What a day for Sylvain Chavanel! After eight Tour de Frances and several attacks over the last two weeks, the sympathetic French rider, Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), has finally got his first-ever stage win in the Tour de France. Even if Chavanel had announced three days ago that he would ride next year for the rival Belgium QuickStep team, he got the stage win today as a gift from his Team of the last four years.
Other than that, the peloton and its leader, Carlos Sastre (CSC), have had a pretty quiet day today. All the top riders seems to be already focusing on the very important Time Trial that will decide of the final ranking of the magnificent edition of the Tour de France.
It has been a very long time that the last Time Trial has been so important. What will happen tomorrow between the excellent climber Sastre and Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto), no one can tell. Of course, Evans on paper is far better in this specific kind of race than the smaller Sastre, but after 19 very tiring stages, it's a really different game. Stay tuned for a very interesting day tomorrow with the final Time Trial. Hope you've enjoyed this year's Tour de France as much as me.
Please do not hesitate to post me your comments as I will be glad to share ideas and comments with you. And remember, if you want to enjoy the Tour de France from the inside, do it with www.RonanPensecTravel.com, the official Tour de France operator. VIP passes, exclusive interviews with the pros, and so much more to live together!
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in 1990 while racing for Greg Lemond's Z team. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events, an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.
Tour de France
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I left my bike on the front porch of my rented apartment outside of Lourdes and drove into Pau for the start of today's stage. Admittedly, after learning of Rasmussen's ejection late last night, I lacked my usual enthusiasm for immersing myself in the Tour. But, I needed a day to rest my legs and buy some souvenirs, and I was a bit curious to see how the ASO would deal with the latest scandal.
I arrived in Pau behind the train station, an area that is usually the underbelly of a city. Today, however, it was open industrial space had been transformed into the staging area for the Tour's caravan. The brightly colored floats and vans were helter-skelter, their drivers smoking and chatting, waiting for their call to action.
A few hundred meters away, the official start village was operating in prime time, with no apparent worry of drug tests or scandals. Behind its 8-foot chain-link fence, the VIPs-of-the-day were nibbling on snacks, collecting sponsor freebies and enjoying the stares of those not so lucky to have a yellow credential hanging around their necks.
About an hour before the stage start, the space-age team buses lumbered in, followed closely by their garishly branded station wagons bristling with bikes and wheels. As the managers unloaded gear, athletes lazily stepped from the buses and waved to the crowd. Some posed for pictures or granted interviews, as others rode in groups of twos and threes to sign-in for today's stage.
The appearance of the cyclists was a great equalizer, as VIPs and general public alike pushed and shoved and craned their necks to get a glimpse of the stars. Wow, do we cycling fans have short memories...
There was some speculation that the entire Team Rabobank had withdrawn in shame, as Team Cofidis had done the day before, but their orange-and-blue-clad cyclists were seen rolling in. My heart skipped a beat when I thought that Team Discovery was absent--what controversy could have rocked them?--but it turned out that they had merely parked their bus in a different area.
I've been to many start villages, but this one seemed flat. Everything looked normal but that bit of zing. With the Alps and Pyrenees behind them, the athletes had to be tired, and all that remained was a time trial to finalize the GC. But I wonder if they were also angry and depressed about their sport being, once again, undermined by scandal.
But this was the Tour de France, an event much greater than its athletes or teams. Locals call it a "French thing," but I think cycling fans worldwide understand the sentiment. So, before returning to my flat for a suddenly inspired afternoon ride, I patiently waited in line for overpriced souvenirs that I'll wear proudly back home.
Do you have a Team Astana jersey in size large?
Rob
Rob Klingensmith is an avid recreational cyclist and an executive at Active.com. Rob will provide a unique perspective on what it's like to be inside some of the most decisive stages of the Tour.
...and we need it now! I will not talk about Rasmussen this evening as everything has been said and written a hundred times. However, I think it’s time for me to share with you some very important facts.
First of all, it’s pretty obvious but there is an extreme tension on the Tour. All the riders are acting as if everything is normal. They go to press conferences, attend all the meetings planned and all that, but you can see in their eyes that the pressure is getting a bit too high for them. They are even a bit scared of this whole scandal...scared of what you will ask. These guys are passionate and they are scared for their sport. It’s that simple. I wish you could see the thousands of people along the road today who kept on cheering all the riders from the start to the finish line. The Tour is not dead and won’t die. That’s my feeling. The Tour is too big to die and one day it will be the place of a new start, a new cycling.
