Well, at least one thing is for certain - cycling is far from being a predictable sport! What looked like being a run-of-the-mill sprint stage, which Mark Cavendish was favourite to win, turned out to be a rather farcical affair! Of course, the race started off in the usual way. The peloton set off, a few riders got into a breakaway and the sprinters' teams set about bringing them back in order to set their sprinters up for the sprint. However, nobody expected that one of the team's buses would end up getting stuck at the finish line, having become jammed underneath the overhead barrier. It must have been embarrassing for race organisers to watch the Orica-Greenedge bus wedged in as the peloton hurtled ever closer towards the finish line.
It appears that panic set in, as the route was amended with under 10km left to go, so that the riders were unsure of what was going on. News filtered in via team radios, but still there was a degree of uncertainty about what was actually happening. The pace was picking up, as riders geared themselves up for the sprint, only for there to be a massive crash, which was seemingly caused by Andre Greipel, whose attempts to make his way closer to the front ended up with a number of riders on the floor. Tony Martin hit the ground hard, as did Alberto Contador and Peter Sagan. Indeed, a significant number of potential contenders for the green jersey were unable to contest the sprint, including Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel.
Eventually the bus was freed and so organisers decided to tell riders that they would now have to ride to the original finish line, which surely added to the confusion and perhaps pre-empted the crash. So, with many of the major sprinters out of the sprint, it was left up to others who had managed to come away unscathed by the crash to contest it. In the end, it was Marcel Kittel who took the victory ahead of Alexander Kristoff and Danny van Poppel. He now has the privilege of wearing the yellow jersey in stage two of the Tour de France, although the terrain means that he may be unable to keep it for longer than a day. However, it would appear that anything can happen in bike racing!
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
The Tour de France: Yellow Jersey Contenders
The winner of the yellow jersey, or the maillot jaune, is won by the rider who has completed the Tour de France in the fastest time. There are no time bonuses in the Tour de France and so riders targeting the general classification (GC) gain no advantage from winning a stage, except the prestige which a stage win brings. However, any serious contenders for the GC need to be consistently at the front to ensure that they don't lose time to rivals. Often, it is in mountain stages that time is lost, as some riders are just stronger than others; also time trials provide an opportunity for good time trialists to put time into their rivals. There have also been instances where riders have been held up by crashes, injured themselves and lost time that way, so it is important for riders to stay out of trouble. In 2013, Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky were in imperious form, but will it be the same in 2013?
Well, it could well be that Team Sky are yet again dominant, but this time it won't be Bradley Wiggins leading the charge, as Christopher Froome has been designated the team leader. Having shown his strength in the 2012 edition of the race, it was clear that if he hadn't been working for Wiggo, he would have been aiming for yellow himself, and so 2013 is the first year he will be entering the race as team leader. It's not as if he hasn't earned the right to, having won so many races this year already, including the Tour of Oman, the Critérium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Going into the Tour de France, he is favourite to win and he hasn't had to face questions over whether he has peaked too soon, as everyone saw how Wiggo was able to hold form last year. Even if something unpected were to happen, there are plenty of other riders who are in good shape, including his loyal lieutenant, Richie Porte.
So, who else is in the frame, then? Alberto Contador would appear to be the biggest threat to Froome, having won all three Grand Tours before, including the Tour de France on several occasions (of course, some of his results were scrubbed from his palmarès after he was found to have a banned substance in his system). Although he hasn't had the string of victories that Froome has, he has consistently been in the fray and finishing in the top ten of major races. He is known for his attacking style and if anyone can put Team Sky under pressure it is Contador. In 2012, spectators were used to seeing Team Sky controlling the race from the front, often shedding rivals, but it might not be so easy this year, although Froome is clearly better able to react to attacks, and to attack himself, than Wiggins.
