Chasing Legends – February 2nd

A few years ago at the VIFF I took in a great German documentary called Höllentour (Hell On Wheels). It followed Erik Zabel and Rolf Aldag during the incredible 2003 edition of the Tour de France. Both were amazing cyclists in their day, key members of former powerhouse T-Mobile, and Zabel is indisputably a legend. Upcoming on February 2nd is the Vancouver showing of Chasing Legends, a documentary that follows HTC- Columbia during the 2009 Tour. It will be interesting to compare the two films, as both feature the pressure of sprinters on the biggest stage in the world, and both expose a sporting event like no other. Young, cocky, and at the top of his game – Mark Cavendish could be the best sprinter ever. However, he still doesn’t have a green jersey, and his Directeur Sportif, none other than Aldag, is no doubt trying to groom him to follow in the footsteps of the only man to win the maillot vert six times: Zabel.

No matter what you think about cycling, cyclists, or the controversy that surrounds them, the sport is gruelling, the athletes incredible, and the biggest race – the Tour – is a spectacle that has no rival anywhere, at anytime.

I will be going to the sole Vancouver showing on February 2nd. If you are interested in attending you can find information here, or contact me. I encourage you to watch the trailer below, and see what some of the featured personalities have to remark. How do you think you would fare flying down some of the descents they show? How many times do you hear the word suffering?

Canadian Rides to Seventh

Each year the Tour de France offers up a myriad of story lines that demonstrate what makes it one of the preeminent annual sporting events in the world. This year it was special to see our very own Ryder Hesjedal as one of the biggest stories. Back when le Tour started rolling I mentioned that for it to be an enjoyable event to spectate this year, it would be great to see personal bests by the only two Canadians. Since it was Barry’s first appearance he had already achieved this mark (which shouldn’t be underestimated because a lot of very good cyclists never even go to the Tour). Victoria native, Ryder Hesjedal not only set a personal best, his seventh overall is the second best Canadian finish ever, and it has taken more than 20 years for us to get there. Only Steve Bauer’s 1988 fourth place finish, and five days in yellow surpasses Hesjedal’s accomplishments.

Some might not fully understand how impressive a top-10 finish at the Tour de France is. There are plenty of men that were in the race that are outstanding, either up and comers, or proven legends, and they didn’t make the top 10, including the likes of Armstrong, Basso, Evans, Cunego, and Wiggins to name just a few. There are elite riders, superstars of the sport, that enter the race not even considering to finish in the the top 30, or 50 even. To finish so high up means you have to possess the skills of a classics rider, a climber, a time-trialer, and the nerve to hang on in a sprint finish. On the world stage this is an outstanding athletic achievement for Hesjedal, and Canada. The best part is his humility, and determination. Nicknamed “Weight of a Nation” on twitter, Hesjedal quietly yet passionately went about putting together an impressive three week ride. Most cyclists finishing as high as he did require the support of a strong team, but he had to do it all himself. Complaints? Never. Instead he rose with humility to the mantle of team leader after Christian Vande Velde unfortunately crashed out. His attitude was very much Canadian. He chased the race, rather than have it chase him, but he never sounded cocky.

“People will probably say that I was stupid,” Hesjedal said of his breakaway move on stage 12 “but I am here to race. I would rather be out front and push the chance.”

“I’m just doing what I love to do” he calmly claimed after le Tourmalet where only three other riders bested him to the pinnacle of the entire race.

Ryder’s exploits also made it rather  amusing to listen to Canadian sportscasters and newscasters struggle over what are famous names in the cycling world, yet rarely brought to many Canadians’ attention.

Congratulations to Contador. Great effort by Schleck. Menchov remains a force to be reckoned with, Vinokourov got his redemption, the French got their stage victories, but my biggest Chapeau goes to Ryder! Thanks for making us all proud.

Giro di Burnaby to Return in 2011

Good news released recently: BC Superweek will be growing. Due to finances, the Giro di Burnaby and Tour de Gastown have both been missing for two years now. Thankfully the Tour de Delta and Tour de White Rock soldiered on. Announced this week, the Giro will return next year, mid-week between the two larger events in Delta and White Rock. Hopefully this signals an eminent return of the legendary Tour de Gastown as well. There are some excellent cyclists racing these events, and by nurturing Superweek back to its full capabilities it will be even more attractive for bigger names.

Professional cycling is on this weekend in White Rock, with the fan favourite criterium happening Saturday evening. Look for Garmin-Transitions rider Svein Tuft, to be out for a win after being beaten by David Veilleux in the Canadian Criterium Championship last weekend. (Yes,  Garmin-Transitions is the same team you see racing in the Tour de France right now). If you’re interested in attending, maybe doing some photoging, let me know.

