HELMET CAMERAS

Back in March i received a reply to an item that i wrote in " TourdaFrance.blogspot.com "
! This time they did not address me as " Mrs "!  seems they read the blog piece , as they refer to it in this email submission ?

  "   Ticket "2014031010001733" created!

Date:   Mon 03/10/14 06:33 AM

Dear Mr Mc Carthy,

Once again we convey our sincerest apologies if you feel you have been disrespected. Your original email asked for information that was indeed provided to you in a follow up email shortly thereafter, granted we made an honest mistake when addressing your title. We have provided you with information that you requested,  a suggestion as to what would better suit your needs, as well as an apology for what we repeat was an honest mistake. Unfortunately our CEOs do not frequent our customer service department as they are based at the HQ office.  Apologies for not being able to assist you getting in contact with them as we have protocol regarding the privacy of giving out such personal information.

It is unfortunate that you have decided to write a negative review although our department has apologized repeatedly for the mistake. We do hope you will come to see things differently in the near future and not let a mishap as has happened affect your opinion on a product.

Best regards
Oregon Scientific UK
Customer Service
Tel - 0871 222 1966
@ - technical@oregonuk.com

Being used to dealing with the Organ Grinder , not the MONKEY , i still have not reached the purpose of my original request , that of using a " Loan " unit .  When first in contact , i had the idea to combine their unit with a Garmin , thus seeing what was being recorded as i rode . With having laid out my usual annual Cycling Events , any reasonable person could have seen the amount of Publicity that could have been garnered by cooperation ?  Iin addition there have been " Traffic Violence Incidents " that i have been the unwitting victim of , let alone others , where other Cyclists have suffered Injury .

Local Polizei have treated MOST of my complaints as of " No Account " , principally because i fail to provide " Independent Witnesses " or Video , of the " Supposed event "!   Even when i drag a guy into their Office , and he admits that he caused a dangerous road incident , whilst driving and using a hand held cell phone , they decide " NO ACTION "!   That incident was one of several resulting in No Injury , yet , there have been many others where INJURY has been suffered but as there are NO "Independent Witnesses " the Legal process will drag on into infinity !  Have you ever fought Goliath , with their bottomless Pockets ?  Of course ONLY 2 weeks have passed since the latest Traffic Violence Incidence . Riding on a " Bike Lane " , clearly painted AND SIGN POSTED , i had a London Double Decker Bus ram my rear , as he attempted to pass me in a " Squeeze Point " ! When a traffic Island is put in the road , little wider than the width of a Bus , why would anyone with common sense/awareness or in their " Sane Mind " attempt to pass a Cyclist ?

Thrown onto the pavement by the apparent impact of the faster moving vehicle coming into contact with the rear derailleur , it would appear that the ability to judge the width of the street , failed when the driver attempted to pass the Cyclist in an area which Authorities had decided was a " No Passing " area .

In Europe , passing a Cyclist requires , in MOST Countries , waiting until the road ahead is clear , then passing with in excess of 1M to 1 1/2M , not as done in the UK , where lightly touching the clothing , is regarded as sufficient consideration by most drivers !  Had the Bus not hit the rear derailleur , on this occasion , it would likely have hit the shoulder , thus causing even more INJURY , than the " Walk/Cycle away damage inflicted !  The Police Officer who attended to my Physical Examination , stated he was a trained  " Para Medic " and did a more thorough job than i usually give myself . Suffice to say , he was annoyed with my impatience to get to my feet , even though the whole Left side of my Body was damaged in one way or another .  When the Ambulance People arrived , the 2 Ladies were equally as caring and applied coverage to the Knee and Ankle even though i prefer to leave them exposed to the fresh air after cleaning . To this day , the hip and knee gives me trouble as i walk but i just grit my teeth when Cycling since i have things to do , regardless of the attempted MURDER efforts of the unwitting/gormless drivers that think sitting on their fat butt is the only way to travel .


With the extent of the injuries suffered , i have taken to a combination of Cycling to the edge of Towns or the Motorway Entrance , where i then take to Hitch Hiking . One of the benefits of this mode of Travel , is the variety of people i get to meet and thus the various Nationalities and Backgrounds thus they provide me with an insight into the way others live , not available to me by other forms of transport . To ALL that i have met , i should like to offer my THANKS ! Some have gone far more than the " Extra Mile " on my behalf . With being taken home to Meals , people going far out of their normal journey and offers of accomodation , i have been extremely fortunate , in the people that i have met .

