SB Nation User Blog: DZI

Blog of interest

DZI — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:26:56 -0000

CyclingFever is quite proud to announce a 'joint-venture' during this Tour de France with Dave Shields, writer of 'The Race', 'The Tour' and the story of Saul Raisin, 'Tour de life'.

Quite a few of you already know CyclingFever (and Dave Shields probably) and play your extra VDS-competition there, but for all others: Here's where you'll find Dave Shields' blogs from an American point of view.

http://tour.cyclingfever.com/dave.html

Hope you'll enjoy it, we do!

Lampre team in the Tour

DZI — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:43:30 -0000

LAMPRE

	BALLAN Alessandro	Italy
	BONO Matteo	Italy
	BRUSEGHIN Marzio	Italy
	CUNEGO Damiano	Italy
	MARZANO Marco	Italy
	MORI Massimiliano	Italy
	RIGHI Daniele	Italy
	SZMYD Sylvester	Poland
	TIRALONGO Paolo	Italy

Shame that Napolitano is out, seems that the top in Italian sprinting is now out completely, with Petacchi, Bennati and Napolitano missing out on the 2008 edition of Le Tour.

So it's all on Cunego, basically. Let's see how he does. He's got a good support team though, Bruseghin, Marzano, Szmyd and Tiralongo can really help in the mountains. Still fear that his TT will be his achilles.

ToC competiton at CF.com

DZI — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:08:45 -0000

As we've managed to create our own top 20 after the Solvang time trial, I thought it might be nice for you guys (and gals) to get an update this way.

Apparently, the Stage competition is particularly hard for the Podium dwellers, No sightings so far in the GC.

The Points competition is however seeing a major shift over the last two stages.

KoD (Who I suppose is King of Doping) is on a brilliant ride and moved up in second!!! place overall with very steady scoring!
It is however Hons who's surprising run (1st and 3rd respectively in the last two stages) got him from 140th spot to 16th! (Do I smell a Dominique Rollin in your team?) Amazing run by the Canadian Hons, showing that sprinting is what he does best!

Just so you get the full picture, and for those interested, but not actively participating:

The current top 20 after ride 6 is:

1 vedette Nijmegen 37 373
2 KoD (ESP) 38 371
3 Jack Wanssum 39 367
4 Lampje. Spijkenisse 39 365
5 Sjanslok Maastricht 37 364
5 Chef Spijker Hoogeveen 35 364
7 FrinKing Utrecht 37 360
8 Amice Vlissingen 32 358
9 Nescio Tilburg 37 357
9 Sycling Surhuzum 34 357
11 Cindy Wanssum 37 356
11 Lennart Utrecht 37 356
11 Oscarito Diessen 36 356
14 Master Puk Geleen 37 355
15 Zoet Petoet poperinge 35 354
16 Hons (CAN) 37 353
17 Mark utrecht 36 351
18 Moity Enschede 37 349
18 Tommy Ventoux Lisse 35 349
20 Chuck Hudak (USA) 33 346

Great job guys!
Hope you'll finish it off and take first and second!
To all others: Chris is beating me! Can anyone please help me? ;-)

Astana out of all ASO races!

DZI — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:08:20 -0000

So the terror begins!
ASO has put its foot down and refuses Astana to ride in any of their races, starting with Paris - Nice.

See full team line-up: here.

Other stories in l'Equipe this morning suggested that Rabobank (Chicken) and Cofidis (Moreni) were under threat of not being invited in the Tour de France also, but for now they appear on the startlist for P - N.

Probably not the last we'll hear on this subject, but 2008 suddenly looks a lot less attractive without Astana in RCS and ASO races.

Tour of California Competition, Anyone?

DZI — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 09:47:44 -0000

The lull till het Volk takes forever, I know.

What better way to have a little extra fun & games until that time is upon us.
Now, this Tour of California should easily motivate you Americans to have a go at taking some European scalps since you know much more about your native teams and riders. Or do you? j/k

Your startlist address has been busy while cycling was asleep and prepared a race-special around the ToC at this address:

http://toc2008.cyclingfever.com/

This silly ProTour year forces us to find alternative races to cover outside 'our usual schedule'. As this is an American race, usually not on our schedule anyway, we thought this might be of special interest to you Podium dwellers and enjoy the race just that little bit more.
Same rules apply at CyclingFever as the Podium Café: No charge to join up. Been there before? Just logon using email address and password you used first time.
Two competitions: One for all stages and the GC, the other for all individual stages, GC doesn't matter.
No restrictions on the riders you choose.

