Many assumed today that when world time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) rolled down the Tour de France prologue start ramp that he’d be wearing yellow by the end of the race — or at least finish within hundreds of a second of yellow.
Instead a tire puncture forced him to switch bikes mid-race, adding about what some commentators estimated as 20 seconds to his time.
Fabian Cancellara (Laurie Beylier photo, Flickr)
Conversely Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Nissan Trek) rode a flawless, uneventful prologue, and he won.
One man’s misfortune became another’s fortune. With one of his primary competitors out of the running to win, Cancellara’s odds increased due to no action of his own.
There’s an expression that goes something like: “You make your own luck.”
It reminds me of Andy Schleck’s dropped chain in the 2010 TDF. Some called it bad luck. Others called it poor shifting technique as it’s common knowledge that certain gear combinations can cause dropped chains.
Was Martin’s “bad luck” the result of something he did, or an imperfect tire job, for example? Mechanics will hate me for mentioning that. They’ll stay up all night before a race to make sure the equipment is perfect.
We like to believe the strongest man or woman wins. That includes not only physical strength, but mental and tactical strength, as well as excellent preparation in equipment, nutrition, and course review.
But it struck me today that regardless of strength and preparation, luck seems to play a role in the outcome of every bike race. It feels too fatalistic a perspective for me as a person who was brought up to believe hard work brings success.
But I’m imaging a force in the universe who watches every bike race, and upon reflection or not (likely not), points a finger at a competitor and says, “That one gets good luck today, and this one…not so much.”
[update, July 11, 2012. Thank you for visiting. You may continue to guess below, and / or check the answers in part 3 of Tattoo Tales.]
Welcome to part 2 of tattoo tales. You’ve guessed who owns the first five tattoos in part 1. Can you match the remaining five guys with their tattoos?
Good luck! Answers will be revealed in part 3.
Tattoo 6
Tattoo 6
Does the fire-breathing dragon on this rider’s lower leg motivate him to go faster?
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Tattoo 7
OK, this one is a give-away, but now you know what’s under this rider’s jersey when he storms across the finish line.
Tattoo 7
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Tattoo 8
Tattoo 8
And what colors might this bicep tattoo represent?
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Tattoo 9
Who would mistake this rider for an angel on the bike?
Tattoo 9
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Tattoo 10
Tattoo 10
This rider’s not afraid to make a statement.
Tim Johnson
Most know Tim Johnson as a cyclocross super star…but he also has a way with horses.
Filmed near Boulder, Colorado, on a training ride with Taylor Phinney.
Skratch Labs’ Boulder storefront
In celebration of Take your Dog to Work Day, here’s one example of a super-dog at work. Give it up for Lucy, aka Fruitbat, aka Hotrod, at the innovative Skratch Labs in Boulder.
If she keeps moving, so can we.
Taylor Phinney riding his TT bike on Boulder roads
Some would say his cycling career began during an intimate moment between two Olympians.
Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter after the press conference about the selection of their son Taylor for the 2012 Olympic Games
Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) says his career pretty much started with a conversation at the 2005 Tour de France when he was 15 years-old.
Fresh from a training ride on June 20, 2012, in the video below Phinney describes his ride and how he started racing bikes. Then he uses a time-honored shape to illustrate the influence of his parents and sister Kelsey on him and vice-versa.
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The only thing missing is the collection of funny faces Phinney made before the video started.
Something like this to the left but much more dramatic.
Taylor Phinney on his TT bike near Boulder, CO
Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) competed at the 2008 Olympics in the individual pursuit on the track. Today he compared that experience to being “a kid in a candy store.”
Tons of distractions can dilute an athlete’s focus at the Olympics. The biggest distraction for 18 year-old Taylor in 2008? “The U.S. women’s gymnastics team,” he said.