When i asked the Police at the scene of the Traffic Violence to discover WHAT Assistance , TFL Bus would offer to assist with my onward travel as the Bike was no longer roadworthy , they obtained a telephone number !  Now as a film buff i have seen " Harry Potter travel through the Fireplace "!  Yet in the Modern everyday world , i have yet to hear of people being able to get down the phone line to a destination, have you ?  Seems that TFL , which records DAILY Taffic Violence Incidents , takes NO INTEREST in the consequences to those that suffer from contact with them ?

The Police took me in their Mobile Police Station to " Apex Cycles " near Clapham Common , where i had to pay for repairs and parts , that i would normally be able to provide from my OWN Resources . Since i carry a spoke key , the rear wheel could have been " Retrued " by myself , but the snapped Ultegra Rear derailleur was replaced by the " Cheapest Tiagra " available , since i had a " Dureace " available in Manchester on another bike stored there . Of course it was necessary to replace the cabling and outer cable. The fracture of the down Tube will need attention and gets surveyed daily and the bent handlebars and tape will be replaced as will the damaged Saddle , Pedals , Glasses and Broken Helmet !   Those that think that Helmets are an " Affection " , should think about " Brain Damage " ! If you break a HELMET , what would have happened to your Brain let alone the surface of the HEAD ?

Since Ambulances do not carry Bikes , i had NO CHOICE but to sign a " Disclaimer of Responsibility " for the Ambulance Service , when i refused to go to Hospital . No Bones Broken but severely bruised , bloodied and shaken , i was not about to endure several hours in an A & E whilst awaiting a little more TLC. As it turned out , i was in A & E at Shrewsbury 10 days later due to concerns about the lack of progress in the injuries mending .  Xrays and other tests revealed that nothing undue was out of order thus i continued across the UK without a return visit to London . Luckily i got a ride from Reading to Dover via the M25 , which for once was not the largest parking station in Europe .

With my contributions to various " Cycle Safety Org.s " over the years , it appears that i would be well enough known for members to assist by replying to my request to deal with this matter by EMAIL : So far a few comments in the " Facebook web page " , but otherwise it appears that i am on my own !

THANKS FOLKS !

You are as WORTHLESS as the people that make the " DUAL Camera "!

Out of sight , so out of mind !

WHEN will Cyclists wake up to the fact , that aas individuals , WE ARE WORTHLESS , as part of an International Cycling Safety Campaign , OUR NUMBERS will carry the DAY !

On the 21st May , " StopKillingCyclists " will mark the loss of the 5th Cyclist of 2014 . Meanwhile as i read " AmyGillettFoundation " i see " It is with regret we report " for the umpteenth time in 2014 !

TRACEY Gaudry is VP_Cycling at the UCI , since 3rd Quarter of 2013 , but CEO of AGF for several years . Brian Cookson has listened to me in person at Aigle and suffers my Tweets & Emails .  Whilst at Aigle i met a Guy connected with " Off Road Activities , he told me that apart from Amy D. , several other of HIS Communities' Racers have been Lost through TRAFFIC VIOLENCE !

UCI as a member of the IOC , will be only too aware , that Athletes from MANY Disciplines , use Cycling as Cross Training in their endeavours to qualify for the Olympic Events . WHY then are they " Hurrying slowly " to address the continuing " TRAFFIC CARNAGE "?

Yesterday i Tweeted :

skippy mc carthy ‏@skippydetour  23h

@BrianCooksonUCI @gaudryt C https://www.facebook.com/amygillettfoundation … about BLARING HORNS! STOP it TODAY! RESPECT of CYCLISTS starts at Races not on STREETS !

AS i write this blog , i am watching the repeat of the Giro d'Italia , and you have got it , MORE HORN blaring as the " Official / accredited / VIP / Assh#le " passes the Racers ! Of course that was Friday and this is Saturday , so little time for ACTION ?!

TRY THIS FOR SIZE THEN !

