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
@Deakus
Measuring the height of their bus at 1:49 is also a nice touch.
@PeakInTwoYears, @wiscot
Those pictures really skew what's going on. I don't think there's a question that Veelers went off his line by a bit, but the offending action to me is Cav's sharp movement back over with the shoulder and bike to cut back in. Mark had already deviated to avoid the rider and was well clear, but then chose to go back in, and it looks very much like a flick. There was no reason/need for him to cut back in that nature.
It does surprise me a bit, however, that Veelers went down so hard; it doesn't seem like a hard enough push to cause the bike to disappear.
@frank
What you said! No need for it.
I have no idea what Wiscot is looking at and I have looked at the shots and the replays plenty. Veelers drops his head....fades right a tad and Cav says...take that fucko! I can't believe he's got away with it. Poor riding by Veelers but it didn't deserve that. If Cav is so ok with it then why did he blow up at the first interviewer who asked him if it was his fault. He basically assulted the guy and took his recorder and stormed on to the bus. The recorder was later returned. I've always been a Cav fan but this is just too much. He's on twitter asking if anyone can flick their bike right and not counter balance by leaning left at 65kph. He didn't flcik his bike right ffs. Then he's saying the road bears left so that's why he did it but that's bullshit too, it bears left about 50 yards away and his bike stays straight while hes up and out and leaning hard to the left to make contact. Disgusting!
I'm still not seeing it. I'm seeing guys jockeying for position and I'm seeing guys in full sprint. I'm seeing Veelers veer right and letting up. Throwing a shoulder, though? I don't see it. Cav's getting into full spring mode in order to catch a wheel and the bike is going back and forth as he hammers on the pedals. There was no deliberate contact on Cav's part"”if anything he cut left into the slipstream a fraction early, but I think this is Veelers's doing, after Kittel went (very) wide to his left. His job was to hold his line, and he walked (I'm sure unintentionally) into Cav's path. At that kind of speed, I can't imagine Cav even saw him as he was already focused on the finish.
@wiscot
The visual evidence I have suggests to me exactly this interpretation. And I really don't give a rat fuck about Cavendish.
(Although I would have said "reflexively." But that's because I'm a fucking pedant.)
And instead of "challenge," I might have said "guy who blew his wad and couldn't hold his line and was going to put me on the tarmac."
Can't bash Cav, I used to think he was an arrogant twat. He has shown such maturity over the last couple seasons, he's one of my favorite riders now. There's a new paradigm for racing, and sprinting especially (and I don't mean no drugs). There are so many riders to battle through who have no chance, but get in the way of a pure sprint finish...
I just saw that Renshaw may be signed to Omega, Cav has to be flipping cartwheels to have that locomotive back on the train!
Changing the subject temporarily back to commentators, I'll bet they are all glad to be working on the TdF at the moment. If they were working at the Tour of Qinghai Lake, they would have had to welcome yesterday's stage winner Pourseyedigolakhour Mirsamad. Who knows what P1, P2 or MK would have made of that?
@Bianchi Denti
Jeez. I thought Spanish names were hard.
@frank
certainly looked like cav was pissed to lose again(and get blocked in).lowered his shoulder and took veelers out,if it had been reversed,cav would be crying up a storm. he may be the fastest sprinter,but he's a little wanker.imho.