Another potential contender for the yellow jersey is Cadel Evans, having shown he is still capable of performing at a high level in the Giro d'Italia, finishing third overall. However, he did appear to have a few bad days during the race and his form hasn't always been consistent; plus, he isn't getting any younger. Although he is officially the team leader, he is team mates with Tejay van Garderen who has also been in good form, winning the Tour of California. He won the best young rider classification in the 2012 edition of the Tour de France, and seemed to ignore Evans, the team leader, when he required a spare wheel, which left many wondering who the real leader was. There is always the possibility that BMC could end up working for the youngster, van Garderen, rather than for Evans.
Some people still think that Andy Schleck deserves a mention as a potential contender for the GC, but he hasn't really done anything to show that this is the case. However, he has always been known to come to the fore in the Tour de France, so if he has recovered his physical and mental strength, there is always the possibility he could do something. No doubt, there will be plenty of riders who have been saving there best for the Tour de France and the chance that someone unexpected will shine.
Well, it could well be that Team Sky are yet again dominant, but this time it won't be Bradley Wiggins leading the charge, as Christopher Froome has been designated the team leader. Having shown his strength in the 2012 edition of the race, it was clear that if he hadn't been working for Wiggo, he would have been aiming for yellow himself, and so 2013 is the first year he will be entering the race as team leader. It's not as if he hasn't earned the right to, having won so many races this year already, including the Tour of Oman, the Critérium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Going into the Tour de France, he is favourite to win and he hasn't had to face questions over whether he has peaked too soon, as everyone saw how Wiggo was able to hold form last year. Even if something unpected were to happen, there are plenty of other riders who are in good shape, including his loyal lieutenant, Richie Porte.
So, who else is in the frame, then? Alberto Contador would appear to be the biggest threat to Froome, having won all three Grand Tours before, including the Tour de France on several occasions (of course, some of his results were scrubbed from his palmarès after he was found to have a banned substance in his system). Although he hasn't had the string of victories that Froome has, he has consistently been in the fray and finishing in the top ten of major races. He is known for his attacking style and if anyone can put Team Sky under pressure it is Contador. In 2012, spectators were used to seeing Team Sky controlling the race from the front, often shedding rivals, but it might not be so easy this year, although Froome is clearly better able to react to attacks, and to attack himself, than Wiggins.
Another potential contender for the yellow jersey is Cadel Evans, having shown he is still capable of performing at a high level in the Giro d'Italia, finishing third overall. However, he did appear to have a few bad days during the race and his form hasn't always been consistent; plus, he isn't getting any younger. Although he is officially the team leader, he is team mates with Tejay van Garderen who has also been in good form, winning the Tour of California. He won the best young rider classification in the 2012 edition of the Tour de France, and seemed to ignore Evans, the team leader, when he required a spare wheel, which left many wondering who the real leader was. There is always the possibility that BMC could end up working for the youngster, van Garderen, rather than for Evans.
Some people still think that Andy Schleck deserves a mention as a potential contender for the GC, but he hasn't really done anything to show that this is the case. However, he has always been known to come to the fore in the Tour de France, so if he has recovered his physical and mental strength, there is always the possibility he could do something. No doubt, there will be plenty of riders who have been saving there best for the Tour de France and the chance that someone unexpected will shine.
Monday, 24 June 2013
The Tour de France: Green Jersey Contenders
The green jersey, or maillot vert, is awarded to the rider who has accumulated the most points on the road, which can be picked up at the finish line and from intermediate sprints which crop up during each stage. In the Tour de France, the jersey is considered to be a sprinter's jersey, as the points awarded at the end of a stage are weighted towards sprinters, so that on flat stages, which a sprinter is likely to win, the winner is awarded more points than they would be for stages that finish in the mountains. The rider who is consistently at the front on flat stages and who hangs on in there over the mountains, picking up intermediate sprint points along the way, is likely to come away with the green jersey.
There are a number of contenders for the green jersey this year, from the pure sprinters such as Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel to riders who may not have as much out-and-out speed as the pure sprinters, but can get up climbs better and win sprint stages that do kick up a little bit, such as Peter Sagan. In 2012 it was Peter Sagan, the Slovakian wunderkind, who managed to secure the points jersey, having won three stages, including stages that finished uphill and, somewhat unexpectedly, stages that were completely flat. Thus, despite not being a pure sprinter, Sagan was able to capitalise on his ability to get over all kinds of terrain to win the jersey ahead of Andre Greiple and Matthew Goss.