May 21 is going to see thousands gather in London to mark the passing of yet ANOTHER CYCLIST ! WHAT does UCI plan to do ? Tracey , was there ANYBODY in Cairns from " AGF " for the Cairns 1st Ann of Tanya's demise :

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/riders-take-part-in-ride-to-remember-cairns-cyclist-tanya-roneberg-a-year-after-she-was-killed-by-a-car/story-fnjpuwet-1226914127074

BRITISH Cycling could ensure that Pro Cyclists were available , EQUIPPED with a NEWS RELEASE , not only demonstrating support , BUT , outlining WHAT the UCI , on behalf of the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY , proposes to do ! UCI might even propose a series of TV Ads , similar to UEFA Football's " RESPECT " series ?

The ANT is roaring , but HOW LONG do Cyclists have to wait for the INEVITABLE ? It is an International Epidemic that CYCLING is suffering !

LACK OF RESPECT !

LACK of International ACTION !

Di Luca ! It's a CONSPIRACY !

As if phat the rat needed confirmation , that Cycling has a BRIGHT FUTURE ,

up pops that Italian Matinee Idol of Cycling , Danilo Di Luca ! Phat did not expect that when he gave CyclingNews an exclusive :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pat-mcquaid-cycling-has-an-extremely-bright-future

 on the 23rd May , that the next day , the Giro d'Italia Mountain stage would be cancelled and into the vacuum would drop the news that the Danilo was Headlining for the 3rd time ! This time the positive was for " EPO " !

Slow news day that it is , the warriors of the " Clinic " section , of Cycling News Forum , have been busy :

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=20726

Some time back i came across quite an informative article on Di Luca , the author predicted that Danilo would feature during the year . How right he was you can judge for yourselves :

http://www.atwistedspoke.com/di-luca-a-protagonist-no-more/

As if Danilo has not produced enough hilarity in Cycling Circles , the master of Tweets bobbed up with his take on this situation :

Lance found someone even he could pick on. Hilarious.


Lance Armstrong ‏@lancearmstrong

Knowing I have 0 cred on the doping issue - I still can't help but think, "really Di Luca? Are you that ****ing stupid??"

One of the countless comments i found during the day :


  "  Not sure this is the right thread for my opinion but pro road cycling is a side/freak show until a new governing body takes over and brings back credibility to the sport "!

Those managing the Team that Di Luca joined , days before the Giro , must now be ruing their decision ? The Organisers of the Giro will reflect on his 2007 win , no doubt convinced that he was using then and on his 2nd place in 2009 also , though this result was extinguished by the " CONSPIRACY " that saw him suspended for testing Positive during the event ?

Can't help wondering how the equipment suppliers must feel at this time , particularly Super Mario , since he rides on a Cipollini bike no less ?

Cycling is once again mired with controversy due to being led by a person that , although he draws a Salary as President to protect the Constitution of the UCI , chooses to bend UCI rules to his own benefit ! Little wonder those , that he is supposed to govern and lead , give the finger to the rules and go about circumventing the safeguards that are there to protect the Athletes' Health and Wellbeing !

AFTER DOPING ?

  " Blood Passport " is supposedly the way to stop " Doping "? Whether it is or not , depends on the " Sports Scientists " developing the CORRECT PARAMETERS !  Currently there are so many reports surfacing that  there are rampant abuses of this protocol , that we , the Cycling Public , are left wondering what VALUE the money being spent on " Anti Doping " is to ANY Sport ?

Recently i started a Cycling News Clinic  Thread on a New Medical  Product that is in the process of being developed . It is reported that " GSK " are discussing their product with WADA ? Whether the Japanese Company , Astellas , follows , remains to be reported . The article link :

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/us-anaemia-pill-idUSBRE93I0GH20130419

Astellas, GSK vie to make "high altitude" anemia pill

The link to the thread :

    http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?p=1204588#post1204588

Will there be those who will utilise this New Product , to ATTEMPT to defeat " Anti Doping Authorities "?

COUNT ON IT !

Meanwhile the following items caught my attention . Seems there are some out there , even writing Anonymously that have identified " Damage " to their Health !

Here are a couple of excerpts :

  "  When I see cyclists like Danielson, Leipheimer, Hincapie, and others who said they doped with EPO and stopped it at some time, and continued to ride as pro racers, I am quite surprised that many people either

a) believe them they stopped taking EPO or
b) believe they go on with EPO, but

everyone just tries to make himself a picture of the whole thing under ethical aspects: "Are there serious regrets by the rider, has he found back to a honest attitude towards cycling and therefore became clean again?".

