Tour de France - Blazin' Saddles: Route paves over cracks
Eurosport - Thu, 15 Oct 13:35:00 2009
Blazin' Saddles takes a look at the recently-announced 2010 Tour de France route and other topical developments in the world of cycling.
Someone's got to say it: in the on-going fight against doping has the Tour de France become too easy?
Just days after the spectre of doping raised its grim head with the sad death of Frank Vandenbroucke in a Senegal hotel room, Christian Prudhomme (pictured) unveiled the 2010 route amid platters of prawn sandwiches and much champagne.
With 23 serious mountain climbs (compared to 20 this year) and an apparently gruelling schedule in the final week to celebrate the 100thanniversary of the Pyrenees in the race, the route was labelled "a pure test of climbing" by the Daily Telegraph.
The reintroduction of cobblestones and likelihood of fierce winds on the North Sea coast in the opening week made The Times go one step further in calling the 2010 Grande Boucle "a killer of a route that should keep Lance Armstrong in the fight until well into the closing stages".
And there you have it. If Armstrong, a 38-year-old in his second career as a rider, is still considered a serious contender in spite of the other-worldly brilliance of current Tour champion Alberto Contador, then the route can't be all that arduous.
The feared Tourmalet features twice on the agenda - the second occasion being the tortuous summit finish of stage 17. But before the rest day, the Queen stage - a interminable trek which crosses the Peyresourde, Aspin, Tournalet, Soulor and Aubisque - inexplicably concludes with a whimper: a 60-km run off to Pau.
It's as if Prudhomme learnt nothing from last year's dull valley finishes. The Frenchman clearly wasn't watching the September's Vuelta, which used downhill finishes to devastating effect by placing the line right at the bottom of dangerous, narrow descents.
"Those stages are almost non-events," said Armstrong of the downhill finishes that will limit his rivals' climbing prowess.
So, just like this summer, the Tourmalet - at least its first showing - looks to be bastardised and heinously diluted. Some centenary celebration, eh?
What clearly acts in the Texan seven-time champion's favour is the fact that there are only three summit finishes scheduled. With no TTT on the cards (won't Cadel Evans - and Contador for that matter - be pleased!) it looks like the Tour will be a tighter, but altogether less explosive, affair.
Being the devil's advocate that he is, BS suggests this might be a deterrent to doping mountain goats. With latest reports suggesting the dustbins of many Tour teams contained more syringes than a diabetic drop-in centre, surely this is a tactic to eradicate the kind of bait that spurred on the likes of Kohl, Schumacher and Ricco.
FAB FOUR: BS is sure he wasn't the only one to snigger at the pictures from the 2010 Tour presentation in Paris. Sitting in a line was last year's podium, plus a rather pasty Mark Cavendish (committing the sartorial faux-pas of an open black shirt).
From right to left we had: Contador, looking like a Spanish banker in a black/white diagonal striped tie and dapper suit; Andy Schleck, every bit the fresh-faced schoolboy seemingly forced to wear his Sunday best for church; Armstrong, sporting (the only time that verb could be used in the same breath as the American) a smart grey suit with a blue tie; and Cav, um, looking and grinning like Cav.
On his Twitter account, Armstrong bragged about how he went on to hobnob with President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace, posting pictures of himself and the diminutive statesman.
There was no sign of Sarko's wife Carla Bruni - a shrewd move given Armstrong's track-record with middle-aged, attractive female musicians.
On his way home, Lance posted a picture of the sun rising at Paris Charles De Gaulle with the contentious caption: "Definitely the coolest airport terminal in the world." U2 might think so, but presumably not the four people killed when part of Terminal 2E's roof collapsed in 2004.
RIP VDB: One day a film will be made of the colourful career of blighted Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbrouke.
Without having to add anything, the script would have it all - precocious beginnings, glorious victories, doping, drug addictions, fights, scraps, marriages to models, acrimonious divorces, depression, suicide attempts, thwarted comebacks, bans, redemption and a sad, abrupt finish.
