Just days after it was announced that preparations for the 2012 Holland Ladies' Tour have been suspended while the organisation that runs it seeks new sponsorship, their counterparts at the Giro di Sardegna have revealed that they too are experiencing difficulties and have been forced to cancel this year's edition which was due to start on February the 21st.
The race began in 1958 and was held annually, except for 1979 and 1981, until 1983. It was then not held from 1984 to 1996 when it returned for two editions before vanishing again until 2009. Among others, it has been won by Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Roger De Vlaeminck.
Rather than lacking commercial sponsorship, organisers blame local government - stating that they have yet to be paid by towns wishing to host starts and finishes in the race and are still owed money from previous editions, leading to a 150,000 euro hole in the budget.
Saturday 4 February 2012
GVA-Trofee Lille 04.02.12
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| Click to enlarge |
The World Cup is done and dusted, the bikes cleaned up and kits laundered after last weekend's Koksijde World Championships; but the GVA Trofee still has two rounds to go and the penultimate race, the famous Krawatencross, takes place on Saturday the 4th of February near the Belgian city of Lille and not far from Turnhout and Antwerp - with excellent road links to the several towns and cities in the area, a good attendance is guaranteed.
Krawatencross is one of the most popular among spectators as the majority of the 2.8km route can be seen clearly, with several points along the length offering a good view of two or more sections. The unusual parcours consists of a little bit of everything, with sections on sand, grass, tarmac, woodland and loose pebbles along a roughly G-shaped track around a lake just to the north-west of the E34 motorway (51°17'3.17"N 4°50'39.50"E). Riders need to be able to perform well on the several very different types of terrain to be in with any real chance of a podium place; and just for good measure it looks as though they're going to have to contend with snow as well this year. In other words, it's a race that favours the very best of the all-rounders.
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| Elite Men at Krawatencross 2011 (image credit: Ronnes CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) |
The race begins with a 230m sprint down a forest road that intially dips, then rises a couple of metres before a slight dip and rise towards the end (51°17'3.44"N 4°50'27.18"E), then turns right onto grass and heads back the way it came. A few metres beyond the start line, the riders turn left and onto sand; immediately entering a tight S-bend which, on sand, will require first-rate bike handling skills. Once through it, they remain on sand as they follow the banks of the lake for 200m on their way into the first woodland section.
A wide loop curves to the left through the trees, then emerges for 50m stretch across more sand before heading once more into the woods and following a curved track leading to a bridge. Having crossed it, the race arrives at a road and passes straight over. A sharp left into a second tight loop on sand - another tough test of handling skills. Afterwards, a 220m sand section leads past the pits and via a right/left combination and into a grass section of similar length. This is followed by 280m in woodland and up the steepest climb of the race - immediately after turning right, the riders begin an 8m ascent in around 55m; with a maximum gradient of 9.4%. The rest of the section takes the riders to the pebbles (51°17'0.06"N 4°50'45.98"E) - a difficult surface which, at 270m, will be one of the most challenging parts of the parcours.
A right turn leads back onto the sand and through a tight Z-bend around the pits, then back over the same road as earlier and across a second bridge. A long woodland section, technical in part with some tight loops, then leads for 549m back to the start line and back along the first track. The finish line will be located just before the first right turn onto grass.
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| Altimetry (click for enlargement) |
Results (more to come)
