YORKSHIRE INITIATIVE !

SKY TV are already reporting ( hourly ), the " Profitability " that will
come ther way
of the Yorkshire Traders as a result of the Grand Depart of Le Tour from Leeds at the end of June 2014 . Banks are making Money available to those that will be Feeding and housing the anticipated 1 1/2 Million expected to line the routes that the Pro Racers will travel over during the 3 days of Racing in ENGLAND!

In awarding the 101st Le Tour to the Syndicate preparing the "Grand Depart " , a Contract was signed defining WHAT could be done in association with " Amaury Sports Org. rules & reg.s " ! These R & R would be closely scrutinised to see that ASO does not miss any Profit Potential !

Media has already reported that the Syndicate has tried to recoup monies from a variety of Sources to cover expenses such as " Policing (  http://road.cc/content/news/93003-row-simmers-over-yorkshire-tour-de-france-police-funding ) & Public Utilities "! Wonder if there is any " Profit Element " to be gained from the Elementary School Lessons ? Gary Verity has been broadcast repeatedly stating that Banks are "Relaxing Lending " as well as Hyping Up other " benefits " to Yorkshire !

When i met him behind the Finish Zone in Paris at the conclusion of the 2012 Le Tour , he was keen to do all to see that the " Yorkshire Bid " was a success ! When i met him in Nice the day before the TTT of the 2013 Le Tour he was still promising that ALL we discussed was on track . In the many conversations that we had, it was uppermost in my mind , that FINALLY the PARA Community would be treated as EQUALS ! I have not seen the program of Events in Leeds on the day of the 1st Etappe , so cannot comment on whether he has been allowed to follow through ? AND YES Gary , i still want to see the Champion Para Cyclists of Europe INVITED to race the Route , whether they choose to ride , will be THEIR Decision , but how could @TTChamp ( Colin Lynch ) refuse , since he lives nearby ?

Chris Prudhomme was with France TV when we first met . He milked me for ideas about how i managed to ride the Le Tour daily in advance of the Etappe . He made " promises 2 that he wouldd do ALL HE COULD for " Paras Sport " when he became " THE MAN "! Well i have seen 2 Para Racers allowed on the ITT Course , The French National Time Trial Champion , lawrence Thioronet and the Czech European Time Trial Champion . The Czech was ALL " atwitter " before the day , not seen ANYTHING since , about HIS ride !

Both GARY & CHRIS , could if they wish , make the 101st " Le Tour ",   MEMORABLE !

ALL they need to do is PROPOSE to European Governments that CYCLING  an endangered activity be safeguarded by a change of MOTORISTS ATTITUDES !  Daily , being bullied by Vehicle drivers , is not the way NEWCOMERS to Cycling , want to lead their Life ! Politicians rarely consider the DANGERS that are posed by METAL Coffins on wheels , to those in street clothes OR EVEN Lycra , as they negotiate the Road hazards on the way to Work , Shops , Sport or other activities , on a VEHICLE  that has 2 points of contact with the road of about the size of " Postage Stamps "!  Policing Authorities file the blank " Incident/accident forms " in their " SELF SUICIDE drawer ? Great Attitude by those drawing salary for "Protecting and Serving their community " ?

WELL GUYS , here is SOME of the Ideas that YOU can put into effect :

Motoring Rules needing ATTENTION

1/   1M pass at under 30kph

2/   1 1/2M pass at higher speeds

3/   NO PASS of Cyclists in SChool Zones , on or under Bridges

4/   NO Pass of Cyclists within 100M of Road Junction ( doubt it is legal for vehicle to pass vehicle in these circumstances ?)

5/   No PASS by/of ONCOMING Vehicle when Cycle is on OTHER LANE OF ROAD

6/   SIGNALLING of Passing Manouvre and return to lane

7/   Use of Hazard lights to indicate following a Cyclist when requried to slow due to traffic

8/   ALL Large Vehicles to display a Decal depicting " Safe Pass Message "! Even larger 4 x 4 Chelsea Tractors & Tinted windowed vehicles

9/   Allow Under 16yo to ride Footpaths & Over 60yo at upto 15kph , particularly  when accompanied .

10/  Requirement for Police Officers under 35yo , to do Cycling Duties , as Plain Clothes Officers , 5 shifts each month .

11/  Advance Zone at Traffic Lights

12/  Treating Red Light as GIVE WAY on a Left hand Turn at under 20kph

13/  Acceptence of Video Camera evidence for Court proceedings

14/  Introduction of a Federal Vehicular Manslaughter Law , as in Italian Road Code

15/  Should be a prohibition of the use of the Vehicle horn at the rear of a Cyclist ( friends would tap AFter passing ?)


Used these ideas in reply to @amygillettfdn &

http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/federal-mp-jamie-briggs-says-laws-should-force-motorists-to-leave-onemetre-gap-when-overtaking-cyclists/story-fnii5yv4-1226793989625#comments

Hopefully James will WAKE UP the P.M. tony Abbott , he doesn't reply to any contact , let alone Cycling matters ! Show pony ?


Le Tour  has a BOOK , " Livre de Route " ! In 2012 on page 7 there were RULES ( Bonne Conduit ) ! In 2013 there were a few changes , BUT , even though i wrote Chris in 2012 , there was no introduction of a "Driving Test " for ALL Acreditated Personnel ! Few seeing on the Television , a France TV Guest Van , run the Race Leaders off the Road in 2012 , would dispute the NEED for Drivers to be TESTED ? Flecha and Boogerlands being Profis had the courage to finish the Race in Paris , but WITHOUT fighting out that day's finish !

THIS YEAR A.S.O. can trumpet the ABOVE Initiatives to a WORLDWIDE Audience !  There are elements of Authority persuing SOME of the above , BUT ; WHY NOT help the Cycling Community ?

Lives could be saved ! Cyclists could be able to leave HOME with the Certainty of returning from their journey ? Even MORE people could be encouraged to use the Cycle to fulfill POLITICIANS' Desires to see Cycling " Reduce Pollution and Traffic , Improve Health and other Initiatives "!

