Steep Learning Curve For Cummings And Team Sky
It’s been a long three weeks for Steve Cummings, and it’s clear from what he says and by the tone in his voice that his first Tour de France has taken its toll.
‘I'm completely wasted, I have no intensity left in me. I knew it would be hard, it’s the Tour de France after all, but I didn’t expect to feel this bad.’
Cummings is speaking from his hotel room in Paris. Just a couple of hours earlier he had finished in the main bunch on the Champs Ellysses, something he had been looking forward to over the previous seven days.
‘I'm relieved to have made it to Paris. I was just looking forward to finishing, then getting home and resting up. If this was any other race I would have packed up and gone home a long time ago.’
He hesitates for a moment before continuing. ‘But you can’t stop in the Tour. No one stops unless they’re sick or injured, and even then most riders don't stop, they carry on and hope they’ll recover.’
He laughs when he says this, and its clear that despite the pain he has been through Cummings has enjoyed his first Tour.
‘The Tour is a truly a special race. The people that come and watch make you feel like you’re a hero because of the noise they make. Put the atmosphere together with the free coca cola that gets passed up to you and its fun, in a sick sort of way, particularly on the descents. They require a lot of concentration and there is little room for error, but we have to make time back on the race leaders somewhere.’
He has spent the last three weeks supporting the team, but here was one day when he was unable to do anything to help, and it’s clear that he is upset by this. Stage 18, from Salies de Bearn to Bordeaux, saw Team Sky attempting to get Edwald Boassen Hagen into a winning position in the last five kilometres, but Cummings was nowhere to be seen.
‘I wanted to help but I couldn't get to the front, I just didn't have the legs. That's a horrible feeling when you can't help your team mates but hopefully they understand.’
Team Sky have come in for some criticism for their performance in their debut Tour de France. When asked about this, Cummings gives a straight, but diplomatic, answer.
‘It’s been a steep learning curve during a difficult first Tour, but I think we have shown resilience that we can all be proud of. I'm sure we’ll go away, look at the good and bad things and try and improve for next year.’
Publication Date: 27/07/2010 09:17:49
My Name Is Clamp. Bobby Clamp.
If you don’t know me, then more fool you. I don’t know where you’ve been for the past fifty years because when it comes to making champions in bike racing, I have been at the forefront of making champions in bike racing. My name is Bobby Clamp, a fully qualified RTTC and BCF coach with gold badges from both of them to prove my credentials. I am a No Nonsense Lancastrian from Oswaldtwistle, and when it comes to coaching bike riders, there’s nobody who knows more about it than me. You only have to look at my record in the BBAR to see the kind of riders I’ve produced, and as far as I’m concerned, the BBAR is the ultimate gaol for all cyclists from this green and pleasant land we call Britain.
Do you know why its called Great Britain? I’ll tell you. It’s because we have given the world some of the greatest time triallists the world has ever seen, and – even though modesty should forbid – most of them lads were coached by me. Take Ken Joy. I told the lad everything he needed to know, and he went to the continent in 1953 to give that Jack Anquetil a lesson in how to ride a time trial in that Nations Grand Prix. I never heard from Ken after that day. I imagine he was so humbled by my coaching technique that he just didn’t know how to say ‘Thank you, Bobby’.
But Ken wasn’t my first champion. It seems like only yesterday that I coached my first lad, Nobby Stakeworth. He came to me with nothing, but I turned that lad into a champion, and it was only when he had to go and do his National Service on Christmas Island in 1954 that he lost the chance to win the BBAR.
Anyroad, the reason I’m telling you this is because I’ve been trying to relaunch my coaching career after a little break from teaching young rider how to be great. I went to see that Brailsford fella for an interview to coach his Sky team. I’ve got to tell you – and I know I shouldn’t laugh – but I came away with the impression that he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about!
He was going on and on about all kinds of pschologicialal mind bending nonsense, and in the end he gave the job to a lad called Sean. Or was it Scott? Or was it another lad called Shane? And there was a fella called Ellingworth who was talking about beds for the team, which they take from hotel to hotel. There were so many young kids there falling over themselves to get the job that I lost count.
He didn’t give me the job and that’s his loss, because even though I don’t have any experience in that Tour de France, I wouldn’t have told my lads to clog it on the first big mountain on the first day in the Alps. Them Astana foreigners must have been laughing their socks off, especially when they gave our Sky lads a good kicking later that day. Now, if only that Brailsford fella had given me the job. We could have been looking at the first Sky rider to win the BBAR and that Tour de France in the same year. I’ve been in touch with Bradley. I’ve told him I can turn him into a BBAR winner, so watch this space!
