Daily Cycling Facts 17.12.11

Moreno Argentin
(image credit: James Herman,
CC BY 2.0)

Happy birthday to "Il Capo" Moreno Argentin, the retired Italian cyclist who was World Champion in 1986, National Champion in 1983 and 1989, won thirteen stages in the Giro d'Italia, two stages in the Tour de France and Liège–Bastogne–Liège four times, the La Flèche Wallonne three times and the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Giro di Lombardia once, along with a hist of track titles. He was born in 1960.

Santos González, born on this day in Crevillent, Spain, was National Time Trial Champion in 1999 and 2001. In 2000, he won Stage 21 at the Vuelta a Espana - unsurprisingly an individual time trial - and came 4th overall in the General Classification.

On this day in 1886, Thomas Stevens completed the last bicycle stage of his successful attempt to circumnavigate the globe as far as possible by bicycle. He then took a ship from China to first Japan and then to San Francisco, where he arrived in January 1887. He did the journey on a Columbia 50" penny-farthing made by the Pope Manufacturing Company who kept it as an exhibition piece up until 1940 when it was donated as scrap for the war effort.

Czech rider Pavel Padrnos, born in Petrovice on this day in 1970, won the Bayern Rudnfahrt in 1994 and the Peace Race in 1995.

On this day in 1903, bike shop owners/mechanics Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully completed what is thought to have been the first controlled and powered flight by a heavier-than-air craft, the Wright Flyer.

Other births: Fernando Camargo (Colombia, 1977); Blair Stockwell (New Zealand, 1949); Claude le Chatellier (France, 1946); Maureen Kaila (El Salvador, 1964); Nathael Sagard (Canada, 1967); Paulo Jamur (Brazil, 1964); Harry Wittmann (USA, 1885, died 1968); Tony Ledgard (Peru, 1971); Arnstein Raunehaug (Norway, 1960); Damdinsürengiin Orgodol (Mongolia, 1956).

Daily Cycling Facts 16.12.11

Charly Mottet
(image credit: Eric Houdas CC BY-SA 3.0) 

Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet was born in Valence, France on this day in 1962 and rode professionally from 1983 to 1994 - a period during which he earned widespread acclaim as one of the strongest French riders in the post-Hinault era with some 67 race victories. He never won a Tour de France but twice came 4th (1987 and and 1991), also coming 6th in 1989 and winning Stage 15 in 1990 and 11 and 12 in 1991. He won Stages 9 and 11 at the 1986 Vuelta a Espana, but his best Grand Tour results came from the Giro d'Italia - he won the Youth Classification in 1984 and Stage 16 in 1990 when he was 2nd overall in the General Classification.

Mottet's other successes - which include the Tour de l'Avenir in 1986, the Tour du Limousin in 1987 and 1993, the Tour de Romandie in 1990 and three editions of the Critérium du Dauphiné (1987, 1989 and 1992) suggest that the rider could have won a Grand Tour, perhaps even the Tour. However, as he was becoming known among fans for his successes, he was also becoming known among riders for what seemed a strange eccentricity at the time - his steadfast refusal to resort to any form of doping or performance-enhancing drugs whatsoever. When we bear in mind that he was racing at a time when the vast majority of riders would swallow or inject anything their soigneurs suggested without even momentary consideration for what they might be doing to themselves, Mottet's refusal to do so - and continued success against riders who were quite literally doped up to the eyeballs - is both remarkable and evidence of a truly great, heroically strong rider.

Roy Schuiten

 Dutch cyclist Roy Schuiten, who took part in two Tours de France and four Giro's d'Italia, was born on this in 1950. His best results were winning the Grand prix des Nations in 1974 and 1975, winning also the Rund um den Henninger-Turm in the latter year. He won the Trofeo Barrachi twice, with Francesco Moser in 1974 and with Knut Knudsen four years later, and three stages in the 1974 Tour of Britain. He died as a result of a stomach haemorrhage on the 19th of September 2006, aged 55.

Cartoon from the New York World
report on Aaronson's crash

Happy birthday to Jared Graves, the Autralian BMX and 4X and downhill mountain bike rider. Jared was 4X World Champion in 2009 and won four out of six rounds to take the 2010 UCI 4X World Cup. He was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, in 1982.

On this day in 1900, Swedish Oscar Aaronson (also spelled Aronson) was involved in a crash at the Madison Square Garden Six Day Race in New York. He died six days later (contemporary report) from a combination of his injuries, exhaustion and pneumonia - before his death, other riders expressed concern that the crash "might prove fatal to six-day racing itself."

Tommaso de Pra, who was born in Mortara, Italy on this day in 1938, won Stage 10 and wore the yellow jersey for one day in the 1966 Tour de France. He also won Stage 6 at the 1966 Tour de Suisse and Stage 3a at the 1968 Vuelta a Espana.

Cesare Cippolini, older brother of Mario and himself a retired a professional cyclist, was born on this day in 1958.

Jo Planckaert, winner of stages at the Tour de Wallonie, Tour du Limousin, Vuelta a Andalucia and the Tour of Swede, was born on this day in Deinze, Belgium in 1970. He is the son of Willy Planckaert, the winner of the Points Competition at the 1966 Tour de France. His best result was 2nd place at the 1997 Paris-Roubaix.

Joseph Gottschalk
Joseph Gottschalk, born in Dallas on this day in 1950, attended a Catholic seminary during his youth and was remarkable only in that he was "nerdy, even by seminary standards" according to those who knew him. However, he revealed himself as possessing a very fine backbone indeed when he refused point-blank to do anything to assist the war effort after he was drafted to fight in Vietnam, spending lengthy periods in tough military prisons yet never giving up his pacifist beliefs.

In 1976, he got married and settled down, vanishing from the public eye and raising four children. He divorced in 2000 and spent the next three years living as quietly as he had done during his marriage. Then, in 2003, he decided that he wanted to encourage people to appreciate the human form and personal liberty - which he expressed by riding his bike around San Antonio dressed only in a thong. He quickly came to attention of local news programmes glad for an amusing "And finally..." story that was subsequently covered by the Associated Press service, bringing him to international fame as Thong Man. On the 17th of June that year, he dropped the thong in favour of a "tan bag" - covering only his genitals - which proved too much for the police to tolerate and he was arrested and charged for indecent exposure. Gottschalk argued that the charge was "morality based on appearance" and became a hero for some (though the majority of the public in conservative San Antonio were outraged by his behavior). Four days later, his naked corpse was discovered lying at the bottom of a 30m cliff in Big Bend National Park. Police ruled the death a suicide, but many of his supporters and fans believe that he was murdered by persons unknown.

Other births: Anna Baylis (Australia, 1976); Kristel Werckx (Belgium, 1969); Roberto Heredero (Cuba, 1950); Alberto Rodríguez (Uruguay, 1947); Michaela Brunngraber (Austria, 1964); Antonio Urquijo (Chile, 1960); Yousef Shadi (Libya, 1969); Cesare Cipollini (Italy, 1958); Robin Reid (New Zealand, 1975); Edgardo Simón (Argentina, 1974); Norbert Verougstraete (Belgium, 1934); Sean Bloch (South Africa, 1973).

Daily Cycling Facts 15.12.11

John Murphy (image credit: Jejecam CC BY-SA 3.0)

John Murphy, the BMC rider who became US National Criterium Champion in 2009, was born in Jacksonville, Florida on this day in 1984. His best results in 2011 have been 6th place finishes in the Skoda Velothon Berlin and Omloop van het Houtland.

