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

Since we've got cameras, laptops, BlackBerrys, all the related paraphenalia to go with them such as cables and chargers, and we know we'll collect a lot of extra stuff when we're on the race, such as roadbooks, race manuals and so on, there's not much room left for anything else in our wee trolley bags -as we often find when it's time to fly home and our bags are weighed!

It's cool though, we only take two or three items of each type, and once there we quickly fall into our system of wear one / wash one / dry one.  Our undies, socks and t-shirts take a beating, literally, as we delouse them in the bath each night with travel wash. It's a harsh regimen for clothes, particularly since it rained most days we were there, and walking up roads like the Bivio Poggio Salvi, part of the famous Strada Bianchi, which was more like a mud bath that afternoon after two days of rain, certainly tested our washing skills and the robustness of the clothes too.

Fortunately, just before leaving, we got our hands on some of the new T-shirts by Peloton Racer, which we were happy to put to the test on our travels.

Ed in his Campionissino T-shirt, and I meet Richard Pestes.

It's perhaps because we were in Italy, that both Ed and my favourite was the "Campionissimo", a nice shade of light blue and a simple, classy logo celebrating the Italian legend Fausto Coppi - who earned the nickname "Champion of Champions" by winning five Giri d’Italia, two Tours de France, as well as a World Championship and an hour record, together with many other monuments and classics.

Ed wears his favourite 'Milan' T-shirt, whilst interviewing stage winner Matt Goss.

Ed liked the "Milan" shirt too, which features a nice rendering of Cav pipping Haussler last year in San Remo, whilst I really liked the bright orange of the "Kaanibaal" T, a reference to the colour scheme used by Eddy Merckx's Molteni team in the '70's

The other shirt I used was the "Devolder", in tribute to twice Belgian Champ and twice Tour of Flanders winner Stijn.

It's a testament to the quality of the Peloton Racer shirts, that after the less-than-ideal treatment they suffered at the Giro, they're still going strong, they've washed down well; keeping their shape and vibrant colours.

Come and Gone - Joe Parkin

Joe Parkin's "Come and Gone" chronicles the rebirth of pro bike racing in America, it's his sequel to the highly praised memoir, "A Dog in a Hat".

Boulder, CO, USA, May 12, 2010... After a grueling five-year education in European bike racing, Joe describes his return from Belgium, his struggles with the nascent American bike racing scene, and the birth of mountain bike racing.

After those years of racing in Belgium, Joe Parkin said goodbye to Flanders knowing he might never go back, and he never did.

Joe flew back to the U.S. with empty pockets and no contract. For several years, he was unable to watch a Belgian spring classic without tears in his eyes, and seeing his former teammates race the 1992 Tour de France was torture.

Eventually Joe landed a spot with the elite Coors Light cycling team. After the years in Europe though, racing in the U.S. was a difficult transition, with poorly organised events, little sponsorship money, and inexperienced racers. Joe was unable to muster the motivation that had driven him every day in Europe.

Until he started racing mountain bikes.

Come and Gone follows Joe through three hardscrabble seasons chasing wins on the U.S. road racing circuit before he changes course and tastes victory as a mountain bike pro.

A gritty, authentic, and heartfelt personal memoir, the book is also a chronicle of the rebirth of professional bike racing in America.

Pick something else from the Bookshelf.

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.

A new Decade and a brand new race series for you to get your tyres dug into.

Dates and venues

• Rd 1 - 10th and 11th of April at Rheola - South Wales
• Rd 2 - 8th and 9th of May at Fort William - Scotland
• Rd 3 - 26th and 27th of June at Llangollen - Wales
• Rd 4 - 7th and 8th of August at Moelfre - Wales
• Rd 5 - 25th and 26th of September Caersws - Wales

The British Downhill Series racers are the fastest in the World - that’s a fact!

Lewis Buchanan, 2009 NPS Youth overall winner. Impressive skills for a young'un. (click for the full image)

Who's racing?

The international invites have gone out and the regulars like Steve Peat, the Athertons, Greg Minaar, Brendan Fairclough and Josh Bryceland aren't all going to have it their own way in 2010, that’s for sure!

Come and catch all the action up close and personal.

Helen Gaskell, the 2009 NPS female elite overall winner. That's concentration! (click for the full image)

Especially for you

Parking and spectating is always free, and onsite you'll find:

1. Live timing and commentating
2. Retail and display stands
3. Catering and Toilets (with toilet roll!)

Keep it locked to www.BritishDownhillSeries.com for all the detailed info.  The guys are looking forward to giving you a warm welcome trackside!

