2014 Tour of Alberta stage 3

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Kathryn

While waiting for the first of the riders to sign on, race announcer Dave Towle called up Canadian former cyclist Gord Fraser for a chat.

 

Andrea and I flipped and flopped about which one of two spots we wanted to be in for the sign on but we decided to stay put when we learned that we were already standing at the line where the special jerseys would be called to line up for the start of the race.

 

Talking breakfast and maple syrup with Ted King.

 

The Canadian national team signs on.

 

An Italian who calls Barrie, Ontario home, Davide Frattini.

 

Zach Bell.

 

Daryl Impey.

 

Maybe it's because we're in Alberta and people lasso things here, the riders are corralled every morning upon the closing of sign on.

 

The only two Lithuanians at the Tour of Alberta, Ramunas Navardauskas and Aidis Kruopis, looked quite happy hanging out together before the neutral start.

 

Simon Geschke and Tom Dumoulin on their way to join the corrals.

 

Joey Rosskopf, KOM at the Tour of Utah last month, was called to the line first because today was his 25th birthday.

 

Dumoulin double checked his brakes.

 

Ruben Zepuntke in the sprinter's jersey, Dumoulin in the leader's jersey, and Simon Yates in the KOM jersey.

 

Davide Villella borrowed the young rider's jersey from Dumoulin.

 

Kiel Reijnen laughed with a teammate as he waited to be called.

 

Waiting.

 

Serghei Tvetcov was so close to me it was almost awkward. Almost.

 

Presenting the colours for the Canadian national anthem.

 

The riders in the front removed their glasses and helmets to be respectful. I must admit, after going to so many races in Europe, it feels very strange to hear a national anthem played at a race.

 

Ready to go.

 

Last minute stretching for Fabian Wegmann.

 

Bissell Development Team.

 

Robin Carpenter.

 

For reasons unknown to me, Sep Vanmarcke is the only Belkin rider with his name on the front of his helmet.

 

Go time!

 

The peloton returned a few minutes later on their first of two neutral laps around Wetaskiwin.

 

The second and final neutral lap.

 

We got in the car and drove to the finish, stopping only for snacks at Timmy's like good Canadians (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can ask any Canadian under the sun).

 

The stage arrival was at a military base and the finishing straight itself was an old runway which would see the peloton complete three laps.

 

Caleb Fairly and Cam Wurf.

 

Wegmann and Navardauskas.

 
The nonstop crosswinds on the stage had split the peloton into several groups.

 

Spectators watched from wherever they could.

 

Two laps to go and the Orica boys were driving hard.

 

A Belkin trio who had been distanced.

 

Tom Danielson missed the front group when echelons formed and would plummet from 4th place to 59th in the GC.

 

 

A three man break of Vanmarcke, Navardauskas, and Leigh Howard had gained around 15 seconds at the start of the bell lap!

 

Canadian Cycling Magazine shot another perspective of the same photo. You can see Andrea and I to the immediate left of the gantry, in the blue and black respectively, cheering like crazy for Vanmarcke and Navardauskas, (also respectively)!

 

With only a handful of seconds ahead of second place and 10 bonus seconds up for grabs, Dumoulin came to front of the chase group to turn up the pace.

 

Eric Marcotte.

 

The announcer was going crazy as usual and I know I was beside myself listening to the commentary and watching the final couple hundred meters. It was between Navardauskas and Vanmarcke, Howard was clearly going to end up in third. The Belgian attacked before the final sweeping turn onto the straightaway and with each pedal stroke, he gained a little more distance on Navardauskas.

 

Vanmarcke and Andrea cheered while I bellowed in despair for Navardauskas.

 

Kruopis won the bunch sprint with Steele Von Hoff placing fifth.

 

Waiting for the awards to get underway, the photographers amused themselves.

 

To celebrate the military, the leader's jersey was camouflaged. Interesting.

 

Another stage, another hat for Dumoulin.

 

While he missed out on the stage win, Navardauskas grabbed enough points today to become the new sprint leader!

 

Yates retained the polka dots.

 

Dumoulin in white.

 

Dal-Cin rode aggressively and worked hard in an earlier break and earned the blue jersey. He, too, nearly walked off stage without his kisses and the podium girls laughed as they hauled him front and center.

 

In addition to being awarded the best Canadian rider's jersey again, Ryan Anderson also received an Oilers jersey from team captain Andrew Ference and head coach Dallas Eakins.

 

The podium. Vanmarcke later said he won the stage for Igor Decraene, the 18 year old Junior Men's ITT World Champion from Belgium who was tragically killed last week when he was hit by a train.

 

I'm guessing this is the first ever hockey jersey for Vanmarcke.

 

The jerseys.

 

The podium girls must wear a lot of lipstick.

 

Today's 20 autographs came from: 2 Caleb Fairly, 3 Phil Gaimon, 4 Gavin Mannion, 7 Steele Von Hoff, 8 Fabian Wegmann, 16 David Tanner, 17 Sep Vanmarcke, 24 Simon Geschke, 25 Thierry Hupond, 38 Simon Yates, 51 Kiel Reijnen, 64 Will Routley, 77 Jacob Rathe, 85 Jim Stemper, 97 Ryan Roth, 102 Robin Carpenter, 112 Zach Bell, 117 Eric Marcotte, 125 James Oram, and 128 Ruben Zepuntke.

 

 

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2014 Tour of Alberta stage 2

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Kathryn

After yesterday's monsoon, which left my shoes soaking well through the following afternoon, today's mild temperatures and even bursts of sunshine were particularly appreciated. There was a good turnout at the arrival town of Red Deer's festival.

