Brought back to life by reader demand, the Broken Chain Award is considered for any person or thing that protrudes above the surface of cycling’s bad behavior and bad ideas.
Yours in Cycling, Gianni
The obvious first choice, the easy choice, was the French TV driver who put Juan Antonio Flecha down on the road and Johnny Hoogerland into the barbed wire on Stage 9 of the Tour de France. The driver, rumored to be an ex-pro, was trying to get ahead of the break, passing them where there wasn’t room. Hit a tree or hit some riders, he went right and now might be in the witness protection program in Latvia. But can this guy be the biggest idiot of the year in cycling? Passing a group of racers who are already using both lanes, driving fast to get around them, keeping eyes on the cyclists and a tree runs out into the road. This is inexcusable driving but there is an even bigger tool in the bin.
The vitriol I distill in my heart for the cheaters in cycling has somehow decreased this year. Less doping or better cheaters – I’m not sure. The lack of busted, denying dumb-asses has had a good effect on my health. The two-time loser brigade which should, by all reasonable calculations still be paying the price, seems to have found teams corrupt enough to pay them to ride. OK, Di Luca is riding but not getting paid. Tchmil should break him like a twig and toss him in a Russian potato field. Stefan Schumacher is back riding for Christina Watches, the Rock Racing of Europe.
Having a high VO2 max has no correlation with intelligence. Some riders even have the perfect amount of dumb. But Ricardo Ricco has much more than his fair share. He had already served a ban for his CERA-EPO busting during the 2008 Tour. In February of this year he ended up in the emergency room with kidney failure. He told the ER staff he gave himself a blood transfusion from blood stored in his own refrigerator. Giving oneself an IV can’t be easy but rummaging around your refrigerator for some stored blood, looking in the lettuce drawer, where did I put that old blood? Oh, here it is, is that mayo on there? Shouldn’t this be colder? It boggles the mind.
This award is not exclusively for cheaters but I tend to see them as most deserving. Ricco has earned mention in the past for cheating and being a prick but for this prank I have to nominate him for the 2011 Broken Chain Award.
I don’t really know what to say about Ricco, he is looking at a lifetime ban and possible prison time. The Italians won’t drag this out like the Spanish. Everyone must dislike him and feel sorry for him in nearly equal amounts. I would be insane to think we have seen the last of him but at least we won’t see him racing unless Tchmil steps in.
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@sgt
You're lucky! I regularly ride organized centuries here in SE WI and there are tons of serious riders participating. I live in a part of the world with miles of wonderful back roads, that are lightly trafficed. I ride as close to all year round as weather permits yet it is always the exception rather than the norm to see other riders. I seriously wonder where they all go after the centuries.
@sgt
I may only be one rung higher than the purest luddite but I have learned that the internet can cross the equator. The question is...can your consciousness?
The Tour Down Under starts next Tuesday 17th through six stages to Thursday 22nd. Granted - its not a classic - we don't have cobbles, you can't win a trident, battle through snow or pull past a 12th century chateau - but it is a bike race. Its on the UCI World Tour AND there's more than enough quality riders to pique interest...
For example: Gerrans, O'Grady, McEwen, Bobridge, Goss, Meyer, Greipel, Freire, Hesjedal, Haussler, Boss Hogg, Gerry Thomas, Danny Pate, Ballan, GVA, Petacchi, Big Jens, Rickshaw, Valverde, De Gendt...and various other hardmen...
Racing is generally rolling, hot and aggressive. COTHO is giving it a miss this year in favour of his comminity / twitter events. Cuddles rates the event so highly that he stays in yurp in order to avoid the negative impact of giving excruciatingly awkward interviews.
Check steephill for coverage...
@Harminator
Hehehehe - you took the bait.
I've seen @sgt mention the MSR countdown a couple of times so far and bit my tongue.
Not so much for the TDU, which I love to see, mainly due to the many Aussies involved and having attended a couple of times, but because of Het Volk (yeh, yeh) and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which I've always seen as the season openers, then Paris-Nice, Tirenno Adriatico (P-N and TA are world tour), Strade Bianche, all great races before MSR.
Set the timer for MSR if you wish, but you're missing out if that's your start to the year.
@Harminator, @Blah
Het Neiuwsblad is also before MSR, as are various other good races. I think the point wasn't so much that MSR is the first bike race of the year...it's when the connoisseur's calendar starts.
That aside...since when do we judge the quality of anything by the UCI's endorsement? TDU nevertheless will be loads of fun to watch.
Gold.
Incidentally, I don't think its a coincidence that as soon as Bruyneel gets involved with the Schlecks, a video of them practicing TT'ing surfaces.
@wiscot
NE Wisconsin also has many low traffic roads that seldom have other cyclists. My feeling is that the rider:road ratio reduces the odds of random meetings with other riders.
Given my poor hand-eye coordination and weak social skills, solo riding seems to be a perfect activity. That said, I'm interested in helping organize a Wisconsin Cougal.
@frank
Actually, the only reason I referred to MSR was because that's historically the first VSP Event... I assure you I'm no connoisseur!
I'll be following the TDU, don't worry.
I've been having a lot of problems getting the site to load up today... is there something wrong with the Dutch Monkey, Frank?
@sgt
Fuck me, mate; the servers needed a massive Rule 5 Talking-to. Been down all morning and you can't begin to know how mad that makes an obsessive like myself, especially when I'm busy trying to get an article published. Seems to be running better now...
I should have known you hold the first VSP event as the most important! A VSP timer is not a bad idea - counting down to the deadline for registering for the next event, which in this case is MSR in three months! I love it!
@frank
Umm, thanks, no....
@frank
I wonder if the SchleckShack TTT practice was getting the new boys used to having the Grimpettes in the trailer at the back and only rolling the front 6 through?
Liking the addition of a bit of red to the kit mind you
Was in Gran Canaria last week, climbing the volcano much slower than I thought I was (damn that Strava performance comparison site) - was on the last few kms of a long day, along rolly cliff edge roads, when I heard some general burbling HispanoGermanic followed by a massive whoosh as the entire SaxoBank squad overtook me (I thought it was a bus idling behind me up the climb!!) - foxy new outfits this year - big Saxo logo written at an angle in sky royal blue over navy blue kit - you'll like it or loathe it - I think it's pretty cool
Anyway, Bertie was there at a press gathering at the Anfi Resort complex next day - amazing how he stands out from the rest of the team, if nothing else because of the scrum of "well wishers" wanting a piece of him
I happened to be wearing just my Speedos, so thought I'd leave him alone - he'd declined to give interviews anyway, "in view of the ongoing legal wranglings..."