Recently it's not normal for me to describe any of my rides as 'epic', but today's I can safely scribe as one of those, 160km from Oban, round the coast, up Glen Coe and across Rannoch Moor, all in hideous weather. It's also not normal for me to decide to go out in the rain, but I'm on holiday and determined to forget any health problems I've been experiencing this year and get some decent rides in my legs to salvage something from this season, I can't think when I've had the motivation to do that kind of distance by myself before, other than on a foreign touring holiday when I've had to get to one place for a flight home.
Everything seemed to be going pretty well, feeling good in the light rain, but as I hit Glen Coe, I could see the cloud hanging around the top of the glan, tourists seemed quite happy not to venture too far up the hill, taking photo's from the lower car parks, but the top looked dark, cloudy and not particularly pleasant, but no point in turning back, there's plenty more bad weather behind me too. Having hit the cloud and stopped to pull on the goretex another time, as I set off the bike didn't feel too good, on I went and things seemed to be getting 'draggy', the wind was picking up over the drag to the highest point of Rannoch Moor, you could also see your breath and it was getting colder all the time and near the summit a gusty headwind, visibility down to about 200m, like in the werewolf film on the moor. You know when somethings not right and you think, "I've not got a puncture", you bounce the back wheel only to find that's what you have, well it was one of those days, a slow puncture, but a puncture none the less.
So, you have 2 options.
1) Replace the tube
2) Pump it up and hope for the best
I went for option 2, as anybody who's been across that bit of road knows, there's no shelter, so along with it absolutely chucking it down with rain and a freezing wind (+ the werewolves), I wasn't going to be faffing about with fixing a puncture if I could help it. Quick fill with air and on I went, did this another couple of times and eventually made it to the first settlement, Bridge of Orchy, the hotel was serving food and was filled with walkers, I was directed to what must have been the 'cyclists table', it has what looks like waterproof seats, they seemed used to this, so went for the lentil soup and what I assumed would be the biggest dish, fish n chips, plus the obligatory two coffees. All the walkers looked dry, don't think it was nice enough weather for them, but they were dressed in the full clean & dry kit, pretending they were willing to brave the elements. A pair of old motorcycling mates came in, sounded like they'd ridden up from Yorkshire in the last couple of days, they both had bikes (loud ee by gum type conversation) and still had to ride up to Fort William, both sank 2 pints quickly and said "that were better than last one", made me slightly frightened to think how many pubs they'd stopped at, but no accidents on the news tonight, so they must have got there in one piece. Fixed puncture properly after I'd eaten, then off I went.
Set the virtual partner on the Garmin at 30kmh, he beat me back to Oban by 2 minutes, I cracked on the final climb, so not a bad days training on a nasty day, a shorter hilly ride tomorrow afternoon I think, needed an epic today, just to prove I could still do it.
Monday 26 July 2010
Saturday 3 July 2010
Cancellara dominates in Prologue
Big Fabian does it again, blitzes everybody and has bike scanned by the UCI for a motor!!
Quite interesting results, especially Wiggins, he gambled on an early start to avoid the rain, but hit the worst of the weather, ITV4's coverage of his ride showed him taking the corners incredibly slowly, he'll be a bit dissapointed with 77th @56 seconds. His interview didn't show him to be too upset, so there is another possibility, he's lost weight since the Giro where he won the prologue, could he have furthered his transformation from pursuiter to mountain goat and this is the result, a reduced ability on shorter TT's, we'll find out soon enough.
Pleased to see Geraint Thomas up there too, I'd placed a £2 bet on him and was set to get £130 back if he placed in the top 3, all going well until Millar & Lance finished.
Tyler Farrar looks to be flying with a top 10, so should be interesting in the sprints this year with a below par Cav probably unable to dominate.
Looking forward to the first week, seems like bad weather, crosswinds, cobbles, no boring stages this year, there could be a few high profile victims fightingh to keep themselves within touch of the yellow jersey.
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank | 0:10:00 | |
| 2 | Tony Martin (Ger) Team HTC - Columbia | 0:00:10 | |
| 3 | David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Transitions | 0:00:20 | |
| 4 | Lance Armstrong (USA) Team Radioshack | 0:00:22 | |
| 5 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team | 0:00:23 | |
| 6 | Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana | 0:00:27 | |
| 7 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Transitions | 0:00:28 | |
| 8 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack | ||
| 9 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Professional Cycling Team | 0:00:32 | |
| 10 | Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team Milram | 0:00:35 |
Quite interesting results, especially Wiggins, he gambled on an early start to avoid the rain, but hit the worst of the weather, ITV4's coverage of his ride showed him taking the corners incredibly slowly, he'll be a bit dissapointed with 77th @56 seconds. His interview didn't show him to be too upset, so there is another possibility, he's lost weight since the Giro where he won the prologue, could he have furthered his transformation from pursuiter to mountain goat and this is the result, a reduced ability on shorter TT's, we'll find out soon enough.
Pleased to see Geraint Thomas up there too, I'd placed a £2 bet on him and was set to get £130 back if he placed in the top 3, all going well until Millar & Lance finished.
Tyler Farrar looks to be flying with a top 10, so should be interesting in the sprints this year with a below par Cav probably unable to dominate.
Looking forward to the first week, seems like bad weather, crosswinds, cobbles, no boring stages this year, there could be a few high profile victims fightingh to keep themselves within touch of the yellow jersey.
The Tour starts today.
Another Tour, another revelation on the eve of it.
These are generally happening every year now, but the latest revelations from Floyd Landis, which appear in the Wall Street Journal are making lots of things slip into place about the Armstrong phenomenum and the high possibility that 7 Tour wins was all a giant fraud.
The article is linked here: http://tinyurl.com/3xftw94
Landis alleged that bikes were sold off to fund the teams doping programme, in the article Trek do admit that some of the bikes went missing, apparently half the number they supplied to the team. These were seen for sale on the internet, during the early part of 2004 Landis was seen riding an old Trek bike while Lance was on his new Trek Madone. So I expect there are hundreds of Armstrong fans who have a team bike at home, unwilling to face the fact that they may have been part of the funding process for their hero's doping programme.
Whatever the outcome, Armstrong is damaged, but he's the biggest cash cow the sport's ever seen, the authorities and race organisers seem unwilling to remove him from the event, they have TV viewing figures and sponsorship deals to worry about. Teams and riders have been removed in the past for being under investigation, a policy which the Tour organisers ASO seemed to be employing the last few years, there is enough evidence in this case for the US to have started a federal investigation into the allegations from Landis, so I expect the cash cow can't be removed, that's bad for business.
