The Death of the Grand Tour

LeMond and Fignon do battle in the high mountains.

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.

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.

View Comments

  • @mcsqueak

    @scaler911
    I'd like to try Guinness over there some day - I've heard it's good. I'm not such a big fan of the stuff we get over here. Though if I ever find myself in Ireland I'll probably be too busy drinking the whiskey...

    SCOTLAND FOR THE WHISKEY Don't make me angry.

  • @minion

    @mcsqueak

    @scaler911
    I'd like to try Guinness over there some day - I've heard it's good. I'm not such a big fan of the stuff we get over here. Though if I ever find myself in Ireland I'll probably be too busy drinking the whiskey...

    SCOTLAND FOR THE WHISKEY Don't make me angry.

    Yes. But you gotta admit, 100 y/o Irish is better than anything from Kentucky.

  • @frank

    @ChrisO

    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.

    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.

    Agreed. With the exceedingly quick advancement in pharmacology, it's no wonder if you have talent (no doubt clenbutador has a load of that), and good physicians, you can get around peeing in a bottle, and crush tiny Columbians in the mountains, and the brute strength of the likes of Cancellara. Pass me a Spanish steak please, rare (don't wanna burn off the good stuff). See you at Masters nationals.

  • @mcsqueak
    Once upon a time I lived outside of Seattle and I remain partial to Rainier for a cheap brew. It still doesn't hold a candle to my all time favorite shitty beer - Miller High Life. Long live the girl in the moon.

  • @rufio
    My current tipple of choice - Belgian strong-ale style, made using Ardennes yeast (and called "Ardennes") and exceedingly tasty. Even if it wasn't brewed right here in Wellington I'd still rate it.

  • Good Evening, mes amis.

    Just finished "We Were Young and Carefree." Fignon suggested much longer ITT's, like back in the day. I'm good with that. I want the TTT's back, too. Oh, and he said to put three hellacious climbing days together in a row. Yes, please.

    Pedale, when in SF, go to Telegraph Hill and imagine racing your bike up that thing. Ouch.

    Cheap beer for me on July 4th? Lone Star. Accompanied by my body weight in BBQ brisket and beef ribs. Dessert? Warm peach cobbler with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. Life's simple pleasures.

    Yes, my socks match, too. But sometimes my bidons don't.

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