Elite Women
1 Marianne Vos Rabobank Ladies Team
2 Daphny Van Den Brand WV Schijndel
3 Sanne Cant Boxx VeldritAcademie
4 Sanne Van Paassen Brainwash
5 Nikki Harris
6 Arenda Grimberg
7 Helen Wyman
8 Pavla Havlikova
9 Sabrina Stultiens Brainwash
10 Sophie De Boer WV Schijndel
11 Joyce Vanderbeken
12 Reza Hormes Ravenstijn
13 Nicolle De Bie Leyten
14 Nancy Bober
15 Nikoline Hansen
16 Gabriella Day
17 Lana Verberne
18 Karen Verhestraeten Sengers Ladies Cycling Team
19 Amy Dombroski Crank Brothers
20 Iris Ockeloen
21 Christine Vardaros Baboco - Revor Cycling Team
22 Anja Geldhof
23 Katrien Thijs
24 Kim Van De Steene
25 Nathalie Nijns Lotto Belisol Ladies
26 Caren Commissaris
27 Shana Maes
28 Janice Geyskens
29 Caitlyn La Haye
Elite Men
1 Tom Meeusen Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
2 Zdenek Stybar Omega Pharma Quickstep
3 Kevin Pauwels Sunweb Revor Cycling Team
4 Sven Nys Landbouwkrediet
5 Niels Albert BKCP-Powerplus
6 Radomir Simunek BKCP-Powerplus
7 Marcel Meisen BKCP-Powerplus
8 Sven Vanthourenhout Landbouwkrediet
9 Vincent Baestaens Landbouwkrediet
10 Francis Mourey Francaise des Jeux
11 Klaas Vantornout Sunweb Revor Cycling Team
12 Dieter Vanthourenhout BKCP-Powerplus
13 Jim Aernouts Sunweb Revor Cycling Team
14 Thijs Al AA Drink / Pro Leontien.nl
15 January Denuwelaere Style & Concept Cycling Team
16 Twan Van Den Brand Orange Babies Cycling Team
17 Thijs Van Amerongen AA Drink / Pro Leontien.nl
18 Joeri Adams Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
19 Gerben De Knegt Rabo - Giant Offroad Team.
20 Kevin Cant Van Goethem - Prorace - cycling team
21 Bart Aernouts Rabo - Giant Offroad Team.
22 Rob Peeters Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
23 Tom Van Den Bosch AA Drink / Pro Leontien.nl
24 Patrick Gaudy The Barracuda Company
25 Patrick Van Leeuwen Orange Babies Cycling Team
26 Stijn Huys Orange Babies Cycling Team
27 Ryan Trebon
28 Steven De Decker Van Goethem - Prorace - cycling team
29 Bart Verschueren Landbouwkrediet-KDL
30 Bart Hofman Department of East Flanders WBV - VZW
31 Mariusz Gil Baboco - Revor Cycling Team
32 Denolf Gianni Baboco - Revor Cycling Team
33 Jens Gys Bianchi New Hope Regulators ASBL
34 Jonathan Page Planet Bike
35 Kenneth Van Compernolle Style & Concept Cycling Team
36 Ben Berden OPS ALE - Stoemper
37 Kristof Cop Cycling Team Kessel
38 Dave The Cleyn Scott USA Cycling Team
39 Eddy Van IJzendoorn Orange Babies Cycling Team
40 Tim Van Nuffel DCM-GB Cycling Team Vorselaar Vzw
41 Craig Richey
42 Sten Raeymakers Cyclocross Team Freddy Sports Dilbeek
43 Marco Bianco L'Arcobaleno Carraro Team
44 Lewis Rattray
45 Lorenz Couckuyt WC Mill sprinters Meulebeke
Under-23
1 Wietse Bosmans BKCP-Powerplus
2 Lars Van Der Haar Rabobank-Giant Offroad Team
3 Micki Van Empel Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team
4 Gianni Vermeersch BKCP-Powerplus
5 Arnaud Jouffroy Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team
6 Michael Vanthourenhout BKCP-Powerplus
7 Tijmen Eising Sunweb - Revor
8 Sven Beelen Sunweb - Revor
9 Laurens Sweeck
10 David Van Der Poel BKCP-Powerplus
11 Jens Adams BKCP-Powerplus
12 Vinnie Braet Sunweb - Revor
13 Gert-jan Bosman Rabobank-Giant Offroad Team
14 Daniel Peeters Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team
15 Karel Hnik Sunweb - Revor
16 Ingmar Uytdewilligen
17 Kenneth Hansen
18 Toon Aerts
19 Arnaud Grand Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team
20 Floris De Tier Baboco - Revor Cycling Team
21 Mathieu Willemyns
22 Jens Vandekinderen Telenet-Fidea Cycling Team
23 Niels Koyen
24 Raf Risbourg
25 Maxim Panis
26 Joeri Hofman
27 Niels Ooms
28 Stijn Gielen
29 Ritchie Denolf Baboco - Revor Cycling Team
30 Luke Gray
31 Sibe Smets
32 Bart Barkhuis
33 Pieter Dewitte
34 Jeffrey Mellemans
35 Joni Geeraerts
36 Mathias Van Der Sanden
37 Rutger La Haye
38 Jellen Schiettecatte
39 Ilja Peijffers
40 Germer Cardon
41 Joachim Janssens
Juniors
1 Yorbin Van Tichelt
2 Mathieu Van Der Poel Boxx VeldritAcademie
3 Wout Van Aert Young Telenet-fidea
4 Daan Soete Young Telenet-fidea
5 Quinten Hermans Young Telenet-fidea
6 Matthias Van De Velde Boxx VeldritAcademie
7 Nicolas Cleppe Young Telenet-fidea
8 Daan Hoeyberghs Boxx VeldritAcademie
9 Martijn Budding Boxx VeldritAcademie
10 Pjotr Van Beek
11 Bryan Van Rooyen
12 Tim Ariesen
13 Seppe Gorrens
14 Jelto Veroft
15 Stig Callay
16 Timothy Vanderaerden
17 Koen Van De Ven
18 Robbie Van Bakel WV Schijndel
19 Jens Couckuyt
20 Mats Lammertink AWV De Zwaluwen
21 Arne Poelvoorde
22 Jens Dierckx
23 Joran Mertens
24 Jonas Degroote
25 Kevin Ysenbaardt
26 Dieter Jacobs
27 Stef Claeys
28 Gianni Quintelier Team Catabikes- Deratec- Willems.Co
29 Kenneth Van Dessel
30 Bryan Vispoel
31 Jeffrey Jansegers
32 Bjorn Van Der Heijden
33 Brent Van Den Bosch
34 Arno Verberckmoes
35 Jasper Aernouts
36 Sören De Clercq
37 Jory Degheldere
38 Yelle Leaerts
39 Lars Van Giels
40 Félix Pouilly
41 Gilles De Jaeger
42 Bjorn De Pot
Novices
1 Gianni Van Donink
2 Yannick Peeters
3 Thijs Aerts
4 Jens Teirlinck
5 Stijn Caluwe
6 Vincent Peeters
7 Thomas Joseph
8 Elias Van Hecke
9 Maik Van Der Heijden
10 Jorn Verbraken
11 Dario Kloeck
12 Thomas Van De Velde Vl Technics Abutriek
13 Robbe Commisaris
14 Lennert Van Hasselt
15 Robbert Brughmans
16 Sybren Jacobs
17 Tim Janssen
18 Wesley Floren
19 Cedric Beullens
20 Dieter Jans
21 Dylan Bouwmans
22 Jef Van Belle
23 Andries Baert
24 Timon Ruegg
25 Senne De Meyer
26 Briek Hermans
27 Timo Verberckmoes
28 Nick Van De Kerckhove
29 Kevin Van Bennekom
30 Thomas Verheyen
31 Yara Kastelijn
32 Laurens Boden
33 Jonas Verstraete
34 Dieter Braet
35 Olaf Remmerswaal
36 Dorian De Maeght
37 Wout Alleman
38 Niel Custers
39 Mathias Vertessen
40 Sven Driesen
41 Samuel Debeer
42 Jasper Knaeps
43 Bjarne Bertels
44 Yenthe Boons
45 Stijn Siemons
Daily Cycling Facts 04.02.12
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| Ekimov (image credit: Outematic CC BY-SA 2.5) |
On this day in 1966, Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov was born in Vyborg, USSR. Ekimov's life since he was 12 has been all about riding bikes as fast as possible - picked out at that age, he was sent to a specialist cycling academy associated with of the Soviet Sports schools created to mold young people into iron-hard athletes who would one day excel in their field, ready to be sent into battle against the West and bring back glory. When it was time to leave school, he moved on to an Armed Forces sports society and trained even more.
Eki was never been a Grand Tour General Classification contender but was more than capable of picking up stages and smaller races, adding valuable points to his team's total. His only Tour de France stage win came in 1991 when he won Stage 20, but he would others at the Tour de Suisse (1993 and 1995), Prudential Tour (1998 - then the name for the Tour of Britain), the Ronde van Nederland (2003) and numerous others in addition to forming part of two winning time trial teams at the Tour. He also won two Olympic gold medals and may yet be awarded another, as he came 2nd behind Tyler Hamilton during the 2004 Time Trial - the American rider has subsequently given the medal back to the IOC after admitting to having doped.
Despite his success, Ekimov became known for his rather peculiar riding style - which, according to US Postal directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel, "always looks shit." Shortly after his retirement it was announced that he would become assistant directeur sportif to Bruyneel at RadioShack, then in 2011 he revealed that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season prior to the merger with Leopard Trek and taking up a new position as an adviser at the Russian Global Cycling Project.
Johan van Summeren
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| Johan van Summeren (image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0) |
His first major win was the Under-23 Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003, the same year he took a silver medal in the Under-23 Road Race World Championship. He first demonstrated the depth of his stage race potential in 2005 when he came 4th overall at the Tour Down Under, then won the Points Classification at the Tour of Britain the following season and the General Classification at the Tour of Poland a year after that. In 2008, he finished 8th overall at Paris-Roubaix, the world'd toughest one-day race. A year later, he improved to 5th place before a quiet year in 2010. In 2011, he broke away from the peloton with 15km to go and won the race by 19".
John Tanner is a Yorkshire-born cyclist who came into the world on this day in 1968. He competed in two Olympic Games (1996 and 2000) but has primarily concentrated on the British racing scene, becoming National Road Race Champion twice 1999 and 2000) and winning two Archer GPs (1997, 2005), two Tours of the Cotswolds (1997, 2001) and the Manx Trophy (1998), the latter having been the most prestigious British race for many years and able to attract names such as Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Fausto Coppi in addition to the cream of British cycling including Robert Millar, Brian Robinson, David Millar and Tommy Simpson. His greatest achievement has been winning the Premier Calendar, a competition decided by points accrued in a series of races throughout the season, a record five times (1994, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2002).
Peter Dawson, born in this day in 1982 in Pinjarra, Australia, is a multiple track world champion with five Team Pursuit titles to his name. He has also won stages at the Tour of Tamania, the Tour de Perth, the Tour of the Murray River and the International Cycling Classic.
Fred de Bruyne (born Belgium, 21.10.1930), who died on this day in 1994, was one of the greatest Classics riders of all time. During his professional career, he won Milan-San Remo (1956), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1956, 1958 and 1959), the Tour of Flanders (1957), Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (1961) and Paris-Roubaix (1957). He also performed well in stage races, winning Paris-Nice twice (1956 and 1958) and a total of six Tour de France stages in 1954 and 1956.
