It’s probably not even worthy of footnote status in the story of the Tour de France 2010 but the question of cobbles has been bothering me through the last week or so.
Lance Armstrong made a big point of riding the Tour of Flanders and talking about how it was all part of the preparation for Le Tour.
“… he will use the race to prepare for the cobbles that he will face at the Tour de France in July.” – cyclingnews.com
Now on the official site you can see the following statement about the stage:
“There will be 7 cobbled sectors over a total of 13,2 kilometres, including the Haveluy sector, only ten kilometres from the stage finish. The finish line will be located at the entrance to the notorious Arenberg Trench, the legendary backdrop to Paris-Roubaix.”
Here’s their final few kms
Now a quick tot up says that’s 10.1km of cobbles in the run in, none of which you’ll find in the Tour of Flanders route. In fact they all look suspiciously more like bits of Paris-Roubaix than Flanders.
If there’s one thing even my mum could tell you (NB invocation of maternal opinion is the last resort of a desperate hack), it’s that Flanders isn’t Roubaix. Anyone who watched the way Cancellara won both sure as heck will tell you the same.
Would Armstrong have been better off riding the first half of Paris-Roubaix and then covering his glass than draining it to finish in the chase bunch in Flanders?
I suspect that Roubaix would have been too much of an injury risk but that Flanders was cobbly enough to make the point about how serious his preparation is to his rivals. We know that the psychological war is waged long before they start assembling the Prologue ramp.
By showing that he could ride in the front of the field on the cobbles, Armstrong was flashing his credentials at Contador, the Schlecks and others.
I suspect that, come July, Team Boomshackalack, sorry Radioshack, and everyone else will be trying to line it out as they head towards Arenberg, desperate to protect their leaders while other teams vie for the stage.
On that basis my call is that you might as well bet on Cancellara to win at Arenberg while wearing yellow, having taken it in the prologue. It’s as likely as him doing the double was the Friday before Flanders.
Hands up who knows what they’ll be watching on Easter Sunday afternoon (probably on Sky+ HD after an unfeasibly large roast dinner)? TOUR OF FLANDERS!
My favourite Flanders fact/legend: The Paterberg was cobbled by the local farmer to ensure that the race went past his house. Now that’s how to get involved in supporting your local race.
He might have also spotted the canny business opportunity to erect marquees in the adjoining fields and flog them to those most willing to pay for a roadside spot with refreshments. With a little less cynicism in my heart I note that this man rode up it 175 times in a day.
“It’s Saturday morning, it’s sunny and I’m somewhere in the middle of several thousand cycling fans of all shapes, sizes and abilities, riding every manner of bike imaginable. Where else in the world could I be but in Belgium on Tour of Flanders weekend, taking part in the annual amateur ride around the legendary course?
I’d settled for the 140km distance, handily avoiding the 120km preamble from Bruges to the bit of the race that everyone talks about: the 18 climbs where the race is decided, starting with the Molenberg and ending with the Bosberg. Somewhere in between there’s the brutish Paterberg and the iconic Muur-Kapelmuur where this race is so often won.
It’s a sportif but nothing quite like I’ve experienced elsewhere – some of it is ridden on cycle paths, the rest on open roads and it’s not just the stereotypical cycling hardcore taking part. From people on town bikes in jeans to expensive racers in full race kit, every flavour of cyclist is represented and enjoying themselves as we roll out of Ninove in a never-ending snake of cyclists.
My London Dynamo club kit might have marked me out as “not a local” among the Belgians and within about twenty minutes I’m enjoying a conversation with a Belgian guy about how many are taking part today – he reckons anything up to 25,000 due to the clement weather rather than the traditional rain – and who will win on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, no Belgian I speak to during the day believes anyone other than Tom Boonen will win.
It’s an oft-cited reason for what marks amateur cycling out from other sports but there really is no other sport where the fans have the same level of access to the courses and equipment and can experience, as far as is possible, what the elite go through. So when I swing right, past the sign and onto the cobbles of the Molenberg in the middle of a group of 100 or so riders, I know roughly what it must feel like for the pros as they get down to the serious bit of the race.
There’s no hiding that it can be tough at times – there’d be no challenge if it weren’t – but with the exception of the Paterberg, where I thought that it was entirely possible that gravity would get the better of me, none of the climbs is insurmountable with some training, the right gears and a little determination not to put your foot down. In fact, the only time I had to put a foot down all day was on the Muur which was rendered impassable by fallen riders. Even then I eventually remounted and with a friendly push was still able to ride to the top.
