On Saturday, July 14 (Bastille Day) my dear and close friend Arcabulle Odriscoll raced on the second part of the 2012 L’Etape du Tour – Acte 2. The race took place over the same route that Stage 16 of the Tour de France (TdF) will travel on Wednesday July 18.
The course is one of the toughest in Tour history. The 197 km course offers a classic succession of great Pyrenean cols: the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin and Peyresourde. This is an up-and-down course which calls for a mastery of all aspects of cycling.
Arcabulle finished the race in very good time, averaging 20 km/h over the entire 197 kilometers of the course.
Arcabulle is a very strong rider, whose mental toughness keeps him pedaling long after his jambes go into lactic acid debt and scream for him to abandon the race.
Here is a description of the various mountain passes that Arcabulle had to climb on his way to the finish line:
Mountain passes & hills
Pau / Bagnères-de-Luchon 197KM
• Km 53.5
Col d'Aubisque (1709 m)16.4 kilometre-long climb at 7.1% - HC
• Km 120.5
Col du Tourmalet (2115 m)19 kilometre-long climb at 7.4% - HC
• Km 150.5
Col d'Aspin (1489 m)12.4 kilometre-long climb at 4.8% - Cat. 1
• Km 181.5
Col de Peyresourde (1569 m)9.5 kilometre-long climb at 6.7% - Cat. 1
This year Arcabulle has already completed the 150 km of the Paris – Roubaix race and the 148 km of Stage 11 of the TdF. Last year Arcabulle raced the 208 kilometers from Issoire to Saint Flour (Stage 9 of the 2011 TdF). In previous years Arcabulle has raced up Mt. Ventoux (where British racer Tommy Simpson died in 1967 after his heart just gave out before reaching the summit) and he has also raced up Le Tourmalet, another epic mountain in Tour history.
Arcabulle has been my dear friend, French tutor and bike mentor for nearly five years. He is a a good friend of Between Homes and a personal friend of many of our residents. I encourage all of you to send him an IM and congratulate him on an impressive race.
Félicitations mon cher, cher ami and Happy Bastille Day.
Viva France !
The Tour de France is barely a week old and already there has been enough drama to keep sportswriters busy for months to come. The first week of the Tour has been marked (or is that marred) by several crashes that decimated the peloton.
The first week has also been marked by the tremendous performance of a 22 year old rider from Slovakia. Peter Sagan has taken the bike-racing world by storm, managing not only to win several stages of the 2012 Tour, but to win them all in grand style. It is so refreshing to watch this “kid” race his bike—he even put a bell on the handlebar of his racing bike to warn other that he is coming!
In this first week we have also seen Bradley Wiggins, from Team Sky, setting out to become the very first Englishman to win the Tour de France. There are still two more weeks of racing, so hang on to your guidon—there are bound to be a few more surprises in this 99th edition of the Grande Boucle.
Of course, this being Tour time it also means that my dear and close personal friend and cycliste sans pareil, Monsieur Arcabulle Odriscoll, will once again ride two stages of the Tour. Those of you who have followed this blog know that M. Odriscoll is a Frenchman who, like many people in his country, is an avid bike rider who competes in many cycling events.
This year, M. Odriscoll began his training regimen on April 1, 2011, by riding on the amateur version of the Paris-Roubaix race. To call Paris-Roubaix a bike race is like calling the marathon a walk in the park. Paris-Roubaix, or l’enfer du Nord (the Hell of the North) is the most difficult, most painful, and most stressful bike race in the world.
What makes this particular race such an exercise in cycling masochism is that most of the race is run over pave (cobblestones).
These are not normal cobblestones. The Paris-Roubaix cobblestones are more like oddly shaped rocks strewn over the roadbed. Famous bike racers, like five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault (le Blaireau or badger) hated Paris-Roubaix so much that he only rode the race once in his career (where he proceeded to crash three times).
M. Odriscoll finished Paris-Roubaix in less than 5 hours and 30 minutes.
That set the stage for him to ride L’Etape du Tour-Part One.
Scenes from the Paris-Roubaix race.
L’Etape du Tour is a sporting event organized by the same people who run the Tour de France. Every year the event’s organizers choose two stages of the Tour for amateur riders to ride on the same course as the racers who compete in the Tour. This year Stages 11 and 16 were chosen for L’Etape du Tour.