Publication Date: 15/07/2010 19:34:23
Cummings Has Got A Lot Of Bottle
One week into his first Tour de France, Steve Cummings is taking some time out to reflect on the last seven days. He’s talking from his hotel room just three hours after finishing stage seven from Tournus to Station des Rousses. This was the Tour’s first probe into the foothills of the Alps, and on the surface, it’s been a disappointing day for Team Sky. Geraint Thomas has lost the White Jersey as leading young rider, but Cummings is philosophical and already looking ahead to the next day’s stage.
‘That’s bike racing isn’t it, these things happen. Geraint has showed everyone what he is capable of, and we know we’re going to see a lot more of him in the next couple of years. Everyone knows his name now, so he’ll just get on with the job, like the rest of us in the team. It’s the real Alps tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens there.’
The ‘job’ as far as Cummings is concerned is looking after Brad Wiggins. It’s what he is there for and he has no illusions about that. This role covers everything from making sure his leader is protected in the wind, to bringing bottles from the team car. This may not seem particularly difficult to the uninitiated until he explains the logistics behind it.
‘I was on bottle duty the other day. The heat was incredible, so I made eight trips back to the car during the stage. I normally get between six and eight bottles each time, so when you’re doing that so many times during the stage, it adds up.’
Stage three saw Cummings released from team duties – well, for a couple of hours at least - when he was in the leading break on the road from Wanze to Arenberg.
‘I got in the break, which was perfect for me and the team. The group was a good size and we worked well together. I attacked the break on the fourth sector of cobbles because they seemed to have eased a bit. I wanted to get across as many sectors of the cobbles in front of the peloton, because you know what it’s like trying to ride roads like that in the bunch. I gave it a good go, but the Cancellara group caught me on Sector 5. I stayed with them, but then Sean (Yates) told me to wait for Brad after that sector. I pulled for as long as I could to help Brad close on the front, then Vino attacked and I couldn't accelerate. Then Geraint’s group caught me and he asked me to pull, which I did until the last kilometre and then rolled in. Job done’.
The next two weeks will see Cummings carrying a lot of bottles as he continues in his support role, but will there be a chance for him to shine again?
‘I don’t know, I’ll just have to see how it goes. I know what my job is here, so I’m just getting on with that. If a chance to get in a break comes up I’ll take it, but you never know what’s going to happen in the Tour. It’s completely different to any other bike race.’
Publication Date: 11/07/2010 10:51:33
Happy To Say, You Proved Us Wrong Cav!
Eighteen hours before Mark Cavendish roared to victory in the fifth stage of the Tour de France, I had been in a deep and meaningful conversation with Alan, an old cycling friend. We’ve both done a bit of racing, and we both like to think we know what we are talking about.
The subject was ‘What is wrong with Cav this year?’ and the reasons for his apparent lack of form were analysed at great length and much faux expertise over a couple of bottles of red wine.
The reasons for his lack lustre perfomances - too many to go into here - lead us to the conclusion that the Manxman would not repeat the amazing success of just twelve months earlier. There is too much going on in his life, we reasoned. This time last year, he was focussed on just one thing, and one thing only, but now….?
Let me make one thing clear. Both myself and Alan are massive Cavendish fans. Last year, when his Champs Ellysses sprint made his win look like a solo victory, we launched ourselves into the kind of dance that only Dads can do.
Cav may be a quarter of a century younger than us, but he is a British cycling hero, a sprinter who can take on the best in the world and make them look ordinary, and we weren’t afraid to celebrate in our own middle age – and it has to be said, embarrassing - manner.
But back to our analysis of the reasons why he has failed to repeat last year’s success. The fact that his helmet made a brief cameo appearance just minutes after he lost the sprint to Allesandro Pettachi on stage four only served to add fuel to the fire which we had been stoking all evening.
‘He’s lost it, hasn’t he? That’s worse than spitting your dummy out, that is, he’s chucked his helmet out of the bus! He’ll be lucky if he wins one stage this year’ said Alan.
We looked at the screen and nodded our heads in the sage manner of two men who know what they are talking about. Incidentally, someone who is close to the Team Columbia hierarchy sent me a text later that night which suggested that Cavendish was a tad embarrassed by the helmet hurling incident. Apparently, he didn’t expect the headgear to roll down the steps of the bus after he chucked it, and was heard to say: ‘Oh For F***s sake’ when he saw the cameras focussing on the team helper who retrieved it.