 

Andrea and I grabbed some space on a sweeping corner and got ready to watch the peloton complete three laps before finishing the day's ride. We were about 100 meters beyond the finish line, so we would see them racing three times and then they'd pass us a fourth time after a likely sprint finish on their way to the buses just up the road. The only downside to our spot was that there were no speakers so we wouldn't get to hear the announcer call the race with his oh-so unique style.

 

As the circuit was less than 5 kilometers, we knew to expect almost no down time at all between the riders and race vehicles flying by.

 

The breakaway of Kiel Reijnen, Robin Carpenter, Ben King, Simon Yates, and Aurélien Passeron couldn't have had more than 45 seconds' advantage over the hungry peloton.

 

Giant drove the peloton to reel in the break. Their goals were twofold: to deliver race leader Tom Dumoulin safely over the finish line and to set up for the anticipated bunch sprint. Belkin were also organized in hopes of the sprint.

 

Thierry Hupond.

 

Ben King and Simon Yates rounded the corner as the break were only a handful of seconds ahead of the pack.

 

Ryan Roth and Passeron of Silber tried to bridge up to the break.

 

Belkin pushed a high pace.

 
American champion Eric Marcotte.

 

Post race drinks prepared, a soigneur from Giant pulled out his iPhone and joined the photographers.

 

With the break clearly doomed on the final lap, Ben King attacked one last time as the peloton looked on.

 

The Argyle armada.

 

With a blistering pace, several riders had been dropped or had pulled off once their work was done.

 

From our view, we could just see the finish line but it was impossible to distinguish individual riders. The peloton swarmed in its frantic energy approaching the line and, clear as day, a rider from Giant raised his arms in celebration ahead of Ruben Zepuntke in the distinctive green sprinter's jersey. So who had earned Giant's second stage win of the day (John Degenkolb took victory an ocean away at the Vuelta a España earlier in the day)? Rounding the corner, we spied Swedish rider Jonas Ahlstrand, panting like crazy, as the first Giant rider to pass and with Zepuntke still on his wheel.

 

Ramunas Navardauskas had sprinted to sixth place on the stage.

 

The pack.

 

Ted King.

 

Phil Gaimon.

 

Dropped riders.

 

Fred Rodriguez and Sean Mazich grabbed cans of Coke from their soigneur.

 

Matt Goss.

 

A moment later, his Orica teammates rode off in the direction of their hotel.

 

Ahlstrand and Zepuntke rode solo towards anti doping and the podium.

 

The lead secure by 9 seconds, Dumoulin didn't make much progress towards the podium before the media found him.

 

Another hat and another day in mustard for the Dutchman.

 

A lot of riders look relaxed and happy…until they're told to look relaxed and happy, at which point they become stiff and awkward. Not the case with Zepuntke! The 21 year old German was all smiles from ear to ear as he held onto the sprinter's jersey.

 

Simon Yates took the KOM title from Carpenter by one point.

 

Dumoulin in the best young rider's jersey.

 

Kiel Reijnen was so giddy to wear the most aggressive rider's jersey that he completely forgot what he was supposed to do and started to walk off stage before receiving his customary kisses from the podium girls. This earned him huge laughs from th crowd and the podium girls themselves who pulled Riejnen back.

 

Seventeen seconds off the lead, Ryan Anderson kept the best Canadian rider's jersey.

 

Dumoulin and Anderson.

 

The jerseys.

 

When asked about the stage, Anderson replied that it was a tough day out there and he was glad it was over. He said that his biggest competition for the Canadian jersey at the moment was from Christian Meier, so Anderson had sat on Meier's wheel for much of the stage and grinned every time Meier turned back. Ha!

 

I'm starting to think it's not possible to take a bad photo of Zepuntke! He was back on stage as the third place finisher on the stage.

 

Theo Bos was second.

 

In Europe, when a rider has received his flowers and whatever other gifts, it's customary to exchange cheek kisses with each podium girl. Poor Ahlstrand, he leaned in to kiss the woman on his left and she leaned back as far as she could without falling over! He had no idea what was wrong so the woman on his right, between fits of laughter, mimed that they would kiss him simultaneously. It was pretty funny to see him be so clearly rejected but it was nothing more than an innocent mix up.

 

The podium.

 

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2014 Tour of Alberta stage 1

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Kathryn

Stage 1 of the second annual Tour of Alberta headed south of Calgary for six laps around Lethbridge.

 

Here's the most important thing you need to know about today in Lethbridge: it rained. Now, I've stood in some good downpours at the races before, but the merciful weather gods have typically allowed a scalding sun to come out after an hour or two, thereby warming me (and the peloton) up again. But not today. No, the weather gods today said, “Oh, remember how we gave you mild temperatures and even sunshine during the Spring Classics? Today is payback.” And so it rained.

 

There was a festival, complete with live music, a bouncy castle, and plenty of vendors, in full swing in the park adjacent to the start/finish line but the rain kept nearly everyone away.

 

It hardly took a moment to check out the start/finish line and figure out where I should be for rider autographs. Of course, I was still a couple of hours early, but I was lucky to have some great company. A generation ago, meeting your pen pal was a big deal, but today I did the modern equivailent and got to meet up with Andrea, who I know through twitter. She's just as much of a fan of the peloton as I am, so her company made the rain infinitely more tolerable.

 

Travis Sheldon of 5 Hour Energy Presented by Kenda signed on first and he was nice enough to sign my massive Alberta flag in the pouring rain for me. The rest of his team soon followed and Jim Stemper tried to sign for me, but the flag and marker were both so saturated after just a couple of minutes that the ink refused to cooperate. I tucked the flag and marker away, figuring in such conditions my time was best spent ringing my cowbell and simply cheering for the riders as they signed on.

