Sprinters are the superstars of cycling. I’ll never be a sprinter myself, but I love watching them in action.

The greatest cyclists who win grand tours are quite often perceived as dull riders (perhaps unfairly), e.g. Miguel Indurain who dominated in the time trials and then defended in the mountains; Armstrong who  ’tediously’ overpowered his rivals. Yet, sprinters can never be seen as dull. The sheer excitement of a bunch sprint is hard to match in other sports. You can watch an entire 6 hour stage in the tour, where pretty much nothing happens, for it all to explode in the last 1 minute as the sprinters come to the fore.

Body Type of Sprinters

Sprinters tend to be short and powerfully built. They Will have a high ratio of ‘fast twitch’ muscles. These are muscles which perform well under anaerobic exercise (lack of oxygen). Someone like Chris Hoy is the archetypal track sprinter – powerfully built, muscles bulging! To some extent this also applies to women,  though a great sprinter isn’t necessarily the stereotypical butch Eastern European sprinter. Victoria Pendleton is quite slim for a sprinter. But, she will have a high % of fast twitch muscles which enable her to sprint at high speeds.

Sprinters excel in anaerobic bursts. Here it is muscle strength as much as aerobic capacity.

Best Sprinters in Cycling

Sprinters tend to be the superstars of the sport. There is something about the nature of sprinting that brings out the show boatmen. Some of the most charismatic figures in the sport were sprinters. For example, the great Mario Cippolini. His ability as a sprinter was matched by his disregard for authority; he used to get fined by the judges as often as he would win races and stages. (for example, the time he turned up in a skin suit which was designed to look like the insides of his body) Cippolini thought nothing of winning 4 stages on the tour de France and then retiring to a poolside villa sipping a nice cool drink. To purists who see cycling as all about suffering, sprinters who have such a laid back attitude can come in for criticism. Though the idea that sprinters have an easy time is not the reality. If you can win a stage in any grand tour, you will have put an awful lot of work in.

Sprinting and Climbing

Sprinters rarely make good climbers because they tend to have a higher weight to power ratio. Yet, there are exceptions, for example, Thor Hushovd, Bogan Hasen and Laurent Jalabert are good sprinters and also quite respectable climbers. Jalabert was actually a winner of green jersey, but after bad sprint crash reinvented himself as a climber and went onto win the King of the Mountains. Yet, a pure sprinter will never be challenging for the King of the Mountains. Nor, will they be in with a chance of winning a grand tour.

A sprinter like Mark Cavendish is what you may call a pure sprinter. He is simply the fastest person on a bike at the moment. interestingly when Mark Cavendish was given a test by British Cycling the usual scientific tests (like VO2 max) were disappointing.

Usually with his aerobic test results he would not have been accepted. It took an exception for Cavendish to be accepted into the British programme because he had great potential to win races.

…And when he first applied for a place on the Olympic academy he nearly didn’t make the cut because the numbers he posted in the various lab tests did not meet the required level. It took John Herety, Rod Ellingworth and Simon Lillistone to convince Peter Keen that an exception should be made for Cavendish because they felt he had a winner’s instinct… (cycling weekly article on Cavendish)

However, whilst Cavendish is a pure sprinter, it would be a mistake to ignore his other capacities. To win Milan San Remo (288Km and several hills) requires a supreme effort. You can’t just rely on a sprint, you need very good endurance and aerobic capacity to get to the finish line.

Setting it Up for A Sprinter

A good sprinter also needs a good team to control the race and make sure breakaways don’t escape the peleton.

One of the most commonly asked questions about the tour, is why do the breakaways always seem to get caught with about 10km to go? Usually it is because the sprinters teams are working to bring back the breakaway with the minimum of effort. They will have a rough idea how quickly they can peg back a breakaway. The idea time is to bring back a breakaway at the last moment. They don’t want to bring back a breakaway straight away – this will require a greater effort and if they bring it back too early, it may encourage a second break to go. If it looks like they are going to peg back the breakaway with 30km, they may actually ease off and stop chasing. This gives them a break at the front and makes other teams come forward.

They will try and time it to bring back breakaways in last few Kms.

Staying With the Bunch

In a flat stage, it is usually no problem for a sprinter to stay in bunch, but in hilly one day classics it is a real challenge not to get dropped on the many climbs. A sprinter like Mark Cavendish may find himself yo-yoing up and down the peleton to stay in contention. Helped by team mates Cavendish will try to position himself near the front of the bunch on the approach to a climb. During the climb, he will allow himself to slowly drop back through the bunch. This enables him to take a little longer on the climb than other riders. Then on the descent and flat, teammates can help him back to the front of a climb, to again play the game of dropping back before going to the front. This kind of tactic helped Cavendish stay in bunch for Milan San Remo.

