The Death of the Grand Tour
Suspense. It defines the thrill of watching a bike race. Johan Van Summeren, his deflated rear tire clanging over the last secteurs of cobblestones in Paris-Roubaix with Fabian Cancellara breathing down his back; Laurent Fignon snatching seconds from Greg LeMond on each mountaintop finish, as LeMond snatches those same seconds back in the time trials. From the spectators standpoint at least, suspense categorically defines good bike racing.
Bike racing is a monumentally difficult sport, with even the one-day races representing a magnificent display of endurance. Many one-day races are 200 or more kilometers over difficult terrain and in awful weather, where riders need to be fit, strong, and alert at all times during a competition that lasts upwards of six hours. Grand Tours distinguish themselves by aggregating the challenges from the one-day races into a three-week event; their sheer length cause riders to not only battle each other but themselves as fatigue creeps in, brought on by racing twenty days along windy coastal roads, over high mountains – in baking heat or torrential rain. Simply finishing a Grand Tour labels a rider as a “Giant of the Road”, the designation given to those few who were good enough and hard enough to endure this ultimate test of determination and stamina. Those who manage to win one will be defined by the accomplishment for the remainder of their career and, quite possibly, their lives. The V, brought to life and personified in each one of them.
Historically, one of the distinguishing factors of Grand Tour contenders has been their superiority over their rivals in one discipline or another, while typically being bested in another discipline. The Grimpeur who soars over the mountains shows weakness when they go contre la montre. The Rouleur who gains an advantage in the time trials struggles to limit their losses over the high passes. The route, the terrain, their weaknesses, and their ability to respond to the tactics of each stage characterizes the three-week struggle for domination. There is no other event on Earth like it.
The grimpeur versus the rouleur has been the Grand Tour’s great struggle, for what Merckx giveth in the Mountains, Merckx taketh away in the Time Trial. The emaciated body that the climber uses to float up the steepest gradients is little more than a waifish weather vane in the time trails where sheer strength and power are the keys to success. Conversely, the additional body mass required to generate time trial-winning power becomes an anchor when pointed uphill, allowing gravity and physics to do their cruel work.
Where in the past we’ve seen riders who could ride amongst the best in both the mountains as well as the time trials, these riders were never the dominant figure in either of both disciplines. Anquetil was strong in the time trials but struggled in the mountains – the same goes for Indurain. Hinault, LeMond, and Ullrich were strong in the time trails and, while good climbers, were always bested by others on the high passes. Fignon and Pantani could take time away from their rivals on the vicious slopes of the high mountains, but struggled to maintain their advantage in the time trials. It all came together to form a ferocious battle of riders pitting their strengths against their rivals’ weaknesses, and their rivals coming back to do the same another day when conditions were more in their favor.
Yet, in the last decade, we’ve seen an alarming shift in the qualities of some top Grand Tour contenders. With Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, we have seen a new class of rider who is the best climber in the world while also the best time trialist; while an awesome display of skill, it puts paid to the excitement of watching a Grand Tour unfold. Each of Armstrong’s wins came at the hands of devastating mountaintop wins coupled with domination in the Time Trials. Similarly, Contador’s 2009 record-setting VAM (Vertical Ascension in Meters) on the climb of Verbiér came alongside his defeat of World-Champion time trialist, Fabian Cancellara, his frail climber’s body managing to best the most powerful rider in the peloton.
Whatever lies at the root of this transformation, it seems these riders have found a way to abolish their weakness in these opposed disciplines, and can execute their race plans with surgical, three-week precision. With that precision comes the death of the Grand Tour; for it is the weakness of our heros that lends us the opportunity to revel in the thrill of their victories. Without that weakness, we have gained an impressive show of dominance, and lost the spectacle of suspense.
Fuck yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!
Now, to repost some of my earlier questions here: I am DYING to talk about the tdf: So hard to pick only five contenders for this year. Will Basso be healed and ready? Will Cuddles hold up or fold as per the last few years? Will Wiggo really show up or was 2009 a fluke? Can JVDB be as awesome as last year? What about Gesink–is he real contender? Also, no prologue. What’s up with that?
As for dominating both climbing and time trialing, I hate to raise the ugly monster but I smell a nice steak cooking somewhere in Spain and in Texas on that one.
I’m really curious about that myself Buck… I wonder how the final TT is gonna play out if we have a vegan field this year, lol.
What do you make of Horner’s proclaimation that he can hang with anyone but Beefador?