Then, there are people with opinion

c) who think haven taken EPO in 2005 just helps you to ride faster in 2013.

I, from personal experience with PEDs/hormones years ago (see my posts in hypothyreodism thread), miss a much more important question, which is hardly ever raised; I´ll mention it as a claim, and I would not write it down if I wasn´t serious and really sure about it:

d) A healthy person who once in his life injects hormones (being healthy!), and stops taking this hormones, isn´t that healthy afterwards as he was before, and will never be again!
He gets from 0 to 5 during the period of misuse, and after finishing this period, slowly gets down to 0 again, then falls to -3, then the body reacts, tries to reach the starting level again, and reaches -1, with which the person now has to go on living.

The more hormones this healthy person injected/misused, and the longer the periods of misuse were, the bigger is the damage to the endocrinologic system concerning the special hormone. There is a thyroid system, a testosterone system, a cortisol system, a GH system, a "blood cell producing" system, to name some important and doping relevant endocrine hormone system within the body. Damaging one of these systems can ONLY be treated by life long continued injecting of the hormone that was misused, if you want to regain the "0" level I mentioned before.

So, finally, every Danielson or whoever has (he admitted it) damaged one (here: red blood cell) system, and has a (more or less seriously) damaged system now, for the rest of his life.

The results to expect from someone like that are weaker or (at the maximum) (almost) equal to the results he showed before the first hormone injection."

  "  Can you comment on the mental aspect of when you stopped PEDs and resumed to your normal (or even sub normal) self? Was that difficult to take at first? "

  " I first have to say that I doped just to improve optical shape and having the physique for photo shoots and appearances, just like bodybuilders do. I didn´t have a 100.000 EUR per year paycheck motivation.

But, yes, it´s mostly mentally disturbing afterwards, for different reasons:

- You feel sh*t, caused by the pure lack of hormone (weak, tired, powerless)
- You feel sh*t because you loved the shape you had when being on high hormone levels, and had to say goodbye to this shape
- You feel sh*t because you can never know exactly how your endocrine systems will recover, and how the mid- and long term endocrine levels will look like
- You feel sh*t because from now on, you need replacement therapy just to get to your natural base level, you have to be honest about the issue towards your treating doctor, have to admit having misused hormones, and know that hormone replacement will be part of all your future life, you´ll dependent on prescriptions several times a year, blood checks and all this stuff
- You feel sh*t because you´re not willing to consider yourself as suffering now from a chronic hormone desease, but officialy, you are

Nevertheless, no regrets. I would regret it if I had taken heroine or other illegal drugs once in my life.
Taking thyroid hormone, which isn´t illegal in Germany, I don´t regret, though I made the experience above.
It´s hardcore, but no reason to become hypocrite and say "It´s all great, there are no dark sides about it."

BTW: Jan Ullrich also used T3 and T4, which I learned later. Ulle knew what works ;-) And certainly also his his replacement therapy now, every morning, for several hormones. But be sure, he´ll never speak about that...

THERE are many more " Retired Racers " out there , WHO , could contribute their views on this subject ! As stated in the previous Post " Junior Racers " need to be aware of where their " Unwitting Actions " will lead !


WHILST the Boston Marathon Event was disrupted this week , and the perpetrators seem to have been removed from public , WHO , in their right mind , will believe that this is not the first of many " COPYCAT Incidents "?

It took a member of the Public to sight BLOOD on his property and alert the Policing Authorities , to
capture the remaining KNOWN Suspect . Had the Policing Authorities been on these grounds , is the question that requiries answering ?

Could it be that the " Manhunt " was not as thorough and systematic as first reported ?

With the London Marathon and the Hamburg Marathon taking place this weekend , WHAT are the ramifications ? What ADDITIONAL Protective Measures will be implemented by the Event Organisers ?

My concerns already centre on the Giro d 'Italia , which is a WORLD RENOWNED Event , that i will be attending  , in May . The Giro del Trentino departures and Arrival areas , did not seem to be as populous as previous years , could be that with Eurosport and RAI TV being involved for only the second year , some people decided that watching from the home was more comfortable ?

