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Monday, July 25. 2011
He Comes From the Land Down Under
No surprise here: a Frenchman didn’t win the Tour de France. Nope. That honor belongs to Australian Cadel Evans. Good for him. He’s been trying long enough! No one really expected Frenchman Thomas Voelcker to win; he just doesn’t have the mountain climbing skills. But, for over a week Voelcker had the yellow jersey and that was a boost for the French. Heck, no one expected the Frenchman to keep the jersey for more than one stage!It’s like having foreigners win the U.S. Open in golf and tennis. I vividly remember when Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova ruled the tennis world. Of course, Navratilova ruled women’s tennis a lot longer than Borg ruled the men’s. Other players rarely had a chance against them. Borg had some epic battles against John McEnroe, but Navratilova just dominated.
Navratilova eventually became a U.S. citizen, but still, she was a foreigner. Having written that, I’ll gladly stand next to her and sing the National Anthem! Happy to have you here Martina!
Just a short tangent to this tangent: the greatest woman tennis player of all time is German-American Steffi Graf. She won the Calendar Year Golden Grand Slam (the only player to do so) in 1988, winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Gold Medal at the Olympics.
If she hadn’t had so many injuries, no telling how much she would have eclipsed Navratilova.
But this is primarily about professional bicycle racing and the first Australian and the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to win the Tour de France, Cadel Evans.
Of all the professional sports in the world, bicycling has got to be the most grueling. An event like the Tour de France, a “Grand Tour,” will last three weeks, and the smaller events three days to a week to two weeks. They ride in most weather and when they compete hurt, you can see it. Many times you’ll see riders getting stitches in their various body parts as they are riding.
Can’t remember who it was a few years ago, but one rider finished the tour with a broken collarbone. Just checked; it was American George Hincapie in 2009. He rode the final four stages, including a time trial, with a broken clavicle. Dang! That takes some discipline!
Broken clavicles are common in bicycle racing. What happens is, the riders are traveling along at 30 miles per hour or faster, especially if they’re going downhill, and then they take a fall. They land on a shoulder and BAM! A broken collarbone.British rider Bradley Wiggins started the Tour as one of the favorites, but crashed in the ill-fated Stage 7 pile-up, eventually leaving the race with a broken collarbone. Man! As close as they ride in the peloton, it’s a wonder there aren’t more pile-ups.
I’ve hit the pavement and dirt on trails; it hurts.
About five years ago I was having some fun going up and down the short trails around Lake Miramar. Coming down a rather steep trail with a sharp turn to the right I tried to navigate it, but the front tire caught a rock on the trail and sent the Trusty Trek, with me on it. into the dirt, sliding down what is essentially a short cliff. Not so short that I didn’t sustain any injuries. Quite the contrary. It took off huge chunks of skin and some of the scars on my left leg are still visible.
Out there alone and miles from the parking lot and my truck, I just put the chain back on, wrapped up my leg and arm in gauze and pedaled back to the truck.
In December of 2009 I was knocked off the Trusty Trek after hitting a curb while avoiding a guy who was texting while driving his SUV. Besides breaking my left wrist, chunks of skin were scraped off my right arm and the scars from that are still visible.
Riding a bicycle can be painful, especially for the professionals who do it at the speeds they routinely pedal.
Then there is the mental and emotional toll of competing against the elements, driving yourself past the point of surrender, pedaling close to 100 miles nearly every day — often well over 100 miles. That burn in your thighs as you climb that 15% grade, and maybe the ascent is ten miles long. As a leader you’re conscious of your standing, and even if you weren’t, your team manager is reminding you through a radio headset in the helmet.
Winning a stage in the Tour de France is a big deal and for some riders the highlight of their pro careers. But to win the Tour, the General Classification, that’s the big deal.
It isn’t just stamina; it’s a willingness to do whatever it takes, ignore all the pain; and the discipline to stick to the game plan mile after mile, day after day, when every fiber of your body and mind is saying “Enough’s enough!” They keep doing it, keep pedaling, keep pushing, keep pacing themselves, and in Cadel Evans’ case, going faster than his body said was possible to win the final time trial, pushing past the guys ahead of him until he’s in the lead; they keep going until they reach the Champs Élysées in Paris.
Too bad for the French Thomas Voelcker couldn’t sustain his hold on the yellow, but he did his country proud by holding it as long as he did, even though he was just about the only person who thought he could lead the Tour at all. He finished 4th overall, behind Evans and the Schleck Brothers of Luxembourg, Andy and Frank respectively.
A Frenchman, Pierre Rolland, took the White jersey as the best new rider. He’s a great climber and that’s always a good trait for winning the tour. He just missed the top ten, finishing 11th overall.
Last year’s champion, Alberto Contador, finished 5th overall. Who knows what his status will be in two weeks time. He’s riding on borrowed time, having appealed the ruling in a doping case. It’s in arbitration and the sport’s governing body will convene August 1st to decide his fate.Just a week after winning last year’s Tour de France, it was announced that Contador had tested positive for a banned substance. Contador has been fighting that charge ever since, claiming it was the result of eating tainted beef. If the arbitration in August goes against him, he will lose his 2010 title and everything he’s accomplished this year, including his win in the Giro d’Italia last month.
This year though, on the podium under the Arc de Triomphe, stood the Australian and two brothers from Luxembourg, firsts in the Tour de France. The tour started on a stage that is flooded every day at high tide and finished with the ultimate winner taking the yellow jersey in the last stage before the finale, an individual time trial, providing the last dramatic moment in a tour that saw many over the 21 stages.
Most Americans really don’t give a hoot about the Tour de France or bicycle racing in general. Lance Armstrong isn’t in it, so that connection is lost. Of the other Americans, only one placed high enough to take notice; Tom Danielson came in 9th overall. But, his team, Garmin-Cervélo, came out on top.
Team Garmin includes Thor Hushovd! It’s a great team!
Next year, maybe Danielson will be on the podium! That’s the thing about the Tour de France. Every Tour gives us something to look forward to in the next year. There are a few riders to watch next year, like the Schleck Brothers, Voeckler and Hushovd. I’ll be watching!
Speaking of giving a Hoot, my friend Claudia, who now works at the Downtown LA Hooters across from the Staples Center, is vying for the 2012 Hooters calendar. Just click her photo (below) and leave a message: “Put Claudia from DTLA in a BIG picture!”
Happy Trails!
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