Toby.

We're very pleased to announce that Garmin Transitions physiotherapist Toby Watson will be contributing articles to his new VeloResults blog.

Right now Toby is with the team on the Tour de France, and you can read about what it's like to be working with a top team on the biggest race in the world, and the sense of drama and fun that are essential parts of the experience, on Toby's regular updates.

For example, this from the recent entry:

"We rotate the people who help out at the hotel, and these past few dayshave been my shift. We collect all the bags in the morning, get to the hotel as quickly as possible, set them all up in the rooms (including massage tables for those who use them), and then grab lunch.

If you’re lucky, the hotel has a pool (ours did), and so the majority of the afternoon was spent flitting from watching what was happening in the race, and heading back to the pool to play Arrowman."

We hope you enjoy this new section of the site.

Toby is Australian, and currently lives in Girona with his fiancee Amanda. If he has any time, he enjoys reading and running, and occasionally skiing too, when he can.

You can keep up with Toby on Twitter too, and his own blog site is here.

However, we'll run them post Tour; to help ease that PTSF - 'Post Tour Stress Disorder.'

Congratulations to Ross Creber (Endura) on his U23 medal - he earned it.

Nice one Ross.

Apologies too for the lack of '50' coverage, we couldn't be in two places at once - and thanks to Jim Cusick for giving us the result thus;

"Carlos gave us all a doin' today, he won with 1:50:50.

"Ray Wilson 1:52:59; me 1:53:55; Mark Atkinson 1:54:12.

"Strong wind and warm, suited Carlos!

"Tough shift !"

No wasted words there, thanks again, Jim - congratulations to Carlos and nice to see Mark's name back in the frame.

Carlos Riise (Shetland Wheelers), Scottish 50 mile TT Champ.

Ray Wilson, second.

And like the headline says, 'it's that time again.'

Paul Kimmage.

Yes, the Tour is upon us, even if you know nothing about bike racing you can tell when the Tour is about to start when the drugs stories begin popping up - and of course, Paul Kimmage re-appears.

His writing is good, his arguments well thought-out but it disappointments me that he completely ignores the 'cross Worlds, the track Worlds, early season Classics, la Vuelta, late season Classics, the kermesses and most of the other things that make the sport so special and only appears when there's the whiff of sulphur - or a glam Cav interview.

This year's race is a belter, it's not entirely new but old Floyd has 'saved the best for last' and gives us wild parties and strippers [so far, so good by me !] - but it takes a bit of a nose dive when we hear that Postal [allegedly] were selling Treks - 60 of them - to buy their 'kit'. See the allegations in the Wall Street Journal.

Having said that, Viktor might chip in here and add that was the sensible thing to do with them, anyway.

I simply must get today's New York Times.

It's not funny but if I didn't try to lighten the mood then I'd probably chuck this laptop out of the window.

And closer to home...

And please do not imagine that 'drugs thing' is confined to the top echelons of the sport; VeloResults is aware that at or about the time of the Jock Wadley road race, an English rider failed a test, the substances were EPO and steroids, we know his name and can tell you that there is zero doubt in our minds about his guilt.

Behind winner Jon Tiernan-Locke, Dan Staite takes the sprint for second ahead of former Wadley winner Andy Lyons. Photo: Mark Cozens / British Cycling.

VeloResults read with interest the two page article which appeared recently in Cycling Weekly about 'tough measures' against dopers.

We wrote to UKAD to ask when the results of positive test recorded at the Wadley might be made public, we received the usual 'these things take time' kind of a reply.

And now the Tour is started, Landis has deployed thermo-nuclear weapons and the result of a drugs test at an early season English race is irrelevant, buried, forgotten.

Take it from us that if that test result is never released - as looks increasingly likely - there's been a cover-up, justified by the facts that the Olympic and Commonwealth Games are just around the corner and there's enough drugs grief with the Landis/Lance scandal.

We have also had strong tip offs that another rider failed a test at or about the time of the Rutland, we don't have a name but we have suspicions - again, we believe that it will never see the light of day.

If this kind of mentality exists at the top then the problem will never be eradicated - people are people, they will always cheat, not just in cycling but in all aspects of life, it doesn't mean that all of society is rotten, just like one or two drug cheats doesn't mean the whole of our sport is rotten, it's just life, weed them out and move forward.

Brushing it under the carpet is not the answer.

But let's rejoice in the fact that for the next three weeks, there's only one thing that matters - Tommy Simpson gave his life for it, Floyd sold his soul to the Devil for it, it damn near broke Hennie Kuiper's heart, and Lance can't live without it.

Eventual British Champs winner Geraint sits in fourth place. We look forward to seeing him in his new jersey at the Tour.

The time trials are faster, the sprints crazier, the mountains aren't just high ground, they're places of worship and legend.

There's too much control, too much commercialisation, too many 'janitors' and too many riders, the riders are divorced from their fans and 'it's not like it used to be.'

But is it still the greatest bike race that's ever been?

Damn right!

Tom Copeland.

We thought we'd check in with 'our' boys, Hamish Haynes, Dan Fleeman, Dan Patten and Tom Copeland to tell them we'd be around to pester them, and to lend a hand with bike prep, feeding and anything else they might need.

Here's what Tom Copeland had to say to us, in reply:

"Hi, yeah, sent off an entry two months ago; they told me yesterday - 19 days before the race - that my entry has been refused.

"I've already booked flight, hotels and made travel arrangements. I'm gutted!

"Because I race in France I have no BC points and so I don't meet their entry criteria of either Elite or top 100 1st cats in the UK concerning the BC rankings. So pretty much - I've been shafted.

"Dan Patten is ok because he has still got an elite license, having got BC points last year, I think.

"I can't get my head round their selections - having got top 30's in the last 2 national champs and top 8's in the U23 categories I would have thought that they would have accepted me, but no.

"I've been training specifically for the race too, aiming to be on top form at the end of june. So now I won't even be racing. As I said, I'm gutted."

I should have put fingers to keyboard earlier but "didn't have the self discipline to make the time to do it" as an old colleague of mine used to say.

However, I was jolted into action by the good old Cycling Weekly; apparently the National Championships don't fit in with Bradley's build up.

However, 'there's a space there for him' says the organiser - but not for Tom, who's desperate to ride.

And for Brad's information; Fignon, Hinault, Merckx, Riis, Ullrich - a national champs jersey didn't do their Tour chances any harm.

But that's all history and doesn't help Tom.

'When I were a lad,' it wasn't permitted for foreign based riders to wear their team kit, they had to line up in their British club gear on championship day.

Alex Dowsett.

Things have changed in that respect but it doesn't seem sensible to us that a man who is racing well in the heartland of North West France isn't given a ride - the standard is higher and he's regularly competing in UCI races.

VeloResults would remind our readers that, Tour of Britain apart, there's only one UCI race in the UK - The East Midlands Classic, or 'Rutland' as it's popularly known.

The Alex Dowsett's '25 mile TT  Champs situation' is similar - here we have a man who's seventh best under 23 time trial rider in the world but because he hasn't bashed up and down a dual carriageway recently he can't ride - ridiculous.

But it's not all 'jobsworth'.  When Dan Fleeman entered the British Hill Climb Champs last year, he didn't have a qualifying ride and asked if the winning the Tour of the Pyrennes would do?

The organiser said that would do 'just fine'.

The organisers of the Vuelta can say 'No' to Radio Shack but 'Yes' to Galicia - and why not?  It's their race.

Maybe that's the answer, let the organiser pick 10% 'wild cards' based on palmares gained abroad or on the grounds of 'up and coming?'

Ironically, Tim Harris says that if a rider comes to him to find fame and fortune in Flanders, he totally ignores any results gained in the UK or USA - all that matters is how the pedals turn on the cobbles and bergs.

And when Billy Bilsland got his pro contract with Peugeot, it was the Peace Race and l'Avenir stages that counted. The Milk Race? Not in the equation.

Tom, we'll miss you at the Nationals, my boy.

Alex image © Silke

The death of Richard Russell leaves a large gap in the Lothians CTC.

Richard was an important figure on the Scottish cycling scene, following his father into the Cyclists' Touring Club, the Edinburgh Road Club and the Scottish Road Records Association.

One of his earliest memories was of sitting in a small wicker seat on the back of his parents' tandem on trips around East Lothian, an area he always loved.

He joined the CTC early in 1947, recalling that his first runs were on foot or the bus or tram as that terrible winter dragged on.

Richard Russell (C.T.C Lothians D.A). 1930 - 2010

An all-rounder, Richard rode with the CTC, youth hostelled, camped all over the country and raced on both bicycle and tricycle.

In 1955, he set Scottish tricycle competition records at 25 and 100 miles and over 12 hours, figures which were unbeaten for many years, indeed one of his team records still stands.

His knowledge and bicycle handling skills won him many tourist trials where he excelled on the observed rough stuff sections.