@Frank What happens if (and it’s admittedly unlikely) Berto gets pulled midway through and he’s in your picks? DNF/Crash rule or rest day sub?
@Leroy
If any rider DNF’d for whatever reason, you have 24(ish) hours to make the swap. I actually doubt they’ll pull him mid-way. But the piti principle applies anyway.
My VMH and I have vowed to not let the investigation sully the tour, though. Whether he Shoukd or shouldn’t be there is beside the point…the authorities are letting him race, so bring it on; I just want to see some ’89-like awe-inspiring, pins-and-needle style racing! Vive le tour!!
Couldn’t agree more. I really wish they’d settled it one way or the other beforehand but it is what it is. I can’t believe they’d pull him either but, it is the UCI afterall…
The suspense has already started!! Andy’s dropping chains on Di2 and showing suspect form pre tour… is he sandbaging?!
@Leroy
I’m not buying Horner as a legit top ten but who knows. My last two VSP selections have been pure shit!
I also wonder if Sammy Sanchez cannot crac the top 5. It’s going to be an aWESOME year, esp the stage that finishes on top of the Col du Galibier!!! I do wish that there was another longish ITT, aorund 50k, to help add some more excitement to the race, though.
I’m just gonna throw this out there, but I won’t be surprised if Contador exits from the tour at some point due to “stomach issues” or illness. Saves face all around. I’ll put him in my top 5 picks, but I’ll be ready to make a substitution.
@wiscot
Not so sure myself. He’ll stick it out unless he’s surely not going to win, then maybe he pulls out. If he wins I predict he’ll not be banned. No way the powers that be are going to have two GT wins nullified in the same year. Pity, that.
If he loses or dnf’s, then all bets are off. A ban becomes much more likely.
Delenda Est Alberto (bringing my sig back for the TdF)
Nobody think that Contadoor might run out of team mates? – not sure who he has apart from Navarro and Sorrenson for the climbs and Richie Porte maybe – Leotard Schleck do look pretty damn punchy, and will presumably to try and ride Saxo Wank off the road, so might be tight enough come the mountains…..that said, hard to see anyone shaking him off
JVDB looks the danger man to me – will also be interesting to see how OLO use Phil Giblets, who seems so fucking hard this year, you’d wonder if he gets the MJ on his back in week one, if he won’t just decide he doesn’t want to give it back
Wiggo…..?
Is Chavanel back in? I thought they’d lobbed him according to cyclingnews??? Non? Hope he is picked, for some off the front entertainment
Can’t wait… come on le Petit Grimpeur!!
@Buck Rogers
I do wish that there was another longish ITT, aorund 50k, to help add some more excitement to the race, though.
agreed – might have to forgo my loyalty to Wiggo on that one sadly
not going to paick any sprinters for the GC this time either….. Doh!!
Anybody find it extremely odd that JVS is off Garmin’s tour squad and is replaced by a relatively anonymous rider? What are the circumstances behind this last minute sub, and why the hell wasn’t it Dan Martin?
I’m just stoked to see Julz up in thurr. After the terrible run of illness and injury he’s sustained recently it’s a great testament to his abilities and experience that JV has chosen him again despite having bugger all racing under his belt.
@Dr C
That’s one thing I’m really interested in seeing actually… I think Berto may have the ability for the double but I don’t think any of his teammates do.
JVDB is in my top five and I’m gonna be flat out stunned if Gilbert doesn’t take stage 4 on his birthday… He’s gonna destroy the Mûr-de-Bretagne! Going to be some great racing!
Hey, and I love the photo Frank.
LeMan back in the day with Raul Acala and Stephen Rooks rocking the PDM kit. Then Fignon and Robert Millar behind in the Z kit.
Bring on the Tour!
To answer the topic in hand, i think we maybe have too easily accepted the climber versus rouleur dichotomy. Much as the old “if you are good at Maths, you can’t be good at English Literature” thing aint true, perhaps niether is this.
The dark mutterings of le dopage is fine, but come on, it has always be the case to a certain extent so it is a bit glib to ascribe it to chemical means alone.
My view is that the art of timetrialling has been diminished in favour of climbing so they all acheive a lower standard here, giving the appearance of parity?
Or something.
@Zoncolan
From a mental standpoint, I agree that there should be no reason why a climber can’t time trial – both of them are a question of mental strength and the ability to push yourself beyond your own limits of tolerable pain.