Tom Deacon, the 2009 NPS Elite overall winner. (click for the full image)

Further Information

For any further information on the 2010 British Downhill Series please contact:

Si Paton

Office - +44 (0)121 422 1032
Mobile - +44 (0)7968 229 359
Email - si@descent-gear.com

The Vuelta presentation was in Sevilla this year (normally Madrid), the start town of next year’s race. Some of the old stars of cycling where in attendance; Thevenet, Olano, Hinault and introducing the show Pedro Delgado.

Hinault pointed out that one of his hardest day on a bike was the stage to Avila in 1983 which he won stage and overall.

Grey suits are 'la manera en España', obviously.

So, the Course?

The 2010 Vuelta has quite a few new hills to climb and brings back some old favourites. The first innovation must be the opening stage of a night time team time trial of 16 kilometres in Sevilla on a pan flat course. New climbs include the Cotobello, Bola del Mundo and on 10 to Vilanova I la Geltrú there is a steep climb that is being referred to as a “Angliru of Cataluña”.

Returning mountains are Xorret del Cati, Peña Carbarga, Andorra and the normally decisive summit finish of the Lagos de Cavadonga.

The route. (click for the full image)

Stage Details

1ª  Sevilla-Sevilla (TTT)  16,5km.

Flat, fast, hard - and in the dark!

2ª  Alcalá de Guadaíra-Marbella  173km.

Probable sprinter's stage.

3ª  Marbella-Málaga  156km.

3 big climbs, first shake up.

4ª  Málaga-Valdepeñas de Jaén  177k.

Sprinter's stage.

5ª  Guadix-Lorca  194km.

Sprinter's stage.

6ª  Caravaca de la Cruz-Murcia  144km.

Sprinter's stage.

7ª  Murcia-Orihuela  170km.

Sprinter's stage.

8ª  Villena-Xorret del Catí  188,8km.

5 climbs and summit finish.

9ª  Calpe-Alcoy  187km.

Similar to the stage to Aitana last year, could be THE decisive stage.

06.09 Rest Day.

10ª  Tarragona-Vilanova i la Geltrú  173,7km.

1 big, steep climb in the middle.

11ª  Vilanova i la Geltrú-Andorra (Vallnord/Pal)  208km

Andorra, one big, long, steady climb.

12ª  Andorra la Vella-Lleida  175km

Probable a sprinters stage. Malcolm Elliot won here 1989.

13ª  Rincón de Soto-Burgos  193,7km

Transition stage.

14ª  Burgos-Peña Cabarga  178,8km

A hard day with 3 climbs and a summit finish.

15ª  Solares-Lagos de Covadonga  170km

The Lagos has always been important stage. Flat road and then a 1110 meter climb from sea level.

16ª  Gijón-Cotobello  179,3km

Summit finish. Sammy Sanchez knows this climb well “it’s a great climb with great views, wild horses and normally no traffic."

14.09 Rest Day.

17ª  Peñafiel-Peñafiel (ITT)  46km.

Flat TT. Contador didn’t like that a flat TT comes right after two very hilly days and a rest day.

18ª  Valladolid-Salamanca  153km

Could be a sprinter's stage, but there are strong cross wind in this area.

19ª  Piedrahita-Toledo  200km

Sprinter's stage.

20ª  San Martín de Valdeiglesias-Bola del Mundo  168,8km

The Bola is the last mountain of La Vuelta, the road surface is concrete, narrow and twisty. It is closed with snow at the moment.

21ª  San Sebastián de los Reyes-Madrid  100km

The lap of honour.

Total kilometres: 3.352,6.

Checking out the papers in the local bar, nothing better.

La Vuelta 2010; In Depth

Taking a closer look at the route and details, it’s a very hard course with six summit finishes and four other hard climbing days, crossing forty categorised climbs, all this with only 62.5 kilometres against the clock, 46 of them solo, a hard-mans race!

What’s New?

First off has to be the opening team time trial, I hope the street lights in Sevilla are good as the first team is off at 21:00 and the last at 23:00. On stage 10 to Vilanova i la Geltrú the climb of the Rat Penat (Bat in English) comes 30 kilometres before the finish. Perico Delgado described it as “el Angliru catalán” it’s not as long at 4.5 kilometers, but it has ramps up to 23%.