On Sunday, July 8, M. Odriscoll rode the stage from Albertville to La Toussuire (Stage 11 of the Tour). At “only” 148 kms, Stage 11 of the 2012 TdF is one of the shortest stages in the 99th edition of the Tour. But beware, this is one of the toughest stages of the 2012 Tour.
The course starts at the town of Albertville, in the heart of the Alps. Albertville is situated in the Combe de Savoie on the verge of the Tarentaise, Beaufortain and the Val d'Arly, that gave it its nickname of the Crossroads of the Four Valleys.
With its medieval city of Conflans, it is graced with a double label of Town of Art and History and Cycling Tourism Town which allows it to bridge the gap between heritage and sporting activities.
After the first thirteen kilometers from Albertville, the riders will not find another single inch (or should that be centimeter) of flat terrain!
The cyclists will tackle, in order, La Madeleine, La Croix de Fer and Le Mollard before the final climb up La Toussuire.
La Madeleine is a Hors Categorie (HC) climb which simply means that it is so tough and so hard to climb that it cannot be categorized. It is a 25.3 kilometer climb to the top of Madeleine, at an average gradient of 6.5% .
Fifty-three kilometers after riders reach the summit of La Madeleine, comes the next climb, Col de la Croix de Fer, another HC mountain pass. It is 22.4 kilometers to the top of Col de la Croix, at an average gradient of 6.9%.
Next, the riders get a break of sorts. The next mountain is Col du Mollard, a Category 2 climb. The riders only have to ride for 5.7 kilometers at an average gradient of 6.8%.
Remember, however, that by the time that the riders have reached the summit of Col du Mollard, they have already been on their bikes for 100 kilometers and have climbed two HC mountains.
If the riders have survived this far, (according to M. Odriscoll more than half of the field of riders had abandoned before the Mollard climb), they face one more climb.
Before crossing the finishing line, at La Toussuire, the riders will have to ride for 18 kilometers, at an average grade of 6.1%, to the finish atop the Category 1 mountain. The climb towards La Toussuire and the surrounding passes make up one of the largest cycling areas in the world, the Maurienne Valley.
Once they arrive at their destination, tired as they may be, the riders will enjoy one of the most beautiful sites on the French Alps.
Perched on its plateau of alpine pastures, La Toussuire offers a 360 degree panorama on the majestic Aguilles d'Arves, the mountain passes of the Croix de Fer and of Glandon and the eternal glaciers. La Toussuire is the doorway to the domaine of Sybelles. In the winter, its 310 kilometres of pistes, that form the largest ski area in Maurienne, connects six resorts, Le Corbier, Les Bottieres, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards, Saint-Jean-d'Arves, Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves and La Toussuire.
Congratulations to you my dear friend on a race well ridden. You are the Gladiator of the Road.
The course where Arcabulle rode his bike last Sunday.
Max Ehrmann (September 26, 1872 – September 9, 1945) was, an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana. Ehrmann was of German descent; both his parents emigrated from Bavaria in the 1840s. Ehrmann often wrote on spiritual themes. In 1927, he wrote his most famous poem, DESIDERATA.
DESIDERATA means "desired things." It urges people to see the beauty and troubles of the world through wise, hopeful and compassionate eyes. Ehrmann said that he wrote it for himself "because it counsels those virtues I felt most in need of." DESIDERATA has touched millions of hearts and many people pattern their lives after it.
The text of the poem was widely distributed in poster form and in late 1971 and early 1972, Les Crane's spoken-word recording of Desiderata peaked at #8 on the Billboard chart, #4 on the Canadian RPM Magazine chart, and #6 on the UK Melody Maker's chart.
I have found this simple, yet powerful, poem to be a constant source of inspiration and solace. Recently, I shared it for the first time with my daughter when she was going through a rough patch. I hope that she finds its straightforward beauty to be as inspirational as I have.
I hope you enjoy it as well.
DESIDERATA (1927) By Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Les Crane - DESIDERATA
Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few days in the California Central Coast town of San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo (or SLO as it is known to the locals) is an idyllic place, especially for lovers of outdoor activities.
As you may have guessed, I brought my bike along with me and spent many hours happily riding the roads in and around town. In SLO, cycling is a widely accepted mode of transportation. The Bill Roalman (Morro Street) Bicycle Boulevard gives priority to bicycle traffic while a special bicycle traffic signal (one of only a handful in the United States) allows bicyclists their own phase in traffic flow. The SLO County Bicycle Coalition offers a free bicycle valet service during the weekly Farmers' Market. In 2007, the city was designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Silver level by the League of American Bicyclists.