Tomas Vaitkus was born on this day in Klaipėda, now Lithuania, in 1982. He began his professional career with Landbouwkrediet-Colnago. He would later move to AG2R, then Discovery and in 2008 to Astana. He remained there for two seasons before leaving for RadioShack, the returned to Astana for 2011. At the end of the 2011 season, it was announced that he would race with the new Australian GreenEDGE team in 2012. Vaitkus became Under-23 World Time Trial Champion in 2002, later becoming National Elite Time Trial champ (2003 and 2004) and National Elite Road Race champ (2004 and 2008).
Sheldon Brown
Sheldon Brown, who died from a heart attack on this day in 2008 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis the previous August, was born on the 14th of July 1944, was parts manager at the Harris Cyclery bike shop in Massachusetts. Whilst there, his superb memory and eye for detail allowed him to build up a vast knowledge of bike components which he would use to create an encyclopedic website in conjunction with his employer. The website grew until it included technical information, workshop advice and tips on modification for (probably) almost every bike and bike component ever manufactured. Brown himself became a world-recognised expert on the subject and wrote several books. His writing on hub gears, especially Sturmey-Archer models, is considered authoritative.
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| Sheldon Brown, 1944-2008 |
In the final years of his life, Brown suffered serious nerve deterioration as a result of his illness, going back some time before MS was diagnosed and gradually destroying his balance so that he could no longer ride a conventional bike. he continued cycling on a recumbent tricycle until, eventually, he lost the use of his lower limbs.
Brown was universally liked by all who met him, cyclists and the general public, his cheery personality proving infectious. As he neared the end of his life, he wrote:
"Multiple Sclerosis is a nasty, rare, incurable disease, but there are lots of nasty rare incurable diseases out there. As nasty, rare, incurable diseases go, it's one of the better ones. If you must acquire a nasty, rare, incurable disease, MS is one of the best things going!... I think of it as not so much a "tragedy" as a Really Major Inconvenience... Another great thing about MS is that it's guilt free and blame free! Since nobody knows what causes it, nobody thinks it's because you didn't eat your vegtables, or had sex with the wrong person, or took inappropriate drugs, or lived in a place you shouldn't have, or didn't go to the gym as often as you should have!"
Other births: Robert Lelangue (Belgium, 1940); Ronald Cassidy (Trinidad and Tobago, 1939); Kurt Innes (Canada, 1971); Bruno Castanheira (Portugal, 1977); Choijiljavyn Samand (Mongolia, 1937); Fernando Vera (Chile, 1954); Francisco Pérez (Uruguay, 1934); Josef Genschieder (Austria, 1915, died 1943); Aleksandra Dawidowicz (Poland, 1987); Roberto Breppe (Argentina, 1941); Janka Števková (Slovakia, 1976); Juan Esteban Curuchet (Argentina, 1965); Toshiaki Fushimi (Japan, 1976); Yvonne Brunen (Netherlands, 1971); Eduard Gritsun (USSR, 1976); Peter Brotherton (Great Britain, 1931); Neil Hoban (Great Britain, 1966); Masahiro Yasuhara (Japan, 1963).
Friday 3 February 2012
Daily Cycling Facts 03.02.12
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| Hennie Kuiper (image credit: Poortugaalse Polleke CC BY-SA 3.0) |
Prior to the current growing interest in the sport, Hennie Kuiper - who was born in this day in Denekamp, Netherlands in 1949 - was one of the very few cyclists to become a household name in Britain and almost certainly the only foreign rider to achieve such a claim without winning a Tour de France. He owed it to two factors - winning the Milk Race (which would become the Tour of Britain) in 1972, and his piercing blue eyes which many women, including this author's mother, apparently found mesmerising. Winning gold at the 1972 Olympics had little to do with it, because only cyclists watched the cycling events on the television in Britain in those days.
In Europe, where the general population are a little more aware that the Tour is not the only race that matters than are the British public, his palmares was enough. After all, while he never stood on the top step of the podium after the Tour, he was on the second step twice and picked up a handful of stage wins at the Tour and Vuelta too. He also won the World Road Race Champion title in 1975 (and the National), becoming one of only four riders to have won gold the professional Worlds race and the Olympics. In 1976 he won the Tour de Suisse and was then selected as Dutch Sportsman of the Year in 1977, the same year he finished the Tour in 2nd place. He won a Tour stage the year after that and came second in the Tour de Romandie, then came 4th on the Tour and 3rd at Paris-Roubaix the following season, then 2nd again in the Tour a year later. In 1981 he won both the Tour of Flanders and the Giro di Lombardia, the Grand Prix de Wallonie in 1982 and Paris-Roubaix in 1983. 1984 was a little less successful and he had to settle for 9th in Paris-Roubaix, then he added his last major win in 1985 with Milan-San Remo. All in all, he won 74 races during his professional career.
Who cares about some summer jaunt around France?
Ernest J. Clements
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| Falcon Cycles - designed by Ernie Clements (image credit: Andrew Dressell CC BY-SA 3.0) |
In 1947, the NCU and other organisations began to consider the possibility of sending a British team to the Tour de France and approached Clements, inviting him to turn professional and form part of the team. However, mindful of the fact that the rules of the day prevented any cyclist who had been professional from competing in amateur events after retirement, he refused - and the Tour idea fizzled out anyway. Instead, he opened and ran a cycling shop to support himself, learning the art of frame building and becoming highly reputed for it. He would later become managing director of Falcon Cycles which, as older veteran cyclists can tell you, was once the producer of some of the best bikes in the world, rather than a name on the down tube of Far Eastern £50 supermarket specials. He held the position until the 1970s.
After retiring from Falcon, Clements opened another bike shop in 1990 so that he'd be able to keep in tough with the sport and young people taking it up for the first time. In later life, he developed Parkinson's Disease which led to his death on this day in 2009, when he was 83.
Florian Rousseau should by all rights be famous for winning three gold and one silver medals at the Olympics (1996 and 2000) and a long list of World and National titles on the track. However, he achieved cycling immortality through the faces he pulled whilst riding, which ranged from crowd-pleasing, cartoon-like weirdness to frankly terrifying, gargoyle-like grotesqueness. Off the bike, he's about the most normal-looking bloke you could imagine.
Other births: Manfred Klieme (Germany, 1936); Sergey Renev (Kazakhstan, 1985); David Handley (Great Britain, 1930); José Antonio Villanueva (Spain, 1979); Valery Batura (USSR, 1970); Jennifer Hohl (Switzerland, 1986); Roz Reekie-May (New Zealand, 1972); Jonas Carney (USA, 1971); Michael Stoute (Barbados, 1948); Luboš Lom (Czechoslovakia, 1965); Georges Schiltz (Luxembourg, 1901).
Thursday 2 February 2012
Daily Cycling Facts 02.02.12
On this day in 1896, during an interview with the New York World newspaper, the civil rights leader and suffragist Susan B. Anthony said the words that have become the most famous of the quotations attributed to her and one of the most famous to metnion bicycles...
Edith Atkins
Edith Atkins, born on this day in 1920 in Bilston, Great Britain, became famous for setting numerous long-distance cycling records during the 1950s. She had competed at international level in gymnastics during childhood, aided by her diminutive size (even in adulthood, she was less than than 1.52m tall) but, like many female cyclists of her day, she found her way into cycling by chance when her mother gave her a bike won while playing the card game whist. She discovered her racing potential when she was loaned a better bike by local cyclist Roland Atkins, whom she would later marry - though only after he admitted she was faster than him.
