Mark Cavendish did what he promised to do and won the UCI Road World Championships: Elite Men Road Race. otherwise known as the World Championships. His is the United Kingdom’s first world champion for 46 Years, in fact he is only the United Kingdom’s second ever World Champion. He went there to win, the British team had no plan “B” either Cavendish delivered or they failed. The British team rode brilliantly, controlling the race from the start. If I had one minor criticism of the tactics it would be forget that ‘Cav’ won, the tactics must have been just right.
Well there isn’t a prologue this year. So you will have to make do with my musings on what is going to happen.
The GC (General Classification or Yellow Jersey) is I think it is a straight fight between Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard (last years winner) and Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek (last years runner-up). Schleck probably is a slightly better climber than Contador and has a stronger and more experienced team, (you don’t get stronger than Fabian Cancellara or more experienced than Stuart O’Grady and Jens Voigt), but Contador proved in 2009 that he can win without a team, or indeed with a team gave that appeared to be actively working against him. Contador is by far the best individual time trialist. The Team Time Trial is fairly short so no team (except possibly Euskatel) should lose too much time.
Who is going to win? I don’t know, but I will be very surprised, barring accidents or an early intervention by CAS, if Contador and Andy Schleck are not on the top two steps. The third step could be occupied by any one of about ten riders, Bradley Wiggins, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto and Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team among the candidates.
The Points Competition (Green Jersey) has a new format this year with only one intermediate sprint per stage and not the two or three that there were in the past.. The other big difference is that the intermediate sprint is now worth 20 points to the winner with points going down to the first fifteen riders across the line. This means that anyone who wants to win the competition will have to go for the points at the intermediate sprint, unlike in earlier years when the overall contenders could rely on a breakaway mopping up the intermediate points and only have to worry about the final sprint. On paper the favourite to win the green jersey is Mark Cavendish, but he has a habit of sitting up in a sprint when he knows that he has been beaten, thus dropping points by finishing tenth when he could have been second or third. Thor Hushvod has stated that the Green Jersey is not his aim this year, so I think that it could well end up on the shoulders of his team-mate Tyler Farrar.
The King of the Mountains Competition (Polka Dot Jersey)has in recent years become a completion fought out by French riders who got themselves into early breaks and hoovered up the points available before the GC contenders started racing properly in the latter stages of the race. Like the Points competition the scoring has been altered this year, with fewer points available on the lesser climbs. This is possibly to discourage the opportunist French breakaway riders and encourage some of the bigger names to make it a goal if they lose time in the GC. Having said that I would like to see David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis win.
Stage 1
Saturday’s stage, unusually wasn’t a prologue time trial, but a road stage with a reasonably steep uphill finish. Philippe Gilbert was such a short-priced favourite for the stage that one Belgian punter was heard to remark that it would probably cost him money even if Gilbert won. Surprisingly enough Philippe Gilbert did win it and in style. His team controlled the race well into the finalé, including an amusing to watch, although probably not to do, 100m turn on the front, uphill, by André Griepel. Fabian Cancellara attacked with about 500m to go, forcing Gilbert to go probably a bit earlier than he had planned, but if Spartacus goes, you have to go with him if you want to win. Gilbert caught him and sat on for a few seconds to see what was going to do, then went himself. Cadel Evans tried to bridge across but didn’t manage and came second, with Thor Hushvod coming third and setting himself up nicely for an attempt at the yellow jersey in the following days team time trial.
The other incident that shaped the day, and could yet shape the tour was a mass pile up with about 10k to go. A spectator got too close to the action and caused an Astana rider to crash , bringing half the peleton with him. Alberto Contador although not actually involved, was caught behind the crash and lost about a minute and a half to his rivals.
Stage 2
The second stage of this years Tour de France was the Team Time Trial. Jonathon Vaughters the owner/manager of Team Garmin-Cervélo has tried to win a stage of the Tour de France for the past three years. In addition he has a bit of an obsession with the Team Time Trial. This is probably due the fact that one of the highlights of his career as a cyclist was winning the Team Time Trial stage in 2001 when he was a member of Roger Legay’s Credit Agricole team.
It all worked out perfectly for him and the team. They won the stage by 4 seconds and moved Thor Hushvod out of his world champions rainbow strips into the Maillot Jaune, though today he was rather incongruously wearing the polka dot jersey of the leader of the King of the Mountains competition. If you want to know why I suggest that you read the minutiae of the Rules & Regulations of the Tour de France (in French).
This is link is David Millar’s reaction to the win
Racing Through the Dark by David Millar is an honest self-written account of his descent from an extremely talented young rider to a two-year ban for admitting to using various proscribed substances and through to something like redemption.
A confession; I have been a fan of David Millar more or less since the beginning of his career. Apart from his obvious talent, he always came across as being more interesting than the average cyclist. His answers to journalist’s questions were always a bit less bland.
I was there in 2001, wearing my “It’s Millar Time” t-shirt, in Dunkirk, when he crashed (and as the book tells started his burn) in the prologue. He may have heard my shouts of encouragement as he struggled up Cap Griz Nez, swathed in bandages, just about hanging on to the back of the peleton. I was as surprised and shocked as anyone when he admitted to doping in 2004. I was at the top of the hill at Southborough when he took the King of the Mountains points on the stage from London to Canterbury. So to the book.
The opening two short contrasting chapters set the tone for the book. The overture if it was an opera. The first chapter is his telling of his arrest and interrogation by the French Police that led to his confession of having used performance enhancing drugs.
The second chapter, set five years later, is his story of a magnificent, thrilling, but ultimately futile attempt to win the Tour de France stage from Girona (where he now lives) to Barcelona. Through his words you can capture the renewed joy that he has in the sport of cycling.
Tracing his path from an idealistic neo-pro to his eventual downfall is a fascinating psychological journey. While never excusing himself from responsibility, he shows clearly that unless you were a far more stable and emotionally mature person than he was then, the culture around you drew you into doping. The point at which he finally gives in and agrees to dope is strangely and chillingly banal and matter of fact.
His path back from the depths of 2004 in Biarritz, sitting on the steps to the beach with his sister Francis, wishing he had a fast forward button, to the closing paragraphs, the morning after celebrating his Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, is neither smooth nor straightforward, but it is ultimately an uplifting story. He has problems with the French Justice system and the French Tax authority. His new team, Saunier Duval seemed to have similar problems to those he met at Cofidis, with riders notably Ricardo Ricco appearing to use EPO and other banned substances, and the management turning a blind eye to the goings on. Joining Jonathan Vaughters’ Slipstream team, with its anti-doping ethos, finally gave him something to believe in.
The book is about as far removed from the bland hack written “autobiographies” of sportsmen and women that we normally expect as can be. It is an open, honest and at times raw account of the pressures and strains that a top sportsman encounters. I think that it is a book that everyone should read, not just cycling fans. And if it does not win this years William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, then I will definitely read the book that beats it.
Geraint Thomas (also Team Sky) also produced a strong ride to take him into the leaders jersey. He and his team successfully defended the lead on the final stage yesterday to give him his first major stage race on his palmares.
On top of that on the other side of the Alps in Milan, David Millar (Team Garmin-Cervelo) won the final stage of the Giro d’Italia