It is a risky business, as if you are at the rear of the bunch, you could miss a split. It also puts pressure to weave your way through the bunch at a time when everyone wants to be on the front. However, it may be the only way for a pure sprinter like Cavendish to say in contention during short sharp climbs. This tactic is ideal for a race like Milan San Remo, where are few short steep climbs near the finish threaten to finish off the sprinters.

Sprint Trains

(Flickr, R.King)

In the past few decades we have seen the evolution of ‘sprint trains’. This is when the whole 9 man team ride on the front with the idea of delivering their ‘sprinter’ to the front of the race in the last 200 metres. The idea of a sprint train is to

• keep pace high – prevent any last minute breakaways
• Protect their rider.
• Keep sprinter sheltered from wind until last possible 200 metres.
• Each rider will have a specific target – take peleton to 2km, 1km, 500metres.
• The lead-out man is the final member of the team who will be last to peal off before giving sprinter chance to come through.

When it works well and you have a great sprinter, it is hard to beat. But, it can be difficult to get timing right. Other riders may also try to break into a ‘train’ or sneak in the back of a train. A great sprinter like Cavendish will be able to win even without a train by getting into position.

It is an irony of cycling that the guy who wins the race, may not be in the front of the peleton, until the last possible moment.

Tactical Nous

A great sprinter also needs great bravery, nerve and tactics. It is one thing to be the fastest sprinter, it is another to pick the right wheel and go at the right time. It is also important to sprint in a straight line. Who can forget Djamolodine Abdujaparov (btw: google is a wonderful thing for checking spelling) powering his way into the crash barriers at 40mph on the Champs-Élysées?

When To Come to the Front

A key issue for a sprinter is when to come to the front. If you come too early, you will be tired by being out in front. If you leave it too late, you can get boxed in. The ideal point is coming into last Km in top 10. Then at 200metres opening up your sprint.

Top 10 Sprinters of All Time

1. Mario Cippolini – 57 stages in Grand tours (42 in the Giro)
2. Mark Cavendish – 20 stages in tour de France and counting
3. Freddy Maertens – 16 stages in tour de France, 2 world championships,
4. Sean Kelly – 21 grand tour stages
5. Erik Zabel – 6 times green jersey winner Tour de France (over 200 professional wins)
6. Rik Van Looy – classics specialist of his era.
7. Oscar Freire – 3 world championships, 11 grand tours
8. Alessandro Petacchi – 51 Grand Tour stages
9. Tom Boonen – great classics specialist
10. Robbie McEwan

Image top (Cavendish) scarlatti2004
Image Pendleton, Chris Hoy – Tim Redgrove (c)

Related

• Crashes in the Tour de France
• Cycling Terms Explained

Cavendish winning Surrey Cycle Classic 2011 (sum of mark)

Congratulations to Mark Cavendish and Team GB for finishing off an amazing victory in the World Road Championship – the first since Tom Simpson in 1965.

Despite my love of cycling, it’s not often I get excited about watching cycle races – often they are pretty tedious events. But, today I felt quite fortunate to watch the men’s world championship road race on TV from Copenhagen. It was an exhilarating piece of sport. I could really appreciate how the whole GB team were riding so hard to set up a bunch sprint for Mark Cavendish.  I loved watching the likes of  Froome and Wiggins just pacing the peleton at a superb pace. I don’t think a team has ever dominated so much in a World Championship from start to finish. Quite often national teams lack a unity of purpose, but today Britain rode with a single minded purpose to set up a thrilling finale. Despite an uphill finish and no real train left to lead him out, Cavendish squeezed his way through to win on the line. It can be easy with so much expectation, but Cavendish seems to have a mentality of a winner.

Cavendish is very keen to praise his team mates and thank them for their work. He said he would wear the World Champion jersey with pride, but he would also wear it on behalf of Great Britain.

If there is any athlete in Britain who deserves to win Sports Personality of the Year in 2011 – it is Mark Cavendish. It would be fitting for him to be the first cyclist to win the award since Tom Simpson in 1965. His achievements are not only amazing in one of the hardest sports, but he is also a real personality.

Also a great result for the rest of the GB squad in Copenhagen.

(Also interesting to see the separate cycle lanes next to the road in Copenhagen. And these were proper cycle lanes, with two lanes!)

Related

• Mark Cavendish
• World Championship at Cyclingnews

The tour is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. No matter how many scandals and allegations of doping, we can’t resist the allure of watching 180 Lycra clad men, cycling their lightweight bikes around France.But, if you’ve ever wondered at the range of seemingly strange tour vocab, hopefully, this will explain the mysteries of echelons, bidons and the white jersey with red polka dots.

How Long is the Tour?

Modern versions are roughly about 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) spread out over three weeks. Early Tours were longer. In 1926, riders had to cover 5,745 km over 17 stages.

