The race itself was pretty cool. The start was fine; a bunch of guys spun out or stacked it on the gravel hill so I pedaled until the guy in front of me stalled in deep gravel. I dismounted and ran the last 20 yards up the hill, passing a few guys who were trying to pedal out of gravel puddles. Then it was off into the woods sitting maybe 12th or 15th. A couple guys passed me at this one log I was afraid to hop for lack of a bash guard, but I passed a few other back, hanging off the tail end of the lead group for 2/3ds of the first lap. The hills were fine first time around, though the stifling heat - 96 at the start - was sapping my leg strength. Eventually I found a pace and a spot in the line and settled in, not completely losing contact with what looked like the lead pack until coming out of the river trail area on the second lap. On the way in, I passed a couple folks going up the hills, but on the final uphill before the berm, the wheels fell off and I couldn't turn the pedals over, so I dismounted and jogged, and let this guy in white (who'd been on my tail for 1.5 laps) take a pass.
I don't know where I finished but I'm thinking top 15, hoping top 10 - not that results in what amounts to a training series are that important, but I'm looking for signs of improvement here. Yeah, caring about a training race is making an ass of myself but I don't mind that; I care about it. The race itself was a good quality ride for me, coming on the heels of probably the best ride I've ever had at Patapsco on Saturday. The skills stuff all of a sudden just clicked; I'm hanging with that pack of demented experts on the downhills and flats. The uphills... not so much, but they weren't waiting much for me. This should translate into better MTB race results, correct? We'll see.
---------------------------------------------
TdF Update - I knew it was a sprint stage tonight without even looking at the guide, because Craig Hummer spent 5 minutes doing a voiceover of a winery tour right at the moment I tuned in. "Ahhh... stone flat bunch sprint stage. They must be riding piano with a dozen non-GC contenders out on a small break."
But meanwhile, I've been making an ass of myself in a few blog comments section, most notably the ATMO Fanboy Club, stating that I think what Cancellara did on Stage 2 was a very decent thing, and that what he did on Stage 3 was a very good race move. Cancellara, for his efforts, was called cynical (because it allowed the Schlecks, along with around 100 other riders to catch up); and he was called a bully for 'making' the peloton neutralize itself. Now he's being criticized for leading an attack when a couple GC contenders flatted and Chavanel had numerous bike problems.
A few points are in order here.
First, Cancellara did help the Schlecks climb back in on Stage 2, but he sacrificed the yellow jersey, something no pro ever does willingly, to do so.
Second, to do that, he won agreement from the peloton that they'd ride in piano, after between 80 and 100 of them went down hard doing maybe 40 on an oil-soaked descent. It wasn't five riders down, or even ten; it was close to (if not absolutely) a majority of the racers. Anyone in the race could have attacked; none did. Was it respect for the jersey, or pure bullying by Cancellara? Possibly. More likely it was that no team wanted to drop perhaps half its riders up against the time barrier, and many riders were shook up. I've crashed doing 40 on the road; I consider myself lucky if my visual color register is still normal, if I can walk away with a minimum of searing pain, and if no bones are sticking out of the skin. For us to expect them to do more, is to expect them to act like hamburgers, nothing but an object meant to please the consumer. I've also been in a couple races where we had huge, debilitating crashes, and nothing cools one's ardor for a pushy bunch sprint, like riding past (or through) a big puddle of blood in turn 1 as the worst cases are loaded, on backboards, into the meatwagon. You can accuse Cancellara of cynicism, or dishonoring the race or Chavenel, but but had close to a hundred accomplices, all of whom have direttori sportivo, and all of whom can think and attack for themselves if they wish. If you're a conspiracy theorist wondering why Cancellara didn't turn on his electric bike and just coast in for the win, you'd better account for why none of these folks wanted to attack or bunch sprint either.