A CTC Councillor, committee member and Road Club official for many years, he made a huge contribution to cycling in the area.

His memory and attention to detail sometimes stopped a committee meeting in its tracks as he recalled discussions and decisions from the distant past, but he always had the best interests of the organisation at heart.

He was honoured with numerous awards, the Tom Davis cup and the Zoller Quaich but, most prized of all: honorary life membership of the CTC.

Every novice newcomer to CTC runs will remember Richard as he was invariably patient and encouraging to anybody who was flagging or falling behind, remaining with them and shepherding them along the road until they caught up with the group.

He will also be remembered for his bicycle repair skills, that lop-sided, saggy saddlebag producing tools, bits and pieces and spares which, combined with his knowledge, usually repaired a day that looked to be in ruins.

Although Richard started work immediately after leaving school, he was, in many ways, far better educated than a lot of us.

His knowledge of local history and geography was extensive, he was well informed on farming and wild life matters and he was a keen reader and theatre goer.

A printer to trade, he spent over forty years working at T & A Constable in Edinburgh where he was very active in the trade union, being father of the chapel for many years.

Richard's expertise in printing led to his teaching night school classes with his usual attention to detail.

Sadly, Richard lost his wonderful wife, Margaret, in 1994 but his sons, Colin and Gregor, are both prominent and active members of the contemporary cycling scene.

Richard, who was still cycling strongly until a few weeks before his death, will be sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him and especially by his extended family of whom he was so proud.

Although he was small in stature, he was a giant on the road - and will remain so in our memories.

* The funeral will take place in Edinburgh, at Morton Hall Crematorium's Main Chapel, 12:00 noon.

Picture courtesy of D. McClure.

We've brought together some of the more controversial, recently announced team kits, which are dividing opinion up and down the land, and asking the question - what are they thinking?

Brown shorts?

AG2R - La Mondiale

Ok, kicking things off with a team kit that actually has a season, well, half a season, under it's belt already, but I just wanted to set the bar. Like most of the designs it actually looks much better in (on) the flesh than in photos, and during the Tour I actually got to quite like it.

Cycling Weekly didn't warm to the kit quite so much though;

"AG2R-La Mondiale's new brown shorts were so awful they almost got up and walked up onto the stage of their own accord. The jersey doesn't look too bad in isolation, but get nine of them together and it feels like something is wrong with your eyes."

After a pretty low-key first half of the season last year in a very simple blue and white kit, AG2R conducted a bizarre mid-season design refresh which ended up with the unique sight of Rinaldo Nocentini in his glorious yellow jersey, but coupled with chocolate brown shorts.  Like all the kit discussed here, it's simply a matter of taste - there's not one team's clobber which is universally liked (I'm expecting Viktor to comment on this article).

Astana

Bert Contador had to display a united front recently with disgraced returnee Alex Vinokourov and smile as best he could whilst standing next to him presenting the new Astana jersey.

Bert and Vino smile for the cameras.

Think we'll be seeing a lot of this scheme.

Actually, we like the basic design and reckon it's certainly better than last year; it's simple, bright, and clean, the logos less confused (and illegible). I'm a fan of white sleeves and white socks (not so much white shorts though).

Most folk agree that a design built on top of a base colour or two at the most is a good thing, and this kit ticks that box, but setting white next to yellow just looks meek, the colours bleed into each other.

Last year's jersey was a mess of lines, fills, and accents - and did anyone else notice that there were always at least three different versions on the go at any one time (Lance of course was usually wearing a different version from the rest of the team).

A mistake this time round though was doing away with the navy blue shorts and introducing even more yellow.

Bert & Co. will be even more recognizable in the peloton, however, and that's one of the main objectives of pro team kit, so fair play.

The new design incorporates the logos of new sponsors Samruk Kazyna and features the newly-signed bicycle supplier Specialized's logo very prominently.

Alessandro Ballan and his rainbow bands.

BMC

This kit is just announced, and I personally lament the move away from classy, understated black and white - especially if it's Assos black and white. The simple and bold combination together with the black BMC bikes, made the team look, well, like a team: coordinated, well prepared, and pretty mean.

This time around, the gear is provided by Hincapie Sportsware - no doubt a precondition to getting big George's signature on the contract.

I can't help feeling that my 13 year old nephew could have knocked this design up during playtime - like the Cofidis outfit, the red shorts just don't work, and there's little apparent detail involved.

Cadel will look fine in his rainbow stripes though, and I'll wager he doesn't have all-red shorts which would look horrid.

Still very understated.

Cervélo Test Team

Like last year, it's back to black for the start of the season; classic, easy to spot in the bunch, bold, and clear.

We reckon it's pretty cool.

Gerard Vroomen reckons that the black kits make the team very visible on tv and from the team car, unlike all the blue kitted teams which all look the same.

Cervélo have retained the large é character as the main design feature, and it's even bigger this year.

A simple design it may be, with the classic bar across the chest, harking back to the bike industry teams of yesteryear, but makers Castelli have gone a lot further than simply producing cosmetic changes, making over 60 refinements to the clothing, they say.

Footon - Servetto - Fuji

Mauro and the boys.

I dare to you click for a close-up.

Old Mauro Gianetti presented his team to the world on Sunday, and it was, er, unusual.

Juan Mari Guajardo, the speaker at the Vuelta opened proceedings, introducing a short film in which a fictional chase scene depicted robbers stealing a valuable package from somewhere in Santander, chased by Dani Sordo in his rally car (he was second in the World Rally Champs last year).

The film finished with the thieves rolling up in their van to the hotel where the presentation was happening, then fiction turned into reality as men shrouded in black plastic capes, took the haul from the van which was at the back of the room and carried it to the front, and opening it up - the hot kit turned out to be the team's bikes; Fuji SST1.0's. The capes were flung off, and the thieves were revealed as the Fuji riders - resplendant in their new kit, designed by a chap called Dario Urzay.

Apparently, several years ago Urzay was commissioned to design the new shirt for the Athletic Club de Bilbao football team, and came up with a red lava lamp-type mish mash, after which he received a number of death threats! We're still not sure if he's a professional designer, or one of the rider's cousins who "enjoys doodling", but we sure hope Mauro didn't have to pay for this howler.

Kim Kirchen is now at Katusha.

Officially, the colour scheme is described as gold and black, but too bad for the riders the gold seems much closer in the photos to, how to say this politely, skintone.

Together with the main motif on the jersey - a large, black footprint - it's easy to imagine an escaped gorilla discovering the riders cycling along naked and, outraged, giving them a damn good kicking. The red Servetto logo bunged across the abdomen like an afterthought resembles a rogue baggage label from an old suitcase.

Remember how Cipollini used to get fined for turning up in non-regulation team kit? Wonder if the UCI will pay these riders not to wear the standard issue.

Katusha

Next up is the Ruskies. No big deal here though - the kit wasn't that great last year - Pozzato's blinding white Champion of Italy versions excepted - and it hasn't really changed for 2010, except for having a bit more blue on the sleeves. Move along now, nothing to see here.

Lotto: Smart and tidy.

Omega Pharma - Lotto

I actually like this kit - it's a break away from last year's red/purple/black/lilac scheme, it's centered around a single base colour, there's detail in the Omega-coloured accents, but they don't get in the way at all. Nice.

Quick Step

Quick Step's new kit is what we'd call "retro cool".

Classic perfection.

It's not exactly new since they rocked up to the start at the Ronde last year wanting to wear it, but the UCI commisaires present told them they couldn't race in them.

We're pleased that this design wasn't heaved into the bin then, and instead it will be the official kit this season.

Tom's Belgian Champ's kit is pure class, and follows the unwritten dress code of the connoisseur - national champion's jersey, without too many sponsors logos, worn with black shorts.

The only thing that cold improve the kit would be the abandonment of the now-standard coloured shorts in favour of plain black.

Nevertheless, it's already a classic.

Lance goes for grey on red. Mmm.

RadioShack

Lance of course had to be the one to model the new team's jersey which to me looks a bit like a strapless dress, or even an ugly, ill-fitting pyjama top.

Denis Menchov and last year's - no, this year's jersey.

The colour-change at nipple-height makes it appear from a distance a bit like a boob-tube, and he does like his grey-on-grey designs (last using them on a limited edition USPS design in the 90's).

This is one design that will definitely be changing as the season goes on, and we reckon it won't look anything like this come July.

Rabobank

Oops, sorry, this one snuck into the piece accidentally - Rabobank haven't changed a thing for the best part of 14 years.

Team Sky

We covered the no-expense spared launch of Team Sky in London last week, and it was truly a triumph of color coordination; team Volvo bus and Jaguar cars with blue grilles and trim parked up in front of  blue columns, beautiful Pinarello Dogma bikes in with blue accents, the bosses wearing suits and blue ties, and cycling shoes with blue soles. Sky is classy, cool and styled.

Sky keep it simple.

T-Mobile kept it simple.