Would Those that Attend the Grand Tours be aware that there are Criminals operating in their vicinity ? At London Olympics , bikes were parked and when the owners returned , they found components stripped , wheels , STI Levers , etc . At " Le Tour " bikes get taken , people even " Upgrade " , by leaving their wreck and riding off on a " Top of the Line Carbon Model "!  Baggage is left in a variety of places , people , put their bag down by the barriers , to reserve " their standing point ". Who is to say they will return ?

Good natured banter amongst " Strangers " could NOW become overlayered with an " Air of Suspicion " ? I would think that where before , someone who asked for their neighbour to watch their bag whilst they go for a " drink , beer , sandwich " , will be told , " NO , take it with you "!

This is an area where there will be concern regarding " Personal Safety "!

Many times i have warned people to put their bikes in front of them , rather than leaving it behind , hoping it is SAFE , as it is nearby  . Now there are going to be suspicions if people walk away from their bags ! I recall standing in Sydney Airport , with People waiting for departure . Bags on the ground , essentially within view of the group , and yet a guy snatched a Handbag . Running through a busy Concourse , down escallators resulted in the bag , containing Passport , etc , being jettisoned . One of us captured the Bag and the other raised enough noise the theif was caught a further 100m down the building . No Passport , no flight, luckily , the outcome was good for ALL travellers !

Here is an area that the Authorities can relax :

VIGILENCE during the days of the IRA Threat , was the Watchword , Policing Authorities preached .

NOW it will be a required " State of Mind " for those in furure " High Profile Events "!

YORKSHIRE " Le Bid " SUCCESS !

6th July 2014 will bring the Grand Depart of " Le Tour Edition 101 ", from Leeds , United Kingdom ! With several bids , from various parts of the United Kingdom for this event , it was a jubilant reaction from the Yorkshire " Le Bid Team ", on the Sky TV Network this evening . Chanpagne on the table with reports of work stopping to celebrate , but back to work in the morning , to deal with the huge amount of work that will be generated to create a successful event .

Earlier in the day i was watching Sky News Morning Programme's segment on Sport . During the news items they reported the item about " phat's " denigration of Greg LeMond and the other principals of the www.changecyclingnow.org Petition . If i were the chief of an organisation , that failed to detect , what is now described as the Greatest and Most Successful Doping Conspiracy in ANY SPORT " , i would be keeping my head down , certainly avoiding controversy ? phat must get up each morning and ask himself :

"what stupid thing will I say today"?  In his usual inept way , he has once again " Shot himself in the Foot "!

On the day that Yorkshire is celebrating their success in bringing 5000+ " Le Tour " personnel and Millions of Spectators to the Yorkshire Region , phat is saying " Look at me " , " I am responsible for the voiding the results of the " Lance Armstrong Era "!  Does the UCI need this type of Publicity ?

My personal interest is generated by meeting the Bid Group at the 2012 " Le Tour " . This took place in the VIP Area of the " Le Tour " , on it's arrival in Paris , late on the Sunday Afternoon , after the Racers had paraded on the Champs Elysee . Having been introduced to all the Delegates i left with Peter Dodds card so as to arrange  receipt of " Le Bid " shirts in Box Hill , when i had a delivery address in the UK . Tuesday i arranged with the Dauphine Cycle Shop for the delivery and Wednesday i was riding with the Olympic Racers wearing the " Le Bid " Shirt . Can't claim any success in the success of the bid but as reported in August , i passed one of these Shirts to Francesco Moser . That story and Photos can be found via www.parrabuddy.blogspot.com

During the evening News reports , Sky News played footage of a Skype link to Ben Swift , a Racer from Yorkshire , currently racing with the Sky Team . When ii first met Ben , he was with the Katusha Team at Jesolo for the start of the " Cento Anni " Giro d 'Italia , May 2009 , the photo follows :

Wondering if my friend John Roche , who lives in Ilkley , will have Camping space left on his lawn at this time . Leeds is a reasonably sized City and i recall that it was the Start of an Etappe of the " Tour of Britain " that i attended some years back . Routes of the two days in the area , are yet to be announced , but there are some interesting " bumps " in the neighbourhood . The 2013 Tour of Britain is bound to include parts of the " Le Tour " routes ?

OFFICIAL 2012 Giro d'Italia route unveiled in Milan

2012 Giro d'Italia route unveiled in Milan

Leaked info last week was CORRECT as was shown in this day’s GIRO Presentation in Milano !