In 2004, Vandenbrouke told l'Equipe that without psychiatric help, he would "have followed the same path as Pantani". It's cruelly ironic then that that is just the way he went: like Pantani, the Belgian died alone in a hotel room after being spat back up by system which wrecked him.
BS thought it telling that while other riders in the peloton tweeted to show their respect for Vandenbroucke, there was not a word from Armstrong. Usually so fast to remember sportsmen and women struck down by cancer, Armstrong did not even acknowledge VDB's passing away.
Reasons for his silence are anyone's guess. Perhaps Armstrong doesn't want to be associated with a convicted doper? Perhaps compassion towards a suicidal figure would send out the wrong message for someone who represents the right to live? Perhaps the two just didn't like each other.
Still, Armstrong's silence says more than any message could have said. Rather disheartening, in BS's humble opinion.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Every year there should be cobbles on the course - at least every year that the Tour goes to the north of France. The Tour is supposed to crown the most complete rider. As there are mountains every year, there should be cobbles every year." FdJ directeur sportif Marc Madiot clearly fancies his team's chances on the way to the Arenberg in stage 4.
Follow Blazin' Saddles throughout the day on www.twitter.com/saddleblaze
This site is Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! and Eurosport. All rights reserved.
- Terms of Service
- Updated Privacy Policy
- Copyright/IP Policy
- Remarks and Suggestions
- Corporate info
- Jobs at Eurosport
Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy.
Comment 1 - 20 of 20
In 1969, Merckx won in Pau by 8 minutes after the same 'Queen Stage'.
why is it not challenging? 23 serious climbs and a gruelling final week, thats what is claimed, plus its 3 weeks of racing. if its not challenging try it yourself. why are people always looking to moan that people arent dying taking part in this event?
if all finishes are mountain top finishes, it makes it a climbers race and no-one else has a hope, think before you write pls. the organisers use some mountain top finishes, some TT's and some flat stages to give everyone a fair shot. not even all sprint points are on flat stages, thats why it takes more than being the fastest sprinter to be points winner. the organisers know their job, obviously better than the clowns writing on yahoo, and better than BS by the look of it too.
badly written article, rediculous points made, what was it all about? who cares, not me.
Yet again a tour of southern and eastern France. Vendee, Brittany, Normandy - well known hotbeds of cycling but no TdF again. Pathetic. Whatever happened to the hexagon?
If you keep the TDF less challenging there is not a reason to dope. Hence the reason we had no dopers found out this year. I gues we will be having another clean run next year also.
Can't believe I read that tripe - I'll never get those five minutes back.
Why not just call it the tour of south and east France? do not the organises realise that there are loads of enthusiasts living here in Normandy who would love to see it live?
better not to comment on VdB than make insincere sounds of grief for someone you didn't know well or necessarily like. These days too many people rush to make public expressions of sorrow when someone dies, not because they really care but because they fel it will help their public image!!
MacAskill? He rides a bike doesn't he? I'm sure I've seen him on Clowntube. Or was it the weather? My, the conspiracy deepens. "Cycle charity in arms running cover-up". I may have made that up.
Ah - but he was; I'm sure I remember seeing a chunky chap, with a prediliction for ageing rockers, in an Astana top - with the sponsor's name and logo obliterated - hanging round the back of the High Court in Edinburgh, briefing Kenny MacAskill...
Ah - the Armstrong haters. They're everywhere. Paranoia, conspiracy...I heard Lance had something to do with Al-Meghrahi's release. Shocking.
More Daily Sport style tabloid trash... Poor!
Great read as always BS.
Regarding the "60mk run off to Pau" valley finishes, perhaps the TdF is becoming a victim of its own success, whereby it is too logistically complicated to finish a stage on a mountain peak.
'
After all, mountain peaks invariably have poor road access and small level real estate to host the coaches, presentations and bodyguards to the current #1 rider etc. etc. ... and then you have to go down into the valley for the hotels, with more and more spectators obstructing the road.