Perhaps YOU may even choose to create an answer to this request :

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/ioc-chairman-thomas-bach-create-an-international-umbrella-cycling-safety-organisation

WHO KNOWS , the 101st Le Tour , might even make EVERYONE happy !

Addition 3rd Jan 2014 :

Those of you that follow my Tweets will know that i have been " rubbishing " SKYNews " for their " Self promo Ads " at 1620gmt which included references to the " Widow of the 7/7 bomber "! Even if they had nothing else , WHY would you give " terrorists " a platform/time of day ?  Seems that after including David Cameron in a couple of tweets , those "self promo ads " have been set aside , hopefully for EVER ! On New Years Day , SKY TV , aired a segment that included the " Gary Verity speaking about Le Tour " , as mentioned above ! Each day since at 1620GMT , just before the sport segment , i always try to watch , they NOW include a repeat of his musings on the benefit that Le Tour will bring to Yorkshire . He is particularly pleased with himself , in that Le Tour is encouraging the BANKS , to loosen the " Lending/Loan Strings ", thus allowing Small Business to invest in the Hospitality Trade in preparation for the event and the ongoing further Tourism that will be anticipated .

Further to this are the following initiatives in Cambridge and Oxford :

http://road.cc/content/news/105631-apply-grants-totalling-%C2%A320k-host-cambridge-cycling-activities-around-tour-de

http://road.cc/content/news/105549-oxford-city-council-launches-%C2%A35-training-adult-cyclists

MOTIVATING COOKSON ?

Tuesday night @BrianCooksonUCI  tweeted the link to the UCI Press Release ,

http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI8/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYzMDQ&LangId=1


regarding that day's Extraordinary Management meeting ! Had you read my Blog Post " My Wish List " , you would be aware of the amount of work needed to attempt to put UCI on track to a " Brighter Future " , that his predessor tried to con the Cycling Community into thinking was his ambition ?

Since the September election , Brian and his Management Team , have been beavering away at clearing the DEAD Wood , that cluttered Aigle and obscured the path forward . It surprised me to see so much covered in the Tuesday Meeting and i tweeted to that effect :

skippy mc carthy ‏@skippydetour29 Oct

@inrng @TheRaceRadio @BrianCooksonUCI @gaudryt SEEMS that Transparency will be FOREMOST principle of UCI from TODAY! Good start CONGRATS ALL

Womens Cycling progress will be revealed later this week , hopefully including the NZ Tour that was not run in 2013 due to the Organisers having difficulty with the UCI attitude to " Anti Doping "! Funny how they let the US Mens Races run without " Full Testing " , but thrash the Ladies ! Of course there was that Canadian woman who was subjected to sanction , perhaps others , but really ? Look at ALL those US Racers that were given a 6 month " All Salaries Paid Holiday " after the USADA Reasoned Decision , but they were MEN ? Why did phat , cheat the Ladies ? How was it THEIR fault that phat and co. were asleep for 8 years under his watch ?

In reading this article , i came across the following comment , which i paste in it's entirety :

http://inrng.com/2013/10/cookson-uci-president/#comment-89040

It is this type of Influence that shapes lives , i guess that the 40 years mentioned , suggests what was written here , was revealed before Brian was seeking the Election to the UCI Presidency ?

