Wellington isn’t renown for its great summers; a mate is always quick to remind me that if the weather was perfect all the time, everyone would want to live here and we’d be overrun by Aucklanders (just like Aussies but not quite dumb enough to live in Canberra). As our summer goes into its last death throes of amazingly calm, sunny, cloudless days, the arm warmers and undershirt have only just emerged from their longest hibernation ever. And I probably won’t need them for tomorrow’s ride either.
Come next Monday, however, I’ll be on the other side of the world and months of unzipped jerseys and SPF30 will be but a memory; a cold, wet, distant memory. And I have to say I’m almost looking forward to it with a strange enthusiasm and a hint of romanticism. Almost. No amount of fitness gleaned from training in perfect weather can prepare one for the rigours of a Belgian spring.
We know how the body will react when it is pulled from its warm cocoon and plunged into an icy bath. How the mind will handle it is a bigger concern. We can prepare ourselves physically to the nth degree, but if we’re mentally inept then the sag wagon becomes a likely option. At which point something deep inside takes over, thought processes return to normal and the mere thought of getting off the bike is quickly and methodically banished. Not here, not now.
Let the hardmen be hardmen, let it rain and blow and the cobbles turn to mud when they grace these roads. But Merckx have mercy on a fair-weather soul, even if only for a few selected days. Let our Flandrian Best suffice and our tubulars have sure grip on dry stones. Failing that, at least keep us upright and we will drink a toast to you night after night.
Bring it on.
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@Kiwicyclist Refreshing that page sounds like a good Saturday night's entertainment for me!
i assume you'll be playing DS and riding ahead of Marcus in a canoe/car/motorbike?
Nah @G'rilla don't be stupid - I'll jumping over his back fence as soon as he's off out the door on Sunday morning....
@Marcus
I was wondering about this! I will be down there cheering (in my first ever, or close to, comment I confessed to being one of 'those' people so don't get into a flap about it). Have a blast! We have a few racing on the day so we will be loud. Enjoy every bit of it. It will be hard but one serious achievement!
But with only ten runs with a max of 16km you may be a little fucked.
(Comment about sport other than cycling over).
@Buck Rogers
I'm seconding this, a page, FRO, for racing only, great coverage here of the finish
http://www.steephill.tv/volta-a-catalunya/
These guy's not only ride up to a ski field at ridiculous speed but they attack and throw in even bigger efforts in bids to escape, and catch the lone leader, great to watch! I dream of riding ski field roads, but race up them?!?
@girl
I'm confused, are you talking about cheering on @Marcus as he parades around in his rubber suit then speedos or @Kiwicyclist as he goes over @Marcus's back fence?
@Marcus Actually, that's one sport that Australians are pretty damn good at. From Whitfield (in his days) and the three Emmas doing short-distance, to Alexander, Jacobs, McCormick at the IM distance - Aussies have this sport nailed.
Good luck man. 16km is not enough to properly run it, but with the cutoff times being the way they are, run as much as you can and then run-walk whatever's left. One way or the other, it's an amazing experience - I just competed in my first Half-Ironman in January after two years of putting up a decent fight at short-distance racing. The levels of pain and preparation required are an order of magnitude bigger...
The way I interpret Rule 42 is that a bike race shall not be preceded by a swim, but it's not a bike-race and I'm never calling it such.
@tessar thanks for the advice - did my first half ironman in 1997 - were you born then?
You forgot Greg Welch Brad Bevan Loretta Harrop Kate Allen (yes she is Australian just like Froome is Kenyan) Michellie Jones Erin Densham etc etc
And Richie Porte (& Robbo etc etc)
@Chris
Best I could do. The pictures do appear to be identical or nearly so, but the proportions are slightly different... it is quite possible that they were taken in rapid-fire succession one after the other, or just cropped and edited over time. Who knows.
I agree through - a full shot including the guns would be fantastic.
@mcsqueak Great work, although it makes me want the original even more now.
I'm pretty sure it's the same photo, theres a small rise on the horizon just in front of his nose that's in the same distance in both as far as I can tell. I'm pretty sure that they didn't have motordrives that quick on the cameras back then.