The Great Escape
There is a sense of weightlessness that accompanies speed; a strange feeling for any Earthbound creature who temporarily breaks Gravity’s relentless grip – an intoxicating blend of liberty and a sense impeding doom. The day I learned to ride a bike, I felt this sensation spread through me like a virus; immediately my eyes cast to the dirt trail behind the house as the most obvious opportunity to discover just how fast I could go and how far I could get. The excitement filled first my hands and my feet, then it billowed up through body to my shoulders and dazzled me with splendidly blurred vision as I sped down that very trail which previously I had only ever walked along.
The freedom that accompanied these feeling lingers with me today, and their intoxicating qualities express themselves every time my eyes cast upon a bicycle.
The bicycle has represented freedom to Cyclists since well before the turn of the last century. From the start, the question of how far and how fast the bicycle can be ridden has captivated not only those riding, but anyone who cares to spectate. A kilometer, then 5, then 500; race organizers quickly discovered what any modern Cyclist knows; make a ride sound crazy enough, and you’ll attract more than enough idiots to make a spectacle. So was born the sport of Bicycle Racing.
The classical tale we tell is that throughout the pre-War and post-War eras; when Cycling represented a reprieve from the labor of a hard daily life underground or in the fields. Many of the competitors in the Tour were workers who took time from their usual work to race across the great expanse of France. Even the great champions of Cycling’s Golden Era in the 1950’s would have chanced a life with hands gripping a set of handlebars against sickle, hammer, or shovel. Bobet, Anquetil, our Prophet Merckx, Hinault, and Fignon faced life in a field or market versus life as one of the greatest shaping forces our sport has known. It wasn’t until recently when Cycling became a financially attractive occupation; Merckx, in his most winning years, earned as much as his son Axel did as a domestique in the 2000’s.
But the notion of Cycling as an escape from a hard life in the fields may not be dead yet; as many of us now know, Nairo Quintana grew up in rural Colombia, riding 18 kilometers uphill to school (both directions, and naked in four seasons of Winter, supposing our collective grandfathers shared his fate). The bicycle didn’t just free him from the confines of his childhood; the bicycle elevated Nairo Quintana and his family into another stratosphere altogether.
I don’t know very much about life in Colombia and whether his newfound fame will lead to a better or more rewarding life for him. That remains for him to discover, and like anyone who pushes into the unknown, he will need to square his new demons against his old in order to find those answers. But what I do know is that, like it did for us, the bicycle has freed him from his perceived boundaries and set him free explore new territories.
It would seem, then – at least for this moment – that the Golden Era of Cycling is not yet beyond our grasp.
Klaus from Cycling Inquisition and the guys from Manual for Speed (Klaus wrote the pieces for MFS) have done some nice work on Quintana and the current development of Colombian riders in general. Both sites are worth a look if you’re interested in learning a little more about where he comes from/how the Colombian rider development system works. I’m really happy for Quintana – it was great to see him smile as he took his stage win, as well as on the podium last night as opposed to the, shall we say, ‘stoic’ facial expression we got for the whole of the race.
The question is…..is he riding La Vuelta? Can’t wait to see more of that poker face especially against the collective Spanish steak boys. LA Vuelta this year has one ITT, one TTT and 6 flat stages and the rest is all glorious lumpy stuff with the Angliru thrown in to sort the men out from the Columians….it is going to be epic!
The Dude: Fuckin’ Quintana… that creep can roll, man.
@TBONE
Quintana was my favorite aspect of the race, by far.
Quintana was awesome. Loved the way he rode and the fact that he was one of the few who really tried to take it Froome. I was delighted for him when he took Saturday’s stage, it would have been a real shame if he hadn’t of taken a stage win.
His ITT let him down somewhat, 3’28” off the pace, considering that he was only 17 seconds behind Tony Martin over 24km in the Tour of the Basque Country.
Hopefully he’ll be lighting up the climbs for a good few years to come.
@PeakInTwoYears
I would like to have seen what Valverde would have been capable of. I am generally no fan of his, but he rode with guts and determination, he was in with a real chance, lost it through real bad luck in the echelons, then rode like a spanked rhino for his team mates and ultimately climbed back up to 8th position… he has earned respect from me that was missing before this years TdF.
Wow! He was so inspiring and what he accomplished is amazing. I am sure his country is absolutely elated with his performances.
@Deakus
Yeah, I’m no big Malmerde fan, but if he hadn’t had hat ill-timed puncture, he’d have been in the mix for sure.
@Deakus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXT0gOk1Ogw
good work Frank
I have often considered this point, that our discipline elevates the underprivilaged
However, lets keep in context something you say which I have had contention with and am not sure what to conclude
True, but compared to other sport like Baseball where A-rod gets 250 mil bucks, or the nefarious sport of basketball that gives out unreal money for a career…our sport is still yet the pauper of them all, yet the worlds 2nd most popular sport…fact.