Third, Stage 3 was a totally different situation. They were racing on the cobbles, and one of the deals with cobblestone racing is you don't slow down for flats and little crashes. You attack! Just as an oil-soaked road bringing down 80 or 100 riders was uncharacteristic for the race on Stage 2 and not what the riders signed on for, attacking when a contender has flatted in the Arenberg is *exactly* what is done on the cobbles and what was expected. Nothing bad had happened to the pack, other than sore legs and residual pain from three prior days' crashes. Those who flatted or overshot turns and got dropped... well boys, that's why they call it "racing" and not "riding."
The distinction here is that the pack decides to do what it (collectively) thinks is correct in light of the situation and every man with strong legs gets to vote. Because everybody knew going in that the cobbles would throw an element of chaos into the race, the smart teams recce'd the Arenberg and thought about how to get a competitive advantage. They thought about where to attack and put time in, and then worked attack plans as if the day's stage was a cobbled classic with slight cobblestone deficiency. This is in contrast to Stage 2, where everybody looked forward to a smooth (albeit hilly) ride leading to a bunch sprint, a la Amstel Gold or Fleche Wallone, and reacted to dangerous conditions outside the normal run of dangerous conditions - and more crash injuries than you get when two buses hit head on - by shutting it down.
Cynical by Cancellara in either case? No. Normal behavior within the bounds of grand tour racing.
Finally, for them who think that the peloton neutralizing itself was a Crime Against Teh Racering, what do you make of today's stage, with 190 kilometers of piano riding? For a while there, I thought I was watching the '83 Giro. Then I realized that the racers were committing a sin against racing by riding slow, a crime against the fans...
Ahh, bullshit. The racers had really tired legs. They obviously reached an (possibly implicit rather than explicit) agreement to let a break get some time in the sun to make sponsors happy, and to ride in easy until it was time to wind up for the bunch sprint. If you haven't studied the Giro and followed it, everything that's gone down in the last three days is consistent with what you'd see in the Giro. Ludicrousness! Crazy stages! Piano piano piano! Unforseen calamity striking dozens!
This is why many racers adore the Giro, but appreciate the TdF. The TdF is an album with a bunch of chart topping hits; the Giro is Italian opera, sometimes tragic, often comedic, usually both.
That little truce on Stage 2 wasn't the result of bullying by Cancellara. Nor was it the result of corruption. These are racers, men who ride bikes rather than a bunch of machines that traverse ground with maximum efficiency. When presented with more human frailty than is usually evident in the (normally) tightly controlled TdF, they reacted as they'd react in the more unpredictable Giro. The racers cut each other a little slack in grand tours when it seems appropriate; there will be plenty of time to attack each other in the next 15 stages. The crazier the situation, the more likely you are to see unlikely allegiances between teams, rider sitdown strikes, and truces. Three weeks is a long time when you're riding 6 hours a day. There will be plenty of time to attack one's brains out, once the pack has arrived at the Tourmalet or the Aubisque (sp?) or the hill of your choice.
If you don't like sports where competitors pace and sometimes take it easy on each other, then I suggest you start following a sport that is less about pragmatic approaches and more about relentless attacking. Mixed martial arts - some of the more aggressive brands of it - are probably more your speed, and if not that then maybe politics, which is just as rigged as bike racing but which sells itself as bitter, to-the-death struggle, kind of like pro wrestling if Vince McMahon could raise your taxes or have you arrested.
Me? I'll stick with the sport where the athletes sometimes make decisions that are internally political or conniving. Say what you will about the practice of peloton captains curbing the pack's wilder urges, it makes the sport very interesting on the day, and much more interesting when all the GC contenders, or as many as possible, arrive at the base of La Tourmalet, finally ready to do battle.
Please - don't bring your fast food consumerism to my sport. I like it the way it is with its often spectacular results, and I don't mind the difficult waiter and the fact that sometimes the chef botches a recipe.
Oh yeah, and how 'bout that washed up old Pettachi? Pretty fly, for a white boy.