However, don’t expect me to say a cleaner cycling. Why? Because with 250 blood tests since the beginning of the Tour and only two of them positive, this sport is clean. There will always be cheaters. Always.
But what about soccer? Last year for the World Cup, do you how many blood tests they made? Well, it’s pretty simple: none. They didn’t process a single blood test. It’s pretty easy for the FIFA to say that soccer is clean.
I’m telling you if we were applying all the rules and tests that you in cycling to any other sports, you would see lots of athletes differently.
So, the first question that comes to my mind when I picture that is, why does the media talk about only drugs in cycling? Cycling doesn’t generate as much business as the NBA or the NFL, for example. Cycling is not just one hour like a basketball game. Cycling is not easy to understand if you don’t have an expert eye. So what do you “market," what do you talk about to get some audience and attention? Drugs and doping work!
THe media is just searching for the sensational news, the scoop as you say. Shall we let the media rule this sport and decide what is important or should we help them understand what makes cycling great?
I would go for the second option, if you don’t mind. Remember early this week: the Astana trick to cut the peloton in two parts, all these echappées and all that? This is what we need to spend time on.
Finally, I would like to end with a very positive fact. Riders and all the people who are involved in professional cycling shouldn’t be scared of stopping doping and drug-taking. If they ride from 45 kilometers per hour to 42 kilometers per hour, we won’t care at all. There is no global timing involved in cycling. A 100-meter sprinter doesn’t have that chance because if his times go from 10 seconds to 13 seconds, everybody will start asking: "What the **** is wrong with this guy? He was running way better last year." But in cycling, we won’t even notice. We won’t care because cycling should be and will be one day above all these dirty, useless things.
So enjoy the show because it’s not over!
Ronan
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events , an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.
Rasmussen!
I honestly think that the Tour is over and that Rasmussen is going to wear the yellow jersey in Paris. However, the end of the race will be tough for him. People along the road today were whistling at him and telling him things I won’t translate here. It is really like no one wants to see him win anymore with all these drug-taking problems.
The atmosphere is more than tense, it is really bad. Everybody is tired of all these problems and they all pretty much want to be at the end already. It’s really sad for cycling but we only get what we deserve as we hear around here.
So, today’s stage wasn’t amazing at all. I was expecting a strong stage from the Discovery team to boost Contador but it never happened. Contador wasn’t as fine as he was two days ago. And I guess also that all these talks and issues are disturbing the athletes anyway. I guess this is why the race was a bit disappointing today.
Today another rider got controlled positive for testosterone--Moreni from the Cofidis team. Testosterone...when you think about it, how can we still try to use these products? I don’t know what the riders were thinking about before this Tour. If they did think...
So, the only thing we can tell about today is that the Tour is over and the jerseys are pretty much settled. Boonen will get the green and Rasmussen the yellow.
I was really excited at the beginning of this Tour as I thought that teams, staff, riders and event organizers understood that this Tour was the right one to get the cycling back on the right track. I’m sad to note that it is definitely not the case.
I hope you are still enjoying the show anyway. Feel free to ask me any question. I will be glad to answer you.
Ronan
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events, an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.
I just read the news of Vino’s positive test and the resulting death sentence for Team Astana in the Tour de France. Strangely, I don’t really care that much.
Why?
Well, partly because I just completed one of the best cycling days of my life. We covered 140 kilometers over some of the most historic cols of the Pyrenees: the Peyresourde, the Col de l’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet. We suffered, but overcame the climbs; then practically flew down the narrow roads to immediately do it all again on the next one.
I logged more than 10,000 feet of climbing. It was a beautiful day. I’m in France.
I just don’t feel any connection to the dopers in the pro peloton. Is it only a few or is every pro using illicit means to improve his performance? Because I’ll never know the answer, I don’t let it concern me all that much. I’m convinced that whatever they’re doing in cycling, you’ll find the same misdeeds in virtually any other professional sport if one digs deeply enough.