1. soccer
2. Cycling
But to just focus on the money would then turn to the material only aspect and perhaps give up the very virtues that have made it the greatest sport in the world
@Chris
Quintana is a stud, and I am a big fan
he reminds me of another I loved to watch
Julio!!! he was like a billy goat going up a mtn on speed
@Deakus
not sure, he did the Giro too
It was indeed awesome to have another Colombian climber take to KoM jersey and even better that he was prepared to take the race to Froome. I loved when he got so upset when he couldn’t beat him up to Ax 3 Domaines. It was only right he was able to go and go again on Semnoz.
Back in the day I enjoyed watching Santiago Botero but the history from that era have clouded those memories a little now. Then there was Mauricio Soler but that 2011 crash in the Tour de Suisse put paid to his cycling career after a long and unsuccessful recuperation. At last a new climbing kid on the block.
Great read in the afterglow of the tour, nice one Frank. Who can forget the first time they pushed off and balanced. Then the feeling of almost flight, as you so eloquently said. For me, it was summer on a borrowed bike in a friends garden. The family were considerably better off than mine, and had a large square garden, that I remember doing many, many laps of. Great days.
Love the examples you gave of past greats, escaping from the fields, mines or factories, and I think goes some way to understanding the pressure to win and succeed, sometimes at all costs.
@TBONE
Love it!….Intelligent editing and the passion just carries it!!
I also was thinking of La Vuelta and the glory that would be Purito vs Q on 23% ascents.
Of course Nairo Quintana is No.1 in the upcoming Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian
@Souleur
Aaah the likelihood then I guess is no, but he could go for the triple fuelled solely by his delight at his Tour placing!
@itburns
I have to say I would probably still back Purito…that explosive jump on the steepest sections is not something I have seen from Quintana yet….I have a feeling it might be a JRod/Valverde spank fest…
@itburns
Bring it on!
@Deakus
With no Contador, no Schlecks, no Wiggo, and, I thought, no Purito, this Vuelta is Malmerde’s for the taking. There’s no way Movistar will put Quintana in the race as well, just in case he “accidentally” beats his boss (bribes the mechanics to install another faulty wheel?).
But look out at the world champs, I reckon. The Firenze course has a lot fo steep hills. Nairo should nail it.
Quintana handed it to Purito stage after stage on the long slow burn, so head to head, its no contest on a mtn climb
punchy short stuff, now, it would be a race, but on stage 20, it still went to the Q factor
@Bianchi Denti
@Deakus @itburns My apologies. I’ve just read the article explaining that Putrito IS riding the Vuelta. But I still reckon Valverde will win.
Someone should buy Purito a Zippo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvsHetU6DLM
@Bianchi Denti You know Nibali is riding the Vuelta right?
Also Nairo Quintana didn’t ride the Giro whoever said that.
@lucky
So it is all shaping up quite nicely….in fact i would go so far as to say the tdf will end up the turd in a shit sandwhich!
@PeakInTwoYears
No doubt. He can dance on the pedals like Al-Bertie, but without the endless ego and trash talking.
@Deakus
It’s not always a poker face. He looks kind of angry here, and JRod doesn’t look too happy either.
The WC should be a great race. Cancellara is targeting it too (?!) and I imagine Nibali will be all over it.
@gregorio
He’s just so composed on the bike. Everything goes into the drivetrain, to move him up the road. I like watching Tommy V., too, paradoxically. But if I could choose between the two, I’d be Quintana for sure.
Old training advice I read somewhere, in the context of running I’m afraid: if your face and hands are relaxed, the rest of you is probably relaxed, too. That helped me run better, and I try to remember it, now, while riding.
It seems obvious that Quintana doesn’t waste anything. I admire that.
@Souleur I recall I read somewhere in the 80’s in Winning magazine LeMond scratched a $ sign on his head stem. The rest is history.
For all of you singing the praises of Valverde, please look back a bit beyond this last month.
Yes, he is a fine racer, but he has had more of his share of luck re: mechanicals, doping shenanigans and dodgy assistance from his Spanish buddies.
The 09 Vuelta was only his because “neutral” assistance left Evans for 5+ minutes on the side of the road with a flat, and his 09 Dauphine win was achieved with more than a little help from Contador (on a different team) working over poor Cuddles.
If his doping ban had started when it should have (in 09) – he would not have even started in those races!
I have to love Quintana for the fact that he’s one of the very few in the peloton that I can’t watch for positioning and riding style help because he’s too small.
Ha, Merckx. Just read in the Fotheringham book that he used to make bicycle deliveries for his father, then the milkman, by bicycle. So he was a bike messenger! And also a grocer. Also love that he disliked school and knew he had to win his early races or else his mother wouldn’t let him give racing a go. Slicing meat, cracking books, nope, I want to ride my bike for a living.
Oh yeah, and great writing Frank!