The Cottobello summit finish on stage 16 from Gijón comes after a very difficult day with three previous climbs. Olympic champ; Sammy Sánchez lives locally and thinks this “Queen stage” is his stage to show his worth, it is also being named the “Cima Chechu Rubiera” after local hero José Luis Rubiera. The last climb of the Vuelta on stage 20 is the summit finish to the Bola del Mundo, it sits at 2250 meters altitude and it has a concrete road surface, the race could be lost here, so there should be excitement to the very end.

I forgot to mention the leaders jersey which is also new, it’s been yellow, then gold and next year it will be red to celebrate the success of the Spanish national football and basketball teams, also this is the 75th  anniversary of La Vuelta and the 65th edition.

Marca reckons it'll take an exceptional rider to win.

Old Climbs Return

The Lagos de Covadonga have seen some classic battles over the years, 1997 saw a battle royal between eventual winner; Zulle and Tonkov, then the year before between Zulle and Jalabert, but in1987 the little Colombian Herrera took the lead from previous yellow jersey wearers; Dietzen and Sean Kelly.

Xorret del Cati in Alicante is steep and comes at the end of a stage of a saw tooth profile, five climbs and then BANG, the Cati. The road to Andorra is always high, but steady and then the Peña Cabarga summit finish on stage 14 is short and steep, but comes at the end of another hard day.

What The Riders Think

The podium from this year's race agree it's going to be a cracker next time.

Ezequiel Mosquera
The Galician climber thinks; “it’s as difficult as last year, I like the route as it is for climbers, it’s very attractive to me. There are some new climbs, so it will be less predictable than previous years.”

Alberto Contador
Tour, Giro and Vuelta winner said; I think its going to be a great Vuelta for the spectators, but tough for the riders. If I ride it I would prefer another time trial. Stage 16 (to Cotobello) will be one of the biggest and also the second last stage (to Bola del Mundo) is going to be tough as the road surfaces are difficult. It has some nice ideas this Vuelta.”

Samuel Sánchez
Olympic champion; “it’s a hard Vuelta and a good Vuelta. The climb of the Cotobello is close to my home, it would be special for me to win there. There could be a few opportunities on the descents! It’s a beautiful Vuelta and I will do my best in it.”

Alejandro Valverde
Last years winner; “before La Vuelta I will ride the Tour and aim for the podium. I like the Vuelta a lot, it is very good. There are a lot of mountains with several important stages at altitude. There is just one time trial which is good for me; it’s not a time trial for the specialists, but for a strong rider.”

What Do I Think?

Lots of summit finishes and only one boring TT! I’m pleased with the route as there are three stages that are fairly close and stage 9 from Calpe to Alcoy will pass will pass my village, just like last year on the stage to the summit finish on the Aitana. A hard race that will sort out the men from the boys!

I just have to work out which stages I can go too!

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.

Some man.

As the first Briton to win 3 Olympic golds at the same Games since 1908, Scotland's Chris Hoy has become a beacon for British sporting achievement.

This autobiography charts his life from 7-year-old BMX fanatic, supported by a devoted dad and local cycling club, through paralysing self-doubt and a major career overhaul, to the sport's holy grail.

Chris is a genuine sporting superhero - and he's British. This 33-year-old cycling fanatic from Murrayfield in the west of Edinburgh defied the doubters who thought he would struggle when his specialist discipline, the 1km time trial, was dropped from the Olympics, and went on to reinvent himself as a track cycling sprinter and triple Olympic gold medallist in Beijing.

His return to these shores sparked unprecedented celebrations and real admiration that here was a role model who was the epitome of all things that are good in sport.

What makes a champion in sport? In this book, Chris returns to his roots as a child fully engaged with the BMX craze of the Eighties; when, even as a seven year old his will to succeed allied to an unyielding mental strength set him apart from other youngsters of his age.

A promising rower and rugby player in school, it was when he joined his first local cycling club, the Dunedin CC,  and spent most weekends of the year competing in national events from Blackpool to Bristol that the seeds of his future career were sown, flourishing when he joined the City of Edinburgh Racing Club.

With the devoted support of his family, Hoy drove himself to the pinnacle of his sport at the same time as British track cycling established itself as a pioneering force on the world stage.

In the lead up to London 2012, there is no sporting icon better placed to demonstrate what it takes to reach the top than Chris Hoy.

Pick something else from the Bookshelf.

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.

I rode round the course for the Trossachs time trial the other day - ouch... now I'm feeling just a little bit guilty that I make them race round it!