'
(I'll leave the blowhard posters here to be 'so outrageously insulted').
I normally enjoy BS`s ironical/cynical view on the world of cycling but this one is a load of rubbish!
Lance Armstrong is on his THIRD career asa pro cyclist - not his second - the rest of the article is just the worst kind of jounalism - trying to create a story & make comments out of nothing - Armstrong`s meting with Sarkozy & his lack of comments on VDB`s death - real "Daily Mail" type journalstic rubbish!
Armstrong haters are never satisfied. I'm not the mans biggest fan but hey, give the guy a break! So the Tour De France organisers have gone to the trouble of designing a Tour specifically for him to win? Lets not forget that Armstrong didn't even announce he was going to go for the 2010 Tour until this years Tour was underway, do you really think they ran off and said "You know the route for 2010 we've been planning for the last 2 or 3 years... well we're going to change it now because Armstrong is riding it so we need to make it easier" and if they had, why would they take out the TTT? besides which, this is the organisation that said Armstrongs return would be an embarressement, why would anyone suggest that they were trying to make it easy for LA? some of you should study logic and reasoning!
Besides which, also look at evidence. Multiple long hard days in the mountains don't favour Contador. He is good at short fast time gains on relatively easy stages with an uphill finish, similar to the way Pedro Delgado used to ride, but without the mammoth longer attacks the following day. If you want evidence of how Contador gets on when he has to ride more than one hard day in the mountains just ask Luis Leon Sanchez who spanked him in Paris-Nice this year... Put in big consecutive days in the mountains and he struggles - look at 2007, he looked invicible on climbs at the start then started crumbling.
An easy trip through the mountains with the odd summit finish where he can gain 30 seconds, then a TT to seal the win is just the right recipe for Contador.
Mountain top finishes are what makes any tour interesting. Without many of those, the less committed fans will just switch to another channel.
Good to have you back to form, Felix. I was starting to wonder if you lost your touch regarding riling people after the last read, which was great. Always brings a chuckle during my lunchtime to read BS first, and then the bs of the offended fans.
why are you being so @#$% Armstrong? Wouldn't you be proud to have had lunch with Sarko? The guy flew a round trip from Texas to honour the tour for 10 hours... I agree that he benefits from his presence, but cut the guy a little slack on the airport, etc... He continuously comes to France when everyone has him pegged a cheat... It is truly unbelievable that, without evidence, people have him convicted guilty. Bizarrely, there is never a discusson about Hinault and any of his TdF or one day classic victories. He should be treated like a champion and honoured in the same way that both Merckx and Hinault are honoured - they are either all great or all cheats - not a hybrid..
"With no ITT on the cards (won't Cadel Evans - and Contador for that matter - be pleased!) it looks like the Tour will be a tighter, but altogether less explosive, affair." I think you mean TTT surely?
3 mountain finishes? What a joke as I said below. Clearly they want to give ageing Armstrong as good a chance as possible to win without clearly gifting it to him with a TTT.
Next year's tour route, like this year's, looks like a complete joke in which Prudhomme mistakenly attempts to keep the suspense going until the penultimate day.
Well, the problem with keeping the excitement going until the last true day of racing is that the previous 3 weeks are utterly dull. Which was the case this year. Long flat stages finishing in a sprint might be novel becasue of Cav, but they are still painfully dull for the best part of 5 hours and interesting for the last 5 minutes. God awful to watch. Same with these climbs followed by long straights. What GC contendor is going to try and make a break on the cols only to swallowed up on the flat? We'll have just another boring mountain training day with maybe some low ranked spaniards going for glory while the main guys sit up and coast it.
The Tour is being ruined by this terrible route planning - the Alps and Pyrenees should have AT LEAST two mountain top finishes each, preferrably three, with the rest being downhill finishes perhaps (I think the TdF avoids this for safety reasons maybe?). But the current idea to keep the raise poised (ie dull and boring) for 3 weeks uis stupid.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account