TdF 2016-The story so far - Uncertainities and orthodoxies challenged...

So the Tour is at its half way point- how has it been so far? I could think of all kinds of adjectives and clichés, although saying I have already been accused of being inebriated by the exuberance of my own verbosity this evening (albeit in a slightly unrelated contexts) I will try and avoid this.

If there is one thing I hate about modern life it is "obviousness"- when people say or do things you know they are going to do, which you and they know isn't original but they still feel the urge to carry out. You can test this out in everyday life by simply carrying a box of chocolates or bunch of flowers past a group of people and time how long it takes someone to say "You shouldn't have"- the quickest I have experienced is 19 seconds. But cycling, and the Tour in particular, has its own problems in this regard. See the raft of "white shorts" articles that appear after every World Championships win, the "Tour can't be won here but can be lost" phrase, the people who only ever appear on cycling forums during these three weeks to roll out the stock "How can it be called a Tour of France if it goes into Andorra/ Spain/ The Netherlands/ Switzerland etc?" or "jokes" around doping (yes- we all know the one about "fair play to Lance- when I use drugs I can't even ride a bike"), stuff about shaved legs, Rule V and so on. Hopefully though, this year will finally kill off the most tired, lazy and inaccurate of myths- that of the "curse of the Rainbow Jersey" thanks to Armitstead and Sagan's performances.  While even Cav wearing the stripes winning on the Champs Elysees after being lead out by the maillot jaune couldn't stop the trope being recycled every year since, any hack spotted space-filling after Sep with this nonsense should be banned from writing about cycling and their race accreditation given to me!

And thereby hangs the link to the Grand Boucle so far- it has been a lesson in throwing out old uncertainties. Each year many journalists and writers, under pressure for print deadlines, contribute to various guides to that years events. This is often a problem since this is actually the first year I can remember that all of the big hitters promoted in the guides made it to the start of stage 1. Wiggins, Kittel and Matthews are just a few off the top of my head who stared out at me from the guides, despite, at that stage, sitting at home watching the Grand Depart. This year though generally everyone who was expected to be there was, but really in many cases that is the most accurate offering due to this TdF not going according to script.

 The challenge to certainities came straight off the bat. Stage One had Kittel and Griepel as favourites in nearly every preview I read. Cav barely merited a mention, or if he did appear, was favoured only if it didn't come down to a traditional sprint. Fast forward a few hours and suddenly many hacks were cursing the existence of internet caches. At least when predictions went awry in the past, it was in printed magazines that were either chucked or added to a pile that, despite best intentions, were never re-read. No such luxury these days!

Stage 2 probably did generally stick to the script, though again Cav bucked it a little by not losing as much time as other sprinters in his respectful defence of the jersey. Then to win another two sprints, including head-to-head with Kittel again- the Manxman's role in helping shape the narrative as a "Tour-unlike-others" has been large.

A few days later, the yellow jersey worn by van Avermaet, being allowed in the break, Cummings powering away from a group including Nibali to win and the flamme rouge collapsing, all added to the departure from the mean (well maybe not Cummings performance based on his other stage wins this year and the chance to stick two fingers up at the GB Olympic Selectors). The top of the GC standings included 3 Brits and an Irishman; three out of the four jerseys were held by those with UK citizenship; 5 of the first 8 stages were also won by individuals entitled to vote in the EU Referendum- (as an aside-if article 50 is invoked will they have to apply for work visas alongside the South Americans and Africans?). What odds would have been offered on Dimension Data leading the number of stage wins by the half-way point?


Also include Froome's victory after attacking on the descent and today's escape with Sagan to disrupt what all the guides say was a nailed on sprint stage, Contador's falls and abandon, Pinot and Porte losing time so early on (and the latter seemingly acting as a fifth columnist to distance van Garderen on the ride into Andorra), Nibali seemingly reverting to riding like a normal rider rather than a possible GC plan B or gregario deluxe for Aru... for some riders like Cav, a winding back of the clock. to others a fast forwarding of a calendar based on their form.