Rotterdam Start

Le Tour de France gets rolling with the prologue in Rotterdam Saturday. Coinciding with a big Dutch win in football on Friday the sporting world has eyes on the Netherlands right now. As usual, Tour de France updates on Être ou Avoir will mainly occur on the separate page which has made its annual return. It can be found on the top navigational bar, or by clicking here. No matter what happens, there will be enough that happens that make this 97th edition an exciting one – the worlds largest annual sporting event always has excitement. With two visits to le Tourmalet, rolling through 3 countries, 3 summit finishes, throw in some cobblestones and a time trail left to the penultimate day, not to mention the rivalries that are simmering, and the ingredients are there.  Some things I’m pulling for to make it a truly fantastic Tour:
-At least a couple of successful breakaways
-Podium for a Schleck
-A stage win by at least one of Jens Voigt, Juan Antonio Flecha, or big George Hincapie
-A close competition for the Green Jersey
-A stage win for Levi
-A summit finish decided in the last 100 meters
-Sprint win for Tyler Farrar
-Good showings by Canadians Barry and Hesjedal. They ride in support, but it would be so good to see them shine individually – even just a bit.

…and honestly, there is a part of me wishing that Vino’ legitimately fights for, and achieves some aspect of redemption. If cycling is to truly mirror life, then shouldn’t we be allowed another chance? I’ll have to see how he performs and how I come to terms with the rider who was once my favourite.

Probably won’t have time for many updates, but if there are some, they will appear on the TdF page.

Blind Bike Balance

This is Matt Gilman. He rides a bike. As you see, he overcomes a particular challenge that you and I probably aren’t faced with, but does stuff – balance stuff – on a bike that most of us probably couldn’t do. There are always different tools, signs, senses, and mediators to help us balance, if we choose to go after them. When faced with something that throws you off balance from the things you find joy in what do you do? It certainly doesn’t stop Matt from going after what brings him joy. There’s more than one way to find balance in the things that bring us joy, even when at first they may appear lost. Are we willing to go after them, and not be afraid to fall while we do it? If you’re not into watching the whole thing at least watch the first couple of minutes, and then watch from about the 7:10 mark on to get a sense of how things don’t always go as planned. But maybe just watch the whole thing.

more about “Blind Bike Balance“, posted with vodpod

If you dig this kind of stuff, then check out these guys from an old posting as well.

Voigt Recovers

The ever impressive Jens Voigt took a nasty spill today. It is really quite amazing he is not more seriously hurt. I was rather taken aback when I saw his crash this morning. Jens is an incredible cyclist, a veteran competitor, and by all accounts I have heard, a stand-up athlete who is one of the toughest men in his sport. He did some incredible work to pull himself back to help his team leaders after he was dropped on the last climb today. Then, shortly after going over the top he uncharacteristically lost control and hit the pavement at around 70 km/hr.

Wishing one of my favourite cyclists all the best in his recovery.

Tour Returns

In case you didn’t notice, the Tour page was brought back on this blog a few days ago: Tour de France 2009. While I’m a year round cycling fan, I do admit it gets ramped up in July. Rather than totally bore you with cycling posts for this month I just put short updates on the TdF page. That way I can totally bore you with the regular stuff here.

Contador Takes Vuelta

Apparently Alberto Contador is the real deal. With his victory today in the Vuelta a España, he becomes only the fifth rider to win all three grand tours. Armstrong only ever won one grand tour. At only 25 years of age it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. With strong young riders on other teams beginning to emerge as well, it bodes well for the future of cycling. If you’re not interested in cycling yet, then maybe you should start following this guy.

Congrats to Levi for taking both time trails and riding a strong Vuelta as well.

2008 BC SuperWeek

The 2008 edition of the BC Cycling SuperWeek concluded today with ProTour rider Chris Horner, of Astana, finally getting the victory he deserved. Since arriving for Gastown on Wednesday, and competing in the Giro di Burnaby and Tour de White Rock, Horner has been a one man team up against the well oiled train that is the Symmetrics cycling. Up until today, Andrew Pinfold of Symmetrics had dominated SuperWeek. Rightly so though, as he is a good sprinter whom was put into perfect positions by his team in each criterium. It was nice to see Horner get the win today though. We are fortunate to have a current ProTour rider visit for these events – it’s quite unheard of and will probably never happen again.

If you were didn’t catch any of SuperWeek this year, you really missed out. This really is excellent cycling, and we were treated to some great races due to the high profile riders here this year. If you are ever at all interested in seeing a supercharged sport with amazing athletes, then don’t miss out next year. Hopefully we’ll see at least some of the caliber back that we saw this year.

Some of my photos are on the left there. For some great shots taken by a friend, of the White Rock criteruim, click here.

A New Tour

Le Tour got rolling yesterday, and while there is a new feel in the air, the old thrills came roaring back. With the impressive Euro 2008 finishing last week, a record setting Wimbledon concluding today, and the Olympics only a month away, many regard this summer as a gigantic one for sports. Some might say the luster, the inspiration, the sporting excellence of cycling has been lost, and other sports, other events will forever eclipse it. Don’t tell that to the people of Brittany. Le Grand Depart left Brest on Saturday and the roads were packed – as usual. The streets were lined again today for mere category 3 and 4 climbs. Two unpredicatble finishes epitomized the direction of this year’s Tour: the racing is just as exciting as ever, but the door for victories is wide open.

Le Tour may lie Sandwiched between two massive quadrennial events this summer, but it remains the the largest annual sporting event in the world. 180 riders, from countries all over the world, (including a rider from Canada this year), form 20 teams. They compete in numerous categories, over 21 days of cycling, and there will be only one to wear le maillot jaune at the end. Millions of spectators will line the streets, and many millions more will watch on TV.