On this day in 1928, Canterbury Velodrome in Sydney opened for training. It was the only board track in Australia and, with a pitch of 40 degrees, the steepest track in the country. Financial problems caused the track to close down in 1937 and it has been long since demolished.

Charles Holland
Charles Holland, who died on this day in 1989 at the age of 81, has been criminally almost forgotten except among cycling historians and the few fans left who were fortunate enough to have seen him race. He deserves much more because, with Bill Burl, he was the first British rider to ride in a Tour de France, competing in 1937.

Considering the thinly (and sometimes, not at all) veiled dislike the French organisers and fans often displayed towards foreign riders, Holland and Burl were welcomed with open arms - Holland still remembered how he had received a polite and warm response to his application to ride and that the organisers offered to pay all of their costs when he was interviewed towards the end of his life. But then, it almost didn't happen: in June, he caught his foot in a rabbit hole and fell, snapping a collar bone that had only recently healed following a crash at a track in Wembley earlier in the year. News of his accident reached France and were misunderstood, the two riders being somewhat to surprised to read in L'Auto just a fortnight before the race was to begin that neither of them would now be riding. They contacted Henri Desgrange for clarification and must have been very relieved the next day when he sent a telegram informing them that he was very happy to confirm their places.

When they arrived in France, things immediately took a turn for the worse. Neither man had ever met Pierre Gachon, a French-Canadian who would be riding with them to form a British Empire team before and neither man thought much of him when they did, finding him amateurish and, in Holland's opinion, unlikely to do well in "a second-class British event," never mind an undertaking such as the Tour. As a result, it might not have seemed particularly disastrous at the time when he abandoned during the first day. On Stage 2, a far greater disaster: Burl crashed and broke his own collarbone, forcing him to also abandon. Holland decided to continue alone.

He probably wouldn't have made it much further were it not for his considerable will and determination and, perhaps most of all, more French support. The French team (this was during the days of national teams rather than trade teams) understood that road racing had been banned by the British cycling federation and that Holland was inexperienced as a result, so they adopted him as a sort of mascot and let him stay with them in their hotels, fed him and even managed to provide him with mechanical assistance from their support van. It seems that the organisers no longer viewed him as favourably as they had, however - he revealed later that he had been left with the impression that they wanted him out of the race. We'll never know if this was because they had begun to fear he might do better than expected and make a hero of himself in the process or if it was down to Desgrange's pathological dislike of riders receiving assistance during the race because of what happened next.

On Stage 14c (the last of three stages on that one day), he punctured and, when he'd fitted his replacement tubular tyre, discovered that the seal in his pump had perished in the hot sun and left him unable to pressurise the tyre more than halfway, so he had to keep his speed low. Soon, he had two more punctures. He remembered that a crowd of spectators, peasants, crowded around him and tried to cheer him on but none could help further than that. The local priest brought him a bottle of cold beer which he gladly accepted and drank, assuming that his Tour was over. Then, a miracle - somebody showed up with a  tyre for him, but when he fitted it he was in such a hurry to inflate it that he bent the piston rod of his pump, rendering it useless. The peasants managed to find another one and the tyre was eventually inflated, but turned out to be such a loose fit on the wheel that the bike could not be ridden. Once again the peasants brought salvation, finding another tyre which turned out to be a better fit and he could finally set off - but he knew that he was now so far behind that he stood little chance of doing well. He recalled flagging down a press vehicle and asking for a lift to the finish, but they tried to persuade him from giving up and grabbed his jersey to pull him along. "I did not wish to finish this great race unless it was by my own efforts," he later said and finally, having ridden more than 3,200km, he called it a day and abandoned the race. No other British riders would enter for almost two decades.

The Second World War brought the Tour and most European events to a temporary close and, by the time it was over, Holland was both too old to continue as a professional and prevented by the arcane rules of the day to return to amateur competition. He used the money he had won as a rider to set himself up as a newsagent, started playing golf, at which he became quite successful, and rarely, if ever, mentioned his previous career. His two daughters, Nina and Frances, had seen some of his trophies but had no idea who their father had once been until 1962 when they attended a function at the Royal Albert Hall and he was invited up onto the stage to stand alongside Louison Bobet, Jacques Goddet and Brian Robinson, the man who had become the first British rider to win a Tour stage in 1958. in 2007, 18 years after he had died, they discovered a suitcase in the loft. Inside it were letters from fans, photographs and articles clipped from newspapers and magazines, medals and the jerseys from the Olympic Games in 1932 (when he won a bronze) and in 1936 (when he once saw Hitler pass underneath in an open-topped Mercedes as he rode over, musing in later life that had he only have had a brick he could have altered the course of history) and, most poignant of all, the jersey he wore in his Tour de France.


Jacques Goddet

The memorial to Jacques Goddet, high up on
Tourmalet

Jacques Goddet, the second director of the Tour de France after a prostate operation and illness left Henri Desgrange too sick to continue (he would die four years after Goddet took over), died on this day in 2000. Goddet is credited with modernising and developing the race from its quaint beginnings to the world's largest sporting event (one of his first changes was to permit the use of derailleur gears which became standard on all bikes two years later after the Tour was won for the first time on a bike fitted with one), but even a brief history of the man cannot be complete without a look at his wartime activities. While he permitted the L'Auto presses to be used to produce pro-Resistance materal and pamphlets, his anti-Nazi credentials come under serious doubt: firstly, he seems to have personally supported Philippe Pétain who would become Chief Marshall of Vichy France (and who was sentenced to death after the war for treason and collaborating with the Nazis, though the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment on account of age) and produced some 1,200 articles in support of him.

Of course, Goddet may have been effectively signing his own death warrant had he have refused permission for this to happen; it has also been argued that a controlling interest in L'Auto's shares was owned by a consortium of German businessmen, in which case Goddet would have had very little say in the paper's editorial direction and might not in fact have personally supported Pétain at all. Far more damning meanwhile is the fact that before the war he had hired out his Vélodrome d'Hiver to be used for fascist meetings and then, when France was occupied, permitted it to be used by the Nazis for the temporary imprisonment of 13,000 French Jews who remained there in horrible conditions before being transferred to concentration camps - only 300 of them survived the war. It is possible that his hand was forced by those German businessmen, of course. It's also possible that he was not a Nazi sympathiser but was an antisemite; the two do not necessarily go hand-in-hand (there have been many left-wing antisemites in history and it works both ways - Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jewish lives, but he was a supporter of other Nazi policies and joined the party of his own free will).  After the war, L'Auto (which, incidentally, had been established as an anti-Drefus paper after the Army captain - who was Jewish - had been falsely convicted of trumped-up charges fueled at least partly by the rampant antisemitism of the times) was forced to close for continuing to publish during the Occupation, as were many other newspapers and magazines. Goddet responded by creating L'Equip, the paper that is still printed today and is one of the first points of call for Tour-related news, but due to his association with L'Auto could not be listed as being a part of it even though he had an office at the paper's headquarters until the final years of his life.


Jacques Marinelli
Jacques Marinelli, born on this day in Blanc-Mesnil in 1925. In adulthood, he stood just 1.62m tall and as a child, he had been so thin that his mother tried to persuade him to take up the accordion rather than cycling. Luckily, like good teenagers everywhere, he took no heed of parental advice and got a bike.

Marinelli was once decribed as "...a pygmy. His body is no thicker than a propelling pencil, his legs no thicker than runner beans. And his head is like a fist." The general population would feel sorry for a man with such an appearance, but cyclists think, "Hmm - good form. Climber?"