 

The emcee stopped several riders to have a quick word. When asked about his thoughts on the harsh rain, Tom Danielson said he was excited to race in this monsoon and that he was well prepared for it after sitting around eating donuts after racing in Colorado last week and that he had even picked up some whale blubber since arriving in Canada and had covered himself in it. Ha!

 

The rain was so severe that I didn't even want to risk getting my camera out, so the only photo I took was of the riders waiting at the start line as a two man band played the longest version of “O Canada” I have ever heard in my life. The poor peloton sat there shivering, trying to be respectful. I'm sure they were wondering why North Americans insist on performing their national anthem ahead of a cycling race. It's a valid question, truth be told. One rider, in a desperate attempt to maintain a little body heat, slowly rode in circles around the two race cars directly behind the waiting peloton.

 

Andrea and I ducked into a nearby cafe to grab a bite and a warm drink. We were just determining our spectating strategy given the rain when the Scottish barista suddenly shouted, “THEY'RE COMING!” and bolted out the door. I started to fling my big and soggy backpack over my shoulder, but I then I remembered I was in Alberta and left it sitting next to the door as the customers all poured out onto the street. The rain was still coming down hard so I hadn't even bothered with my camera. A break of over a dozen rounded the corner less than a minute ahead of the peloton. When the broom wagon drove past, we hurried back into the warmth of the cafe and ordered a fresh round of hot drinks.

 

This pattern carried on for the rest of the afternoon: Andrea and I chatting until the Scotswoman would yell, “THEY'RE COMING,” running outside, cheering for the riders, and returning to the cafe. It was perfect.

 

With about four laps to go, Matt Hayman, Robin Carpenter, and Nathan Van Hooydonck escaped and built their advantage to over 4 minutes over the following laps.

 

Giant led the chase for most of the race.

 

Another lap and no change in the break or chase.

 

With about one lap to go, 18 year old Van Hooydonck was dropped.

 

Garmin started to help Giant reel in the break.

 

The next time the peloton crossed the finish line would actually be the finish so we sucked it up and headed back out into the rain to see what kind of a spot we could get. It turned out we had a beautiful view right on the line and across from the podium. Perfect!

 

We had followed the first 100+ kilometers from twitter updates but we got to experience the emcee as we waited at the finish–and I do mean experience. I've seen boxes of crayons that weren't half as colorful as his descriptions of the race! Watching the final thirty minutes on a laptop, he was full of enthusiasm and the most over-the-top similes and expressions imaginable. As Matt Hayman tried in vain to stay ahead of the approaching peloton, the emcee declared that the Aussie was working like a rented donkey due back in town at 7:00. When another rider attacked, he announced that the city of Lethbridge had officially changed its name to Downtown Pain City. Discussing the immense speeds of the peloton, he said that the riders go so fast, it literally looks like they're going to ride off the face of the earth. This is just what I can remember off the top of my head! He was a riot and his booming voice was so strong that he broke a microphone.

 

iPhones at the ready as the peloton approached.

 

Coming into the final straightaway, the bunch must have been close to 30 riders strong. I could see a familiar blue helmet moving up alongside another rider. I knew it was Navardauskas, but who else was accelerating with him? And was it enough to take the stage?

 

The announcer hooted and hollered and when the dust had settled, Ruben Zepuntke from Bissell Development Team had bested the Lithuanian.

 

The peloton wasn't too far behind.

 
Cameron Wurf and Ted King.

 

Stuart Wight and American champion Eric Marcotte.

 

Martijn Keizer and Tom Leezer.

 

Gavin Mannion and Caleb Fairly.

 

A soigneur led Matt Hayman towards the podium.

 

I tried to get a photo of Navardauskas's name on the ticker tape, but his last name is too long to fit!

 

Good thing his first name is shorter.

 

After crossing the finish line, the riders all stopped at their respective soigneurs to grab a snack or a dry layer before going to their warm buses. Below: Nic Hamilton.

 

The stage wasn't much of a 41st birthday celebration for former American champion Fred Rodriguez. Below: he and teammate Jacob Rathe ride to their bus.

 

Even before the awards ceremony had began, the crew was already taking down the advertising on the barriers.

 

Tom Dumoulin finished with the lead group to retain his mustard leader's jersey and earn another cowboy hat.

 

Stage winner Ruben Zepuntke also grabbed the sprinter's jersey.

 

Robin Carpenter was the King of the Mountains.

 

Dumoulin as the best young rider.

 

For his enormous work in the break today, Matt Hayman was named the most aggressive rider.

 

Third on the stage and sitting seventh overall, Ryan Anderson received the best Canadian rider's jersey.

 

His biggest fans, perhaps better known as his parents, happened to be right next to Andrea. It was great to see Ryan wave to them and how proud they were to see their son on the podium at the Tour of Alberta.

 

Stage results: 1st Ruben Zepuntke, 2nd Ramunas Navardauskas, and 3rd Ryan Anderson.

 

The jerseys with Sheriff Dumoulin center.

 

Even through the rain had stopped, it was still damp and cold out. I for one had a strong shiver going on and I have more than 6% body fat, so it's no wonder Dumoulin was struggling to keep warm during an on-stage interview!

 

Today's lone autograph came from: 84 Taylor Sheldon.

 

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2014 Tour of Alberta prologue

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Kathryn

This is my first time being between Vancouver and, oh say, Hamilton, Ontario in Canada. So why am I in beautiful Alberta?

 

For the Tour of Alberta of course!

 

The 4 kilometer prologue through Canada Olympic Park, home of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics (remember the Jamaican bobsled team?), featured a massive climb for the final 1.5 kilometers.

