Tour Med/Bessèges

[Monsieur Remings]

My pleasure MR. They're produced by local TV, and in each one they try and feature something light - the first one showed the wild-boar-stew-picnic and the second was let's-taste-what's-in-the-bidons. The third concentrated on the fact that the race is run and organised on a voluntary basis by one family and friends. I think it's the only one in Europe open to pro teams run like this. The guy who started it all, Roland Fangille, has been running it for more than 40 years and he's always on the start line to make sure the peloton gets away ok. We get the Tour Med, Paris-Nice and The Tour down here on a regular basis, but I get more enjoyment from spectating Bessèges than the other three put together because of it's lovely laid back atmosphere.
Some history here.
http://www.etoiledebesseges.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103&Itemid=62

Yep, heard mention of the Sanglier! Get the table outside, love the attitude.

Pinching the bidons for the local club was a good move too and the tasting session that went with it.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

One of those double stages today to finish up. Coquard almost got win no.3 but had to settle for second. He easily won the points competition however. But Hivert (Sojasun) took the overall on the final time trial.

 

[raindog]

Might as well put the last video up, it's really nice. I saw the paintings last wednesday.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZW3zhbYrMUg

 

[raindog]

Not surprisingly Greipel won the sprint at the end of the first stage of Tour Med today.

1 Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol
2 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling
3 Maxime Daniel (Fra) Sojasun
4 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Leopard
5 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Not surprisingly Greipel won the sprint at the end of the first stage of Tour Med today.

Looks like he'll clean up any sprint finishes given the lack of quality sprinters from other teams - the sprinters seem to all be in Qatar. Mind you, there may not be many more because there are some serious hills in this race (plus a reasonable length ITT).

 

[raindog]

plus a reasonable length ITT

25k finishing up the Mont St Clair in Sète which has an average of 15% - a real leg breaker. I'll be there this afternoon - will post pics tomorrow.

 

[rich p]

Is this the race where JTL came to public awareness last year?

 

[raindog]

That's right, then he won the Tour du Haut Var after. Hope he doesn't go to waste carrying bottles at Sky.

vid of yesterday's stage - cold and windy.
they've forecast north wind at 110kph for this afternoon - I'll need me long-johns on.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=43sZtVz6Iqk

 

[Flying_Monkey]

That's right, then he won the Tour du Haut Var after. Hope he doesn't go to waste carrying bottles at Sky.

Highly likely, unfortunately, but he will be well paid for it, which is probably what he wanted and deserves after all the career misfortunes he has had.

 

[thom]

Highly likely, unfortunately, but he will be well paid for it, which is probably what he wanted and deserves after all the misfortunes he has had.

Indeed - it's highly unlikely that JTL wouldn't perceive a year at SKY being a team player and carrying water bottles in grand tours to be highly successful and key to his development as a rider. SKY have rather a lot of good riders with superior pedigree to him.

 

[raindog]

JTL may not have the "pedigree" but he's got the talent, and I just think he's worth more than playing domestique to the stars. I don't think he's GT material, so I wish he'd gone to another team where he could've concentrated on short, hilly one week races and one day semi-classics where you need the kind of punch he has to win on steep climbs. A shame imo.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I don't think he's GT material, so I wish he'd gone to another team where he could've concentrated on short, hilly one week races and one day semi-classics where you need the kind of punch he has to win on steep climbs. A shame imo.

I agree, but I think he still will do this. A couple of years at Sky, benefitting from their very systematic approach to training and conditioning (and of course the salary), and then he might well move on to a team where he can be a leader and a contender in these kinds of races, but as a much stronger rider than before.

 

[raindog]

Not a good haul of photos today, so I've included one of Sète I took on the way back to the car.
Lars Boom won apparently. It was cold and the wind was outrageous. Spent about an hour on the hill frozen to the bone, then went looking for the team buses. Walked bloody miles, even the police on duty everywhere couldn't tell me where they were. Eventually ended up right over the other side of the hill before realising that they were all at the start in Agde, and the riders were simply being driven back in the car that had followed them.
Shagged out now, and consuming a cheese sammo and drinking a red label to cheer myself up.

click to view

 

[raindog]

all of Garmin's road bikes nicked overnight
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/garmin-sharp-bikes-stolen-at-tour-de-med

this is cool - the TT finish of thursday from a car - shows how steep the St Clair climb is


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2mA4TcDZXI

 

[Flying_Monkey]

So Garmin forced to withdraw because of that theft, and Peraud (ex-MTBer) wins on Mount Faron.