SIR GUESTLING THORN

Day 178

I have been enthralled by The Tour de France. For three weeks these supreme athletes duel over the various  terrain of France, across wind swept plains, through town after town, up and down mountains, they race at average speeds of over 35kph and downhill reach speeds of 100kph, on a thin wheeled lightweight bike! There have been crashes a plenty some of them serious causing injuries and retirements. Riders have come into the race carrying injuries and found form or abandoned because they could not continue, favourites have floundered because they crashed or just don’t have the form to compete. They fight over the main category jerseys, Green for the best overall sprinter, Polka Dot for the best climber, White for the best young rider and of course Yellow for the overall leader of the race. Teams are either trying to go for stage wins or to support their leader for the overall General Classification or both. It is an honour to wear any of the jerseys and especially the Yellow. A rider might have one for a few days, a day, or for two weeks his team working for him to retain it trying to protect him and controlling the peloton if in the Yellow or trying to take the Green off the current wearer. Their rivals trying hard to compete. Riders breakaway singly and in groups trying to win a stage or for tactical reasons. There is nothing more enchanting than a lone rider trying to hold off the advancing pack as they close the time gap and the finish comes ever closer.  Sometimes they succeed other times they come tantalisingly close only to have the chasers come sweeping upon them, swallowing them and going on to dispute the win. “Flat” stages favour the sprinters. Most teams have a designated sprinter who at the end of a long stage, usually without a lot of climbs, are positioned by their “lead out” men to dispute a sprint finish, as dangerous as it is fast. These guys go through the smallest gaps elbows out, hunched over their bikes legs pumping furiously as they propel their machines to speeds of over 60kph in a bid to win. They hurl their bikes at the white line sometimes the difference being no more than a tyres length! Arms aloft in triumph they grimace, yell and smile with the realisation they have won a stage of the Tour! For me the best stages are in the mountains, climbing up gradients of up to 20% with an average of 10%. these climbs are categorised, with the hardest being Cat 1! The lighter riders are usually the best climbers, though on their day any rider can become a mountain goat. The “GC” contenders are usually competent climbers and some can just fly up the road. Often the cameras deceives the viewer as to steep these mountains are but as the riders dance on the pedals often standing on the bike you know how hard it must be! The Tour can be won and lost on the slopes of a mountain stage. Riders test each other with sudden bursts of acceleration trying to get away. Points for the “King of the Mountains” jersey are usually available at the summit. The yellow jersey’s team often ride at he front of the main group trying to pace their man up the gradient, protecting him from having to work to hard and making it hard for those that follow. Tactics are like a game of chess on two wheels. Riders are allowed to lead and W perhaps win a stage because they are no threat to the Yellow jersey but if it is a rider who will take time or worse get in Yellow themselves then they will hunt them down and bring them back. They will all have studied the route and know where is the the best place to attack.This depends on how good you are feeling and whether you have the “legs”! Many a rider suddenly finds they can no longer sustain the effort to climb and get dropped. Riders from a breakaway fall by the wayside and drop away as they limitations for climbing are found out after the flatter parts of the course. Time will be gained and time will be lost, so much time can be lost within the space of a few kilometres, that your bid for a win or a top ten finish can be destroyed or your bid to win can can succeed. The fans crowd the side of the road willing you on getting perilously close and often running alongside yelling encouragement. I am often struck by the thought they these “fans” will collide with the riders and it does happen. Then over the top and downhill at speeds you would hesitate at even in a four wheel vehicle, on the narrow roads and sharp hairpins. Some riders can descend fearlessly seemingly able to handle their bikes like darts, others are a little more cautious, who you follow can be important. Riders hunch flat on their crossbars head peaking over the bars as they try to be as aerodynamic as possible. After three weeks of battle and drama (two rest days) they roll into Paris along the Champs-Elyees, the winner having been crowned and all the jersey’s secured. Early on this stage the riders are in relaxed mood, chatting and swapping tales of their tour as the winning team drink champagne and pose for photos as they ride. Then the final chapter as they hurtle around a circuit and the sprinters have one last chance for a famous win. The race will have made some riders reputations, others will have faded, older men will retire from the sport this their last Tour. The winner will be feted and his name will be forever in the record as having won the premier Grand tour of them all!

Yesterday the only time trial was held at this years Tour ( a time trial is an individual run over a set course against the clock, fastest man wins) The rider in second place, Tadej Podacar was 57 seconds in arrears to the leader, Primoz Roglic. Roglic had taken the Yellow jersey and his powerful Jumbo-Visma team had ridden day after day on the front of the peloton controlling the race, already a Grand tour winner of the Vuelta it was thought his fellow Slovenian could not overcome the deficit but the 22 year old UAE-Team Emirates rider against all expectations did just that and ended winning the stage but more importantly got a 59 second lead over Roglic. With only the ride to Paris to come the race is over and the man and team who thought they’d won had the race ripped from their grasp, a fantastic ride by Podacar, the youngest winner for 111 years. As they say it is never over until it is over. In his yellow leaders skin suit Roglic sat slumped on the tarmac not quite believing what had happened, two of his teammates who finished second and third on the stage, faces reflecting the pain of realisation that their efforts had just been washed away. This sums up a cycling fans love of the sport, it’s unpredictability, it’s toughness and above all the drama!

Stay well

P.S. The ladies Specialised is for sale and the mans Trek is FREE to a good home