The next installment of the Spring Classics takes place tomorrow with the running of Paris-Roubaix, nicknamed "the Hell of the North" and "the Queen of the Classics," probably depending on where you finish. I am torn between someday riding the sportif version, which is held biannually, or just ignoring it. The pro race is pretty dreadful, with the 50 kms of nasty nasty cobbles and the mud (or dust), and the winner often seems to be the rider who had the fewest flats, but it is nonetheless an epic ride. And for the sportif version you get a cobblestone mounted on a plaque when you finish, just like the pros do when they win.
The Saxo Bank guys were out doing a recon ride the other day and all eyes are on Spartacus, as he attempts to do the Flanders/Roubaix Double.
Of course, the whole point of a recon ride is to prepare yourself for the race ahead. Paris-Roubaix is famed for its crashes and it appears that Gustav Larson was getting ready for every eventuality. He will, of course, have to deal with this photograph (like the one above by Tim de Waele and found on the Saxo Bank website here) for the rest of his cycling career:
One of the great highlights of my cycling experience came in 2002, when I participated in the "sportif" version of the Tour of Flanders the day before the actual pro race. You can read my account of that day here. My attempt to watch Milan-San Remo on the Internet failed but this time, thanks to www.cyclingfans.com, I was able to find a live feed (a Belgian station with French commentary) and enjoyed a terrific Sunday morning.
This race is, to me, the greatest of the Classics in that it is almost always the strongest cyclist who wins it. It is a war of attrition as the riders' numbers get whittled down hill by hill, over 16 "hellings" until by the time the race reaches Geraardsbergen and the infamous Muur, the final selection of those who can truly contend for victory is made. After the Muur, there is only the Bosberg and then the nicely paved final 12 kms of flat riding to the finish line.
This year, once again, the final selection was made on the Muur, when, to my amazement, Fabian Cancellara simply rode two-time winner Tom Boonen off his wheel after the two had escaped together on the Molenberg, when there were still 40 kms to ride to the end. The Swiss rider just rolled away and the gap quickly rose. By the time the Belgian champion was 30 seconds back, I knew the race was over as, sure enough, Fabian went into time trial mode and showed that his three wins as World Time Trial Champion weren't flukes. Watch what happens here at 2:38:
A truly superb win for the Swiss Time Machine, who becomes only the second Swiss to win the Tour of Flanders, the first one being Heinrich "Heiri" Suter in 1923. Suter must have been pretty good, since he won both Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year, the first to do so. Here's the big finish, and you can watch Fabian happily waving his angel good luck charm.
The excellent heading photo of today's action on the Muur was taken by Jered Gruber, a Pezcyclingnews contributor, and someone who knows how to be in the right place at the right time!
Here is a clip from today's E3-Prijs race in Belgium. Watch what happens at the 56 second mark, as the leading group of Tom Boonen, Juan Antonio Flecha and Fabian Cancellara splits up. Great stuff, and remember that you just can't ride away from these kind of pro cyclists. Unless you are very, very strong. Very.
One fast guy: Fabian Cancellara, 3 time World Time Trial Champion photo by UCI
My last time trial of the season was scheduled for today but thanks to the all-day rain (actually beginning during the night) the event has been cancelled. After all, driving for an hour in the rain, followed by forty-five minutes of "warming up" in the rain, followed by an hour of maximum exertion in the rain before driving back again probably does not make much sense. Unless you get paid for it.The weather is definitely tending towards Fall since the trees are turning and it was only 3C (37F) when I got up yesterday morning.
So that is the end of the season for time trials for me. Although I did not make my goal of averaging 40 km/h on the 15 km, on the shortened 10 km course I actually managed to do this not once, not twice but three times, with my highest average close to 41 km/h. Dreadnought 2, my Leader time trial bike, is already set up on the Kurt Kinetic so that the Tour de Basement can begin. My performances were better than last year, although my very best time trial was only 2 seconds faster than my best effort in 2008. 40 km/h next Spring for sure...