Of course, Mark Cavendish proved us wrong when he asserted his authority in Montargis on Thursday afternoon.
The tears he was barely able to hold back spoke volumes. The voice cracking with emotion told us even more. We saw how much this victory meant to him. The tears were the proof of just how much pain and frustration this young man had been through this year. After seeing Cav on the podium, Alan and I looked at each other, raised our glasses, immediately forgot about our conversation from the previous night, and then launched into another bout of Dad Dancing in honour of our hero.
Publication Date: 08/07/2010 20:37:13
No Limit To Sky Tour Hopes
When Dave Brailsford announced - at the launch of Team Sky - that he expected to see a British winner of the Tour de France within five or six years, you could almost hear the ‘Whoosh’ as the eyebrows of cynical cycling fans all over the country shot up in unison.
It’s understandable why many seemed reluctant to believe the Team Sky boss. For the past 43 years - since the day Tom Simpson lost his life on the barren slopes of Mont Ventoux - very few British riders have made an impression on the overall standings of the greatest bike race on earth.
Yes, Robert Millar flew the Union Jack – or was it the Saltaire? – when he finished in fourth place in Paris, and Chris Boardman, Sean Yates and David Millar have all worn the Yellow Jersey, but until Brad Wiggins rode to fourth place in last year’s Tour, it had been a while since Britain has had a rider who could be described as a serious contender for the overall victory.
Now it seems we have two riders who are considered potential winners.
This Tour de France still has a long way to go until the riders arrive in Paris, so let’s not get too excited by what we’ve seen so far. But the fact that Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas is in second place overall and clad in the white jersey of leading young rider makes Brailsford’s promise to put a Brit on the top spot of the Champs Ellysses podium look realistic.
Thomas has proved that he has the ability to ride with the best in the world, but will he be able to replicate that performance on the cobbles of northern France when the race hits the high mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees?
The man who is the designated leader of Team Sky, Brad Wiggins, has no doubts. Speaking immediately after the finish of the third stage where Thomas finished second to Thor Hushovd, he said: ‘Geraint is starting to show the talent that we all know is there, he’s starting to blossom now. He is going to be the British name in these sort of races in the next few years.’
Of course, this may just be a bit of psychological game play from the man who finished in 4th spot last year, cleverly shifting the media attention from himself to his younger team mate. On top of this, we will have to wait and see if Thomas can survive the mountains before we can evaluate whether he is the man who will become the first Briton to take the final Yellow Jersey home. But even if that does not happen, the Brailsford promise could still become a reality. Four years ago, Thomas was nothing more than another young rider who clearly had a lot of potential. That potential has been harnessed and sharpened by Brailsford and his team, which makes you wonder how many unknown young riders are out there right now, just waiting for the chance to prove that they are the one who will make Brailsford’s promise a reality.
Publication Date: 07/07/2010 15:05:46
Graham Jones - 27 Tours And Counting.
Graham Jones is making last minute arrangements before leaving for the Tour de France, ensuring that everything he needs is in the suitcases, checking the travel plans and making mental notes of things to do before the race begins this Saturday. It’s an annual routine he is used to as this will be his 27th Tour, five times as a rider between 1980 and 1987, and since that final ride with the British ANC-Halfords team, Jones has spent three weeks every summer covering the Tour for BBC radio.
So when it comes to the world’s greatest bike race, Jones knows what he’s talking about. He finished 20th in his second TDF in 1981, despite losing time when he forced to wait for his Peugeot team mates.
‘It was just one of those things that happen in bike racing. I’d been with the team since 1979, but I was still expected to carry out team duties, so I lost a lot of time that I didn’t need to.’
Commentators at the time argued that Jones could have made the top ten in Paris that year, but when pressed on this point he doesn’t want to expand, other than admitting that he could have finished better than 20th.
‘It’s in the past, so what’s the point of going over it now?’, is his only response, so we move on to this year’s Tour and the chances of Bradley Wiggins becoming the first Briton to bring the final Yellow Jersey home.
‘There has been a lot of speculation about Brad and whether he can do it, but I think Alberto Contador will take some beating. That’s not ruling Brad out, because a lot can happen in a three week race. He proved last year that he’s more than capable, but I’m not sure how he will handle the attacks in the high mountains. He won’t lose anything in the time trials, I’m certain of that, but there’s just a question mark about the mountains.’