But, we aren't sure the kit is as good as it could have been - hands up who thought the jersey would actually be the opposite of what we've got?  We were expecting a modern, dynamic take on the track team's design (created digitally? Sort of).

The front of the Team Sky kit is basically a change of colour from the old '07 T-Mobile design - the Adidas factor I suppose. The understated design is really pretty dull, and T-Mobile got away with it purely on the strength of the base colour. That said, compared to some, the simplicity and lack of clutter is welcome, eh Snr. Savio?

The cutting edge Sky+ kit. Who'd have thought the light trail pattern was made in camera by Olly Courtney using a set of LEDs wrapped round a coat hanger!?

The jersey sides have the name and national flag of the rider, which is a unique touch I guess.

Looking at the back of the jersey, it's somewhat detached from the rest. First of all, it's just a big lightbulb-shaped splodge of white, then the title sponsor is represented with a tiny logo, and there's that inch-wide full-length blue stripe running down the centreline.

I can only think that extensive tests, trials, and simulations demonstrate that this colourway and pattern stands out in the peloton to the DS following in the car better than anything else.

Wonder if they are going to do what Cervélo did last year, and keep schtum until the Tour de France is around the corner (or, until plenty of people have bought the replica kit) about a change of colours, to a design with a white base, a black chest stripe and a blue Sky logo?

And you know what?  There's probably a whole lot more of these presentations to come...

Garmin - Transitions

You just know that somewhere, someone is thinking to themselves;

"We really should be thinking about how we can represent 'Transitions' with a colour fade, maybe from light blue to orange? That would be really neat."

Columbia - HTC

Following on from last season's spectacular success in the "winning races dressed as Lego" classification, we wonder if the kit will or can actually get any worse? Judging by the recent pics from the team's Mallorcan training camp, there's perhaps not many plans in the pipeline.

There's a reason that lots of people bought last season's Cervélo Test Team kit - and it's because it was actually wearable by you and me out on our bikes, without losing brand identity. Why don't more teams think like that?

Your turn...

Let us know which kit design you consider to be the fashion faux-pas of the season!  If Footon don't win, er... lose, we'll be amazed!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Dimitri De Fauw.

It's easy to write an obituary when one of your heroes dies - probably more so if you don't know them well.

There's just the legend, palmares, anecdotes and the sadness.

But I knew Dimitri De Fauw, not well, but I worked at maybe half-a-dozen six day races where he was riding.

Bruno Risi is the undisputed 'capo' of the sixes, but pass him in the tunnel whilst your lugging bags up to the track cabin and there'll be a nod or a "ciao" or his trade mark wink.

In all the times I was working at sixes where Dimitri was riding, he never once acknowledged my existence.

He seemed an angry man; at Grenoble, just a few days ago, he was excluded from a meeting that the top riders convened about, 'business,' - "f**king idiots" he shouted at the closed door as he walked past.

He rode for QuickStep mid decade, then the Chocolade Jacques team; but this year I noticed he was clad in AA Sports Drink attire.

De Fauw rode for Chocolade Jacques.

Whilst many of the big six riders are happy to have solid private sponsors, a rider like him needs the security of a wage arriving every month and it was difficult not to notice that his teams - and therefore wage cheques, were getting smaller.
 
When I first worked in the sixes, five or six years ago, De Fauw/Mechelen were an established pairing - not race winners but very quick in the one and two lap time trials.

They had a marketable speciality; but when current world Madison champions, Michael Morkov and Alex Rasmussen came along, the Belgians' time was over.

Michael is smooth and fast, and if they're trying, when he slings in 'Razi,' everyone else is racing for second place.

Then there was the crash at Gent where poor Isaac Galvez lost his life; Dimitri was involved - scars like that don't heal quickly.

At Grenoble, he looked a little heavy to me; not in the best shape.

There was a contract for him at Gent, but with Mertens, De Ketele and Keisse established, and the all too obvious star quality of Meersman - maybe there wouldn't be many more.

Belgian bike racing is merciless; the Tour looks after it's own - ex-riders are everywhere.

But in Belgium, it's different; if you've put a few euros away, there's maybe a bike shop or cafe to open.

But that takes good contracts and good financial acumen - both in short supply in the sport of bike racing.

Some riders move into coaching or management, but that needs a certain type of personality, which not all riders are blessed with.

Andreas Kappes was one of the absolute top men in the sport of six day racing until recently; after his retiral from the sport he was cleaning offices when one of the mechanics got him a job as number two mechanic with a German women's team.

De Fauw rode with the swiss star Alexander Aeschbach at Gent in 2007.

A man can only take so much - for Dimitri, the teams and the money were getting smaller, the results were sliding and there was that tragic day when Isaac Galvez lost his life; and maybe there were other things that folks like me don't know about.

All I hope, is that the man's soul has found tranquillity.

Dimitri De Fauw, rest in peace.

He was just 34, cause of death is cited as a 'blood clot.'

Looking cool with tats and tanlines.

Frank Vandenbroucke could hardly have been anything else but a pro cyclist - his dad was a pro and his uncle, Jean Luc, was a junior world champion and pro road star.

Belgian novice champion in 1991; junior champion in '92, "Franky Boy" moved seamlessly through the ranks.

His first pro win came in '94 - a stage in the Tour of the Med. By the end of the following season he was winning Paris-Brussels. In 1996 he took Laigueglia, the Scheldeprijs and Plouay.

The following season he was winning events as diverse as the De Panne beach mountain bike race, Cologne and the Tour of Luxembourg.

Gent - Wevelgem and Paris - Nice fell to him in '98. And in '99 things went even better; Het Volk, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and two Vuelta stages - a majestic season.

Frank in action in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

But in that campaign were sewn the seeds of his long and painful slide. In the Worlds at Verona, he was the protected rider on the Belgian squad - with the likes of Johan Museuuw and Peter van Petegem at his service.

Frank crashed, his team mates asked if he was OK, he said he was, but the truth was that he had fractured both wrists and couldn't pull on the 'bars.

Museuuw and van Petegem were furious, rightly saying that Vandenbroucke should have levelled with his compatriots and given them their freedom, instead of having them work for a lame duck.

It was never the same again, he had team problems, women problems, driving problems and - drugs problems; Frank said that the pharmaceutical concoctions found by the police in his fridge were for his dog.

The classic cartoon in the Miroir du Cyclisme from the time had a race podium, on it were Simoni's dentist, Rumas's mother-in-law and, on the top step, with gold medal around it's neck, Frank's dog.

Frank's volatile, on/off relationship with slim beauty, Sarah was top Belgian tabloid fodder - his dad always maintained that the rot started the day Frank met her.

Frank apparently looked much better recently, healthy and calm.

This year seemed different, though, Nico Mattan - a man who Frank liked and respected - signed him up for Cinelli-Down Under; he was training well and even winning - but the wheels came off again.

The last headline was that he would be working with top Italian coach Aldo Sassi, they were going to put Frank's blood values on the 'net to try and help the process of getting a ride with a team.

Despite the wilderness years, police dramas and embarrassments, Frank was still hugely popular in Belgium. His fan club was called the  'Franky Boys' and there was rejoicing among them, this year at Frank's return to his winning ways.

I well remember, a few years ago, being at Het Volk when Frank was with Fassa Bortolo.

The race was cancelled due to snow and ice on the course. Viktor had a hunch that Frank would maybe turn up at his mum and dad's cafe down at Ploegstert. The hire car was duly pointed south, and sure enough, near Kuurne, we came upon the Fassa boys in two lines, drilling down the concrete section towards Ploegstert.

There was a freezing block headwind, but the string was sitting at 40 kph, lead by - Frank.

He looked lean and was chatting away and joking to Juan Antonio Flecha as they sliced through the icy blast. Whilst his team mates wore blue team issue Fassa winter hats, Frank wore a grey Tibetan style woolly hat, tie cords flapping in the wind. He looked different, cool, fit and in charge of his team.

We arrived at the cafe first, but the Fassa boys weren't far behind; the espressos were lined up on the bar, there were brief chats, hand shakes, then Frank gave the signal - and they were off again.

He was top ten at Kuurne next day, but that season fizzled out, too.

Belgian guys all have their VDB anecdote, soigneur Etienne Illegems tells the story of Frank's first six;

"The big riders said to Frank that he would take so many laps, do this, do that.

"Frank was still a teenager but he replied - "I'll be doing just what I want !"

Then there was the time we met the old soigneur who looked after both Frank and Museuuw - he explained to us that as well as his bike racing talents, VDB was one of the best break dancers in West Flanders!

Despite not being picked to represent Belgium in the recent Worlds, Frank went to the race to catch up with his mates. Note the lack of team jersey.

After a while, nothing surprised you about Frank.

In his early days as a pro - when most youngsters are keeping their heads down - Frank would drive the team mechanics crazy, insisting that his bike should be as light as possible with all the 'trick' titanium bolts replacing team issue.