Yet despite all these surprises and deviation from the accepted storyline, is it really sucha shock? 2016 itself has been such a volatile year, when unpredicatabilty has ruled and many orthodoxies abandoned, why shouldn't the Tour follow suit?  Yet still predictions are being made based on old indicators. Froome has this tied down already reads the thread of dominant thinking, especailly after today and the fact the Ventoux stage has been truncated. But if I have learned anything over the past month- actually past 7 months- it is that things cannot be taken for granted. Remember Sky have been pulling everyone along, giving Movistar an easy ride. Week three is backloaded with 4 hard stages in succession- are Sky burning their matches too early? While Quintana has been accused of letting the race head up the road without him remember- even with his heroics today, Froome only took 12 seconds on Nairo. The energy he used today and on his great escape on stage 8 will have to be paid for eventually-  has it been worth it for a 35 second lead at this stage? The Time Trails are hillier than usual so the Colombian will not lose as much time as he would in more traditional chrono parcours.

So the lesson? Well as usual my Twitter feed is full of pessimistic individuals saying that the Tour is over already. But I say this- look at everything that is going on in the world, look at today's stage (number 11 Carcassonne to Montpellier) and embrace the chaos and uncertainity- if there has ever been a time in recent memory when we can discard the expected linear narrative it is now!

The Giro in Ireland- 2 years on...

*NB while many of the links go elsewhere, some will take you to my photos of the Giro in NI- so don't feel the need to click on those if you don't want to! The important links are those at the end.

I headed out on a wee solo run last Sunday, with the intention of getting some hills fitted in since it has been too long since I swore on the sabbath. 2hours 48 mins later I was back, feeling sorry for myself and hoping that it hadn't gone as bad as my body was telling me it had. However the Garmin Edge 200 doesn't believe in white lies or sugar coating things. Strava told me that there were hundreds of people ahead of me on my particular climbs (Map My Ride just told me I had gone up them). I'm not that competitive (since I'm too crap a rider to justify it!) but it was a bit disheartening that I seemed so off the pace. That was until I looked at many of the names of those ahead of me- Iljo Keisse, Thomas De Gendt, Jetse Bol, Jussi Veikkanen, Daniele Colli.... not traditional Armagh names I think you will agree! This had been one of the GPM points on the Giro when it visited Ireland 2 years ago, so I didn't feel so badly done by when I remembered almost 200 of those names belonged to that surging mass of humanity who had sped past the spot where I had waited since early morning as they headed to Dublin the long way.

The GPM point Windy Gap, Markethill

 More by accident than design I had followed this route almost 2 years to the day when I had ridden out to bid a ciao to the Giro after 4 days that I still have a difficult  time processing. Despite having been there, despite having the photos from the team presentation, despite photos of me at various points of the three stages, despite Erik Zabel walking less than 10 metres away from me on Wellington Place, despite watching Marcel Kittel sprint to victory in front of City Hall, despite the lack of Mc's and O's in the surnames of the Strava KoM list- it is still such a surreal assault on the senses that my limited brain power is still struggling to come to terms with it.

My journey into existential angst began a couple of years previously when I picked up on whispers and random, isolated articles online that Belfast council was in negotiations to host the Grande Partenza. After checking the date and making sure it wasn't April 1st, I shared this info to a largely uninterested group on my social media outlets. In my head I had written this off as wishful thinking since this wasn't the sort of thing that comes to Norn Iron...

 

Some gabshite standing in front of the GPM point...

 Things went quiet for a while until further whispers built to a crescendo that culminated in an official announcement. Route maps were produced and suddenly places like Markethill and Carnlough appeared alongside Montecampione and Zoncolan. Part of the time I spent trying to come to terms with what was happening for myself but the majority was dedicated to impressing on anyone who would listen (and many who wouldn't) about what a massive deal this was.

