I know we've had sporadic 'bike porn' postings, but until the next big tour there's no obvious place to muse about the latest cycling news/gossip/trivia. So here it is.

Incidentally I love the way the Giro coverage translates whatever the Italian for 'the peloton has regrouped' as the caption 'bunch packed'.

Your starter for 10: what do you think of the new Sky team?

I am completely different in cycling than in other sports: whereas I cheer 'anyone but...' in most sports, I wanted Wiggins to finish high in the last tour, recognise and applaud Cavendish and Hoy's achievements etc, for the big reason that it'll raise the profile of cycling in Britain if British competitors do well and broadly be 'a good thing' (unlike...etc).

Does that mean I will cheer on Sky in this year's tours?

Not exactly, tho' I'll be less likely to feel dirty occasionally doing so since they'll be wearing a stylish sky (heh) blue and black no. rather than a union jack/butcher's apron ensemble.

So still cheering on Euskaltel (having just acquired a winter jacket from ebay, I have almost the full seasonal kit now), but happy to see Wiggins do well again. Even if the word 'Sky' ought to make me retch.

I'm uneasy with the way Sky have operated this winter, given the way they have encouraged Wiggins to leave his Garmin contract and the very public argument with Katusha over Ben Swift. Rider contracts are broadly kept to in cycling, and to be signing up contracted riders doesn't really bode well for the structure of the sport.

It is wonderful that we have a real British team (ie not one registered here as a flag of convenience, such as Barloworld or Amore e Vita) competing at the top end of the sport though, containing the majority of the main British riders, which will promote the sport further in this country. Sky's backing is regrettable from the perspective of it being a Murdoch company, but there has been good promotion on their channels, and this team is far less likely to collapse amid a litany of unpaid bills as ANC and Linda McCartney did.

I don't see Wiggins doing quite as well in the Tour this year, the route is less likely to suit him, he will be more of a marked rider, and he did benefit to a certain extent from a lot of negative riding in last year's Tour. I'd see him finishing somewhere around 12th.

I've no real problems with Sky's operating practices to be honest. I think they'll be a super team, I think they've got fantastic riders - Lovkvist will win the Tour some day, and Edvald Boassen Hagen could win just about anything he fancies. I also think they're pretty reliable ethically, given the roots of the team.

I also think that they'll inspire a deeply annoying level of chauvinistic tub-thumping. I'm not disappointed this is the first season in five years I'll watch from outside the UK.

Where are you/will you be, then Toro?

I'm home in Dublin currently. Come on Deigs! Come on Son of Roche and Nephew of Roche!

I bought one of those motorbike throttle style engine revving noise makers to clip onto spawn of Mumpo 2's handlebars, but it turns out that his handlebars are too thick (thanks to the protective plastic sheathe) for the motorbike throttle style engine revving noise maker's attachment, so he now wanders round the house with his motorbike throttle style engine revving noise maker, making motorbike throttle style engine revving noise at every opportunity.

I fear Toro is right.

In todays Guardian the headline to their cycling coverage (just one of those little paragraphs giving bare information, does that have a publishing name?) was

Henderson finishes second in TDU

And this after giving a full article about Sky coming first and second in a pretty meaningless crit just before the TDU.

The TDF this year is going to be unbearable on ITV isn't it? 50% on Sky 50% on radioshack and Lance.

It was amusing to watch ITV refer to "the new British team" several times during last year's Tour while minimising mention of Sky.

ITV will also feature extensive coverage of Cavendish's exploits, but the rest of the race will be a bit of an afterthought beyond the Cav / Sky / Lance features.

This of course is assuming that Sky and Radioshack are selected for the Tour, given that neither made the pre-qualified list.

Mark Cavendish going for the green jersey will probably be a major obsession too.

For the last decade or so I've been a TdF fan, but the cycling season started and ended in July for me. This autumn though I bought myself a bike. It's second hand, the name doesn't end in a vowel, and it's a (look away now if you're squeamish) mountain bike. I love it, and even though it was 'only' £400 brand new, it's far superior to anything I've been on before

Suddenly I'm full pelt into anything cycling. I'm really bad on a bike still, but I managed to ride for 30 miles one day last week so there is slight progress. I've always been a huge fan of cycling shirts too, so I've treated myself. To six of them! Including an old Lampre, Euskatel, Champion of Norway, and a Vino era Astana. I look like a right clown but I don't care.

Anyway, a few questions of my own. How does the OTF peleton follow cycling? Do you have a favourite team that you want to win no matter who is on the team, or do you have favourite cyclists that you want to win no matter which team they're on?
What TV channels/websites should I be looking at getting if I want to watch races other than the Tdf?
What are Radio Shack thinking of having a strapless red dress for a shirt?
I actually overtook another cyclist on the road last week (he had jeans on but you could tell he was pushing himself). What is the protocol when you go past them? I felt like a bit of an idiot to be honest...
Will Vinokourov be the same rider he was before his ban?
Who do you think will be the top Liquigas rider at TdF?