Of course, in 2012 Peter Sagan did not have to contend with Mark Cavendish as a real contender. Although Mark Cavendish had signed with Team Sky in the belief that both the yellow and the green jerseys were being targeted, it soon became clear that all energies were being focused on securing Bradley Wiggins the yellow jersey. Thus, in the first few stages it seemed that Cavendish was left almost isolated, so that he ended up getting involved in a crash in a stage he should have won. There were also shots of him going back to the car in the world champion's jersey to act as the bottle carrier. Although he did go on to win three stages, he did not have the team support to win the green jersey as he had done in 2011.
However, this year, riding for Omega Pharma Quickstep, it is evident that the team is there to work solely for the Manx Missile and to help him secure the green jersey. He has already succeeded in wininng the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia, a race where it is much harder for sprinters to win the jersey, and has shown consistent form throughout the season. Peter Sagan has also been consistently up there and also has full team support, so that this is a battle that could come right down to the wire. There are also plenty of other sprinters on form, including Greipel, who similarly to Cav and Sagan, has just won the right to wear the national champion's jersey.
There are plenty of other sprinters desperate to make their mark on the Tour de France, including Nacer Bouhanni, John Degenkolb, Marcel Kittel, Matthew Goss and Alexander Kristoff. Of course, it is hard to gauge each rider's form until they actually start racing, and cycling can be an unpredictable sport, so that whilst on paper it might look like it will come down to a battle between Cavendish and Sagan, anything could happen. A young rider could come to the fore, just as Sagan did in 2012, or a crash could leave one of the contenders out of contention. The outcome remains to be seen.
There are a number of contenders for the green jersey this year, from the pure sprinters such as Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel to riders who may not have as much out-and-out speed as the pure sprinters, but can get up climbs better and win sprint stages that do kick up a little bit, such as Peter Sagan. In 2012 it was Peter Sagan, the Slovakian wunderkind, who managed to secure the points jersey, having won three stages, including stages that finished uphill and, somewhat unexpectedly, stages that were completely flat. Thus, despite not being a pure sprinter, Sagan was able to capitalise on his ability to get over all kinds of terrain to win the jersey ahead of Andre Greiple and Matthew Goss.
Of course, in 2012 Peter Sagan did not have to contend with Mark Cavendish as a real contender. Although Mark Cavendish had signed with Team Sky in the belief that both the yellow and the green jerseys were being targeted, it soon became clear that all energies were being focused on securing Bradley Wiggins the yellow jersey. Thus, in the first few stages it seemed that Cavendish was left almost isolated, so that he ended up getting involved in a crash in a stage he should have won. There were also shots of him going back to the car in the world champion's jersey to act as the bottle carrier. Although he did go on to win three stages, he did not have the team support to win the green jersey as he had done in 2011.
However, this year, riding for Omega Pharma Quickstep, it is evident that the team is there to work solely for the Manx Missile and to help him secure the green jersey. He has already succeeded in wininng the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia, a race where it is much harder for sprinters to win the jersey, and has shown consistent form throughout the season. Peter Sagan has also been consistently up there and also has full team support, so that this is a battle that could come right down to the wire. There are also plenty of other sprinters on form, including Greipel, who similarly to Cav and Sagan, has just won the right to wear the national champion's jersey.
There are plenty of other sprinters desperate to make their mark on the Tour de France, including Nacer Bouhanni, John Degenkolb, Marcel Kittel, Matthew Goss and Alexander Kristoff. Of course, it is hard to gauge each rider's form until they actually start racing, and cycling can be an unpredictable sport, so that whilst on paper it might look like it will come down to a battle between Cavendish and Sagan, anything could happen. A young rider could come to the fore, just as Sagan did in 2012, or a crash could leave one of the contenders out of contention. The outcome remains to be seen.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Wiggins Breaks His Silence
After the heady heights of 2012, Bradley Wiggins has struggled to find the form needed to perform well in stage races this year. Although there was a lot of talk about him winning the Giro d'Italia and then riding at the Tour de France, it would appear that Wiggo has lost the motivation to challenge at the front. It appears that he still has goals he would like to achieve, such as the world time trial championships, but admits his priorities have changed and that he isn't prepared to make the same sacrifices that enabled him to win the Tour de France. It is understandable, really, since he has been racing since he was a youngster, won races off and on the track, which ultimately culminated in his Tour de France win. He also has a young family, though, and it must be tough being away from home so much.