We're about to witness one of the most incredible Tours in history, Radio Shack (Armstrong's team) are going to under a huge amount of scrutiny, they won't be able to stop the bus on a mountain road and get a blood transfusion. So what's going to happen, will he flounder in the last week without his normal boost, will we get an unexpected Tour champion if the survielance is hightened and the 'real' grand tour riders come to the top.
So my predictions are that we'll see some unusual names in the top ten, riders will have bad days again, like they used to back in the day, I also expect Armstrong not to finish for some reason, at this point I don't know what the reason will be, but expect him to come out all guns blazing. He may be a sporting fake and a generally unpleasant human being, but he's a fighter and this is going to be one spicy Tour.
These are generally happening every year now, but the latest revelations from Floyd Landis, which appear in the Wall Street Journal are making lots of things slip into place about the Armstrong phenomenum and the high possibility that 7 Tour wins was all a giant fraud.
The article is linked here: http://tinyurl.com/3xftw94
Landis alleged that bikes were sold off to fund the teams doping programme, in the article Trek do admit that some of the bikes went missing, apparently half the number they supplied to the team. These were seen for sale on the internet, during the early part of 2004 Landis was seen riding an old Trek bike while Lance was on his new Trek Madone. So I expect there are hundreds of Armstrong fans who have a team bike at home, unwilling to face the fact that they may have been part of the funding process for their hero's doping programme.
Whatever the outcome, Armstrong is damaged, but he's the biggest cash cow the sport's ever seen, the authorities and race organisers seem unwilling to remove him from the event, they have TV viewing figures and sponsorship deals to worry about. Teams and riders have been removed in the past for being under investigation, a policy which the Tour organisers ASO seemed to be employing the last few years, there is enough evidence in this case for the US to have started a federal investigation into the allegations from Landis, so I expect the cash cow can't be removed, that's bad for business.
We're about to witness one of the most incredible Tours in history, Radio Shack (Armstrong's team) are going to under a huge amount of scrutiny, they won't be able to stop the bus on a mountain road and get a blood transfusion. So what's going to happen, will he flounder in the last week without his normal boost, will we get an unexpected Tour champion if the survielance is hightened and the 'real' grand tour riders come to the top.
So my predictions are that we'll see some unusual names in the top ten, riders will have bad days again, like they used to back in the day, I also expect Armstrong not to finish for some reason, at this point I don't know what the reason will be, but expect him to come out all guns blazing. He may be a sporting fake and a generally unpleasant human being, but he's a fighter and this is going to be one spicy Tour.
Sunday 13 June 2010
Brilliant Bialetti
I think I'm slowly becoming a bit of a coffee snob, I need a cup of the stuff to get myself going in the morning and out on the fixed gear to work, I won't have instant coffee at home anymore, it's banned as far as I'm concerned. But I have to admit that during the day at work I do sometimes pluck up the courage, go to the skanky kitchen and use some of the plastic nescafe stuff, it's honkin' stuff after you've sampled a Bialetti brewed wonder cup before you left in the morning.
I was introduced to the wonders of the Bialetti by team-mate Tom, it's a simple concept, but a classic piece of design and even though my partner hates coffee (she's a tea lover) there are no complaints about it sitting in full view with pride in the kitchen.
For those still to experience a Bialetti, let me explain, you may have used a cafetierre in the past, this works very differently to one of these, resulting in a much better (and stronger) cup of the black stuff. The top part unscrews from the main body, inside is a metal perforated filter, this lifts out and the lower base is filled with water, just up the level below where the base of the filter fits (you'll get this bang on every time after a few go's). Then place the filter in, you fill this with ground coffee, then screw the top back on (tight, or it might bubble through the seal). Stick it on the hob at a low heat and a few minutes later you hear it bubbling through and the coffee's ready.
This method means the water passes through the coffee as vapour, with other methods hot water passes through the coffee, the Bialetti method is superior and results a superb coffee.
Problems, yes, when I bought it it wouldn't fit on the hob, as you can see in the photo, I got hold of a stainless steel support I place over the gas hob to stop it falling through, pick one up for 2 or 3 quid in any kitchen shop, Debenhams etc. The sizing is potentially troublesome too, the small one is called a "3 cup", this relates to small coffee cups, if you want a mugfull this one will fill about halfway. I've just got an additional "6 cup" Bialetti which fills a mug, but will blow your head off, this stuff is a bit more 'loaded' than the coffee you may be used to, hence the emphasis on the different method.
The Bialetti really is an essential part of any cyclists life, this is the stuff that helps you out on a cold wet morning, it's even helped me and I am, by definition, a dedicated safty. Get yourself one, John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser & Habitat all stock them.
I was introduced to the wonders of the Bialetti by team-mate Tom, it's a simple concept, but a classic piece of design and even though my partner hates coffee (she's a tea lover) there are no complaints about it sitting in full view with pride in the kitchen.
For those still to experience a Bialetti, let me explain, you may have used a cafetierre in the past, this works very differently to one of these, resulting in a much better (and stronger) cup of the black stuff. The top part unscrews from the main body, inside is a metal perforated filter, this lifts out and the lower base is filled with water, just up the level below where the base of the filter fits (you'll get this bang on every time after a few go's). Then place the filter in, you fill this with ground coffee, then screw the top back on (tight, or it might bubble through the seal). Stick it on the hob at a low heat and a few minutes later you hear it bubbling through and the coffee's ready.
This method means the water passes through the coffee as vapour, with other methods hot water passes through the coffee, the Bialetti method is superior and results a superb coffee.
Problems, yes, when I bought it it wouldn't fit on the hob, as you can see in the photo, I got hold of a stainless steel support I place over the gas hob to stop it falling through, pick one up for 2 or 3 quid in any kitchen shop, Debenhams etc. The sizing is potentially troublesome too, the small one is called a "3 cup", this relates to small coffee cups, if you want a mugfull this one will fill about halfway. I've just got an additional "6 cup" Bialetti which fills a mug, but will blow your head off, this stuff is a bit more 'loaded' than the coffee you may be used to, hence the emphasis on the different method.
The Bialetti really is an essential part of any cyclists life, this is the stuff that helps you out on a cold wet morning, it's even helped me and I am, by definition, a dedicated safty. Get yourself one, John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser & Habitat all stock them.
Saturday 12 June 2010
Scottish Road Race Championships 2010
A unique viewpoint for this event, from one of the lead cars. in the race convoy, so perhaps saw things a bit differently to those at the side of the road, plus missed absolutely everything that was happening away from the very front of the event, www.veloresults.co.uk should have all that info covered soon with their usual high quality and informative overview, saw them interviewing the winners and out on the road taking photos along the way.