How Fast do the Riders Go?

In 1926, the tour winner averaged 24Kmph over the whole 5,745Km. By comparison in 2010, the average speed was just under 40Kmph for the 3,642Km

What Does the  Yellow Jersey Mean?

The yellow jersey is worn by rider at the top of the overall classification. (the quickest time over combined stages so far).

The yellow jersey was introduced in 1919 several years after the Tour started. It was chosen it was felt the yellow jersey would help identify the  leader to spectators on the road. Yellow was chosen because the newspaper L’Equipe which sponsored the Tour was printed on yellow paper. The first yellow jersey wearer was Eugène Christophe in 1919. (see: birth of yellow jersey) Some riders said they were offered a yellow jersey in previous years but they didn’t want to wear it.

What is the King of the Mountains Competition?

A separate competition within the Tour. Riders are given points for being the highest placed rider over the summit of mountains. The best climber was first recognised in 1933, and the distinctive white and red polka jot jersey was introduced in 1975 to show person with most points in the King of the Mountains.

For example, on the most difficult climb (hors category) e.g. Alpe d’Huez a rider is given 20 points for being 1st and 16 points for being second. For smaller and easier climbs less points are available.

What is the Green Jersey for?

Another points competition. Points are awarded for placings in stages. e.g. in a flat stage finish 1st place gets 45 points, second place gets 35. You can also pick up points during intermediary sprints during a stage. The green jersey ignores overall time and just the number of points you pick up at end of stages.

What is the White Jersey for?

For the young rider (under 26) who has the highest placing on overall classification. Winners of the white jersey who went onto win overall include:

• Laurent Fignon 1983 (FRA) (also won Overall that year)
• Greg LeMond 1983 (USA)
• Marco Pantani 1994, 1995 (ITA)
• Jan Ullrich 1996 (GER)
• Alberto Contador 2007 (ESP) (also won Overall that year)

Why do the riders spend most of the time in the Peleton (big bunch?)

Riding behind another rider saves unto 25% of your energy. If you ride ahead of bunch you will need much more energy. Therefore it is very difficult to ride off on your own away from the bunch. However, some riders will try to win the stage and get into a break ‘a group of a few riders’ trying to get to finish before peleton.

What is the Autobus?

Riders have to finish within a certain time frame, otherwise they get eliminated. This is calculated by a % slower than winners time (e.g. 40 minutes on big mountain stage). On tough mountainous stages, riders may join together to try and make sure they are not eliminated. The autobus is usually the last big group on the road. Also by being in a big autobus, riders hope that on really hard stages, even if they finish outside the time limit the Tour organisers won’t dare eliminate half the field. In exceptional circumstance the organisers can increase time limit to make sure they don’t eliminate the whole autobus.

Why Don’t they do every Stage as a Time Trial?

A time trial or contre-la-montre, (“against the clock”, or literally against the watch) means riders rely solely on their own efforts. There is no chance of race tactics or hiding in bunch. Arguably, this is truer sporting test as the strongest rider wins. However, it is not the most spectator friendly event. The race tactics and speed of bunch sprint is much more exciting than repeated time trials. Therefore, they are usually limited to one or two.

What is a Domestique?

Most riders in the tour have no chance or expectations of winning. Therefore they act as ‘servants’ or ‘support riders’ for their team leader. They will drop back to pick up water bottles ‘bidons’ from their team car and then bring them back to their leader. If a break needs chasing down, ‘domestiques’ will work on the front enabling the team leader to save his energy for later. In some circumstances they will be expected to give up their wheel or even their bike to save their leader time. It is hard to win the Tour without a very committed team of domestiques willing to sacrifice themselves for their team leader. It is said Lance Armstrong’s dominance was built around a team with unflinching loyalty (though that loyalty didn’t extend to belated doping allegations).

At the end of the race the prize money will be split amongst the whole team.

What is an Echelon?

Usually, you want to ride behind another rider to save energy. However, in a very strong side wind you want to ride by their side. Therefore in a strong side wind, everyone tries to ride to the side of another, leading to these diagonal looking ‘echelons’. This can be dangerous for leading contenders because the peleton is split up into different groups and they can drift away from main pack.

What is the Lantern Rouge?

The last rider overall on general classification. For a time the lantern rouge would carry a little red light under their saddle. It became paradoxically a cool thing to be. Lantern Rouge’s would gain more fame than person second to last. For a few years in the 1940s,  organisers experimented with sending the last rider (lantern rouge) home to try and discourage this unofficial competition to be the lantern rouge.

Even now some riders really don’t mind being lantern rouge as they are domestiques and it means at least they are still in the race. There can even be a little light competition to get lantern rouge.

Kenny Van Hummel gained fame after being lantern rouge by a huge margin during 1999 tour (cycling news)

As David Duffield once said:

De las Cuevas is so far down on GC you could time him in with a calendar!