The Tour de France is the most well known of the Grand Tours and is the race every professsional cyclist would love to win, so once you've won that it must be hard to find keep the momentum going, especially when you're nearing the end of your career. Whereas Chris Froome has stated winning the yellow jersey at the Tour de France would be his main goal for years to come, Wiggins doesn't appear to have the same passion to repeat his Tour win. Of course, it must be hard for any rider at Team Sky to acquire the role of team leader when there are so many talented riders who are worthy of leading the team. It is impossible to untangle fact from fiction, but the media has a tendency to highlight Wiggo's supposed fragile mental state and the idea that he may not be the easiest athlete to work with.
Nothing can take away from the fact that Bradley Wiggins secured Team Sky their first Grand Tour victory and was the first Briton to win the Tour de France, though. It was clear that in 2012 Wiggins had the determination, motivation, and the right team to help him achieve his goals, but if the same level of passion isn't there, it is obviously going to be a struggle to stay at the top, especially when there are plenty of others who are more than ready to take his place. It's just a shame he didn't realise this before taking on the Giro d'Italia when it would appear that he wasn't in the right frame of mind right from the off. Perhaps if the weather had been better and he hadn't crashed, hurt his knee and developed a chest infection he would have had been up there, but if not, then perhaps he shouldn't have been team leader at all.
Mind you, after so much success it must be hard to face up to getting older and reaching the end of your career, especially when you are well-known figure in your country and the face of cycling to many. Whatever Wiggins does or does not achieve in future, nothing can take away from his impressive palmarès and the contribution he has made to helping cycling become more widely recognised in Britain. Wiggins seems to be a love him or loathe him character, but at the end of the day nothing can take away from the fact he is an amazing time trialist with a huge engine that has enabled him to win races that others can only dream of.
The Tour de France is the most well known of the Grand Tours and is the race every professsional cyclist would love to win, so once you've won that it must be hard to find keep the momentum going, especially when you're nearing the end of your career. Whereas Chris Froome has stated winning the yellow jersey at the Tour de France would be his main goal for years to come, Wiggins doesn't appear to have the same passion to repeat his Tour win. Of course, it must be hard for any rider at Team Sky to acquire the role of team leader when there are so many talented riders who are worthy of leading the team. It is impossible to untangle fact from fiction, but the media has a tendency to highlight Wiggo's supposed fragile mental state and the idea that he may not be the easiest athlete to work with.
Nothing can take away from the fact that Bradley Wiggins secured Team Sky their first Grand Tour victory and was the first Briton to win the Tour de France, though. It was clear that in 2012 Wiggins had the determination, motivation, and the right team to help him achieve his goals, but if the same level of passion isn't there, it is obviously going to be a struggle to stay at the top, especially when there are plenty of others who are more than ready to take his place. It's just a shame he didn't realise this before taking on the Giro d'Italia when it would appear that he wasn't in the right frame of mind right from the off. Perhaps if the weather had been better and he hadn't crashed, hurt his knee and developed a chest infection he would have had been up there, but if not, then perhaps he shouldn't have been team leader at all.
Mind you, after so much success it must be hard to face up to getting older and reaching the end of your career, especially when you are well-known figure in your country and the face of cycling to many. Whatever Wiggins does or does not achieve in future, nothing can take away from his impressive palmarès and the contribution he has made to helping cycling become more widely recognised in Britain. Wiggins seems to be a love him or loathe him character, but at the end of the day nothing can take away from the fact he is an amazing time trialist with a huge engine that has enabled him to win races that others can only dream of.
