Day 1 in the Olympic velodrome: it’s been “Heroes, Villains and Velodromes”

Richard Moore’s book “Heroes, Villains and Velodromes” is a pretty accurate summary of the first day of Olympic track cycling activity. Moore knows his cycling; anyone who manages to weedle an entire book’s worth of copy (“In Search of Robert Millar”) out of the notoriously illusive Robert Millar is worth a read. I always felt he could have done something less formulaic with Hoy’s ascent and dominance of the sprint discipline. Well another chapter needs to be added following last night’s riding and the central character should be the UCI rulebook.

“Heroes, Villains and Velodromes” – in need of a new chapter

Firstly the ruling on change overs prevented Pendleton and Varnish getting in the medals and denied the Chinese pair a gold by about a tyre width. But then the rules worked in favour of newly discovered GB sprint team lead out man, Philip Hindes. In a moment of plain (albeit German accented) speaking, he suggested that his poor start resulted in the cycling equivalent of a professional foul. By falling off he forced the race to be restarted. At the second attempt the GB trio smashed the world record they’d set in the previous round. Their laps of honour to Thin Lizzie’s “The Boys are Back in Town” just about drowned out the sound of the GB PR machine furiously papering over the cracks. Apparently what Hindes said was “lost in translation” and he’s story was straightened out by the press conference: it was the start gate’s fault. We’ve had “Watergate”, “Camillagate” and “Cherigate” and now, finally we have “Gategate”. Of course others are crying foul, “it’s not in the sporting ethos of the Games” but it’s hard to feel sympathy for the Aussies. The one person to feel sorry for in this episode is Pendleton’s lead out rider, Jess Varnish, who will have to wait another four years for a chance at a medal.

Philip Hindes and the “Gategate” incident

Another day, another front page for cycling

Wiggins on the cover of Metro. Thought that’d be it for this year…

…but no, Pendleton and Varnish get their turn today

At the Tour podium and on those daft time trial thrones we’ve not just had one, but two Brits.You’ve got to spare a thought for Chris Froome though. You’d have been forgiven for thinking Team GB only medalled (can you believe it’s now a verb?!) once in the men’s time trial he got so little covered. Wiggo’s subtle put down “there’s only one colour that matters” hints that it may not be happy families among the Sky contingent of Team GB.

Wiggins sitting on a throne left over from Jordan and Peter Andre’s wedding ceremony

Is Froome just another Andy Murray; a great talent competing at the same time as a few other, greater talents? Well he’d say otherwise; his glances back at Wiggins in the Pyrenees Tour stages suggested he felt he could push harder. In subsequent interviews struggled to contain his aspirations as a future GC contender and challenger to Wiggins. But cycling’s a team game and other Tour winners didn’t make the podium without some heroic, but unsung efforts by their team mates. Froome’s clearly forgotten to watch “Stars and Watercarriers” on YouTube for his lesson in self- sacrifice.

At the Tour and Olympic time trials Wiggins has stamped his authority; there’s no hiding when you’re against the clock – “contre le montre” as the French elegantly say. It echoes the rivalry between time trial king and five times Tour winner Jaques Anquetil and fellow countryman, “the eternal second” Raymond Poulidor. Perhaps Froome will become the Poulidor to Wiggin’s Anquetil? Well Poulidor always had the hearts of the French public during his amazing 17 year professional career. Judging by the number of people sporting Wiggo sideburns, I’d say that Froome’s got some work to do to knock Wiggins off that pedestal.

“Buy your Wiggo look here!” Sideburns for sale on the Box Hill Olympic road race circuit

Bradley Wiggins: on trend, in yellow and set to make Tour history

The fashion magazine stylists say that yellow is on trend this summer, well “mustard” to be precise. In the first three weeks of July, a different shade of yellow is in fashion in France. The in-your-face, full on, sunflower yellow that is the Tour de France’s General Classification leader’s maillot jaune or yellow jersey.

