VeloBalls

Bike reviews and cycling news that BITES

Andrew Talansky

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Talansky licks tarmac, Gerrans says ‘buh?’

Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) denied inflicting the crash that sent Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) tumbling during the sprint for the finish in the town-center of Nancy at the very end of another feverish stage at the Tour de France on Fri.

Talansky unashamedly blamed the Australian national champion for the accident, yet Gerrans demanded that he didn’t malignantly cause the spill and recommended Talansky ought to watch the replay to see precisely what happened.

“I’m sorry that he crashed, but I think as everyone saw, there wasn’t any malice about it, and I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Gerrans told eagerly waiting outside the Orica-GreenEdge bus.

“As I think everyone saw, we were in a pretty select group going for the win. I saw in the footage afterwards that Talansky went down. I think when he sees what happens, too, he’ll be able to see that I’m moving from the left to the right and he’s moving from the right to the left and he fell on my back wheel.”

Gerrans has previous experience of licking tarmac just metres from the finish line; he was only recently the victim of a crash when he went head to head with Mark Cavendish. The British sprinter was left with cracked ligaments and a separated shoulder and was unable to continue within the Tour.  Gerrans landed on his back and has struggled to perform because of his wounds.

He finished fifth in the sprint at Nancy and got into trouble while moving across the road, looking for a gap to push through behind Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Tony Gallopin (Lotto Belisol) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano).

“Today was a good indication that I’m recovering. Unfortunately, I didn’t get up for a place there but that’s the best I felt since stage 1. That’s all looking good moving forward,” he said optimistically.

“I had an unlucky first few days, but I seem to be coming round now. I’m recovering from the crashes and feeling a lot better.”

When pushed for his gut feeling on how well he would do in today’s stage (to Gerandmer) Gerrrans didn’t want to have a take a punt at guessing, but having seen the climbs that will brutalise riders during the last 20km his reluctance seems entirely justified.

 

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Contador expects rumble in Roubaix

Always a game-changer, the vicious cobblestone streets Paris-Roubaix promise to be a pivotal point in the Tour de France.

With the help of the Tinkoff-Saxo team, rider Alberto Contador hopes for solace in the expected brutal conditions. And with projected weather forecasts including harsh rain and high winds, every rider will be looking for any edge-up they can get.

Rewind four years back to 2010 and the world saw Andy Shleck and Cadel Evans trounce Contador in a hard fought battle on the streets of Paris-Roubaix. This year, rivals of Contador such as Andrew Talansky and Michael Kwiatkowski have the aid of former Classics veterans. Contador has no such advantage.

However, he hopes that the defensive riding of his Tinkoff-Saxo teammates will be enough of an edge to lead him to victory en route to Arenberg.

Following a tortuous 155.5 kilometer route starting in Ypres to the Arenberg Forest, all the riders including Spain’s Contador fear the unavoidable wet conditions which will reduce traction on the pavement to that of ice. In addition to the treacherous rain, riders are cautious about the call for strong, fast winds.

“The weather forecast is very bad. Already without bad weather it will be a complicated stage but with rain it will be like ice-skating with bikes,” maligns Contador.

Yet despite the calls for hellish weather, Contador is hopeful for himself and his team. “But we are concentrated and we’ll ride the sections together as a team.”

 

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Tears and Sweat at the Tour de France Warm-up race

Cycling is a sport that consolidates blood, sweat and tears. And things were not any different at the Tour de France warm-up race (the Criterium du Dauphine). Though blood was not evident, a sweat-drenched Andrew Talansky proved his mettle and won the Tour de France warm-up race ahead of Alberto Contador.

It was tears before bedtime for Contador, who had snatched the race lead from Chris Froome on the penultimate stage but was unable to catch up with Talansky in the home stretch, and he finished 39 seconds behind Talansky.

It was a sad day for the reigning Tour de France champion Chris Froome, who seemed to be on the ropes as he finished 12th despite the fact that he had dominated the race in its early stages. Giving a rationale behind his poor performance, Foome said,” I’ve felt completely blocked up through my front of quads since the crash, and I’ve not been able to engage the same types of muscles that I used in the earlier stages.” Froome had previously crashed on the six stage an incident the polar opposite of the opening time trial, which he won.
Despite Chris Froome’s dismal performance,  Team Sky received some consolation from Mikel Nieve, who won the stage with Adams Yates in third.
Talansky, 25 year old, was in tears and elated with his winning, as it was his grandest race win in his career, and he cemented his win by saying, “You put your whole life into something and it can be very hard at times. So moments like this make it all worthwhile.”

Cycling enthusiast will now be waiting with baited breath for the 101st Tour de France, which starts on 5 July.

 

Photo credit: Jonathan Potter

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Don’t Count Millar Out

The sport of Cycling is not easy. It takes courage, determination, perseverance, and a little bit of luck. And the fiery scot David Millar has ample amounts of each. His road has been an interesting one. From his near career change to being an art student, Millar has never taken the conventional route. He has been engrossed in the sport for 18 years, and is now making his final lap amongst the events. But, unlike many veterans of the sport, Millar is leaving on his own terms. He won’t be leaving without a bang. The wiley sportsman has somehow found the exuberance of a rookie trying to make a name for himself. His confidence is high and has the actions to back it up:

“For sure, 100%, I still have something inside me. It doesn’t really matter what you do for the year but if you do well at the Tour then you’ve had a good season. The tour is the race that has meant the most to me during my career so I’d like to guarantee that I can be good there and that meant being on the backburner at the start of the year.”

David Millar career has been a roller coaster. But, he is now the symbol of redemption and change. His fight against doping has been honest and revealing sparking admiration throughout the sport of cycling.

His final year will be a busy one. He looks to make a mark at the Dauphine and perform well at the Tour de France. His final stops will be at the Commonwealth Games and the Vuelta. But, is he ready to take help his team?

“I’m here to get through the race fit and healthy. To help Andrew Talansky, help Ryder Hesjedel who should also be able to do a good ride here and once again be a road captain.”

Looking for the benefit of the team, he speaks the words of a self-less champion. One last year and one last ride into the sunset. But, he will leave a legacy that the sport of cycling will not be able to replace.

 

Photo credit: Ian Joyce