem and of course Paris-Roubaix then I would highly recommend listening to The Bike Shows Spring Classics Special Edition. The presenter Jack Thurston visits some of the legendary locations featured in these races and as always does a fantastic job of presenting the show. Click here for more.
Following yesterdays post I emailed 'the guy' who is organising the ride. He emailed me back last night with further details. Alexandre informs me there are currently eleven other riders that will be joining him on the ride, 4 from Hong Kong, 2 from Berlin, 1 from England, 2 from Paris plus 2 of his friends. He went on to say he has already ridden the complete course 3 times on a traditional road bike and that this year he rode the last 90km of the race just a few hours before the pro's on his fixie! Apparently he was well received by the crowd as he battled across the cobbles.
I would think that by the time of the ride Alexandre will have probably attracted an entire peloton of fixie riders to ride the course with him. I wish him and those who join him all the best of luck on what will be one 'Hell' of a ride.
Betty and I are flying over to Germany tomorrow in preparation for our marriage that will take place on Saturday in Hameln. We'll then be heading off on our honeymoon for a couple of weeks of beach life, aarrh, I can't wait!
I just submitted my Velogames team in readiness for the start of the Fanstasy Giro game. As with all fantasy league games the point of Velogames is to choose the team you feel most likely to score the most points and in doing so win, in this game the stage or even possibly the entire Giro.