It makes me both happy and sad that I still experience the pure joy of riding a bicycle on a daily basis. I’m happy because nothing can change me from glum to cheery in five minutes like jumping on a bike. Sad because too many folks give it up as the dabbling of kids. Get out and ride, folks!
In the words of H.G. Wells: “Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.”
If the Vuelta follows form, 2013 could be one of the best years in many for all three grand tours.
@Souleur Quintana did not ride the Giro, as far as I know.
@Deakus
I don’t know what you’ve been watching these last three weeks, but Valverde was capable of 8th* (drug cheat), possibly the best tour since Le Man and you call it a turd, quite what needed to happen for you to enjoy this I don’t know. I thought it was a Battle Star of Awesome, truckload just isn’t even close. The best three sprinters mashed it head to head numerous times, stunning attacks in the Pyrennes, brilliant teamwork on the plains in the wind, amazing support from the various teams for their leaders, climbing stars of the future hinting at what is to come, good God man wake up! BTW do you like bike racing? Giro-shit, TDF-turd, Vuelta-shit, WTF?
The vuelta will be interesting, but I’d be hard pressed to bet against Nibbles. That being said we’ve seen amazing performances this year from Nibbles, Froome, Faboo, Sagan, etc but its really hard not to love Quintana and the stone cold face that masks fury, passion, and suffering. Unlimited talent and potential.
@piwakawaka
My rationale was outlined in the tdf 2013 thread. To save you hunting here is part of it;
“I have to say this years Tour for me was pretty dull. The best day by far was the day when the wind decimated the field and the riders had to either grab the right wheel or suffer the consequences. By comparison the Giro and last years Vuelta were far better and the fact that the GC and Green Jersey were pretty much done and dusted in the first week left me a little flat. Funnily enough last years tour I found less then enlightening too…maybe big is not always best.”
Considering i watched all bar two stages live on the telly, i would say, yes, i do like bike racing…
I find the differences between how Quintana has been received – generally with much praise and very little scepticism – and the shit that has been thrown at Froome quite illuminating.
Nice backstory, poor family, looks good, Latino/south American v privileged colonial upbringing, ungainly, British, bitchy girlfriend.
How much of the debate is about that, not doping ?
@Deakus yeah read that post as well, which is what I really can’t understand “I have to say this years Tour for me was pretty dull” seriously? Definitely the best Tour this Century, If you can’t see it I’m not going to point it all out, suffice to say there was some very fuckin good bike racing going on, maybe you got too much of a good thing?
@piwakawaka You could be right. I think if I watched edited highlights then the whole think might well have been very exciting. Different elements of racing excite different people. The thing that appeals to me most about the Grand Tours is “Game of Chess” strategic elements. How do the teams respond/try to get an edge over their competition.
For me having a large time gap early on kind of kills it, yes, it is interesting watching them try and close the gaps but ultimately something is lost when there is already a clear position at the outset. Credit to Froome for not riding as defensively as Wiggins last year but although the mountain stages were good the flat stages were too many too close together.
Prudholme had a good idea in having mountain stages near the back end, the evening finish was great and the day in the wind was eyeballs out good, but ultimately the TT’s are spoiling things by having a disprportionate influence on the times.
Personally I would like to see the ITT got rid of, but accept some people may love them.
Just imagine how great it would have been if those final couple of days in the mountains had not been raced with a leader 5 mins ahead…funnily enough, scrub the TT’s and that may have happened.
Over simplistic I know, but I have to say the last Giro and Vuelta were much more exciting for me….this years Vuelta looks like a stonker too..
@ChrisO
Ofc not even touching on Colombias relationship with drugs….good point!
Dude is a stone cold mountain killer!! VIVA Quintana!! Great to see the Columbians make a name back in the Alps!
@Deakus I have never understood the ITT in the stage race, as a percentage of the whole race they have far too much influence on the result, road racing requires the entire suite of skills and tactical nous, a fuckton of V and a liberal dose of stupid, the ITT needs just V and stupid. Has there always been ITT at TDF?
@piwakawaka
No..they were removed for one or two years I think in the 90’s when Big Mig was dominating the shit out of everyone. I think however this just made him angry….he ate extra Paella over the winter, trained harder in the spring and then basically did his own mountain TT against the peloton and won. There is an epic clip, Ill dig it out and find out more about the years where TT’s were removed, I have only heard it mentioned so Ill dig about and see what can be turned up.
@Deakus
All of Indurain’s Tours had TTs. Dunno where you got that idea from but it aint right. The stage you might be thinking of was in 95 when he rode the bunch off his wheel – bar Bruyneel – who sat on the whole way and then won the stage.
@piwakawaka
Struggling to find references to the removal of ITTs but the TTT did not run from 2004 until its return in 2009.
The first TT was La Roche-Sur-Yon to Nantes (80km) in 1934.
I think this was Big Migs epic climb…Sur La Plaque without even getting out of the saddle..