bikecellar October 30, 2013 at 9:06 pm

The day I met Tom Simpson
By Brian Cookson, British Cycling President
It was 17 June 1967. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was still five days short of my sixteenth birthday, and in the middle of my O levels. Of course school was only a sideline, a bit of insurance. I was going to New Brighton with some mates from my club at the time, the Preston Wheelers, to see the man whose career I was going to emulate. It was the day I was to see my cycling hero.
I caught the bus up to the top of Cop Lane and waited for the mini to arrive carrying my clubmates. Was it a mini? It must have been, they all had them. They were all older than me, all working for a living, but committed racers in their own way, some better than others, 1st cats, 2nd cats, 3rd cats, whatever. All lads about town as well. They were my heroes too, in a different way.
Was it George Bradbury’s car, or was it Andy Deakin’s? Maybe I don’t remember it quite as well as I thought. Either way I do remember it was a sunny day. But then every day was a sunny day when I was that age, wasn’t it?
We drove down the A59, through Rufford, Burscough, Ormskirk and Maghull to Liverpool. I’d never been there before, despite living only 40 miles or so away. We didn’t travel so much in those days of course. My kids think I’m joking when I say I’d never been to Manchester either, until I went for a college interview at 17. Why would I have gone to Manchester or Liverpool? There were plenty of shops in Preston, then there was the seaside at Blackpool, St Annes, or Morecambe. For a really exotic outing we would go to Grange over Sands, or a coach trip to Windermere. No point going to Manchester, certainly not Liverpool. How the world has changed in such a short space of time.
So Liverpool was a bit of a culture shock to me. I knew it was where the Beatles came from, indeed that had been another of my possible career paths – I had the guitar, the haircut, the music master even called me the school Beatle for a while. But I’d dropped that, I figured the life of a pro bike rider was my destiny.
On we went past Aintree racecourse, then mile after mile of terraced streets, past a gloomy prison, a big hospital, caught a glimpse of the Everton ground at one point, then suddenly we were in the Mersey Tunnel, descending in the semi-darkness, flat at the bottom, then climbing up the other side. Someone said they let you ride a bike through early on a Sunday morning, and the climb was the hardest on Merseyside.
Suddenly we were out in the bright sunshine and into the clamouring world of the Birkenhead Docks, passing ship after ship, loading or unloading their mysterious cargo, with home ports and flags from around the world. No containers in those days, just real docks and real dockers. Cranes and boats and trains, and those dockers all hustling and bustling, busy, busy, busy. Or maybe that’s just the way it seemed to me.
Suddenly we were out of the docks and arriving in what seemed like a smaller version of Blackpool. New Brighton, our destination. I could see the sea, or rather the Mersey Estuary (I knew that from Geography), and I could see a huge outdoor swimming pool. In fact some of the lads went for a swim. I didn’t join them because I knew I was going to be a serious professional roadman and swimming during the season was not good for cycling muscles. It didn’t matter that my most significant performance to date was not getting dropped in a schoolboy criterium on Morecambe promenade. I was a serious bike rider.
Finally, we strolled up to where the races were, a few hundred yards away. A few hundred metres, I thought, preparing myself for my life as a European pro. The lower category races were going on, but my hero wasn’t due to arrive until a bit later. So we waited. I relaxed my rules and had an ice cream (don’t eat it too quick or you’ll put a chill on your stomach).
The British professionals (or were they still calling them independents that year? I forget) were getting ready, and a fearsome lot they looked, a hard bunch of men. Blokes like Arthur Metcalfe, Colin Lewis, Roger Claridge. No matter, I’d soon leapfrog over them and join a top continental team, I thought.
A sizeable crowd developed. The biggest I’d ever seen at a bike race. Where was the man we had all come to see? Is it my memory playing tricks again, or was there a hot rod car there, in the colours of the event’s sponsors Players No6 cigarettes? Bizarre.
An announcement came over the crackly tannoy. His flight had been delayed, but he was on his way. The British pros didn’t seem too pleased. Their race was about to start and they didn’t want to hang around. So they raced.
Another announcement came over the tannoy. An extra race would be held, when he arrived. So nobody would be disappointed. Was I imagining it, or did the British guys ease up a bit in their race? Were they talking along the back straight? They still didn’t seem too pleased. Surely they should have been honoured that they were going to be thrashed by one of the greats.
Then suddenly there he was. Tom Simpson. My hero. The greatest British bike rider ever. You could pick up Cycling (as it was then) any week during the season and expect that he would have won a classic, or at least given his all in a break, before suddenly blowing and finishing in a state of exhaustion. He’d won the World Championship then the Tour of Lombardy, in 1965, less than two years before, the autumn that I first went on a club run. He’d worn the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. He’d won Paris – Nice earlier that year beating some young teammate called Merckx or something unpronounceable, who everybody said was going to be pretty good. Tom was one of the favourites for the Tour, leading a British national team, a temporary blip before the Tour finally became taken over by commercialism.
Blimey, it really was him. Here, now. He looked exactly like the photos in the magazines. Tanned limbs, beaky nose, ready smile, classic black and white Peugeot kit and matching bike with Mafac brakes and Simplex gears (remember them?). A big crowd gathered around him and a couple of other continental-based guys who’d come over with him.
Meanwhile the race with the British pros had finished and it was clear some discussion was taking place. There seemed to be some reluctance, but eventually a smaller bunch took the start and a short race began. Simpson won, of course. At least in my memory he won. But then I wasn’t really watching anybody else anyway. I think we all knew it was a bit of a show really, but we appreciated the effort the guy had gone to, to please his home fans on a rare British appearance.
The race was over and we wandered back towards the car, happy enough to have seen him. Suddenly there he was again, stood by his car chatting to fans, signing autographs. I waited my turn, and was too shy to ask him a question, but I’d got something special for him to sign, something that nobody else seemed to have – a copy of his autobiography “Cycling is my Life”. And sign it he did, with a cheery smile. I still have it. He probably said something to me, but I can’t remember what. I was already in a trance.
Off we went, back to the car, back through the docks, back to Preston, dropped off at the top of Cop Lane, and walking back home, still inhabiting the dream world of the Continental pro. Maybe I’d even be his teammate one day, I thought. I’d got the cotton Peugeot-BP cap from an advert in Cycling, I reckoned the rest of the kit would look fine on me too, once I’d filled out a bit. Days later, I got a stern rebuke from a team mate “Never mind that, you never offered any petrol money!” I was mortified – the biggest sin of all is to be tight with your mates.
But I had done what I’d wanted. I’d met my hero, the guy I was basing my life on. I had his autograph to prove it. I was happy and went about my training with renewed seriousness. The O levels? Well, I passed enough to get into the sixth form, even French because I knew I’d need it when I joined Tom over there.
Now my memory is moving on a bit. Its less than a month later. I’m a junior now and I’m in the changing rooms on a Thursday evening for the Eccleston Handicaps that take place every week. Andy Deakin (was it him, or is my memory playing tricks again?) comes into the changing rooms. He’s got a serious look on his face. “Hey lads” he says “Simmy’s died”.
We are stunned. What can you say or do? It was on the BBC radio in Andy’s mini, so it must be true. We don’t cry, we’re northerners, we are just stunned. Stunned, baffled and bemused. What’s happened, was it a crash on a descent, yeah that happened to that French bloke Riviere or something a few years back, didn’t kill him but finished his career, didn’t it? Maybe that was it?
No. It seems the reports are saying exhaustion or heart failure or something. Wow, we think, we always knew Tom could push himself, we’d seen the photos and read the reports in Sporting Cyclist, but to push yourself that far was something else. Maybe there was more to it. Didn’t make sense. We raced anyway, but our hearts weren’t in it.
It didn’t take long for the stories to start to emerge. Cycling on the front page of my Dad’s Daily Express for once. Doping was there in big letters, it seemed amphetamines had been found in his kit. Amphetamines? Wasn’t that what some mods took in clubs in Manchester or London? Film was shown on the News of Tom cheerfully showing the contents of his personal medical box – “muscle fortifiers” and all, whatever they were. It seemed pretty clear – it wasn’t the only factor, the extreme heat, dehydration, general exhaustion all seemed to have combined. But there was doping. I was shattered.
I still clung to my belief that I would make it as a pro for a few more years, but now I look back I realise that my heart wasn’t really in it any more. I still loved the sport and gave it all the commitment I could, whilst going through A levels and college and getting a proper qualification to see me through the real world. Of course by that time, reality had set in. I won a few races, even a Division Championship, but I wasn’t ever going to be anywhere near good enough to be a pro. I knew that.
But it did teach me something and it did give me one very, very clear moral position. Doping is a scourge, and sometimes people need to be protected from their own and others’ failings, their greed and their folly, if sport is to be worthy of our ambition, worthy of our commitment, worthy of our devotion.
Tom Simpson should still be with us today, an elder statesman, an icon for the young riders we are bringing so successfully into our sport. Instead he has been dead for forty years. He let us down. I understand the thought processes he went through, the moral conundrums he faced. But still, he made the wrong choice and he paid the ultimate price. Easy for me to say, I know.
The mystery is that so few people seemed to learn the lesson. Forty years later we are still going through the process of weeding out those who think it is acceptable to take those sort of risks, or worse to risk the health of young riders, men and women, in their care, just to win bike races and make money. At last, however, we seem to be making progress. That makes me happy. I know there are problems in many other sports, too. But I don’t really care about other sports. I care about our sport, our young people, our beautiful races.
That’s why I will always do everything I can and why I will continue to speak out on this sadly persistent issue. When I read of the latest “hero” to be questioned by the authorities, and hear of their protestations of innocence, their pathetic claims of laboratory mistakes, devious conspiracies against them and so on and so on, I smile, sadly. Forgive my scepticism. Truth will out. What goes around comes around. I know that, you know that, they know that. How do they sleep at night?
When I think of their cynicism, I think of Tom Simpson. And I think of a broken dream. The broken dream of thousands and thousands of us over the years.
Rest in peace, Tom.