Lap 1, couldn't get the radio working even after it had been fine on the check, so missed a load of info about what was happening, but gather a load of riders were getting shelled and one unfortunate puncture for one rider only 2 miles in, unlucky Mr Holmes, I know you're going well. The pressure appeared to be on as we saw a group form towards the end of the lap, about 7 or 8 riders containing at least 3 Endura's and some other of Scotlands top road riders, Rob Wilkins (Striling BC) as expected, in form Euan Pope (Glasgow Couriers), plus a Glasgow Wheelers rider I think (please comment and I can update the full contingent).
Radio now working after dismantling and reconnecting. These riders pulled a minute gap immediately, holding that for a couple of laps, time checks were coming in 56 seconds, 1:10, then back to a minute, the guys in the break looked like they were pushing it, so there must have been a load of lung bustung going on on the pointy end of the bunch, heard later it was Glasgow Wheelers, so the rider in the break may not have been from them.
On lap 3 up the A77, there was a time check at 45seconds, on the long straights the bunch could be seen, so something was going to snap, saw a flurry of attacks go and the lead group split into 3, the front two small groups formed together and the others appeared to slip back, the larger numbers of black jerseys in the group let us know this may be getting the hammer put down, it did. Radio crackled one rider was leaving the bunch too and going across, appeared to be Creber, but will also confirm that later. Through the climb up the feed zone and waiting for the riders, 2 appeared, matching black kit and white booties, 2 Endura boys, can't be good news for the others, tactics coming into play. Group behind containing Wilkins, seemingly driven by him (what else could he do, either sit up or get jumped by lone Endura rider sitting on, as he would, can't chase the team-mates).
4th lap and we hear that chase group has been attacked by McCallum, going across to 2 leaders, now 3 Endura off the front, we see him in the distance now, but he's not making fast inroads to the leaders, they don't know. Some roadside info passed up and Oliphant and Hand see Jamesey coming across, speed drops, rider joing the front and now 3 medalists, all from same team off the front, impressive stuff.
Timechecks coming in, the leads flying up now, pegged around the 4 minute mark, no way anybody will catch them now on the last lap. Wasn't sure what would happen, but looks like they all wanted the win and some attacks and suddenly Evan is just clear with about 3km to go, behind McCallum and Hand are weaving across the road, neither wanting to make the effort to catch Evan it seems, Evan crosses the line, followed closely by Jamesey and Gary Hand. Further down the road, last years winner Creber looks to have pushed right through some groups and slips in for 4th place, Endura 1,2,3 & 4.
After some good riding from the Glasgow Wheelers, they get Robbie Hassan in 5th, a really strong ride from the guy with a big future, he looked dejected though, which in some way is encouraging, means he wanted more.
No idea what happened back down the road, excellent race again from the VC Astar, excellent circuit and a sunny day, what more could you ask for, we knew roughly what was going to happen before the event, hopefully this is raising the level in Scotland, it really is starting to look that way, the Endura's had to fight to get themselves in that position.
Lap 1, couldn't get the radio working even after it had been fine on the check, so missed a load of info about what was happening, but gather a load of riders were getting shelled and one unfortunate puncture for one rider only 2 miles in, unlucky Mr Holmes, I know you're going well. The pressure appeared to be on as we saw a group form towards the end of the lap, about 7 or 8 riders containing at least 3 Endura's and some other of Scotlands top road riders, Rob Wilkins (Striling BC) as expected, in form Euan Pope (Glasgow Couriers), plus a Glasgow Wheelers rider I think (please comment and I can update the full contingent).
Radio now working after dismantling and reconnecting. These riders pulled a minute gap immediately, holding that for a couple of laps, time checks were coming in 56 seconds, 1:10, then back to a minute, the guys in the break looked like they were pushing it, so there must have been a load of lung bustung going on on the pointy end of the bunch, heard later it was Glasgow Wheelers, so the rider in the break may not have been from them.
On lap 3 up the A77, there was a time check at 45seconds, on the long straights the bunch could be seen, so something was going to snap, saw a flurry of attacks go and the lead group split into 3, the front two small groups formed together and the others appeared to slip back, the larger numbers of black jerseys in the group let us know this may be getting the hammer put down, it did. Radio crackled one rider was leaving the bunch too and going across, appeared to be Creber, but will also confirm that later. Through the climb up the feed zone and waiting for the riders, 2 appeared, matching black kit and white booties, 2 Endura boys, can't be good news for the others, tactics coming into play. Group behind containing Wilkins, seemingly driven by him (what else could he do, either sit up or get jumped by lone Endura rider sitting on, as he would, can't chase the team-mates).
4th lap and we hear that chase group has been attacked by McCallum, going across to 2 leaders, now 3 Endura off the front, we see him in the distance now, but he's not making fast inroads to the leaders, they don't know. Some roadside info passed up and Oliphant and Hand see Jamesey coming across, speed drops, rider joing the front and now 3 medalists, all from same team off the front, impressive stuff.
Timechecks coming in, the leads flying up now, pegged around the 4 minute mark, no way anybody will catch them now on the last lap. Wasn't sure what would happen, but looks like they all wanted the win and some attacks and suddenly Evan is just clear with about 3km to go, behind McCallum and Hand are weaving across the road, neither wanting to make the effort to catch Evan it seems, Evan crosses the line, followed closely by Jamesey and Gary Hand. Further down the road, last years winner Creber looks to have pushed right through some groups and slips in for 4th place, Endura 1,2,3 & 4.
After some good riding from the Glasgow Wheelers, they get Robbie Hassan in 5th, a really strong ride from the guy with a big future, he looked dejected though, which in some way is encouraging, means he wanted more.
No idea what happened back down the road, excellent race again from the VC Astar, excellent circuit and a sunny day, what more could you ask for, we knew roughly what was going to happen before the event, hopefully this is raising the level in Scotland, it really is starting to look that way, the Endura's had to fight to get themselves in that position.
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Carbon Cages
Ok, lets get this out of the way, I used to have one, a long time ago, lost a bottle first ride, attached some rubber bits to the inside, couldn't get a bottle easily in, but it now weighed the same as an aluminium one.
So what's the point in carbon cages?
Riders seem to think they need a carbon cage, lets look at the facts, a 500ml bottle of water weighs 500g (just over 1lb if you're an old fella, in fact if you still use feet, inches and lb's you've probably never heard of carbon fibre, you're fine with your steel bottle cages). A carbon cage weighs something in the region of 30g, an aluminium one about 50g, but an aluminium cage has one huge advantage, it can be made to fit your bottle, it bends to shape and has some elasticity to allow it to grip the bottle. Aluminium bottles, £5, carbon bottles £25 upwards, for a product not fit for purpose.