Why is Mark Cavendish not in the lead despite winning so many stages?

The overall leader of the Tour is based on time. In many stages that Mark Cavendish wins, he gets the same time as all the other riders. He is just the fastest sprinter. However, in mountain stages, he may finish 30 minutes behind the leader of the tour because although good at sprinting he doesn’t have a good build for climbing. The winner of the tour will have to be good at time trials and climbing.

Why does Mark Cavendish not Get the Green Jersey despite winning the most stages.

In 2009, Mark Cavendish won 6 stages but still didn’t win Green jersey. This is because the Green jersey competition rewards most consistent finisher. You can win Green jersey just by finishing high up in stages and sprinting for intermediate stages. He would probably have won green jersey if he hadn’t been disqualified during one sprint, which saw him relegated to back of bunch

Can you Win the Tour De France Without Winning A Stage?

Yes, this has happened 6 times, including Alberto Contador in 2010. The overall is just fastest time.

Who Was the Greatest Tour de France rider of all time?

Cue endless debate on cycling forums. You can really take your pick from any of the riders who won more than five times

• Jacques Anquetil in 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964;
• Eddy Merckx in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974;
• Bernard Hinault in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985;
• Miguel Indurain in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 (the first to do so in five consecutive years).

In terms of number of victories Lance Armstrong (7) stands out 1999-2006

Lance Armstrong’s 7 consecutive victories stand out as most impressive, though recent ongoing drug allegations have tarnished his reputation somewhat. Other issues aside it was also quite something to make a comeback aged 37 and finish 3rd after two years off the bike.

Who Was Least Well Known Rider to Win the Tour?

In modern times Óscar Pereiro was undoubtedly a surprise in 2006. He befitted from Flloyd Landis’ disqualification. His only other major win was a stage in the Tour of Switzerland, and 10th overall in the Tour de France in 2005 and 2004.

Who was the Greatest Tour de France rider never to win?

Perhaps an easier one to answer. Most people would give Raymond Poulidor or ‘Pou Pou’. His nickname was also the ‘eternal second’ Despite an 18 year old career which involved winning 189 races he could never win the Tour. He finished second or third a combination of eight times. Perhaps he just had the bad luck to be riding in same generation as Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. To make it even better he was an attacking rider, good in the mountains. In many ways we prefer a plucker loser to a ‘boring’ winner. ‘Pou Pou’ probably gained greater love than Jacques Anquetil or Miguel Indurain who ground out wins by dominating in time trials.

The closest Tour de France?

Everyone remembers the 1989 Tour. The American Greg Le Mond v the bespectacled Frenchmen, Laurent Fignon. On the last stage, a Time Trial on the Champs Elysees, Greg Le Mond managed to overturn a 50 second deficit and wins overall by a mere 8 seconds. Greg Le Mond made use of new technology – triathlon style time trial bars, leavin Laurent Fignon distraught at the side of the road.

Most Popular Towns for Stages?

• Paris – 135 (most recent finish: 2010) (has finished on Champs Elysees on every year since 1975
• Bordeaux 80 (most recent: 2010)
• Pau 62 (most recent: 2010)

The Most Scandalous Tour de France?

It would be a mistake to think that scandal and drug taking are a modern phenomenon of the Tour. On the early tours, riders were specifically told they had to bring their own stimulants. Early tours were full of intrigue like riders being disqualified for taking the train or riders facing roads full of tacks to give their rivals an advantage.

It was only in the 1960s when drug testing came in, and even then it was sporadic and by all accounts quite easy to dodge.

However, for the sheer scale of scandal and upheaval it’s hard to forget the Festina Scandal of 1998.

During the tour, Willy Voet  a soigneur for the French team Festina, was found with a car full of doping products. The Festina team were sent home, and amidst drug raids by the authorities on other teams, the riders began to protest on mass. Only half the field finally made it to Paris, where Marco Pantani’s win was overshadowed by the massive drug controversy. (Pantani himself was later to tragically die young from drug related problems)

Has Anyone won the Tour de France without taking drugs?

Quite a few recent winners have either admitted doping (Bjane Riis, Floyd Landis), being dismissed whilst in yellow (M.Rasmussen) or being implicated in doping investigations (Jan Ullrich, L.Armstrong, Marco Pantani, A.Contador, Pedro Delgado).

Greg Le Monde has always maintained a fairly consistent anti-doping position which I personally admire. I would like to believe in Eddy Merckx because he was just the greatest champion. At the risk of speculation, there may be quite a few others such as Carlos Sastre (2007) e.t.c. Suffice to say it’s a shame some clean athletes have been tainted because of the widespread nature of doping in cycling.

Don’t they all just Dope – How Can anyone ride the tour without?