I'll stop there, because I'm starting to bore myself now - but I've stacks more questions (sorry).

Time to watch another sprint finish in the Tour Down Under I think.

Eurosport have very comprehensive coverage, though it'll be interesting to see if Sky eat into it this season. If you don't fancy the TV package including Eurosport, they do a very reasonable monthly on-line subscription.

I tend to follow individual cyclists, though I'll support a team who a genuinely good ethos. This doesn't include Radio Shack - I think their jersey will be inherently stupid and evil, and I think the design reflects that.

I think Vinokourov will either humiliate himself, or make a "stunning return to form" before being immediately busted and disgraced. I certainly hope so.

Regarding etiquette, I usually make sure to call "on your left/right" when passing runners, other cyclists, or - especially - horse-riders. Some, especially newbies, are a bit put out and seem to think it's boastful or something, but most appreciate it. Particularly the horse-riders. It's not really on to catch up to someone, slipstream them for a bit while you get your breath back, and then blast past them, but that's about it. Nobody minds you passing if you're going faster.

Billy Casper wrote:
Anyway, a few questions of my own. How does the OTF peleton follow cycling? Do you have a favourite team that you want to win no matter who is on the team, or do you have favourite cyclists that you want to win no matter which team they're on?

I typically root for all Americans not named Lance Armstrong, and I also root for any American teams that Lance is not on. Was really happy with Garmin-Slipstream's showing in le Tour last year, especially as I saw them in the 2007 Tour of California, back when they were called Slipstream-Chipotle. I knew that any team partly sponsored by a burrito place, even a faux Mission burrito place like Chipotle, was for me.

What TV channels/websites should I be looking at getting if I want to watch races other than the Tdf?

I don't know if they'll be doing it again this year, but the US cable/satellite channel Versus had live streaming video of their coverage on their website for the TdF last year. Their commentators are Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, who I think are excellent. Doing some Wikipedia searching, they are listed as both on Versus and ITV--are they the ITV team for the Tour as well? I always assumed they were only on here in the US, and that explained the Lance-centric coverage. I can imagine getting really annoyed with them if they were on ITV.

I actually overtook another cyclist on the road last week (he had jeans on but you could tell he was pushing himself). What is the protocol when you go past them? I felt like a bit of an idiot to be honest...

I was going to write "always say 'passing on your left' or 'on your left' loud and clearly as you come up from behind", but then I realized that probably only works for countries where people drive on the right, as you're supposed to go with the flow of traffic. So in the UK is it reversed--here in the US, cars aren't supposed to pass on your right, same with bicycles. In the UK do you say "passing on your right"? (EDIT: gah, missed Toro writing the exact same thing)

Who do you think will be the top Liquigas rider at TdF?

Dunno, but Liquigas always makes me think of Hershey squirts. Sorry to be juvenile, but I can't help it.

Liggett and Sherwen have been doing Tour commentary in the UK since the mid-80s. I believe their commentary also goes to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sherwen was Lance's team manager at Motorola in the mid-90s which explains the angle of the coverage.

Versus and ITV have different presenters though, from what I saw last year the Versus coverage was a besuited gentleman, whereas ITV have Gary Imlach modelling a range of attractive polo shirts.

As for UK coverage generally, most major races are on Eurosport. ITV have the Tour, plus the Tour of Britain and the Tour of Ireland (although not impossible that Sky might take one or both of those this year). BBC has the World Championships. For other races, there is a chap who puts all manner of race finishes on Youtube shortly after the event, so if you want to watch finishes of obscure Italian stage races that's the place to go.

Oh yeah, I forgot the Liquigas question. Nibali, definitely. Basso is a more bankable star at present, but most of his remaining appeal is in Italy, he's aging, and ASO aren't much keen on him. I think he'll get big backing at the Giro, I think Kreuziger and Nibali will get the push at le Tour, like last year. Both very classy riders, but I suspect Nibali is a marginally bigger talent, and marginally more favoured at an Italian team.

Apart from Ireland, do Liggett and Sherwin do all the English speaking countries coverage then? I can remember them on the Discovery Channel too when I lived in Canada.

One* final question for now. I understand about getting in someones slip stream on the flat and for sprints etc, but why is it so important to have a teammate with you going up a mountain? Is it just so he can give you a drink or his bike if you need it, or is there more to it than that? Why can't you just follow someone else if it's just about pace setting?
Plus when Carlos Sastre went up that mountain at TdF a couple of years ago to take the yellow jersey, why did it seem like such a big thing for Andy Scheck to close each attack down. Wouldn't he have been better making a break himself (which he clearly could do) to help his teammate up the road?

*Actually more than one.

longeared wrote:
Liggett and Sherwen have been doing Tour commentary in the UK since the mid-80s. I believe their commentary also goes to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sherwen was Lance's team manager at Motorola in the mid-90s which explains the angle of the coverage.

Versus and ITV have different presenters though, from what I saw last year the Versus coverage was a besuited gentleman, whereas ITV have Gary Imlach modelling a range of attractive polo shirts.

