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| Johnny Hoogerland crowned King of the Mountains despite flying into barbed wire fence earlier in the day. |
Lesson #1: That’s Bike Racing
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) blurted out “That’s Bike Racing” after Stage 7 (Friday, July 8) when he crashed with about 25 miles left to the finish. He wasn’t hurt but it did cost him a potential stage win on a day he was regarded as one of the favorites. Granted, That’s Bike Racing is totally clichéd. But it’s become an easy out clause that encompasses all that can and will go wrong in the sport. Sadly it sums up what we’ve seen so far in this year’s Tour de France. Let’s just say the 98th edition will become another cliché: Tour de Crash.
Heading into Stage 10, 178 riders of 198 remain in the Tour. Only two teams are still competing with the nine members they started with.
US based Team RadioShack has undoubtedly suffered the hardest hits. The latest casualty is Yaroslav Popovych, who crashed twice in Stage 5. We found out this morning he has left the Tour with a fever.
Personally, I am crushed by their fate. I was hoping to see both Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner finish high in the GC, possibly even a podium spot for one of them. Both were having great seasons so far. But That’s Bike Racing.
Overall, RadioShack started the Tour in great form with their luck beginning to run out in Stage 5 when a crash led Jani Brajkovic to abandon with a broken collarbone, concussion and, as Brajkovic said on his blog, “no skin on the ride side of the body.” http://www.livestrong.com/teamradioshack/news_jani-brajkovic-writes-blog-with-left-hand/
RadioShack’s problems mounted in Stage 7 when Horner went down in a crash that also sent Team Sky’s GC hopeful Bradley Wiggins home. Horner ended up in a ditch with a momentary loss of consciousness yet somehow managed to ride 30kms to finish the stage. When he reached the team bus, Horner incoherently and repeatedly asked “did I finish?” and didn’t seem to remember anything about the crash. I find it alarming that he was allowed to finish the stage and question the judgment of team manager Johan Bruyneel and the Tour doctor. What were they thinking? Regardless of how important Tour de France is to a team and an individual there is never a good reason to take risks and put someone in potential danger – especially when signs of head trauma are present. In the end, Horner suffered a concussion, broken nose and a calf hematoma. He was last seen at McDonalds and is on a plane back to the states. He is lucky. I hope we see him in Colorado in August.
Levi Leipheimer is now riding against a deficit that started with a solo crash near the finish of a rainy Stage 6. The following day, he lost more time and is now holding at #36 in the GC. The overall winner of Tour de Suisse and #2 in Tour of California, he’s joined the ranks of Shack riders working to protect and shepherd Andreas Kloden – their last hope for a spot on this year’s podium. Kloden was tangled in a crash on Sunday and was evaluated yesterday for a back injury. He started Stage 10 this morning and remains #8 in the GC. Let’s hope he stays healthy. But with the back being so crucial in riding, it’s hard to say what will happen from here.
Stage 7 also resulted in the exit of Tom Boonen, one of Quick Step’s key riders. He suffered a crash in Stage 5 and managed to ride through the pain for two more days before pulling out.
Stage 9 started with an early crash for defending champion Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) but he was able to draft enough team cars to get back to the pack under the shadow of a time deficit. Contador also crashed in Stages 1, 5 and 7. Never at a loss for words, commentator Phil Liggett called him “hapless” and Contador is denying rumors he’ll abandon the Tour with a sore knee and bruised ego. I doubt he’ll make an early exit. Like him or hate him Contador has unmatchable mental fortitude and cannot be ruled out with the true mountain stages coming up. Even with the challenges, he was able to rise to #16 in the GC.
A second crash in Stage 9 happened on a wet descent, bringing the first round of real carnage to the day. Attack specialist Alexander “Vino” Vinokourov (Astana) along with American Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervleo) and Omega-Pharma Lotto teammates Jurgen Van den Broucke and Frederik Willems flew off the road rounding a curve. Vino emerged from the ditch with broken thigh bone and exited what was slated to be his final Tour at age 37 in a helicopter. Zabriske exited with a broken wrist; Van den Broucke, a shoulder blade and Willems, a collarbone.
The most heinous incident happened when a French TV vehicle plowed into two riders in a five-man breakaway. The driver swerved to avoid a tree and instead plowed into Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky), who ricocheted into Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil). Flecha miraculously got back on his bike and finished the stage, wounds and all. Hoogerland plowed into a barbed wire fence and suffered horrific gashes on the lower part of his body. Yet – in another miracle – not only finished the stage but managed to capture the King of the Mountains jersey. The video is gut-wrenching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMjSZhXHiHo.
Looking at the causes of most of the accidents, common sense should guide some of the changes that need to be made for next year to better protect the riders. They obviously can’t control the weather but they can be more selective about the routes and try to avoid some of the narrow roads that contributed to some of this year’s crashes. This goes for all Tours. If you recall there were a lot of grunts and complaints from the peloton about some of the descents in the Giro d’Italia.
Officials also have to find a way to impose stricter guidelines over vehicles in races. I thought Mark Cavendish had one of the best responses to the Flecha-Hoogerland accident . He more or less demanded a crackdown on anyone operating a vehicle in a bike race. Cavendish said: "Anyone involved with a bike race (including riders) should take written and practical tests before getting licenses."
The spectators present another issue. They've contributed to few accidents this year as well. While it's tradition to have spectators up close, personal and dressed in wacky costumes, officials need to make an effort to keep them further from the road’s edge. And by that I mean logic and a matter of inches.
Officials also have to find a way to impose stricter guidelines over vehicles in races. I thought Mark Cavendish had one of the best responses to the Flecha-Hoogerland accident . He more or less demanded a crackdown on anyone operating a vehicle in a bike race. Cavendish said: "Anyone involved with a bike race (including riders) should take written and practical tests before getting licenses."
The spectators present another issue. They've contributed to few accidents this year as well. While it's tradition to have spectators up close, personal and dressed in wacky costumes, officials need to make an effort to keep them further from the road’s edge. And by that I mean logic and a matter of inches.
The mainstream media also seem to be feeding on all the crashes. Most of the coverage I see outside of the cycling press shows riders on the ground bleeding, limping and cradling broken body parts. They especially like showing the Flecha-Hoogerland accident. It’s kind of sad that the sport is being portrayed this way. They are doing nothing to elevate the sport for what it really is; a fun, healthy pastime that just about anyone at any level can do. But rather they are providing bike widows and widowers with nag-fest ammunition.
Lesson #2: Cyclists are the Toughest Athletes on the Planet
Maybe I’m a bit biased, but I don’t see any other sport requiring the strength and stamina displayed by cyclists. The sport in itself is grueling. They sign on for repeated days of hard riding at long distances with very little rest over 21 days. Even with all the adversity, physically and mentally these riders continue to display tenacity and unflappable commitment to the sport. Most of them make every attempt to ride through the pain and oftentimes succeed. Flecha and Hoogerland somehow managed to continue after getting slammed by a car in a high-speed breakaway. Today Hoogerland, with 33 stitches, managed to keep the KOM jersey that he earned on Sunday after the accident. Even amidst the tears of having to leave the Tour Jani Brajkovic was able to take a breath and say: “OK, I’m alive and have more than six weeks (to recover) to the Vuelta d’Espana.” Chalk that up to the thick skin and mental toughness required in this sport.
To be a cyclist (and that means me and you, too) you have to be able to suffer, sometimes fail, always suck it up and move on.
That’s Bike Racing.
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