The challenge is more a physiological one – and I’m not saying it’s impossible, by the way, I’m saying we haven’t seen it before. And the salient point is that it make for a shit spectacle to have someone dominate both. The problem is that the qualities in a rider that make for a good climber are not necessarily the same as those that make a good time trialist. In particular this means massive guns that can blow the doors off a fucking safe. Cancellara is the textbook time trialist. So is Ullrich, Indurain. Big, powerful riders who can generate loads and loads of power. And while they can make it up a hill at a good clip, they shouldn’t be able to hang with the communion wafers.
Although the article doesn’t state this, I do hold the belief that it’s due to doping that they managed to pull this off, by the way. Just an opinion (so far), and Pharmy would be less certain as his physique is more in the middle-ground, but Bertie is a waify guy like the Grimplette and should time trial like him. But instead he beats guys like Faboo. I’m skeptical to say the least.
another spot on “article” Frank. I for sure will be sharing this one with some of my friends.
Well said Frank!
And hello from Santa Monica, CA.
I’m on vacation with my wife…
No bike for some days!
Gilbert for the first few days along with Petacchi, Ferrari and Cav. Maybe Goss can throw a cat amongst the pigeons as well.
Bertie is strong but team may not be able to back up two tours, Cadelephant hopefully surprises us all, as will (maybe) Wiggo. Outside bet for top five is Canhego and maybe The Canuck Rider. Oh and I may as well list all the other favorites here as well.
Nicely put, Frank. Here here. Gilbert is my main man…my Johnny on the spot. It’ll be something to see him in yellow and another to see him finish. Top ten? Mon dieu!
@all
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@Pedale.Forchetta
Are you going to be up in Santa Barbara? If so, I’d be honored to show you around. Buon Viaggio PF!
@Xponti
Com’on Sammy, dance on those pedals! George, for chrissakes, win a stage. It’s been awhile (I understand, I’m old too. Very V). Maybe cuddles will give you a day. Bring it Tyler. Lookin’ for a home-state guy to excise some demons. Ivan, I can’t say that your fun to watch most times, but you gotta give clenbutador a hard time, so the other boys can sort it out. Brother Grimpeur the Younger: while it goes against the physics of going uphill, put on a couple pounds buddy. I think you’ll get faster. Keep up the good fight!
Is it the case that we’re seeing more and more mountain stages? It seems every year they add more climbing but keep TT stages about the same.
Maybe a couple of 80k TTs would level it out!!
Do you think it also has something to do with the fact that riders seem to specialise in the GTs, especially in the post-Armstrong era, even post-Indurain.
The former contenders you mention were often also riding and winning the classics and other races. It wasn’t all about one Tour. Therefore they would have been less able to maintain their performance over three weeks.
Whereas now the top GC contenders build their entire season and their entire team around a single race, or at most two. That must go some way to explaining better performance in a wider range of disciplines.
Plus doping of course.
Indurain didn’t struggle that badly in the climbs – he was routinely second or third on almost all of the big mountain stages of the Tours he won, and it could be argued he could have claimed a few if he wasn’t such a gift-giver!
Wow, nice one, Frank!
As a relatively new follower of PRO cycling it still amazes me how a rider could be so very, very good, a better cyclist than anyone most of us will ever pedal with, but still be far behind a climber if a TTer, or the other way around. I gain even more respect for these lads when I realize how challenging it is to be god in numerous disciplines.
I think it’s about specialization, sports science (bikes, wind tunnels, I don’t mean drugs) and sniping just a few races to truly race each year.
Bring back the Grand Tour!
@Oli
Oh, it’s good to be sparring with you again, old friend. It’s like Vader and Oli-Wan meeting again on The Death Star.
Indurain struggled like a bat trying to read War and Peace. He said so himself. Hanging with Cappuccino and Virenque was almost the death of him, by his own account. That’s not to be confused with successfully making it up with the front-runners by the sheer force of The V. In fact, he was quite a good climber, winning mountain stages when he was younger, so he could absolutely get over the hills.
The point I was trying to make, perhaps poorly, was that his strength was the Time Trials where he was unmatched, while in comparison to the best climbers – not just the other GC contenders – he struggled. When it came to climbing he was in a different class than the true mountain goats.
And, before you point it out, Anquetil, while a worse climber than Indurain, could also hold his own up the hills…the battle on Puy du Dome comes to mind.
@Oli
Sure, although I meant in the sense of a dominant rider who really specialised in the TDF, although Indurain also did the Giro of course.
Just posing the question about how much you can contrast the more all-round GT performances of modern riders, given the very different schedules and aims of riders pre-90s.
