VeloResults

It’s Easy to Join ‘the Black List’ (0)

It’s been a good week if you read the Guardian’s cycling coverage and like a rant.

‘I’m better than Armstrong now,’ says Wiggins – reads the headline; of all the bike riders in the world that one should not make that statement about, Lance Armstrong is the absolute top of the list.

Dan Fleeman – New Captain of Team Raleigh (0)

Last year at this time, life was ice cream and fairies for Dan Fleeman; he’d won the Tour of the Pyrenees; Cervelo Test Team had snapped him up and a start in a Grand Tour looked like a formality.

But pro cycling is an unforgiving sport, and 2009 didn’t go according to the script for the likeable man from Lichfield.

But don’t worry; there is a happy ending.

How NOT to Win Friends (4)

Ben Swift – top guy, affable, always happy to chat, looks the business and has a great career ahead of him.

But – I don’t like what’s happening with this Sky business. I might be wrong – and am probably writing my own obituary here, as far as Sky interviews goes – but it smacks to me of; ‘we can’t get Brad, so we have to get some one else who can win a bit and who’s English!’

An Iberian Update (0)

It’s funny how things work out, Alberto Contador signs a contract with Specialized bikes for 700,000 euros last week. So will he be riding for one of the teams who ride on Specialized bikes; Quick-Step or Saxo Bank? Ah! Then Quick-Step announces that they will no longer be riding on Specialized, but will be on Eddy Merckx bikes.

When Vik says ‘rant!’… (0)

‘Are you going to have a rant about this Sky carry on, on that site of yours?’ enquires Viktor.

‘Damn right!’ says I.

All pro cyclists demand respect, it’s easy to forget that even the guy who finishes stone last in any pro race has to be pretty good to get a pro contract in the first place; but the two French riders just signed by Sky leave me a tad puzzled.

Listen to the Money Talking (0)

AC/DC got it right; “Come on, come on, listen to the money talking.”

It looks like VeloResults’ hot tip on ‘Bert bolts to Garmin; Brad flies to Sky,’ has unwound.

Sky’s ‘capo,’ Rupert Murdoch has deep pockets, but at some stage he has to say- and following on from the musical intro – just like Donna and Babs did; “enough is enough, is enough!”

On Contract Negotiations and Grand Tour Podiums (1)

I was coming down the ‘parachutes’ in the Transit on Friday – the old East 25 course – when I got the text message from Dave; ‘Garcia and Hesjedal away with two K to go.’

I was talking to Ryder for Pez only last night – about his great ride on stage 9, when he was second to Simon Gerrans; then the next text came in; ‘Your man has won!’