He rode in six Tours de France, but failed to finish four, his greatest moment coming during his second in 1949 when he mounted near-constant attacks during the first few days, wearing down the opposition so that by Stage 4 he was leading a peloton that included riders such as Coppi. Seeing him in the yellow jersey inspired Jacques Goddet to write "Our budgerigar has become a canary" in reference to his size, and while Marinelli would probably have far rather he'd become known as "The Canary," the nickname "Budgie" was the one that stayed with him. Competing against a field that included Coppi, Bartali and Magni would of course mean that Marinelli would be forced to give up the leadership sooner or later, as proved to be the case  when Magni took over in Stage 10, but he wore yellow for six days in a row - the longest any rider held it during that year's race. He also managed to come 3rd overall - an extremely impressive result, given the inevitability of the top places going to Coppi and Bartali.

In 1952, he completed another Tour; this time coming 31st overall. Realising that his best days were gone, he gracefully bowed out of the sport and went to run a bike shop in 1954, later taking on an electronics shop. Unlike many retired cyclists, he demonstrated a canny ability to make something of himself outside the world of racing, becoming a director of a chain of furniture stores and then setting up his own company named Marinelli Connexion with a fleet of delivery vehicles painted the same colour as the maillot jaune, his success being recognised when he received an award given to retired sportspeople who manage to make a good life for themselves in retirement. In 1989, he was elected mayor of Melun, a commune in Seine-et-Marne, serving two terms and ensuring his popularity by bringing the Tour to the town in 1991 and 1998. Now in his mid-80s, he still has his yellow jersey but says moths have left it looking a little worse for wear.

Other births: Hayden Godfrey (New Zealand, 1978); Raul Hellberg (Finland, 1900) died 1985); Colin Sturgess (Great Britain, 1968); Silvia Rovira (Spain, 1967); Michele Orecchia (Italy, 1903, died 1981); Jock Stewart (Great Britain, 1883, died 1950); Guremu Demboba (Ethiopia, 1934); Martens (Belgium, 1931); Helge Törn (Finland, 1928); Pleimling (Luxembourg, 1938); Samuel Kibamba (Congo, 1949).

Winterproof Your Bike 3: The Rest

In Parts 1 and 2, we looked at easy (yet very thorough, according to feedback from readers!) ways to ensure that the chain and headset, two of the most delicate parts of the bike, continue to function smoothly throughout the winter by protecting them as far as is possible from the weather, moisture and salt. In this article, we'll look at protecting the rest of the bike. Depending on where you live, it's not essential to carry out all of these tips - if, for example, you live in a relatively dry climate such as lowland southern Europe or the southern USA, just basic protection will see you through the winter. If you live in an area that experiences heavy snow or rainfall, use all of the tips and your bike should keep going through to spring.

The Seat Tube

Moisture can find its way into the frame via the join
between seat pillar (black) and seat tube (silver)
(image credit: Keanu4 CC BY-SA 3.0)

Given enough time, moisture can find its way through the tightest gaps - and when it does, corrosion isn't far behind. That includes getting into the seat tube, even though the seat post is tightly clamped within it; and once it's in there it'll make its way down to the bottom bracket cluster, the most inaccessible part of the bike. Fortunately, it's one of the easiest parts to seal up due to the lack of moving parts.

First, unfasten the seat clamp and remove the seat pillar from the bike - use a marker to draw a line at the point where it emerges from the frame before removing it, even if you're sure you'll remember the correct height (some pillars have lines etched onto them), the reason for which will soon become obvious. While it's out, you may as well give it a quick clean - wipe or spray it with degreaser, wipe again with a  clean rag and then put it to one side. Using a rag fixed to a rod, use degreaser to clean the inside of the seat tube too.

In the article on sealing the headset, we used sections cut from an old inner tube to make a rubber barrier to keep water out. Did you keep the remains of the tube? Good. Cut another 11cm (4") section from it (note: this is only going to work if you have a non-quick release seat clamp or the quick release type with a removable lever. If yours is quick release with a non-removable lever, leave the inner tube unmolested). Now that the seat pillar has been removed, stretch it over the top end of the seat tube, rolling down to the top tube so it's out of the way.

Go back to the seat tube as the degreaser should by now have evaporated away. Apply some good quality grease and smear it over the part that will be concealed within the frame, making sure the entire lower part is covered and taking care to avoid a section beginning 4cm from the point you marked earlier - the pillar is clamped only at this point, so the grease will protect the remainder from moisture without making the pillar slide down inside the frame. If you have a titanium frame or seat pillar, use ti-prep compound instead - titanium and other metals tend to squeak otherwise.

Now slide it into the frame, using the clamp to fasten it a few centimetres before you reach the desired insertion point. Apply a thin layer of household silicone sealant to the 4cm section below this point, then loosen the clamp and insert the pillar to the correct place and refasten. If the sealant hasn't formed a complete ring around the top of the seat tube, apply a little more to form a complete seal - you can also use it to seal up the slot cut into the seat tube just below the clamp. Let it set: the time it takes to do so will be listed on the sealant's packaging. It'll form a complete seal but isn't strong enough to prevent you removing the pillar in the future.

Pick off any excess sealant that has dripped onto the frame, then unroll the section of inner tube so it covers the top section of the seat tube, covering the seat clamp. Use two plastic zip ties, one below the clamp and one above it, to tighten the ends. Your seat tube is now completely sealed from the weather.

Cables
If your bike has internal cable routing, as most road bikes and some mountain bikes (notably Klein) do, moisture can get into the frame via the cable entry holes. Many people are reluctant to fiddle with internally-routed cables for fear that they won't be able to run them back through the frame after removal. In some cases, the cable runs through a tube inside the frame which makes refitting a doddle, but care does need to be taken with "free running" cables when there is no tube running from entry to exit point - in this case, the trick is to ensure that there is always either an inner or outer cable running through the frame.

The internal cable routing can be clearly seen on this Orbea
(image credit: Marcela CC BY-SA 3.0)

To remove old cables, unfasten the cable from the brake or gear mechanism and then - having instructed your glamourous assistant to hold onto both ends of the outer and, on pain of death, not let it come out - pull the inner through and out, having snipped off the end with cable cutters if it's frayed. If you're not going to replace the outer, squirt some light oil (the kind that comes in an aerosol with a little plastic tube to allow you to squirt it into tight spaces) into both ends of the outer. You can then thread the new inner through the outer, using it as a guide. If you will be replacing the outer, carry out the same process but don't fasten the inner to the derailleur or brake. Once it's through, pull the inner taut and then slide the outer through and out of the frame, then off the inner - keep it, as it'll be handy if you need to cut the new one to the correct length. Having applied light oil again, thread the new section of outer onto the inner, then have your assistant hold the inner taut while you slide the outer into the frame. Getting it to poke out at the other end can be fiddly and might require several attempts, but it's a hell of a lot easier than trying to do it without the inner in place.

Pulled the whole lot out of the frame? Well, you should have read this section in full first, shouldn't you? Oh well - how are we going to get the new one through? If your frame has a tube running from entry to exit point, it's a simple matter of threading through a new outer - but if you have free cables, you're in trouble. One way is to use a thin length of stiff wire which can be fed laboriously into the frame and - hopefully - out of the exit point, so that you can fix a piece of string to the end and then use that to pull a section of cable outer through the holes. However, getting the wire through the exit point depends on luck more than skill - if it doesn't work, you might need to visit the bike shop where a mechanic will probably have a pair of very small artery forceps kept for precisely this task. He or she will laugh at you.