Note: At this time the startlist isn't fully ready yet, so changes can occur. Best to check your line up one day before the start of the ToC. See game rules and deadline on the website. I'll check in regularly if any major news developes concerning starters. Last team added was the Kelly Benefit Strategies team.

Enjoy!

An alternative, because it's cold outside!

DZI — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:25:11 -0000

It's really weird for me to be talking about cycling mid-winter.

Yet the Tour Down Under is now a ProTour race and Cyclingfever.com is doing a special on this race.
Since Het Volk is still miles away, I thought this was a nice distraction for anyone from the depressing weather we're having over in Europe.

Mind you, it's a pilot site, but it does offer two competitions to enter, along with a complete database on the Tour's history.

We'd really value your input on this new website

Entering the site is easy, just subscribe to the site and logon. Navigation is pretty basic, so enjoy the Tour Down Under with us.

The link is:

http://tdu2008.cyclingfever.com/

have fun!

An interview with Tom Stamsnijder

DZI — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:29:30 -0000

Both Tom Stamsnijder and the author allowed me to post and share this exclusive interview for www.cyclingcompetition.com here on Podium Café.

Tom Stamsnijder has been very kind to answer a short Q & A through Email. With the help of some Dutch forum visitors, I posed twelve questions which he answered and elaborated on. You'll find the questions on the flip, directly followed by Tom's answer. Again, I'd like to thank Tom for his cooperation and the forum members for their input on possible questions.
Enjoy!

1) Before the new season starts winter is upon us. How do you manage to get through winter, being a professional road cyclist? Do you train outdoors, or only indoors? And how often do you train during the week?

Tom Stamsnijder: I am a real outdoors person, if there's anything I can't stand it's training indoors on the rollers. I'd rather train in bad weather than use the rollers anyway. I have a cyclocross bike which I use to train hours on end in the forest nearby. I really like riding in the forest because it's an altogether different approach to cycling. A nice extra is that training in the forest is harder than training on the road. The nearby Holterberg provides sufficient tracks to train on, I can go 3 hours without riding the same track, which also comes in handy when the weather is bad in the spring!

2) Your father, Hennie Stamsnijder, was a well known cyclocross racer. Some professional road cyclists also opt to race a few crosses during wintertime, Philippe Gilbert being one example. Is that an option for you also, do you even like the mud and sand crosses? Did you have to choose, early on in your career, between road, cross and track?

Tom: I've always had an infatuation with crossracing but when I was a junior, my national coach chose to leave me at home because he had the opinion that I rode too few races. The actual reason for me not riding all available crosses was that I had to study, my education had priority over cycling at that time. I used to ride a cross two weeks prior to the national championships to gain the right to start there. That year I was 4th, but still they left me at home! That was the time I decided on a career on the road, even when I still participated lateron in the national's with a basic shape.
I'll probably pick up my cyclocrossing lateron, but after my career on the road! The way Adrie van der Poel built his career really appeals to me; first a career on the road and specialising in the cross discipline afterwards.

3) The switch from Rabobank CT [the continental team] to Gerolsteiner means that you're the only Dutch rider within that big Pro Tour team. Did you like the switch? Do you learn a lot from riders like Schumacher and Rebellin? Which rider can you be found in company with the most and do you still keep in touch with your former teammates?

Tom: Going to a foreign Pro Tour team is a big step indeed. Not just the language, but also the handling of things is different. The first time I came into the team they really made me feel welcome. This is a team that really knows how to help young riders making their next step(s) in their careers. You can also learn a lot from the older riders, although their individual methods differ. For instance: Davide [Rebellin] doesn't speak much, but there's a lot to be learned from the way he lives for the sport. Schumacher and Kopp are guys that make you aware of mistakes during a race. The brothers Zberg and Rich advise me on how to handle a training schedule and rest periods wisely, while Christian Henn helps out with the tactics during the race. That's the beauty with Gerolsteiner, everyone uses their expertise to help the young guys getting better.
Of course I keep in contact with my old teammates, I see them quite often anyway as most of them have become pros as well.

4) Gerolsteiner is often descibed as 'a real family team', with a familial atmosphere. Why is it that Gerolsteiner has that image and do you feel that same way?