Perhaps ex-pro Chris Tonge's landlord summed up the root of Frank's problems best;

"He was living the life of a top pro bike rider from when he was a young teenager - it was too much, too soon!"

Frank Vandenbroucke; protégé, star, troubled man, character, eccentric, winner, idol - we'll miss you.

20 year old Tom is a second-year espoir, originally from Eastbourne in East Sussex (he calls it the Sunshine Coast!) and is now living and racing in France.

Tom loves to write in his spare time, and will be keeping us up-to-date as his season progresses, so to kick things off, we thought we'd introduce him to you now...

Introducing Tom Copeland.

Why go to France Tom?

"I had the choice of going straight to Bristol Uni in 2008 or having a year abroad giving it a go… living the dream as you often hear!

"I decided 'why not?', and was stuck between the choice of Belgium of France.

"Finally I chose France, given a greater range of races available and also given my height and weight - or lack of; I’m not very suited to the standard Belgian crit racing circuit."

So it's a bit different from East Sussex?

"Not really, East Sussex is on the south coast and is perfect for training with a choice of long climbs over the Ashdown Forest within an hours ride or abundant flat and rolling country roads perfect for getting lost on a cold winters day."

How long did you cycle in UK before crossing the Channel?

"I started cycling quite late and only really started racing as a junior at the end of 2005/2006 season.

"Competing in the junior national series races, I gained lots of experience racing with the likes of Edvald Boassen Hagen in my first junior series race. He was already a beast back then!"

Your palmares in UK?

"Several top 10’s in the Junior national series in 2007 with one podium but no wins. I got several local wins in Elite and 1/2/3 races including races from the popular Surrey League and South East Road Race League which provide most of the racing down my way.

"I also tapped out some good TT’s every now and then, obligatory for an English cyclist, including winning the Team prize at both the 10 and 25 mile junior national champs."

So you considered Flanders?

"Brittany “crepes” vs. Belgian “frites”… I chose the pancakes!"

Where about are you in France? 

"I am in the Finistère region of Brittany, over on the north west coast of France, well known for its micro-climate of wind and rain rolling off the ocean. But the awesome pancakes make up for all that obviously!"

Where Tom is.

How long have you been there?

"This is my second season out here; I got hooked and put off my university place for a little longer… sorry mum!

"Last season I was with division 2 club VS Quimper, living with an Aussie, two Poles and a larger-than-life Englishman Dan Smith who can still be found rolling round the premier calendar circuit every now and then."

Any other Brits or English-speakers close by?

"The Aussie from VSQ last year is still out here but with a different team but we see each other quite a lot at the local races.

"There are also three Brits, Matt Jones, Ali Carr and Nathan Edmundson based over in the other side of Brittany, racing for Fougeres."

What club do you race for?

"I’m racing for Division 1 Espoir BIC2000 (Brest  Iroise Cyclisme) based in Brest, obviously.

"We have a large varied race calendar including several UCI 2.2 stage races, amateur Coupe de France races and Elite/Continental pro races all over France, with a couple of local chippers thrown in every now and then."

It's hard racing in Brittany, for sure.

Is it a good set up? Bike? Clothing? Accom? Bonuses?

"The set up and support is really good, much better than what I had last year.

"The team provide me with pretty much everything apart from putting food on my plate and pedalling for me. You can’t have everything...

"The bike is a 'Felino', a well-known French marque… think of how many Treks/Specialized you see in England… Felino is the same here.

"The bonuses are good too especially in the Elite Pro races and 2.2’s where you could buy a nice car after a couple of wins!"

What's your best result(s)?

"I’ve had two wins this season, one coming in a stage race down south where I took the white jersey for first U23 as well.

"The 2.2’s I’ve done this year are a jump up from what I was doing last year and have been a good learning curve but a result isn’t far off. Next week in the Mi Aout Bretonne…"

Tom winning in France.

How have you taken to the lifestyle?

"The French are so much more relaxed about everything and everyday life than people back in England, making training, for example, much more pleasurable compared to fighting the local drivers for your place on the road back home."

How’s your French?

"Being the only English rider on the team I’m kind of forced to speak French.

"They seem to understand everything I say in the race briefings and can easily understand the insults in the peloton so I guess I’m fluent!"

What do you do with your free time?

"I’m in the middle of an Open University course which takes up quite a lot of free time, but apart from this and training, I pretty much live on the internet!"

Like most French teams, Tom's outfit is pretty well organised.

How do you survive, cash-wise?

"I’m currently supported by the John Ibbotson Fund and with a job in the winter everything is covered."

Lastly Tom - what do you think of French plumbing?

"I haven’t encountered that many 'old-school' French toilets (the well known holes in the ground), but sometimes that’s all you can find… just got to hope you’ve got good aim."

 Thanks Tom! Good luck for the upcoming races, and we look forward to presenting your adventures on VeloResults!

We find it hard to believe, but VeloResults is three years old today, and so to celebrate, we've carried out a complete overhaul of the site, bringing the design more up-to-date, and changing the layout to make it much easier for you to find the articles you're looking for, or discover something of interest whilst you're just browsing.

For us though, one of the biggest things is that we're now able to update the site from wherever in the world we happen to be - which means you'll be reading the same timely updates that we've always tried to deliver, but we will be much less fraught in bringing them to you!

We've also added a Comments feature on the articles, which means you can respond directly with your feedback, or contribute to a discussion that's underway.

We hope you like the new design, and we'd be very happy to hear your thoughts - you can email us or complete the Contact form, or leave a Response directly below - whichever is easiest.

Those New Features

• Search the entire site contents, both words and pictures, by typing your search string into the box at the top right of the sight and hitting the enter key.

• We've added a Tag Cloud, which shows the relative numbers of articles sharing the same keywords.

• Comment on any article and offer feedback or start a discussion, simply by completing the fields at the bottom of the article.

• Subscribe to feeds - you'll find RSS and Atom Syndication on the site, which means you can receive  updates with our new articles as we publish them. You can subscribe to all our Articles or Articles in a certain Category, to a particular Author, or to Comments.

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• To print out an article without the site formatting, switch the page to "Printer-Friendly" mode with a click of your mouse.

• Contact Us by completing our simple and secure form.

• We have some new sections such as Equipment Reviews and Training tips - we'll be bringing you much more of these types of articles thoughout the year.

• If you use Facebook, why not have a look at our page - we use it to post many of the photos that we take at the races, that we don't use on our articles and stories. It's a great way to share our images with you, and for you to tell us what you think of them!

• Oh yes, and we're on Twitter now too.  Follow our updates when we're working at the big races like the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix - and the '10' champs of course!  Why not subscribe to the VeloResults Twitter RSS feed.

The story so far

Our first article back in June 2006 was an interview with the late and much-missed Jason MacIntyre, who had just won the British 25 Mile TIme Trial Championship.

In fact, Jason's success was something that our Senior Correspondent Ed Hood wanted to write lots about and was one of the catalysts for the site being setup, by Ed and Greg.

The first version of the site was done by a friend of Ed's, and provided a platform for the numerous pieces that we were writing.

In early 2007, Martin joined the team, and one of the first things on the To Do list was to better structure the large amount of content that was building up, and organise things to make it easier to find and to navigate.

The result was the site design that we've been using for the last couple of years.

With this latest revision, the site contains more of the features that our readers expect , and as mentioned above, we can now update the site directly from the races, which will save us a lot of time and means you'll see race results that much quicker.

We hope you like the new VeloResults, and find it the big improvement that we do.

Thanks for your support over the last three years, and here's to a many more!

You may have heard about our friend Viktor, we rely on him to voice the more traditional viewpoint, shall we say.

Nevertheless, he's a man who has hung over more barriers at more kermis's and criteriums than tongue can tell; he got in touch with us today to voice a different opinion to the ones we've been hearing about the Elite Nocturne race in Edinburgh last Saturday evening.

Here's what he had to say on...

We daren't ask Viktor about this.

...The Circuit

"That circuit was too tough, you don't stick a mountain into a criterium.

"It was guaranteed to break the field up; it's supposed to be a spectacle, and it's the sight of a bunch hurtling round on a circuit that creates spectacle, not little groups of two and three riding to not get lapped.

"The circuit needed a big bunch whizzing past the crowd; not umpteen knots of guys riding around.

"Victoria Street is a nippy hill, it shouldn't have been included. They should have kept it in the Grassmarket - flat and fast."

...The Event

"The presentation was generally good; but what was that roller racing about?

"Did they have roller racing at the start of the Giro stages, Ed?"

The bunch wrestle their way up Victoria Street.

...Professionalism

"Phil Griffiths gets 10 out of 10 for presentation with Pinarello, he has the cars, the bikes, the jerseys; he understands that it's about colour, glamour, spectacle.

"Look at the new Cipollini-designed ISD strip for the Giro, garish, yes - but it's colourful and gets noticed.