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
The Tour de France: Froome's Relief
At the beginning of the year there was a bit of uncertainty over who would be leading Team Sky at the Tour de France. Although, ostensibly, Bradley Wiggins was set to target the Giro d'Italia, he kept making noises indicating he wanted to lead the Tour de France as well. This must have been so frustrating for Chris Froome, who worked so hard to help secure Wiggo the yellow jersey in 2012. The management didn't exactly shout from the rooftops that Froome would, without question, be the leader at the Tour de France, although in the world of cycling that was probably for the best, as it only takes a broken collar bone or fractured leg to significantly alter a rider's schedule.
When you take a look at how Froome and Wiggins have been performing this year, it is evident that Froome is in the form of his life, having won a variety of races from the Tour of Oman in February to the Critérium du Dauphiné in June. Nobody is questioning Froome's ability to continue to hold that form, having seen Wiggo successfully do so in 2012. Unfortunately, 2013 hasn't been Wiggo's year, having achieved only a fifth in the Giro del Trentino and the Volta a Catalunya and withdrawing from the Giro d'Italia after stage 12. It was hard to judge his form during the Giro, but there was some surprise when he failed to shine as much as was expected in the first time trial. Plus, he lost time after being held up by a crash and experienced a crash of his own, which seemed to knock his confidence when descending. Ultimately, he withdrew because of a chest infection, although there was speculation that maybe his form wasn't there or that he didn't have the necessary motivation to continue.
After withdrawing, Wiggins initially seemed to suggest he would be training in order to be able to ride the Tour de France. However, it soon emerged he had a knee injury and that there would not be enough time for him to recover and put in the training needed to be completely fit for the race. Of course, this was bound to lead to questions being asked about the 'real' reason why Wiggins wasn't going to defend his title. Had there been an agreement with Froome that Wiggo wouldn't ride Le Tour? Had management decided it would be too risky to have dual leadership with Wiggo's temperamental persona? Did Wiggins decide he didn't want to play second fiddle to Froome? Whatever the reason for Wiggins apparently deciding not to contest Le Tour, it obviously comes as some relief to Froome that his role as leader will be unchallenged by anyone else on the team.
If Wiggo was going to ride the 2013 edition of the Tour de France, it was almost guaranteed that the media would focus all their attention on the relationship between the two riders, especially as there appears to be no love lost between the two since Froome's apparent 'attack' on Wiggins in the 2012 edition of Le Tour. Overall, it would seem that whoever made the decision that Wiggo shouldn't ride Le Tour has realised that there needs to be clarity of purpose and that Wiggo's presence would have only confused the situation. Now, the focus can be on the racing between those targeting the GC on different teams, instead of competing egos within the same team.
When you take a look at how Froome and Wiggins have been performing this year, it is evident that Froome is in the form of his life, having won a variety of races from the Tour of Oman in February to the Critérium du Dauphiné in June. Nobody is questioning Froome's ability to continue to hold that form, having seen Wiggo successfully do so in 2012. Unfortunately, 2013 hasn't been Wiggo's year, having achieved only a fifth in the Giro del Trentino and the Volta a Catalunya and withdrawing from the Giro d'Italia after stage 12. It was hard to judge his form during the Giro, but there was some surprise when he failed to shine as much as was expected in the first time trial. Plus, he lost time after being held up by a crash and experienced a crash of his own, which seemed to knock his confidence when descending. Ultimately, he withdrew because of a chest infection, although there was speculation that maybe his form wasn't there or that he didn't have the necessary motivation to continue.
After withdrawing, Wiggins initially seemed to suggest he would be training in order to be able to ride the Tour de France. However, it soon emerged he had a knee injury and that there would not be enough time for him to recover and put in the training needed to be completely fit for the race. Of course, this was bound to lead to questions being asked about the 'real' reason why Wiggins wasn't going to defend his title. Had there been an agreement with Froome that Wiggo wouldn't ride Le Tour? Had management decided it would be too risky to have dual leadership with Wiggo's temperamental persona? Did Wiggins decide he didn't want to play second fiddle to Froome? Whatever the reason for Wiggins apparently deciding not to contest Le Tour, it obviously comes as some relief to Froome that his role as leader will be unchallenged by anyone else on the team.