Tom: I do experience that 'family-feeling' within the team, yes. I think maybe it's because of the many young guys on the one hand, the older guys nearing the end of their careers on the other. Both 'sides' complement each others shortcomings.

5) You rode nearly all classics before the Giro in 2007. On the other hand you did the Vuelta a España. By way of these races we got quite a good impression of Tom Stamsnijder, the rider. Yet, how do you see yourself as a rider, what are your strongpoints and what do you need to improve upon? Anything you'd like to specialise in?

Tom: I would like to specialise in the classics, but if you want to play a decisive part in the future you need to be a little older and toughen up more. That's why I try to ride as many tough races as possible to make sure I can play a part in those spring classics as early as possible. My main weakness would be the high mountains, my physique prevents me from going up with the best anyway.

6) You were in the team that rode the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne. You won both races with different riders. That must have been a great experience as a neo-pro: your work rewarded and leading to a team victory. Is there a difference in the way Rebellin and Schumacher celebrate their respective victories? Is that victory celebrated as an individual or as a team-win?

Tom: That was such a beautiful experience to witness! Especially when you consider the fact that Gerolsteiner is expected to be scoring in those classics. Both celebrate differently, but both thank their teammates extensively for the efforts being put into the race.

7) This year [2007] you rode your first Grand Tour, the Vuelta. You came quite close to a stage win as well. Besides that, it's quite an achievement to also finish a Grand Tour in your first year. Did you like riding a three week Grand Tour in your first professional season? Will you again ride a Grand Tour next year?

Tom: Right from the start I said to the team leaders that they shouldn't spare me when I'm riding well because I'm only 22 years of age. That first talk led to a consencus about a tough and well balanced schedule that both the DS's (worried that I would ride too much) and me could live with. One of my demands was riding the Vuelta which was really tough to see through to the end, but I feel it has helped me immensely in my growth as a tougher rider, so I don't regret my decision. That's why there is another Grand Tour on my programme for next year, which one remains to be seen!

8) Do you know anything about your schedule and goals for 2008?

Tom: That will be discussed at our next team meeting on the 28th of november.

9) At this time there is no clarity about the competition formula in 2008 due to the separation between ASO / RCS / Unipublic on the one, and the UCI on the other hand. Do you notice that same separation between favoring parties within the peloton? Should, according to you, the Pro Tour remain in its current form?

Tom: The Pro Tour as such is a good idea, but we need to stick together! Only then the teams can make a stand! I have to say that you don't hear much about the new competition formula but I imagine we'll see some changes, like the Tour Down Under which has become a Pro Tour race now. I now don't know much more about it.

10) With Boogerd leaving the peloton, a Dutch cycling icon quit the sport. Yet, with you, Boom, Gesink, Clement and Dekker a new golden generation is emerging. Will you feel extra 'national' pressure next season due to Boogerd having quit?

Tom: I think the young Rabobank guys will feel more pressure than the Dutch riders abroad. That doesn't mean that I won't try my hardest to have the fans see a Dutchman up front in a race.

11) Gerolsteiner will stop sponsoring the cyclingteam after 2008. Do you notice more tension within the team yet? Does it put more pressure on the riders? Do you expect to remain with Holczer and team when they find a new sponsor?

Tom: I'm really enjoying my time with the Holczer team and when he finds a new sponsor I estimate my chances of staying with the team quite large. Extra tension is something I haven't noticed yet, but Holczer still has quite some time to find a new sponsor.

12) ProTourcompetitie.nl [cyclingcompetition.com] is a website where participants make predictions for all stages and one day races in the Pro Tour, completed by many race-specials and a well filled database with results. Have you ever played in such a prognostic game like that, perhaps during the Tour? Do you think you'd like participating in such a game?

Tom: I've never played that type of game before, but wouldn't mind trying it at one time.

Interview by: Nescio
Translation by: DZI

Vuelta diary - Part 3b

DZI — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:20:24 -0000

Back at the apartment we have a cup of coffee. We check the route once more and get ourselves ready for the ride to Jaén. I won't make the same mistake twice, and put on enough clothing so the cold won't bother me this time. Marc gets an SMS from Wicky that the cyclingsite is 'down', so he needs to do some work on the phone first to make sure that the 3,000 members or so get access to their favorite web-address. A few buns and some drinks set us up for the rest of the afternoon and we're off.

We need to get to Jaén first, over one hundred kilometers to the north of Granada. Again, this journey offers some spectacular views along the way. The closer we get, the more beautiful the countryside gets in this region, well known for its olive plantations that stretch across vast areas.