Then there is the Cyclops – he doesn’t climb well, he doesn’t TT well, and he’s not a Rouleur – but at least his socks match.
excellently said frank
i agree with what your saying in terms of the Grimpeur, the Rouleur, and all.
There are absolutes that make the differences. Its mass. period. Mass cannnot drag its ass over mtn tops like the thin air. Oxygenation, VO2’s perfusion ratio’s, and all these variables are sunk by mass in the altitude. The old saying that losing weight was the quickest and cheapest way to buy speed is a fact, but there is a breaking point obviously when you can’t hold it on the rolling stretches and that power is compromised at some point.
Cuntoder has transcended this as you alude to, and i think too he is doping better than ever by the evidence of his Giro performance. He was magnificent, one man’d it and really didn’t need much from his team at all. And that simply isn’t human.
Schlicks however, look very human, almost quirkey in their last TT’s as they tuned up, so that may be the bone of contention amongst them all, the last TT. by no accident btw, the french love the crescendo on the way to Paris.
Cuddles is a very good all arounder, not spectacular in the mtns, but can hang and then is a very apt TT.
and…where is Wiggo in all this? right. He will get dropped on stage 12 like a bad smell.
then there is Horner, my dark horse…on retirementshack, its his last real chance to do anything at the prom, and unmarked, he may do remarkable things? will see.
Ahhh, Euro pro, Le Velo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn0FF1KwL4I
Great article Frank – I agree that the birth of the climber/TT hybrid definitely takes some of the drama out of Grand Tours, but July is still my favourite month of the year. I’m perhaps most excited to see how Gilbert fares in the stages that look like they’ll finish in uphill group sprints or late solo attacks. Cav has already said he thinks Phil will win on July 5th since its birthday – its a done deal. Also, If he takes out Stage 1 and the maillot jaune, will he be breaking Rule #15 if he swaps out his white wristwatch with a yellow one?
@Pedale.Forchetta
Ah, welcome to the US of A! On next Monday, if you’re still here, you have to eat grilled bratwurst, processed potato chips which may or may not actually contain potato, and dring “beer” that is little more than flavored water. These colors don’t run, baby!
@ChrisO
It’s a good point, but as @Souleur points out, there is a physics thing involved too. To be good – even very good – at both is normal, even required of a rider to be a GT contender. Evans is a great example of that; good in both disciplines, but not the best.
What’s new in the equation is riders being the very best in both – Contador is the best climber AND the best TTer. It’s a step beyond being competitive in the discipline to beat the specialists in both areas.
@ramenvelo
I had not noticed that. And Dan Martin isn’t on the list? Man, what a bummer. I really like Dan Martin as a rider!
@harminator
Yeah, I am not sure why they are going away from 2 long ITT as well as mountain stages. I’m no historian, and could be completely wrong, but I seem to remember there always being at least 2 decent ITT back in the 70’s-90’s. Also, I do not think that there are that many more mountain stages than in the 70’s-to-2000. I would lobby for at least 2 50k+ ITT and 5 mountain stages. But then again, nobody asked me!
@frank
Head north to Santa Barbara. ‘Bout hourish drive. You can also head a bit SE of SB and hit Ojai (‘tho you’ll wish you had your bike. The Casitas Pass rd (150) is part of the TOC usually, and is a bitchen climb. The town is nice too, for a day trip. I spent a winter in Carpinteria riding and surfing (boy those were the days).
@frank
Now now Frank, you of all people (living in the PNW) should know that America has plenty of good beer these days. Portland has more breweries than Munich, FYI. I know you have major carbone for the Belgian ales, but it doesn’t mean all we have is piss beer!
Now, I’m looking forward to the TdF and will probably buy Versus “all access” pass, as I no longer have cable TV and sometimes those free streams can be wonky… I was getting quite annoyed at some points during the Giro when those streams would choose to stop working properly – and not being able to find a good English-language stream that worked well was annoying.
However, I’ll be sad if someone rolls right out of the gate to dominate early on, takes all the fun out of it as you put it so eloquently in the above article.
@frank
@mcsqueak
I’m going to be on vacation (sans even phone service) starting Friday. Hope that nothing bad happens while I’m in the woods.
Also, we should ship Frank a couple bottles of local stuff. I’m thinking Captured by Porches IPA, HUB IPA and Laurelwood Workingman.