As soon as it was possible I made sure to book the time off- 18 months in advance in fact! It was clearly spelled out to anyone I worked with- my diary was to stay free that week. Then more news- tickets for the team presentation would be available online. It was only a few weeks ago that my Timehop app reminded me what a day I had put in waiting for those tickets- the tweets sent as I sat in front of my laptop for four solid hours in a queue that didn't seem to move. Eventually the cyber gods smiled and I got my wristbands for the presentation.


So I found myself standing in the grounds of Belfast City Hall as Quintana, Purito, Nico Roche, Dan Martin, Uran, Hoogerland, Matthews, Scarponi, Cunego, Keisse et al made their way to the stage in the rain that was to typify the Giro's visit. This was followed by a quick hot foot to Queen's Film Theatre were the premiere of James Erskine's "Pantani- The Accidential Death of a Cyclist" was taking place. The first person I saw was Matt Rendell, whose book had been an inspiration for the documentary but who hadn't been announced as attending. Suddenly all these people I was used to seeing on a TV screen were right there in front of me and again I still couldn't really come to terms with the reality of it.


 Even after the fanfare associated with the team presentation, it didn't seem real. Walking down the Ormeau Road to see the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela bus drive past or arriving at Titanic Quarter to see the Trek and Orica-Greenedge buses parked with the Harland and Wolff cranes in the background added a surreal edge.

Matt White (rightly!) calling a local cyclist a "dickhead" for racing onto the TTT route during the practice runs or standing at the corner where the Ormeau Rd meets the Stranmilis Embankment as a depleted Garmin team took the corner in the TTT- Dan Martin's fate had not reached us at this stage. Listening to some fella try and impress his female companions by wrongly explaining how the TTT and Giro overall worked (I did fight the temptation to correct him).  Being very annoyed by iPad waving gabshites who on both stage 2 and stage 3 stuck their infernal contraptions right in front of my face as riders approached blocking my view, almost negating the many hours I had been there before them. Descending the still closed hill into Markethill without worrying about cars coming up after the stage had passed. And coming off my bike on down the road after crossing a junction because some eejit in baggy soccer shorts stopped suddenly right in the middle of the road because he was unable to clip in- resulting in a twisted shifter and a new rear mech. These experiences and more all contributed to four days that I will always hold dear. Maybe my confusion is simply down to the fact that even to this day many of those who embraced the Pink and came out in some stinking weather to take part in the festivities still don't seem to recognise just what a massive deal it was to have the Giro on the island. Even today chatting to people at work it is clear there is confusion as to the difference between the fight for the maglia rosa and the Gran Fondo that has been part of the legacy.

So speaking of the legacy of the visit- what has it been, obviously apart from Strava KOMs and the Gran Fondo? Did numbers of people cycling increase? Many would say they had but this answer isn't as clear cut as it seems. For example this report on the BBC site promoting the Gran Fondo's is missing any specific numbers and deals in generalisations. My own club saw a slight increase in members but how much of this was to do with the Giro and how much with the 2012 effect? This debate in Stormont was high in platitudes and good intentions but very little in relation to numbers- note at one stage it is mentioned that the Northern Ireland Tourist Board had not made their legacy report available publically. This report, again from the NITB- it is unclear if this is the unreleased report referred to by Trevor Clarke MLA- does touch on some legacy though some of the stats have been used to give the impression of bigger successes than they actually prove on closer examination. For example on page nine it says that "62% of spectators who currently cycle and 26% who never cycle said they would likely cycle more because of the event". That seems quite positive until you unpack it- does that mean the 38% who currently cycle are going to stop because of the Giro?! Now I am being faecetous but having being interviewed over the phone for these stats (due to having recieved tickets to the team presentation) but I don't cycle just because of the Giro, and seeing it had no real impact on why I have continued to do so (in fact the  wait to try and obtain presentation tickets online actually reduced my cycling since that day's planned ride was cancelled due to it taking  so long!).