The colour is important reflecting the paper that the Tour’s original sponsor, L’Auto was printed on. For many years, the jersey was all that distinguished the leading rider. More recently, the winners of the various competitions, general classification, points and King of the Mountains have started harmonising with their respective jerseys.

Back in the day all you needed was the yellow jersey, a grimace and a black eye (to match your shorts)

So why not some yellow bar tape, or green framed sunglases? If you’ve done enough to get into one of the coveted jerseys, why not trick your bike out a little? Recent years have seen teams getting seriously carried away. GC leaders look like they’ve been in a messy collision with a road marking truck (in the UK parking restrictions are indicated with yellow lines – just in case that didn’t translate too well).

Riders are now sporting yellow helmets, sunglasses, shoes, shoe covers, gloves and (a particular style crime) yellow shorts. Worse their bikes can have any (and usually most) of the following; yellow frames, tyres, bar tape, brake hoods, saddles, stems, computer covers, brake and gear cables.

Wiggins’ Pinarello – with just enough yellow

Getting used to a life in yellow

As the UK adjusts to the prospect of the first British rider to ever win the Tour in its 109 year history, it’s worth having a look at how Bradley Wiggins is adjusting to a life in yellow. Known for his sideburns and Weller-esque Mod-style, his two weeks leading the Tour have been enhanced (in Cyclostyle’s opinion) by a very restrained use of yellow bling. He’s just got the maillot jaune and some yellow shades, but significantly he’s avoided the crime of yellow shorts. His Pinarello Dogma sports some yellow bar tape, a yellow saddle and an elegant yellow stripe along the top tube and down tube, but that all. Contrast this with Contador in Bananaman yellow kit and a fully jauned-up Trek.

Contador in (lots of) yellow via Graham Watson

There are rumours that the Sky mechanics have a similar yellow extravaganza waiting in their team truck. Perhaps it’d be a shame for all that restraint to be blown on the Champs-Elysees. But to be honest the prospect of “Le Gentleman” (as the French press have dubbed him) on top of the podium makes it excusable.

Note: this blog is decending into an appreciation society for Brad ‘n’ Vicky (“Bricky”?). I have got other stuff prepared, as soon as the Tour and the Olympics are out of the way it’ll be back to the subtleties of vintage chain guard design and obscure cycling texts. Bet you can’t wait.

“I’m going to give up crying after the Olympics” says Victoria Pendleton

There was a time when the GB elite cycling team could probably have held their team meeting in a red telephone box. The mid-90’s was a time when Great Britain was far from dominant, when it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that our cyclists would be instrumental in an Olympic medal haul. Tonight’s hour-long BBC documentary about Victoria Pendleton showed just how far GB cycling has come since the ’90’s.

Victoria Pendleton – for once not in a velodrome

In my opinion, any documentary following the life of an elite athlete is worth watching. While most of the material was slickly managed PR, the makers did tackle some tricky subjects. Namely the “Scott Gardiner phase” where he and Victoria Pendelton fell in love. The athletes and coaches are expected to stay on their own side of a professional boundary; no fraternising. But these days people often meet their partners at work and if you’re work involves cycling round a velodrome well you can’t just switch off your emotions. Shane Sutton’s recollections showed that GB cycling showed that it isn’t a faultless machine.

Pendleton dominates in Beijing 2008

At the top end of the sport the gains are “marginal” as GB Performance and Sky boss Dave Brailsford calls it. Getting the equipment and the body are only two sides to the triangle. Steve Peters, the team’s psychologist is entrusted with getting the brain functioning properly. Victoria wears her heart on her sleeve (next to her Pumpkin’s tattoo) yet I was surprised that it’s always Steve who was called upon to sort out the trackside emotional stuff. After her competitor’s disqualification she falls to her knees at news that she’s won the 2012 World Championships 2-0. “Get up, it’s time to put a smile on for the cameras” says Peters – sometimes it’s tough love in the world of elite cycling.

Time for another gold?