I would say emphatically that you can ride and people do ride the tour without taking any illegal stimulants. Yes, the tour is difficult but it is feasible for professional athletes. Doping products just enable you to ride it at a faster average speed.

Is the Tour Cleaner than Before?

Perhaps subjective, but I would say it is cleaner and there is less doping. In the 1990s and 2000s, by all accounts doping was  rife.  However, regular doping tests and biological passports have made it more difficult to take drugs. I feel more teams are now sincere when they say they want to ride clean.

Who has died whilst riding the Tour de France?

• Adolphe Heliére, France. Drowned while swimming during a rest day of the 1910 Tour de France.
• Francisco Cepeda, Spain, Tour de France, 1935. Died after crashing on the descent of the Galibier
• Tom Simpson, July 13, 1967 (combination of heat exhaustion, overuse of stimulants) amphetamines found in his back pocket)
• Fabio Casartelli,  Italy, Tour de France, July 19, 1995. Casartelli was the reigning Olympic Champion at the time of his crash and subsequent death

Most Bizarre Regulations in the Tour?

In 1925 Herni Desgrange’s planned that riders should all eat exactly the same amount of food each day. Riders striked in protest and it was later dropped.

In early editions of the tour, riders had to do their own mechanical repairs. In 1913, Eugène Christophe was on course to win when his fork broke on a mountain descent. He went to local forge and tried to repair his fork himself. As well as losing time, he was also fined 3 minutes, because a 7 year old boy helped push the bellows.

What happens when a rider wants to answer a call of nature during a long six hour stage?

Sometimes riders stop at the side of the road and many others will join them. There is an unofficial rule not to attack when riders are answering call of nature. Sometimes when racing is hoting up, riders will not stop but urinate on the move. A task not too easy. They are not allowed to do it in built up areas and preferably not when cameras are on.

How Much Do they Eat during a stage?

A Tour de France rider may consume something in the region of 6,000-8,000 calories (daily recommended is 2,000). If you think it’s difficult to consume 8,000 calories try doing it on a vegan diet like D.Zabirskie (Independent)

When Are you Going To Ride the Tour de France?

Tell a non-cyclist I’ve won a local club time trial against a collection of other amateurs, and the next question is often – so when are you going to ride the Tour de France? I guess it’s not quite like the London marathon where you can turn up with good intentions and promise to raise some money for charity. Only the  top 20 pro teams will get invited to the Tour, and they will pick their best 9 riders. This means the field is limited to about 180 riders (which still many consider too many). But, there are huge commercial benefits to being in the tour, so there is always the pressure to allow some teams (mainly French) a wildcard position.

What’s the Most Bizarre TV Commentary you heard whilst listening to the Tour de France?

Let’s be honest, the tour is mostly dull, only watching the breakaway time come slowly down. Fortunately, we have commentators like David Duffield who can manage to get excited by the most trivial of incidents.

“I am sitting here with my chin on the counter, my mouth open like a great big whale scooping up plankton. I am gobsmacked!”

“This is like Wimbledon., Ascot and Silverstone all wrapped in together and plonked in the middle of Paris: amazing!

Why is there always a devil raising a trident by side of road?

I’ve really have no-idea. You could always ask the devil himself but he seems to enjoy himself.

Famous Quotes from the Tour de France

“You’re assassins! All of you!”

- Octave Lapize to Tour officials whilst half way up the Col d’Aubisque in the 1910 tour. In the days before tarmac roads, gears and heavy steel bikes.

Tour Glossary

• Bidon – bottle
• Combativité – Most aggressive rider, person who goes out on long breakaways
• Drafting – riding behind another rider to save aero drag
• Flamme rouge – Red kit showing 1Km to go
• Grand Départ – First Stage
• le parcours – route, course
• le peloton – The big bunch of riders on the tour
• l’équipe – team
• le coureur- rider
• le sprinteur – sprinter
• le grimpeur – climber
• la tête de course – race or course leader
• les domestiques – ‘servants’, riders who protect their leader
• l’étape – stage
• l’étape de plaine – flat stage
• l’étape de montagne – mountain, climbing stage
• l’étape contre la montre – Time Trial
• les classements – standings, rider positions after each stage
• le maillot jaune – yellow jersey – for the leader
• le maillot vert – green jersey – for the best sprinter
• le maillot à pois – polka-dot jersey – for the best climber
• le maillot blanc – white jersey – best young rider
• Musette – bag of food
• Prologue – First time trial stage

Related

• FAQ Tour de France
• Spectators at the Tour
• Crashes in the tour – more FAQ
• List of Tour de France winners
• The official Tour de France

I watched pretty much all of Armstrong’s seven consecutive Tour de France victories. I could never root for the American, I was always supporting any rival – from the overweight Ullrich to the diminutive Pantani. Fortunately or unfortunately Ive always judged cyclists on their attitude to doping – I’d rather cheer for an eighty year old amateur plodding around a club 10 mile TT than the most successful cheat. To the ITV commentators, slavish in their praise, Armstrong was the greatest of all champions. They can only see the greatest ever cyclist who won seven titles at the world’s most challenging cycle race. But to me, Armstrong will always be the guy who chased down Fillipo Simeoni for turning ‘tailcoat’, the cyclist who celebrated his Tour win with controversial doctor Michael Ferrari e.t.c.