One of my rides took me for a 50 mile jaunt from SLO to Morro Bay to Avila Beach and back to SLO. In the middle of the ride, the skies opened up and I was caught in a heavy, but thankfully brief, downpour that soaked me to the bone. But as they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining.
In my case, the silver lining were the beautiful rainbows that greeted me as the rain moved across the valley. Luckily I had my camera with me, so please enjoy with me the sight of these beautiful rainbows.
It has been quite a while (nearly two months to be precise) since I posted my last blog article. I guess that after the Tour de France ended, I found myself inspired to ride more and write less.
Well, that is about to change. Days are getting shorter now (boo-hoo) and so I find myself with less time to ride my bike after work (double boo-hoo) so now there will be less riding and more writing (and reading).
In my efforts to teach myself French, I have been doing a tad more reading of French text. While reading French I came across this nifty little phrase:
“Plus je vois les hommes, plus j'admire les chiens.”
Loosely translated (and that is all I can do now, loose translations) the phrase means:
“The more I see of men, the more I admire (or love) dogs.”
While the sentiment expressed may be a bit too cynical for me, the fact remains that a dog is man’s (and woman’s) best friend. A dog does not care if its human companion is rich or poor, tall or short, fat or skinny, ugly or beautiful – no matter what the circumstances may be, a dog will give gift us with unconditional love.
Walt Disney understood this relationship between human and canine. In his films, dogs were portrayed in a sympathetic manner: loyal, trustworthy and loving companions.
I still remember the first time that I saw “Lady and the Tramp.” By then, I had already shared my home with canine companions. Seeing Lady and the Tramp, however, made me look at dogs from a different perspective – yes, Disney was guilty of engaging in a little bit (well maybe a lot) of anthropomorphism but the overall effect was to make me more aware of a dog’s “feelings.”
For all of you who love dogs, and old-fashioned Disney films, here are three scenes from Lady and the Tramp.
It has been almost a week since the end of the Tour de France and I have not yet posted the final race results. Like most bike racing fans, I am still suffering a bit of “Tour withdrawal” so it has taken me this long to finally admit to myself that the Tour is indeed over, at least until next year!
In unexpected fashion, Aussie Cadel Evans finally claimed the yellow jersey that had eluded him in past Tours. As the riders crossed the finish line for the last time at the 2011 Tour de France. Entering this year’s tour, Evans was a two-time runner-up; he was looking to take down two-time defending champion Alberto Contador. Evans raced a perfect, course-blistering, Time Trial (TT) to make up a 57 seconds deficit on Andy Schleck. Not since American Greg Lemond raced against Frenchman Laurent Fignon in the last stage of the 1986 Tour, has there been a more exciting TT.
Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, also took down the 21st stage, becoming the first rider to win three sprints on the Champs Elysées and the first British rider ever to win the Green Jersey. Cavendish is now on track to become the most prolific stage winner in Tour history.
While the best finish for an American was 9th place for Tom Danielson (Go Tommy D!) from Team Garmin-Cervelo, this was nevertheless a very good Tour for the English speaking countries. Aussie Evans took the yellow jersey while racing for an American team. Brit Cavendish took the green jersey while also riding for an American team (which, incidentally trains not far from my home). The winner of the team competition, Team Garmin-Cervelo, is an American team (that races on Canadian made bikes). So all in all, an outstanding Tour for the English-speakers.
This was also a great Tour for France and the legions of Francophiles. No Frenchman has won the Tour since Bernard Hinault won it in 1985. This year, however, a young Frenchman, Pierre Rolland of Team Europcar, won le maillot blanc (the white jersey). Le maillot blanc is awarded to the best young rider in the Tour. Past winners of le maillot blanc have included Andy Schleck (three-time second place winner) and Alberto Contador (three time first place winner). So Pierre is in very good company.
Speaking of Team Europcar, who can forget Thomas Voeckler’s heroic battle, through ten stages of the Tour, to keep and defend his maillot jaune. Voeckler finally lost the yellow on Stage 19 of the Tour. But for ten thrilling, electrifying days, the entire French nation and most of the world (except maybe for Luxemburg) turned its eye to le petit Frenchman as he battled fantastic odds to stay in yellow.
I hope that Rolland’s and Voeckler’s performances, along with the showing by several French cycling team that were not expected to do well this year, is a harbinger of good things to come for French cycling. After the huge doping scandal of 1998 (the Festina Affair ) France took the lead in fighting against the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Since 1998, France has adopted, and imposed, the world’s strictest doping controls. Many experts think, I believe rightly so, that France’s tough stand against drug use in cycling has hurt its ability to compete against competitors from other nations that may have more of a laissez-faire attitude towards drug use in sports.