When we're close to Jaén we quickly check the map: We need to get onto exit 40. A little surprise sets in as exit 42 shows up, which isn't on our map. Before we realise what's going on, we've gone past Jaén altogether. Exit 40 no longer exists. So it's on to the next opportunity to turn around, which takes miles and finally get to the Jaén exit ramp. We've made it there exactly on time.

All the Vuelta signs are up as soon as we leave the highway, so the road is pretty clear from here: Just follow those signs! That plan is excellent, unless you come across a one way street, leading in the other direction. So, coming to a T-crossing, we have to turn right where we wanted to go left. What to do? "Ask that policeman" I suggest, when I see a Guardia Civil-guy standing to the left of us. Marc jumps out and his knowledge of the Spanish language again helps us take the hurdle. The detour isn't too hard to find, soon we're back on track and see the Vuelta-signs reappearing. No more problems until we reach our final destination.

When we get to Los Villares, the masses have all come out to watch the circus pass by.

Marc's camera is already hanging out the window to take pictures, which leads to many waving Spaniards. A few shots are taken, of course the intermediate-sprint 'bow' needs to be photographed as well. We ascend the immediately following second category climb leading to the Pandera.

On this mountain, many consider this a day out as well. A band is playing in one of the wider turns, loadsa people having a good time there. A bicycle, high in a post, is also a very funny vision on the way up, yet we need to keep moving as we think that the riders are not far behind us. A very short descend gets us at the base of the Pandera. One very resolute hand-sign by the Guardia Civil forbids us to take a left turn up the mountain. That is so disappointing! What to do now?

We drive on for a few hundred meters and decide to get back to the climb we just came off of and find a parking space there. We however don't know how much time we've got left to get there. Fortunately it doesn't take very long to find a suitable spot for the car.

Marc walks down to the turn to see if that part is possibly more suited for photos, but he soon returns. The wait is actually longer than expected, when the sound of a helicopter announces the race. The whole army of policemen we saw this morning now rides past us very fast, followed by 'the red flags'. The lead group is Egoi Martinez and Joaquin Rodriguez, Martinez is setting the pace and clearly looking to make sure of the KOM jersey. No much later the peloton rides past, all the GC-riders still present and the bunch nearly complete. Two 'busses' shortly behind them complete our adventure on this mountain: The whole circus went past us within the timespace of 17 minutes.

Any mineralwater, boys?

"It's a shame that we now don't know what happens" is the first remark I make after getting back into the car. A feel of 'anti-climax' comes over me. "You should have been at home, watching TV", Marc laughingly answers. I can see the humor in that, and quickly lose the feeling. Peter has seen a few spots with an excellent view of the valley and wants to take a picture here. He stops, gets out, curses a tree exactly in the way of a beautiful shot of the valley, and gets back in the car.
.
A little further down the mountain there's another spot and we can only just park the car behind the Gerolsteiner coach, occupying the parking space. On getting out I can see the door opened up. Peter gets his picture, while I get bold for a second time that day and walk to the coach.

At the door I call in my best German tongue: "Hallo!" No reaction whatsoever from the dark bus, while I DO hear some noise, probably the sound of a TV. As I can't imagine the bus is being abandoned with the door open, I step onto the first step and see two feet, hanging over my head. "Hallo?" I call out for a second time and see the feet changing into a head, with an expression like a big questionmark on it. He doesn't say anything, but because of his facial expression I continue: "Können wir hier die fernsehen anschauen?" (Can we watch the TV here?) He responds with: "Mit wieviel sind sie?" (How many of you are there?) "Mit drei" (Three persons) I answer. "Okay" he says, and starts clearing the seats to accommodate us. I jump off the steps and call Marc and Peter. They briefly look at eachother, wondering what the hell I'm up to. "Come, we're going to see the final to the Pandera-stage inside the Gerolsteiner coach!", I respond with a big grin on my face.

We get on board and take a seat in the full leather seats which this coach is equipped with. Marc has to wait briefly as his seat is being cleared too. These are very comfortable seats indeed and the TV is tuned to the German Eurosport channel, built into a console at the top of the coach. I have a look round the bus and see the massage benches at the back and also a box, with the riders' shoes. We of course thank the driver for his hospitality and soon the developements in the race draw our attention. The first thing we see is a square pedalling Vinokourov but haven't got a clue where he's at in the race. It's four kilometers to the finish and our timing is perfect again! Kashechkin and Gomez Marchante appear to ride in front of Vino, who, in his turn, is followed by Valverde and Sastre. We knew this was a 'bitch' of a climb, it appears to be a battlefield with many victims. Not much later Kashechkin is allowed to take the win, while hugging Vino when crossing the line: The Astana-coup is complete. Vino has won this Vuelta, despite his bad fifth stage result.