Maybe I’m being unfair, maybe he was just unfortunate to be born in the EPO generation; a time when the number of clean cyclists could be counted on the fingers of one hand. If you look at his main competitors and team mates of those early 2000s, – Ulrich, Basso, Vinokourov, Landis, Tyler Hamilton (and many more) they have all been implicated in doping practises. Armstrong comes out relatively well, (if we ignore testimonies from former team mates and outdated EPO tests from 2001). However, for me what sticks in the mind, is not so much doping, but, to actively  persue  those who spoke against doping – Christophe Basson, Fililpo Simeoni. That is the really bad thing. It’s one thing to dope, it’s another to try and force out those trying to change the sport. For me the great heroes of cycling are those like Paul Kimmage who are willing to give up everything by ‘spitting in the soup’. They have more courage than those who only think of sweeping problems under the carpet and maintain an illusion that everything is fine.

I’m sure Armstrong has many good qualities, and if I wasn’t a cyclist I’d probably find it much easier to appreciate them. But, I am a cyclist and I really hate the practise of doping which has so blighted the sport, and the lives of those involved. A real champion could have used his position to move the sport in the right direction, not hang around with doctors whose main reputation was for being an expert in EPO.

But, when all is said and done, you do have to have spare at least some admiration for anyone who come back to ride and suffer in the Tour at the age of 39. Now, he’s been beaten he will at least probably become more popular, at least in Britain and France where we never really warm to someone until they display frailty and the ability to be a good loser.

Despite breaks for the two world wars the Tour de France has been held every year since 1903. It is not the oldest cycling race. But, it is the oldest and most prestigious stage race. All the great names of professional cycling can be found in the list of Tour de France winners. 5 Cyclists have the privilege of winning the Tour 5, or more times.

• Jaques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernaud Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong (7 times)

• 1903 Maurice Garin (France)
• 1904 Henri Cornet (France)
• 1905 Louis Trousselier (France)
• 1906 Rene Pottier (France)
• 1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (France)
• 1908 Petit-Breton
• 1909 Francois Faber (Luxembourg)
• 1910 Octave Lapize (France)
• 1911 Gustave Garrigou (France)
• 1912 Odile Defraye (Belgium)
• 1913 Philippe Thys (Belgium)
• 1914 Philippe Thys
• 1919 Firmin Lambot (Belgium)
• 1920 Philippe Thys
• 1921 Leon Scieur (Belgium)
• 1922 Firmin Lambot
• 1923 Henri Pelissier (France)
• 1924 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy)
• 1925 Ottavio Bottecchia
• 1926 Lucien Buysse (Belgium)
• 1927 Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourg)
• 1928 Nicolas Frantz
• 1929 Maurice De Waele (Belgium)
• 1930 Andre Leducq (France)
• 1931 Antonin Magne (France)
• 1932 Andre Leducq
• 1933 Georges Speicher (France)
• 1934 Antonin Magne
• 1935 Romain Maes (Belgium)
• 1936 Sylvere Maes (Belgium)
• 1937 Roger Lapebie (France)
• 1938 Gino Bartali (Italy)
• 1939 Sylvere Maes (Belgium)
• 1947 Jean Robic (France)
• 1948 Gino Bartali
• 1949 Fausto Coppi (Italy)
• 1950 Ferdi Kubler (Switzerland)
• 1951 Hugo Koblet (Switzerland)
• 1952 Fausto Coppi
• 1953 Louison Bobet (France)
• 1954 Louison Bobet
• 1955 Louison Bobet
• 1956 Roger Walkowiak (France)
• 1957 Jacques Anquetil (France)
• 1958 Charly Gaul (Luxembourg)
• 1959 Federico Bahamontes (Spain)
• 1960 Gastone Nencini (Italy)
• 1961 Jaques Anquetil
• 1962 Jaques Anquetil
• 1963 Jaques Anquetil
• 1964 Jaques Anquetil
• 1965 Felice Gimondi (Italy)
• 1966 Lucien Aimar (France)
• 1967 Roger Pingeon (France)
• 1968 Jan Janssen (Netherlands)
• 1969 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
• 1970 Eddy Merckx
• 1971 Eddy Merckx
• 1972 Eddy Merckx
• 1973 Luis Ocana (Spain)
• 1974 Eddy Merckx
• 1975 Bernard Thevenet (France)
• 1976 Lucien Van Impe (Belgium)
• 1977 Bernard Thevenet
• 1978 Bernard Hinault (France)
• 1979 Bernard Hinault
• 1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
• 1981 Bernard Hinault
• 1982 Bernard Hinault
• 1983 Laurent Fignon (France)
• 1984 Laurent Fignon
• 1985 Bernard Hinault
• 1986 Greg LeMond (U.S.)
• 1987 Stephen Roche (Ireland)
• 1988 Pedro Delgado (Spain)
• 1989 Greg LeMond
• 1990 Greg LeMond
• 1991 Miguel Indurain (Spain)
• 1992 Miguel Indurain
• 1993 Miguel Indurain
• 1994 Miguel Indurain
• 1995 Miguel Indurain
• 1996 Bjarne Riis [1] (Denmark)
• 1997 Jan Ullrich (Germany)
• 1998 Marco Pantani (Italy)
• 1999 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)
• 2000 Lance Armstrong
• 2001 Lance Armstrong
• 2002 Lance Armstrong
• 2003 Lance Armstrong
• 2004 Lance Armstrong
• 2005 Lance Armstrong
• 2006 Oscar Periero Spain
• 2007 Alberto Contador Spain
• 2008 Carlos Sastre – Spain
• 2009 Alberto Contador – Spain
• 2010 Alberto Contador – Spain
• 2011

