VeloVeritas

Spain Did OK, No? (2)

Some cycling pundits (aye, you Ed) have said that the Spanish team had a terrible World Championships – well bronze, a fourth, ninth and fifteenth is better than any other country than I guess Australia and Russia, although Russia only had two riders in the top twenty.

The most important Spanish National TV station (TVE 1) top-lined the result on the main evening news on Sunday evening.

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man (1)

“Cometh the hour, cometh the man,” the hour was a sunny late September afternoon in Mendrisio, Switzerland, the man was Cadel Evans.

Al Hamilton mentioned Cadel’s name before the race and I concurred that he could be in the mix and worth a medal-but the winner?

Worlds Road Racing, so far (0)

A great ride from Peter Kennaugh; fourth is always the worst place to finish – it’s hard enough to remember silvers and bronzes; never mind who was fourth.

But a good ride and one that bodes well for his pro career.

I spoke to him after the British Elite road champs at Abergavenny, where it looked like his race, until the closing metres. I was given a tongue lashing from him for allegedly miss- quoting him.

Reflections on the World Time Trial Champs (3)

Fabian Cancellara is a wonderful athlete, class personified.

He looks at one with the bike and he’s quite fearless; it’s hard not to gasp as he blasts along at his 60 kph average (take out the corners, roundabouts and the climb, and that’s the speed he’s sitting at), skiffing walls and flicking that Specialized through narrow village streets like a kermesse king – a pleasure to behold.

He’s certainly the finest time trial rider of his day. But, the greatest ever?

The Bec CC Hill Climb (0)

Some hill climbs boast a long and colourful history, some have gruelling gradients that are talked about in revered tone throughout clubrooms the length & breadth of the country, whilst others claim to have the richest prize list in the UK.

Well, the Bec CC Hill Climb can claim to have all three of those, plus – and it’s a big plus – it has probably the most enthusiastic hordes of spectators that will ever be found at any Hill Climb event, including the Nationals, if comments from past riders and spectators are anything to go by.

Jamie Burrow – Keeping Busy with Business & Fondos (0)

It’s not often that the Comic [Cycling Weekly magazine - editor] inspires me, these days-they don’t care, they get my subscription cash-but when I saw the ‘minute with’ ex Lance team mate and Fondo star Jamie Burrow, I thought; “there’s a man I’ve been stalking, I need to get a grip of him!” His win this year in the Maratona delle Dolomiti was big news in Italia.

Here’s what he had to say…

Brian Smith – What’s happening at Endura? (1)

Brian Smith has been helping put the 2010 Endura Racing squad together – we spoke to him yesterday and here’s what he had to say.

“Jim McFarlane from Endura first approached me at the Tour Series criteriums; he was a little disappointed with how this year has gone for Endura. A month or two after that, we began to talk in more depth, Jim said that wants to do it right for 2010; he has a new line of top line clothing coming up-l’Equipe range – and he wants a team to promote it.

That was La Vuelta – What’s Next? (0)

The Vuelta has finished, so has the Tour of Britain, the Worlds are this weekend, the crosses have started and there’s a nip in the air in the mornings – autumn is here.

My favourite time of the year: in Scotland it rains less, the skies are blue, the air is fresh and leaves are so beautiful as they turn.

It Was The Best Of Years! (0)

Ed Hood is a sad old git who is stuck in the minutia of cycling facts and figures! The trouble is that so am I, maybe even worse! Ed was very excited by the book (Tu vueltas) I sent him with all the details of all La Vuelta a España’s from 1935 to 2008, lots of info for us sado’s.

Ed touched on some details earlier, but two specific years caught my eye.

A Good Vuelta? (3)

Barring accidents or a dreadful time trial on Saturday it looks like Alejandro Valverde has stitched up his first Grand Tour (at last!). At the end of all of the big stage races we need to ask some questions and La Vuelta a España throws up some thought-provokers!

I think it was a good Vuelta – the start in Holland was a great success, personally I was wrong about the time trial on a closed circuit, it had a big crowd as did all the Dutch roads, and it was the same in Germany and Belgium.

Dan Fleeman – Not Making Any Mistakes (0)

Cervelo’s Dan Fleeman first came to our attention when he won the 2008 Tour of the Pyrenees; we’ve kept in touch with the 26 year-old Englishman ever since; through Langkawi, Paris-Nice and into the Ardennes classics.

But a bad crash in the Bayern Rundhfart stage race saw him break a wrist and spend longer than he would have liked, off his bike.

Adam Hansen – The Vuelta isn’t his Favourite Race Anymore! (0)

Adam Hansen was just off the massage table when we caught up with him on Tuesday evening, we couldn’t talk during massage because the masseur is a; “full on techno anthems, trance guy,”-just like Davie Urquhart, then? (Just joking, Davie!)

Team mate Andrei Greipel had just taken his third win of the Vuelta-and Columbia’s 80th of the year.

Of Peblis To The Play (2)

“Peebles for Pleasure” says the sign, and the good folk of this part of the world, one of the oldest Royal Burghs in Scotland, certainly do know how to enjoy themselves – today they warmly embraced the first ever visit to these parts by the Professional Tour of Britain, now in it’s sixth year of running in it’s current form.

All To Play For (0)

Talking to people who had been to the start in Holland and the stages through Belgium and Germany it was a great success which attracted bigger crowds than expected, if they could only have moved the Spanish weather there it would have been perfect.

The stages up there were not expected to affect the eventual overall out-come, but the next week in the area of Valencia were, and did!

On Contract Negotiations and Grand Tour Podiums (1)

I was coming down the ‘parachutes’ in the Transit on Friday – the old East 25 course – when I got the text message from Dave; ‘Garcia and Hesjedal away with two K to go.’

I was talking to Ryder for Pez only last night-about his great ride on stage 9, when he was second to Simon Gerrans; then the next text came in; ‘Your man has won!’