Atkins seems to have joined the Coventry Meteors club some time in the middle of the 1930s, then became part of the Coventry Road Club in 1938. Racing was limited by the Second World War and she didn't begin competing until 1946. Very soon, she found herself with a rival - Eileen Sheridan, a professional with the Hercules company that would later supply bikes for Britain's first Tour de France team and, in the 1950s, sponsored team member Brian Robinson who would become the first Briton to both finish a Tour and win a stage. Atkins, meanwhile, could not find a sponsor and even went so far as to remortgage her home so she could continue racing. Sheridan was sponsored to set records, so Atkins reasoned that the best way to attract a sponsor of her own was to break those records.
On the 25th of September 1952, she broke her first by riding from Land's End in Cornwall to London, a distance of 462km, in 17'13'31" - an average speed of almost 27kph. The next year, she broke the record times for Holyhead to London (425.3km, 13h31'57" = 31.4kph). Soon afterwards, she set out to beat the London-York record and did so (314km, 9h56'20" = 31.6kph) and then kept going. After 21h37' she reached Edinburgh, thus setting a new London-Edinburgh time. Still she kept going and, after having been riding for 24 hours, had covered 679km: her third record of the day. Since the previous women's distance record over 24 hours was 640km, she ended up setting four. After spending a few days in Scotland, she decided to have a go at the Edinburgh-Glasgow-Edinburgh record and beat that too, covering the 141.6km in 4h38'56". Two days later she rode between John O'Groats and Land's End (1,402km) and beat the previous record (set by a professional cyclist) by 4h48'.
Atkins continued setting records for many more years and became as acclaimed as one of the finest cyclists Britain has produced of either gender. Sheridan, meanwhile, is all but forgotten. She continued cycling for the rest of her life, still riding a minimum of 160km each week when she was 76 years old - the same year she entered 40 races. Three years later, she was hit by a car and killed as she wheeled her bike over the A45 road near Ryton-on-Dunsmore in Warwickshire.
Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar, a French cyclist who has spent the entirety of his eleven years as a professional to the time of writing with the FDJ team, was born on this day in 1979 in Mantes-la-Jolie. He has won the Route du Sud, one stage at the Tour de Suisse and two at the Tour de France outright, in addition to becoming winner of Stage 16 in the 2009 Tour after coming second behind Mikel Astarloza who was subsequently disqualified after a test carried out before the beginning of the race revealed traces of EPO.
Though known primarily as a breakaway rider, in that same stage - which included an ascent of that year's highest mountain Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard - he beat Alberto Contador, both the Schleck brothers and a number of other respected climbers. He also finished the 2003 Giro d'Italia in 13th place overall, beating the great Marco Pantani. However, he is likely to be remembered for the Stage 16 victory, which without Astarloza's cheating he still would have finished in a respectable second place despite colliding with a dog. The dog was unhurt.
Leon Meredith
Leon Meredith was born on this day in 1882 in St. Pancras, London, and records of his cycling career can be difficult to pin down as official documents show his name as having been Lewis Leon Meredith, contemporary reports call him Leon Lewis Meredith, other sources insist he was Leonard Lewis Meredith and those who knew him called him Jack. In appearance, he was what we now term a nerd - years later, Cycling magazine described him:
Naturally, they asked him to join their club, based in a neighbouring London borough to his home. They encouraged him to race and he won the first one he entered. He won the first of his seven World Championships, the 100km motor-paced race, in 1904 at Crystal Palace and did so in style: after 80km, his pace motorbike broke down and he was forced to veer up the banking and into the wall, crashing hard and turning multiple somersaults as he fell. When he stopped, blood pouring, he leapt to his feet and called for the team to bring him a replacement bike and a new motorpacer, then continued and won the race - beating the world record of the time by more than seven minutes. He was 16.
Unusually for a rider so talented on the track, Meredith was also highly respected on the road and set a number of time trial records, including becoming the first rider to complete 100 miles in under five hours which rather suggests that Britain could have had a stage winner at the Tour de France decades before Brian Robinson managed it. he was also a canny businessman, acquiring the patent rights to a revolutionary tubular tyre with diagonal threads that allowed access to the inner tube without the need to cut the stitching. Building on that success, he became managing director of a bike parts company and began importing high-end bikes from Europe, pioneered the development of lightweight alloy components and building the the firm up into one of the largest bicycle companies in Europe. Sadly it would fail and vanish in the 1960s, many years after his death. The company made him so wealthy that, when he was selected for what would have been the third of his four Olympics in 1916 (he'd raced in 1908 and won gold, 1912 when he won silver and would do so again in 1920) it was decided that he would compete at his own expense (the Games that year would be cancelled due to war).
He died on the 27th of January 1930, less than a week before his 48th birthday of a heart attack while skiing in Switzerland.
On this day in 2011, Jack Bobridge set a new Australian Record for the 4000m Individual Pursuit, covering the distance in 4'10.534".
Other births: Shane Archibold (New Zealand, 1989); Jiang Cuihua (China, 1975); Lorenzo Murdock (Jamaica, 1961); Mitsuhiro Suzuki (Japan, 1963); Paul Popp (Austria, 1963); Gösta Carlsson (Sweden, 1906, died 1992); Hong Yeong-Mi (South Korea, 1968); Marcello Neri (Italy, 1902, died 1993); Brian Chewter (Canada, 1954); Sanusi (Indonesia, 1933); Peter Pieters (Netherlands, 1962); Cédric Mathy (Belgium, 1970); Julio César León (Venezuela, 1925); Josiah Ng (Malaysia, 1980); Marcin Sapa (Poland, 1976).
"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel... the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."Gilbert Desmet was born on this day in 1931 in the Flemmish city of Roeselare. He should not be confused with another Belgian cyclist with the same name, born in 1936. The older Desmet, professional for fifteen years, never won a Grand Tour and has thus been largely forgotten, but wore the maillot jaune for two days in the 1956 Tour de France and then for nine days in 1963, as well as coming 4th overall in 1962. He also won Paris-Tours in 1958 and La Flèche Wallonne in 1964, in addition to around 100 other victories.
Edith Atkins
Edith Atkins, born on this day in 1920 in Bilston, Great Britain, became famous for setting numerous long-distance cycling records during the 1950s. She had competed at international level in gymnastics during childhood, aided by her diminutive size (even in adulthood, she was less than than 1.52m tall) but, like many female cyclists of her day, she found her way into cycling by chance when her mother gave her a bike won while playing the card game whist. She discovered her racing potential when she was loaned a better bike by local cyclist Roland Atkins, whom she would later marry - though only after he admitted she was faster than him.
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| Edith Atkins is passed a bidon by husband Roland |
On the 25th of September 1952, she broke her first by riding from Land's End in Cornwall to London, a distance of 462km, in 17'13'31" - an average speed of almost 27kph. The next year, she broke the record times for Holyhead to London (425.3km, 13h31'57" = 31.4kph). Soon afterwards, she set out to beat the London-York record and did so (314km, 9h56'20" = 31.6kph) and then kept going. After 21h37' she reached Edinburgh, thus setting a new London-Edinburgh time. Still she kept going and, after having been riding for 24 hours, had covered 679km: her third record of the day. Since the previous women's distance record over 24 hours was 640km, she ended up setting four. After spending a few days in Scotland, she decided to have a go at the Edinburgh-Glasgow-Edinburgh record and beat that too, covering the 141.6km in 4h38'56". Two days later she rode between John O'Groats and Land's End (1,402km) and beat the previous record (set by a professional cyclist) by 4h48'.