"There was a pro team at the Nocturne whose sponsor supplies car parts, and they roll up in 'British Cycling' cars - how is that professional?"

Did Dave make it look just a little too easy?

...How Dave won

"If that race had been properly 'arranged' beforehand, then the likes of Bob Hayles (who's been a World Champion) and Kevin Barclay (who's the current Scottish Criterium Champion) wouldn't have been spat out the back in the first few laps.

"It's disrespectful and unprofessional to do that to fellow pros, and it would never happen on the continent. There, you have a chat about how the race will go before the start and agree the script - then you give the public a great show.

"Millar could have ridden away with ten minutes to go. The result would have been the same, but it would have been a far better show.

"The public don't know what speed to expect the bunch to be going at; part of the job when you're a pro is to put on a show - blowing it to pieces has neither rhyme nor reason to it."

Millar and Meyer ripped the race to bits.

...The Garmin boys

"I left after 15 minutes; Millar and Meyer were clearly head and shoulders above the others, but did they need to prove that so viciously?

"They didn't make it look good at all.

"Millar only did a part of his job - winning, but not the other parts; he didn't put on a show and he didn't respect his fellow pros."

Phew. Anything else Viktor?

"Aye - where did Millar get those socks?!"

Well, it's certainly a contentious view, and if all this has got you thinking, why not contribute to the discussion by commenting below?

We can feel a regular slot coming on....

Thanks to Danny McClure for the photos.

International racing cyclist who competed in Europe.

Born 24 October 1937.
Died February 22 2009.

Hugh McGuire, who has died suddenly of a heart attack aged 71, was the Glasgow-born Scot who became one of the top UK cyclists in the 1960s, representing both Scotland and the British Army. He took part with the best of GB riders in the Tour of Britain / Milk Race era, winning stages - and in so doing following the wheels of a slightly older top gun, Jimmy Savile. McGuire became noticed, and in 1962 and 1963, was selected to travel behind the Iron Curtain to participate in the annual Berlin-Warsaw-Prague road race, the co-called Peace Race designed by the Soviets to bring together the world's top cyclists in reconciliation between Warsaw Pact countries and the West.

McGuire's life revolved around two wheels, and when National Service came, the Army was not slow in taking his talents on board. In those days, the reputation of the Army Cycling Union was that they could have fielded two international cycling teams as against any one from the UK. 

Always a good rider, his two years in an Army jersey became his purple patch. Fiercely competitive, he was fortunate enough to enjoy the spur of fellow Scots Kenny Laidlaw, Ernie Scally and Jimmy Rae, as well as Englishmen Vin Denson and John Geddes - plus Regular soldier Ray Booty, who in 1956 had been the first man to break four hours for 100 miles on an out-and-home course. In addition, road racing had just begun in to emerge as the UK's favourite form of cycle competition, and McGuire would prove a formidable opponent in all portions of the event - grinding slogs, climbs, primes and finishing sprints - in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and at home. He also won the Army 5-day race, and took 4th place in the Archers Grand Prix, in those days possibly the biggest massed-start race in Britain.

Hugh ascending Ankerdine Hill, Knightwick, in the 2007 Little Mountain Time Trial. Photo © The Shuttle

McGuire was the original all-rounder. Wearing the light blue of Barmulloch-based Glasgow Brunswick Cycling Club, he took part in time trials, roads race, hill races and team events, as well as playing a prominent role in club runs and tours. A keen clubman and inspirational clubmate, he proved an inspiration role model for youngsters coming through the ranks. He would leave a clean pair of wheels to anyone. In 1960 he turned up at an Australian pursuit that started at Lennoxtown and included two ascents of the 1000-foot Crow Road. Wearing Army colours, McGuire raced away with the scratch group - and entirely on his own with no teamwork - won in a fashion that both demonstrated his love for his sport and at the same time epitomising everything that was good about the bike.

Shug - as he was known to his clubmates - could in those days have smoked for Scotland. His first request on crossing the line would habitually be for a cigarette. "Shug" became a word interchangeable with "fags". 

McGuire, an electrician by trade, surprised his clubmates by both suddenly leaving Glasgow for a girlfriend in Birmingham - where he lived for the rest of his life - and by giving up cycling for 15 years. But Scotland and the lure of the saddle drew him back - to tour regularly in his beloved

Trossachs and to line up at veteran events. As in youth, he proved no mean competitor, dropping rivals two generations younger and returning times into his seventies of 1hour 4 minutes for 25 miles. If for some reason McGuire was unable to race, he'd still turn up at the start to support and encourage, his loyal Jack Russell terrier by his side. 

McGuire's reputation as "a gent" showed in his courtesy; racing or

spectating, he never left without a word of thanks to the organisers. In his adopted Birmingham, McGuire built a reputation for outwitting rivals with both skilful cycling and Glasgow "patter". One-liners, humorous anecdotes, self-deprecating jokes and great personal warmth made him a man whose big heart matched his 6ft 1in stature.

He'd be a foxy rider, never declaring his tactics in either race or fun run.

Indulging recently in what his old Glasgow chums called "a habble" and his Brummie mates know as a savage session of "through and off", he hung towards the rear until, one of his clubmates related, "He cunningly dummied us all for the cafe sprint". 

A stalwart of the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists and Beacon Road Club, McGuire and teammate Ken Haddon last year were the oldest competitors in a two-day race in Wales. In gale-force winds and driving rain they camped out for three days rather than stay in a local inn. A colleague queried afterwards: "Was it something to do with Hughie's character in saving a few bob? Or was it that he still enjoyed life if we make a bit of an effort?".  

In 2004, McGuire won the LVRC over-65s road race championships. During the race, his great friend Clive Pinfold, racing as an over-55, crashed and was taken to hospital. Discharged later that night, Pinfold found McGuire waiting outside. "How did you get on, Hugh?" asked Pinfold - at which McGuire unzipped his top to reveal the champion's jersey, adding drily: "You robbed me of my moment of glory. Everyone's been asking 'How is Clive?'". 

McGuire died as he would have wished - cycling with clubmates. He had been returning from an annual cycling weekend in Wales when he was dropped during a scrap up a hill. When he failed to rejoin the group, Clive Pinfold rode back and found Hugh dead near a bend on the descent. It is the measure of the man that an eye-witness reported that McGuire had been seen on the way down "tucked up for maximum speed".  

He had been planning to travel to Majorca this month (March) for a series of warm-weather training rides. 

He is survived by his daughter Jill.

Jason was a special rider, I loved to watch him in a time trial; to me he was poetry in motion. 

I only got to know him well during the last couple of years of his life, but I felt very close to him, maybe I was partly trying to live my dreams through him?  

Jason's style was perfection on a bike.

I tried my best to make sure that his deeds were given the attention they merited, through this site, PezCyclingNews and Cycling Weekly magazine. 

I think about him most days; at the time trial championships this year I felt that I was just going through the motions, they just weren’t the same without him. 

My memory is just a wee, daft one; at the end of another his impeccably executed championship wins I would approach him for an interview; ‘Just you make it up Ed, I trust you!’ he’d tell me. 

I never did of course, but I used to like that he said it to me.  

 Bob Taylor was emotional when I asked him about his memory of the man; but first he explained to me about Ghost Bikes – one is to be placed in Jason’s honour near the spot where the accident that took his life occurred. 

For those of you who don’t know what a Ghost Bike is, it’s a bicycle which is sprayed white all over, tyres, chain and all, then placed at the spot where a cyclist has lost his life. 

The first one was placed in Saint Louis, Missouri in 2003; usually a plaque commemorates the rider who died.

Bob explained;

“Caroline (Jason’s widow) has obtained permission from the distillery near where the accident happened to place the bike there.

"There will be a memorial ride of around 30 miles which will finish at the spot and Caroline will say a few words.

"STV have been in touch with Caroline for an interview and there was a big feature recently in the Sunday Express about the accident and mistakes that the police have admitted to in conducting their investigation about Jason's death.

"I think that public awareness of cycling is very high due to Chris Hoy’s deeds and that’s partly why there’s so much interest.

"The headstone is up at Jason’s grave now, so we’re going to go up to see that and pay our respects."

 What was your memory, Bob? I asked.

"I remember meeting Jason and his family just before Xmas 2007 at a wee caff we used to go to in Glasgow, we exchanged presents and a had a bite to eat; but I couldn’t help but be amazed at his condition, there was a glow coming from him, he looked like a top professional – he was shining!

"Two days later, he rang me; 'the 17 minute ten is definitely on Bob, maybe not in Scotland, but it will be this season,' he was so sure - there was just no doubt about it, but of course, we never got to see it.”

We saw Jason scorch around the Trossachs course in '07 in another record time.

Twice British pro road race champion, Brian Smith’s recollection of Jason was from back in 1996;

“I was back in the UK to seek Olympic selection and riding the Tour of the Kingdom.