There were no crowds for me on the Duke's Pass - and I was flying up it too, honest!

Defending Champion Arthur Doyle is top seed tomorrow.

It's a 10.00am start tomorrow,and it should be interesting battle, amongst the men and the women: an on-form Christine McLean, Sharon Doyle and Mari Todd are my predictions for the podium.

I’ve put the Juniors on just before some of the fast seniors and vets as I thought it might be good for them to be amongst the big boys – I’ve always felt they were a bit out of things being put off first.

It's Trossachs time again.

Dooleys look like the favourite for the team – it’s a shame Endura Racing couldn’t produce a third member, but I did try! It would have been a good "testers v roadies" battle - the course certainly has something for masters of both disciplines, and a few riders are venturing from down south which is good to see – hoping for more next year, when the race will be part of the Rudy Project series.

I have got two of the Ferrys riding –  I also tried to get Andrew to enter to make up a team - next year I’m offering free entries to previous winners!

Read last year's Race Review and the 2007 race won by Jason.

Start List

There will be big crowds on the hill.

Well, the Bec CC Hill Climb can claim to have all three of those, plus - and it's a big plus - it has probably the most enthusiastic hordes of spectators that will ever be found at any Hill Climb event, including  the Nationals,  if comments from past riders and spectators  are anything to go by.

The Bec CC event is 'only' 54 years old, the course might not be as challenging as some of the big northern climbs, but Gary Beckett and his organising team feel pretty confident in saying their event sets the bar for atmosphere.

The noise and enthusiasm that the spectators bring to the slopes of White Lane, near Limpsfield, Surrey is something to behold, and many competitors comeback year on year just to get the 'buzz' from the shouts  of the spectators urging them onward and upward in their lung bursting efforts to record a good time when they cross the line.

The Bec CC  are unashamedly proud of its reputation for organising a good event for the supporters, as well as riders, and its ability to draw a wonderfully enthusiastic crowd to witness the competitors efforts.

It's been described as the 'Carnival on the Climb'.

The big day
11th October
2.00pm
White Lane (known as Titsey to Bikies) , nr Limpsfield, Surrey .

Be there, make some noise, or better still ride the event.  What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Contact details
As well as info via the Bec Website, Garry Beckett the organiser can  be contacted  on 07802 898 259, or via email at Garrybeckett1@aol.com which obviously at this late stage would be the most efficient path to take.

Closed roads
This year, those very nice people at Tandridge District Council have once again granted the Bec CC a fully closed road for the event, and the Council's Chairman, Councillor Glynis Whittle will be coming along to witness her first Hill Climb, as well as present the prizes. The council have also very generously donated some cash to the event, and are informing local press and media in an attempt to help the event attract other interested parties other than just cyclists, whilst also  trying  to enhance the event for future years. Their valuable input is much appreciated.

PA system updates
The course will again have a very efficient PA system along its length to keep all the spectators informed, and the job of being on the Mic is being hotly fought over this year by the McCrossnan brothers Anthony & Martin, and virgin Hill Climb commentator and Cyclevox colleague of the brothers, Brian Smith.

It's steep, but only a couple of minutes of pain!

Tea and cakes
The famous 'Café du Bec' tea stall, will once again be stacked with cakes, sandwiches, teas, coffees etc. to keep the hungry supporters (and riders)  in fine fettle. Although this year the Marquee will be a little further down the hill (amongst the trees) instead of its more traditional finish line siting. This is mainly to try and free up some of the congestion of so many hungry and thirsty spectators blocking the views of the timekeepers who work hard to  record an accurate time.

Prize list
Organiser Garry Beckett has struggled to finance a fully cash prize list (which has been possible in previous years), mainly  due to personal economic pressures, as has beset a lot of us!  But with the generous help and support of several sponsors, the £2,220.00 prize list of past years is set to be enhanced to somewhere in the region of £2,500.00!

1st prize will again be a massive £1,000.00 - which is not bad for less than two minutes effort on a 700 yard course, and the team prize for (a bona fide, CTT registered) team of three will again be £900.00

Other prize categories; 2nd Cat, 3rd Cat, Junior, Veteran, Ladies, beating of event record and Lantern Rouge will  be in product or equipment format. At this time, Gary can confirm prizes will definitely be no less than in previous years.

Sponsors
'Big' Dave, who runs Sharman Building, a Bec CC ex-bikie who takes on all forms of building work including high quality extensions and loft conversions. He is also a very gifted joiner so check his website out.