This was one of the most exciting Tours in recent history. I hope that the 2011 Tour demonstrates, finally, that athletes, including cyclists, can be competitive AND clean.
Here are the results for each category at the 2011 Tour de France:
Yellow Jersey (Overall Winner): Cadel Evans, Australia Green Jersey (Points Classification): Mark Cavendish, Great Britain Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Samuel Sanchez, Spain White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Pierre Rolland, France
Here are the top five finishes for each competition category.
General Classification (maillot jaune):
1 Cadel Evans (Australia) BMC Racing Team 86:12:22 2 Andy Schleck (Luxemburg) Leopard Trek 0:01:34 3 Frank Schleck (Luxemburg) Leopard Trek 0:02:30 4 Thomas Voeckler (France) Team Europcar 0:03:20 5 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:03:57
Green jersey (points competition):
1. Mark Cavendish (UK) HTC-Highroad, with 334 points 2. Joaquin Rojas Jose (Spain) Movistar Team, with 272 points 3. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium), Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 236 points 4. Cadel Evans (Australia), BMC Racing Team, with 208 points 5. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Team Garmin-Cervélo, with 195 points
Best young rider:
1. Pierre Rolland (France) Team Europcar, 86h 23′ 05″ 2. Rein Taaramae (Estonia) Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne, at 0:46 3. Jérôme Coppel (France) Saur-Sojasun, at 07:53 4. Arnold Jeannesson (France) FdJ, at 10:37 5. Rob Ruijgh (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-Dcm, at 22:21
King of the Mountain (KOM – best climbers):
1. Samuel Sanchez (Spain), Euskaltel-Euskadi, with 108 points 2. Andy Schleck (Luxemburg), Team Leopard-Trek, with 98 points 3. Jelle Vanendert (Belgium), Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 74 points 4. Cadel Evans (Australia), BMC Racing Team, with 58 points 5. Frank Schleck (Luxemburg) Team Leopard-Trek, with 56 points
Team competition:
1. Team Garmin-Cervélo (USA) 258h 18′ 49″ 2. Team Leopard-Trek (Luxemburg) at 11:04 3. Ag2r La Mondiale (France) at 11:20 4. Team Europcar (France) at 41:53 5. Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain) at 52:00
French cyclist Pierre Rolland sensationally won stage 19 of the Tour de France at Alpe d'Huez to take the white jersey and move into the top ten in the GC. But it was a hard day for sentimental favorite Thomas Voeckler who lost his yellow jersey after 10 fabulous days in the race lead - despite yet another brave effort.
Pierre Rolland, for 10 days a constant rock beside Thomas Voeckler, came into his own on Friday to win atop Alpe d'Huez. Youngster Rolland is only the second French rider in history to achieve this monumental feat - and the last? Just one Bernard Hinault back in 1986...
Rolland's stunning win takes the edge off Voeckler's loss of the maillot jaune - and also ends France's long wait for a stage on this year's race. What's more, the 24-year-old did not rely on a fortunate breakaway to deliver the goods - Rolland attacked the race's very best climbers on one of cycling's most demanding of climbs, looked to have lost it, then fought back with sheer grit and determination on his way to securing the biggest win of his career.
At the foot of Alpe d'Huez and its legendary 21 hairpins, Rolland broke clear from the leading group of riders just as Voeckler and a large chasing group were returning into the action after the long descent of the Col du Galibier. Rolland soon dropped his fellow escapee, the Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervelo), before himself being caught and passed by the three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank), who followed up an attack on the Col du Telegraph with another early attack on Alpe d'Huez.
But Rolland refused to give up, stabilizing his deficit to around 20 seconds while being joined by another Spaniard, the stage 12 winner Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel). Rolland used the wheel of the Olympic champion Sanchez to return to the wheel of Contador before launching his own counter attack with just three kilometers to the summit. Neither Spaniard could respond to Rolland's unexpected dig, and the rider from Orleans kissed his Europcar shirt as he rode over the line 15 seconds clear of Sanchez and 23 seconds ahead of Contador.
