Cycling thread

[Bruce Wayne]

I think 2001 Armstrong nearly won Liege. Slipping seatpost in the last 20km meant he got dropped from the lead group. Jalabert used to go at them every year also. The Schleck's getting absolutely mugged by Gilbert was funny too.

Bar the Vuelta, it's debatable whether Jalabert was a real GC contender though. Even the Schlecks, you could argue that Andy's Liege win (which I remember well as I was watching it on a cycling holiday in Italy), was before he became a serious GC contender, and it was arguably his break out performance. Contador never really bothered. Quintana doesn't really bother, and of course Froome hasn't either. And these are hilly classics, much less the cobbles that Hinault and Lemond used to have a crack at.

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Bar the Vuelta, it's debatable whether Jalabert was a real GC contender though. Even the Schlecks, you could argue that Andy's Liege win (which I remember well as I was watching it on a cycling holiday in Italy), was before he became a serious GC contender, and it was arguably his break out performance. Contador never really bothered. Quintana doesn't really bother, and of course Froome hasn't either. And these are hilly classics, much less the cobbles that Hinault and Lemond used to have a crack at.

Hinault won the ultimate Liege. In the snow when only 17 riders finished and he nearly lost 2 fingers. If anything his Roubaix was even better. He only rode it to prove he could, won it then declared (in his post race interview no less) it was "a race for d***kheads".

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Hinault won the ultimate Liege. In the snow when only 17 riders finished and he nearly lost 2 fingers. If anything his Roubaix was even better. He only rode it to prove he could, won it then declared (in his post race interview no less) it was "a race for d***kheads".

Pantani aside, Hinault is probably my favourite rider. He was just a no f*** given badass. A lack of footage perhaps doesn't help, but I never really warmed to Merckx in the same way. I rode the Chartreuse trilogy last year, finishing on the Bastille in Grenoble, where of course Hinault famously fell off en route to victory in that stage of the Dauphine and went down a ravine. He climbed back on before getting off on the finale up to the Bastille (which is horribly steep!), and having to be coaxed back on his bike to take the victory by his team.

I'm not really sure why, but there's a monument to Thierry Claveyrolat on the road up to the Bastille. They do a hill climb event up it every autumn, which would be cool to do one year.

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Pantani aside, Hinault is probably my favourite rider. He was just a no f*** given badass. A lack of footage perhaps doesn't help, but I never really warmed to Merckx in the same way. I rode the Chartreuse trilogy last year, finishing on the Bastille in Grenoble, where of course Hinault famously fell off en route to victory in that stage of the Dauphine and went down a ravine. He climbed back on before getting off on the finale up to the Bastille (which is horribly steep!), and having to be coaxed back on his bike to take the victory by his team.

I'm not really sure why, but there's a monument to Thierry Claveyrolat on the road up to the Bastille. They do a hill climb event up it every autumn, which would be cool to do one year.

I lived in Grenoble for 4 months back in 2002 when I was trying to be a cyclist. That hill climb is evil. They make you do it twice: There's a qualifying round then the final. I wished I hadn't qualified for the final

Claveyrolat was local to Grenoble (I think Vizille, to the south), he was a great rider, opened a cafe when he retired that meant he was constantly almost bankrupt, had some trouble with the law and then badly hurt a father and son on their bikes when he was drink driving his way down a mountain road and shot himself in the bar a few weeks later. Great rider with a tragic, drawn out end.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I lived in Grenoble for 4 months back in 2002 when I was trying to be a cyclist. That hill climb is evil. They make you do it twice: There's a qualifying round then the final. I wished I hadn't qualified for the final

Claveyrolat was local to Grenoble (I think Vizille, to the south), he was a great rider, opened a cafe when he retired that meant he was constantly almost bankrupt, had some trouble with the law and then badly hurt a father and son on their bikes when he was drink driving his way down a mountain road and shot himself in the bar a few weeks later. Great rider with a tragic, drawn out end.

Aye, I'd heard about his cafe, and a bit about the sad end to his life. Cycling does have its fair share of those, which I suppose in some way adds to the romanticism around the sport. Vercors is an amazing place to ride a bike. Obviously there are practical reasons why the Tour hasn't visited them, but some of the balcony roads there are breathtaking. We were based in Grenoble so didn't get to explore the other side of the park around Combe Lavel, but did a nice loop over the Gourges du Nan

down Presles

towards Pont en Royans

and then back through Bourne

Really was a lovely day on the bike.

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Aye, I'd heard about his cafe, and a bit about the sad end to his life. Cycling does have its fair share of those, which I suppose in some way adds to the romanticism around the sport. Vercors is an amazing place to ride a bike. Obviously there are practical reasons why the Tour hasn't visited them, but some of the balcony roads there are breathtaking. We were based in Grenoble so didn't get to explore the other side of the park around Combe Lavel, but did a nice loop over the Gourges du Nan

down Presles

towards Pont en Royans

and then back through Bourne

Really was a lovely day on the bike.