So, while the officials sort through who is cheating and who isn’t, I’m planning another epic ride up the 30 kilometers of the Col de l’Aubisque tomorrow to watch the pros contest their final mountaintop finish in this year’s Tour.
I’ll try to focus on the amazing performances of the athletes, the craziness of the crowds and the spectacle--still far bigger than any busted cheater--that’s called the Tour de France.
Rob
Rob Klingensmith is an avid recreational cyclist and an executive at Active.com. Rob will provide a unique perspective on what it's like to be inside some of the most decisive stages of the Tour.
This is madness!! Vino positive...I just can’t believe it. I’m so disappointed.
How can they do something like that? How can he do something like that to cycling?
These guys are nothing without cycling. No one will ever believe in this sport again. This is the knock out of cycling.
I can’t believe this guy is taking drugs. He has naturally so much class. He honestly doesn’t need this to win. He is already a star in his country.
This situation is now so embarrassing, you will see that nobody will want to win tomorrow. It is such a shame.
I can’t say it enough, these guys are just killing the sport--and by that they are killing themselves slowly but surely now. Is it what they really want? They gave so much to get where they are.
I really thought cycling was on its way back, but now I just don’t know what to say or even what to think.
Who is behind all that? What is motivating these guys to take drugs like that?
Now the psychosis is on and yesterday evening the Rabobank, Astana, CSC and Discovery buses were stopped by the police to process a complete search--for drugs, of course.
I feel bad to be part of this. The only good news is that the tests and controls are becoming more and more efficient.
Ronan
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events , an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.
Well, not really a comeback, as I’m still convinced that he has lost his chances to win the Tour, but at least a new stage victory for him.
What is great about that victory is it confirms my feelings in which I think that Vinokourov is an awesome, strong cyclist. He is a fighter. He may know that the Tour is over for him, but as you can see, he still fights and gives his best. This guy rides for pride and trophies and it’s really positive for cycling!
We have also seen a fantastic Alberto Contador today. He's a very strong cyclist and I am now wondering why he hadn't been more offensive earlier on in this Tour, because he surely has all the skills to be in a yellow jersey.
However, I was expecting more fights and échappées today. I thought riders would really attack and go on to get the jersey at the end of the day, but they just did the math and rode quietly so they could stay where they are sitting now. I was kind of surprised by that. There are so many surprises in this Tour that maybe Wednesday will go completely crazy...I just don’t know.
I also feel like Rasmussen can really make it now. He could win in Paris. That was the most important thing I will actually remember from today.
As you all can read in the news, we are still talking a lot about drugs and all that in the Tour, so I’ve been thinking about all this and I thought about a new concept I wanted to share with you so we could help cycling. Feel free to give me your thoughts as they will be very helpful for me and my team.
I’m currently managing a team in Brittany which is called “Bretagne-Armor-Lux.” It’s just a third division team but I’m actually experiencing something new with them.
All the team is living in Rennes (North West of France) and all the riders train, eat, talk and learn together everyday. That’s the concept. We register teams for the Tour so let’s train teams and no longer individuals.
Currently, athletes are pretty much training with their own coaches in their home town and all that. So, if you think about it, they can easily go and meet a “doctor” without anyone noticing it. And they can also be approached more easily.
But if you build a team and get these guys on the road together--riding under the same colors--you create a unit, a block that gets harder to penetrate. Each team member becomes responsible for their choices and you get exposed to questions, criticism and all that if you go the wrong way. The idea is to get the whole benefit that a team can bring.
You support your teammates, you exchange, you learn faster, etc.
I would love to implement something like this at a higher level, but this strategy implies a certain cost. When it costs a million to build a classic high level team for the Tour, my concept would cost maybe three to seven million. It’s a lot of money and a big risk. But when I look at all the team managers in place (some of them have been there for more than 20 years), I think it’s more of a risk to pick these guys. If they haven’t succeeded in 20 years, do you really think they will one day because they have experience?
Honestly, if we want to help cycling, we’d better try new things and concepts. So my question is: What do you think about that?
Let’s manage a cycling team as we manage a baseball team or a football team: One city, one training site and regular meetings to build a real group where leaders could really get a boost!
Ronan
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events, an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.