The early eighties saw the tide change in the European Peloton. Components were taking on a new, curvy shape as they left their boxy forms behind. The glint of toe clips in the sun would become a rarer sight as the move towards clipless pedals would take hold in 1985. English speakers were winning the big races classically won by continental Pros.
The 1984 Tour could be my favorite edition of the race. In 1983, the rookie Laurent Fignon had won in the absence of Le Patron, Bernard Hinault. The 1984 race saw the two go head-to-head, with Fignon becoming the one and only person in history to have laughed at Hinault and lived. He did more than live, he won. The new guard was here, and they were making their presence known.
This photo is from the stage to l’Alpe d’Huez. LeMond was riding in support of Fignon, and Robert Millar, in his second Tour, was leading the King of the Mountains competition, which he would eventually win. Millar wrote an account of this stage in Issue 13 of Rouleur, which everyone should make an effort to find a copy of. He describes the attacks that come fast and furious on the penultimate climb in such vivid detail, it makes my guns ache. But worse than that is his and LeMonds effort to hold on to Fignon and Hinault’s wheels in the ride through the valley to Le Bourg d’Oisans and the base of the final climb. It is the perfect description of the suffering of the Cyclist. LeMond, in service to his leader, is on the front one moment as he reels Hinault in after an attack, before being cast into the gutter and the back wheel a moment later when the next attack comes.
Just as 1984 was a watershed moment in the Pro peloton, 2013 is a watershed year for the VSP. This year we are offering five amazing prizes from five amazing partners.
Prizes
First prize is a Veloforma Strada iR road frame, painted in an exclusive Velominati color scheme with the newly-designed Velominati Super Prestige logo. Please note that this is a brand-spankin’ new frame for Veloforma. The geometry can be reviewed here.
Second prize is a pair of Café Roubaix carbon tubular wheels. The winner of this prize will be given the choice between the sub-1000g Haleakala wheels or a road version of my beloved Arenberg wheelset. As an additional incentive, anyone who enters their picks in the Tour VSP will get a $200 discount on any wheelset at Café Roubaix.
Third prize is a pair of Bont cycling shoes. The winner of this prize will be assisted in selecting the size, color, and model of shoe.
Fourth prize is a Flandrian Best kit from DeFeet consisting of a wool U-D-Shirt, Arm Skins, Kneekers, Slipstreams, and a pair of V-Socks.
Fifth prize is a wool jersey from our Keepers Tour tour partners, Pavé Cycling Classics.
Many thanks to each of our sponsors for providing such exciting prizes.
Rules
Enter your picks for the top five riders on G.C. by the time the countdown clock goes to zero; Grand Tour scoring rules apply. Check the mapping of your picks by the end of Stage 1 and use the dispute system should it be mapped incorrectly.
We will be enforcing Piti Principle rules much more closely. We will be accepting pick disputes through the start of Stage 2. After that, it will be at The Keepers’ discretion as to whether or not we allow the dispute. If your pick is ambiguous and we map them to the wrong rider, make sure you check your disputes before the deadline; we may reject the dispute after that time. For example, should both Tony and Dan Martin take the start and you enter “Martin” as your pick, we will pick one for you and you will have to live with it if you forget to dispute it before the deadline.
Good luck, and Merckxspeed.
Update: This is the same paint scheme that the winner will have, except the VSP Winner’s Badge will be replacing the V-Lion.
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View Comments
@VeloVita
That's a poor apology for lame coverage.
I know they are not in charge of the pictures - by saying that someone competent should be in charge I meant as a broadcaster. Give it to someone who actually has a track record in innovative sports coverage, which rules out any French networks. But no, year after year ASO hands the host rights to France Television.
You're right if there is a chateau then it is pretty much obligatory to talk about it even if it sounds utterly ridiculous to break into coverage of sweaty men on bikes to discuss the marriage of Charles the 8th and who built a bridge in 1882. What really grates on me is their delivery in a way intended to make us think that they have actually researched this rather than reading it from a book.
But saying people tune in for that it is self-fulfiling. As Henry Ford (was supposed to have) said, "If I asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses". I find it hard to believe that the cycling forums with so many people saying they dislike the coverage are somehow an isolated minority, and with multi-screen technology it is perfectly possible to offer people something they all want.
Days like today are perfect for background coverage, rider profiles, competitions, fan-chats, interviews, pre-packaged inserts. If not everyone wants to watch that then put it online and synch it to the screen coverage as a number of advertisers are doing to get people more engaged during ad breaks.
I don't know where you are but look at coverage of sports like Test Cricket where they manage to fill 5 days coverage at a time. They use graphics, they have analysis and programmes like Test Match Special which does it all on radio have evolved to be highly entertaining. A simple thing is using teams of commentators in relay, not the same pair droning on for hours.
It really is rubbish. ASO is to blame and France Televisions is to blame and the UCI is to blame because they actually prevent much of the innovation like on-board live telemetry from riders. P1 and P2 aren't to blame, they're just crap.
Sorry for the rant but I work in television, I've produced live coverage and I know just how bad it is and how good it could be.
@Ron
But I still have to go with Ron on this one. Sure they might be more plugged in on the bike, etc but they could still sit at the fuckin table and actually make eye contact and chat a bit. And I think Ron was kind of using the pro cycling team in an anology for all of life and how tuned out people are to those right next to them, esp if they are loved ones and all everyone is doing is texting and facebooking and not paying any attention to the real, non-virtual people right beside them. I've seen this at my buddies house where he, his wife and his two daughters were all in the living room "watching" TV but all had iPhones/Ipad touches, iPads out and were all texting and chatting on them at the same time with other people. No one had a clue that the other person was thinking or talking about with their online friends. They did this for an hour and then all went to bed. WTF?
No change in the standings; I'll be curious to see the injury report later today. I didn't like how some of those guys were moving, especially Boss Hogg.
Is it just me or has this year's tdf seemed fuck'in BORING to follow so far??? We are over halfway through it and nothing seems to have really happened? Besides one good stage I have been bored to death by it. Probably just me. Cannot wait for some decent mountains to come along.
@Buck Rogers All just you. What were you expecting to happen?
@Buck Rogers
I think you hit the nail on the head....the sprint stages are just plain boring. Corsica was stunning but I think the dreary coverage by p1 and p2 is taking its toll. I am however looking forward to the mountains!
@unversio
Also they have tried to visit some of the original towns from 1903. These were interesting back then because you regularly had French running out and beating up the Belgians, throwing tacks on the road and general good shit like that....heady days!
@Deakus
Me, too. Although Sunday morning (Ventoux, bien sûr) I'll be in the boonies drinking bad coffee before mounting That Fucking Mountain Bike and will have to watch the re-broadcast.
Did Porte go down today, too? I only caught the final sprint. I thought I read that he got caught up in an earlier crash.
@Buck Rogers
I loved both weekend stages, but then, I'd been off the grid for a whole week and seeing a moving picture might have been mesmerizing me. I agree a bit, though, it hasn't been too thrilling. Neither was the Giro. The Classics were great, though.