Great to see that the Third Etape is Dedicated to Wouter Weylandt , this being the third year that his name will be prominent . All of you will recall that he won the third etape in 2010 and died this year on the Passo Boca during the third Etape , now 2012 , and perhaps future editions also , will memorize his contribution to the Giro’s History !

I know that there was an Event in Italy during September to celebrate his contribution to the relationship between Belgium and Italy . The original intention was to run said event on his September Birthdate !

Below once again the basic “ Etape details ”:

2012 Giro d'Italia, May 5-May 27
May 5, stage 1: Herning - Herning ITT, 8.7 km
May 6, stage 2: Herning - Herning, 206 km
May 7, stage 3: Horsens - Horsens, 190 km
May 8: Rest day
May 9, stage 4: Verona - Verona TTT, 32.2 km
May 10, stage 5: Modena - Fano, 199 km
May 11, stage 6: Urbino - Porto Sant'Elpidio, 207 km
May 12, stage 7: Recanati - Rocca di Cambio, 202 km
May 13, stage 8: Sulmona - Lago Laceno, 229 km
May 14, stage 9: San Giorgio nel Sannio - Frosinone, 171 km
May 15, stage 10: Civitavecchia - Assisi, 187 km
May 16, stage 11: Assisi - Montecatini Terme, 243 km
May 17, stage 12: Seravezza - Sestri Levante, 157 km
May 18, stage 13: Savona - Cervere, 121 km
May 19, stage 14: Cherasco - Cervinia, 205 km
May 20, stage 15: Busto Arsizio - Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli, 172 km
May 21: rest day
May 22, stage 16: Limone sul Garda - Falzes/Pfalzen, 174 km
May 23, stage 17: Falzes/Pfalzen - Cortina d'Ampezzo, 187 km
May 24, stage 18: San Vito di Cadore - Vedelago, 139 km
May 25, stage 19: Treviso - Alpe di Pampeago, 197km
May 26, stage 20: Caldes/Val di Sole - Passo dello Stelvio, 218 km
May 27, stage 21: Milan - Milan ITT, 31.5 km


Those of you who are involved with “ Couchsurfing ” or know people that participate could help me by putting me in touch with people who are able to assist me with accommodation within 20km or so of each depart point . Would prefer to ride this last Giro without a support vehicle since the past two events have generally been hampered by having to travel back to the car at the end of each day ! Not much fun to be had with riding 200+km each day !

Giro d'Italia

Take the time to bookmark this blog as i will be sending all my Giro encounters to this site .

Today i had the pleasure to visit with the Major of Torino whom i met during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games on many occasions . He went out of his way then to help me enjoy that visit by arranging access to many of the available facilities .

As a volunteer then i saw much that the general public did not have access .

Parrabuddy will of course have items posted from time to time .

More follows in the next days .

Photo from day 4 of Trentino shows Francesco with Cristina who hosted me to lunch at her home with her daughters . hristina's brother trained with the young Moser as he was starting his cycling career ! Flowers are the bouquet that Michele Scarponi presented Cristina when I made the intro as he stepped off the Victor's Podium.



Photos of Moser and Motta from Palermo 2009 are still in my motorola phone camera , anyone with the download tool in their computer please advise .

COURAGE in the face of Lung Cancer !! Revisited

Karen's ride from Adelaide to Melbourne was well supported and had a few diversions as a result of flooding in Victoria . Had requested a link to her blog so that it would automatically appear amongst the blogs that i follow but as yet this has not come about . YOU can go through this link to her website and make your own arrangements : www.ridehardtobreatheeasy.com.au There have been a number of interesting events take place in support of her campaign and make interesting reading , certainly the 500 event was well worth visiting and i congratulate those that took part .







Courage comes in all forms but this story affects us all !

I never was a "Marlboro Man" but had the few puffs at a younger age like most have done in their journey through to Adulthood . Even had a puff or two on Cigars but decided not for me .

CANCER strikes in all forms but if there is a way to avoid Lung Cancer most of us decide that it is by not smoking or giving up the habit through Doctor's advice or seeing the effect of illness on others . Site to visit www.Lungevity.com.au Not so though !