Ron Keeble, MD and owner of Gem Hygiene also now has a company called Gem Composites, which is importing and supplying high quality Carbon Wheels and components under the edge label which have been ridden by many top pro tour riders this year.

Grant Young, owner of Condor Cycles, London  has very generously donated some equipment to the prize list. Visit the website to view all the goodies they have available.

As has Simon Mottram, MD and founder of Rapha (who are so much more than just a clothing company)  by adding to the list of event benefactors.

Course videos
Finally, for those of you who have never seen White Lane and wish to get a preview of the course, a short video of the organiser walking and (in between catching his breath!) describing the course can be found here.  There is also a short YouTube video of the race from a couple of years back.

And finally...
Once again the postal service has thrown a spanner in the works and delayed several entries. Some may well be languishing in a dark corner of a sorting office never to be seen again! . So if you have entered and your name (or your clubmates) is not on the 'received so far' list on the Bec Website, it means the organiser has NOT yet received it  SO PLEASE CHECK,  to avoid any disappointments.

Also if your entry is sent by the 'Registered or signed for' services, please remember that Gary has a day job too and may well not be able to collect from the sorting office due to time constraints and the limited opening hours of the local branch.

“EUROBIKE 2009” on the beautiful shores of Lac Constance – and VeloResults was right there, courtesy Gregor Russell.

The Continental Tyres Stand.

What’s it all about, Gregor?

"It lets the trade see the 2010 lines; all of the top men from the manufacturers are there, not just distributors - the only thing is that there’s just so much to see that it begins to wash over you, after a while."

What impressed you?

"The new Pinarello Dogma is absolutely stunning (really Gregor!), it‘s unbelievably light, employing the new HM60cf carbon, and the finish is beautiful – it also has custom cable routing for the Dura Ace electronic.

The 2010 Pinarello Dogma.

The Dogma is built to accomodate electronic gearing.

"The Night Rider lighting systems for next year are very neat, very light and bright.

"Giant were displaying their new time trial bike – they have all the data to back up, that overall, it’s the fastest time trial bike on the market.

"The Milani frames were nice; they’re collaborating with Maserati to produce frames.

They call it "the fastest bike in the world".

Any ProTour team bikes?

"Cannondale had Pellizotti’s bike on show – but there was no sign of him.

"Eddy Merckx’s stand was kitted out to look like a Belgian café; with pictures of Eddy’s great triumphs all round the walls – that was cool.

"The problem with a lot of the kit, though, is that it will never reach the UK – you would have import it direct because they don’t have a main agent in this country."

The Eddy Merckx Bar.

And the Merckx bikes on display.

2010 trends?

"Carbon! and white carbon; rims, brakes, hubs.

"Ceramic bearings are cropping up more too; perhaps not at budget prices, but certainly a lot more affordable."

What’s the colour for 2010?

"White! wheels, rims, frames, hubs."

If it's not white, it's not right.

Retro?

"Yes, lots! Viktor will be delighted!

"‘Fixies’ are big and single speeds – Pinarello, Colnago and De Rosa all had fixed bikes; with Cinelli doing a retro single speed bike."

Cinelli with some wild and wonderful track rigs.

‘Must haves?’

"If you have deep pockets – the Shimano electronic; it’s faultless.

"Campag are still working on their electronic 11 speed, word is that they are trying to get the batteries internal – inside the brake levers!"

Mark Cavendish's Tour Scott was there to see. (click for the full image)

Famous faces?

"Zabel was there with Columbia and Scott; Jens Heppner is with Bio Racer; Cipollini is launching a clothing range, but his bikes aren’t ready yet; Chris Boardman was there too – but he was tight lipped about Sky.

"I think he was there to promote his bikes into the European market."

Pippo's KoM jersey from the Tour.

And you met the ‘Pistollero?’

"We were going onto the Giro stand and I literally bumped into him – I did a double take; “that’s Contador!” he was very relaxed, laid back.

Bert was pressing the flesh in the name of Giro Helmets and Glasses.

"Garmin had Chris Sutton – who won the Tour of Britain stage last week – on their stand."

Cervelo, like all the manufacturers, make a big effort here. (click for the full image)

Do Campag and Shimano try to out do each other?

"Both had very impressive stands, but Campag’s was the best designed – very ‘arty.’

"You could try the ergo levers; and they had the components in transparent cases with magnified sections so that you could see how good the finish was.

"Campag is very popular now, there’s not the price difference that there used to be with Shimano.