If you want to re-use the cables already fitted to your bike or are fitting standard cables, you can use silicone sealant used to create an extra barrier between the entry and exit points and the rubber ferrules that fit into the holes - the ferrules work well, but an extra line of defence won't do any harm.

To seal the cables themselves, be they internally or externally routed, get hold of some thin surgical tubing of a diameter that will slide onto the inners without being tight. Cut it into 3cm lengths, one for each point where the inner cable enters or exits a section of outer cable and slide them onto the inner at the relevant points. These can then be stretched over the ends of the outer cable and provide an effective seal to keep moisture out.

If you want to make sure your cables are completely sealed, invest in Gore Ride On Cables - they're not cheap at around £50-60 per set and fitting them can be tricky the first time, but nothing keeps the weather out so effectively. These feature an inner cable protected along its entire length by a thin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheath running through a PTFE middle liner, thus creating a system that both reduces friction to an absolute minimum and keeps the inner completely sealed from the outside world. To fit them, first cut the outer section to the correct sizes (some mountain bikers run a full-length outer from brake/gear lever all the way to the brake/derailleur, thus sealing the system entirely at the expense of increased friction and in some cases having to fasten the cable to the frame with ugly zip ties).

When using sealed cables, it's essential to make sure that the ends of the outer sections are smooth and free of sharp burrs as these will damage the PTFE, making your £50 cables no better than £10 cables. While a good quality pair of cable cutters will cut outers to a satisfactory smoothness for standard cables, when using sealed cables it's advisable to smooth the tips using a fine needle file to remove any sharp edges both around and just inside the hole. If the cutters have crushed the outer, use an awl to make it round again - and pick up some better cutters next time you're in the bike shop. Once done, prepare the inner by threading on the rubber ferrules and outer sections (which, if you have internal routing, will already be in place within the frame provided you followed the guide above). Remember that for a cable to work efficiently, it needs to avoid any acute loops - but outer sections also need to be long enough to avoid interference when the handlebars are turned as this will cause "ghost braking" or "ghost shifting" when the bars pull on the cables.

You'll now need to cut the middle liner, taking care not to kink of damage it - the best tool for the job is a sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade, since a knife is likely deform it. Each section needs to be slightly longer than the the relevant outer section so as to continue into the ferrule and keep everything sealed - the amount varies depending on position and manufacturer, so follow the instructions on the cable packaging. Next, thread the inner cable through the outers. If you've cut it cleanly with a decent pair of cutters, it will usually slide through without any problems; however, to ensure the middle liner doesn't get damaged by a strand of wire that successfully comes loose, it can be useful to scrape a small amount of PTFE from the end of the inner and then apply a tiny dab of solder before using the file to smooth it off.

Once the inners and outers are in place, you'll need to remove a little more of the PTFE coating. The exact amount again depends on position and manufacturer: in the case of Gore cables, it's 2.5cm at the front derailleur and 1cm at both the rear derailleur and the brakes - the instructions on the packaging will provide further details. Finally, fit the rubber ferrules that protect the last section as it protrudes from the derailleur/brake stop, then tighten into the anchor bolt. Finish the cables off with a dab of solder or superglue before rounding off with a file and fit a metal ferrule to prevent fraying (tip: if you find a friendly bike mechanic and ask nice, he or she will often give you a handful of ferrules for free or for next to nothing - you get a lot more for a lot less this way rather than you do if you buy them in a packet). There will be a rubber end-cap for each cable which can be fitted over the ferrule, thus protecting even the last few centimetres.

If you have a workstand, click up and down through the gears and make any adjustments that are necessary with particular attention paid to the shifts from the second-largest to largest cog and second-smallest to smallest for the rear derailleur, as these are ones that if not adjusted correctly can cause the chain to come off. Do the same with the front derailleur - if you have two rings, pay attention to the shift from smallest to largest and vice versa; if you have three rings pay attention to the shifts from middle to smallest and middle to largest for the same reason. It's not possible to apply the same stress to the brakes will experience when the bike is being ridden while it's in a workstand, so ride it a short distance and apply the brakes hard a few times to make sure everything is settled in and tight.

Bottom Bracket
Most bikes today use sealed cartridge bottom brackets, in which all moving parts are securely housed within an outer tube. In some cases, these can be dismantled to allow access to the bearings within, in which case it will be possible to relubricate the parts with grease and keep moisture out. Many are sealed units and cannot be taken apart without destroying them - good quality models will be fitted with one or more internal seals at each end to keep dirt and water at bay.

Square-taper Shimano bottom bracket with removed cup
(image credit: Michael Shields CC BY 2.5) 

However, steps can still be taken to prevent the winter getting in. The bottom bracket itself - or the type that can't be disassembled, at any rate - is designed to fulfill its purpose for a certain period, then be replaced: how long that period is depends on the manufacturer, the model, the distance covered and the conditions. So, as an example, if the information supplied for Megabikebitz's Model X says it'll last a year, that' a year of whatever Megabitebitz consider to be a typical distance for a year and in the dry - plus a bit extra because they probably want you to buy a new one a little bit more often than you really need to. The simplest way to tell if yours needs to be replaced is rotate the cranks on a brand new bike when you're in a bike shop - that's what your should ideally feel like. If it's a little stiffer, don't worry but start considering replacement. If it's either a lot of effort to pedal or the bottom bracket makes loud creaking noises when you do, then it's time for a new one.

Even if the bottom bracket doesn't need to be replaced, both it and the frame will still benefit from a clean and regrease before winter gets underway. We're going to assume you have the standard three-piece system, because if you have anything more special there's a reasonable chance that you either know how to remove a bottom bracket or employ a mechanic. To begin, you'll need to remove the cranks - if they're fitted to a splined bottom bracket (Shimano Octalink 1 and 2, ISIS and assorted other designs), this is a simple matter of removing the bolts that fasten them in place (either by screwing into the bottom bracket axle or by pinching the crank onto it) after which the cranks will slide off. However, many bikes still use the square-tapered design, in which case the fastening bolts will need to be removed before a dedicated crank puller is used. This tool features an outer barrel which screws into the crank and an inner core that is then screwed into the barrel, forcing a hardened (and in the best models, rotating) tip against the axle, thus pulling the crank off. To remove the bottom bracket, it will be necessary to use another dedicated tool - unimaginatively named a bottom bracket tool - to unscrew the removable cup from one side. The removable cup is often made of plastic or in a different colour to the other end, allowing for easy identification. Different designs of bottom bracket require different tools, so you may need to ask your bike shop which type will be suitable or, if you know the make and model of your bottom bracket, check the manufacturer's website.

Once the removable cup is out, the tool is used on the other side of the bottom bracket to draw it out of the frame - this may require considerable force, in which case it's helpful to place a length of metal tubing over the tool to increase leverage. Slowly and surely is the way - strip the threads and you'll be looking at an expensive visit to a frame builder.

Bottom bracket with splined axle (in this case, Shimano's Octalink 1)
(image credit: Ralf Roletschek CC BY-SA 3.0)

Now the bottom bracket is out, give the threads a thorough cleaning with degreaser and wipe with a lint-free cloth. Check that the bearings aren't damaged - while it may seem an unnecessary expense to replace a bottom bracket that is otherwise fine, it's a lot less expensive than having stripped threads milled out of the bottom bracket shell before replacement with a custom-made threaded sleeve will be. If it can be disassembled, do so and clean the internal bearings in the same manner before regreasing them and putting the unit back together again. If it can't be disassembled, simply regrease the threads on both ends. Apply more grease to the bottom bracket shell's internal threads, then screw the bottom bracket back into the shell taking great care not to cross the threads - it should go in without any problems. Once in, screw in the plastic cup on the other side. Although the bottom bracket's moving parts are safely sealed within the units, the grease will prevent water getting into the frame by seeping through the threads.