This summary on road.cc seems to back up my opinions on the Giro legacy. Please don't get me wrong- it was awesome and I would have it back in a shot. But we need to be careful about attributing effects that are not necessarily there. The key is the difference between commuting cyclists and recreational/sport riders. The Belfast Marathon isn't tasked with encouraging more people to walk to the shops rather than drive so why would the Giro be expected to directly decrease car journeys?  Most new participants are taking part in sportives and even racing but still drive to work. It never enters their heads to ride instead of drive (the rural nature of Northern Ireland doesn't really contribute to commuting outside of Belfast since so many of us live so far aware from work). The best example of this kind of disjointed thinking was illustrated this weekend when some cyclists I know reposted a pic of some dickhead with an umbrella playing the hero by standing right in front of a speed camera as if this was some sort of admirable act. If they truly saw cycling as alternative transport surely they would think this man was as big an attention seeking imbecile as I do, since any attempt to improve road safety should be welcomed by cyclists.

So please bring the Giro back. It would be great to see the TdF starting in NI as well but since the opening week of the Tour tends to coincide with the trouble associated with marching session here, that is less likely. I would especially love to see the Vuelta make a rare foreign soujourn to start here as well. Furthermore, judging by the roads condition I have riden on lately we would also be a shoe-in to host the first edition of Paris-Roubaix to be held outside of France! But let's keep things in perspective and stop expecting such events to deliver a legacy they are not really able to do. Let's enjoy the Gran Fondos (and introduce a medium route for God's sake) and revisit our memories but remember that the lasting impact will be encouraging tourists to come ride our roads and spend their euros and dollars, and not to disuade Johnny or Mary from driving when they could be cycling or walking-that requires a much different and long term approach.

First Impressions- the NeilPryde Zephyr

April already- and it appears that I haven't posted since Jan. I could say that I wanted the season to be underway properly before contributing to the discourse but really an earlier bedtime regime due to a new job and trying to avoid the more predictable angles meant that I had some half-formed notions to inflict on the wider world but nothing really concrete. This is shocking when you look at how great the first part of the season has been -Sagan at Gent-Wevelgem and the Ronde, Cummings fantastically opportunitistic wins, Gaviria's emergence as more than a sprinter, Cav and Wiggins performance to take the madison rainbow stripes, Armitstead and Boels-Dolmans utter domination of the women's scene, Cancellara making up for last year's injury affected disasters- I could go on. But these are covered in many places, both online and in print, by people more skilled and analytical than me. I have a maxim when posting online- either here or on comment threads- if someone else has already made your point, don't be so egotistical to feel that you still need to add yours because-well-you're you and the world deserves to hear what you are about to repeat.

So I have decided to go for the personal- after many years of debate (both internally and with my long-suffering but totally brilliant wee wife), lustful walks around bike shops and the odd abandoned online basket, I finally upgraded from my Allez. A combination of hitting 40 in a few months, the recognition that I was probably going to have to replace components on old faithful soon anyway, a well timed special offer and acceptable finance deal, feeling thinner and fitter than in a long time due to the L-plan diet (L for Lent)  and some paid overtime at work resulted in me finally having the courage to hit "confirm" on Good Friday. 6 days later I got home from work to see the box containing my new carbon steed in the hallway- delivered a day early.

The more astute of you will have spotted from the title of the post that I broke away from the Specialized stable and instead went for Hong Kong's finest. A 2014 NeilPryde Zephyr is my new steed of choice.

A step up to Shimano 105 (apart from FSA cranks and brakes) from a 2300 groupset  ( pre-Claris- I have always had a talent for buying new bikes with components literally weeks before their improved replacements are released- even my Specialized HardRock was probably one of the last to be sold without disc brakes!) was one attraction as was subbing aluminium for carbon fibre. The wheels are Shimano RS10s and finishing equipment from NeilPryde.