If Wiggo was going to ride the 2013 edition of the Tour de France, it was almost guaranteed that the media would focus all their attention on the relationship between the two riders, especially as there appears to be no love lost between the two since Froome's apparent 'attack' on Wiggins in the 2012 edition of Le Tour. Overall, it would seem that whoever made the decision that Wiggo shouldn't ride Le Tour has realised that there needs to be clarity of purpose and that Wiggo's presence would have only confused the situation. Now, the focus can be on the racing between those targeting the GC on different teams, instead of competing egos within the same team.
Monday, 10 June 2013
The Critérium du Dauphiné: Froome's Dominance
Even before winning the Critérium du Dauphiné, Christopher Froome was one of the favourites to win the Tour de France. His dominant display in the Dauphiné has simply confirmed his position as being a real contender for the yellow jersey. In 2012, it was Bradley Wiggins' year, as it was he who won race after race, but this year it is Froome who has come away with equally, if not more, impressive victories in the Tour of Oman, the Critérium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Dauphiné, with a hard-fought second place secured in the Tirreno-Adriatico. When Wiggo dominated in 2012, the question of whether he had peaked too soon continued to be asked, but Froome has not had to answer this. Clearly, Wiggo proved that it is possible to maintain form for a significant period of time.
Unfortunately, this always leads more cynical cycling fans to question whether it is doping that is responsible for such dominance. Of course, Team Sky are such a force to be reckoned with and have, within a relatively short space of time, come on to the scene and made their presence felt. They have employed different coaches, different strategies and tactics. Sometimes, these have paid off; other times they have not, as can be seen by their poor showing in the Spring Classics. It is also clear that Team Sky have a wealth of talent and riders who are working as domestiques when they could be the protected leader if they were riding for another team. They work at the front and set the pace, shelling those at the back. It is this tactic that helped secure Wiggo the yellow jersey, but Froome is a very different kind of rider.
Froome has repeatedly shown that it is not just a matter of hanging in there on the climbs- he is more than prepared to attack and it is for others to try to stay on his wheel. It seems that Richie Porte is his right-hand man and they are, indeed, best friends off the bike. Froome was prepared to work for Porte on the final stage of the Dauphiné in attempt to get him the stage win, but even Porte was struggling to stay on Froome's wheel. Ultimately, neither rider from Team Sky would get the stage honours, but it is evident that Froome is confident enough in his own abilities and has a great deal of faith in his team members. Whatever the circumstances surrounding Wiggo's decision not to participate in the Tour de France, it surely can only be good for the team and for Chris Froome, as there is no doubt who will be leading the team.
Unfortunately, this always leads more cynical cycling fans to question whether it is doping that is responsible for such dominance. Of course, Team Sky are such a force to be reckoned with and have, within a relatively short space of time, come on to the scene and made their presence felt. They have employed different coaches, different strategies and tactics. Sometimes, these have paid off; other times they have not, as can be seen by their poor showing in the Spring Classics. It is also clear that Team Sky have a wealth of talent and riders who are working as domestiques when they could be the protected leader if they were riding for another team. They work at the front and set the pace, shelling those at the back. It is this tactic that helped secure Wiggo the yellow jersey, but Froome is a very different kind of rider.
Froome has repeatedly shown that it is not just a matter of hanging in there on the climbs- he is more than prepared to attack and it is for others to try to stay on his wheel. It seems that Richie Porte is his right-hand man and they are, indeed, best friends off the bike. Froome was prepared to work for Porte on the final stage of the Dauphiné in attempt to get him the stage win, but even Porte was struggling to stay on Froome's wheel. Ultimately, neither rider from Team Sky would get the stage honours, but it is evident that Froome is confident enough in his own abilities and has a great deal of faith in his team members. Whatever the circumstances surrounding Wiggo's decision not to participate in the Tour de France, it surely can only be good for the team and for Chris Froome, as there is no doubt who will be leading the team.
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