Sunday 23 January 2011

I shed a tear on the inside

Today we paid our respects at the grave of VDB, or simply Frank.

The route to his gravestone is marked so not to get lost in the churchyard. The church clock chimed as we reached it, the sound of the bell stopping us to think about his life.

His win in the 1999 Liégé Bastogne Liégé is often held up as his best result, maybe because he announced to the world were he'd attack (& then did, & go onto win). But his two second places in the Ronde van Vlannderen ('99 & '03) really deserve a strong mention as the competition was tough, many of them at the top of their game, so to finish on the podium shows great class.

A cyclist dying, no matter the circumstances, means a loss for the world wide cycling family. One day I hope that it is by old age that these competitors hang up their jersey for the last time, not through a life cut short.

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