Paul Sherwen lays down The V in the late Seventies

Paul Sherwen is generally seen as Phil Liggett’s counter-point, dutifully keeping the iconic duo’s race commentary on course, helping to convey to the English-speaking world the sport of Professional Cycling. Liggett, of course, has undeniably helped shape this great sport  for Anglophones across the globe, having been the English voice of this sport since before I was born – and for that I’m eternally grateful to him; merely the sound of his voice warms the cockles of my cold, black heart. But as much as he is inextricably bound to the sport, the last time he got a fact right must have also been before I was born, if he ever has.

The balance Liggett’s special breed of factual rigor is Paul Sherwen. Not only does he have the insight of an ex-pro with which to season his commentary, he has several other highly technical analytical tools at his disposal, such as actually watching the race. Furthermore, Paul is able to counter Uncle Phil’s constitution under pressure – which resembles that of a knock-kneed Rhode Island Red in a washing machine on a delicates/knits cycle – with his Sprinter’s Cool. Whereas Phil can be heard squawking and clucking incomprehensibly with excitement as a race unfolds, Paul peppers the commentary with self-deprecating jokes about his own career and adds a Swahili proverb or two that might be helpful for the riders, were they only able to hear him.

In this current role of his, as the commentary equivalent of Autocorrect on Liggett’s iPhone, it is easy to forget that Paul was among the most respected riders of his day. Seen here stringing out a bunch (in complete Rule Compliance, I might add) reminds me of the various tales of tenacity that earned him the respect not only of his fellow riders, but of race organizers.

One such example is of the 1985 Tour de France when Sherwen, a domestique with no chance at the overall, crashed in the opening kilometers of a Pyrenean stage and was left to fend for himself while Bernard Hinault raced for the win at the front, making small children of grown men. Refusing to give up, Sherwen limped through the stage alone, accompanied only by a single Gendarme’s motorcycle. More than an hour after the stage winner and well outside the time limit, he finished the stage. The race jury, moved by his resolve to finish the stage, reinstated him and allowed him to continue on in the Tour. In a word, respect.

I think of all the people in the cycling world I most admire, it has to be Paul Sherwen.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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  • @frank

    @roadslave
    Amazing, awesome. In some ways, I wish I could remember the day for me. I started cycling to help stay fit for my focus at the time, Nordic Skiing. I was quite good, too - planned my whole life around it - training for the Olympics and all that. There wasn't a question in my mind that I would win a Gold Medal in the 50k. Since I was 8 years old, I had been training for that.

    Then, one day - and I remember exactly where I was, walking up the hill to my parent's house - I realized it was Fall and I would be hanging up my bike to start skiing again soon. And I felt sad about it. That was the day I realized I was a cyclist, not a skier. And bit by bit, all that focus on skiing just faded away.

    Never went to the Olympics, never was nearly as good at cycling as I was at skiing, but I loved it so much more. That's passion. It has nothing to do with how good you're actually at something; it has to do with how much you love it. That's the point that all the douchenozzles who read The Rules and then tell us to fuck off are missing.

    Passion and competency are totally unrelated.

    Sometimes, you just need to know that you are freaking brilliant. "Passion and competency are totally unrelated."

  • How times have changed: Sherwen gets in an hour outside the limit and is allowed to continue. Ted King? Seven seconds and he's out. For shame, Monsieur Proudhomme, for shame.

  • @wiscot

    How times have changed: Sherwen gets in an hour outside the limit and is allowed to continue. Ted King? Seven seconds and he's out. For shame, Monsieur Proudhomme, for shame.

    Phil & Paul have put some considerable rubbish on the technical officials during todays commentary for this and other technical fines (Tony Martin) handed out in Nice.  Good to hear them calling it as it is with conviction.

  • I've never met Ted King, but I like the dude a whole bunch. Was thrilled last week he made the team, was crushed yesterday he was cut.

    Chin up, Ted! You're a hardman no matter what! (and I know you're injured.)

  • @PT

    @wiscot

    How times have changed: Sherwen gets in an hour outside the limit and is allowed to continue. Ted King? Seven seconds and he's out. For shame, Monsieur Proudhomme, for shame.

    Phil & Paul have put some considerable rubbish on the technical officials during todays commentary for this and other technical fines (Tony Martin) handed out in Nice. Good to hear them calling it as it is with conviction.

    Yeah, I know rules are rules and that exceptions set precedents, but this wasn't a case of an uninjured rider not making the cut on a mountain stage by a few minutes mid race, this was a rider whose injuries can be directly related to chaos caused by race organizers (or the Orica bus, take your pick) on the opening stage. He was clearly injured and still rode. It was seven fucking seconds. Not seven minutes. After the bus SNAFU, you'd have thought ASO would be looking for a good story that could be spun in a way that makes the tour look good and honors the event. Christ, I'm not a PR man, but I can see a great press strategy here that makes everyone look good, but instead ASO fuck it up. Was Pat McQuaid involved?  or was he too busy getting his panties in a twist over the rainbow stripes on Tony Martin's TT bike?

  • I'm of two minds on this one - yeah, its only 7 seconds and yes he was injured in the crash in Stage 1, but so were a lot of others and they didn't miss to time cut.  That said, I'd be willing to bet that if he was a French rider or riding for a French team, we would have seen a different decision by the organizers.  I like Ted King and feel for him, but as long as the officials are consistent with the application of the rules going forward, I'm ok with the decision.

  • Hello. today I heard Paul Sherwen (an excellent and informative commentator) talk of the the Pas de Calais. He said that "pas" means stop, and didn't see how Calais got this appendage. In fact, "pas" also means "step". In this instance the Pas de Calais refers to the Calais Step. I think it means a geographical reference of Calais. Anyone else got anything to add? Regards, Mac1937

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