It's not necessary to apply grease to square-tapered axles - in fact, some riders have found that doing so has allowed the cranks to slide too far onto the axle, causing the tips to splay and making it impossible to remove the cranks as a result. However, this is rare and other riders always grease them without problems. I do not; but this is largely because I never have done so - whether you do is up to you. In the case of splined axles, which feature a positive stop point and cranks that rely entirely on a bolt to keep them in place, grease is recommended. Some people insist that threadlock is essential on crank bolts to prevent them coming loose - however, I prefer to use grease and tighten them to the recommended tolerance, which has prevented them coming loose. If you have a torque wrench you can do this, if you don't then threadlock might be useful.

Wheels
It's not possible to completely seal wheel bearings as doing so would impede rotation. However, most quality wheels are fitted with rubber guards that keep as much of the world outside where it belongs as is possible. As winter approaches, these should be checked for wear and tear.

Remove the wheels from the bike - the seals resemble rubber washers and can be seen pressed into the hub at either end. They can be pried out using the tip of a pointed knife or with a very thin flat screwdriver. At this point, you may as well strip down, clean and regrease the hub as this needs to be done at regular intervals and will help to ensure your bike survives the bad weather to come. Dismantle, lying all the components in a lint-free cloth in the same order they come off so you'll know which order to put them back on again, then clean all parts with dregreaser. Visually inspect all surfaces and bearings for signs of cracks, pits or other damage and replace any that are showing signs of wear, then reassemble using new grease - if you haven't previously stripped and rebuilt your particular make of hub or feel insufficiently familiar with its inner workings, it can be useful to search for diagrams online - most manufacturers make full blueprints and maintenance instructions, including recommended tolerances and other handy information, available in this way.

Hub components. Seals, if fitted, will be located over the bearing cones to keep dirt and moisture
away from the bearings.
(image credit: Keithonearth CC BY-SA 3.0)

Check the seals, which should be pliable and smooth. If they've begun to show signs of petrification such as cracks or other damage, it will be necessary to replace them. Bike shops may keep stock of those used in common hubs such as the Shimano range, but they may need to place a special order for other manufacturers - if they can't, search for the manufacturer online and see if you can buy direct. As a final resort, the keen-of-eye-and-hand might like to try hand-cutting a replacement from a piece of rubber - it's fiddly work, but can be done (you might also try asking a rubber stamp manufacturer for help - they're skilled at hand-cutting fine detail into rubber and might take the job on as a special project). Finally, apply some grease to the bearings, then reposition the seals.

Mudguards
Mudguards serve two purposes - they protect the bike from spray and salt, not just your clothes. However, if you use the bike purely for recreational rides or racing rather than for commuting and have carried out other winterproofing modifications, they become virtually redundant and do little other than add weight, so whether you choose to fit them or not is entirely up to you.

In the case of rigid bikes - such as road bikes and mountain bikes that don't have suspension - the standard design that covers a large section of wheel is best and the more wheel it covers the better it will protect. Nowadays, they tend to be made of flexible plastic rather than metal and even 180 degree coverage will add less weight than a cut-down metal guard of days gone by. To fit one, first check to see if your bike has the necessary eyelets brazed onto the frame and in the drop outs - these provide points for the metal rods that support the mudguard and prevent it from flapping around to fit onto. If you don't have them, you can use bolt-on brackets which are often supplied with the mudguards or can be purchased separately.

Crud RoadRacer Mk. 2 - the lightest and most attractive racer mudguard ever?
(image credit: Crud Products)

On racing bikes, which tend to have very little clearance between the tyres and frame, it can be difficult to find a mudguard that will fit - and even then, they frequently require modification to avoid fouling the tyre. Crud make an especially attractive and very lightweight mudguard called the RoadRacer Mk.2 which requires only 4mm of space.

Mudguards experience a very high degree of vibration and, as such, can rapidly become loose - and a loose mudguard support through the spokes is not good at all. To prevent this, use split washers, friction nuts, threadlock or a combination of all three to make sure everything stays nice and tight - superglue works as well as threadlock, and can be bought for as little as £1.

A Crud Catcher, designed to be fitted to the down tube

If the bike has suspension, full mudguards cannot be used as they need to be fastened to parts that move independently. Instead, fit the Crud Catcher type (proper Crud Catcher-branded ones cost about the same as the firm's many imitators, but Crud are a company run by cyclists for cyclists so it's worth the small extra expense to support them). The front guard is a single piece of plastic that fits onto the lower surface of the frame's down tube and is held in place either with screws in dedicated mounts similar to bidon cage mounts or with rubber bands. Their effectiveness is reasonable, doing a good job of catching dirt and water sprayed off the front wheel, but at high speed dirt tends to allow spray forward and blow back into the rider's face (as once happened to me with a big lump of mud containing a stone that cracked my tooth - serves me right for smiling when riding at high speed down a hill). Another type features an expansion device allowing the mudguard to be fitted to the lower end of the steerer tube, in between the forks - the main disadvantage here being that the gap between the front and rear sections, present to allow space for the fork, tends to be rather large and allows a lot of spray to get through. The most effective type is the one designed to be used specifically with a particular brand or model of suspension fork, as originally introduced by Marzocchi and since widely imitated. With these, the fork crown has a pair of threaded mounts allowing the mudguard - which is shaped so that when fitted it flows smoothly into the fork's lines and looks like an integral piece - to be screwed into place. I've been using one of these on my hardtail MTB with a Mazocchi Dirt Jumper fork for several years and it both look good and works extremely well. Check your fork online to see is a similar mudguard is available for it.

Mudguards designed for use with rear suspension are, unfortunately, somewhat of a compromise as it's not possible to position them closely enough to the wheel for them to do their job yet not get in the way of suspension travel. Crud were the first company to introduce a guard that fitted to a bracket bolted onto the seat pillar and these remain the best option - the longer and wider they are, the more crud they will catch.

As can be seen here, the drainage holes in the frame
frequently serve only to let dirt and water get in

Sealing The Frame
If you look closely at your frame - especially if it's steel - chances are you'll find some drainage holes. Look at the surfaces of the chain stays where the meet the bottom bracket shell and underneath the bottom bracket shell itself: not all bikes have them, but the majority do. These are intended to allow water that gets into the frame to get back out again but, if you've sealed the headset, seat tube and internal cable routing a already described, they're more likely to just let water in rather than out. So, we may as well seal them.

If you think there's any chance there may be moisture in the frame, first remove the forks, head set and seat pillar and spray some aerosol oil into the frame before hanging it upside down in a dry, warm room for a day or two - this will allow water to flow out or evaporate. Once done, simply plug the drainage holes using silicone sealant. The same can be done to seal bidon cage and mudguard mounts if you don't wish to use them.