In that regard, I’m not sure which part of Sea-town you live in Frank, but in Woodinville (or maybe it’s Bellevue) theres a joint called Malt and Vine. Think they carry those brands there.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
@mcsqueak
Ha-ha! Yeah, actually, I was saying that you should drink piss-beer to celebrate the 4th of July. PBR, if you can. Buy normally, I even pass over the Belgian brews and grab a nice domestic IPA. For my money, the US makes the best beer in the world these days.
That said, the best beer I ever had in my life was an illegal Kingfisher I had at a dive called “Moonraker” in Mahabalipuram, India. It was hot as hades and we’d just spent the day walking through granite ruins, baked completely through. Tamil Nadu has a prohibition on alcohol, so the server poured the illegal brew into tall, metal cups that looked like martini shakers. BEST.BEER.I.EVER.HAD.
Kingfisher, by the way, sucks. But is totally awesome.
@frank
Ah, thank goodness you were being ironic and I was just too daft to pick up on it. For a second I was about to get all sad.
PBR is a good piss beer choice, but way too popular with those ever-dreaded hipsters. For my money, Olympia is a good water beer, or my favorite when watching traditional American sports such as baseball: Miller Lite, preferably in a can.
Cool story about India – I bet anything would taste wonderful after walking around some hot, humid Indian ruins for the day.
@mcsqueak
@frank
Italy has plenty of piss beer as well. And there potato chips are rubbish. But I do miss that Sicilian food.
@mcsqueak
Dude. Are you to comparing Portland’s brewing tradition to Munich’s? Really?
Reminds me of a trip to Italy a few years ago. My wife and I were staying at a vineyard/agriturismo outside Orvieto, and I mentioned to the proprietor that my hometown (Santa Barbara) has a well regarded wine industry. He literally scoffed at me. here’s what he said, verbatim:
“You know, here, on this land, we have been growing grapes in exactly the same way for, oh, three thousand years. And in Santa Barbara?????”
I haven’t mentioned Santa Barbara wine in Italy since. lol
@sgt
I have plenty of love for European beer, and when I spent a month in Germany a few years back you better believe I drank as much beer as I could get my hands on. I drank beer from pubs older than America and at beer fests in the middle of the Bavarian farm country, so I get the tradition aspect – but I don’t think because you’ve been around for 500 years automatically gives you a lock on the quality department. And I believe a compelling argument could be made that the German Reinheitsgebot purity law puts a strange on creativity by those who abide by it.
So the guy is a snob that hasn’t done anything different in 3,000 years. I can think of a lot of things that have been improved over the last 3,000 years. Maybe he has in his possession the ultimate knowledge of how to grow grapes, on just the right land – but he could easily just be full of himself.
So yeah, Portland has been brewing beer for about, oh… 30 years now. I know we have a long way to go until we can claim some sort of grand history of brewing, but I have to say, in the quality department, Europe no longer has a lock on good beers – and America is more than just Bud, Coors and Miller.
@scaler911
We spent a couple of weeks with friends in Simi Valley last summer and took a trip us the coast to Santa Barbara and Ojai. Stunning.
I was without bike on that trip and much more into the gravity assisted end of mountain biking but seeing people riding the canyon roads up and over from Malibu to Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills started gnawing away at me when I got back. End result a new road bike and a complete shift in focus. Still hankering after riding up mountains is fairly pointless when you live in the bit of the UK that I do. Cambridgeshire is pancake flat!
@mcsqueak
Couldn’t agree with you more about the arrogance of some of old world beer and wine producers when, in fact, they have largely stagnated. It’s no surprise that a number of fading stars of the French industry have brought in Australian winemakers to bring them up to speed.
@Cyclops
Team Velominati FTW. We may not be “fast” but we’ll damn well have the right socks on. And drink good beer at the end, heck between Portland and Wellington, there’s only that godless land mass called Australia and we all know their beer tastes best out of a bucket.
@Chris
Yeah, I’m with you there. That’s not to say I can’t appreciate the hypocrisy of my own geographical-favoritism, as if I weren’t born and raised here I wouldn’t give a crap about the beer made in this town, just like the guy who sgt spoke to in Italy who was extremely proud of his 3,000 year-old vines.
But when your favorite beer (Hopworks Seven Grain Stout FTW) is brewed two miles from your house, it’s hard to get all worked up about beer that is made 5,000 miles away and hard to not consider the local stuff somehow better, despite it being new.
@mcsqueak
Agreed. But the best beer in the world IMHO is Guinness. Not the pasteurized, shipped a zillion miles version we get here, the one you get at the brewery in Dublin. And, like you, it was kinda cool drinking it in a pub that was established 100 years before the Revolutionary War. (And I’m Irish, so…….).