Bernard Hinault could lay claim to the most elegant exit from cycling. It’s arguable that Hinault’s shenanigans at the ’86 tour with Lemond slightly sullied his legacy. Victoria Pendleton’s clearly trying to orchestrate her retirement: obviously a gold medal, a fade to black and roll the credits is what’s needed. However, as her nemesis, Aussie Anna Meares said “the big dance is in London” and the music hasn’t stopped just yet.

You can’t move for bikes in London and they’re not on the streets

In a “Grumpy Old Men”, wasn’t-it-better-in-the-old-days kind of way, it’s possible that the UK may have reached cycling saturation. Just how many cycling images is it possible to see in one day? Like a D-list celebrity stumbling from a nightclub in search of a paparazzi, cycling is looking a little too eager to get on the public’s radar.

Take a selection of recent material seen on a typical (train-based) commute to London.

I open my newspaper to read of a review of a cycling novel, “Gold” by Chris Cleave and an advert for a book called “Hero On a Bicycle”. In my opinion, sporting fiction in general doesn’t have a strong pedigree. Aside from Tim  Krabbe’s seminal race account “The Rider”, the pool of cycle fiction is a shallow and muddy one. A particular low point was Freya North’s “Cat” a combination of soft porn, Cosmopolitan relationship advice and a “Dummies Guide to the Tour de France”, or “Jilly Cooper on wheels” according to Women’s Own.

New novel, Gold, it’s about elite cyclists

“Hero on a Bicycle” a book about …a hero…on a bike

I arrive at Waterloo station to be confronted by a vast poster of a brooding Victoria Pendleton hanging from the rafters. It’s part of her ambassador’s duties for Olympic games energy supplier EDF. But blimey, she’s everywhere!

Victoria Pendleton, on a bike, on a poster in Waterloo station

Also there behind the departure boards is BAE Systems crowing about their work on timing systems for the UK’s cyclists. “Why not?” you might argue, “they’re just making hay while the sun shines”. True, the UK’s likely to bag a few medals in the cycling discipline, if they’ve been part of it shouldn’t they get a little recognition.

BAE Systems, they’re down with cyclists too

I walk into a bookshop and there’s Boris Johnson’s latest work (isn’t he supposed to be working as Mayor of London, not writing books?) “Johnson’s Life of London”.  Across the dust jacket are 15 people riding a bike, piloted by Boris. The Barclay’s Cycle Hire Scheme a.k.a. “Boris Bikes” may well turn out to be his most lasting legacy. The choice of cover art is, to my cynical mind, an attempt to reinforce this.

Boris (and others) on a bike, on a book cover

At what point is someone going to say “OK, enough already, give it a rest!” Perhaps when we’re all wafting around on traffic-free Dutch style cycle paths? Didn’t cycling used to be something a bit niche: like baking your own bread or swimming in rivers. Something that everyone used to do, then stopped doing and is once again cool. I’m clearly going to have to get over this and accept the change.

Mark Cavendish, Victoria Pendleton, Playboy Bunnies, Mario Cippolini – have you spotted the link?

I’m delighted that the British public can see a Brits wearing the World Champion’s hoops. Especially someone who’s said “I love fashion, style, anything to do with design” But, there’s a but…. it seems a shame that with less than 100 days to go two of our medal hopefuls who are both World Champions are getting along as well as a bag of ferrets.

Don't put two of these in a room together - via prendas.co.uk

The story goes that Cav’s a highly intelligent yet emotional basket case. He wears his heart on his sleeve, like all sprinters supposedly. He hasn’t learnt the order of “engage brain then open mouth”, especially when there’s a journalist in the room. But then the story goes, that’s his charm, that’s the allure; the frisson of recklessness. He’s the McEnroe of cycling.

The story goes that Victoria Pendleton’s a dog loving, star struck bag of nerves. She’s a roller coaster of worries and form but always comes good at the right time on the big stage. It’s sh#t or bust at London 2012. The biggest build up to the end of a career since Borg quit tennis. Whatever happens in the velodrome, after the riders cross the line she’s retiring, getting a life and getting married according to The Sun.