For some people, riding 40 km/h is clearly not a problem. On Thursday, my fave pro bike rider, Fabian "Spartacus" Cancellera, destroyed the field in the World Cycling Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland, doing three circuits of the 16.6 km course in front of his countrymen in the astonishing (to me) time of 57:55.74, averaging 51.54 km/h over the 49.8 km distance. I checked my math on this twice. For those not metrically inclined, this works out to 32.03 mph. The next rider came in 1:27 later, even after Fabian slowed down in the last 250 m to wave to everyone. It would be marvellous to see him go for the One Hour Record.
In today's elite road race he had hoped to get another gold but it was not to be but fifth place is still not a bad effort at all. Now he can spend the winter building up his strength with cheese fondue and chocolate or whatever it is Swiss champions train with.
This is the frame on which Spartacus rode 40.5 kms in 48:33 today at the Tour de France's Annecy time trial. This ride included the Cat. 3 climb at Bluffy (not to be confused with nearby Gruffy!) and comes after several days of dragging the Schleck brothers around the mountains. Well done, Fabian!
My current favourite pro rider, Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara, clinched the overall title at his home tour today with a 38 km time trial. He started the day four seconds back of the yellow jersey and, when the dust settled (not that there is dust in Switzerland), he was the overall winner, with the second place rider nearly a minute and a half behind him. His average speed was 50.19 km/h. It has been a meagre year for Spartacus, with only the prologue win at the Tour of California to show for all that training, a definite comedown from last year's great victories It looks like his form is back now...
Alex Zülle was the last Swiss rider to win the race (in 2002), but the Swiss have actually been quite successful in what is considered to be the fourth best stage race in Europe. I recently obtained a massive German-language book on the Tour de Suisse and will provide a review of it as it remains one of my very favourite races. In 2005 I rode the famous passes of the Tour in the Swiss Alps and loved every minute of it.
Fast Fabian at the 2007 World's (photo by Bruce Christie, Creative Commons)
Although I am no hero-worshipper of athletes, there are some pro cyclists whose efforts I particularly admire. They tend to be time-triallists (no surprise there, I suppose) and taller and heavier than the typical pro. I have stood next to Gilberto Simoni and Damiano Cunego (luckily not at the same time!) and although they are great climbers I felt as if I was next to children. Being of, ahem, a certain weight and height I identify with racers who have to fight gravity and wind resistance as well as the competition. My favourite of all time has to have been Eros Poli, a gigantic domestique who won the Mont Ventoux stage at the Tour de France. So there.
Anyway, a rider whom I like very much since I watched a DVD of him win the prologue of the 2003 Tour de Suisse, riding then for Fassa Bortolo, is the Swiss Fabian Cancellara. His breakthrough year was 2004, when he came fourth at Paris-Roubaix and then went on to beat Lance Armstrong and win the prologue at the Tour de France that year. Since then he has gone from strength to strength. Since joining Team CSC he has won Paris-Roubaix, Tirrano-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, as well as wearing the Yellow Jersey and the Green Jersey at the Tour de France, winning the UCI time trial world championship twice and taking gold at the Olympic time trials and a very surprising bronze in the Olympic road race in Beijing. He is six-time Swiss national time trial champion. In 2006 at Salzburg his time on the 50.8 km World Championship time trial course was 1 hour and 11 seconds, a minute and a half faster than the next rider.
And he is nice to his fans too. Nicknamed "Spartacus," he still lives in his home area in Switzerland and is happy to sign postcards for fans. Recently in the mail I got the one shown on the left, marking his Olympic success, and personally signed for me and dated.
As the long dark winter approaches and I am on the time trial bike in the basement, watching the Tour de Suisse and enjoying the sunny weather and perfect roads in DVD-land, this is a bit more motivation! Now, all I need is one of those Cervelo P3s...