‘Brad is a real talent, he’s proved he’s world class and he knows what he can do, so it’s just a case of whether things go his way this year and if he can avoid illness and accidents, but there’s no reason why he can’t do as well as he did last year.’
He goes on to talk about Geraint Thomas, who he believes has real potential in the Grand Tours. ‘I’ve been looking at him over the last couple of years, and he looks like he’s going to make a really good Tour rider. He’s lost some weight as well, so that will help him in the mountains. I think, in a year or two, we’ll see what he’s really capable of.’
While Mark Cavendish won’t be bothering the top end of the GC, Jones believes he will return to his winning ways once the race proper begins after the Prologue. 'You can never rule Mark out because of the type of character he is. I don't think he'll do what he did last year, but we'll be seeing him winning at least three stages, I'm sure of that.'
Publication Date: 29/06/2010 13:56:30
Electric Dreams - I've Seen The Future Of Cycling!
Imagine the look of consternation on the young cyclist’s face when a middle aged bloke on a mountain bike went sailing past him on the hill. I was the middle age bloke, and the cyclist in question – early twenties, riding a top of the range road bike and clearly in good shape - had been asking for it over the previous two weeks, so don’t feel too sorry for him…
I’ve been attempting to get back into cycling, and the lack of my fitness had been highlighted when he passed me as though I was standing still on the long drag of a hill out of Parkgate on two separate occasions. Yes, I know. That hill out of Parkgate isn’t a problem for most of you, but ten years of sloth and over indulgence make it feel like an Alpine climb for me.
Anyway, it was pure coincidence that I met him again, but now I was riding the Trek Ride + electric assisted bike, and it was payback time.
I selected Level 4 on the computer when he turned onto the road a hundred yards ahead of me, and enjoyed my brief moment of glory as I rode past him with a cheery hello.
I even threw in a little ‘ding’ of the bell on the handlebars for good measure. ‘Take that, Fit Boy’ I thought to myself, knowing that he would spot the battery pack which is fitted on a rack above the back wheel, at which point my deception would be rumbled.
But I didn’t care. I hadn’t felt this good on two wheels since 1979, so I was making the most of it. I spent the next hour trawling the Wirral lanes hoping to find another unsuspecting cyclist who I could thrash into the ground with a little bit of assistance from the silent drive motor, but I was thwarted in this respect. But just riding around the lanes was an absolute pleasure. It was a beautiful sunny evening, and more importantly, I was riding at least 10 mph faster than I would on my normal road bike.
Don’t get the wrong impression about the Trek Ride + and think that you just sit there and it does all the work. You still have to pedal, but the effort you put in is magnified by the motor which is contained in the rear hub. This allows you to cruise up hills with little effort, although having said that, my legs were throbbing gently after my ride, so there is clearly an exercise effect when you use this bike.
Sadly for me, I only had the Trek Ride + for two days and I know that if I meet that cyclist again in the next couple of weeks I won’t be able to repeat my moment of glory. In fact, I’m not looking forward to getting out on my normal bike. I’ve seen the future of cycling, and I want one for myself!
Publication Date: 29/06/2010 11:42:13
Cummings All Set For First Tour
It’s never easy keeping a secret, but Team Sky’s Steve Cummings had to keep quiet about his Tour de France selection for more than a month. ‘They told me I was in the team straight after the Giro. I couldn’t tell anyone, which was difficult at times. I was really pleased to be in the team, and relieved at the same time, because you never know what’s going to happen when they make the selection.’ Cummings is relaxing at his Italian home on the outskirts of Quarrata, twenty kilometres from Florence. It’s a rare moment when the pressure is off and he is making the most of it. The lead up to the Tour has been hectic, which is why he didn’t start in the British championships last weekend. ‘I was disappointed not to be able to ride the nationals, but we’d been on a recon in the Alps and Pyrenees, and then I had to go to Manchester for tests, which was demanding, and then back to racing. I felt that six weeks on the road was too much, so decided to have some time at home before the Tour starts’ ‘My job is to support Brad, keep him out of the wind, out of danger and make sure he has what he needs. That’s for the whole race. But, if there are any chances for me I’ll be trying to get in a break and I’ll try to win a stage.’ Another part of his preparation has been the training miles he has covered on the roads around Quaratta. It’s clear when he talks about it that he is impressed with the location. ‘It’s a cycling paradise here. We’ve got everything, from short cobbled climbs to mountain roads, which is ideal. I train with Max Sciandri and the Under 23 riders, and also with Cav when he’s around’. Cav is of course, Mark Cavendish. What does Cummings think of him? ‘I like him. I can see why some people may dislike him, because Mark tends to say things after a race when things are a bit heated, and then he regrets it later, but he’s a good guy, and the best in the world when he’s on form.’ Steve Cummings came to prominence when he won the Eddie Soens race in 1999. He was a junior rider then, so did he have a long term plan which would bring him to the level he is at today? ‘No, I didn’t have a plan. I wanted to be a pro, but it was just a dream. When I went from Landbouwkredit to Discovery, I kept having to pinch myself. It was like going from Heswall AFC to Man United. I couldn’t believe that I was riding with all these stars.’ He's used to riding with the stars now, and with a little luck, he may add his name to the stars who have won a Tour de France stage.