• UCI rankings

Related Posts

• Tour de France 2008
• Related Tour de France Blog Entries

[1] Bjanne Riis had admitted to using EPO. The Tour de France organisers no longer consider him a winner, although the UCI have not changed the result.

[2] In 2006 Floyd Landis was the winner but later stripped of his title after failing a drugs test.

Firstly, doping is prohibited. There is a long list of prohibited substances athletes can’t use. Using better equipment (within UCI rules) is legal. Doping is cheating, using better equipment isn’t.

But, another question my boss at work often likes to wind me up with is  ‘I don’t know why cycling doesn’t just allow drugs so there’s a level a playing field. He says it half in jest but half in seriousness. But, whilst he laughs it off, it is no laughing matter for all the athletes who died prematurely from drug misuse.

Firstly riders can be racing upto 150 days a year. To legalise drugs would mean athletes taking considerable quantity of drugs.

1. Drugs Damages Mental Health.

There is no doubt in my mind that prolonged drug use, damages mental health. Marco Pantani, Jose Maria Jimenez are high profile cyclists who slipped into a drug related depression. In Paul Kimmage’s book he points to many of his former racers who suffered from prolonged amphetamine use.

2. Drugs damage Physical Health.

In the height of the EPO craze, cyclists were taking so much EPO they were ending up with ridiculous heamocrit levels of 60% and more. Their blood was so thick that they had to set their alarm for 3am in the morning. It was necessary to stretch in the middle of the night otherwise they risked never waking up because their blood was so thick. Some people will say legalise drugs, if they are safe. But, the safety or danger of drugs may not be apparent until it is too late. Often the effect of drug taking is cumulative meaning the athlete’s health is at risk after his career is over and people have forgotten about him / her. Why risk lives for no point?

3. No Level Playing Field.

People argue legalising drugs would create a level playing field, but  it wouldn’t. People respond differently to drugs. For example, EPO has more effect on those with a naturally low hemocrit level. Also, it would mean the cyclists with the best doctors / pharmacists would win. All cyclists have access to excellent bike technology. The difference in bike technology between the top teams is all but insignificnat. But, not all cyclists would have access to the latest wonder drug.

5. Athletes need protecting from themselves.

In a study of Olympic athletes. A depressingly high % of athletes said they would take drugs that would guarantee them a gold medal even if it meant a risk dying after 5 years. Tom Simpson famously said “If it takes 10 [pills] to kill you, I’ll take 9.”  He probably thought he was making a joke, but it backfired disastrously as he collapsed on Mont Ventoux with alcohol in his blood and amphetamines in his back pocket.

When Richard Virenque was been tried in court after the Festina affair. He tried to claim the masseur Willy Voet gave him drugs without his knowledge. Willy Voet replied that if he had given Virenque all the drugs he wanted he would be dead by now.

There are many more reasons, but, put it simply would you want to join a sport where you had to risk your mental and physical health to have a chance of competing. If drugs were made legal in cycling, I would stop that same same day and take up clay pigeon shooting or something.

Athletes on drugs won’t make the spectacle any more interesting, if average speeds are 1mph higher what difference does it make to spectators?