 

Hugo Houle rides for the World Tour team AG2R, but as the French outfit isn't racing in Alberta, he will ride for the composite Canadian National Team this week.

 

Matt Goss.

 

Georg Preidler.

 

Theo Bos.

 

Ramunas Navardauskas. I had a great chat with my favorite Lithuanian rider today when, after he had finished his time trial and was returning to the buses, I yelled his name unnecessarily loudly as I am prone to doing. He slowly turned his head back–No, it's not her is it?! And sure enough, when he saw me, he burst out laughing as usual and pulled a U turn to come talk with me.

 

Eric Young.

 

Because the course was relatively compact, I was able to watch the race from a few different spots. Unfortunately, I had told my friends I was heading up to the finish line and then never actually got much further than the final kilometer. Oops.

 

Dennis Van Winden.

 

Fabian Wegmann.

 

Jure Kocjan.

 

Alex Candelario.

 

Davide Frattini.

 

Cristiano Salerno.

 

Matt Hayman.

 

Simon Geschke.

 

Nicky Van Der Lijke.

 

Steele Von Hoff.

 

Eric Marcotte.

 

Nic Hamilton.

 

Ryan Anderson.

 

U23 world champion Matej Mohoric.

 

Daryl Impey finished 11th in his first day back of racing.

 

Sep Vanmarcke.

 

Adam De Vos.

 

James Oram.

 

Brad Huff.

 

Caleb Fairly.

 

Ted King warming up.

 

Rob Britton.

 

Thierry Hupond.

 

Steven Kruijswijk.

 

Phil Gaimon.

 

Jordan Cheyne.

 

Zach Bell.

 

Christian Meier.

 

Ben King.

 

Serghei Tvetcov.

 

Will Routley.

 

Kiel Reijnan.

 

Ted King.

 

Simon Yates.

 

Daan Olivier.

 

Tom Danielson was the final rider to start the demanding course.

 

When the dust was settled, favorite Tom Dumoulin had come good with an easy victory with 14 seconds between him and second place. Below: Dutch time trial champion Dumoulin received the leader's jersey.

 

Serghei Tvetcov finished in second and also received the sprinter's jersey.

 

Third in the prologue, Tom Danielson was awarded the king of the mountains jersey.

 

Back on stage again, Dumoulin was the best young rider.

 

Davide Formolo in the most aggressive rider's jersey.

 

Zach Bell finished in 8th, earning him the best Canadian rider's jersey.

 

The podium.

 

The jerseys (minus the best young rider jersey).

 

The weather promises to be nothing short of miserable for tomorrow's circuit stage, so it should be interesting…!

 

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2014 Vuelta a España stage 7

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Kathryn

Stage 7 of the Vuelta started in a parking lot which is pretty typical but the parking lot was shared between the local theater and a funeral home. And there was a funeral this morning. Eek. Fortunately it was well before sign on began. Still…

 

Bob Jungles was the first to sign on.

 

The Movistar riders were awfully bubbly today. Below: Imanol Erviti.

 

Adriano Malori.

 

Jose Herrada.

 

Birthday boy Andrey Amador.

 

Patrick Gretsch.

 

Haimar Zubeldia.

 

John Degenkolb rode off the climb yesterday before he was awarded his jersey so arrived at sign on this morning in his green shorts but regular white jersey to receive the sprinter's jersey.

 

The Garmin boys all had their game faces on so I could tell they were planning something for the stage. In the end, a crash and then a moto running over Ryder Hesjedal's back tire did the team no favors, but Hesjedal still managed to win the bunch sprint and finish the stage in second place. Below: Johan Vansummeren.

 

Peter Kennaugh.

 

Chris Froome in the white jersey.

 

Esteban Chaves.

 

In no time, the place was bonkers with riders coming and going, people screaming for autographs (I'd stopped!), and the media weaving in and out to seek out specific riders.

 

I hustled to catch the start. Below: Cannondale.

 

Lampre.

 

Mikel Nieve.

 

Adam Hansen and Jurgen Van Den Broeck.

 

I made it a bit further up the road and saw the neutral start get under way.

 

Today's 14 autographs came from: 2 Winner Anacona, 9 Jose Serpa, 36 Paul Martens, 38 Maarten Tjallingii, 95 Laurent Mangel, 96 Cedric Pineau, 144 Bart DeClercq, 154 Imanol Erviti, 157 Adriano Malori, 158 Javier Moreno, 182 Esteban Chaves, 188 Ivan Santaromita, 207 Chris Anker Sørenson, and 215 Yaroslav Popovych.

 

And that wraps up the Vuelta for me! I'm sad to leave the race as the stages up north are bound to be exciting, but I'm in my way to my next race so I've got nothing to complain about!

 

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2014 Vuelta a España stage 6

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Kathryn

Snow tires? No need today on Alto Cumbres Verdes!

 

The climb is around 4 kilometers long, so relatively short, but it’s dead straight with just the occasional curve and it kicks up to 16% in the middle. With no shade, Alto Cumbres Verdes promised to show no mercy.

 

I’m really not a hat person. I’m more of a “wrap a dumb scarf around my head in a poor imitation of a 1950s movie star” person.

 

16%. Ouch.

 

I made it!

 

Usually after I reach the finish on a climb, I turn back and more or less pace up and down the mountain to get the best spot I can find. But today I made a beeline for the lone restaurant at the top and gulped down a pineapple juice in the shade.

 

When I set out again, I stopped at about 750 meters to go where I had a good view of the road in both directions, it wasn’t terribly crowded and the fans were super enthusiastic. Perfect!

 

Minutes before the caravan arrived, the flame rouge was inflated.

 

I loved watching this guy!

