Active Expert: Bruce Hildenbrand

RE: Giro d'Italia Starts Saturday

CMehl — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:04:10 GMT

Well, the crowds at Georgia were pitiful....no one in Savannah or Augusta. I heard that the Lt. Governor insisted that the race go to those two locations for political reasons and the people did not give a hoot about it. When the peloton is coming in and you can walk right up to the barriers to view the finish, well, there is a problem!

But I'm disappointed if Calif moves to April. We'd have way less talent willing to come over during the spring classics season....don't you think? And besides, we've only had one year of bad weather, we promise it will be better next time, right?!

Missed you in GA, BH!

RE: Giro d'Italia Starts Saturday

Bruce Hildenbrand — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:33:01 GMT

susie_b,

My guess is that money changed hands for Astana to be invited to the Giro. That's not necessarily a bad thing, that is how some cycling business is conducted these days. Just look at Rock Racing's invite to the Tour de Georgia.

I think it is totally possible to ride a good Giro and Tour. There is one month between the races which should be more than enough time to recover. Pantani(1998), Indurain(1993) both won the Tour and the Giro in recent years so it is possible. But, it is a tough Giro so a rider who wants to win both needs to ride smart and conserve, conserve, conserve.

Cathy,

the big rumour is that the Tour de Georgia is finished and that the Tour of California will take over the April dates held by Georgia. Sequoia National Park is very doable in April, though a spring storm could add a little whiteness to the mix.

Bruce

RE: Giro d'Italia Starts Saturday

CMehl — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:11:35 GMT

Yippieeee! We're in the Giro! Astana is ready to race. The late invite is pure bs but the guys are motivated and will race with endless amounts of motivation and drive. We have three possible contenders and soon enough the roads in Italy will reveal which one deserves and will get the full support of the team. I wish things had played out differently in the lead up to this race, but we're happy to be racing, making ASO look once more like AS(h)O(les) for not letting the defending champion ride. No one expects things to change in regards to July, but for now it's May and we love pink!!!

Bruce, how can a stage in February be contested in Sequoia? If my memory serves me right, it's rather snowy there that time of year!!

RE: Giro d'Italia Starts Saturday

susie b — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:38:04 GMT

I am, of course, very happy that Astana will be at the Giro. However, I want to know WHY Angelo Z, et al, changed their minds & why at the LAST MINUTE! As unfair as it was to exclude them, it's also unfair to wait til 7-8 days before the Start to invite them. What do you think is really going on?

Plus, it seems that Astana HAD to bring their top 3 GC guys or the deal was off. Since Angelo's stated reason for not inviting Astana back in Feb was that they felt all stepsisterish & would not have gotten Astana's "A" team, they are now getting what they wanted & more. Look at all the publicity this GT is now getting outside of Italy. And having Astana there WITH all that's happened, just ratches it up to a whole different level. Hmmmm, seems like a PLAN.

Machiavelli WAS Italian....

Anyway, I have another question. IF the ASO suddenly sees the INANE error of their ways & invites Astana to the TDF, wouldn't it just be too much to expect stellar performances by the guys in 2 GTs only about a month apart? How much time does it take a GC guy to recover from these 3 week races? I've always been astounded at these Tours anyway & don't know how the competitors just don't sleep for a month after.

If I was a (cough, cough) suspicious type, I'd be wondering if the ASO really is going to invite Astana & sees a financial opportunity in extorting the RCS & thus would withold the invite til, oh let's say June 1st, just as a shot in the dark. If ASO announced today that Astana was invited, do we really think Alberto, Levi, & Kloden would all stay in the Giro for more than a week? Most likely they would at least have to start as the RCS probably has a legally signed document from Johan that they would. How much money would it be worth to the Giro guys to keep last year's TDF winner in their race? So much that they'd willingly give the ASO a payoff so they'd hold back THEIR last minute invite?

If P&C do invite Astana to the Tour AFTER the Giro, they'll come off looking like the "good guys" (they "reassessed"), while screwing Astana/slapping at Johan at the same time. Talk about a win-win for the ASO.... Maybe Dugard was right all along - there's NO publicity that the Tour doesn't love/covet/would do ANYthing to create.

Here's the real question - which one is "The Prince"? Or maybe this is more along the lines of a CARTEL & these guys are ALL in cahoots. Either way, old Niccolo would be proud.

RE: The Spirit of the Rule

redroadie — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:44:14 GMT

I think the riders should be allowed to motorpace. It's not only gentlemanly, it protects the integrity of the competition. If a rider loses because he can't rejoin the peloton and has the capability to win, it hurts intergrity because the other riders are deprived of worthy competition. But it's not just about the winner either, it about the spirit of competition. No one wants to win because of a crash and than have to answer all the questions that go, "You won, but if it wen't for that crash do think that the results would have been the same?

RE: 24 Hour Mountain Bike Racing

Bruce Hildenbrand — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:02:44 GMT

jspitzberg, marc v,

thanks for the very helpful comments! Right on the money!

Bruce

RE: 2009 Tour of California Musings

Longtime Reader, First Time Caller — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:56:36 GMT

Was any of the scuttlebutt you heard about the change in dates? It sounds like Georgia is done and California will take those dates. Don't know what that means for the classics teams, but certainly the bad weather was an issue with the Euros.

RE: 24 Hour Mountain Bike Racing

marc v — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:53:55 GMT

Bruce is right - I, an average joe MTB rider, have done several 24 hours - anyone can do it and still have a blast. A couple of things that I would suggest to make the event more enjoyable. First, get on a team with similar goals...it's no fun to have your overly competitive team captain yelling at you to go faster when you just want to enjoy the ride. Next, make sure you know some basic bike maintenance. You'll be pushing your bike harder than you usually do and things can and will break. Also, a good set of lights will make the night riding less intimidating - I know some races have light sets you can rent if you don't feel like plunking down the money to buy one. Last, but not least, eat eat eat drink drink drink repeat. You'll need the energy!

RE: 24 Hour Mountain Bike Racing

jspitzberg — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:48:11 GMT

You can find an extensive list of 24-hour mountain bike races, and more information about mountain biking right here at Active.com

RE: The Spirit of the Rule

Bruce Hildenbrand — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:24:51 GMT

Billy Bob,

As a freelance journalist I have been covering the US domestic racing scene since the first Coors Classic in 1980 and the European pro scene since 1986. I have covered the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana, World Road Championships, World Cyclocross Championships, World Track Championships, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Gent Wevelgem, Tour of Switzerland, etc, etc, etc.

In Europe, the commissaires understand the spirit of the rule and rarely do they penalize a rider for using a car to regain the field after a crash or a mechanical.

And, yes, I was at the Tour of California to witness what happened in Santa Clarita. In fact, if you go to www.worldcycling.tv and click on the video coverage for Stage 6 of the Tour of California you will see me doing the very first interview with Mark Cavendish after he crossed the finish line, directly from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Bruce