"At the start of the last stage I held the yellow jersey but I didn’t have a team around me.

"Tosh Scott was managing a Young Scotland squad; he approached me and said that his lads would help me defend the jersey, on the basis that a Scot should win the race.

"One of the team who worked for me was Jason, even back then he was a big lad, very strong.

"He did a lot of work for me and I can still remember him driving the bunch along to the foot of the Glen Tarkie climb.

"After the race, I went round and thanked all the Young Scotland team for their help and said to Tosh; 'that Jason lad has got a big engine on him!'

"I expected him to do great things, but of course a lot of years passed before we saw the best of him, he bloomed late because he chose his family in front of his sport; he was so unselfish.

"I don’t think there are many men who could have done what Jason did, look after his family like that, then come back and get himself onto the Olympic programme.

"He helped me get to the Olympics; I just wish that I’d seen him go to the Games too.”

Trossachs 2007 was a great day.

 Scottish road race champion and Plowman Craven professional Evan Oliphant is far from home at the moment, but took the time to send us a few words about his friend and training partner;

“I’m in Australia at the moment, staying not far from where Jason and I stayed when we rode the Sun Tour together.

"I remember that when I was preparing for the Tour of Britain I would go training with Jason instead of riding other stage races; it was much harder work training with him!

"He taught me so much about training and racing when we were in Velo Ecosse together; I still do the training routines that Jason taught me over the years.” 

Happy to chat to us, Jason always had time for people.

 Jason MacIntyre, father, husband, friend, champion – we miss you.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine, we got round to talking about cycling, and with a far away look in his eyes, he reminisced about his first bike; "my maw pushed the boat out and bought me this beautiful red racer, it had white wall tyres and white transfers on the tubes - JB Allen."

This morning, Gregor rang to tell me that 'Jocky' had died.

Like I said, life is strange, sometimes.

I first eased my fat body over a bike in competition in 1971. Continental racing was beyond my imagination, Merckx and De Vlaeminck were mystical beings who inhabited a world which could only be reached through the pages of Cycling Weekly or International Cycle Sport.

But in Scotland, if you were into the 'alone and unpaced' side of the sport, the top team was Jocky's Velo Sportiv. Joe Summers, Doug McInley and Jim Smillie were the men I looked at in awe as a young Kirkcaldy and District tester.

Jocky and his van were omnipresent as his boys scooped up the individual and team honours most weekends.

I was never close to the man, but we'd usually exchange a few words; if banter was involved, I'd always loose. You had to get up early to get the better of Jocky.

I can't say much more that, save that in a cycling world that can sometimes be a bit grey, he always added colour.

Ed Hood

I'm very sad today. When I heard the news about Jocky this afternoon, I kicked myself. For quite a while now I'd been meaning to invite him and his wife to dinner, to chat about things, find out how they and the family are keeping, and to talk about the good old days. Another hard lesson in the dangers of procrastination, as if I needed it.

L to R, Martin, Deke Laing, and Garry Brown (with Neil Fraser taking the pic) used to spend all day every day through the summer school holidays on their bikes.

I owe a lot to Jocky - he got me started in cycling, he taught me so much, he made my youth a lot of fun, and he put a great deal into the sport: He was involved in starting the SCU (Scottish Cyclists' Union), ESCA (the East of Scotland Cycling Association), the White Heather cycling club (which later became the Edinburgh Road Club), and - this is where I came in - the Velo Sportiv cycling club.

I used to be pals with Jock's youngest son, Wallace - sadly no longer with us either. Wally and I used to run round to Jocky's shop in Jane Street - and then later Leith Walk - when we were on our lunch break from school. The shop was a haven for bike fans, with great mounds of spares and frames and bolts and gears everywhere; organised chaos.

Not that I was interested in bikes when I was 11 - it was the lunches that Jocky's wife Gaye made for us that was the attraction.

Of course, with Wally already racing, it was only a matter of time before I became interested as well, riding my first race, Jocky's "Christmas 10" in 1979, recording 29:44. I thought this was pretty good, apart from being passed by a giant polar bear! (the race was also a fancy dress for those that wanted).

Wallace hanging around outside his dad's shop.

My dad had put a wheel in to Jock's shop 20 years previously, but had subsequently forgotten about it. For a joke, he went in to the shop with me one day and asked Jocky when it would be ready. Always up for a laugh, Jocky made a play of searching through the huge pile of wheels in front of him, kidded on he found my dad's wheel, and said "Ah yes, it's just on the jig the now - be ready Thursday."

In all the time I knew Jocky, I never knew him to be angry - loud: yes, cutting: yes, funny: oh yes. He was a great joker, always ready with his big round smile and cheeky quips. Attempting to straighten an already fully-tightened seat post once, he kidded on he'd made a difference to it; "That's the difference between an expert and an arse" he said to Wally, whilst we crumpled in fits of laughter. "Yer arse" we replied, saying back one of Jocky's favourite phrases.

It's 6am on a summer's morning, and here comes Jocky to pick Martin up.

Most of my teenage years were spent cycling around with my pals Wally, Derek, Garry and Neil. Jocky coached us, and it was always great advice for young lads starting out: "Don't copy the Pros' gear ratios, copy the Pros' leg speed."

He engrained in us the ability to pedal fast, which when you were riding on restricted schoolboy gears, was vital of course. But it also stood us in good stead when we were older too. We "got" suplesse, we understood how it benefitted us, and we practised it - a lot.

Jocky used to take us all around the country in his old white transit van every weekend. I remember travelling to Aberdeen, to Glasgow and to West Ferry, to Newcastle and as far as Boroughbridge, having battles with Graeme Obree for 1st Junior in 10's and 25's, when really all that mattered was to beat my pals and then lord it over them on the journey home in the back of the transit amongst the bikes.

Jocky would tell us stories in the van all about when he took Scottish teams to the Peace Race - and won stages!

He was very proud of the previous generation of lads he coached: Jim Smillie, Frank Anderson, Ken Klessa, Ran Shenton, and before them Brian Temple, Ronny Boa and John MacMillan.

At the Tour of the Borders, Easter circa 1983. L to R, Deke, Jocky, Martin, Ran, Garry, (out of shot: Peter Cook.

Once, when I was "helping" in the shop on a Saturday morning, a German lady came in looking for something. Jocky started talking to her in fluent German - something I didn't know he could do!

Later, when the shop was closed, he sat me down in the back shop with a cuppa and told me how he was one of the first Commandos in the war: he was in the Parachute Regiment and took part in Operation "Market Garden" in September 1944, which took place in the area near Arnhem, in Holland. I sat there, totally spellbound as Jocky told me about "Market Garden", which was one of the boldest plans of World War Two.

Thirty thousand British and American airborne troops were to be flown behind enemy lines to capture the eight bridges that spanned the network of canals and rivers on the Dutch/German border.

Martin takes a feed from JB in a "12".

However, it didn't turn out quite like that: not enough planes, poor radio equipment, and very well organised German infantry and panzer divisions meant that the operation failed, and the Parachute Regiment left behind nearly 1,500 dead and more than 6,500 prisoners, many badly wounded. Jocky was one of those prisoners, and spent the remaining 10 months of the war in a POW camp. It was here that he learned German.

There are a million stories I could write here, about our many trips to the Tour of the Borders, to Harrogate, about him "making" me ride 12 hour time trials "for the team", and about Jocky's absolute and total love for his family; for Gaye, Wally, Michelle, and Corinne.

Jocky never took them - or anyone - forgranted. He really appreciated people and the things they did for him. He was a lovely, funny, kind man. I'll miss him very much. And sorry about that dinner JB.

Jocky was 88, but if he was here he'd tell you he was 58 - he said he was 58 all the time I knew him!

Martin Williamson

Carpe diem.

The 07.50 train to Edinburgh and no one speaks, not a word. I'd sooner be in the old Transit, with Terry Wogan prattling-on about sausages. The carriage rocks past the Forth Bridge approach road at 08.10 and like Talking Heads would say, the tailback is "same as it ever was".

There won't be much chat down there either. At least there's a little daylight now, a few weeks ago at this time, it was "as black as the Earl o' Hell's waistcoat", as my dad used to say.

Haymarket, the game plan was to leave at 08.30. One of the boys has missed his train, whilst he's on the mobile explaining this, he misses the next one too. It's 08.50 now, and our man ambles sheepishly across to the car - I'm really glad I got that early train.

Drum Brae, 09.10, and we pick up our sixth man. He's got the short straw and is in the rear-facing seats in the back of the estate car.

Calendar, 10.00. The last time we were here it was a glorious autumn day and Jason was flying to another course record in the Trossachs; I would only see him once more after that, at the hill climb - he won that too.

Lix Toll, 10.30, and our 'tail-gunner' feels sick. We stop, haul him out, and I climb in.

As we crossed Rannoch Moor it looked briefly like the rain might stop, there was a bit of sun shining through the gloom, despite the torrents in every little valley.