Publication Date: 29/06/2010 08:42:49
Elliott Aiming To Go Out On A High
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There is one thing Malcolm Elliott wants to clear up before he continues talking about the Chester round of the Halfords Tour series, and it is concerned with his hair.
‘I don’t have a mullet. I’ve never had a mullet in my life, but people keep describing it like that. I’ve just got long hair, that’s all’.
He says this with a twinkle in his eye and once the hair issues are resolved, Elliot returns to the subject of the Halfords Tour Series. It’s the morning after the Stoke round of the series, where his Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta team took the lead in the overall standings, with Team Endura and Rapha both three point behind. Elliott is clearly pleased with the result.
‘The series so far has been a bit like an arm wrestling contest if you know what I mean. It’s been going one way then the other, with nobody really getting control of it, and last night was the first time it felt that that we really got it together and came out on top. It’s been a tough series so far, and it’s great to be leading at this point.’
His team mate, Ian Bibby won the individual race, with Elliott finishing in 8th place, another solid performance which any rider would be proud of, let alone one who is old enough to be the father of many of his rivals. Malcolm Elliott is a couple of weeks away from his 49th birthday, and he admits that racing at this level is taking its toll.
‘It is hard, I’ve got to admit that. Last year during the series I was racing in Premier races at the weekend as well, and it was too much, so this year I’m just focussing on the Halfords and not bothering with anything else while they’re on.’
It’s hard not to be impressed with Elliott’s results since he returned to racing in 2003, but there are some cynics who suggest that this has more to do with the falling standard in modern racing which allows a man in his forties to compete at the highest level in Britain. Elliott has clearly heard this view before, and he is ready with his answer.
‘I would agree with that if there were a load of guys in their late forties doing well, but it’s not like that, is it? There’s just me, nobody else of my age is doing this, so I’m afraid I can’t agree with that. The standard of racing today is as high as it’s even been, maybe even a little higher because there are more teams with bigger budgets.’
You can’t argue with that. Elliott is unique in this respect, but it seems that this won’t be the case for much longer.
‘This is the last year I’ll be racing at this level. I’m 49 in July, and I’d rather make the decision to stop while I’m still doing okay. I’ve been looking at riding Sportives next year, but if I’m feeling good and I’ve got the legs, I might race again, but I’m not sure what level that will be. I’ll just see how it goes and take it from there.’
The Chester round of the Halfords Tour will be decisive as there is just one more race left in the series. Elliott is looking forward to it, and is hoping his team will be able to extend their lead.
‘It’s going to be hard, as the racing is so competitive and everyone wants to win it, but we’ll be doing our best, and the Chester course will suit us. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a great race to watch so we’re hoping a big crowd turns out to see it.’
Publication Date: 21/06/2010 08:21:00
Specialized Win Again In Roubaix
After destroying the field in the Tour of Flanders seven days previously, Fabian Cancellara rode his Specialized bike to another victory, this time in the classic Paris-Roubaix. This was the second time that the Swiss has won the Hell of the North, but it also marked the third Paris-Roubaix success in a row for Specialized. The Saxo Bank rider was on board the ‘Project Black’ prototype, otherwise known as the S-Works Roubaix SL3, a machine that has been developed especially to deal with challenging terrain of the Paris-Roubaix course.
Cancellara has now staked his claim as the leading all rounder of his generation, and with the Spring Classics season well underway who’s to say he won’t add even more victories to his already impressive record.
Publication Date: 12/04/2010 12:27:59