In every race I've done this year I've noticed riders losing bottles on the first bit of bumpy tarmac, something you're certain to hit in a Scottish race. The ones who lose their bottle are all carbon cage posers, sometimes the bling boys have to take a good look at themselves and face the fact that for some things carbon isn't the best material, this is the case for bottle cages, they're a danger to others too, bottles flying about the bunch isn't particularly nice.
So the smart riders will ditch their cages, sell them to your nearest unsuspecting gringo or sportive rider, who cares more about bling than fuctionality. Carbon cages are not something for anybody looking for performance, you won't go well if you're not hydrated, plus you look a bit silly losing a bottle because you're a poser, you'd be as well swapping your helmet for a tiara, like a carbon cage, a tiara won't do the job and is overly expensive.
So what's the point in carbon cages?
Riders seem to think they need a carbon cage, lets look at the facts, a 500ml bottle of water weighs 500g (just over 1lb if you're an old fella, in fact if you still use feet, inches and lb's you've probably never heard of carbon fibre, you're fine with your steel bottle cages). A carbon cage weighs something in the region of 30g, an aluminium one about 50g, but an aluminium cage has one huge advantage, it can be made to fit your bottle, it bends to shape and has some elasticity to allow it to grip the bottle. Aluminium bottles, £5, carbon bottles £25 upwards, for a product not fit for purpose.
In every race I've done this year I've noticed riders losing bottles on the first bit of bumpy tarmac, something you're certain to hit in a Scottish race. The ones who lose their bottle are all carbon cage posers, sometimes the bling boys have to take a good look at themselves and face the fact that for some things carbon isn't the best material, this is the case for bottle cages, they're a danger to others too, bottles flying about the bunch isn't particularly nice.
So the smart riders will ditch their cages, sell them to your nearest unsuspecting gringo or sportive rider, who cares more about bling than fuctionality. Carbon cages are not something for anybody looking for performance, you won't go well if you're not hydrated, plus you look a bit silly losing a bottle because you're a poser, you'd be as well swapping your helmet for a tiara, like a carbon cage, a tiara won't do the job and is overly expensive.
Friday 30 April 2010
Robert Hassan
The Glasgow Wheelers are currently going though a bit of a transformation, having been a 'normal' club in Scottish domestic racing for the past few years,this year they've come into a bit of funding after Glasgow City Council are understandably pushing sport in the build up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.They've used their resources wisely and look to be developing a young team, with some excellent role models including Dave Smith, Rab Wardell & Jason Roberts to guide the youngsters in the right direction, talent in nothing without guidance, they've had young talent for a couple of years now, but it's now showing it's true ability.
I was working at the Tour Doonhame Premier Calendar (still referred to as 'The Girvan' by many), I saw first hand how well prepared and how disciplined some of the squads were at this race. Robbie Hassan appeared comfortable at 18 years old in this kind of class competition. The snapshot below shows just where he slots into the UK cycling scene.
25 Dan Fleeman Team Raleigh E st
26 Kristian House Rapha- Condor- Sharp E at 0:36
27 Robert Hassan Glasgow Wheelers Esp 2 at 0:42
28 Yanto Barker Pendragon - Le Col E at 0:53
29 Tom Barras Team Raleigh E at 1:06
Let me expain:
Fleeman was on Cervelo last year, unfortunately injury stopped him renewing his contract, now he's helping develop Raleigh into an ambitious team with big aspirations in the future ( may have a bit of nostalgia here as I rode for them once in the distant past). Kristian House is the current British Road Race Champion, racing for Rapha, a well respected rider who's won the FBD Milk Ras, ahead of Danny Pate, now Garmin. Yanto Barker is a former British Junior Champ, he was on the BC 'plan', but opted to move to France to pursue his career, where he raced for MBK, but I think most would agree he has the talent but chose not to fully pursue a continental pro career, he's now back running his own Welsh team and has his own line of clothing. Tom Barras, is Sid Barras son, google him!
So Robbie, is right there in the mix, he also beat the Endura pro's in last weeks Super6, at 18 he knows how to ride well in GC, but more importantly, he's got the confidence in his own abilities to take on whoever he wants and win, this is what sets Hassan apart from the rest, his ability whether concious or not to 'have a go'. He also has the knowledge that comes with being part of a cycling family, this shouldn't be under-estimated.
I wish him all the best and hope the Wheelers keep doing what they're doing when he moves on, as he inevitably will, they need to treat this as flattery in their setup, coz if they're successfull at what they're trying to achieve, people will move on, that in my opinion is something you can only look on as a success.
I was working at the Tour Doonhame Premier Calendar (still referred to as 'The Girvan' by many), I saw first hand how well prepared and how disciplined some of the squads were at this race. Robbie Hassan appeared comfortable at 18 years old in this kind of class competition. The snapshot below shows just where he slots into the UK cycling scene.
25 Dan Fleeman Team Raleigh E st
26 Kristian House Rapha- Condor- Sharp E at 0:36
27 Robert Hassan Glasgow Wheelers Esp 2 at 0:42
28 Yanto Barker Pendragon - Le Col E at 0:53
29 Tom Barras Team Raleigh E at 1:06
Let me expain:
Fleeman was on Cervelo last year, unfortunately injury stopped him renewing his contract, now he's helping develop Raleigh into an ambitious team with big aspirations in the future ( may have a bit of nostalgia here as I rode for them once in the distant past). Kristian House is the current British Road Race Champion, racing for Rapha, a well respected rider who's won the FBD Milk Ras, ahead of Danny Pate, now Garmin. Yanto Barker is a former British Junior Champ, he was on the BC 'plan', but opted to move to France to pursue his career, where he raced for MBK, but I think most would agree he has the talent but chose not to fully pursue a continental pro career, he's now back running his own Welsh team and has his own line of clothing. Tom Barras, is Sid Barras son, google him!
So Robbie, is right there in the mix, he also beat the Endura pro's in last weeks Super6, at 18 he knows how to ride well in GC, but more importantly, he's got the confidence in his own abilities to take on whoever he wants and win, this is what sets Hassan apart from the rest, his ability whether concious or not to 'have a go'. He also has the knowledge that comes with being part of a cycling family, this shouldn't be under-estimated.
I wish him all the best and hope the Wheelers keep doing what they're doing when he moves on, as he inevitably will, they need to treat this as flattery in their setup, coz if they're successfull at what they're trying to achieve, people will move on, that in my opinion is something you can only look on as a success.
The New Track Bike.
