January 25, 2010
Cobblestone school
Since this year’s Tour de France will be contested on the narrow, wind-swept, and cobblestone streets of Belgium during its first week, many of the top GC contenders have started making some noise about spending some time in that country to brush up on their cobblestone riding skills. Lance Armstrong, for one, is set to ride the race most consider the most difficult of the “flat” classics, the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Alberto Contador, has also indicated that he’ll be spending some time on the Belgian stones, in order to acclimate to the feel, so to speak. Other GC men will surely follow suit, since a rookie mistake on the cobbles during the fast first week of the Tour could take a rider out of contention in a heartbeat.Personally, I can think of nothing better than having the greats of the grand tours in the classics. After all, these guys make the rest of the peloton look almost foolish in the high mountains, so why shouldn’t they get to look less than stellar on the hard roads of the north. Or better, wouldn’t it be great to see one of these guys do well in the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix? No, I’m not calling for a return to the peloton of yesteryear, but wouldn’t it be cool to see one of these top contenders attacking on the Muur van Geraardsbergen or the Bosberg like in the days of Merckx?
Looking at only the two riders who are commanding the most media attention these days regarding the Tour, I am at a loss to determine which one has the better plan. Although his stated plan is somewhat vague, it seems that Contador will only be checking out the stones via training and course reconnaissance missions in Belgium. Armstrong, on the other hand, plans to race the Tour of Flanders.
At first glance, I like Lance’s plan better. Riding on cobblestones is not that hard, but racing on them is a different story. For those of you who have raced mountain bikes, riding on cobblestones is a lot like riding the average cross-country race course – really not all that hard. But when you’re at pro race speed, just a couple inches from the rider in front of you, little things become a lot more technical than they are at beginner speed.
Contador’s plan, on the other hand, has its own benefits. No rider can become a cobblestone expert after a couple of races on them. Perhaps the Spaniard knows that and has opted to simply avoid any potential for injury caused by a high-speed crash on the stones. On the other hand, while it is pretty easy to simulate race conditions in the high mountains – the dude rides alone there much of the time anyway – there is no way to simulate racing on the stones without a bunch of northern European lunatics bouncing off of you.
Personally, I don’t view the Belgian stones as a deal-breaker for any of the top contenders unless they end up getting stuck behind one of the giant pile-ups that often happen in the classics. However, it will, absolutely, take more energy for a smaller rider to stay in the front over the cobbles than a larger one, because even with modern frame design, lighter riders bounce around more than heavier ones do.
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15 Responses to “Cobblestone school”
Is there anything more nerve wracking than the first week of the Tour? Even better when they head through the lowlands of Benelux and take in roads used for the great cobbled classics, as well as the hillier classics.
Contador’s plan will be good enough. He only needs to get through a couple sections and he has no problem with getting position.
Not making predictions here, but these \different\ stages of the TdF more often than not take out one or more supposed contenders. Remember the Passage du Gois? These light riders take a beating in the really hard flat stages, especially with a less than stellar team. Positioning is key, and if you let your guard down for a minute, you’re done (e.g. Moreau in a recent tour).
I kinda wonder if Trek and Specialized will have their “comfort” type bikes available for their respective riders. That is the Roubaix and the Trek-thing with the elastomeric insert at the ST/SS junction (if I remember right). DeVolder has used a Tarmac for the RVV, but if there are multiple stages and it’s in the first week, it’d be interesting to see or know if Lance and Alberto will have (or choose) a different option…
Just throwin’ it out there…
If memory serves me, Georce Hincapie rode Trek rubber-washer-things in his Paris-Roubaix attempts.
I think it would be good to see Armstrong take a proper shot at the spring classics this year. I’m no Armstrong supporter, but he has the strength, tactical nouse and bike handling to do well in these events, increasing his appeal to a broader spectrum of fans.
Lemond was pretty good in the classics before he got himself shot. Maybe the new Lance should model his approach on Lemond’s early career. Controversial? Maybe cycling has changed too much for tour contenders to do this anymore??
This isn’t Lance’s first rodeo. He’s ridden Flanders a few times already. He was also a “Classics” rider before becoming a Tour winner. He is said to be an adept mountain biker too (Leadville winner). Not saying he won’t struggle. But if he does, it won’t be from a lack of experience.
Lance is also slated to do the Amstel Gold and Luik-Bastenaken-Luik races. It’ll be fun watching him stomp up the Cauberg!
If nothing else it will spice things up for sure.
Mmmmm.. This is an outrage.
I can’t wait to see the goofy-ass, tricked-out Trek they give Lance for Ronde. I really really hope there’ll be a special mud-themed graphics package.
Will Lance be getting any pointers from George on how to cry and whimper into the radio to YoHan when he gets his fifth flat?
Just wondering.
-B
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTgxNjkyMDIzMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDQ0MDI3._V1._SX485_SY322_.jpg
I thinkwhat Mulla was trying to say was this;
http://www.29-95.com/files/images/HI_J0236.JPG
Yo, Mullah…..WTF?
In the 1989 Tour they used some of the Paris/ Roubaix cobbles and all it managed to do was maim some Columbians and Spanish riders. Riders like Contador will manage to glide through. He only weighs about 8 stone, so will just skim over the top as long as he stays in the top 20. This is just the preamble to the real stuff anyway, so staying upright is enough to stay alive.
The reason cycling sucks now compared to the 80’s or 90’s is that people like Indurain & Armstrong just turn up for the money shot at the Tour. No slogging it out like Fignon, LeMond, Hinault, Kelly from January to October. Look up the 1989 Tour & see what real hardmen do or did, Yellow jersey attacking from the front. Time trial to the death, this was the golden age, if only we had known what we were witness to.
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