I have to be honest: I get very exited and enthousiastic when realising that we can see the decision in the Vuelta a España while inside the Gerolsteiner team-coach, in Spain. What a day! After the first ten riders have crossed the line we turn our focus to the kind coach driver.

We have a short conversation about the Gerosteiner team and their ambitions in the stages to come. Haussler in the nineteenth and Förster in the last stage is what he expects also. At that time we didn't know that Haselbacher already had gone "heim", so the driver updates us. Of course a photograph needs to be made and after thanking the guy once again and wishing him well for the remainder of the trip, we leave the coach. Man, Gerolsteiner has gained a few new fans!

This time we make an exception and acually pose with the Gerol-bus. Laughing because of the way this day has developed we return to our car and drive back home.

Epilogue

At night we opt for an original Spanish pizza and I feel full. It's not just the pizza that fills me, it's this Vuelta-day also. I love this race, I'm sold, and decide there and then that i'm going to write about this trip. As there are many events, impressions and situations to describe, I realise that it will probably be a trilogy at the end.
The next day is spent at 2,500 meters altitude, having a good mountain-walk on the Pico Veleta, a climb of 44 kms. from Granada.

We also visit Peter's favorite area lateron, the Alpujarras, which is a truly beautiful area with sheer endlessly winding and sometimes very steep roads. At night we have a fabulous meal at Marc's favorite restaurant, just outside of Granada. We toast to a great week in Spain.

p.s.:
I hope you enjoyed this personal view of Spain and the Vuelta as much as i've had writing it for you. Thanks for reading!

Martin, a.k.a. 'DZI'

Vuelta diary - Part 3a

DZI — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 19:27:43 -0000

Thought this was the opportune moment to leave Granada, after today's finish, so here it goes!

Part 3a, Signing in in Granada.

To tell the truth, we can't get enough. This Vuelta a España looks like being decided exactly when we visit these three stages in the race. The decision is unanimous that this day is devided into two parts. First we'll witness the signing in session in the 'parc fermé' in Granada, while we'try to 'storm' the Sierra de la Pandera early in the afternoon. One thing is unclear though: We've got a pretty detailed map of the area, but it shows no road up the Pandera. There's a sense of some doubt to what will happen that afternoon.

Marc, however, thinks to have found a remedy to our ordeal: "We'll just have to make sure to arrive at the neutral zone in time, and try and track down a Vuelta-official. He should be able to give us the required info on the route and clarify the situation on the roads of the final ascend." Nothing will stop us from witnessing this party! How different and surprising the day will turn out to develop though...

After having some breakfast and coffee we make our way to the start-zone. The day is a bit cloudy, with only a little sunshine. Just as we arrive we can see the Astana coach riding into the parc fermé, but also guards who don't seem to let anyone get into the park itself. That's a bummer! The whole park has been secured overnight with high fences, so we start walking round the fence to see if we can find another entrance. No such luck though, we even crawl through some shrubs in the park in our attempts to find the entrance.As we're halfway round the park we reach the lane where the neutral start will take place. We can now cross the street which gives us a free view of the 'moto-army', including the policemen, who'll control the intersections and clear the road along the route today.

Signing in

We start walking in the opposite direction now and make our way through on the other side. From this side we have a clear view on the morning podium where the riders sign in for the race. We're early enough to get a good position right opposite the cleary sponsored Relax-podium-truck. The bald announcer, who travels with the circus for three weeks, is present again and is in a 'constant entertainment mode', announces the riders only interrupted by the occasional sip of 'aqua' or the commercial break. Spain needs to go shopping also, of course. We did miss the first riders signing in, Laszlo Bodrogi is one of the first riders I recognise, not that that was hard: He's wearing the national champion's jersey. There's an occasional applause when a Spanish rider passes through, but also for Leonardo Piepoli, as he's considered to be a 'half-Spaniard' anyway. At least he waves to his audience.