Taylor plans to minimize distractions the second time around when he competes in the Olympic road and time trial races in late July and early August this year because, he believes, it’s a key to performing well at the Olympic Games. He aims to do well in 2012, perhaps even surpass his seventh place in the 2008 Olympic individual pursuit.
And why not?
Taylor leaves Skratch Labs for training ride with Giro shoes
Taylor’s calm and cool. He’s fast. And he’s got the power.
After today’s training ride which followed the press conference coverage in the video below, Davis Phinney walked into the Skratch Labs storefront in Boulder and announced his son Taylor had averaged 400 – 420 watts during the ride.
Earlier in a follow-car that tracked Taylor and training partner Tim Johnson, Davis mentioned that after the last two weeks of training Taylor is fitter than he was at the end of the Giro d’Italia.
Skratch labs’ Boulder storefront
Apple fritters for Taylor today instead of rice cakes
That follow-car took off a few minutes after Taylor started his ride and more than a few minutes had passed by the time it reached Taylor spinning the gears on his TT bike. “If you don’t leave with Taylor,” Davis said, “you have to go 50 mph to catch him.”
[update, July 11, 2012. Thank you for visiting. You may continue to guess below, and / or check the answers in part 3 of Tattoo Tales.]
Ten professional cyclists, ten tattoos. Can you match all of the guys with their tattoos?
Guess the first five here and the next five in part 2 of this post. Photo credits will be revealed after the answers are divulged in part 3.
Tattoo 1
Tattoo 1
Inside the bicep…a somewhat intimate location, only revealed in certain positions like here, warming up on a time trial bike.
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Tattoo 2
To see this family crest, the rider has to roll down his bib shorts a bit. Just a bit.
Tattoo 2
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Tattoo 3
Tattoo 3
Art on the back is only revealed when the owner is shirtless. Hmm….like after a terrifically hot stage in an American race.
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Tattoo 4
Whose counting here? Numbers can mark anniversaries or another special event…like what in this rider’s case?
Tattoo 4
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Tattoo 5
Tattoo 5
Another inside of the bicep message, its meaning secreted in a symbolic alphabet.
Timmy Duggan’s Liquigas-Cannondale team tweeted this photo of his new U.S. championship jersey. I’d love to see some stars and strips on the shorts, too.
Timmy Duggan at 2012 Amgen Tour of California Santa Rosa start
On May 28th Timmy Duggan (Liquigas-Cannondale) stole America’s heart with the story of how friends and family paved the way to his victory in the Greenville Hospital System U.S. road national championship race in Greenville, S.C.
Since that time Timmy’s been interviewed so many times he may have begun to talk in his sleep. Here’s a selection of press about Timmy since his dream-win.
Find out where Timmy’s racing next in the Outside Magazine interview, “A conversation with U.S. road national champion Timmy Duggan.”
In Timmy’s words: the story of how support from friends and family helped Timmy win the 2012 U.S. road national championship.
Ted King (Liquigas-Cannondale) on the “Greenville Militia,” for the blog he writes for Bicycling.com, “Broad support, and then some.”
How the U.S. road national championship race unfolded for Timmy, VeloNation interview, “The new U.S. pro champion speaks about top career win.”
USA Cycling detailed race action report, “Duggan rides away with USA Cycling Pro Road National Championship.”
VeloNews story on the U.S. road national championship race, “Duggan wins U.S. road title with solo attack.”
VeloNews tells how Timmy and Ted King resourced support for the national champs race, “Duggan and King enlist ‘Greenville militia’ for emotional championship ride.”
Cyclingnews story about Timmy keeping it all in perspective since 2008, “Duggan rides roller coaster to national title.”
A friend of the Duggan family, Sam Parker, writes about Timmy on A TwistedSpoke, “An intimate insight into a U.S. champ.”
Timmy Duggan after 2012 Amgen Tour of California stage 2
Timmy Duggan & Ted King after Tour of California stage 4, celebrating Peter Sagan’s 4 wins
ProVéloPassion 