Quite an insight into a youthful person's background and motivation . Here is another tweet sent :

skippy mc carthy ‏@skippydetour28 Oct

@TheRaceRadio @gaudryt @BrianCooksonUCI Makes mc quaid look as if he was out of his depth http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2013/10/colombia-must-rise-to-occassion.html … About time UCI took CONTROL

Here is another "  can of worms " that  UCI will need to get to grips with !

Those that follow the following Blog written by Steve Tilford will see more than a few eye opening episodes that he has encountered , as he has sought to race  at the highest level , without succumbing to the same temptations , that saw some US racers take a 6 month Winter Break :

http://stevetilford.com/2013/10/31/remorseful-ryder-hesjedal/comment-page-1/#comment-36430

My hope is that there are others such as Steve , that can shed light on those that pretend to be "CLEAN " and thus continue to enforce the " OMERTA " that controls the PELOTON even in 2014!

Some people that can help push Cycling's Future further forward , need to be brought on board by UCI ! One such was responsible for the creation of the Cervelo Team , some years ago . Here is a link to his latest Blog , which reveals a lot about their success :

http://gerard.cc/2013/10/30/selling-cycling/#comment-4994

There are many more such as @jamiefuller , who could contribute to a successful future for UCI Endeavours !

2014 Le Tour Announced !

Le Tour once again claims the attention of the Cycling Community ! 20 years after appearing in the South of England , Le tour will have a " Grand Depart " in Yorkshire . With 2 etappes in the Dales ,
the racers will move to the flatlands for the 3rd Depart being from Cambridge . Whilst the Racers will have only 3 days of racing in the UK , many of them will arrive on the Tuesday prior to the Grand Depart , so as to complete the formalities required before the Competition .

Continental travels will commence in Le Tourquet as the 4th Etappe will race to Lille . Following the "Clockwise direction " , racers will visit many World War 1 areas as they race across the cobbles in those areas that feature in the Spring Classics . . After 10 Etappes they will arrive at Besancon for the Rest Day , then continue through the Voges and Alpes . Two days of Mountain Top Finishes , without  L'Alpe D'Huez and the Gallibier , then on across the south to Carcassonne for another Rest Day , before heading into the Pyrennes for Pla D'Adet and Hautacam finishes .

Seems that Time Trial Skills , will be a redundant skill on this Le Tour , since it is only on Stage 20 and for only 54km , that those like Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara get to stretch their legs .

With only 3 MTF to entertain the Le Tour Tifosi , there will be a sharp contrast with previous Editions of Le Tour . Could this mean that " New Stars " will be discovered ? Could this Edition , be the first time that "Racers " will have NO EXCUSES for seeking PED assistance for their efforts ?

WHEN are we the public , going to be told of those that were discovered on the 2013 Le Tour ? phat the rat had reasons for hiding PED users before the 100th Edition , but the Election has come and GONE ! For 100 years , most if not ALL Editions had Racers that sought recognition by way of " Chancing their LUCK" but since arrival in Paris , ALL Parties have taken the OATH of OMERTA , in respect of what the " Anti Doping Teams " , discovered !

DAILY ETAPPES : 5th July to 27th July

  5/  Stage 1: Leeds                                          Harrogate
  6/  Stage 2: York                                            Sheffield
  7/  Stage 3: Cambridge                                London
  8/  Stage 4: Le Touquet Paris-Plage      Lille
  9/  Stage 5: Ypres                                           Arenberg Porte du Hainaut

10/ Stage 6: Arras                                            Reims
11/ Stage 7: Epernay                                      Nancy
12/ Stage 8: Tomblaine                                 Gérardmer
13/ Stage 9: Gérardmer                                 Mulhouse
14/ Stage 10: Mulhouse                                 Planche des Belles Filles

15/                  Rest day in Besançon
16/ Stage 11: Besançon                                  Oyonnax
17/ Stage 12: Bourg-en-Bresse                    Saint-Etienne
18/ Stage 13: Saint-Etienne                          Chamrousse
19/ Stage 14: Grenoble                                   Risoul

20/ Stage 15: Tallard                                        Nîmes
 21/                        Rest day in Carcassonne
22/ Stage 16: Carcassonne                              Bagnères-de-Luchon
23/ Stage 17: Saint-Gaudens                          St-Lary-Soulan (Pla d’Adet)

24/ Stage 18: Pau                                                 Hautacam
25/ Stage 19: Maubourguet val d’Adour   Bergerac
26/ Stage 20: Bergerac                                      Périgueux (TT)
27/ Stage 21: Evry                                               Paris

Whilst many were thinking of the 2014 Le Tour presentation , the fight for Sydney and the surrounding country was fought by TRUE HEROES ! They came from all over ! Some were repaying the efforts by NSW Firefighters in past seasons , others were truly inspired by that quality most Aussies REVERE ! 