 

He whacked every single caravan vehicle with his swimming pool orca–really, every single vehicle.

 

It’s important to exercise your orca and to take it for bike rides.

 

A hovering helicopter is a sure sign the peloton approaches!

 

I couldn’t believe the bulk of the GC contenders were all together: Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome, Esteban Chaves, and Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador.

 

Fabio Aru and Mikel Nieve not far behind.

 

Samuel Sanchez.

 

Winner Anacona.

 

Dan Martin.

 

George Bennett.

 

Andre Cardoso.

 

Cadel Evans and Steve Morabito.

 

Ryder Hesjedal, followed by Jose Herrada (and an inflatable whale).

 

Andrew Talansky.

 

Philippe Gilbert.

 

Alexandr Kolobnev handed off his water bottle to a fan.

 

A spectator dumped a refreshing bottle of water on Danilo Wyss.

 

Lloyd Mondroy.

 

Andrey Amador and Jonathan Castroviejo.

 

Everyone needs a little help sometimes, even the king of the mountains, Lluís Mas.

 

Sam Bewley and Cam Meyer.

 

Riding alone, I’m sure Tony Martin was thinking about how much he misses time trials at this moment.

 

Daniele Bennati and Peter Sagan.

 

I guess Tom Boonen was feeling camera shy!

 

Maciej Bodnar isn’t distracted by such things as inflatable pool toys.

 

By now the riders who had finished were already descending to their buses at the bottom of the climb. Below: Hesjedal and Cardoso.

 

Nikias Arndt, Robert Wagner, and John Degenkolb.

 

The last day in red for Michael Matthews.

 

Guillaume Boivin.

 

Nathan Haas.

 

The heat is obviously tough on the riders but it makes for long days for the photographers who have to lug around their heavy equipment up and down the climb.

 

The narrow road was full with two way traffic.

 

Koldo Fernandez and Castroviejo.

 

I mentioned the other day that Alberto Contador gets the biggest cheers by far but that was not the case today. Dan Craven, who came aboard Europcar just in time for the Vuelta, got enormous cheers. The Spanish love a good beard and Craven’s is impressively thick!

 

David Millar.

 

Nate Brown.

 

Degenkolb and Craddock.

 

Jens Debusschere’s birthday was today but I’m not sure how much celebrating he got to do!

 

A wall of roars as Contador descended.

 

I always thought the fastest way down a climb was by bike but this guy might be on to something!

 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Johan Vansummeren heard me cheer for him.

 

After crossing the finish line, Yauheni Hutarovich figured his work was done for the day and sat down about two meters last the finish line to have a drink and a rest. Soon after he was joined by Anthony Roux and the Belarusian seemed to welcome the company!

 

I had been making my way back up the climb slowly but surely, but it had been about 20 minutes since Valverde won the stage at this point and the awards had all been handed out. Time to pack up the stage and for everyone to go home.

 

Traffic was at its usual post-race standstill but at least the drivers all got to enjoy a beautiful view in the meantime.

 

And that was stage 6!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2014 Vuelta a España stage 5

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Kathryn

Walking to the sign on this morning, I turned right to head to the park and noticed a not insignificant hill. I’m sure the peloton will have noticed this same not insignificant hill, too, as today’s roll out started from the bottom of said hill. That’s racing!

 

Lots of tasks to be done in the morning, including clearing up any excess clutter.

 

Shade! And it was in abundance today! Hurray!

 

In fact, at yesterday’s sign on, there was just a handful of people at the barricades with 45 minutes to go because the stage was completely exposed to the sun. Today, however, the shaded front row was already filled in with well over an hour to wait.

 

Every race has its quirks that bother me as a fan and at the Vuelta it’s these sandwich board ads. They put considerable distance between fans and riders so it’s an extra obstacle to deal with. I parked myself smack in between 2 of these boards of course!

 

There was a playground nearby but plenty of kids amused themselves by climbing easily through the barriers.

 

Meanwhile, the woman next to me amused herself with her inflatable clappers. I was slightly less amused when she poked me in the eye about 8 times in the first minute!

 

You may have noticed that yesterday I didn’t post any photos of the white jersey being presented. That’s because it wasn’t! I’m not sure if Valeri Conti didn’t realize he had kept the jersey or what, but because the jersey wasn’t awarded after stage 4, it was going to be awarded just before stage 5. This made sense enough but the presenters decided to stand right in front of my spot which put a huge damper on my autograph collecting!

 

Wilco Kelderman.

 

After just a few minutes, a few kids had slipped through the barriers and also parked themselves in front of me.

 

Peter Sagan.

 

Jose Herrada.

 

And in no time, the riders were outnumbered by press and kids. Combined with the woman next to me yelling, “Oye!” to every rider, drowning out me trying to say a rider’s name, made it clear awfully quickly that today’s haul would be far more modest than yesterday’s!

 

Nathan Haas and Dario Cataldo.

 

As crowded as it was on stage…

 

…it was even busier at the bottom of the stairs!

 

The space was eventually cleared and the peloton had a bit more breathing space. Below: David Millar signing autographs.

 

At sign on yesterday, David Millar approached the emcee and asked into the microphone, “Cartas postales?” When he came to sign for me, I told him I’d bring him some post cards to the stage today. Since it was so busy this morning, my plan was to give his postcards to the first Garmin rider I could find. I managed to get Johan Vansummeren to come over. He looked a bit confused as he’d already signed for me yesterday but he knows my face by now and could tell that I really really wanted to talk to him. He was mobbed by a bunch of kids who had squeezed through the barriers and he signed about 8 autographs before he could get to me. I handed him the post cards as well as a thank you note for Biso who let me hitch a ride in the team bus yesterday.