It's also worth checking the frame for damage to the paintwork at this point. Scratches or other damage to carbon fibre frames need to be repaired by someone skilled in working with the material, as in time the fibre will fray and the frame will fail. Minor scratches in unpainted titanium frames can be polished away, as can those in aluminium frames. However, a scratch in the paint of a steel frame will very rapidly allow corrosion to begin. If you find one, lightly sand the affected area, then clean thoroughly with degreaser. Car parts shops sell small pots of "touch-up" paints in a huge variety of colours which are ideal for this purpose. Apply one thin coat, allow to dry, apply another coat, allow to dry and polish. If you can't find a matching paint, go to a shop that sells cosmetics - nail varnish comes in an even wider variety of colours and does the job just as well - you'll also be able to colourmatch your bike and your fingernails, which is nice.

Sealing Derailleurs
It was once possible to buy soft rubber devices that fitted over the front and rear derailleurs, protecting them from dirt and water and yet not impeding movement. These were produced either in the USA or for the US market, with sporadic consignments making their way to Europe where they would sometimes show up in bike shops. If you can find them, they're well worth fitting. If you know of a shop that has a supply, let us know.

Daily Cycling Facts 13.12.11

Alison Shanks
(image credit: Nicola CC BY-SA 3.0)

Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaitė, the track cyclist who became 500m World Champion in 2007 and set a new world record in the process, was born in Utena on this day in 1982

Roger Ilegems, track and road cyclist and a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (points race), was born in Niel, Belgium on this day in 1962.

Alexis Michiels was born on this day (some sources say 19.12) in Brussels, 1883. He entered the 1919 Tour de France but abandoned in Stage 2.

New Zealander Alison Shanks was born in Dunedin on this day in 1982. She took up cycling in 2005 and, just a year later, was competing in the Commonwealth Games where she came 4th in the Pursuit.

Danish ex-professional track cyclist Hans-Henrik Ørsted was born on this day in 1954 in  Grenå.

Zbigniew Spruch, born on this day in the Polish town Kożuchów, won the 1995 Tour of Poland and finished the 1999 Gent-Wevelgem in 2nd place.

Peter Luttenberger, born in Bad Radkersburg, Austria on this day in 1972, won Stage 7 and the overall General Classification at the 1996 Tour de Suisse; then followed it up with 5th overall at the Tour de France that same year, thus immediately raising hopes among Austrian cycling fans that their nation would have its first Tour winner within a year or two (Max Bulla, born in Vienna, had won in the Independents Classification in 1931 as well as winning three stages and leading the race for a day - the only time in the history of the race that a non-professional touriste-routier rider did so). He never quite managed to do so well again, unfortunately - he was 13th in 1997, 21st in 2000 and 13th again in 2003.

Leopard Trek
On this day in 2011, Jakob Fuglsang announced that a new team being put together by Brian Nygaard in Luxembourg was going to be known as Team Leopard. It was to be built around Andy Schleck, who had revealed himself as a likely Tour de France winner, and would include his brother Frank, Jakob himself, Stuart O'Grady, Fabian Cancellara and Jens Voigt (all previously of Saxo Bank) - some of the most popular riders of their generation (and the previous, in the case of Voigt), which meant that they enjoyed enormous exposure right from the start. Shortly after the announcement, Trek Bicycles came in as a full sponsor and the team became Leopard Trek.

Jakob Fuglsang
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Schlecks would later claim that "leopard" (which, we were all soon being told, should be pronounced "lay oh pard") came from a WW2 German tank of the same name (the only German tanks bearing the name were not in fact produced until the middle of the 1950s) which seemed, perhaps, a slightly odd choice since the Nazis had invaded Luxembourg and its neighbours and killed lots of the inhabitants; but it's more likely that the name actually came from Nygaard's company Leopard Racing anyway, so the wisdom/stupidity of the Schleck explanation is moot.


Other births: Alexis Michiels (France, 1883, died 1976); Abe Jonker (South Africa, 1933, died 1991); István Schillerwein (Hungary, 1933); David Humphreys (Australia, 1936); Yasuhiro Ando (Japan, 1969).

IG Markets to sponsor domestic team in 2012

(image credit: Sigma Sport)

IG Markets has confirmed that it will sponsor Team Sigma Sport starting in 2012, with the team changing its name to IG-Sigma Sport. The deal will last for an initial period of two years.

IG, a British company in the financial services sector, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and FTSE-250 indices. The organisation began sponsoring Team Sky at the start of 2011 and has increased its support for cycling over the course of the year, expressing a wish to become "much more than just a logo on the Team Sky kit." To date, they have sponsored the leader's jersey at the Tour of Britain, the Rapha Cycle Club (a mobile cafe, display area and retail space that has proved very successful in bringing people with little previous interest in cycling to races) and three stages at the Tour Down Under. In addition, they worked with Opta to create the IG Markets Pro-Cycling Index, an online service considered by many to be a more accurate representation of rider ability than the UCO rankings system and provided assistance to the Smithfield Nocturne, an event that brings competitive cycling to inner city communities and is highly likely to produce the British champions of the future.

This is undoubtedly fantastic news after a year that has seen so many teams either folding completely or battling against crippling financial difficulties as sponsors have left the sport. Sigma Sport has not yet announced whether it plans to expand its programme with help from its new partner, but failing to move into women's racing after securing backing from an organisation that so obviously wishes to help develop British cycling would seem a missed opportunity - and with women's cycling suffering even more than men's in the current climate, the news will be even more welcome if they choose to go in that direction.

Results 05.12.11 - 11.12.11

11.12.11
Overijse, Cyclo-cross: Sven Nys
Overijse, Cyclo-cross (F): Katie Compton
Rennaz, Cyclo-cross: Julien Taramarcaz
Bend, Cyclo-cross (b): Jeremy Powers
Bend, Cyclo-cross (b) (F): Katerina Nash
Bend, Cyclo-cross, Juniors (b): Logan Owen
Heels on Wheels: Martin Crawford
Bradford, Cyclo-cross: Paul Oldham
Killorglin Credit Union Christmas Hamper: Paul Griffin
Besançon, Cyclo-cross (F): Lucienne Chainel-Lefevre

10.12.11
Stage 3 Tour de Madagascar: Alexis Tourtelot
Juegos Nacionales Venezuela, Road, Elite, Venezuela: Randal Figueroa
Bend, Cyclo-cross: Jeremy Powers
Bend, Cyclo-cross (F): Katerina Nash
Bend, Cyclo-cross, Juniors: Logan Owen
Kingsport, Cyclo-cross: Travis Livermon
Kingsport, Cyclo-cross(F): Marne Smiley
National Championship, Road, Elite, Peru: Jesus Nakada
National Championship, Road, Elite, Peru (F): Samantha Molina
National Championship, Road, Juniors, Peru: Alain Quispe
National Championship, Road, Novices, Peru: Luis Chacón
National Championship, Road, U-23, Peru: Plinio Mendoza
Kolin, Cyclo-cross: David Kášek
Antwerpen, Cyclo-cross: Sven Nys
Antwerpen, Cyclo-cross (F): Katie Compton
Stage 1 Doble San Francisco-Miramar: Damian Elias Pereyra

09.12.11
Stage 2 Tour de Madagascar: Lantonirina Manjakazafy
Juegos Nacionales Venezuela, Road, Elite, Venezuela (F): Lilibeth Chacon Garcia
National Championship, Road, Criterium, Elite, New Zealand: Michael James Northey
National Championship, Road, Criterium, Elite, New Zealand (F): Philippa Sutton
Stage 1 (Team TT) Clasificatorio Vuelta de Chile: Gonzalo Garrido, Patricio Almonacid, Ricardo Hazbun, Cristopher Mansilla, Bruno Bernales