Atkins continued setting records for many more years and became as acclaimed as one of the finest cyclists Britain has produced of either gender. Sheridan, meanwhile, is all but forgotten. She continued cycling for the rest of her life, still riding a minimum of 160km each week when she was 76 years old - the same year she entered 40 races. Three years later, she was hit by a car and killed as she wheeled her bike over the A45 road near Ryton-on-Dunsmore in Warwickshire.
Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar, a French cyclist who has spent the entirety of his eleven years as a professional to the time of writing with the FDJ team, was born on this day in 1979 in Mantes-la-Jolie. He has won the Route du Sud, one stage at the Tour de Suisse and two at the Tour de France outright, in addition to becoming winner of Stage 16 in the 2009 Tour after coming second behind Mikel Astarloza who was subsequently disqualified after a test carried out before the beginning of the race revealed traces of EPO.
Though known primarily as a breakaway rider, in that same stage - which included an ascent of that year's highest mountain Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard - he beat Alberto Contador, both the Schleck brothers and a number of other respected climbers. He also finished the 2003 Giro d'Italia in 13th place overall, beating the great Marco Pantani. However, he is likely to be remembered for the Stage 16 victory, which without Astarloza's cheating he still would have finished in a respectable second place despite colliding with a dog. The dog was unhurt.
Leon Meredith
There was something Clark Kent, the children's comic-book hero, in the make-up of Edwardian cyclist Meredith. Like Clark Kent he presented a mild, shy, bespectacled image off the bike, but once on the bike he became Superman, beating all and sundry in a devastating manner.Meredith developed an interest in cycling when he was 13 years old and decided he'd ride from London to Brighton. Along the way, he met a group of riders from the Paddington Cycling Club who, concerned that a lad of his age would not be able to complete the 80km on the poor roads of the day and might get into difficulties without any means to summon assistance, invited him to ride with them. He agreed after they'd promised not to go too fast and leave him behind. A few miles up the road, they had to ask him to slow down so they could keep up.
Naturally, they asked him to join their club, based in a neighbouring London borough to his home. They encouraged him to race and he won the first one he entered. He won the first of his seven World Championships, the 100km motor-paced race, in 1904 at Crystal Palace and did so in style: after 80km, his pace motorbike broke down and he was forced to veer up the banking and into the wall, crashing hard and turning multiple somersaults as he fell. When he stopped, blood pouring, he leapt to his feet and called for the team to bring him a replacement bike and a new motorpacer, then continued and won the race - beating the world record of the time by more than seven minutes. He was 16.
Unusually for a rider so talented on the track, Meredith was also highly respected on the road and set a number of time trial records, including becoming the first rider to complete 100 miles in under five hours which rather suggests that Britain could have had a stage winner at the Tour de France decades before Brian Robinson managed it. he was also a canny businessman, acquiring the patent rights to a revolutionary tubular tyre with diagonal threads that allowed access to the inner tube without the need to cut the stitching. Building on that success, he became managing director of a bike parts company and began importing high-end bikes from Europe, pioneered the development of lightweight alloy components and building the the firm up into one of the largest bicycle companies in Europe. Sadly it would fail and vanish in the 1960s, many years after his death. The company made him so wealthy that, when he was selected for what would have been the third of his four Olympics in 1916 (he'd raced in 1908 and won gold, 1912 when he won silver and would do so again in 1920) it was decided that he would compete at his own expense (the Games that year would be cancelled due to war).
He died on the 27th of January 1930, less than a week before his 48th birthday of a heart attack while skiing in Switzerland.
On this day in 2011, Jack Bobridge set a new Australian Record for the 4000m Individual Pursuit, covering the distance in 4'10.534".
Other births: Shane Archibold (New Zealand, 1989); Jiang Cuihua (China, 1975); Lorenzo Murdock (Jamaica, 1961); Mitsuhiro Suzuki (Japan, 1963); Paul Popp (Austria, 1963); Gösta Carlsson (Sweden, 1906, died 1992); Hong Yeong-Mi (South Korea, 1968); Marcello Neri (Italy, 1902, died 1993); Brian Chewter (Canada, 1954); Sanusi (Indonesia, 1933); Peter Pieters (Netherlands, 1962); Cédric Mathy (Belgium, 1970); Julio César León (Venezuela, 1925); Josiah Ng (Malaysia, 1980); Marcin Sapa (Poland, 1976).
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Daily Cycling Facts 01.02.12
Jurgen van den Broeck
Jurgen van den Broeck was born on this day 1983 in Herentals, Belgium (once the home of Rik van Looy). Van den Broeck first made his mark as a time trial rider, a discipline within which he still excels, becoming World Junior Champion in 2001. Within a year, he had also displayed a talent for the Classics, winning 1st place overall at the Tour of Limburg. In 2003, he took a silver medal at the National Time Trial Championships, then finished in the top ten at the Tour of Belgium in 2004 and Eneco Tour in 2005 before winning bronze at the National Time Trials in 2007.
Then, in 2008, he was a surprise 7th overall at the Giro d'Italia. He came 15th in the Tour de France in 2009 and won the Herentals Criterium. In 2010, he came 4th overall at the challenging Critérium du Dauphiné, a race that has frequently revealed riders destined for future Tour de France greatness - which was confirmed when he finished the Tour in 5th place overall the same year. He won Stage 1 and came 4th overall in the 2011 Dauphiné and was expected to perform well in the Tour, but was forced to abandon after a crash during a fast descent on Stage 9 which left him with a fractured shoulder and ribs and pneumothorax.
Roberto Heras
Roberto Heras Hernández, born in Béjar, Spain on this day in 1974, is one of only two men to be officially listed as having won the Vuelta a Espana three times (the other being Tony Rominger). He has, in fact, won it a record four times but tested positive for EPO in Stage 20, 2005, leading to his fourth victory being disqualified. He appealed the decision at the court of Castilla y León and was successful, but at the time of writing it has not yet been decided by the UCI, Spanish Cycling Federation and Court for Arbitration in Sport if the decision is valid.
Heras turned professional with Kelme in 1995 and immediately began to show promise as a climber, developing his skills sufficiently that in 2000 he was offered a contract to ride with US Postal. He took it and soon became known as Lance Armstrong's right-hand man in the mountains, playing an important part in the helping the Texan towards his record-breaking seven Tour de France wins.
Gastone Nencini
Gastone Nencini (nicknamed "The Lion of Mugello" after his birthplace, Barberino del Mugello in Tuscany), died on this day in 1980, precisely one month before his 50th birthday. He was an example of that rarest of cycling breeds, an ace climber (he won the King of the Mountains at the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1957) who could also descend at high speed. Most climbers, due to their typically skeletal figures, lack the physical mass to keep a bike under control while riding fast down a hill - but according to French National Champion and multiple Tour stage winner Raphaël Géminiani, "the only reason to follow Nencini downhill would be if you had a death wish." Roger Rivière, a fast descender and several times a Tour stage winner himself, ignored that advice in 1960 when he tried to follow the Italian down from the Col de Perjuret - shortly after beginning the descent, he hit a low wall, plunged over the side and broke his spine; spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Even more unusually for a rider who could climb like he did, Nencini was a chain smoker.
Nencini was the inspiration for one of the first anti-doping drives, set up by official Tour doctor Pierre Dumas after he saw the rider injecting himself with stored blood. He'd learned the technique from Swedish runners, who had apparently been using the technique for several years.
In 1957, the year he won his two King of the Mountains competitions, he also won the Giro outright, beating 2nd place Louison Bobet by 19" and 3rd place Ercole Baldini by almost six minutes. His Tour win came in 1960, when he also finished the Giro in 2nd place overall, beating Graziano Battistini by more than five minutes.