• Cycling Doping scandals
• List of Cycling doping scandals at Wikipedia

“Citius, Altius, Fortius.” – “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”

The motto of the Olympics is a great inspiration. Yet, these days the Olympics deviates from this pure motto of athletic inspiration. We have events like synchronised swimming (though thankfully, the solo variety of synchronised swimming was not continued after 1992), even golf is going to be admitted in 2016

Anyway, I can live with these other events if the classic events of sport are left. I wouldn’t usually write on this topic, but, I feel it is the height of absurdity for the Olympic committee to abolish the great 4 Km pursuit event (and 3KM womens pursuit).

The 4Km individual pursuit is one of the classic events in the cycling programme. It is a simple test of power, speed and endurance for just over 4 minutes. Unlike many other track events, it is not one for the sprinters, but an event ridden by some of the top road cyclists, as well as the specialist pursuiters. It is an event ordinary cyclists can relate to and at the same time admire how the top riders can ride at just under 60kmph for 4 minutes.

Team events are good, but, the ultimate race is for the individual. I like the 4*100 Metre relay, but, it can’t compete with the individual 100 metres.

Chris Boardman in Olympic Pursuit.

The 4Km pursuit has been in the Olympics for many years, since 1962. Who can forget Chris Boardman’s triumph in Barcelona on his revolutionary Lotus bike in 1992? or Bradley Wiggins triumph in 2008. But, it is not the fact British cyclists have happened to won the event a few times that I want it retained. It is because it is a great event, with a great history and should not be shelved from the Olympic programme.

It is being replaced with an Omnium event, an event that no one has really heard of.

If swimming can have 36 medals for a huge variety of events and distances and 18 medals for wrestling, I don’t see why cycling can’t retain its blue ribband track event. It was bad enough to lose the 1KM pursuit, but to lose the 4Km pursuit as well is even worse.

The problem is that within cycling there is no individual event between the 500 metre sprint and the road time trial (around 50Km). This is wrong. There should be an individual distance between these two.

No one would suggest having 2 swimming events of 50 metres and 1,000 metres.

I really feel there should be some kind of Olympic heritage programme to protect significant events with a great history. That’s just my personal opinion of course, but I often don’t see the logic behind the decisions of the UCI (- don’t get me started on the world hour record – limited to 1979 technology or something like that)

Related:

Olympic Track cycling

Tour de France - image by Hada

It’s that time of the year, when I try to summon up my will power and avoid spending 3 hours in the afternoon listening to what the Eurosport commentators had for dinner last night, and the history of the local Chateaux. It is of course, the 2009 Tour de France and what cyclist can remain unmoved by the great race across France and neighbouring countries?

Last year, I was pretty fed up with the whole procycling scene and I generally avoided watching all the tour on TV. However, despite, the innumerable reasons to despair at the procycling scene, you can’t help but be fascinated by the Tour and become involved in the gripping daily racing.

Also, you feel that this year, procycling is ‘cleaner’ that it has ever been for a very long time. After decades of brushing the dope under the carpet, efforts to stop doping at least seem sincere. It’s not to say there aren’t riders getting away with taking dope. But, we’ve come along way from the era of the 80s, 90s and early 00s, when the default seemed to be to take drugs.

It wouldn’t be the tour without some kind of scandal, so with low expectations I’m going to sit back and say chapeau to all the riders. (especially the Brits like Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish – both riders I admire and both doing very well already.)

• Tour de France 2008
• List of Tour de France winners

Second place Heinrich Haussler surprised everyone by jumping the leading group of 40 riders with under a kilometre to go. He looked to have the victory in the bag, but Cavendish came back and took him at the line.

Milan San Remo

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia – Highroad 6.42.45 (44,420 km/h)
2 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
3 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervélo TestTeam 0.02
4 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step
5 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini
6 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
7 Aitor Galdos (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi
8 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia – Bossini Docce
9 Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo
10 Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram

The re-emergence of Lance Armstrong on the pro scene has re-awakened many of these old issues. It has been exacerbated by the return of many failed dopers back into the peleton. I can’t hide by sense of disappointment that so many cyclists convicted of cheating have been welcomed back into the peleton as if they had just made an ‘honest mistake’. The problem is that failed dope tests are just the tip of the iceburg, we had so many confessions from cyclists who never failed dope tests (e.g. Bjanne Riis, David Miller) that the limitations of doping controls are still relevant.

Following Paul Kimmage’s questioning of Lance Armstrong at the recent tour of California, he has been getting a tough time in the American Media. It seems the American media have little time for awkward questions. But, this isn’t just a cycling issue, it can also be seen in the attitude to doping in sports like baseball and American football.

Everyone is a mixture of good and bad and Lance Armstrong has definitely done some good things. But, on the issue of doping, he has always disappointed me. Be it chasing down Fillipo Simeoni, working with Michael Ferrari or his acceptance of dopers and dislike of those who tried to get rid of doping.

Lance Armstrong and doping