We made it with about ten miutes to spare, the rain had turned serious; the church was full, and we were shepherded into the hall at the back, which was 'standing-room-only.'

The service was as good as these things can be, the minister had done his homework, and Bob Taylor struggled manfully through his speech; "our hero". Aye Bob, I never though of it that way, but that's right.

And the British champion's skinsuit, on a Scottish rider's back in Scottish races, it was marvellous, you're right, Bob.

The minister read out a letter from Caroline which will accompany Jason on his final journey; that was hard and the tears were close.

Outside, the rain was dramatic; the coffin in the back of the hearse; the big crowd, familiar faces and strangers alike, still stunned and with the rain dripping from their black clothing. Caroline, her pretty face twisted in grief but still taking time to make sure the twins' seatbelts were fastened - and all under the watchful eye of the TV cameras. It just didn't seem real.

As we drove homewards, back along Loch Linhe-side in that downpour it finally sunk in that we'd never see that tall figure; back flat, still and composed in the saddle, the cranks flying around and that chiselled, focussed face, skinny - but healthy and handsome, ever again.

I'm lucky. I took the time to tell him he was 'special' when I did, for some people, it's too late.

We'll all miss you, Jason.

• 14/10/07 :: Scottish Hill Climb Championship
• 07/10/07 :: The Tour de Trossachs
• 24/09/07 :: Scottish Olympic Time Trial Championship
• 17/06/07 :: Scottish 25 Mile Time Trial Championship
• 28/05/07 :: Scottish 10 Mile Time Trial Championships
• 16/03/07 :: We're Off! The Scottish Season starts with some transfer news
• 14/10/06 :: Scottish Hill Climb Championship
• 01/10/06 :: The Tour de Trossachs
• 10/09/06 :: Tour of the Campsies
• 04/09/06 :: Interview - following Jason's win in the British Circuit Time Trial Championship
• 03/09/06 :: British Circuit Time Trial Championship
• 12/06/06 :: Interview - discussing the postponement of the Scottish 25 Mile Time Trial Championship
• 05/06/06 :: Interview - following Jason's win in the British 25 Mile Time Trial Championship

Jason MacIntyre R.I.P.

Chatting with pals.

Jason and Chloe.

Chatting after a race with his family.

Warming up before the Scottish 25 Champs, 2006.

British Champion!

Riding for Edge RT.

The 34 year-old multiple Scottish champion was returning from a training run in the Spean Bridge area when the tragedy occured at a spot known locally as Carr's corner on the A82 road.

Despite being taken by ambulance to Belford Hospital in the town, he was subsequently pronounced dead from his injuries.

A late-bloomer, whilst giving indications of his quality as a rider over the last 15 years, it was only in the last two seasons that he realised the potential that many observers had long felt he harboured.

Dedicated. Classy. Inspiring.

At the end of the 2005 season, Jason began to return to form after a spell of illness. After training right through the Highland winter and displaying fanatical attention to his diet, he emerged at the start of the 2006 season slimmer, more flexible and stronger than at any stage in his career.

Whilst Scots had long known of Jason's potential, it was not until he beat former double World Track Champion Chris Newton, to win the British 25 Mile Time Trial Championship that the wider cycling public were alerted to his ability.

His pride pricked by what he felt was a lack of recognition of his 25 victory, he removed all doubts about the validity of his win by beating multiple Britiish Time Trial Champion Michael Hutchison, to take the British Cycling Circuit Time Trial Championship later that same season.

Jason always had time to chat.

The 2007 season saw him in even more towering form: Jason won the Scottish 10 Mile Time Trial Championship by two minutes and beat Graeme Obree's long-standing Scottish 10 mile record.

Hutchison narrowly beat him for the British 10 Mile title but in the 25 he was unstoppable, brushing-off the pressure of being defending champion to beat Hutchison convincingly.

Ironically, the race which perhaps gained him most recognition was one which he did not win; defending his British Cycling Circuit Championship, he punctured when on a ride which looked to have former Tour de France yellow jersey holder David Millar heading for the silver medal behind the flying Highlander.

With Bradley Wiggins not riding the road time trial at the Bejing Olympics, and David Millar barred from the same event due to his drug taking admissions, an Olympic slot for Jason was no pipe dream.

Sadly, the very best of Jason MacIntyre will never be seen.

He is survived by his wife Caroline, and twin daughters Chloe and Morgan, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies.

Gregor Russell

Today I heard the tragic news of the death of Jason MacIntyre.

As many people in the cycling world know, he rode for my team for nearly his entire cycling career. In the near-twenty years together we went through a lot of great times, and a few not-so-great times too. Over that time he not only became a very good friend to me, but he also developed into a fantastic athlete.

As with most people at the top of their sport, his attention to detail and fastidious preparation was remarkable.

We first met when I took the National Team to the RÁS International Cycle Race in Ireland. Jason crashed and punctured at least once every day for the first five days, but got up and made it back to the bunch each time, only being unable to take the start when a sickness bug struck, and he was barely able to stand, let alone ride his bike.

His approach inspired me to start a team and build it around him, and a few years later we returned to Ireland for the Tour of the North where Jason won two stages, as well as the race overall and leading us to the team prize.

He went to France to try and pursue cycling as a career however the arrival of his twin girls, Chloe and Morgan, meant he was unable to return the following season. Indeed their premature birth halted his cycling for a couple of years.

On his return he was, to my amazement, even better and stronger than before, and he went on to win five Scottish Grand Prix events on the trot, as well as winning the Glasgow-Dunoon British Premier Calendar race, following that quickly with a win in the Wanlockhead race.

Since then he has won countless Scottish Time Trial, Road Race, and Track titles with apparent ease.

His selection for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games was certainly well earned, however he was overlooked for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Sydney, and this was proven to be a somewhat short-sighted decision when he went on to win the blue riband event of British cycling: the 25 Mile Time Trial Championship. Then, with even more aplomb Jason won the British Circuit Time Trial Championship.

His target then became the Beijing Olympics to be held later this year, which he had been shortlisted for.

Sadly he will now be unable to fulfil that chapter in his career.

My family and I, and all of Jason's former team-mates, send our deepest condolences to his family.

Jason and Gregor at the Davie Bell Road Race in 2006.

Ed Hood

The news about Jason Macintyre stunned me, his face flashed before my eyes and the tears just couldn't be stopped.

There are only two people I've seen in Scottish racing who have really left their mark on me:

One was Graham Obree. I can still see him torturing himself over the Dukes Pace on one of those Heath Robinson creations he used to ride; complete with single chain ring, on his way to breaking Robert Millar's Trossachs course record.

The other image is of Jason. His position perfect, back flat and parallel to the road surface, eating up the tar, flowing straight and true with that marvellous lightness of touch on the pedals.

You either love time testing or you hate it - I love it. For me, Jason MacIntyre was the time triallist's time triallist: his style, his cadence, his lines through the bends, his attention to detail with clothing and equipment, his single-mindedness about training and diet. Everything was done properly.

I can remember the "old" Jason at the Scottish 'Olympic' time trial champs, north of Dundee a few years ago - he went off-course when victory looked in the bag.

The 'new' Jason was different. He would have driven and ridden that course beforehand, no-one would have known it better, and for him to go off-course would have been unthinkable.

Many business people, if you ask them about why it took them until such-and-such a time to gain success, will say; "I finally got serious." The winter of 2005 was when Jason 'got serious'."

He became especially serious about his diet. He was never what you call 'fat' at the best of times, but as the pounds came off and the power-to-weight ratio improved, he just got faster and faster. I looked in awe at his legs back at the Scottish Circuit Time Trial Championship at Eglinton last autumn. Very few professionals have legs like that: cut, sculpted, brown, and always the long-johns to keep all of that hard fought muscle warm.

I've already written about his British title wins - dazzling rides, but I'm convinced that the best was yet to come. I felt there was an Olympic Time Trial Medal in those long legs.

We'll never know if I'm right about that, but what I do know is that Scottish cycling has lost one of it's greats, and I've lost a friend who meant so much to me.

Jason starts the British 25 champs - which he won.

No, it's our "quality-read" for the sabbath - Scotland on Sunday.

Whilst George Best drank himself to death, and as "Hurricane" Higgins trots down the same trail, many of the gentlemen of the press struggle to conceal their admiration for these 'lads'.

Drinking, womanising, brawling, gambling, gamesmanship - all the activities that proper sportmen should engage in. Robert Millar and his six hour stages in the rain, through the Pyrennes? Surely if you take enough drugs, practically anyone could manage that?

Robert showing off his Tour de France KOM jersey in the Glasgow Kellogs City Centre crit, 1984.

But is this story, about one of the country's sporting greats, even true? The last time the press 'doorstepped" Millar about his sexuality, within weeks he was out advising the Scottish Commonwealth Games squad at Manchester. The trademark, long hair was there, but that was all.