But meanwhile, I've been making an ass of myself in a few blog comments section, most notably the ATMO Fanboy Club, stating that I think what Cancellara did on Stage 2 was a very decent thing, and that what he did on Stage 3 was a very good race move. Cancellara, for his efforts, was called cynical (because it allowed the Schlecks, along with around 100 other riders to catch up); and he was called a bully for 'making' the peloton neutralize itself. Now he's being criticized for leading an attack when a couple GC contenders flatted and Chavanel had numerous bike problems.
A few points are in order here.
First, Cancellara did help the Schlecks climb back in on Stage 2, but he sacrificed the yellow jersey, something no pro ever does willingly, to do so.
Second, to do that, he won agreement from the peloton that they'd ride in piano, after between 80 and 100 of them went down hard doing maybe 40 on an oil-soaked descent. It wasn't five riders down, or even ten; it was close to (if not absolutely) a majority of the racers. Anyone in the race could have attacked; none did. Was it respect for the jersey, or pure bullying by Cancellara? Possibly. More likely it was that no team wanted to drop perhaps half its riders up against the time barrier, and many riders were shook up. I've crashed doing 40 on the road; I consider myself lucky if my visual color register is still normal, if I can walk away with a minimum of searing pain, and if no bones are sticking out of the skin. For us to expect them to do more, is to expect them to act like hamburgers, nothing but an object meant to please the consumer. I've also been in a couple races where we had huge, debilitating crashes, and nothing cools one's ardor for a pushy bunch sprint, like riding past (or through) a big puddle of blood in turn 1 as the worst cases are loaded, on backboards, into the meatwagon. You can accuse Cancellara of cynicism, or dishonoring the race or Chavenel, but but had close to a hundred accomplices, all of whom have direttori sportivo, and all of whom can think and attack for themselves if they wish. If you're a conspiracy theorist wondering why Cancellara didn't turn on his electric bike and just coast in for the win, you'd better account for why none of these folks wanted to attack or bunch sprint either.
Third, Stage 3 was a totally different situation. They were racing on the cobbles, and one of the deals with cobblestone racing is you don't slow down for flats and little crashes. You attack! Just as an oil-soaked road bringing down 80 or 100 riders was uncharacteristic for the race on Stage 2 and not what the riders signed on for, attacking when a contender has flatted in the Arenberg is *exactly* what is done on the cobbles and what was expected. Nothing bad had happened to the pack, other than sore legs and residual pain from three prior days' crashes. Those who flatted or overshot turns and got dropped... well boys, that's why they call it "racing" and not "riding."
The distinction here is that the pack decides to do what it (collectively) thinks is correct in light of the situation and every man with strong legs gets to vote. Because everybody knew going in that the cobbles would throw an element of chaos into the race, the smart teams recce'd the Arenberg and thought about how to get a competitive advantage. They thought about where to attack and put time in, and then worked attack plans as if the day's stage was a cobbled classic with slight cobblestone deficiency. This is in contrast to Stage 2, where everybody looked forward to a smooth (albeit hilly) ride leading to a bunch sprint, a la Amstel Gold or Fleche Wallone, and reacted to dangerous conditions outside the normal run of dangerous conditions - and more crash injuries than you get when two buses hit head on - by shutting it down.
Cynical by Cancellara in either case? No. Normal behavior within the bounds of grand tour racing.
Finally, for them who think that the peloton neutralizing itself was a Crime Against Teh Racering, what do you make of today's stage, with 190 kilometers of piano riding? For a while there, I thought I was watching the '83 Giro. Then I realized that the racers were committing a sin against racing by riding slow, a crime against the fans...
Ahh, bullshit. The racers had really tired legs. They obviously reached an (possibly implicit rather than explicit) agreement to let a break get some time in the sun to make sponsors happy, and to ride in easy until it was time to wind up for the bunch sprint. If you haven't studied the Giro and followed it, everything that's gone down in the last three days is consistent with what you'd see in the Giro. Ludicrousness! Crazy stages! Piano piano piano! Unforseen calamity striking dozens!
