View from the Back
Ramblings of a retiree in France
Month: September 2011
How much?
A recent article in L’Equipe looked into how much it costs to run a Pro-Tour team and how much it costs to organise a race. To illustrate the latter they used the recent Tour de L’Ain, a 2.1 UCI race whose budget of Euros 552,000 is financed… Continue Reading “How much?”
Panic stations
This afternoon I had a call from a damsel in distress, the wife of one of our club members. He’d left the house this morning for the club ride (every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) and hadn’t come back. It was now 14hr, at least… Continue Reading “Panic stations”
Mutton dressed as leopard
You’re possibly wondering what, if anything, did I bring back from Copenhagen? Well, we’ve already covered the Mark Cavendish autograph. My friend Bert always gives me a load of New Zealand memorabilia: pens, coasters, mobile phone holders, key rings, bidons and notepads. These, along with… Continue Reading “Mutton dressed as leopard”
Easy does it
Almost a year ago my cycling coach pointed out that if I wanted to ride faster uphill, I should lose weight. He’s ideally placed to dish out such advice since he looks as if he’s got 0% body-fat and I suspect, but haven’t checked, that my… Continue Reading “Easy does it”
Cards from Copenhagen IV
Yesterday’s American announcer kept waxing lyrical about Copenhagen. I seem to recall he trotted out the same fare in Melbourne. Yes, there were more fans at yesterday’s race but Copenhagen is more easily accessible, particularly for the hordes of Scandinavians who started drinking at… Continue Reading “Cards from Copenhagen IV”
Cards from Copenhagen III
Eshewing the race start in downtown Copenhagen, I went directly to the finish at Rudersdal to claim my spot on the 50m to go marker. The Danes were expecting crowds of 400,000 tall Scandinavians. I needed to be in the front row, against the barriers. I could watch… Continue Reading “Cards from Copenhagen III”
Cards from Copenhagen II
For the last two years I’ve been able to ride the World Championship circuit. Not this year, this year I walked it during this morning’s Junior Boys race. It’s only 13.5kms and I’m a very brisk walker. It’s not quite as good as cycling it,… Continue Reading “Cards from Copenhagen II”
Cards from Copenhagen I
As a cycling fan I’m fortunate to often venture where I’ve never been before or, as in the case of Copenhagen, renew my acquaintance with places I haven’t visited in a while. Though the trip didn’t get off to a propitious start. I took… Continue Reading “Cards from Copenhagen I”
The King is dead, long live the King
This afternoon HTC’s Tony Martin capped a stellar season by winning the rainbow jersey in the individual time-trial event. Twice runner-up to 4-time winner Fabian Cancellara, Tony was gunning for Spartacus’s crown and, indeed, was many people’s favourite to de-throne him. This was based largely on the success… Continue Reading “The King is dead, long live the King”