That can't be said about the two Belgian teams. They look like people that don't want to go to the office as they don't like their jobs in the Vuelta. The only exception is Davide Vigano who, after getting his bike back, comes to the fence and signs a few autographs. The Rabo-boys still have a very bad Vuelta, no smiling faces there. I already said it before: "No happy chappies." Yet, Pedro Horrillo produces a smile after a warm welcoming applause and waves back to the crowd, which is getting larger all the time. When Marc wants to get some attention from Ardila and calls out: "Mauricio!", he looks startled as if it's impossible that any fan would recognise him here. The 'other orange' are all waving to the crowd from the podium. That isn't strange at all; Two wins in their pockets and Samuel Sanchez well in the top ten in the general ranking.

Suddenly everyone behind me gets restless, the announcer has seen him coming around the corner also, and introduces the 'Tour de France victor' Oscar Pereiro! The crowd goes mad, yells, whistles, shouts and applaudes the Caisse-rider. He signs the list, and 'baldy' does his interview. Of course Oscar replies in the same 'staccato manner' as the question was being put and disappears soon after. Pereiro is very, very popular here and gets another loud applause from the some 300 large crowd by now. While Pereiro is being interviewed, the recently media-shy Iban Mayo sneaks up-and-off the podium. We however saw him, Marc has the photo to prove it.

Now the big guns arrive. The first one I see coming up from the left is Vinokourov and he's waving while climbing the steps of the podium. He signs in, smiles, waves again and his Spanish has improved overnight while interviewed again. Still, the word 'bueno' prevails... That's not surprising if you lead the Vuelta and your teammate is right behind you in support. Also Kashechkin and Gomez Marchante sign in, waving to the crowd, they are the ones really livening things up in the mountains. So all smiles! A loud shout in my left ear:"Alejandro!!!" All the notepads are being pushed through the fence by the now massive crowd, all hope to get a 'John Hancock' from the Murcian rider.

Valverde seems well rested and ready to do business today: He HAS to win back a few seconds on Vinokourov, a subject which is certainly discussed in the interview on the podium. As soon as Alejandro leaves the podium, all the spectators have gone like they've vanished into thin air.
We're almost on our own when Tom Danielson comes up to sign the register as one of the last riders. I call out, not even loudly: "Tom!". A disarming smile in my direction as an answer at first, while he's back on his bike soon, but eye-contact remains. "Great job yesterday! Try to win one more today?" I ask. A "thanks" and another wide smile has to suffice as he makes his way to the start. We too start moving as we want a decent position to see the peloton passing through the neutral zone, and walk along the fence once more.

Neutralisation

Behind the fence things are slowly starting to move, the Vuelta caravan is getting ready to go. Both Peter and Marc have their cameras ready and shoot some more material. The cars start lining up, in the same order as the riders are in the GC, and wait until the riders get on their way.After walking for a short time, i spot a 'hole in the barrier', one part of the fence has been unlocked. First we walk past it, but that hole keeps beckoning to me. "We won't be the first one through this gap and it would be fun to see the park from the inside", I say to Marc. "Apart from that, we still don't know enough about that final climb of the day", so we turn around and enter the enclosed terrain after signaling to Peter that we're changing our direction.

We're exactly in the central part of the park when I see some movement in the Rabo-camp. Two, dressed in orange, T-shirts are about to get into the left car, of which I recognise one. In the blink of an eye I decide, and make my way to that car. The Dutch spoken "Good morning!" cleary stands out from the language usually heard, both shortly stop their activities. They look my way and reply: "Good morning". The mechanic gets in the back of the car, but I'm more interested in the other person, driving. "Mister Zoetemelk, can I ask you a short question?" Joop is in doubt only for a second, but being inside the parc fermé has its advantages, and he nods in approval. I walk up beside him and continue: "The stage today is going to the Sierra de la Pandera, right?" "Yes, a steep bitch" he knows off the top of his head. I laugh and agree. Then I pose the real question: "We have a small problem. Our map doesn't show any connecting road to the mountain-top, so the route is a little unclear. Do you have some more information?"