MATESHIP ! 

Whatever their Motives , as an aussie , i want to say THANKYOU ! When you Folk decide to visit the Le Tour , find me , i would like to BUY YOU A BEER !

It came as a surprise to see an Aussie , leave his day job , put in 14hrs on an evening shift , then go back to work ! Good one Tony !  Wish that your job as Prime Minister of Oz , did not include you being able to contradict the UN Efforts in " Global Warming "!

Le TOUR 2014 ! Inspired Guesses ?

Whilst the " Le Tour Grand Depart " from Yorkshire has been in  the public Domain for most of the past twelve months , there are those that are constantly seeking information about the remaining Etappes ! It is something that i have been aware of over the years , but  , i was surprised today to see that i am already a week behind one of the sites upon which i rely !

Plagerism is about the only way i can bring to you the efforts of those that have done the work . I rely on their efforts and thus this post will be a copy of the latest blog on 7th Sept 2013 , then updated on the 11th !

See next post ! REMOVED AS ORDERED by the owner

Before getting into the post , i should like to add a photo that refers to the Angliru Climb today :

Having seen Chris Horner , ROAR up the 22% grades , leaving Nibili in his wake , i can't help but think that the only way to the finish line for me would have been in this manner , to the right !

When i saw this photo , i was reminded of another over exuberant Racer , who never seemed to smile , certainly not as he rode on the climbs ! These days i doubt he has a lot to smile about and judging from Sheryl's comments on Piers Morgen Show of CNN he has become a memory she would prefer to ignore .




Whilst watching the Eurosport TV Coverage i was dismayed to see the OUTLANDISH STUPIDITY displayed by those that consider themselves fans of the Vuelta ! There were those who went to the trouble of dressing themselves , in a manner their friends would recognise , perhaps even encouraging the TV Camerapeople to record them . They then behaved , as if they wanted to cause the Racers to crash , rather than quietly applauding their efforts .

There was one guy , bare from the waist up , tremendous upperbody physique but was running like an elderly woman , what was between the ears ?  Time and again we saw people running with flags , really looking like they weren't sure for what  purpose ? Any of you at home that felt like they had to duck , when the flags or banners dropped over the camera , because the Motorcycle had driven through , with the camera showing the action behind ? In many cases , all the camera was recording was the following motorbike which was trying to squeeze through without touching the Idiot Bystanders , less interested in the action because they were attempting to amuse the camera & audience with their facial expressions and antics!

The Official standing in the red car finally decided to send some motorbikes through , far too long after they were needed ! Each year we are entertained by these " Antics " , yet , the Organisers continually ignore the possibility that either Race protagonists or spectators will be unlucky , get hit and bring the race to a stop ? It was indeed fortunate that both Horner & Nibali were able to avoid being tipped off their bikes . Judging by Chris's condition after the finish , how could he have got back on his bike on such a strong climb ? When i am in 27 on a 15%+ , i can hardly weave across a 4M wide road to get going again , let alone drive directly ahead . I train on 20% climbs regularly in my back yard here in the Inntal of the Tirol , there is even a 22% post for a 200m climb that i struggle over . One of my bikes won't go up 22% without skidding of the chain , can you imagine that on the Angliru ?

MORE CRAP FLIES as the contenders move into the final 14 days , before the Election in Firenze ! We all know of Brian Cookson's Blog :

http://briancookson.org/en/blog/

What i had not seen until this week is another blog for phat the rat :

http://mcquaidvscookson.wordpress.com/

Another Blog i enjoy reading , has weighed in with some interesting insight to the current situation :

http://redkiteprayer.com/2013/09/not-dead-yet/comment-page-1/#comment-780772

Along the way , i have been taking a look at the Twitter feed of the man that caused phat to lose the Irish Nomination :
https://twitter.com/moran_anto

and that of his compatriot :

https://twitter.com/irishpeloton

My Tourdafarce.blogspot.com blog may well be worth a visit for those , not entirely sure of the state of play in the UCI Election .

Whilst searching for another site i follow authored by Charles Pelkey , i came across one of his latest exploits as a Lawyer :

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/blind-cat-guy-taser-lj-faith_n_3714418.html



As promised the plagerism , if you want to read the considerable number of comments follow this link :

TWAT ordered removal , couldn't be bothered to give him the finger !

doesn't he have better things to do ?

DIDN'T WANT TO PODIUM !

Watched in disbelief as the four away got to the " kite " marking the 1 km to go , with 13secs lead , and then they gave up the race to the sprinters ! During the last three kilometers , it was clear , that these guys were unable to agree about getting to the last few metres , before deciding who would be on the podium tonight ! That the Belgian racer ,Ghyselink , racing with Cofidis colours , was eager to get to the finish line was clear , since he took off and left the other three in his wake , but in the slight uphill that was the false flat racing alone, he faded into the first fifty home .  Read later elsewhere , that some suspect he would not have been able to hold off  Urtasun of Euskadi ! Will he get an award as the " Most Combatative Racer " today ? Who knows ? Who cares ?

Had those four worked together , they would have been " Podium Material " , certainly one of them would have gone in the " History books "as Etappe winner ! Oh yes , they had to get to the line before a thwarted peloton who at 40+ km were 1 1/2 mins behind and at 10km were 1 min behind and at 4km were still 28sec behind ! Don't tell me they were under team orders to " STUFF " the bookmakers , that their teams would have been in trouble , had they stayed away for a victory ? The Euskadi guy , Urtasun , was interviewed on Eurosport Extra but as he was speaking in Spanish , goodness knows how he felt , since i do not understand the language .