New club membership requires a new bike, these are the rules obviously, a fresh start, a fresh bike. From Ridley dealer Solid Rock Cycles http://www.solidrockcycles.co.uk/ , apart from wheels from specialist wheelbuilder and owner of wheel components nobody else has, Al Gow at Wheelcraft , Clachan of Campsie.
Spec:
Frame: Ridley Oval
Cranks & BB: Campagnolo Record Pista (splashed out on a 165 & 170mm set, canny make my mind up)
Wheels: Wheelcraft Big Al Specials, Unknown manufacturer, but silky smooth cartridge bearing flash 24 hole hubs (where does big Al get this stuff) on (front) Mavic GL330 & (rear) Mavic Special Service de Courses, flat bladed spokes laced in 'Spanish' pattern, shod in Continental Sprinter 250 for now, will get some 'faster' tubs later.
Seatpin: Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Gelflow
Stem: Ritchey comp
Bars: IKE Carbon
Manchester on Saturday night will be it's first ride, looking forward to it, hopefully first race at Meadowbank track league on Tuesday, weather dependant.
Spec:
Frame: Ridley Oval
Cranks & BB: Campagnolo Record Pista (splashed out on a 165 & 170mm set, canny make my mind up)
Wheels: Wheelcraft Big Al Specials, Unknown manufacturer, but silky smooth cartridge bearing flash 24 hole hubs (where does big Al get this stuff) on (front) Mavic GL330 & (rear) Mavic Special Service de Courses, flat bladed spokes laced in 'Spanish' pattern, shod in Continental Sprinter 250 for now, will get some 'faster' tubs later.
Seatpin: Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Gelflow
Stem: Ritchey comp
Bars: IKE Carbon
Manchester on Saturday night will be it's first ride, looking forward to it, hopefully first race at Meadowbank track league on Tuesday, weather dependant.
Wednesday 24 February 2010
It's Snow Joke
It's been one hell of a winter in bonny Scotland, snow, ice ,more snow. Snow again all day and forecast to the end of the week. I think I'll have to get one of these soon...
Saturday 20 February 2010
Tour du Haut Var
The weekend event of the Tour du Haut Var in the South of France kicks off today, of UK interest is the participation of Sky & Endura in this event. Sky are winning big races, with a multi-million budget and their ultimate back up team. Endura are hitting only their 2nd big event after perhaps expecting a different event in Med, it turned into a bottle freezing 33mph carnival, not the best introduction to Pro racing, but they nearly all got through it (the timing system didn't agree, but we all know what happened) apart for Jimmy Mac who went sight seeing over a cliff, no serious injuries.
This event sees UK riders Froome, Kennaugh & Swift lining up for Sky, with Davy Lines, Gary Hand, Rob Partridge, Scott Thwaites, Ian Wilkinson & Evan Oliphant lining up for Endura. Sky will be expecting a result, but I'm more interested in the Endura team's continued exposure to euro pro racing, it's gladatorial stuff, racing in that kind of environment at a time when they're not normally racing.
The guys with the best form in the Endura team are expected to be Frenchman Alexandre Blain and New Zealand Champion Jack Bauer. Blain was unlucky in the Med, on one stage sitting on 4th wheel at the finish only to get sent the wrong way, so expectations firmly placed on him. Bauer is fresh from a Kiwi summers racing and is capable of taking on Pro-Tour riders and beating them, as he showed in the Kiwi champs, outwitting Garmin & Columbia riders.
Oliphant is proving his class too, so expecting him in a team role supporting Blain & Bauer.
Predictions, I think a top 5 result on a stage is a real possibility in this event for the Endura guys, expect the UK guys to bury themselves for Blain & Bauer.
Good luck again!
Riders list.
http://www.tourduhautvar.com/fra/2010/12;coureurs_partants.html
This event sees UK riders Froome, Kennaugh & Swift lining up for Sky, with Davy Lines, Gary Hand, Rob Partridge, Scott Thwaites, Ian Wilkinson & Evan Oliphant lining up for Endura. Sky will be expecting a result, but I'm more interested in the Endura team's continued exposure to euro pro racing, it's gladatorial stuff, racing in that kind of environment at a time when they're not normally racing.
The guys with the best form in the Endura team are expected to be Frenchman Alexandre Blain and New Zealand Champion Jack Bauer. Blain was unlucky in the Med, on one stage sitting on 4th wheel at the finish only to get sent the wrong way, so expectations firmly placed on him. Bauer is fresh from a Kiwi summers racing and is capable of taking on Pro-Tour riders and beating them, as he showed in the Kiwi champs, outwitting Garmin & Columbia riders.
Oliphant is proving his class too, so expecting him in a team role supporting Blain & Bauer.
Predictions, I think a top 5 result on a stage is a real possibility in this event for the Endura guys, expect the UK guys to bury themselves for Blain & Bauer.
Good luck again!
Riders list.
http://www.tourduhautvar.com/fra/2010/12;coureurs_partants.html
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Tour of Scotland
Tour of Qatar, Tour of Oman, what about a professional Tour of Scotland? Ok, so maybe not so hot and sunny, but it existed in the distant past, before I was involved in cycling and I really have little or no knowledge about it's former status, but could we get it up and running again?
We've had successful stages of recent Tours of Britain in Scotland, but possibly not on the most demanding or scenic of routes that could have been selected, but chosen for fully understandable logistical reasons to link up with the other stages. Having something similar to the Ras in Ireland is a possibility, it slowly built it's status and appeals more to the 'Continental' pro teams and domestic squads, so no huge financial demands which would involve the hard to secure TV coverage deal.
The 'Girvan', a 3 day race, has sat nicely in the a largely domestic calendar for many years at Easter, known as a well organised and brutal race in sometimes difficult Scottish spring/winter conditions. For club racers this has been the highest level race a rider with ambition can ride in Scotland, but doesn't have anything like the same standing the Ras has with the locals, I've ridden both and no local schools out cheering the fans in Scotland, no huge crowds at the finish. The Irish have managed to grasp the public with their event and it's shown on the evening news programme.
Ireland has a population of 4.5 million, Scotland 5 million, so does having a week long stage race with a high profile contribute to their much bigger success on the international stage? The answer has to be a resounding "yes". We obviously have the talented individuals with the knowledge and expertise to able to run great events, otherwise the Girvan would not exist after all these years, but do we lack the marketing skills to attract a big name sponsor who has the 'shock and awe' title to convince regional police and local councils to all work together to make it happen, is this what's holding us back?