Having spent a lot of my life working on building sites, this kind of story is good for ribald banter. But when it's one of your few heroes (his picture still graces my wall) who is the subject matter then it's no longer quite so funny.

If it is true, then it's hard to take-in, leaving you sad and confused. That's on the outside, looking-in, how must Millar feel?

But that was one of his strengths - he never did care much what people thought of him.

He ploughed the "lone furrow" of cliche. Journalists, team directors, fans - if Robert didn't want to talk, then that was that.

The 'queen' headline isn't even original, it's pinched from Saturday's Mail - always a bastion of open-mindedness and middle-of-the-road journalism. The Mail's attention to detail is so thorough that the picture they run - of Millar in his Panasonic days - is back to front.

As a fan of the the man, you had to be capable of divorcing the personality from the athlete; tales of his obnoxious and anti-social behaviour are legion.

But Millar the cyclist has no peer in the history of British competition in bicycle stage races. Whilst Tom Simpson is undisputed king of British bike racing - Milan-San Remo, Flanders, the Worlds and Lombardy; the Harworth man's palmares in multi-stage events are far less sparkling than Millar's.

As well as Millar's unparalleled Tour record, with a highest placing of fourth and a win in the mountains competition, he was second twice in the Vuelta and second in the Giro.

Robert flat-out: climbing in the Tour of Britain prologue in Dundee.

The recent fuss surrounding Moureau's win in the Dauphine made me smile; imagine what it would be like if David Miller won it? That's exactly what the waif-like man from Glasgow did in 1990 - and I don't remember nearly as much media excitement.

But then, he didn't do 'media friendly', or predictions - he just went out and rode until he was wasted - or he won.

In Scotland we have few-enough sporting heroes, shouldn't we show a little mercy? respect? - call it what you will, in a situation like this?

I spoke to someone who knows a little about this type of situation; their take was that a person's sexuality is what is within them - what they feel, and have probably always felt.

A sex-change is a physical, not a pyschological thing; the conflicts within the man must have been terrible - again, assuming the story is true.

Millar was never a man who sought-out the press or craved headlines, personally I can't see how this story is in the public interest.

It's his life, he's not acting in a hypocritical fashion, he just wants left in peace.

I understand that bad news sells newspapers, but If we have to print the story, can't we ditch the tacky headlines and get some expert opinions? But maybe that would be too much like hard work.

Will I still keep his picture on my wall, will I still remember when he dropped Delgado to win at Superbagneres in 1989?

Damn right!

Ah Floyd. Will we ever know the truth?

“Me thinks the Landy doth protest too much”
[apologies to William Shakespeare]
Landis has just signed-up Howard L. Jacobs to join the team which is handling his case.

Old Howard has plenty of experience; he’s worked for Tim Montgomery and Tyler Hamilton in the past so he knows his EPO from his THG.

Already Howard is attacking the UCI for going public with the fact that a rider had failed a test during the Tour, adding that it wasn’t difficult to work-out who it was. He says, rightly, that his client had the right to anonymity until the result of the “B” sample was known. (It was Landis’s team, Phonak, who formally announced that their rider was the mystery ‘positive’.)

Right though Howard is, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Festina affair. Initially our sympathies lay with the riders because their human rights were being violated by those nasty French policemen – that was until we saw the list of kit that Willy Voet had in the car. It’s to be expected that a lawyer will seek to do his best for his client, but to be searching for procedural loop holes and failures in protocol this early in the proceedings makes one think it’s going to be another Hamilton-style long haul.

Landis asked us to; “wait for the ‘B’ sample results”, then promptly ignored his own pleas and launched an immediate major PR offensive. Appearing on the Larry King Show hardly constitutes a dignified silence.

But he seems like such a nice guy...

Shooting from the hip
Again without heeding his own advice, Landis started to wheel-out the justifications for his failed test. With regard to the test I make no pretence at being an expert, but I have read everything I can get hold of the subject.

In the average human, the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone runs at 1:1, the UCU allows a 4:1 ratio (previously 6:1). The figures I have seen suggest that in 99% of men the ratio is less than 5.6 to 1 and in a study of 5,000 athletes the average ratio was 1.5:1.

According to the New York Times and L’Equipe, Landis’s ratio was 11:1. Additionally it is alleged that the testosterone is of an exogenous nature; in other words not produced by Landis’ own body.

Landis is mooting that the corticosteroids he uses for his now famous degenerative hip problem may be responsible for the positive test. He apparently has a therapeutic use exemption certificate for the medication.

His choice of timing to tell the world about how bad the problem was – namely during the Tour – seemed unusual. Was there another reason for the announcement? Was he saying in effect: “I’m taking a proscribed substance, but I’ve got certification for it so if there’s an issue later, I did tell you I had a problem”?

Over-active or under-active?
No, we’re not talking about imagination and propensity to tell the truth, but Landis’s thyroid. I don’t know if it’s under or over-active, but which-ever, it was news to us all. If he takes medication for it then shouldn’t he have another of those therapeutic use medication certificates? If not, why not; but it is being dragged-out as a possible cause for the test reading.

It was the drink!
Well, we can all identify with this one. On Thursday last, when the storm clouds finally released their deluge after a day of rumbling, Landis had drunk “one pint of strong beer” after his disastrous stage 16. By Friday night it was two beers and “at least” four Jack Daniels. Alcohol and sexual intercourse raise the testosterone level but only on a short term basis, however. I don’t think either of these two factors could account for the exogenous nature of the substance.

This doesn’t stop transgressors from citing them as a reason for failing tests. In 1998 the American sprinter, Dennis Mitchell failed a test on testosterone and cited four bottles of beer and a steamy night with his wife the night before the test as the reason. The authorities were so impressed with this explanation that they banned him for two years.

It was too little drink!
Or it could have been dehydration that caused it; that’s the latest theory from the Landis legal team. The experts have already kicked this one into touch. This ‘chuck enough excuses at the wall and one of them is bound to stick’ approach is all too reminiscent of the Tyler Hamilton case from two years ago. Call me stupid, but wouldn’t it be best if Landis and his squad of lawyers kept quiet until the “B” result was released then set about finding the ONE reason for the anomaly? The word “disinformation” springs into my head.

Testosterone wouldn’t help him
The thing to bear in mind about “kit” these days is that it’s not like the old days where you dropped a tab or two of “speed.” The suppliers of the drugs charge big money for their products, many of which are sophisticated and complex in the way they work. Often they are taken not in isolation but as “cocktails” in conjunction with other products. A simple example would be taking Aspirin in conjunction with EPO to keep the blood thin. The argument that testosterone would not be helpful is not a valid one – it may well be performing some ancillary function that lay-people like us can’t begin to guess at.

“Those cheese-eating surrender monkeys (that’s the French as described by the G.W. Bush government by the way) couldn’t get Lance, so they got Floyd instead.”
That’s like saying that Leblanc and Prudhomme prefer their root canal work without anaesthetic.

Landis’ exploit on stage 17 saved the race; it was heroic, an “exploit.” It was redemption after the Astana, Basso, Mancebo and Ulrich disasters. Whatever happens now, Landis’ stage and overall wins are contaminated and will remain so forever. The race has gone from fairy tale to farce. Marketing and PR guys like the former but are much less keen on spending their company’s money on the latter.

Landis has quite a struggle ahead to clear his name.

Damn foreigners!
Because Floyd Landis is ‘like us’ – white, English-speaking and from a ‘Western Democracy’ it’s hard for us to accept his failing a test. If he came from Latvia or Lithuania would his failed test be met with so much disbelief?

It’s a testing time
When the Santi Perez and Tyler Hamilton scandals hit Phonak two years ago, one of the first things the team did was to attack the validity of the tests. Not surprisingly the UCI were mightily unimpressed by this strategy and it was only by emptying the team’s management structure from Urs Freuler down, that Phonax managed to cling on to their Pro Tour place.

Even although the team becomes i-Shares for 2007 (that may hang in the balance now though) it doesn’t seem like a good idea to rubbish the tests all over again. We’re already hearing from the Landis camp that it’s not a reliable test; WADA meanwhile tell us that the test is sound and has been used for years. I can’t help but observe that the test was just fine – until Landis failed it. If Phonak and Landis wish to be part of the Pro Tour then they should not be attacking its very foundations.

The whole thing is depressing. Athletic ability and courage are forgotten - lawyers, claims, counter-claims, ratios and unpronounceable words take centre stage. Worst of all, they wheel-out Paul Kimmage to sing his same old self-righteous song. Maybe it would be better if the Grand Tours were run like the sixes with the winner organised beforehand.

(Editor's note: EPO = Erythropoietin – an illegal performance enhancing drug, popular in the 90s with cyclists, that boosts redcell count to get more oxygen to the muscles. THG = Tetrahydrogestrinone is an illegal ‘designer’ drug for athletes and is the brain child of Victor Conte – man at the head of the now infamous Balco laboratory scandal).