Later, when David Millar turned up, he found me in the crowd. He was so happy with his postcards and stamps that he had the team sign a hat for me! I wasn’t looking for anything in return but I was really touched by his gesture. Thanks, David! Now I just hope the post office doesn’t lose his mail!

 

Sammy Sanchez.

 

There was still 15 minutes left in the sign on window, but I grabbed my stuff and climbed the hill to watch the neutral start.

 

John Degenkolb borrowed the green jersey from Michael Matthews but the ice vest was all his.

 

Start!

 
I rarely see Koen De Kort not in the middle of a conversation! Below with fellow Dutchman Robert Gesink.
 
Snacks for Cadel Evans.
 
Chris Froome, Ivan Santaromita, and Cam Meyer in the cars.

 

The day was just beginning for the peloton and was still very much in progress for the crew. The stage had to be broken down so the crew could get on the road to set it all up again tomorrow.

 

Today’s 8 autographs came from: 42 Rohan Dennis, 53 David Arroyo, 77 Luis Mate, 81 Romain Sicard, 155 Jose Herrada, 181 Sam Bewley, 187 Cam Meyer, and 219 Haimar Zubeldia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Spain | Tags: , | 2 Comments

2014 Vuelta a España stage 4

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Kathryn

It took a good piece of logistics working but in the end I found a way to catch the sign on at today’s Vuelta stage. I’ve loved the racing I’ve gotten to see so far, but if I’m not on a climb, my next choice is to interact with the riders and a sign on is the best place for that. Lucky for me, I found a prime spot at the sign on podium and made friends with the Spanish guys surrounding me.

 

Oscar Gatto.

 

Michael Matthews.

 

Birthday boy Chad Haga.

 

Getting autographs today was like shooting fish in a barrel. If the fish were already dead. And if the barrel was really small. And if I had some kind of semi automatic weapon for said shooting. The riders him early just came to me like it was the most natural thing to do after signing at the podium! Plus the guys around me were so excited that they started to call all the Spanish riders over to sign for me.

 

I got to say hi to lots of familiar faces like Koen De Kort, pretty much all of Garmin, Lawson Craddock, and Philippe Gilbert, to name a few. I finally got Tom Boonen’s autograph and he laughed and apologized when I said I’d tried at so many races to get him to sign for me! Cadel Evans struck up a conversation about where exactly I’m from in Canada upon nearing my accent and, when he was enthusiastically accosted by some fans eager for a photo with him, he lamented that not every country is as polite as Canada. Phil Deignan had seen my photo of him laughing with Dan Martin yesterday and he said he loved it which made my day (for the record, my day was made about four dozen times today!). Peter Kennaugh was super pleased when I said I had seen him win the close sprint to claim the national jersey in Wales. I told Nate Brown to feel free to slaughter my brother in their fantasy football league (sorry, Hermano!) which made him suddenly realize they hadn’t even drafted their teams yet. I guess he’s had other things on his mind!

 

 

A day later and Ryder Hesjedal was still fiddling with his seat height. Hope he gets it sorted out before the really big mountains!

 

Riders casually rolled towards the start…and then promptly hid in the shade until the last possible moment. Below: Aussies Nathan Haas and Cam Meyer.

 

Cofidis.

 

Caja Rural.

 

Sammy Sanchez.

 

Roommates Dan Martin and Nathan Haas can’t get enough of each other.

 

Sergei Chernetckii ducked to leer into the front seat window while he consulted a mechanic.

 

Joaquim Rodriguez greeted his teammate by flipping him the bird and laughing hysterically!

 

Meanwhile, Moreno Hofland talked with his mechanic as his DS ate a nice cream in the front seat. Not a lot of empathy for the riders today!

 

The next part of my journey to reach the arrival in Córdoba required a bus to Sevilla and then a train to Córdoba, but I’d missed the bus and was looking at an hour wait until the next one showed up which was likely to muck up catching the train in time to see the first lap in Córdoba.

 

After such a successful morning I knew I had no right to complain or to ask for more, but I figured I had nothing to lose…so I asked Garmin’s bus driver, Biso, for a lift to Córdoba. I was prepared for him to laugh and say he’d see me there–a completely acceptable response–but instead he thought for a second and then opened the door for me! I dashed in before he could reconsider and grabbed a seat.

 

This was my view all the way to Córdoba!

 

Passing under the banner of the official race start.

 

It was pretty hot in the bus as the air conditioning has decided not to cooperate, which is most unfortunate given the thermostat reached 100F/38C today! But I was thrilled just to be on a team bus, and that of my favorite team no less! AC or not, it was a hell of a lot better than the bus/train journey I had expected.

 

I hung out with with Biso and Ricardo when we pulled in to Córdoba, but I must first mention that I was thoroughly impressed with Biso’s driving skills. I believe he said this is his 25th Grand Tour so I’m sure he’s had plenty of practice parallel parking that beast.

 

The race took the riders on a lap through Córdoba’s center before hitting one final climb. Amets Txurruka and Jimmy Engoulvent flew through town first but the pair had less than a minute on the peloton and over 35 kilometers to go.

 

Lotto, Garmin, Movistar, and Tinkoff were all organized and pulling hard on the front.

 

Daniil Fominykh grabbed water bottles from the team car.

 

Anthony Roux pedaled furiously as he clung to the medical car after a crash.

 

I collected my backpack from the Garmin bus (not having to schlepp that thing around all day in this heat was such a treat!) and positioned myself about 75 meters beyond the finish. An hour after the peloton first entered town, the photographers set up to shot the finale.

 

Several riders tried to attack but no one could get more than a few seconds until John Degenkolb burst forth with a massive acceleration that no one could touch!