Now I am going to be honest- I always assumed that people talked up the better performance of carbon bikes and that it would not be very apparent to someone like me who doesn't race and would be better of losing lbs than £s. But even the short blast up the hill in the housing estate where I live (I love calling it a housing estate because it winds up our local Neighbourhood Watch coordinator who insists we live in a "development"- the housing prices, won't someone think of the housing prices...) after I had added pedals, bottles and began the never ending quest to dial in my position was a revelation. I took it for a spin around one of my regular loops and came back to find that, without trying much harder than normal I had recorded my second best segments ever- and that was into a head wind. I was as surprised by this as I was by FDJ's emergence as a Team Time Trial force to be reckoned with this season (all the while my wife was surprised that such an expensive bike required me to buy new pedals).

A combination of work and other activities mean my recent forays on my carbon steed have been limited to about 20 miles but when I do get some decent mileage in I will wax lyrical much further. But as it stands this is a great wee mix of endurance and racer. I can't help but grin when I see it and am looking forward to this year's adventures, planned and unplanned.

2016 Men's World Tour bikes

As well as kit, the off-season also normally brings changes in the carbon wonders that will be carrying the convicts of the road over cobbles, mountain passes and in respect to Strade Bianche, the gravel. However, at least at men's World Tour level, it seems that we have a status quo in relation to companies. There are some changes in wheel and groupset provision- some of it official, others with blacked out logos depending on rider preference and sponsors but let's look at the most visible tech- the actual bike frames.

Astana will be on Specialized with the Tarmac being the basic workhouse, the Roubaix for (obviously enough) the cobbled classics, the Venge VIAS for the sprinters and the Shiv on TT duties. Groupsets will be provided by Campagnolo, which befits a team with such a strong Italian influence.     


Etixx-Quickstep and Tinkoff will also be on the same Specialized steeds except they will both be running Shimano Di-2. 

Katusha and Movistar will both be sticking with Canyon. The default model for both will be the Ultimate CF SLX and the Endurance CF SL will tackle the rougher stuff. The Aeroad CF SLX will carry the fast guys and the Speedmax CF SLX will be used in TTs. The main difference will be Movistar hosting Campag while Katusha will be running the SRAM Red ETap, which while not available to us mere mortals until March/April of 2016, is already garnering rave reviews as the first truly wireless electronic set-up as reviewed here by GCN's Simon Richardson.

30 years on from their first mountain bike and 27 since their aerobars helped Lemond overcome Fignon, Scott will be continuing their presence in the pro-peloton under IAM and Orica GreenEdge. The Addict (dubiously named if the history of our sport is taken into consideration) will be doing the bulk of the work, with the Solace supporting the bigger framed endurance guys. The Foil will be at the forefront of the sprint trains and the Plasma will be at the sharp end of the race-of-truth. Shimano Dura-Ace Di-2 is the groupset of choice for both teams as well.

Ag2r-la Mondiale will be sticking with Focus for the next year. The Izalco Max will be the standard chariot and the Cayo for the more endurance focussed (no pun intended). The Izalco Chrono Max will deal with timetrails while the team don't have an aero bike in the service course. Ag2r will also be running SRAM Etap.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE-not only can I reveal that BMC's kit will be made up of red and black blocks but they will also be riding bikes produced by...BMC!
The Teammachine SLR01 will be standard issue and the Teammachine TMR01 will be for those with more aerodynamic needs. On a similar theme the TT bike for the World Champions will be the Timemachine TM01 and GVA et al will be tackling the cobbled classics on the Granfondo GF01. Di-2 will be standard through all models.

Due to signings such as Pierre Rolland and departures of riders like Dan Martin, Cannondale may be a new look team but it will, like the rest of the World Tour, be sticking with its old providers (and primary sponsor). The SuperSix EVO and Synapse will be most commonly seen, while the Slice will be the TT bike. Again Di-2 is the groupset at the heart of the bikes.

