Chasing Legends - Trailer

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Stage 3, Race Quotes from Cervelo

Thor Hushovd (NOR): “To win on this day on the cobblestones really means a lot to me. The team was perfect today. I really want to compliment them. They were really motivated and they gave me so much help to keep me in a good position. I needed to stay in the front group and avoid trouble, I knew I would have a good chance. That’s what I did and I was able to win. I am really proud to win today. It was a special stage, and a nice win. I have had my eye on this stage for awhile and it’s great that it worked out. I am really satisfied. It was nice to win in the Norwegian national jersey, but I am also happy that I know have the green jersey.” Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU): “It’s a great day for the team. We have pain everywhere, but it’s a nice day. We had about 100 km that were pretty easy. In the end, before the second cobble section, we tried to keep our team at the front. Andreas (Klier) and I went to the front after the second cobbles section, and then the other guys took over to help Thor. Victory is always good. When you win or when a teammate wins, you forget what had happened yesterday, or maybe last month. I have raced the cobbles before, but never Roubaix or Flanders. It was a big day today.” Andreas Klier (GER): “The team came together with about 80 km to go. We really pushed hard to put Thor near the front. Our man had the big motor today – not one on the bike, but in his legs! – and he had some luck. It’s a great victory for Thor and a great victory for the team. Yesterday, we had the bad luck, today we have the good luck. Today makes up for all the disappointment. Thor just rode from A-to-B, like he’s always done. This is a beautiful victory over the cobblestones.” Jean-Paul van Poppel, Cervélo TestTeam Sports Director (NED): “This is a great victory. This is the stage we wanted the most. We had to take something back from what happened yesterday. Everyone on the team knew what they had to do and we really pulled it off. The team was perfect. Thor was right at the front in all the critical cobblestones and then he made a great sprint to win. Last night, after yesterday’s stage, I have never seen Thor so angry. We don’t want to talk about it anymore. The green jersey is back on his shoulders and it came after a beautiful win on the cobblestones. The green jersey was just a matter of time, because Thor has been the best rider in the first four days of the Tour.”

www.cervelo.com

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TdF The Prologue

Shit I couldn't believe it, I was following the race on the net and I heard that it had started to rain. On any road stage racing on wet roads can be tricky, on a TT or Prologue course it can be treacherous. Add into the mix that it was on the roads of the Netherlands, famed (and often quoted in the Classics) as having more street furniture than Ikea. This was going to mess up a few peoples rides, as some riders just don't like riding in the wet. Brad Wiggins had opted to go early in the day swaping places with Flecha (which in hindsight was a bad move). The weather forecast had been brewing and was predicting rain, but having ridden in Belgium a few times I am constantly amazed how the morning can be an absolute shitter lashing it down with rain and then the afternoon baked in glorious sunshine.

I'm not going to bring a full synopsis on the race, there are better people out there to do that, and from what I am reading on Twitter the Eurosport Team seem to have had it nailed yesterday. I was following Phil Sheehan posts as he is a producer on Five Live (http://twitter.com/5livecycling), he's also a bike racer and a bit of a Tech geek for his road stuff so where many producers may miss something he also has a fans eye on the Tour. And for the record Phil, I'll pinch some photos that you tweet up (hope that's ok).

So who are the winners and losers today. For sure Fabian, and for me it was important for him to quash the rumours of mechanical doping, which is funny as nobody throws the PED's accusation at him, so a more complicated theory had to be created. With Armstrong bagging a few (5) vital seconds over Contador the first battle in the war has been won. Many commentators are saying that these could be vital, I'm not so convinced unless the next three days through the Benelux throws up a mistral. As we have seen before that Mr Contador isn't too good in these situations, whereas ALL other GC riders will have some riders who can look after them. Brad's placing is certainly a bind and will make the journey from 4th place last year to podium place this year a bit more of a challenge and he'll (and SKY) will need to take it on the chin. A gap of 52 seconds to Armstrong is a mountain to climb, but it's day one and with 23 days of racing left there is a lot of kilometres left to make up the time (I hope)

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thanks to Agent 00Oooh8 for the additonal photos and videos.