Came across this item on SBS/CyclingCentral , here below are the links :

http://www.ridehardtobreatheeasy.com.au/

http://www.theage.com.au/national/big-c-is-for-cycling-in-the-ride-of-karens-life-20110122-1a0o9.html

When i had the Pumonary Embolisms after the 2009 TDF i was tested and prodded extensively , including a MRI scan then and again after the 2010 Giro d'Italia , so hope that recent aches and pains are only the onset of old age protesting that the 65yo body doesn't wish to respond to the urgings of a 25yo mindset .

Hopefully people will follow today this young Lady as she rides home to Melbourne. Worldwide we all face the same health hazards and there is a growing "No Smoking" movement but for many regretably it is already too late.

Wearing the "Ribbon" for Cancer Awareness is also becoming more visible ! There are over 70 million "livestrong" bracelets out there and there are reports that "Livestrong " has raised in excess of $325 million to fund their activities !

SENT THE FOLLOWING COMMENT TO RADIO SHACK, did not go through though :

"Communication is an important part of the team's equipment and UCI are trying to send Cycling back to the dark ages when Adam was a boy !
Training is also a key ingredient to success as demonstrated by my bumping into Wayne Rooney & Wes Brown as they were leaving the training ground near Manchester this morning.
Sunday and two of the top flight Soccer players were demonstrating their commitment to maintaining the supremacy of their team in the English Soccer Premiership !


Checkout my thoughts on the importance of Race Radios by this link:

http://tourdafarce.blogspot.com/raceradiosLooked like Horny was back at the car for his Mars Bar supply ! "


Follow my blogging with www.twitter.com/skippydetour or facebook (skippy Mc Carthy) where blogs are advised as they are published

El DIABLO !! Revisited

"El Diablo"is one of the standout personalities of the TDF . Over the past 12 months or so this post has been popular with many people and i have noticed a few spelling mistakes and a few items that could be clearer . Hopefully i can add a few more stories to the post .





First encountered “El Diablo” at the 1998 Tour de France on the Friday of the first week as i was riding the etappe La Chatre to Brive . I was being accompanied by the TF3 broadcast crew who were recording my activities that day. I had passed him on previous days and seen some of those activities that you see on TV. Normally as I ride the route several hours in front of the race I will find him around 25km before the finish . He will be meeting and greeting the public and “Sponsors’ Personnel” as they pass along the race route. Generally he is bare-chested whilst hanging around his van and trailor if he is towing one of his “bikes”, although he will put on the shirt and skullcap to oblige those looking for photos.

Some Sponsors drop off food and drinks as well as “gadgets”. So I have come to expect that he will oblige when I arrive in need a cold “coke or other fizz drink” as I pass. I recall on the Giro in the earlier years arriving at the bottom of a climb a few kilometres before the hill town finish, that I was about done energy wise. He gave me a “power bar gel” and after a chat i not only rode the bike up the hill but then continued along the following circuit as well. Coming onto the climb for the second time I was caught by the Peleton so had to get off the bike and watch as the first racers went by. The people there had a BBQ going outside their Wine shop so I was invited to join in and a couple of the racers commented on my luck as they passed. In fact I then started passing out water as some of the back markers passed.





The 2009 Tirreno-Adriatico Time Trial route passed this way on the Sunday but there was nobody there this time , I guess it was their day off. I still found a gathering to join, the Italian hospitality is one of the things I have come to enjoy at the tours. Families think nothing of inviting people , even strangers to tuck into their feast which generally is a competition by the various ladies to provide the best of their cooking and baking. At various tours I have come across Anzacs on the side of the routes because these people have told me of them. When they do this I ask if they would like to invite them to join the party. I have had many emails from both hosts and invitees about how they enjoyed their day. I on the other hand usually have to head on down the road to the finish in most cases.

These days whenever he is in or around the “Tour Villages” he has his Journo mate with him as he seems to be the PR element but on some occasions he has his lady with him. He gets to go inside the village from time to time at the expense of some of his “Sponsors”.

You will find Didi at the World Road Championships and occasionally at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse usually with the van. When he flew into Sydney on the Friday afternoon of the opening of the Olympics , he walked the 15km from the airport to the opera house and settled down for two nights in the botanic gardens which border on the Governor’s home. Didi had welded five fixed cog wheels into the “Olympic symbol” to hang around his neck. Dressed in his costume he was the usual familiar sight, but to the security guards he was an intruder , well , they chased him out of the gardens several times as a danger to the public.