 

Dan Martin, generally known for his climbing skills but this week putting his sprinting talents on display, came an impressive 5th on the stage.

 

About one third of the peloton finished soon after.

 

Degenkolb was ushered to the podium.

 

Another day in red for Matthews.

 

Lawson Craddock and Chad Haga circled the finish area, too excited to get off their bikes.

 

Warren Barguil and Haga celebrated their team’s stage win. Haga even rode back onto the course–even though a size able portion of the peloton hadn’t finished the stage yet–and high fived the crowd for the final 50 meters!

 

And the riders trickled in.

 

Degenkolb was all smiles for his post-win interview.

 

Fellow sprinter Nacer Bouhanni didn’t fare as well today and finished over 8 minutes later.

 

Txurruka headed to the podium.

 

The peloton.

 

British champion Peter Kennaugh didn’t waste any time. He finished, rode to his soigneur, and then turned around to ride to the team hotel. I hope for his sake it was nearby!

 

Another podium for the German sprinter.

 

I wish more races awarded hats! I think Degenkolb would agree.

 

And the riders continued to arrive.

 

Seriously, he was loving the hat.

 

Matthews had 8 seconds in Nairo Quintana and is enjoying his time in red before the big mountains come.

 

Matthews also earned the green jersey which was presented as his Orica teammate Sam Bewley rode past.

 

Txurruka was the most combative rider while his teammate Lluís Mas kept the polka dot jersey.

 

Belkin were the best team.

 
Today’s 42 identified autographs (I missed one! It may or may not belong to Luis Leon Sanchez…) came from: 24 Jacopo Guarnieri, 25 Tanel Kangert, 31 Wilco Kelderman, 34 Robert Gesink, 43 Cadel Evans, 44 Philippe Gilbert, 45 Steve Morabito, 47 Manuel Quinziato, 57 Lluís Mas, 61 Peter Sagan, 62 George Bennett, 63 Maciej Bodnar, 64 Guillaume Boivin, 65 Damiano Caruso, 67 Oscar Gatto, 84 Dan Craven, 94 Johan Le Bon, 97 Thibault Pinot, 102 Dan Martin, 104 Nathan Haas, 105 Nate Brown, 106 André Cardoso, 107 David Millar, 108 Andrew Talansky, 109 Johan Vansummeren, 113 Lawson Craddock, 114 Koen De Kort, 115 John Degenkolb, 116 Johannes Fröhlinger, 117 Chad Haga, 127 Vicente Reyes, 151 Alejandro Valverde, 152 Andrey Amador, 156 Gorka Izagirre, 162 Gerald Ciolek, 171 Tom Boonen, 183 Simon Clarke, 189 Adam Yates, 191 Chris Froome, 193 Phil Deignan, 194 Peter Kennaugh, and 198 Luke Rowe.

 

I think I should I have bought an extra large shirt!

 

Categories: Spain | Tags: , | 6 Comments

2014 Vuelta a España stage 3

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Kathryn

I give the Vuelta organizers 10 points for their creativity–today's sign on was on a naval ship! However, I immediately disqualify said 10 points and am even administering a 2 point penalty for poor execution in terms of logistics and fan friendliness.

 

I was baffled to see the regular sign on stage set up in the parking lot in front of the ship. I'm not sure what the logic was in setting it up when the sign on was planned to occur on the ship's deck. It just created confusion and helped to spread misinformation as many of the police officers told people the sign on would happen at the stage.

 

I talked with a couple of photographers who were my best source of information, so I had a better idea about which direction the riders would come from and how the morning was likely to play out.

 

While I understand that for security and practical reasons, the Navy didn't want to open the ship to the general public, it would have been so easy to move the barricades a few meters up so that the fans could interact with the riders. As usual, VIPs who were (understandably) more interested in exploring the ship and checking out the jets on the deck had access to the actual sign on podium while the real fans were left yelling into the wind for their favorite riders.

 

IAM was the first team to step aboard.

 

Caja Rural.

 

The riders did seem pretty impressed with the unique venue.

 

Cadel Evans and Sammy Sanchez.

 

MTN Qhubeka.

 

Mitch Docker snapped a photo.

 

The man in red tried to give Cannomdale some instructions, but no one seemed to understand. Maciej Bodnar finally just waved his arm to his teammates in a “come on, let's go” gesture and led the way.

 

When the riders began to head back towards their buses, a lot of them looked like they'd really enjoyed themselves!

 

Damien Gaudin paused for a selfie.

 

Peter Sagan was all business as he disembarked right after he'd signed on.

 

Manuel Quinziato and Daniel Teklehaymanot.

 

Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana.

 

Giant Shimano.

 

Nathan Haas, Nate Brown, and Andrew Talansky of Garmin.

 

Tom Boonen and Tony Martin looked pumped about the ship but Rigoberto Uran seemed rather uninterested.

 

Daniil Fominykh took a photo while Jacopo Guarnieri actually used his phone as a phone.

 

Tinkoff Saxo.

 

Alberto Contador and Fabian Cancellara.

 

Purito Rodriguez.

 

Aircraft carriers are not known for their generous hallways, hence Katusha had to wait for AG2R to disembark.

 

Once I'd seen the bulk of my favorites come and go, I tried in vain to reach the buses but no luck.

 

I couldn't figure out where the neutral roll out would happen so I grabbed a place along the route and hoped for the best.

 

Fabio Aru on his way to the ship.

 

I couldn't exactly understand why so many riders were going back to the ship until it finally dawned on me that the start was also on the ship!

 

Starting a race from inside an aircraft carrier sounds cool and I'm sure it looked good on TV but it was a disappointment to the fans stuck outside. Below: Adriano Malori.