The story also goes that Cav hasn’t been very nice to Victoria. In fact he’s supposed to have made her cry. He’s told stories that she’s more interested in “being the face of her sport”. What does it matter to him? But really he’s probably jealous that she’s got six more world champion jerseys and one more Olympic gold medal than he has.

This is all grist to the mill for The Sun, whose interview in their Woman section is a great opportunity to explore the softer, emotional side of being an elite sportswoman. It’s also a great opportunity for a snap of Victoria dressed as a Playboy bunny minus the ears. A quick Google search for Cav’s other half will return images of Peta Todd as a Playboy bunny minus the ears and bodice. But I’m not here to get righteous about women getting undressed.

As if by magic, at the sound of women undressing, it’s time to cross over to Mario Cippolini who’s recently stated that Cav’s not a champion in the mould of Indurain, Gimondi and Merckx. I’d never set my moral compass by Cippolini’s pull, especially as a little publicity does no harm to his eponymous bike range. But perhaps Cipo’s onto something: being a champ isn’t just about results it’s about behaviour and ultimately style. As my mum says “if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything”.

P.S. I have a stack of worthy, high-brow posts waiting to be finished yet I keep being distracted by celeb cycling tittle tattle.

Victoria Pendleton; where next after the Olympics?

I’m recycling old newspapers when I notice an interview I’d missed in the Sunday Times with Queen of the Track, Victoria Pendleton. 

Pendleton typically has two press modes – either lycra’d and riding the latest British Cycling skunkworks machine to victory or in Mary Janes and a frock promoting cycling for all, or more recently her own line of bikes. Occasionally she’ll be starkers for a lad mag or product promotion, though her more recent TV ads have been clothed.

Retro Pendleton via Creative Arms

Like all good interviews, this one recuts old material with a dusting of new to form a story with a balance of love, tragedy, tension and intrigue. 

Love – she’s fallen for ex-Brit Cycling, Aussie Scott Gardner who’s had to leave the team to avoid a conflIct of interest
Tragedy – her parents split, tough for anyone, but especially for an athlete who craves a foundation that is dependable and consistent
Tension – her ongoing rivalry with Aussie sprinter Anna Meares which took another twist in Melbourne World Championships where Pendleton won their semi in dramatic style, then went on to win gold in the individual sprint  
Intrigue – well that’s what I’m coming on to and it concerns the image that supported the interview 

These pictures dont appear by accident so to see her riding a retro Alan track bike along what looks like Torquay sea front is something i find intriguing. To explain, she’s wearing a “hairnet” helmet and mesh backed gloves – which went out of fashion about the same time as ABBA split. The shoes are a bit incongruous and Adidas have managed to sneak their logo onto her shorts. The bikes an early “lugged and glued”  aluminium framed Alan. It’s full Campag and probably about as rare as rocking horse manure. This image wasn’t a picture editors flight of fancy, it’s part of an “Olympics thru the ages” campaign for EDF. This bike (below) dates from the Los Angles ’84 Olympics. It’s a welcome stylistic diversion from her previous, more predictable modes.

Retro Alan track bike via LFGSS site

Whatever the result in London, i feel I’m being prepped by the Pendleton PR machine for the next phase: TV appearances, probing autobiography, fitness DVD, clothing range, “Pendleton, the movie”? Meares’ comment after their most recent bout; “i think that this is a book that hasn’t finished being written yet” could be more accurate than she realises.  

I’m intrigued to see where Pendleton’s career will go. Will she be hosting Question of Sport in 20 years time once Sue Barker chucks in the towel? Or head of a global bike brand like Chris Boardman? Both are credible options, but somehow predictable. Look at 80’s BMX legend Andy Ruffell, he went on to found the MOBO awards. Now that’s a career change.  

Andy Ruffell - career change champion