Recall being at the Bellinzona South area on the Tour de Suisse route , some years back , and cheered Matt White , Mick Rogers , Comezzo and Oscar Freire as they chased past on the way to the Podium ! Oscar hopped a lane separator and took off , 10+km from the finish and Comezzo worked for a while with the Aussies but managed to get in 7th , but where were my mates as the Peloton swept them up within metres of the finish line ? After several hundred kilometres of racing there is rarely much left in the tank and it is hard to continue the fight when you are suddenly on your own ? Having watched the four pass i had rushed to a bar thinking i would see a fight to the finish but i could not tell you now who the racers were that separated Oscar from Comezzo !

Well it is easy being an " Armchair Critic " ! Even when i have ridden the day's Etappe , i still do not have a real feeling for the difficulties the Racers endure ! explains why even with the wind behind me the best i can hope for these days , is to be within 20% longer on the route  !

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012

Not hard to visualise what took place these last few days , thanks to the commentary from CyclingNews.com :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/mars-cycling-australia-road-national-championships-2012/elite-womens-road-race/results

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/mars-cycling-australia-road-national-championships-2012/elite-mens-road-race/live-report

ONE OF THESE YEARS I will get to see these efforts live . In past years I have driven through these areas but never cycled them so that will be an interesting experience to enjoy .

Really pleased to see that Simon Gerrans has taken this year’s title since I have seen him win some really important races in Europe and he has always flown the Aussie Flag high regardless of the results from his efforts ! Totally professional racer that I have always enjoyed chatting with over the years .

Mattie Lloyd coming in second for GreenEdge has started his season on a good note and will help him to forget the rubbishy treatment he had to get over during 2011 . Looking forward to seeing him collect a few podiums during this season , hopefully some of them they will come in the Grand Tours which I hope to see live and thus enjoy greeting him after he crosses the finish line .

Richie Porte rounding out the Podium is no surprise as so many people will be looking forward to the day when he wins a Grand Tour , remember well his valiant defence of the Maglia Rosa some seasons back already ! Here’s hoping that 2012 will be another spectacular year for him !

During the year “ Vince ” , the guy that did a post about me , rode parts of the Tour de France for the second time . Latest email regales some of the Championship events and since he reads these posts I will be happy to have him “ ADD ” his experiences as a live observer here in the near future ! Up to you Vince !

Women’s Championships were perhaps more important from my point of view since so many NEW names came to my notice ! The depth of talent available is no surprise and I am looking forward to seeing their victories during the period leading up to London 2012 ! Amanda , Tiffany and Rachel are all new names to me , but I hope that the Tour de Romandie will have a Women’s Time Trial once more this year and thus I will enjoy seeing them in action . World Championship and Olympic Medals are the result of years of hard work and good team work but regrettably it is the luck on the day that decides who gets into the record books ! Team tactics can be very important and Oenone Woods sacrificed her chances of a medal in the Athens 2004 Olympics to ensure Sara Carrigan won the Gold . Coming in fourth she was unlucky to miss the podium but had the satisfaction of knowing that Oz had the gold as a result of distracting the other racers , who were certain that she was the person to mark .

MARK CAVENDISH MBE

2011 is all but over but there is still time for more plaudits to arrive at Mark’s door ! After all the achievements of 2011 what can he do in 2012 that will move the “ goal Posts ” further ?

Winning the Green Jersey of the Tour de France would be enough for most Cycle Racers but he has put in the work and thus conquered the Road Race World Championship and then took the victory at the Olympic Road Race trial event !

After the announcement of the demise of HTC high road Team most of the racers signed on with other teams but Mark bided his time and thus created a suspense filled with speculation on which team would win the race for his signature . Previous commitments to sponsors would have been part of the reason for the delayed announcement but the eventual decision in favour of “ Sky ” has been greeted with favour by his new team mates . Quite rightly they have recognised the “ added value ” that he brings to the team . Some people are able to motivate others to raise their sights and Mark is one of those individuals .

Normally the person wearing the World Champions Jersey has a quiet year and many speculate that it is a “ poisoned chalice ” but Cadel Evans was able to win one of Cycling’s Monuments whilst wearing the Jersey so it is conceivable that Mark will also raise the bar during the coming season . During his time with High Road Mark was advised by Eric Zabel amongst others and he appears to be the type who absorbs all the info fed to him and puts it to good use . Losing some of his former leadout train will not be of any great consequence as he has demonstrated his ability to do a “ Robbie Mc Ewan ” on more than one occasion including a lone winning sprint in this past Tour de France .

Missing out on medalling in the 2008 Beijing Olympic will only motivate him to greater efforts in the 2012 London Olympic Games . Should he be successful there it is quite possible that he will get the “ Royal Nod ” and be invited to Buck House once again to adjust his credentials . I am sure Peta would enjoy being Lady Peta !

Recently he has become quite the Media Star cleaning up all the “ Sporting Awards ” in which he has been proposed . Cycling and Bike Racing in recent times has become very much the “ In Sport ” thanks to his efforts and those of Sir Chris Hoy and Brad Wiggins . There is a wealth of talent in the British Cycling Team now and we should not overlook the talents of the likes of Geraint Thomas and others who will compete strongly for any of the places available for London 2012 !

2011 as been a great year for Mark and as he enjoys the festive season no doubt he will be reflecting on his great good fortune and seeking the inspiration to raise the stakes and make 2012 even more successful .

I for one would wish to be at ALL the events that he will be competing in as the wealth of talent out there will produce some memorable clashes of the Titans in 2012 !

2012 Giro d’Italia ?

Nearly every year we hear speculation of what the Grand Tours will serve up several days before the Presentation ! So with the TDF “ leaked ” and now the “Giro ” will we see an early release of the “ Vuelta Espana ” ?

Thanks to Velonation you have an early " Heads Up " !

Photo of Alberto C. !

IS THIS ROUTE SPECULATION or essentially the real thing that will be announced on Sunday the 16th October ?