This is why many racers adore the Giro, but appreciate the TdF. The TdF is an album with a bunch of chart topping hits; the Giro is Italian opera, sometimes tragic, often comedic, usually both.
That little truce on Stage 2 wasn't the result of bullying by Cancellara. Nor was it the result of corruption. These are racers, men who ride bikes rather than a bunch of machines that traverse ground with maximum efficiency. When presented with more human frailty than is usually evident in the (normally) tightly controlled TdF, they reacted as they'd react in the more unpredictable Giro. The racers cut each other a little slack in grand tours when it seems appropriate; there will be plenty of time to attack each other in the next 15 stages. The crazier the situation, the more likely you are to see unlikely allegiances between teams, rider sitdown strikes, and truces. Three weeks is a long time when you're riding 6 hours a day. There will be plenty of time to attack one's brains out, once the pack has arrived at the Tourmalet or the Aubisque (sp?) or the hill of your choice.
If you don't like sports where competitors pace and sometimes take it easy on each other, then I suggest you start following a sport that is less about pragmatic approaches and more about relentless attacking. Mixed martial arts - some of the more aggressive brands of it - are probably more your speed, and if not that then maybe politics, which is just as rigged as bike racing but which sells itself as bitter, to-the-death struggle, kind of like pro wrestling if Vince McMahon could raise your taxes or have you arrested.
Me? I'll stick with the sport where the athletes sometimes make decisions that are internally political or conniving. Say what you will about the practice of peloton captains curbing the pack's wilder urges, it makes the sport very interesting on the day, and much more interesting when all the GC contenders, or as many as possible, arrive at the base of La Tourmalet, finally ready to do battle.
Please - don't bring your fast food consumerism to my sport. I like it the way it is with its often spectacular results, and I don't mind the difficult waiter and the fact that sometimes the chef botches a recipe.
Oh yeah, and how 'bout that washed up old Pettachi? Pretty fly, for a white boy.
14 comments:
Great post! See you in a few days. It is awesome up here!
Jonathan
I'm amped up too, sitting here looking at my calendar going, "is it time to go yet? is it time to go yet?"
BTW, ask Ryan about his crash and his trailside fix of his U-shaped wheel last night. I rode past this guy beating on a bicycle and didn't realize it was him at the time... thought it was some dude who discovered the bike that had killed his father or something.
excellent post.
awesome post. Totally agree re: Cancellara, and not just because I totally sweat him. It was amazing to see the entire peloton agree to the piano finale, and I think Cancellara proved to be an unselfish leader by making the call. Lets not forget the 3 - count them - 3 incidents in the last stretch of stage 1 for the sprint. I think everyone had enough for one day.
Think of how boring the tour would be right now if all the top contenders were out of contention ... it's bad enough that a slew of them had to abandon due to injury.
excellent post.
did lancey pants get critisized when he ruled over the peloton? Ceratinly not by the zealots.
can't wait to hear your take on him hiding on the bus when contrador came over today... amazing stuff...
Now i will say, I'm tired of teh "most epic race ever" stuff. Esp. when many riders are complaining hte entire time. Neutralizing the stage was smart. The right thing to do...
stage 3 was outstanding.
training race is still a race, it's cool to want a good result, otherwise why not just go do intervals. Difference between a race race and a training race is what you do in prep. Tapering or just showing up and going...
imho.
keep up the great work Jim.
respect
fm
PJ - thanks for the +1. How's the hip coming along?
FM - Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, "epic" gets overused. We need to start a campaign to remind people that "epic" isn't a synonym for "very hard." As for Lance NoLongerAsStrong, I want to see exactly what happened before I comment on the shenanigans. Matter of fact - when bitter rivals fight it out and swap wins, that might be epic. Coppi & Bartali - epic. Mid-70's Raiders/Steelers - epic. Fading Lance gets his butt kicked by rising star, on a consistent basis - only Epic if you're an exec at Versus.