Mark Cavendish has made no secret about his preferences for Specialized, so how will he feel about switching to Cervélo as part of Dimension Data for 2016? The S5 will be the sprinter's aero weapon with the R5 and C5 forming the major transportation for the vanguard (the C5 being the endurance model). Timetrials will be carried out atop the P5. Hopefully the Rotor Uno/ Shimano Di-2 composite groupset will not give Cav the same early season problems he had in 2015.

FDJ continues to be the most French of the French teams sticking with a French manufacturer in the form of LaPierre. The Xelius SL will be carrying Thibault Pinot and the weight of French expectations this year while the Pulsium will be used by those hoping to emulate Marc Madiot's cobbled classics successes. The fast guys will pilot the Aircode SL and the Aerostorm will form the basis of time trial efforts. Shimano maintain their dominance among groupsets with their Di-2 again being front and centre.

 

No prizes for guessing who the bike provider for Giant-Alpecin is. John Degenkolb will probably be making use of the Propel Advanced SL as he seeks to cement his sprinters position following Kittel's departure and the Defy Advanced to defend his Paris-Roubaix title. Otherwise the TCR Advanced will do the donkey work while it is quite apparent what role the Trinity Advanced Pro TT will fulfil. Again Dura-Ace Di-2 will be the groupset.

So will Ulissi. Olivera or Plaza feature in the 2016 Merida ads or with it be Modolo again? The 2015 adverts made use of Lampre-Merida stage wins and with 3 Giro, 2 Vuelta and 1 Tour victories to choose from, next season's will be spoilt for choice (although with Olivera now moving to Movistar it is a safe bet he won't feature). The Scultura Team will form the backbone while the Reacto Team-E will do service for the sprinters. The Ride Team-E will be found near the back of the classics peloton while the Warp TT Team-E will be de rigueur alongside skinsuits and teardrop shaped helmets. As the only Italian team in the World Tour (despite for tax purposes being registered in Switzerland), it seems sacrilegious that they use Shimano as opposed to Campagnolo.

So will Griepel be throwing his Noah Fast over the line first on the Champs Elysees for a second year running? Will Adam Hansen pedal his Helium SL through another 3 consecutive Grand Tours? Will Jens Debusschere finish higher than 9th this year in Paris-Roubaix on the Fenix SL? Lotto-Soudal had a pretty good 2015, all on Ridley bikes. With the Dean Fast (that's another bike not a person) shoring up time trail efforts and a strong roster mixing experience and exciting up-and-comers, if the tean build on this 2016 could be a year of pleasant surprises especially in the classics. The team are one of the few using Campagnolo both in the form of groupset components and wheels.

LottoNl-Jumbo may not have had the results in 2015 to justify riding a bike called the Specialissima; in fact the name of the endurance model- the Infinito- may be more descriptive of a team that waited until May before getting their first win (whic came in the Tour of Yorkshire). The aero model in the form of the Oltre XR.2 is still on my dream list (the best looking paintjob in my view was the Vacansoleil-DMC Oltre from 2012) and the TT bike will be the Aquila CV. Again with all of this italian heritage, it seems a shame to kit it out with Shimano.

Sky continue their partnership with Pinarello, and with 3 Tour de France GC victories in 4 years why would they not? The F8 is basic team issue while the K8-S, which was debuted at the 2015 Paris-Roubaix, with its suspension system is pulled out when the road is less tarmac and more baby-head sized blocks of stone. The Bolide will see more action this year than it has in the past few due to an increase in TT stages particulalry in the Grand Boucle and the Rio Olympics.

Trek-Segafredo will again be the team that will most please anagram fans. The Emonda will be the go-to for most riders on the team while Jasper Stuyven will hope to replicate his Vuelta stage victory on the Madone. The Domane will probably be under Spartacus as he undertakes what will probably be one of his last classics campaigns while he will be throwing his leg over the Speed Concept, to try and show Martin, Dumoulin and Dennis that he shouldn't be discounted yet. We could question why Trek didn't go for "Nomade" as their TT name but maybe they have an even lighter bike in the pipeline....