Without speaking a word he 'dives' back into the Rabo-car. As he's upright again he's holding the official Vuelta roadbook and points out the exact route. Now Peter joins us, as he'll be driving, to have a look at that map. I ask Zoetemelk if it's a narrow road up the Pandera and if it's open to us privateers. "I'm not exacly sure about that. We are only allowed one car up the mountain, so there can't be much room...", he replies. Peter notices that the map Zoetemelk is holding is unbelievably detailed and he should have had one of those.
I thank Joop for his help and wish him and his team well for the race, but can't contain myself and have to ask one more question: "Is Mauricio going to try anything today?" As he's getting into the car he looks at me, smiles and replies with a typical Zoetemelk one-liner: "He'd better!" Laughing out loud, I wave him goodbye as he drives off waving his hand outside the car-window as a last greeting. How cool is that?! Running into Joop Zoetemelk in the middle of Spain adds an extra dimension to this day, I know i'm radiating happiness! On sunday I see an interview with Joop Zoetemelk on TV back home, recorded on the day of the time trial. I spontaniously start laughing when I realise that I myself spoke with him two days prior to that interview.

The park is emptying slowly now and some more photos are being taken. We slowly walk out the park also, in the opposite direction towards the nearest wide road through Granada where the riders will pass soon. We find a good spot behind a large bridge, without any barrier, right on the side of the road. The Disco-coach blows its horn right behind me and I jump out of the way. The massive Discovery Channel coach wants to get past but is stopped by the Guardia Civil after another 'staccato-discussion'. The first motor-cops are passing, so there's no time for the coach to get ahead of the peloton, he'll have to wait. I thought these riders rode slowly in the neutral zone. Again I was wrong. The peloton whizzes past me, most of the riders talking to each other. Three guys are late and stand on the pedals to catch up with the peloton. Then the caravan of team-cars comes by and soon after the road is cleared by the police. We head for our apartment right after and buy a few Spanish magazines. Peter gets the 'Ideal', a Spanish newspaper, that gets us up to speed with the current standings in the GC, and the profile of today's stage.

Vuelta diary - Granada - A decision?

DZI — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:47:20 -0000

Fascinated by the race starting to unfold, we stick with the big screen and watch what happens next while standing in between a big crowd. The six appear to lead the peloton by over four minutes. Tommy Danielson proves me right soon enough: He's by far the best climber in the group and goes for the solo on the ascend of the Monachil. His lead is shrinking fast however, as Gomez Marchante attacks early on the climb. He's accompanied by Kashechkin, yesterday's big loser. From what I saw on the Calar Alto, Di Luca has it bad and has to forfait in the lead group, just as expected.

The other big guns start to chase the lead riders as they threaten some of the lead positions. One thing is different in this chase, the 'Orange-men' of Euskaltel were brilliant yesterday, but nowhere to be seen today. They seem to have missed the break this time. We won't even get in to the 'other orange' of Rabobank.

The peloton is slowly reducing to a small group with favorites. I get a tap on my arm, look to the left and hear a Spanish staccato. I get the general drift of what is meant: "What's the meaning of this race? What's the purpose?", i understand. A little surprised about the apparent ignorance of the Spanish people (Spain's main sports are soccer and basketball), I explain in my best Spanish that it's the Tour of Spain. "Are these local teams and riders then?" is the second question. "No" I answer, "this is a global sport, this is the elite in cycling." "Ah" and a nod of the head acknowledges that it's understood. Still another question about the age of the riders. After checking with Marc I learn that 'vente' is twenty, so I answer "between twenty and forty" because my Spanish doesn't allow for more explanation.

We start trying to find a perfect spot to be able to see the finish. It's quite busy at four thirty, all space seems to be filled up along the barriers. Marc is able to squeeze into a position at forty meters behind the finishline. Someone leaves, so there's room for two now. He beckones me to join him. The only disadvantage is that we can't see the screen from that position. Peter comes back from scouting the finish-zone, he's found a spot from where he can film the finish. The sun's come out and starts to burn on our heads now, as soon as Peter is back we change places. I want to see what happens next on the big screen.

I quicky learn that Danielson is only left with one minute advantage on the chasers, while Vinokourov attacks in the background. He makes up the twenty seconds to his teammate very quickly, Valverde and Sastre can't follow for the first time. Could this be the decision in the Vuelta?The differences remain small though. In the last kilometer Vino attacks again, losing both Marchante and Kashechkin. I can see Danielson reaching the summit first and less than a minute later Vinokourov rides through the arch. The descent brings the two together and they work well together in their quest for keeping the advantage, as they enter the tunnel. As soon as they come out of the tunnel, the image changes to Valverde, who's just entering. I now know exactly what the advantage is: 1.100 meters, the total length of the tunnel. Marc has joined me and asks me how I know. "Well, the road book told me `Túnel illuminado' with the distance. You tend to remember these things when writing and translating the road descriptions."