I had no idea--I always thought they were leaning to pro-Lance to satisfy American sensibilities on Versus.

They also appear on Versus' pre-stage coverage, which used to be presented by Al Trautwig (who also does gymnastics during the Summer Olympics on NBC, hockey, and all sorts of other stuff on American TV), but they now have somebody else as the main guy. Bob Roll, unfortunately, remains part of the team. I wonder if Liggett and Sherwin run from network sets to appear on the pre-stage coverage for different countries.

Eurosport's coverage for 2010. Note that not all of these may be broadcast live, Eurosport's scheduling can be a bit flaky and it may be broadcast as live a few hours (or even days) later. Some other minor races like the Tour of Poland often appear.

but why is it so important to have a teammate with you going up a mountain?

Sitting in a team-mate's slipstream ensures that as a rider you are following a regular pace which should be ideal for the climb and the rider's aims in the race. Following another rider from another team may lead the other rider to vary their pace, plus they will be likely to pull off and try to get them to come through and take a turn at the front. A team mate will do none of these.

Plus when Carlos Sastre went up that mountain at TdF a couple of years ago to take the yellow jersey, why did it seem like such a big thing for Andy Scheck to close each attack down. Wouldn't he have been better making a break himself (which he clearly could do) to help his teammate up the road?


He could have made a break, but then there would be the danger that his attack would have been closed down and brought the group closer to Sastre, and that he was subsequently less able to respond to attacks from his group. Given the way Schleck was going that day he could probably have got closer to Sastre and help him as a team mate, but it was far better tactically to keep him back with the group and let the gap grow.

As I mentioned in the opening post, I 'support' Euskaltel. It doesn't take a lot of working out why.

You didn't buy that jersey on ebay a few weeks before xmas, did you Billy C? Cos I sold one. And an old Lampre, as it happens.

As well as the 'warning someone you're coming' call, I always say 'all right, pal?'/'hi, there' or somesuch when I pass people, just as I nod or wave or call out (depending how knackered i am) to people coming the other way.

The etiquette of how/whether people respond to that is quite odd, and was the subject of letters to Cycling Weekly last year, as well as amusing columns by Hutchinson:

I've been out with a group of semi-serious roadies who wouldn't ever acknowledge anyone not on a road bike;

I've also been 'snubbed' by a trio of very serious roadies, who stared at me like I was mental when i said hello, as I clearly wasn't wearing/riding what was deemed appropriate;

It's quite a British thing saying hello to other cyclists-when i was in Madrid started out doing at as normal, but realised unless you were halfway up a mountain and hadn't seen another soul for hours, cyclists weren't such an unusual minority. The exception was after Pantani died and I was wearing my pink Mercatone jersey, and people kept stopping me to chat. (Spanish cyclists only wear Spanish jerseys).

I often get the lift down to the Tyne pedestrian/cycling tunnel when commuting and there's also an etiquette there about talking/not talking.

Shipyard workers on bikes (there still are a few) don't talk to lycra-clad ponces like me. I've recently had teenage boys loudly admiring various bits on the bike, asking how much it cost etc and then there's always the possibility of moaning mutually with other cyclists about the fact the lift only works at one end (you have to go up an old wooden escalator at Jarrow-the kind that went up in flames at King's Cross, not that it stops certain kinds of moron from smoking on it).

Nobody's mentioned Pelizotti yet in Liquigas terms-he was better than Basso last year and may have another good one in him.

Any sign of Fausto recently?

Can't believe he's been dropped by the OTF peloton at the bottom of the climb...


EDIT: And Inca-it's almost impossible not to be juvenile about 'Leaky-Gas' as a name!

Felicity - I paid far too much money for the Euskatel shirt in about October. It was size large and brand new. Sound familiar?

Cycling shirts are fantastic aren't they? One of my favourite things about going for a bike ride is picking which shirt to wear, and then stuffing the pockets with dilute and chocolate - especially when it's the neon pink pockets of my Lampre shirt.

I basically say hello to anyone out exercising, which isn't really that many people, in the fat capital of England that is Barnsley. So far everyone has been friendly enough with me. You don't see too many lycra clad 'proper' cyclists round here though...

One final question for now. I've read Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage In Search of Robert Millar and even that Geoff Thomas Tour de France route/ surviving cancer book. All were excellent (even the Geoff Thomas book surprisingly enough). Is there anything else I should read?

... Oh and one final final question of critical importance to the world - Lance Armstrong has had a yellow cuff on the left sleeve of his shirts since at least the Discovery days. Is it something to do with his LiveStrong charity, something to do with winning TdF so many times, or because he has it written into his contract that any team he joins must have a yellow cuff on the left sleeve?

You really should read The Rider which is a fantastic story, it's one of my favourite books full stop.

Bad Blood is a good read, if a little depressing.

And finally, it's only sitting on my to read pile but I've heard nothing but good things about The Death of Marco Pantani

the pantani book is a bit grim too, as you might expect. but very detailed

the rider is a beautiful little book though, and it really got me interested in the sport (i don't actually cycle myself)