08.12.11
Prologue (Team TT) Tour de Madagascar: Sébastien Ledivenach, Erwan Le Garrec, Alexis Tourtelot, Emanuel Huriaud, Jonathan Boucher, Médéric Clain
Stage 1 Tour de Madagascar: Médéric Clain
Juegos Nacionales Venezuela, Road, ITT, Elite, Venezuela (F): Lilibeth Chacon Garcia
Juegos Nacionales Venezuela, Road, ITT, Venezuela: Carlos Daniel Linares Zambrano
Faè di Oderzo, Cyclo-cross (F): Jasmin Achermann
Faè di Oderzo, Cyclo-cross: Enrico Franzoi
Faè di Oderzo, Cyclo-cross, Juniors: Federico Zurlo

06.12.11
Asteasu, Cyclo-cross: Egoitz Murgoitio Recalde
Asteasu , Cyclo-cross, Juniors: Jaime Campo
Clásica Navideña: Franklin Raul Chacon Colmenares

05.12.11
Stage 9 Tour of the Arab Gulf: Khalfan Al Rawahi (GC leader Sayed Ahmed Khalil)

Daily Cycling Facts 12.12.11

Happy 56th birthday to Eddy Schepers, the Dutch ex-professional cyclist who won the 1977 Tour de l'Avenir and provided back-up in Stephen Roche's 1987 Tour de France victory.

Johan van der Velde
Schepers' countryman Johan van der Velde was born one year later. Johan was twice National Road Race Champion, three times winner of the Points classification at the Giro d'Italia and won a Youth Classification and three stages in the Tour de France - results that suggest he may have had the potential to be one of the all-time greats had be not succumbed to addicitions for amphetamines, gambling and petty theft, his lowest moment coming when he was found guilty of breaking into post office vending machines to steal the stamps in order to raise the funds he needed to feed his addiction.

Van de Velde
(image from: Cycling Art Blog)

Unfortunately for van der Velde, judges at the time failed to understand that drug addicts need help to kick their habit rather than a spell of incarceration (many still fail to understand this) and he received a prison sentence. Having lost their income, his wife was forced to sell their home while he was locked up and, by the time he was released, they had nothing. This is the point at which many newly-freed addicts give up, commit a crime and buy their next fix, but van der Velde realised he needed to break the cycle. He signed himself up to a hospital programme designed to help addicts give up drugs and stuck with it, despite the despair of living in low-cost flats and tiny houses after having tasted the high life. He worked as a labourer on building sites to make ends meet, keeping his identity and past life as secret as possible and, in time, regained his life.

Van der Velde's most famous cycling moment came in 1983 when he misjudged a bend on the way down from the Col de le Madeleine and plunged over the edge. Spectators and Tour officials tentatively looked down, expecting to see a mangled corpse if anything at all - but for once in his life, fortune had been on his side. He'd landed on a ledge just a few metres down and escaped with just minor cuts and bruises. Nowadays, van der Velde has becomea common sight at junior races, in which his son competes.


Happy birthday to Mathieu Ladagnous who was born in 1984 in Melbourne. The FDJ rider, who also rides in track events, won Stage 1 at the Tour de Wallonie in 2011.

Today would have been the birthday of British-born Paul Medhurst, co-winner of a bronze medal for New Zealand in the tandem sprint event at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. He died in Belgium on the 26th of September, 2009.

Other births: Ferenc Keserű (Hungary, 1946); José Errandonea (Spain, 1940); Greg Randolph (USA, 1972); Grete Treier (Estonia, 1977); Frank Williams (Sierra Leone, 1964); Pasi Mbenza (Congo, 1966); Peter Glemser (Germany, 1940); Toshimitsu Teshima (Japan, 1942); Christian Meyer (Germany, 1969); Anita Valen (Norway, 1968); Bengt Fröbom (Sweden, 1926); Ayele Mekonnen (Ethiopia, 1957); Ingus Veips(Latvia, 1969); Kurt Schein (Austria, 1930).

Another team in difficulty

The management Pure Black, the cycling team that launched in 2010 with the aim of becoming the first from New Zealand to be granted a UCI ProTour licence, have officially confirmed that the team is in financial difficulties and may face closure. The outfit was developed from Bici Vida, a team built around a core of promising young riders who scored excellent results in Under-23 competitions, and had a very successful 2011 season.

Reasons for the team's demise have been given as problems finding funding during the Rugby World Cup and in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake. "This weekend we have had to tell our team that we don't have the funding in place to commit to our planned next step in 2012 at this stage and ultimately this could mean our most exciting road cycling talent will continue to be lost offshore," says manager Greg Cross.

Team members have been told they are free to seek contracts elsewhere. Tim Gudsell revealed his dismay vie Twitter: "Still can't quite believe I no longer have a job for next year. Anyone know of anything out there?"

Daily Cycling Facts 11.12.11

Dutch mountain biker and cyclo cross rider Gerben de Knegt was born on this day in 1975. He has been National Cyclo Cross Champion twice, in 2002 and 2006, and rides for Rabobank.

Laura Van Gilder was born on this day in 1964. She rides cyclo cross for Twenty-Twenty C3 and road for the Mellow Mushroom team.

Jobie Dajka

Jobie Dajka, 1981-2009

Today would have been the birthday of Jobie Dajka, an Australian track cyclist who was on of four cyclists accused of being the co-owners of 13 phials of an equine growth hormone, injectable vitamins and medical equipment, including used syringes, by sprint and keirin champion Mark French. The drugs and equipment had been found in a boarding room used by French at the Australian Institute of Sport. he was born in 1981.


The four men French implicated - Dajka, Graeme Brown, Sean Eadie and Shane Kelly - were eventually cleared when the investigation found no evidence to connect them in any way to the drugs. French was found guilty of supplying doping products to other athletes and banned from competition for two years, but an appeal later decided that there was no evidence to link him to the drugs either and he too was cleared. However, Dajka was found to have deliberately misled the investigation by lying when giving evidence; a charge he insisted was false, saying that he had failed to be specific rather than lied, and he was suspended from competition for two years.


An appeal was not successful and the rider entered a deep depression, dealing with his disillusionment by drinking heavily. His weight increased dramatically and he began suffering further emotional problems that led to him carrying out a physical assault on Australian Track Team coach Mike Barras, for which he was banned for another three years. After an arrest for vandalising his parent's home he was placed under a restraining order and sought treatment, spending time in hospital in Adelaide. 


On the 22nd of December 2006, the two-year ban came to an end and, as he had strictly complied with the conditions of the restraining order and made efforts to retrieve his life, the three-year ban was ended early. Gradually, his health improved and he began to consider a return to racing; but on the 7th of April 2009 he was found dead at his home by police. He was 27.


Dajka is believed to have died three days before he was found and, though his death is not thought to have been suspicious, a cause has never been established.


Yevheniya Vysotska (also spelled Evgenia and various other ways, as tends to be the case when Cyrillic letters are transliterated into the Latin alphabet), born on this day in 1975, won the Ukrainian National Individual Time Trial Championship in 2009 and the National Hill Climb Time Trial and Hill Climb Road Race in 2010. She was 4th overall in the 2011 Golan race in Syria.

László Bodrogi at the 2008 Paris-Roubaix
(image credit: Jack Thurston CC BY-SA 2.0)

László Bodrogi
László Bodrogi, born in Budapest on this day in 1976, had already achieved a successful career in Hungary when his father - a doctor and his manager - got a job in France and relocated his family, thus shifting the young László from a cycling backwater to the very heart of the sport. Further success in French races won him a place with VC Vaux-en-Velin, an amateur club that served as a feeder team for Festina, but nothing came of it after the doping scandal of 1998 that almost killed the team for good.