We have towns stuck right in the most marketable Scottish scenery which have the facilities to look after a peleton for a night, Fort William, Aviemore, Oban, etc, intersperced with the larger towns and cities, avoiding large transfers between stages. So what does it take to bring all this together, a willing organiser in each region (co-operation again, this time within the Scottish cycling community), a sponsor, somebody with detailed knowledge of the media, a date in the middle of our summer, support from the Scottish government?
We could have something our young riders would see as a stepping stone to greater things, a semi-pro stage race just like the Ras which would provide a focal point for the season and hopefully boost the sport, raising the level.
We have talented riders, are they simply missing an opportunity, getting a pummelling at Easter and getting demoralised, Easter's for the hard men. The July Tour of Scotland could be as close as we could get to a European stage race, where different riders would be in a position to show what they can do, there's currently no stage a talented climber can prove their worth unless they can also ride track for the GB squad (look at Dan Martin) or up and leave to go to France, is a stage race the stage we're looking for?
We've had successful stages of recent Tours of Britain in Scotland, but possibly not on the most demanding or scenic of routes that could have been selected, but chosen for fully understandable logistical reasons to link up with the other stages. Having something similar to the Ras in Ireland is a possibility, it slowly built it's status and appeals more to the 'Continental' pro teams and domestic squads, so no huge financial demands which would involve the hard to secure TV coverage deal.
The 'Girvan', a 3 day race, has sat nicely in the a largely domestic calendar for many years at Easter, known as a well organised and brutal race in sometimes difficult Scottish spring/winter conditions. For club racers this has been the highest level race a rider with ambition can ride in Scotland, but doesn't have anything like the same standing the Ras has with the locals, I've ridden both and no local schools out cheering the fans in Scotland, no huge crowds at the finish. The Irish have managed to grasp the public with their event and it's shown on the evening news programme.
Ireland has a population of 4.5 million, Scotland 5 million, so does having a week long stage race with a high profile contribute to their much bigger success on the international stage? The answer has to be a resounding "yes". We obviously have the talented individuals with the knowledge and expertise to able to run great events, otherwise the Girvan would not exist after all these years, but do we lack the marketing skills to attract a big name sponsor who has the 'shock and awe' title to convince regional police and local councils to all work together to make it happen, is this what's holding us back?
We have towns stuck right in the most marketable Scottish scenery which have the facilities to look after a peleton for a night, Fort William, Aviemore, Oban, etc, intersperced with the larger towns and cities, avoiding large transfers between stages. So what does it take to bring all this together, a willing organiser in each region (co-operation again, this time within the Scottish cycling community), a sponsor, somebody with detailed knowledge of the media, a date in the middle of our summer, support from the Scottish government?
We could have something our young riders would see as a stepping stone to greater things, a semi-pro stage race just like the Ras which would provide a focal point for the season and hopefully boost the sport, raising the level.
We have talented riders, are they simply missing an opportunity, getting a pummelling at Easter and getting demoralised, Easter's for the hard men. The July Tour of Scotland could be as close as we could get to a European stage race, where different riders would be in a position to show what they can do, there's currently no stage a talented climber can prove their worth unless they can also ride track for the GB squad (look at Dan Martin) or up and leave to go to France, is a stage race the stage we're looking for?
Sunday 7 February 2010
Tour Méditerranéen
This is unheard of, a possibility of 4 Scots taking part in a famous race on the continent, against Pro-Tour competition!
By the looks of the Endura website the team will consist of Scots Evan Oliphant, Gary Hand, James McCallum & Ross Creber, along with Welshman Rob Partridge and England's Ian Wilkinson & the teams highest profile rider Rob Hayles.
Now to get an idea of the level of event this is, a simple team list should provide enough information on the task that's being taken on (see below). This is no soft entry level race and certainly not a training race these days, this is the real thing and the competition includes some of the worlds best riders, who won't be wanting any of the smaller teams to make them look human.
CAISSE D'EPARGNE (ESP)
ASTANA (KAZ)
RABOBANK (NED)
GARMIN SLIPSTREAM (USA)
SKIL SHIMANO (BEL)
AQUA-SAPONE (ITA)
ENDURA (GB)
VACANSOLEIL (NED)
AG2R LA MONDIALE (FRA)
BOUYGUES BOX (FRA)
COFIDIS (FRA)
FDJEUX (FRA)
SAUR-SOJASUN (FRA)
BRETAGNE SHULLER (FRA)
ROUBAIX METROPOLE (FRA)
AUBER 93 (FRA)
MICHE (ITA)
What is expected of the Endura team? Well, hard riders such as Wilkinson & Oliphant and any of the others are capable of getting in the breaks, we've seen Hayles take on the best riders in the past, winning a sprint in the Kellogs Tour some time ago. If they can set Jamesy up, can he get up there in a final sprint? This is all new to everybody, but if the guys show themselves in the race on a similar level with the French continental teams, that would be an excellent result in itself. Any home grown team with these kinds of ambitions deserves our support, it takes guts to go to a race like this, even more to relish it, the experience should help them move up a level, so for me there are no down sides to this, a seriously positive move from a forward looking and ambitious team.
I wish Team Endura all the best for the event next week, I'll be following it closely.
By the looks of the Endura website the team will consist of Scots Evan Oliphant, Gary Hand, James McCallum & Ross Creber, along with Welshman Rob Partridge and England's Ian Wilkinson & the teams highest profile rider Rob Hayles.
Now to get an idea of the level of event this is, a simple team list should provide enough information on the task that's being taken on (see below). This is no soft entry level race and certainly not a training race these days, this is the real thing and the competition includes some of the worlds best riders, who won't be wanting any of the smaller teams to make them look human.
CAISSE D'EPARGNE (ESP)
ASTANA (KAZ)
RABOBANK (NED)
GARMIN SLIPSTREAM (USA)
SKIL SHIMANO (BEL)
AQUA-SAPONE (ITA)
ENDURA (GB)
VACANSOLEIL (NED)
AG2R LA MONDIALE (FRA)
BOUYGUES BOX (FRA)
COFIDIS (FRA)
FDJEUX (FRA)
SAUR-SOJASUN (FRA)
BRETAGNE SHULLER (FRA)
ROUBAIX METROPOLE (FRA)
AUBER 93 (FRA)
MICHE (ITA)
What is expected of the Endura team? Well, hard riders such as Wilkinson & Oliphant and any of the others are capable of getting in the breaks, we've seen Hayles take on the best riders in the past, winning a sprint in the Kellogs Tour some time ago. If they can set Jamesy up, can he get up there in a final sprint? This is all new to everybody, but if the guys show themselves in the race on a similar level with the French continental teams, that would be an excellent result in itself. Any home grown team with these kinds of ambitions deserves our support, it takes guts to go to a race like this, even more to relish it, the experience should help them move up a level, so for me there are no down sides to this, a seriously positive move from a forward looking and ambitious team.