Giro d’Italia stages (to be confirmed by RCS Sport)
5 May: Herning – Herning ITT (8,7 km)
6 May: Herning – Herning (206 km)
7 May: Horsens – Horsens (190 Km)
8 May: Rest day, transfer to Italy
9 May: Verona – Verona TTT (32,2 km)
10 May: Modena – Fano (199 km)
11 May: Urbino – Porto Sant’Elpidio (207 Km)
12 May: Recanati – Rocca di Cambio (202 km)
13 May: Sulmona – Lago Laceno (229 km)
14 May: San Giorgio nel Sannio – Frosinone (171 km)
15 May: Civitavecchia – Assisi (187 km)
16 May: Assisi – Montecatini Terme (243 Km)
17 May: Seravezza – Sestri Levante (157 km)
18 May: Savona – Cervere (121 km)
19 May: Cherasco – Cervinia (205 km)
20 May: Busto Arsizio – Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli (172 km)
21 May: Rest day
22 May: Limone sul Garda – Falzes/Pfalzen (174 km)
23 May: Falzes/Pfalzen – Cortina d’Ampezzo (187 km)
24 May: San Vito di Cadore – Vedelago (139 km)
25 May: Treviso – Alpe di Pampeago (197km)
26 May: Caldes/Val di Sole – Passo dello Stelvio (218 km)
27 May: Milano – Milano ITT (31,5 km)


Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10056/A-strange-day-for-the-Grand-Tours-as-Giro-dItalia-route-also-leaked.aspx#ixzz1af6TWu9m

Alpe D'huzes and Handbikes

Group photo from the " ALPE D'Huzes Cancer Event


This is the link for the hand biker chat :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5onL81D2tY



















VIEW to Mt Blanc from across the valley near Bruno's house .






















View from Bruno's house over the valley with Sallanches where he works , with daily bike ride up 12% gradient each night .

AN OPEN LETTER to CHRIS PRUDHOMME

Letter to Chris Prudhomme


Swanning around in your Limousine with a variety of " notable personalities " you will rarely see the " Glitches " that the everyday visitor to " Le Tour " has to overcome ! Certainly your subordinates have done their best to see that you have a " Trouble Free Ride " each day . No doubt you have briefings with your personnel each day to keep you abreast with potential problems .

Whilst you were with France TV you were quick to pick my brains about my activities on the periphery of " Le Tour " and also whilst " understudy to JM Leblanc ", but since becoming " The Man " you rarely deem a simple "hello" as appropriate for a man of your importance . Amazing then that i get to meet some of the General Officers of the Sapeur Pompiers , Army and Gendarmerie as well as assorted Politicians whenever i find the time to be at a " Depart " or " Arrivee " ! Some i have advised of my Blogs , so it may be that their staff have been detailed to have the occasional read . Phillippe Sudre is also aware of these blogs but as to whether he deems it worth his time to read my offerings i couldn't say .

In previous " Open Letters " to you i have suggested ways to improve the security of the " Signage " but neglected to point out that many of the large Roadside Signs proclaiming " Road Closure details of route nos with dates and times " could be better . All Media receive a looseleaf book , known as the "Guidebook" and this is a very helpful tool to ALL , but it neglects to coordinate that very important issue of "Road Closures" ! Surely you want the world to know WHEN the routes of the " Le Tour " each day will close , don't you ? Many of those i speak to at the " Le Tour " tell me that each Department of France has a Web Site that offers info on these " Route Closures " but the general public are rarely aware of this , let alone the Overseas Visitor , many of whom do not understand the French Language whether written or spoken .

BY adding an additional column in the “Guidebook “ to the Caravan and the Racers anticipated passing certain points times , " ASO " will in consultation with the various authorities be able to advise the WORLD of the "Road Closure " times . Media of all persuasions will no doubt pass on to their readers this information , as they tend to copy out your pages as if it was their own work in the effort to inform their audience . Each Department has it's own branch of the Police National and Gendarmerie responsible for the "Security of the "Le Tour route" and since these signs have to be constructed to inform the public then the information should be accurate and All will see a coodinated result !

During one Etappe i had a Gendarme as he passed me in his car as i rode up the "Col" tell me that i should stop as the "Col" was closed ! This was more than an hour before the Sign Posted Closure time ! When i arrived at the " Col" there were several " touring cyclists " but none of the private cars that passed me after this rash statement was made . The " Major " then again told me that the road was closed even though there remained 35 mins until the posted time . My solution was to pick up the bike and walk off the road until i reached a point beyond the " Col "
where i could ride once again . Further down the road i found that the times posted had been extended another hour and half as is normally the case when you pass into a new area of control . As to what happened to the " touring cyclists " i could only speculate , but had they relied on the published information then they were sadly inconvenienced and carrying a "touring bike " with luggage in many cases is out of the question .

Expect to hear more points of interest from me over the next months as i know how hard it is to get action when too many issues are raised at the same time . Have your people read my " OPEN LETTER to Pat Mc Quaid “ about the " Authorised Driver Permit " that i feel is required to avoid a repeat of the incident that nearly killed two racers .

No where on page 7 of the " Guidebook " does " ASO " refer to driver conduct in relation to the Racers or even the ordinary cyclist AND since the " Le Tour " as an event is about Cycling , one wonders who was responsible for coordinating the material published ? No doubt Phillippe Sudre after our discussion took a look at that page . After publishing my blog post about the RMC Radio Stationwagon i saw the driver many times but he never again caused me any problems . Whether this was good luck or he had the matter brought to his attention is not for me to say .

Security of the "Le Tour " route is an important concern but having the Public sit on the side of the route for 5 hrs each day is asking too much particularly since the "Tour de Suisse" is able to run an event with "Private Security on motorcycles " and Army reservists causing the routes to be closed for periods ranging from 10 mins to 30 mins before the arrival of the racers unless in the mountain passes when longer periods may be required . Could be that your people need to look at the abilities they display and adopt some of their expertise !

A Bientot

SPIVS AT WORK !