French rider Philippe Casado was born in this day in 1964 on Oujda, Morocco. Though never counted among the top riders of his day, he enjoyed considerable success during his career including one stage win and four podium finishes in the Tour of Britain in addition to numerous podium finishes in other races. He died on the 21st of January in 1995, when he was still only 30 years old. Twelve years after his death, Greg Lemond - for many years a very vocal opponent of doping and supporter of methods designed to stamp out the problem - recounted a tale of a rider with whom he had been close friends. He wouldn't give a name but said that his friend's drugs-related death was the reason he decided to retire. The description of the rider and his palmares left few people in any doubt whatsoever that he was referring to Casado.
Other births: Chris Pritchard (Great Britain, 1983); Roberto Petito (Italy, 1971); James Stevenson (Great Britain, 1877); John Bylsma (Australia, 1946); Dashjamtsyn Tömörbaatar (Mongolia, 1957); Tibor Lendvai (Hungary, 1940); John Malois (Canada, 1971); Chainarong Sophonpong (Thailand, 1944); Daniel Huwyler (Switzerland, 1963); Reinaldo Paseiro (Cuba, 1925); Robert Thalmann (Switzerland, 1949) Makio Madarame (Japan, 1972); Vernon Stauble (Trinidad and Tobago, 1950); Víctor Chirinos (Venezuela, 1941); Stig Mårtensson (Sweden, 1923, died 2010); Hsu Chin-Te (Taipei, 1966).
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| Jurgen van den Broeck (image credit: Kid For Today CC BY-SA 3.0) |
Then, in 2008, he was a surprise 7th overall at the Giro d'Italia. He came 15th in the Tour de France in 2009 and won the Herentals Criterium. In 2010, he came 4th overall at the challenging Critérium du Dauphiné, a race that has frequently revealed riders destined for future Tour de France greatness - which was confirmed when he finished the Tour in 5th place overall the same year. He won Stage 1 and came 4th overall in the 2011 Dauphiné and was expected to perform well in the Tour, but was forced to abandon after a crash during a fast descent on Stage 9 which left him with a fractured shoulder and ribs and pneumothorax.
Roberto Heras
Roberto Heras Hernández, born in Béjar, Spain on this day in 1974, is one of only two men to be officially listed as having won the Vuelta a Espana three times (the other being Tony Rominger). He has, in fact, won it a record four times but tested positive for EPO in Stage 20, 2005, leading to his fourth victory being disqualified. He appealed the decision at the court of Castilla y León and was successful, but at the time of writing it has not yet been decided by the UCI, Spanish Cycling Federation and Court for Arbitration in Sport if the decision is valid.
Heras turned professional with Kelme in 1995 and immediately began to show promise as a climber, developing his skills sufficiently that in 2000 he was offered a contract to ride with US Postal. He took it and soon became known as Lance Armstrong's right-hand man in the mountains, playing an important part in the helping the Texan towards his record-breaking seven Tour de France wins.
Gastone NenciniGastone Nencini (nicknamed "The Lion of Mugello" after his birthplace, Barberino del Mugello in Tuscany), died on this day in 1980, precisely one month before his 50th birthday. He was an example of that rarest of cycling breeds, an ace climber (he won the King of the Mountains at the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1957) who could also descend at high speed. Most climbers, due to their typically skeletal figures, lack the physical mass to keep a bike under control while riding fast down a hill - but according to French National Champion and multiple Tour stage winner Raphaël Géminiani, "the only reason to follow Nencini downhill would be if you had a death wish." Roger Rivière, a fast descender and several times a Tour stage winner himself, ignored that advice in 1960 when he tried to follow the Italian down from the Col de Perjuret - shortly after beginning the descent, he hit a low wall, plunged over the side and broke his spine; spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Even more unusually for a rider who could climb like he did, Nencini was a chain smoker.
Nencini was the inspiration for one of the first anti-doping drives, set up by official Tour doctor Pierre Dumas after he saw the rider injecting himself with stored blood. He'd learned the technique from Swedish runners, who had apparently been using the technique for several years.
In 1957, the year he won his two King of the Mountains competitions, he also won the Giro outright, beating 2nd place Louison Bobet by 19" and 3rd place Ercole Baldini by almost six minutes. His Tour win came in 1960, when he also finished the Giro in 2nd place overall, beating Graziano Battistini by more than five minutes.
French rider Philippe Casado was born in this day in 1964 on Oujda, Morocco. Though never counted among the top riders of his day, he enjoyed considerable success during his career including one stage win and four podium finishes in the Tour of Britain in addition to numerous podium finishes in other races. He died on the 21st of January in 1995, when he was still only 30 years old. Twelve years after his death, Greg Lemond - for many years a very vocal opponent of doping and supporter of methods designed to stamp out the problem - recounted a tale of a rider with whom he had been close friends. He wouldn't give a name but said that his friend's drugs-related death was the reason he decided to retire. The description of the rider and his palmares left few people in any doubt whatsoever that he was referring to Casado.
Other births: Chris Pritchard (Great Britain, 1983); Roberto Petito (Italy, 1971); James Stevenson (Great Britain, 1877); John Bylsma (Australia, 1946); Dashjamtsyn Tömörbaatar (Mongolia, 1957); Tibor Lendvai (Hungary, 1940); John Malois (Canada, 1971); Chainarong Sophonpong (Thailand, 1944); Daniel Huwyler (Switzerland, 1963); Reinaldo Paseiro (Cuba, 1925); Robert Thalmann (Switzerland, 1949) Makio Madarame (Japan, 1972); Vernon Stauble (Trinidad and Tobago, 1950); Víctor Chirinos (Venezuela, 1941); Stig Mårtensson (Sweden, 1923, died 2010); Hsu Chin-Te (Taipei, 1966).
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Holland Ladies' Tour suspended
Chairman of the organisation Marten de Lange says, "We need a miracle for the race to go ahead at this late stage, but we will continue to look for one. However, the towns that would have been hosting stages need to be aware that there are uncertainties."
It is understood that a main sponsor has pulled out and several smaller firms have also withdrawn their support from the race, which was due to start on the 4th of September and would have provided a rehearsal for the 2012 World Championships. Women's cycling has had a tough time of it in recent years with many races being brought to a halt for the same reason, among them some of the sport's greatest events such as the Women's Tour de France. Several teams have also closed after loss of financial backing.
Women's races are unable to generate attendance figure rivaling those of men's races for a number of reasons - a general feeling that they are somehow less exciting (not helped by certain UCI figures), lack of exposure on TV and in the press and other factors - which has the effect of convincing sponsors that they're not getting value for the money they put in. This means the sport has always lived hand-to-mouth on budgets that are miniscule compared to men's racing; but the problem becomes worse each time an event is forced to close, as racing is what generates exposure - thus the problem fuels itself. It's a tragedy when any race comes to an end, but the damage done is far greater in women's cycling - especially when it's a race as prestigious and important as this one.
Daily Cycling Facts 31.01.12
Henri Desgrange
Father of the Tour de France - some would say not its inventor, despite the impression he liked to give once it became apparent that the race was going to be successful beyond anybody's wildest dreams - Henri Desgrange was born on this day in 1865 in Paris, one of twins and into an affluent, upper-middle-class family. His brother George is described as having been "totally devoid of all ambition," but the same was not true of Henri who, it appears, may have been qualified to practice as a lawyer - this has not been proved but the first edition of his L'Auto newspaper states that he was "a former advocate of the Court of Appeal," and he was most certainly employed at a law office owned by a firm named Depeux-Dumesnil, based near the Place de Clichy in the North-West Quadrant. Legend has it that he was threatened with dismissal for wearing tight socks that showed his thighs as he cycled to work and, as a result, was given the choice of finding another means of transport or finding employment elsewhere. He saw this as an opportunity and walked out, dedicating the rest of his life to the sport he loved.