I still think that Stage 2 would have been much different had A. Schleck made the front group with Cancellara. Saxo would have pressed the advantage and put as much time into rivals as possible, and no one would have criticized them for it.
Here's some priceless 'must be a flat-stage' commentary from the EuroSport English language commentary team: (As the French cameraman is holding his camera upside down for a shot of the breakaway through the moto's rear-view mirror) "You know it's a slow day on the road when the cameramen start trying to make art...". Best line we heard all week.
BTW, the 'color' guy for the English broadcast is Sean Kelly. I'm not kidding when I say it's like listening to an Irish Boomhauer.
I don't know Scott. I think Cancellara may be the kind of athlete who wants to be beloved as well as great. I can see him shooting for "patron" status within the peloton. He won't get Hushovd's vote for sure but he'll carry the vote of the 80-100 guys who crashed Monday. I don't know about you but I remember the assholes and the gracious guys from race to race, and the gracious guys always get little favors like me scrunching in to give them a spot out of the wind. The assholes... I generally wouldn't go out of my way to hurt them but I'm not doing them any favors.
Seph - I occasionally connect to a cobbled classic on Cycling.tv, and Kelly is a gem. When Liggett retires, he'd be the man Versus ought to pick up. Tremendous color commentary and much more insightful than Mr. Dancing on the Pedals in a Most Obscene Manner.
neutralised...bullshit, bunch is priisy little fags
will the climbers neutralise the mtn stages when the classic riders have trouble with the 'steepness' or because its too hot?!
nut up and get with the program, its a race.
just because the 'favorites werent there...i call winner!
so, no more steep climbs, descents, rainy days, sprints, turns...
pansies, no more about how hard they are or what a tough sport.
Great post.
I raced Clydes, and had a good time. I'm still trying to figure out what it says about me that I'm still pissed I ripped a pair of bib shorts, and won't be happy until I have their replacements in my hands.
Pressure's on, man - you gotta bring the funk, or kick out the jams, or rip the face of the motha tomorrow. I'm counting on you.
Anon 6:49 - I'm guessing that you're on leave from some Special Forces A-team, or perhaps a SEAL unit or something to be calling out the Tour riders as a pack of sissies... Interesting that you signed your comment with your name. Pretty brave of your momma to have named you Anonymous.
RTW - I'll do what I can.
I felt bad for Thor. He turns himself inside out over the "hills" to make the lead group and gets nothing for it. As a large guy I thought you would see his point of view a little more vibrantly.
I feel a little bad for Hushovd, but he's one of the big boys in the peloton and capable of winning second if he wanted to attack from 10k out, or just about anywhere inside of that except for Cancellara's magical 3k to 1k distance. He didn't have to stick to the gentleman's agreement if he didn't want to because he was capable of winning it particularly if he too a hard jump on a soft-pedaling, bloodied pack. That he didn't go tells me that the pack itself didn't want to fight it out for second and there would have been approbation attached to him for going, not that Cancellara bullied the pack into letting up. Cancellara appeared to be speaking for the pack - not directing it - when he told Peschel “there had been enough injuries in the peloton today...there were (potential) leaders stuck behind and that no one wanted to sprint for second place.”
It bears noting that if the pack had started hammering once it was back together, then Hushovd would have definitely lost his teammates Konovalovas and Klier to the 30 minute time limit, and might well have also lost Lloyd and Brett.
Cancellara explained it as:
“It was the right thing to do to wait, so everybody comes together to the finish line together. When you have everybody on the ground and people five minutes behind because they can’t find their bike then it’s only normal."
The more I read up about the carnage to defend my position, the more I'm convinced it was a good thing to do and that Cancellara wasn't the only person behind it. Here's the full butcher's bill for the descent of the Stockeau:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/07/news/the-stockeau-massacre-damage-assessment-after-the-tour-de-frances-second-stage_125976
The TV coverage didn't show it but many riders went down three or four times in a 200 yard stretch of road, going down hard the first time losing their bikes into the woods and so forth.
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