In the end, he had to wait until 2000 and interest from Mapei-QuickStep for a professional contract and won a bronze medal in the World Time Trial Championships the same year. Two years later he won the National Time Trial Championship and the Eddy Merckx GP, then came second at the Tour of Flanders, and in 2003 took the National Road Race Championship. He subsequently won the Road title in 2004 and 2006 and the TT title again in 2006, 2007 and 2008 - the last time because later that year he took French citizenship.

In 2005 he won the Tour de Luxembourg and competed for the first time in the Tour de France - he came 119th, but was the first Hungarian in the history of the race. At the time of writing, he is still a professional and rides for Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis.


Lucien Teisseire, born in Saint-Laurent-du-Var on this day in 1919, won Paris-Tours in 1944, Stages 6 and 13 at the 1947 Tour de France, came 6th on the overal General Classification at the 1948 Tour, won Stage 4 the following year and Stage 20 in 1954 - the latter, when he was 35 and on the challenging mountain stage to Briançon was a surprise victory as all the rest were flat stages. He also won the Critérium du Dauphiné in 1953 and a bronze medal at the 1948 World Championships.

Melissa Holt, born in Napier on this day in 1975, won the New Zealand Time Trial and Road Race Championships in 2001, 2008 and 2009. She took the Time Trial title for a fourth time in 2010

Happy birthday to Benjamin Day, the Pegasus Sports rider born in 1978. His best results to date were an overall win at the 2010 Redlands Bicycle Classic and the National Time Trial Championship in 2003.

Compton Gonsalves, standing third from the right
(image credit: Trinidad Guardian)

Compton Gonsalves
Compton Gonsalves was born on this day in 1926 in Georgetown, Guyana and later moved to Trinidad and Tobago, for whom he won a bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1946. The next year, he won five National titles, set two world records and formed a cycling club to bring new people into the sport.

Then, he moved to England where he found work in London and didn't cycle for ten months. Somehow, he found his way onto the Olympic team but, due to those ten months, only came 16th out of a field of 21 in the 1km Individual Sprint - a race that two years previously he'd have most likely won easily. In 1951, the Trinidad and Tobago Federation came into being and was affiliated to the UCI, meaning that Gonsalves could compete for the nation in UCI-sanctioned races. Having moved back, he won a silver and another bronze at the Central American and Caribbean Games that year before announcing his retirement and forming another cycling club. In later years he moved again, this time to Canada; and as of 2010 an annual Compton Gonsalves All Star Invitational 300 Metre Sprint Power race has been held in Trinidad.

Arthur Metcalfe
Arthur Metcalfe was a British cyclist born in 1938 who died on this day in 2002. Like many cyclists, he was described by those who knew him during his childhood as having been rather weak and sickly. However, on his second day as a member of the Hartlepool CC, he entered a 40km time trial and left for dust several riders far more experienced than himself.

Having completed his mandatory military service, Metcalfe returned to cycling and entered the 1962 Tour  of Britain, coming 23rd overall. His small build allowed him to excel on the hills and solo attacks became his trademark, earning him the nickname "Snake" for his habit of wriggling away from the pack. He raced the Tour of Brtain again in 1964 and wore the leader's jersey - in those days yellow - for most of the race, finishing in first place. The following season was his best with 23 major victories, including the Manx Trophy. Even getting to the Isle of Man was quite a feat: lacking the money to hire a van to get his bike there and back, he rode from his home in Leeds to Liverpool (116km) and spent a night sleeping in a phone box before catching the ferry to the island.

In 1966 he became the first rider to win both the National Amateur Road Championship and the Best British All-Rounder titles in the same year. He'd entered the All-Rounder competition on a whim: "I remember thinking I needed a change. I'd ridden a few time trials in the past and so I thought I'd have another go," he later said.

Metcalfe turned professional in 1967 and, using up his entire annual holiday quota at work, rode the Tour de France with Tom Simpson. Permitted two mornings each week by his employer - Carlton Cycles - in which to train, he was woefully unprepared for the strain of a Grand Tour, yet completed it in 69th place. In 1968, he led the peloton for a while in Stage 10 and was awarded the Combativity prize for the stage.

His professional career was brought to a premature end by a broken pelvis in 1971, at which point he went into business with another professional cyclist named Wes Mason and set up a frame-building form named MKM which would be awarded the British rights to build Jacques Anquetil-branded bikes. Once recovered, he was reinstated as an amateur and began racing again, at one point receiving a ban after taking part in an event in South Africa - he remained angry about it for the rest of his life, saying that he had coached young cyclists while there and feeling that he should have been rewarded for this good service rather than punished for the race. Once the ban had expired, he set time trial records over 100 miles and 12 hours that remained unbeaten at the time of his death.

In later life, Metcalfe and his wife decided to relocate to France. However, it was not to happen - he died aged 64, a few months before they had been due to leave. Metcalfe, like many ex-professionals if his age, believed that the modern Tour de France is too easy and that it should be increased to what he termed its "proper length" - 2,500 miles (4023km).

"The philosophy of the Tour is that it's an epic of courage," he said. "We had stages of 233km. Sure, they go 2mph faster now, but you'd expect that. And there are 70 more riders. I was working for Carlton Cycles. British riders are all full-time pros now and they're better than ever we were, so they can ride further. The argument is that they want a clean Tour. But you can ride 2,500 miles clean. The race may go 1mph slower but from the roadside you'd never notice it. You can't see a difference that small."


Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini, born on this day in 1964 in Florence, first found fame as a cyclist before becoming a cycling team manager. Born in Florence, his greatest success came in the Classics - he won Paris-Roubaix, the single-day race so hard it's known as commonly by its nicknames "The Hell Of The North" and "A Sunday In Hell" as often as by its real name, on two occasions, first in 1995 and then again in 1998. He also won Paris-Brussels in 1990, the Giro della Romagna in 1991, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 1995 and the Grand Prix de Wallonie in 1996.

Franco Ballerini, 1964-2010
(image credit: Eric Houdas CC BY-SA 3.0)

He was far less effective as a stage racer, finishing the Tour de France 115th overall in 1992 and 61st the following year, when he also took Stage 14 at the Giro d'Italia. He would win Stage 5 in the 1996 Tour of Austria, but that was as far as his stage race success went. He did far better as manager of the Italian team, training among others Mario Cippolini who holds the Giro record of 42 stage wins. He also managed Paolo Bettini, who would become known as the greatest Classics rider of his generation before retiring in 2008.

Ballerini loved rally racing as much as he loved cycling, and it was while participating in that sport that he met his untimely end when he was 45. He was acting as navigator for a driver named Alessandro Ciardi during a race at Larciano when the car went out of control and crashed, leaving him with the horrific injuries that caused his death on the 7th of February 2010.

Other births: Robert Van Lancker (Belgium, 1947); Warren Scarfe (Australia, 1936, died 1964); David Cabrero (Spain, 1976); Jacqui Uttien (Australia, 1964); Peter McDermott (Australia, 1944); Roland Günther (Germany, 1962); Jeff Leslie (Australia, 1952); Richard Hine (Australia, 1939); Ignác Teiszenberger (Hungary, 1880); Erich Hagen (Germany, 1936, died 1978); Nikolai Matvejev (USSR, 1923, died 1984).