Degrange was a cyclist of considerable note in his own right. He had been inspired to take it up when he went to watch the inaugural Bordeaux-Paris race in 1891 and bought his first bike soon afterwards, originally hoping to make a name as a track rider. However, he found that he wasn't able to accelerate as quickly as other riders, which gave him a serious disadvantage. Endurance events suited his physique far better and in 1893 he set the world's first ratified Hour Record by riding 35.325km at the Vélodrome Buffalo, the first of twelve records he would set during his career. Four years later, he became the director of the new Vélodrome Parc des Princes, a facility that had been so badly built that spectators had to be kept out of the stands when it first opened for fear of structural collapse. However, he proved a wise choice for the job and made good use of the central area surrounded by the 666m track; making it available for other events which brought in much-need extra income so that he was able to improve the building and develop it to a point where it became the city's premier sports stadium. Towards the end of 1903, he also took over the directorship of Paris' first indoor track, the Vélodrome d'Hiver, which would later be hired out by Desgrange's successor Jacques Goddet for fascist rallies and handed over to the Nazis as a temporary prison for Jews before they could be transported to concentration camps.
At the turn of the last century, France was divided over the Dreyfus Affair and Desgrange was an avowed anti-Dreyfusard. Dreyfus was an Army captain, the highest Jewish military figure in the country, who had been accused of selling state secrets to Germany - treason, no less, for which the maximum penalty was death. The charges against him were trumped up, partly due to the antisemitism of some of his opponents; but it should be realised that Desgrange was not necessarily an antisemite himself (Goddet's beliefs, as we have seen, were questionable) - indeed, it seems quite likely that he was not when one takes into account his passionate admiration for the writer Émile Zola, whose style he tried to emulate in his own writing and who, as one of the most vocal Dreyfusards, attacked antisemitism and was instrumental in the Captain's eventual complete exoneration of all charges. His opposition to Dreyfus is perhaps more likely to have stemmed from the fact that the Captain was from Alsace, which had passed into German hands in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian war to the very great embarrassment of France, leading to a deep suspicion of all Germans and anybody who might favour them. It was Desgrane's opposition to Dreyfus that landed him his next job, however, when wealthy anti-Dreyfusard industrialists the Comte de Dion and Adolphe Clément were looking for somebody to edit the L'Auto newspaper that they were setting up in the hope of driving the existing paper Le Vélo and its Dreyfusard editor Pierre Giffard (who had told them he was no longer willing to carry their advertisements on account of their differences) into bankruptcy.
Still not entirely convinced that the event would be a success, Desgrange decided to stay away from the race so that he couldn't be blamed if it all went wrong (he would do the same a few years later when mountains were first introduced, fearing that the riders would die of exhaustion, be attacked by bandits or eaten by bears and not wanting to shoulder responsibility if any of these happened) and sent Geo Lefèvre instead (Lefèvre had been the man who thought up the race in the first place when Desgrange was ordered by L'Auto's owners to improve circulation figures). It was an immediate hit, with all of France turning out to watch the heroic riders battle 2,428km in six stages around the country. It had the desired effect on L'Auto's sales figures, too, which increased to more than 60,000 (some sources put the figure even higher, sometimes as much as double this). Twenty years later, it sold half a million copies a day. Desgrange's reputation was made, and he spent the rest of his life more than happy to let people believe that it was he who had thought up the whole thing in the first place. However, while Lefèvre is often called the true father of the Tour (or so the story goes - for an alternative take on the birth of the race, click here), it was Desgrange who raised it and developed it into the largest sports event on the planet - and in doing so, he invented the sport of bicycle stage racing.
Desgrange underwent surgery on his prostate in 1936, requiring two operations either side of the Tour, and convinced his reluctant surgeon to agree to him attending in a car padded out with cushions and with a doctor in attendance. At that time, many roads outside of the centre of Paris were primitive, at best cobbled and at worst, unsurfaced tracks full of potholes and gulleys (in rural areas, they would remain as such until the Tour became televised, at which point local mayors began to find the money to modernise them so that the world wouldn't think their communities backward) and even in the first stage it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to continue. He attempted to continue through Stage 2, with a fever and in great pain, but was forced to give up. He retired that day, handing over L'Auto's editorship to Jacques Goddet and his daily column to a journalist named Charles Faurous, then traveled to his chateau. He died four years later at his villa on the Mediterranean.
Harry Hill
Harry Hill, a record-breaking British cyclist and bronze-winning Olympian, died on this day in 2009. Hill's Olympic appearance came at the infamous 1936 Games, held in Nazi Germany, and he may have won silver or even gold were it not for the fact to get to Germany, he needed to first get from his home near Sheffield to London. He had no money, and nor did his mother who had raised him alone after his father was killed while fighting in Africa in the First World War. So, he rode the 200 miles (322km) on the bike with which he planned to enter.
Once back in Britain, he faced the same problem - but this time it was worse. On the way there he'd had just enough money to buy food and had carefully saved enough to do the same on the way there, but whilst in Germany temptation had got the better of him and he'd spent it all on a souvenir jacket. There was no alternative: he'd have to do it without eating. He couldn't, of course, and "only" managed 170 miles before he cracked and had to thumb a lift.
The following year, Hill set a new Hour Record for an outdoor track in Milan, covering 25 miles (40.23km). In 1976, when he was 60 years old, he cycled across North America. He claimed to have never smoked or consumed alcohol in his life. He rode his bike every day from the age of 13 until 2004, when he fractured his hip. He was Britain's oldest winner of an Olympic medal when he died aged 92 of pneumonia.
Wilfried Wesemael, winner of the General Classification at the 1979 Tour de Suisse, was born on this day in 1950 in Aalst, Belgium.
Other cyclists born on this day: Ted King (USA, 1983); Lisa Mathison (Australia, 1985); Georges Augoyat (France, 1882, died 1963); Anthony Williamsen (USA, 1880, died 1956); Mario Gentili (Italy, 1913, died 1999); Luigi Borghetti (Italy, 1943); Camilla Larsson (Sweden, 1975); Mikhail Kountras (Greece, 1952); Rolf Järmann (Switzerland, 1966); Annett Neumann (Germany, 1970); Craig Adair (New Zealand, 1963); Jaap ten Kortenaar (Netherlands, 1964); Niels van der Steen (Netherlands, 1972); Marcelo Greuel (Brazi, 1963); Walter Pérez (Argentina, 1973).
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| Desgrange set a number of cycling records as a young man and became National Tricycle Champion in 1893 |
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| Desgrange is frequently remembered as a humourless tyrant - but was that description entirely deserved? |
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| Desgrange at the 1913 Tour (second from right with cigarette and long coat). Rural roads would not have been much better when he set out to follow the race for the final time in 1936 |
Desgrange underwent surgery on his prostate in 1936, requiring two operations either side of the Tour, and convinced his reluctant surgeon to agree to him attending in a car padded out with cushions and with a doctor in attendance. At that time, many roads outside of the centre of Paris were primitive, at best cobbled and at worst, unsurfaced tracks full of potholes and gulleys (in rural areas, they would remain as such until the Tour became televised, at which point local mayors began to find the money to modernise them so that the world wouldn't think their communities backward) and even in the first stage it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to continue. He attempted to continue through Stage 2, with a fever and in great pain, but was forced to give up. He retired that day, handing over L'Auto's editorship to Jacques Goddet and his daily column to a journalist named Charles Faurous, then traveled to his chateau. He died four years later at his villa on the Mediterranean.