Voeckler rode a brilliant stage on Friday, never giving up even when the odds were stacked against him. The former national champion tried his best to keep up with both Contador and Andy Schleck when they broke clear on the first climb of the day, the Col du Telegraph. Voeckler managed to keep the deficit to 30 seconds before deciding to drop back to the main chasing group to rejoin his teammates. But on the ascent of the Col du Galibier, Voeckler could not find the legs to keep in touch, leaving Rolland to ride on with the other favorites.
"I said I wanted to do everything possible to defend the yellow jersey of Thomas but on the climb of the Galibier, Thomas told me, 'Seize your chance, don't worry about me'," said Rolland, adding: "It will take me a little time before I realize what I've done."
Voeckler finished the stage 3:22 down on his teammate but is still in line for a top five finish in Paris. Thomas is currently 2:10 off the pace in fourth place, with his nearest rival being the Italian Damiano Cunego (Lampre) in firth, 3:31 down.
Voeckler lives to stay in yellow for one more day! The common wisdom in cycling circles was that the 2011 Tour de France (TdF) was going to be decided in the final two mountain stages in the Alps.
With two days of enormous climbs, the weak were no longer had anywhere to hide, mountains like Col Agnel, Col d’Izoard, Col du Galibier, and Alpe-d’Huez are too big and too steep for those who aren’t good enough to survive. From the day when TdF founder Henri Desgrange made the decision to include Alpine passes in the Tour, the high mountains became the place where riders who want to win the Tour make their move and stamp their authority on the race.
On today’s Stage 18, Leopard-Trek rider and two-time runner-up to Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck finally attacked. With a little over 60 kms to go before the stage finish on top of the monster Col du Galibier, Andy Schleck launched a blistering attack. For reasons that are not immediately obvious, the peloton did not react and just let Andy ride away—a big tactical mistake I my opinion. .
The responsibility for chasing Schleck fell on the shoulders of Aussie rider, Cadel Evans. For the final 25 kms of the race, Evans was left to play tow truck for the rest of the peloton.
Somehow, however, through all of the pain of the climbs and despite not being one of the chosen race favorites, Frenchman Thomas Voeckler managed to stay attached to Evans’ wheel and got to the finish line with enough time to retain his yellow jersey for the tenth day.
Voeckler’s lead is now down to a mere 15 seconds – a very tiny, sliver of an edge. (By comparison, American Greg Lemond defeated Laurent Fignon by a mere 8 seconds in the 1989 Tour.) All the so-called experts now agree that Voeckler cannot survive with the maillot jaune until Paris. Voeckler has one big fan in his corner, however. During a recent interview, American champion and seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong stated his support for the Frenchman, stating that it is not impossible for Voeckler to be in yellow on Sunday when the Tour ends.
Let’s hope that Lance is right. So far Voeckler has managed to surprise everyone with his resilience and courage; Voeckler will take his place in the history books as a worthy holder of the famous maillot jaune!
About Thomas Voeckler:
Voeckler has been a professional cycliste since 2001. He currently rides for Team Europcar (formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour). He comes from the Alsace region of France (which explains his German-sounding last name) but later moved to Martinique, where he was nicknamed "Ti-Blanc" (petit blanc) due to his small stature and pale complexion. He also known as le Chou-Chou ("Sweetheart") perhaps because of his young looks and his habit of sticking out his tongue in races.
The 2011 Team Europcar (le equipe):
Voeckler’s big moment on the cycling world came in the 2004 Tour. In 2004, Voeckler won the French championship; he then entered the 2004 TdF. After escaping with five other riders during Stage 5, Voeckler gained significant time against the peloton, and earned the maillot jaune. To everyone’s surprise, Voeckler defended his jersey for ten days, even on stages not well-suited to his strengths. With the maillot jaune on his shoulders, and intense media attention all around him, Voeckler only rode stronger. He survived the dreaded Pyrenean climbs, seconds ahead of the eventual winner, Lance Armstrong. Eventually, however, Voeckler surrendered the jersey to Armstrong on stage 15 in the French Alps.
But by then, Voeckler had already become a national hero to the bike-crazy French.
I do not know if Voeckler can retain the maillot jaune through tomorrow’s daunting Stage 19. I sure hope he does – he is my sentimental pick to win it all. Even if he does not, however, Voeckler has become one of my cycling heroes!
To quote Robert F. Kennedy (who in turn was quoting Irish writer George Bernard Shaw):
Some men see things as they are and ask, Why? Other men dream of things that have never been and ask, Why not?
Monsiuer Voeckler, I dare you to dream of things that have never been - I dare you to dream that you will wear le maillot jaune in Paris on Sunday.