Sunday morning I was riding Centennial Park with Jeannie Longo when I saw the trident chalked on the road, , seeing some people sitting there , i asked about who put them there . I discovered that it was a “crazy man dressed in red and black carrying a rubber fork”. Pretty obvious who it was to us cycle fans, so I tried cycling around hoping to find him. After about an hour I asked some cycle cops and ambulance personnel if they had seen him and gave my mobile number for them to make contact. I had been told about his nocturnal activities so I went down to the security post and explained who he was. They thought the cogs were “ninja rings” but were surprised to hear he was in the “Guinness Book of Records” for several of his inventions . In fact they asked me to send him back so that they could get his autograph for their families . Later that afternoon I got a call from the ambulance cycle guys saying that Didi (they had another name) was seen sleeping in Hyde Park near the memorial, so I went over there.

When my shadow dropped on Didi he opened his eyes and went “Skippy”! Apparently I was the first person he had come across who knew who he was. Didi speaks no English , so could get no help with taxis, accom or eating and he had a small soft backpack with change of underwear,etc apart from the Plastic Trident that he carried with him. Talk about travelling light ! I decided the best plan was to get him to a German speaking situation or someone who could translate and thus arrange matters for him. Getting him to come with me to Central Rail Station a short distance away , was a chore , as he didn’t want to leave the city but I dragged him with my bike down the road. Seeing him with a cyclist and bike caused the penny to drop for some people as several people stopped us and asked for a photo and autographs .

On the train to Stanmore and the Concordia club we were surrounded by Cycle Fanatics who were grabbing autographs and photos. When we reached the Concordia club the manager proved to be a real fan as he gave Didi a bed in his own home which was near Centennial Park. Next day , Monday I saw Didi with Ron Niewand walking the park and on the Tuesday I took him out on “Big Foot” the boat I was living on during the Sydney visit.you have all seen Didi leaping in the air on land, well the Wednesday edition of the SMH has his photo with him airborne on water! From then until he flew out on the weekend he was the star once again. He wrote an interesting story of his Sydney visit, class it as fiction!





During subsequent Tours Didi has carried my bags and given me rides when the Peloton has passed . One occasion was a Sunday in 2001 out of the Maurienne valley towards Grenoble where the rest day was to be on the Monday. I was at the hotel when Lance arrived from the race, amongst those waiting was a couple who had visited George Hincapie at Bollene on that year's Dauphine Libere. On that visit I received a bottle of their wine and was lucky enough to have a repeat donation on this occasion. Their vineyard is on the slopes of Mont Ventoux and it was a very nice wine. Looking forward to renewing the friendship but George will have to give me their email address. On the Tuesday we had the ITT to Chamrousse which I had ridden several times in years past. Chamrousse is a favourite ski resort from earlier years when i had occasion to stay in the area with family friends .

This year , 2009 , Didi was parked on the last climb to Gran Bornand ,the Col de Columbiere . Arriving at his van after passing through a severe wind and hail storm I was able to grab a welcome refresher. At that time there was still a strong headwind as the van was parked on an open slope but a little higher up the wind moderated and at the top the rain had stopped . The Gendarmerie blockade was in place, and no one was alloowed to pass on the road so through the mud to the back of the control and on the bike for a rapid descent and warmer weather the further down I went. By the time I was stopped at the 1km mark corner I had dried out and was presentable enough to catch up with Nicolas Sarkozy at the finish after the Arrival formalities were completed. President Sarkozy was in his car about to leave when he must have seen the Tricot in the air. He got out of the car came over shook hands , signed the "Skippy's Legacy" tricot exchanged a few words then returned to the car for the hasty trip to the waiting Air Transportation .

I saw Didi during the climb to MT Ventoux on the saturday , but that day I was in a hurry to get over the top before the Gendarmerie started imposing order on the awkward visitors who thought this old fart should be walking the climb like they were.

I let my feet pedal , as if you can walk it you can ride it, but there are many times in many tours where people have to get out of their car to walk in to a viewing spot. Because of this they then treat the amateur riders with a lack of respect! How can you go to watch the “profis “ in action and treat the “amateurs” with disrespect, it’s beyond me!

Didi’s winter exploits continue in the photo!





More will be added at a later date ! Meanwhile enjoy visiting the other blogs and for reminders of further posts follow

@skippydetour