Harry Hill
Once back in Britain, he faced the same problem - but this time it was worse. On the way there he'd had just enough money to buy food and had carefully saved enough to do the same on the way there, but whilst in Germany temptation had got the better of him and he'd spent it all on a souvenir jacket. There was no alternative: he'd have to do it without eating. He couldn't, of course, and "only" managed 170 miles before he cracked and had to thumb a lift.
The following year, Hill set a new Hour Record for an outdoor track in Milan, covering 25 miles (40.23km). In 1976, when he was 60 years old, he cycled across North America. He claimed to have never smoked or consumed alcohol in his life. He rode his bike every day from the age of 13 until 2004, when he fractured his hip. He was Britain's oldest winner of an Olympic medal when he died aged 92 of pneumonia.
Wilfried Wesemael, winner of the General Classification at the 1979 Tour de Suisse, was born on this day in 1950 in Aalst, Belgium.
Other cyclists born on this day: Ted King (USA, 1983); Lisa Mathison (Australia, 1985); Georges Augoyat (France, 1882, died 1963); Anthony Williamsen (USA, 1880, died 1956); Mario Gentili (Italy, 1913, died 1999); Luigi Borghetti (Italy, 1943); Camilla Larsson (Sweden, 1975); Mikhail Kountras (Greece, 1952); Rolf Järmann (Switzerland, 1966); Annett Neumann (Germany, 1970); Craig Adair (New Zealand, 1963); Jaap ten Kortenaar (Netherlands, 1964); Niels van der Steen (Netherlands, 1972); Marcelo Greuel (Brazi, 1963); Walter Pérez (Argentina, 1973).
Monday 30 January 2012
Kittel blood procedure legal until 2011
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| Marcel Kittel (image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0) |
The procedure, which is of highly questionable value and generally considered on the fringe of medical science, involves the removal of an amount of blood which is then "treated" with ultra-violet light, supposedly to increase the body's resistance to infection. There is little scientific evidence to show it has any beneficial effect and none to suggest it enhances athletic performance - and the amounts in question fall far short of what is required in blood doping whereby large quantities are removed to later be injected back into the body so as to boost the circulation's ability to carry oxygen to the muscles.
The procedure was added as part of an effort to outlaw all forms of intravenous injection due to worries that similar methods might be used to mask the use and presence of banned drugs.
The claims were made by German broadcaster ARD and widely reported elsewhere, including here, but there now seems to be no likelihood of the rider facing investigation for wrong-doing. It4i team management responded to the broadcaster with a press release that included the following:
"For Marcel Kittel, this doctor was also his official contact point in case of health problems. Furthermore, the management of Project 1t4i can report that two other cyclists of the team, Patrick Gretsch and John Degenkolb have also had contact with this doctor in the past.
The team has not heard from the German Public Prosecutor that investigates Dr. Franke, nor from the German anti-doping agency in Bonn, nor from the international world anti-doping agency WADA. The team was also not approached by the German television network ARD."
ARD says that it has evidence 28 athletes are linked to an ongoing case involving the doctor, but it is not known if they too will escape investigation.
Women's Tour of Qatar starters and course guides
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| Click for enlargement (image credit: ASO) |
Stage 1, 1.02.12
Camel Race Track - Al Khor Corniche (97km)
Stage 2: 2.02.12
Al Zubara Fort - Madinat Al Shamal (114.5km)
Stage 3: 3.02.12
Katara Cultural Village - Katara Cultural Village (92.5km)
Total: 304km
Click for Stage Guides
Starters (subject to change)
1: China Chongming - Giant Pro Cycling
1 CHEN, Li2 HUANG, Dong Yan
3 LIU, Xin
4 LUO, Xiao Ling
5 SHENG, Yongyan
6 YUAN, Yunyun
2: Diadora-Pasta Zara
11 ANDRUK, Alona12 BATAGELJ, Polona
13 BRONZINI, Giorgia
14 CILVINAITE, Inga
15 DONATO, Giulia
16 JANELIUNAITE, Edita
3: France
21 AUDE, Biannic22 CORDON, Audrey
23 JEULAND, Nathalie
24 JEULAND, Pascale
25 LESUEUR, Mélodie
26 VERHOEVEN, Aurore
4: Germany
31 BUBNER, Janine32 GEBHARDT, Elke
33 KASPER, Romy
34 POHL, Stephanie
35 SANDIG, Madeleine
36 SCHNITZMEIER, Anna-Bianca
5: GreenEdge-AIS
41 ARNDT, Judith42 GUNNEWIJK, Loes
43 HOSKINS, Melissa
44 MACLEAN, Jessie
45 RHODES, Alexis
46 SPRATT, Amanda
6: Team Hitec Products UCK
51 BERGSETH, Johanne52 HATTELAND, Tone
53 LONGO BORGHINI, Elisa
54 MUSTONEN, Sara
55 NØSTVOLD, Lise
56 WAERSTAD, Froydis
7: Italy
61 DONADONI, Alice62 CANTELE, Noemi
63 CONFALONIERI, Maria Giulia
64 PATUZZO, Eleonora
65 SCANDOLARA, Valentina
66 VANNUCCI, Chiara
8: Lotto Belisol Ladies
71 DUYCK, Ann-sophie72 HANNES, Kaat
73 HENRION, Ludivine
74 SCHOONBAERT, Kim
75 TAYLOR, Cherise
76 LOOY, Katrien Van
9: MCipollini - Giambenini - Gauss
81 BACCAILE, Monia82 BASTIANELLI, Marta
83 BORCHI, Alessandra
84 CECCHINI, Elena
85 GUDERZO, Tatiana
86 TAGLIAFERRO, Marta
10: Dolmans - Boels Cycling Team
91 BRAS, Martine92 LAVRIJSSEN, Birgit
93 SPOOR, Winanda
94 BREGGEN, Anna Van Der
95 KAMP, Laura Van Der
96 WILD, Kirsten
11: Skil - 1t4i
101 BRUINS, Regina102 KANIS, Janneke
103 PIETERS, Amy
104 TROMP, Esra
105 RIJEN, Linda Van
106 VISSER, Adrie
12: Rabobank Ladies Team
111 VOCHT, Liesbet De112 DÜSTER, Sarah
113 KITCHEN, Lauren
114 KNETEMANN, Roxane
115 SLAPPENDEL, Iris
116 TALEN, Rebecca
13: Team Specialized- Lululemon
121 BECKER, Charlotte122 BRENNAUER, Lisa
123 COLCLOUGH, Katie
124 HOSKING, Chloe
125 DIJK, Ellen Van
126 WORRACK, Trixi
14: Topsport Vlaanderen - Ridley 2012
131 BEYEN, Ine132 BRULEE, Latoya
133 CROKET, Gilke
134 POLSPOEL, Maaike
135 BRANDE, Edith Vanden
136 VEKEMANS, Anisha
15: Exergy Twenty12
141 CROWELL, Jacquelyn142 OLDS, Shelley
143 RIVERA, Coryn
144 RYAN, Kendall
145 SCHNEIDER, Samantha
146 WILES, Taylor
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