Driving around the last kilometres of today's etappe of St Paul to Gap i came across the "vermin " stopping the traffic to impose their flags on the " unsuspecting public "at 8.40am ! Wearing " hazard /reflective jackets " they were just visible in the heavy rain and most thought they were official so wound their windows down and had the flags thrust in their face ! As i drove through one of them kicked the car denting the rear offside panel but as there are usually five of them i decided " safety first "! Could not find a Gendarme all the way to the centre of Gap so decided that a report elsewhere would have to suffice. No luck on the way to Briancon as there was heavy continous rain with the lightning !

Here in Briancon the sun has broken through finally mid afternoon and reading the Eurosport's early reports states the "Depart " was sunny but the racers were expected to arrive in bleak weather after riding through the storms . Driving through from Gap to Briancon i saw lots of cyclists riding towards the " Ville Arrivee " most wore light rain jackets but some were without and with no backpack one wonders how they will survive the period until the Racers arrive . Since there were so many groups it seems certain that the majority were with tour companies and thus were happy to suffer through ! Saw some standing on the side of the road laughing and chatting so those guys must have been enjoying the conditions !

Personally getting on the bike to ride in the rain no longer appeals but i will continue on a rainy ride after donning the rain jacket ! This is the first of my 14 years of the TDF that i have failed to ride the start and finish of a stage but yesterday's ride with " georgethecyclist " will i guess count for the start of today's etappe . Now the sun is out , the bike will hit the road for a circuit of the district until the TV coverage attracts my interest !

CONNED by SPIVS !

Each day as you travel the routes of the Tour de France you will find " spivs " stealing from the public !

YES STEALING ! What happens is this , you are cycling or driving down the TDF route and usually at a corner or " halt" sign there will be two or three guys with a box in one hand and a small french flag in the other . As you are going slowly , since there is a queue created by these mongrells they will demand you buy one of their flags and nag on at you if you are french that " you are not patriotic " if you refuse; should you be a visitor then the monies are going to a " charity ( yes their pocket ) so you are a cheapskate if you refuse ! Generally you need to rev your motor or keep moving so they get out of your face . Of course you will see them again the next day and the next !

"Georgethecyclist.blogspot " has many stories to relate from over the years about what he has seen since he gets to sit and observe occasionally . After finding him and Vince on the road today i saw a grandfather with three young children , he had been fleeced ! Mongrells stopped and gave one flag to a girl then asked if they would like "nougat ", of course the children did and so they gave the girls the nougat and DEMANDED 10 euros from the man , he wanted to give it back but they would not leave without the money but by now the children were in tears !

Operating so early in the day they surround a village and canvass the shops and homes and control the traffic and the authorities are presently " powerless " to prevent this behaviour ! George will tell you that they have swerved in front of him causing him to run off the road on occasion , whether this is deliberate or in the attempt to canvass " donations " from the unsuspecting public they stop without thought for others he is not sure ! As regards myself when i am on the bike i stand up and pedal harder thus they get the message and get clear , of course there is occasion when i have had to avoid hitting one of them since they work in gangs from a variety of station wagons or people carriers .

In past years i have gone to the nearest Gendarmerie and reported their location but there is a reluctance to act since there are more important things to be done whilst the TDF is in the area . How many more Grandfathers have to be coersed into parting with their pension monies before this pestelence is eradicated . TDF officials are aware of this problem just as they are aware of the " gangs " that prey on the cyclists careless enough to leave their bikes unattended and with removable items . Locked bikes pose no problem as they carry " bolt cutters " and these are effective at solving that nuisance !

Time marches on and more riding to be done , thanks to Laurent in Nouans les fontaines and some Aussies living in this village i was able to overcome the problem of another closed Library (biblioteke )!

Since arriving in Chateauroux i have come across one of the many " Commandant rank officers of the CRS " and in my poor french explained this situation . Should he take the time to look at this blog post after "googling " for " skippydetour " he will see that this is a blight on the " honor of FRANCE "! Just why the authorities have known the problem but not acted remains a mystery to all .

DRIVE TO WORK

Amazed this blog name was available!

Welcome to the first of many stories from the past 13years of slogging around the TDF on the pedals each and every day.

Those reading today from Fatcyclist.com will know that i enjoy and look forward to Fatty's posts and i am happy to promote him to all and sundry and encourage people to support his efforts to raise monies for ALL Cancer related activities.

My comment about stopping in Luxembourg on the way to the Cross Channel Ferry was serious but what i had not anticipated was that people in Luxenbourg would decide to throw a street party. About 10 miles from Luxenbourg there was stationary traffic heading towards France with Blue and Orange strobing lights. Seems like some of these people decided to have a get together much to the annoyance of the 20 miles of traffic that came to a stop behind them. Three lane motorway turned into a parking station because from what i could see as i passed at 60mph was an empty road then a series of broadsided cars with a few trucks in the mix. As i said people were standing around there and further up the road wondering how to get out of the party they didn't want.

Traffic was so bad i decided the open road was the best option and i was well north of the centre of Luxembourg before i saw traffic moving south normally towards the event, on my side heading north there was little traffic so all around must have been snarled up. During the drive from Innsbruck i saw few motorcycles and during today from Ulm to Dunkerque i counted three, amazing to see so few.

What all this comes down to is that in the 20 miles of traffic was a lot of single occupancy vehicles and the opening pictures highlights this fact. When i am journeying across Europe i have the road map handy to find escape routes when faced with traffic snarls. All too often people make the same journey and accept that sitting for long periods of time is the only solution . Over many years i have found myself even backtracking several miles to escape a traffic jam and don't laugh recognise a particular vehicle that i had seen in the queue when i rejoin the motorway several miles later. So occasionally patience would have paid off but then you also hear on the radio of the hardships suffered by those opting to stay put.

Flexibility has always been my way and in reading my adventures you will see that when the Gendarmes close the TDF route even to cyclists then knowing a little of the terrain has allowed me to find an alternative route to the Etappe finish most often in time to see the race leaders arrive.


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