Don't know how I missed it, but Samuel Sanchez must have ridden a fine climb and a scorching downhill when he comes out of the tunnel in third place with four kilometers to go, even before Valverde and Sastre! I hurry back to Marc and squeeze myself through the crowd to get to the barrier. The first cars start arriving already and park right in front of our position. Marc hopes that that's it, because it will be hard to get good shots now. It's a pity that we're just a little too far behind the finishline for good pictures. The image of the ecstatic Tom Danielson is burnt on my retina, he's really celebrating the 'sprint' win over Vinokourov. Not a minute later we see Sanchez arriving and Marc shouts: "Where did he come from?" Sanchez stops right in front of us, a big smile on his face. He must feel morally good, like the winner.

Celebrating

A standing ovation for Tom Danielson when he's on the podium first. His entrance through the door is like a kid on a 'skippy-ball', bouncing onto the podium, tongue hanging out of his mouth and punching that imaginary hole in the air with his fist. Marc's camera is hindered by raised hands clapping, but that exact photo is in most Spanish newspapers the next day. Meanwhile, we're having a good laugh about Tommy's mannerisms on the podium. He's having the time of his life, receiving the cup, the flowers, smiling, jumping and waving to the crowd. Of course he gets the kisses and completely forgets to walk OFF the podium, probably rejoycing the moment and embracing the best win of his career so far. The organisers need to keep a tight scedule so Tom's gently forced off the stage, but not without Tommy turning around and waving goodbye to the crown again... three times! Riders keep coming across the line, oblivious to what's happening on the podium.

We had a hunch this could happen, and it proves to be the case: The alliance between Danielson and Vinokourov payed off. Vino is the new leader in the Vuelta, the bonus seconds help Alexandre. The buffer to Alejandro is nine seconds now, so Valverde parts with the 'amarillo'. Vino gets the new jersey on the podium and he looks happy too. The Spanish reporter pushes the microphone under his nose and asks questions. My Spanish suddenly seems to have improved considerably when I listen to Vinokourov. The Kazakh rider mutters "Bueno, good for my team". A new question is asked but gets the exact same answer, so the reporter gives up. Applause.

Valverde seems to be still happy when receiving the white jersey, but he can't act differently here; He's cheered on by hundreds of people when coming on the stage, a heartwarming welcome. On asked about his views of the Vuelta he replies: "Oh well, tomorrow's another day and there's only seconds between me and Vino." While he answers he looks very confident still and smiles.
Egoi Martinez comes on to get his orange mountain jersey. We're a little surprised by that, because we're still under the impression that Caucchioli was the leader in that classification. The 'fish' jersey (points) is routinely being collected by big Thor Hushovd again. By now, we've had enough. We're very thirsty from standing in the sun without drinks and decide to find a nice terrace to sit and replenish ourselves. First we 'scout' the departure zone for the next day though, that area is about five hundred meters from our apartment. Time for a drink. Peter shows us the recording of the finish, we enjoy this very fulfilling day.

Internet

While we're at the terrace, Marc spots a tourist information centre. After paying for the drinks we decide to see if it's still open and we're lucky. I wait outside, while Marc and Peter inquire after internet cafe's in Granada. It takes them quite some time to come back out again. When they do, they're accompanied by an English couple, all are laughing. Marc explains the laughter; "The couple wanted to know what route the Vuelta would take the following day, but didn't get anywhere with the lady's information. So Peter asks for a pen and marks the route into the map of the couple in a matter of seconds."After the good deed of the day we part with the English couple wishing them a pleasant stay, and try and find an internet cafe. There are two in the vicinity, we're looking for the closest one of course.

We don't even have to walk far and find the place quickly. Some computers are vacant so we get going straight away. While Peter starts mailing stuff, Marc has some helpdesk activities for the cycling site, the newsfeed doesn't seem to work anymore. I check the result in the competition; bad score. Internal mail from Frank that i'm eighth in the stage the day before. I answer, but it takes me a long time to find the right key strokes on this Spanish keyboard. Onto the chatroom and annoy Wicky a little (all fun though) and instruct Maurice on the German competiton in which I play also, and Email the homefront. Before I know it an hour has passed. Outside, we wipe the sweat off our foreheads, it was pretty hot inside the cafe.On our way home we walk past tomorrow's neutral zone and take a picture. At night we make our plans for the next day, to complete our cycling-party.