I wish Team Endura all the best for the event next week, I'll be following it closely.
The cycling underclass, the pure tester.
I'm not talking about your occasional indulger, I'm talking about your typical flat course, fixed distance tester, socially inept and involved (to an obsession) in the aerodynamic arms race with his fellow old duffers.
This is a phenomena you only see in the UK, you won't see one of these guys riding a bike in the rest of Europe, they're a throwback to the days when road racing (which had become established in Britain in those days) was banned by the authorities, perhaps fuelling the current anti cycling brigade who also don't exist in the same numbers on the European continent. This was when these fixed distance events took a stronghold and courses were described/whispered to each other and read from a small black book, kept in an alpaca jacket. This avoided any untimely contact with the local coppers and you could say, "I'm just riding my bike" (exactly one minute behind another) and definetely not racing. The rule that you have to shout your number also came about from these far gone days, when you obviously couldn't wear an number on your back, but is still practiced now!
You'd have thought things had moved on, but sadly not, there is somehow still a demand for this type of racing on irrelevant dual carriageway courses, the kind of roads that cyclists avoid in their usual riding patterns, but testers flock to in order to get a traffic assisted time, even riding out into the lane to get as much drag as possible from passing juggernaughts. Testers will tell you this kind of race had bread a host of worldbeaters, naming Boardman, Obree, Beryl Burton, Sean Yates , MacIntyre etc, but if you look past this you'll realise that most good riders have at some point tried testing, but quickly moved on to other areas of the sport before they lost complete use of their brain.
The pure tester also carries with him a rather peculiar social ineptitude, unable to interact constructively with normal people, normal people are not particularly interested that a 53x13 equates to a 114.1 inch gear (I had to look that up, don't get the wrong idea), but pure testers can chat to each other for hours on the merits of one particular gear ratio. It must be an incredible surprise when they leave the cocoon of their race HQ, a layby on a semi-motorway in the middle of nowhere, then drift into the real world with all it's intricacies and those 'odd' people who have no interest in the aerodynamic advantages of not fitting a bike computer. These people are the nerds of the cycling world, but unlike nerds they rarely have the ability to operate in cyberspace, closing their social world into brief exchanges with other ageing social retards in a layby, wearing a lycra skinsuit one size too small, just picture this for a second, it's not a pretty sight.
This is a phenomena you only see in the UK, you won't see one of these guys riding a bike in the rest of Europe, they're a throwback to the days when road racing (which had become established in Britain in those days) was banned by the authorities, perhaps fuelling the current anti cycling brigade who also don't exist in the same numbers on the European continent. This was when these fixed distance events took a stronghold and courses were described/whispered to each other and read from a small black book, kept in an alpaca jacket. This avoided any untimely contact with the local coppers and you could say, "I'm just riding my bike" (exactly one minute behind another) and definetely not racing. The rule that you have to shout your number also came about from these far gone days, when you obviously couldn't wear an number on your back, but is still practiced now!
You'd have thought things had moved on, but sadly not, there is somehow still a demand for this type of racing on irrelevant dual carriageway courses, the kind of roads that cyclists avoid in their usual riding patterns, but testers flock to in order to get a traffic assisted time, even riding out into the lane to get as much drag as possible from passing juggernaughts. Testers will tell you this kind of race had bread a host of worldbeaters, naming Boardman, Obree, Beryl Burton, Sean Yates , MacIntyre etc, but if you look past this you'll realise that most good riders have at some point tried testing, but quickly moved on to other areas of the sport before they lost complete use of their brain.
The pure tester also carries with him a rather peculiar social ineptitude, unable to interact constructively with normal people, normal people are not particularly interested that a 53x13 equates to a 114.1 inch gear (I had to look that up, don't get the wrong idea), but pure testers can chat to each other for hours on the merits of one particular gear ratio. It must be an incredible surprise when they leave the cocoon of their race HQ, a layby on a semi-motorway in the middle of nowhere, then drift into the real world with all it's intricacies and those 'odd' people who have no interest in the aerodynamic advantages of not fitting a bike computer. These people are the nerds of the cycling world, but unlike nerds they rarely have the ability to operate in cyberspace, closing their social world into brief exchanges with other ageing social retards in a layby, wearing a lycra skinsuit one size too small, just picture this for a second, it's not a pretty sight.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Que Cera, Cera
Riccardo Ricco, the Italian who was busted in the 2008 Tour for using Cera 3rd generation EPO seems to be living in a house which still has a supply of the stuff. His partner, Vania Rossi has just been caught in the Italian cross champs using the same stuff. To make matters worse she's just given birth to their son, not a good image of a new mother sticking needles into herself! Ricco's protestations about being clean are obviously a total nonsense now, hopefully ASO will make sure he doen't get a place on the Tour or any other of their races.
Cav was right about this guy, he does deserve some abuse, as he suggests Ricco nearly got him disqualified in the '08 Tour by his Cera induced antics on the mountain stages with the sprinters struggling in just inside the time limit. So this kind of doping really has a big effect on all riders and brings added benefits to taking drugs to all riders in the peleton, even the one's at the back, they have to counteract the climbers on Cera who set their time limit. So not only does this ruin other riders careers, but Ricco was responsible for the downfall of an entire pro team and the sponsor withdrawing, removing the livelyhood of between 50 and 100 individuals who were out of a job after this. He really has no shame and can't have avoided noticing the vials of Cera in his fridge which were used by Rossi recently, he can't possibly be making a clean comeback.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riccos-partner-positive-for-cera
Cav was right about this guy, he does deserve some abuse, as he suggests Ricco nearly got him disqualified in the '08 Tour by his Cera induced antics on the mountain stages with the sprinters struggling in just inside the time limit. So this kind of doping really has a big effect on all riders and brings added benefits to taking drugs to all riders in the peleton, even the one's at the back, they have to counteract the climbers on Cera who set their time limit. So not only does this ruin other riders careers, but Ricco was responsible for the downfall of an entire pro team and the sponsor withdrawing, removing the livelyhood of between 50 and 100 individuals who were out of a job after this. He really has no shame and can't have avoided noticing the vials of Cera in his fridge which were used by Rossi recently, he can't possibly be making a clean comeback.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riccos-partner-positive-for-cera
Monday 4 January 2010
Games Events and riders
Found it, so we have 6 riders in the RR, 3 in the TT, Dave Millar, Arthur Doyle, Duncan Urquart?
http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/Template3.aspx?pageid=P:1229
Events
Men
• 4000 m Individual Pursuit
• 1 km Time Trial
• 40 km Point Race
• Keirin
• Sprint
• 4000 m Team Pursuit
• 20 km Scratch Race
• Team Sprint
Women
• 500 m Time Trial
• 25 km Women’s Point Race
• Sprint
• Individual Pursuit
Road Events
• Mass Start event at Vijay Chowk on 10 October.