 

 

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TdF the Prologue - Cervelo PR

Thor Hushovd (NOR): “I didn’t want to take too many risks. The most important thing is to be ready tomorrow for the stage and try to take the green jersey. There are no time bonuses anymore, so it’s hard for the sprinters to try to take the yellow jersey with time bonuses.” Carlos Sastre (ESP): “For me it was nice to start the Tour de France after these hard four weeks with the back problems that I had. I could not do intensive training like I normally do so I didn’t know how I would be today. I am happy because I did not have pain in my back. That’s the most important thing. There are 20 days of racing ahead of us, so anything can happen.” Jeremy Hunt (GBR): “It was special today to be on the start ramp. I am a classics rider, so I have never been to the Tour de France before. It’s never too late. The Tour is one of those races that you dream about your whole life. When you’re a boy, you dream of racing the Tour, Paris-Roubaix. I am excited to be here at the Tour. They told me to take it easy in the prologue, to not risk crashing. We have a great team here at the Tour. We will help Thor to try to win the green jersey and help Carlos win the yellow jersey. My goal is to make it to Paris and hopefully see one of our guys on the podium.” Ignatus Konovalovas (LTU): “I couldn’t suffer today like I wanted to. I couldn’t go full-gas when I needed to. With the rain and the corners, it was more difficult. Yesterday, when we saw the course, we thought, ‘OK, great time trial course.’ But when we raced it in the wet conditions, it was much more difficult. Also, with the big crowds, you couldn’t see the corners. Now I will focus on helping the team. I was hoping for a top-20, but this is the Tour de France. The best riders are here. I am happy to be at the Tour. My goal is to help the team the best I can.” Andreas Klier (GER): “The stage on Sunday will be challenging. We know we can expect wind, narrow roads and maybe some rain. The part of the course that goes near to the sea is early in the stage, but we will want to be careful to keep our leaders out of harm’s way. We can expect it to be a bunch sprint, but we must be prudent and avoid crashes or splits in the peloton.”

"Great to see that the Team are looking futher ahead than just today as I have a feeling that this Tour might go the same way as the Giro and it could provide some twists and turns as I expect the jersey to change hands a few times over the next 7 days. With only 8 riders, it will be a challenge but the Team has a wealth of experience and should do ok." - Rich

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Fabian Cancellara

Fabian Cancellara is unusal in that he is a rider who is probably one of the best Time trailists in history, but his skills don't stop there. His combination of power and bike handling skills are second to none. Not only is he truly awesome against the clock he also loves the Classics and is one of the pelotons finest descenders. For more proof, watch this stunning clip below. It's a Master Class on how to descend quickly.




Cancellara Showing here in '06 how to use that awesome power to great effect and riding away from the competition. I hope we see displays of this again this year as it is so exciting to witness live. He has made noise about the Ronde, and like many he wants to add this to his palmares. This year, just as any other, the names vieing for the top spot includes some well known names but no doubt places 2 and 3 on podium might just produce some unexpected results.

Now the Dust has settled

It has been a few weeks since the Tour de France has finished. I have had time to take stock of it and here are my ramblings.

This year I have enjoyed the Tour more than any other since 2003. Of course other Tours will always have a favoured status but looking back this years Tour was great for one reason alone. The battle for the Green Jersey. So often called the "Sprinters Jersey', it really is the jersey that rewards consistency, courage and great tactics.



As an Englishman many would be expecting me to be waving the flag for Cav. Don't get me wrong, he is truly an awesome athlete (and I expect him to win it next year), my heart was yearning for a Thor win. As both athletes are great proponents of 'clean cycling', this for me was the battle that I could sit back and enjoy without those nagging questions that sometimes surrounds the GC riders.

Stage 17 produced a day that will go down in Green Jersey history. The words that a impassioned and frustrated Cavendish spoke fueled Hushovd's fire to create an epic day in the saddle. I bet that Cav wishes that he hadn't said that the 'Green jersey was tarnished'. Those words mixed with equal doses of pride helped create one of the most memorable sights at this years Tour.



A footnote has to go to Wiggin's, another great proponent of 'clean' cycling. He finished fourth which was as an amazing feat as Armstrong's first win. He has transformed himself from one of the world's greatest Track riders to a genuine Tour contender. I've met him once and he strikes me as a nice guy and I do hope he take's one of cyclings greatest prizes.



This Tour has shown that riding clean can produce the most exciting racing, be that in the sprints or the mountains. It gives this jaded fan hope for the future. I am sure PED's will always be there, but lets hope that it's use is in a smaller minority and our sport can hold it's head high.