Memories....

Lovely photos by the way.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Memories....

Lovely photos by the way.

Mine are a bit grainy and smudged so I've plundered the web to provide a better reflection , but yeah, it's a lovely area to ride a bike, and practically empty of cyclists, who all flood down towards Bourg and do d'Huez (usually ignoring the stunning balcony road to Villard Notre Dame the other side of Bourg). Another lovely (kinda) climb in that area that I don't believe the pros have ever gone over is the Col du Parquetout. It felt a bit like a mini Mortirolo, grinding up through forest at a horrible gradient.

It's just off of the Col d'Ornon, which the Tour have been over many times, so it's perhaps the narrow road or something that discourages them from using it (the descent is a bit sketchy!).

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Mine are a bit grainy and smudged so I've plundered the web to provide a better reflection lol, but yeah, it's a lovely area to ride a bike, and practically empty of cyclists, who all flood down towards Bourg and do d'Huez (usually ignoring the stunning balcony road to Villard Notre Dame the other side of Bourg). Another lovely (kinda) climb in that area that I don't believe the pros have ever gone over is the Col du Parquetout. It felt a bit like a mini Mortirolo, grinding up through forest at a horrible gradient.

It's just off of the Col d'Ornon, which the Tour have been over many times, so it's perhaps the narrow road or something that discourages them from using it (the descent is a bit sketchy!).

I've been down that but never up it. The long climb out of Bourg towards La Berarde is fantastic too. Lots of little roads in that area that are well worth a peek once you get out of the "box ticking" of Tour de France climbs.

 

[AndyC]

Pantani aside, Hinault is probably my favourite rider. He was just a no f*** given badass. A lack of footage perhaps doesn't help, but I never really warmed to Merckx in the same way. I rode the Chartreuse trilogy last year, finishing on the Bastille in Grenoble, where of course Hinault famously fell off en route to victory in that stage of the Dauphine and went down a ravine. He climbed back on before getting off on the finale up to the Bastille (which is horribly steep!), and having to be coaxed back on his bike to take the victory by his team.

I'm not really sure why, but there's a monument to Thierry Claveyrolat on the road up to the Bastille. They do a hill climb event up it every autumn, which would be cool to do one year.

Really ? Really ?
Think this one will need to make the agenda of the Mod AGM !!
@GrandOldTeam

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Really ? Really ?
Think this one will need to make the agenda of the Mod AGM !!
@GrandOldTeam

Figs Andy. All cyclists can't give a fig.

 

[AndyC]

Figs Andy. All cyclists can't give a fig.

Ballcocks Bruce, you're talking ballcocks

* considers warnings for us both for going Off Topic

 

[Groucho]

Figs Andy. All cyclists can't give a fig.

I like fig biscuits

 

[Black Belt Jones]

I think he means Bourg Saint Maurice, if he's planning the Iseran... Otherwise its a long trip over the Glandon and the Madeleine.

It's a pity as the Iseren is a good 50km from the town and the Cormet is both beautiful and right on the doorstep of the town. The only other option is the climb up to Les Arcs which is markedly less pretty. The resort at the top has some cracking views, though.

Did the Iseran last week from BSM and it was pretty tough - I'm normally fine with a single big col as an out and back, but I'd been on the ale a bit the night before and the pull up the valley to Val d'Isere felt like hard work. The Iseran itself from Val d'Isere is very reasonable, never steep at any point, but by the top my legs were singing from the consistent climbing. In retrospect the Col du Petit St Bernard would have been a better choice as it was right on the doorstep, but the descent off the Iseran was pretty special - leathered it back down the valley.

Great mountain biking there - didn't have time to do a huge amount but got the eye in on the bike park lines then tried some properly challening stuff on the footpaths.
Suffering from bike envy as there were some fantastic enduro bikes on display (mine is pretty dated), but can't justify a purchase for me as they'd just gather dust in the UK.

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Did the Iseran last week from BSM and it was pretty tough - I'm normally fine with a single big col as an out and back, but I'd been on the ale a bit the night before and the pull up the valley to Val d'Isere felt like hard work. The Iseran itself from Val d'Isere is very reasonable, never steep at any point, but by the top my legs were singing from the consistent climbing. In retrospect the Col du Petit St Bernard would have been a better choice as it was right on the doorstep, but the descent off the Iseran was pretty special - leathered it back down the valley.

Great mountain biking there - didn't have time to do a huge amount but got the eye in on the bike park lines then tried some properly challening stuff on the footpaths.
Suffering from bike envy as there were some fantastic enduro bikes on display (mine is pretty dated), but can't justify a purchase for me as they'd just gather dust in the UK.

Altitude will kill you up there too...

Loved the Petit Saint Bernard when I did it 10 years ago

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

Viviani wins the European champs!

Yves Lampaert wins a swimming pool.