"Campag have a huge array of wheels now, for every conceivable use.

"SRAM had a big presence – they’ve won the Tour remember, but I don’t think they’re moving that much product in Britain."

And the ‘crazies?’

"A list as long as your arm!

"Rohloff had 14 speed hubs; there was a hall full of electric bikes – including a three-and-a-half grand electric trike!

"Hi tech rollers were a big thing too; where you can get out of the saddle and with variable resistance."

It's clever, but would you buy one? (click for the full image)

And the best looking girls?

"The yellow leather clad ‘Kill Bill’ girls at the Continental party were very nice!"

It's a tough job, Gregor.

I get Dan Fleeman; he gets the Kill Bill Girls – that can’t be right!

Mark comes across as not afraid to speak his mind.

Boy Racer steps behind the scenes of the Tour de France. It unmasks the exotic, contradictory, hysterical and brutal world of professional cycling from the compellingly candid viewpoint of someone right in the thick of it.

Written off as ‘fat’ and ‘useless’ in his youth, Mark Cavendish is now cycling's brightest star.

His extraordinary six stage-wins at this year’s Tour proved him Britain’s best ever cyclist.

Some have called him cocky, but to anyone who doesn’t like his style, Mark will simply shrug his shoulders and reply, ‘I know I’m good. There’s no point lying about it.’

Peers say that they have never seen anyone with Cavendish’s hunger for success and while this fearlessness – both in the saddle and on the record – has at times led to controversy, it has also earned him the respect of ever-more fans.

"In Boy Racer we follow him through through the mayhem of the Tour de France in a page-turning journey of pure exhilaration" - well, that's the publisher's view.

It's an enjoyable read, most interesting when Mark is discussing his teammates and rivals, sometimes they're the same thing, and he's not been afraid to potentially piss some people off, not that he'll be particularly bothered about that.

Pick something else from the Bookshelf.

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!

Promoted by Aberdeen & District CA, and held on the fast AB25/8 course, with Arthur Doyle (Dooleys  RT) and Peter Ettles (Forres CC), first and second at the recent 10 Mile Time Trial Champs competing, chased by fourth-placed Mark Atkinson (Sandy Wallace Cycles) it looks like it'll be a good contest.

There are only 13 riders entered in the Women's Championships, but hopefully they'll have no bother with their results in this race.

Kick-off is at 08:00, with the race headquarters at the Fourdon Village Hall.

Course Details

The start is at the 2^nd layby (look for the AA emergency phone) on the south side of the A90, north of Fourdon. Riders are asked to make their way there via the old road that runs parallel to the A90. It rejoins the A90 just north of the start. Take care crossing the dual carriageway.

From the start proceed south to the Strathcathro flyover, over the flyover and rejoin the A90 and retrace north to finish before the layby about ¾ mile south of start.

Note - Please do not ride on the course once the race has started as it means passing the finish timekeeper’s car, and they have enough to do!

The course will be well signposted and marshalled.

Marshalls are in situ to show the way and have no powers to stop traffic.

Please obey the rules of the road and do not take unnecessary risks.

Refreshments will be available at the hall after event.

Race Officials

Organiser; Isobel Smith
Commissaire; A.Sutton
Timekeepers; B.Gibson, F.Mason
Recorder and time relay team; S.Smith, S.Cowie, C.Cowie
Sign on; M.Barron
Results; D.Warwick
Safety Officer; P.Clark
Human Resource Co-ordinator;  (Funcie name !)  J.Ritchie
Human Resources (ie. Marshalls); volunteers from Aberdeen & District CA.
Catering; Susan
Holders-up; A.Campbell, A.Gibb

'10' Champ Arthur Doyle goes into the '25' as top seed.

Prize List

Ladies

1^st - £100
2^nd - £80
3^rd - £60
1^st Team - £40
1^st H’cap - £ 30
1^st Lady on Std - £30
1^st under 18 - £30

Men

1^st - £100
2^nd - £80
3^rd - £60
4^th - £50
5^th - £40
6^th - £30
1^st Team - £60
1^st H’cap - £30
2^nd H’cap - £20
1^st vet on std - £30
2^nd vet on std - £20

Start Sheet

SC Womens’  National 25 TT Start Sheet

SC Mens’  National 25 TT Start Sheet

Note - Numbers from 121 will revert back to one but a different colour.

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.

• You can now Browse our articles by Month or by Day, by Author, or by Category.

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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.