 

Involved in a crash yesterday, Fabio Felline paid a visit to the race doctor.

 

British champion Peter Kennaugh.

 

Sammy Sanchez.

 

Getting 198 cyclists off a ship involved two quick 90 degree turns so the roll out was particularly slow and the riders left the ship in handfuls.

 

Lawson Craddock.

 

I am always curious to see which riders talk to each other across team lines but today it seemed like everyone was looking for a compatriot on a different team!

 

Netherlands: Ramon Sinkeldam and Martijn Keizer. Australia: Cadel Evans and Simon Clarke.

 

Spain: Koldo Fernandez and Samuel Sanchez.

 

Portugal: Andre Cardoso and Sèrgio Paulinho.

 

Germany: Patrick Gretsch and Johannes Fröhlinger.

 

Ireland: Dan Martin and Phil Deignan.

 

Belarus: Yauheni Hutarovich and Kanstantin Siutsou.

 

Belgium: Tom Boonen and Johan Vansummeren.

 

Given the truly massive size of the crowd today, it seems a shame that no one got any autographs (I only saw one rider, Luis Leon Sanchez of Caja Rural, come to the fans for a photo) or got to interact with the riders.

 

I hopped on the first bus to Arcos de la Frontera in time to catch the arrival.

 

The race course meant the bus couldn't go to the bus station as normal, but finding the team buses is always a good sign!

 

Hours passed and the Spanish sun showed no mercy to the waiting spectators. I don't know for sure how the peloton felt but given the fact that they finished the 198 kilometer course a full 20 minutes behind the slowest predicted time, I'm guessing they felt the heat too.

 

My pick for today was Dan Martin as the four category 3 climbs seemed to suit him and he needs to make up lost time from the team time trial if he wants to make the final podium.

 

In the end, Martin was up there but he was outgunned by sprinter Michael Matthews (curse those Festina clappers blocking my shot of Dan coming in second!).

 

Uran, Sanchez, and Quintana just missed out on the top 10.

 

Hesjedal.

 

Valverde finished in the main pack and forefitted his leader's jersey to Matthews. This makes Matthews two for two in wearing the leader's jersey in Grand Tours this year. Not bad for a 23 year old.

 

John Degenkolb, followed closely by his teammates Koen De Kort, Lawson Craddock, and Chad Haga.

 

Jose Herrada.

 

Rather than suffocate while waiting for the awards, I went to the buses where there was a lot more space and air, though not necessarily at the Tinkoff bus! It's interesting that the Spanish fans seem to really only be interested in the Spanish riders. I understand people will be most familiar with their own riders but it's an interesting change of pace that no one pays much attention to riders like Chris Froome. (Of course, my opinion could change on that once I've been to a more typical sign on!)

 

Giant and Movistar both had bery expensive bikes stashed in the luggage compartments of their buses.

 

Hesjedal and a mechanic went about making seat height adjustments.

 

Given the heat, it's not a surprise that most of the teams peeled out as soon as they were able. I did the same myself!

 

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2014 Vuelta a España stage 2

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Kathryn

La Vuelta tends to be geared more towards climbers, so I'm sure the sprinters were all chomping at the bit at today's stage profile. With a category 3 climb just 10 kilometers in, the remaining 164k promised to be dead flat. It remained to be seen whether the winds would split the peloton into echelons, but as it turned out the entire pack of 198 riders came roaring into San Fernando together after 4 hours in the saddle. Below: the peloton with 300 meters to go.

 

I was hoping John Degenkolb would take the win but I thought Nacer Bouhanni might end up with the stage instead. Looks like my instincts were dead on as Bouhanni won and Degenkolb was second.

 

Sammy Sanchez is easy to spot in his gold shoes.

 

Dan Martin, Maciej Bodnar, Fabio Aru, and Dominik Nerz.

 

Jurgen Van Den Broeck.

 

Ryder Hesjedal.

 

Dan Craven, Johan Vansummeren, and Pieter Serry.

 

In an unusual move, Rohan Dennis recently switched from Garmin to BMC mid season, but he can't seem to stay away from his former teammates. Below: Dennis and David Millar.

 

Waiting to start his post race TV interview, Bouhanni on the phone.

 

Degenkolb was a bit lost after the stage as he looked for the anti doping control vehicle.

 

Bouhanni on the podium for the stage win.

 

Castroviejo lost the leader's jersey to his teammate, Alejandro Valverde. Valverde and Castroviejo along with 4 of their teammates, have the same overall time after 2 stages, but Valverde crossed the line ahead of Castroviejo in the sprint.

 

I was super excited to see Nathan Haas take the King of the Mountains jersey! With a whopping 3 points, the maximum up for grabs today, I'm not sure how long it'll rest on his shoulders but it's always great to see Garmin on the podium.

 

Javier Aramendia rode aggressively in a 4 man break today and was named the most combative rider.

 

A last minute substitute when defending champion Chris Horner was struck ill ahead of the Vuelta, Valerio Conti received the white jersey.

 

Bouhanni also got the sprinter's jersey which earned him a battery (seen below) and a lightbulb. I'm sure I'll always remember that detail but I have no clue who the sponsor is, so I think their advertising is somewhat flawed.

 

Movistar was once again the best team.

 

Meanwhile, back at the buses, half of the teams had already cleared out but with Alberto Contador standing in front of his bus' swindle, the sudden crowd meant Tinkoff had to stay put a little while longer.

 

Esteban Chaves gave an interview to the Colombian press seated on the steps of the Orica bus.

 

After a long day in the sun, the last of the team buses started the short drive back to Jerez.

 

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