The sensation of getting to the top of some of those climbs is rather ecstatic: you look back over your shoulder and think “crikey, I’ve just got up that without stopping!” as you peer down the unfeasibly steep section of road you’ve just burst a lung to get up. And the sensation as you cross top of the Bosberg and head to the actual finish line in Ninove to dream that you’ve won the race is more than a little satisfying (OK, I did try to do the arms aloft thing before realising I was about to run into a policeman).
Not only do I have a certificate and a water bottle to prove I finished but also I can now watch the race and know exactly how tough the course is with a new found respect for just how much quicker the elite riders are. But mostly I’m filled with a nice warm sense of achievement at having ridden it in a respectable time of under six hours.”
And now for the professionals
No doubt the television coverage won’t extend to the women’s race but there’s a cracking field and the elite women’s races tend to be a more open and far less predictable result than the men.
That said, my bet is that it will come down to a winner from a small group of riders several of whom are always in contention, whatever the race.
Teutenberg, last year’s winner, has probably got the strongest team in HTC-Columbia. With Judith Arndt and Noemi Cantele both riding, they’re should have strength in numbers when it comes to attack and counter in the key phases of the race.
Cervelo Test Team are nominally the powerhouse of women’s cycling and I’d pick Mirjam Melchers, Regina Bruins and Kirsten Wild as their ones to watch. Bit surprised to see Emma Pooley on the start list. She weighs so little I would have thought she’ll bounce all over the cobbles.
Nicole Cooke is going to be extremely motivated this year after a comparatively bleak year as World and Olympic Champion. She’s riding in the GB colours with a relatively green team around her, but the strength of her support has rarely had a huge impact on her ability to win.
The elite men
The form book says it will come down to a handful of the usual suspects. The main players are going to be:
Juan Antonio Flecha (Juan Antonio’s not he’s real name, he’s actually Norman Stanley but he adopted the spanish sounding name to seem more continental)
My outside tip is Martijn Maaskant whose own site describes him as “Rocky on a bike” *confused face*. Fourth last year, twelfth in his first year, he’s floating below the radar a bit and is has been consistently in contention without being hyped.
At the moment there’s only three cycling podcasts that I listen to with any regularity: The Bike Show from Resonance FM, Real Peloton and Velocast.
I spend my working day listening to some of the best speech broadcasters currently available in the UK, so my listening time outside work is valuable to me. These podcasts are recommended entirely on their merits as “a worthwhile listen”.
First up, The Bike Show from Resonance FM. I’ve appeared on the show a couple of times and can testify that Jack Thurston knows his ways around a studio and the fine art of constructing an interview.
But the real joy of the Bike Show is its catholicism. It’s from the Bike Show that I learned about Major Taylor and countless other parts of the church of cycling that are otherwise neglected by the mainstream. It’s a beautiful reminder of the simple pleasure of just riding your bike for no other reason than because it’s fun.
It was one of the first bike podcasts I discovered and has stayed in my subscription list while several others have come and gone. It retains a freshness of subject and delivery that makes it stand out from the crowd.
Jack is also one of the most watchful eyes on cycling issues as they affect London cyclists like myself.
Velocast is a more recent discovery. Initially I’d shied away from it on grounds of duration. When you spend eight to ten hours a day listening to speech radio, another hour out of the day is a big commitment for me. I’ve now addressed my commitment issues and I’m thoroughly enjoying a well made podcast that has its own distinct character.
It covers racing, bike geekery, components and riding in general with a wit and humour that is derived from its presenting duo, John and Scott. There’s good analysis of issues and a no nonsense approach to discussing thorny subjects.
I’ve only been listening for a few editions but it’s definitely a grower and broad enough to hold the attention of a wider audience.
Finally, Real Peloton which is Matt Rendell and Ned Boulting putting together a very fine half hour or so of banter, discourse and intelligent comment on professional cycling.
You’d expect that from two experienced broadcasters, but what they’ve done well is avoided letting their gobs run unfettered in the final product. You get a bit of philosophy, you get a bit of opinion and you get decent interviews with people with something useful to say.
You never feel short-changed on something useful with Real Peloton. The shame is that podcasts are difficult to monetise as this would be a proper breadwinner if it were to be sold in the same way that it would be as a built programme to a traditional broadcaster.
And the one’s that I don’t listen to?
Anything that is too long, too boring, too uninformative. It’s a bloody long list and there’s some names on there that really should have a look at themselves. I’m not going to link to them because they don’t merit it.
Here’s a couple that I think deserve special criticism.
Cyclingnews: Yes podcasts are meant to be a bit off-the-cuff but this is the equivalent of wearing a short-sleeved shirt under a suit. No big interviews, no big insight? Fail.
Guardian: You know all those reasons people give for disliking “cyclists”? They’ve managed to put almost all of them into podcast form. How do they manage to take all the fun out of riding a bike?