• Time Trial event at Noida Express Highway on 13 October 2010.
Men
• 40 km Individual Time Trial
• 167 km Road Race
Women
• 29 km Individual Time Trial
• 100 km Road Race
Entry
3 Competitors per event, except for 6 Competitors in the Road Race, and 4 Competitors in Team Pursuit and Road Team Time Trial.
Maximum entry per CGA - 27 athletes
Entry to be received by OC CWG Delhi 2010
• By NUMBER – 3 April 2010
• By NAME – 3 September 2010
http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/Template3.aspx?pageid=P:1229
Events
Men
• 4000 m Individual Pursuit
• 1 km Time Trial
• 40 km Point Race
• Keirin
• Sprint
• 4000 m Team Pursuit
• 20 km Scratch Race
• Team Sprint
Women
• 500 m Time Trial
• 25 km Women’s Point Race
• Sprint
• Individual Pursuit
Road Events
• Mass Start event at Vijay Chowk on 10 October.
• Time Trial event at Noida Express Highway on 13 October 2010.
Men
• 40 km Individual Time Trial
• 167 km Road Race
Women
• 29 km Individual Time Trial
• 100 km Road Race
Entry
3 Competitors per event, except for 6 Competitors in the Road Race, and 4 Competitors in Team Pursuit and Road Team Time Trial.
Maximum entry per CGA - 27 athletes
Entry to be received by OC CWG Delhi 2010
• By NUMBER – 3 April 2010
• By NAME – 3 September 2010
Sunday 3 January 2010
Scottish Commonweath Games (cont..)
Moving onto track it's a bit clearer, Evan & James priority is probably going to be the track endurance events with McCallum winning a medal last time around. In the sprint events it's obviously going to be Chris Hoy, Ross Edgar and possibly Craig MacLean making a comback before he moves onto piloting a tandem for the GB paralympic team? Otherwise there's are options for the third place on the mens team sprint squad from the City of Edinburgh squad, rapidly improving junior John Paul, masters champ Bruce Croall, Matt Haines, Callum Skinner, Jamie Bremner & Kevin Stewart, I think we can rule out skier Alain Baxter from the running for that place. Will David Millar ride the pursuit, he's a former British champ post-ban? Can't see a team pursuit squad being formed and taken to Delhi for a pummelling by the world champions.
The ladies team looks sewn up too, in the road race Kate Cullen has raced at a high level, Claire Thomas has won the British Ladies RR series, so both are very likely to be selected. On the track Cullen will most likely be riding the endurance races, but who do we have who can challenge the Aussies and GB team riders in the sprint events, most likely send some young talent (which there is lots coming through) for some experience.
The places may already be decided, so it's just about time for the moaners, spoilers and bitter old men to start their campaigns to get their nephews/team-mates/grandsons etc onto the squad by starting to revive their 4 yearly campaigns, let the silly games commence before the friendy games do, as usual.
The ladies team looks sewn up too, in the road race Kate Cullen has raced at a high level, Claire Thomas has won the British Ladies RR series, so both are very likely to be selected. On the track Cullen will most likely be riding the endurance races, but who do we have who can challenge the Aussies and GB team riders in the sprint events, most likely send some young talent (which there is lots coming through) for some experience.
The places may already be decided, so it's just about time for the moaners, spoilers and bitter old men to start their campaigns to get their nephews/team-mates/grandsons etc onto the squad by starting to revive their 4 yearly campaigns, let the silly games commence before the friendy games do, as usual.
Scottish Commonwealth Games selections
We don't know who's on the team for Delhi in 2010 yet, but there are some pretty strong indications of what's going to happen, but I can't find anywhere the listings of the amount of riders that are allocated for each nation in the road race. The news that David Millar is now eligible to ride after his supposed lifelong ban from Olympics & Commonwealth games has been withdrawn, has both plusses and minuses.
Millar is now a reformed character from the performance enhancing drug taker which haunts his past in cycling, it's hard to believe that he's gone back to his old ways with his public stance and obviously lower performances since the comeback, but he's also proved it's possible to take a TT stage win in a grand tour clean, which is a ray of hope for the sport. The previous time he was going to ride the Commonwealth Games in a Scotland jersey, he chose to change his mind at the last minute and ride a 2-Up time trial in Germany instead, scuppering the Scotland teams plans in the process, so there is some bitterness there from the domestic scene, including some vocal former officials who are unsurprisingly not willing to see him back in the fold after cleaning up the mess last time, he now has a chance to redeem himself.
If we're honest, Scotland doesn't really have an obvious medal winner in the road race apart from Millar, so supporting him against the might of the Australian and Sky (England) team is probably the only hope of success in what is a highly competitive event, one which the Ausies don't want to lose to the poms. The Endura pairing of Evan Oliphant and James McCallum have spent some time in Australia during the winter training for the new season, are they the likely candidates to support the assualt on a medal in the road race, only time will tell, but it looks very likely. The other protagonists are also likely to come from the Endura stable, with the likes of Ross Creber & Gary Hand being highly likely inclusions to the squad.
Millar is now a reformed character from the performance enhancing drug taker which haunts his past in cycling, it's hard to believe that he's gone back to his old ways with his public stance and obviously lower performances since the comeback, but he's also proved it's possible to take a TT stage win in a grand tour clean, which is a ray of hope for the sport. The previous time he was going to ride the Commonwealth Games in a Scotland jersey, he chose to change his mind at the last minute and ride a 2-Up time trial in Germany instead, scuppering the Scotland teams plans in the process, so there is some bitterness there from the domestic scene, including some vocal former officials who are unsurprisingly not willing to see him back in the fold after cleaning up the mess last time, he now has a chance to redeem himself.
If we're honest, Scotland doesn't really have an obvious medal winner in the road race apart from Millar, so supporting him against the might of the Australian and Sky (England) team is probably the only hope of success in what is a highly competitive event, one which the Ausies don't want to lose to the poms. The Endura pairing of Evan Oliphant and James McCallum have spent some time in Australia during the winter training for the new season, are they the likely candidates to support the assualt on a medal in the road race, only time will tell, but it looks very likely. The other protagonists are also likely to come from the Endura stable, with the likes of Ross Creber & Gary Hand being highly likely inclusions to the squad.
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