Riis is a bit biased in this, and he does make a good point about the timing of Cancellara’s attack – but what was Boonen to do? He had already attacked on the cobbles to thin the lead bunch out, and he had softened a few legs. But he had to rest at some point, regather his energy, have a bite to eat. Cancellara had only to follow his wheel, match his attacks and wait for the moment. Which he did.
And when the break was made, Boonen was down the back of an elite bunch. He would have expected someone else to chase Cancellara, but of course they didn’t. Not with commitment anyway. And why should they tow sprinters like Hushovd and Boonen to the line, anyway? So there you have it – Boonen needed a rest after doing a lot of legwork, and noone was going to tow the others back to Cancellara. So Boonen was trapped. Had he been more alert and closer to Cancellara he may well have responded and brought him back, but he had already done too much.
And if he’d done nothing?
Riis Reveals The Secret Of Cancellara’s Roubaix Attack | Cyclingnews.com
“Boonen is strong but Cancellara is better. He’s great,” he said with total admiration.
“Boonen made mistakes during the race. How many? Two can be too many. I think if you want to win this race you have to stay calm, relaxed and not stressed. Then go when you have to go.
“The problem for the others is that Fabian goes fast, even on his own. We know that and it’s a bonus to have. We know he can go from far away, too, so we use this as part of our strategy. Not many riders can do that.”
Riis is a bit biased in this, and he does make a good point about the timing of Cancellara’s attack – but what was Boonen to do? He had already attacked on the cobbles to thin the lead bunch out, and he had softened a few legs. But he had to rest at some point, regather his energy, have a bite to eat. Cancellara had only to follow his wheel, match his attacks and wait for the moment. Which he did.
And when the break was made, Boonen was down the back of an elite bunch. He would have expected someone else to chase Cancellara, but of course they didn’t. Not with commitment anyway. And why should they tow sprinters like Hushovd and Boonen to the line, anyway? So there you have it – Boonen needed a rest after doing a lot of legwork, and noone was going to tow the others back to Cancellara. So Boonen was trapped. Had he been more alert and closer to Cancellara he may well have responded and brought him back, but he had already done too much.
And if he’d done nothing?
Riis Reveals The Secret Of Cancellara’s Roubaix Attack | Cyclingnews.com
“Boonen is strong but Cancellara is better. He’s great,” he said with total admiration.
“Boonen made mistakes during the race. How many? Two can be too many. I think if you want to win this race you have to stay calm, relaxed and not stressed. Then go when you have to go.
“The problem for the others is that Fabian goes fast, even on his own. We know that and it’s a bonus to have. We know he can go from far away, too, so we use this as part of our strategy. Not many riders can do that.”
Forgetting to eat? We’ve all done that in a 260km bike race, haven’t we? Run out of gas? Ditto. Preferring to take 4th rather than 2nd? Not so sure about that one.
Boonen Rues Lapse In Concentration At Roubaix | Cyclingnews.com
“I felt good but in the finale I ran out of gas. I had given a lot in the chase to keep it going and then I forgot to eat. Afterwards it was a battle for second place, but I preferred not to finish second today.”
Forgetting to eat? We’ve all done that in a 260km bike race, haven’t we? Run out of gas? Ditto. Preferring to take 4th rather than 2nd? Not so sure about that one.
Boonen Rues Lapse In Concentration At Roubaix | Cyclingnews.com
“I felt good but in the finale I ran out of gas. I had given a lot in the chase to keep it going and then I forgot to eat. Afterwards it was a battle for second place, but I preferred not to finish second today.”
Picky, picky, picky. Sometimes I can’t help myself.
Today, from Cyclingnews.com, and yes it could be a translation problem, but for the record:
Quick Step has announced it will extend Tom Boonen’s suspension but not fire the rider who has tested positive for cocaine for the third time. The reigning Paris-Roubaix champion will undergo a psychiatric treatment plan and be subject to strict testing by Quick Step over the next 12 months.
Psychiatric treatment? Have they gone mad? I think they need a behaviour management plan written by a psychologist. There is a difference, guys.
Yesterday, from the Australian, reportedly the “online newspaper of the year”:
Qantas to retain Brisbane hangar for maintainting Airbus 330 fleet
I was going to let “maintainting” through to the keeper but then…
Qantas’ large hangar at Brisbane Airport is currently used to service its Boeing 767 fleet, but over the next five years this work will progressivly be taken overseas.
I thought “progressivly” less inclined to let them off the hook. Busy day, too busy to run the old eye over the copy? Ahhh, it’s only online, it doesn’t matter! No wonder they are the “online newspaper” of choice!
And from Carsguide, this gem:
It’s been 20 years since the birth of the Mazda MX-5 but time has hurried and the car remains almost unmistakable from its ancestor.
‘Almost unmistakable’ from its ancestor? So the writer is saying that it’s not mistakable, almost. So in fact it is ‘mistakable’? Now I could be mistaken but I think they meant to say ‘almost indistinguishable’. Perhaps it was translated into English from a Japanese press release, although attribution is to a Neil Dowling of the Mercury. I thought that would do me until I read the very next para:
It is becoming the Galapagos turtle of the motoring world — fascinating in its ability to look its age when born and exactly the same a century later.
Oh dear, this is just priceless… a car – purportedly a sports car – that is not only akin to a giant turtle that takes 40 years to grow to maturity but “fascinating in its ability to look its age when born”! As Wikipedia attests, it hatched from an egg and looks like a baby turtle… the mind boggles with thoughts of what animals, vegetables or manufactured goods do not look their age when born… and boggles again when said creature (or car) doesn’t change appearance in 100 years. I think Neil meant to say that it it hasn’t changed much in overall shape, just gotten somewhat bigger. There, that’s not hard, is it?
Picky, picky, picky. Sometimes I can’t help myself.
Today, from Cyclingnews.com, and yes it could be a translation problem, but for the record:
Quick Step has announced it will extend Tom Boonen’s suspension but not fire the rider who has tested positive for cocaine for the third time. The reigning Paris-Roubaix champion will undergo a psychiatric treatment plan and be subject to strict testing by Quick Step over the next 12 months.
Psychiatric treatment? Have they gone mad? I think they need a behaviour management plan written by a psychologist. There is a difference, guys.
Yesterday, from the Australian, reportedly the “online newspaper of the year”:
Qantas to retain Brisbane hangar for maintainting Airbus 330 fleet
I was going to let “maintainting” through to the keeper but then…
Qantas’ large hangar at Brisbane Airport is currently used to service its Boeing 767 fleet, but over the next five years this work will progressivly be taken overseas.
I thought “progressivly” less inclined to let them off the hook. Busy day, too busy to run the old eye over the copy? Ahhh, it’s only online, it doesn’t matter! No wonder they are the “online newspaper” of choice!
And from Carsguide, this gem:
It’s been 20 years since the birth of the Mazda MX-5 but time has hurried and the car remains almost unmistakable from its ancestor.
‘Almost unmistakable’ from its ancestor? So the writer is saying that it’s not mistakable, almost. So in fact it is ‘mistakable’? Now I could be mistaken but I think they meant to say ‘almost indistinguishable’. Perhaps it was translated into English from a Japanese press release, although attribution is to a Neil Dowling of the Mercury. I thought that would do me until I read the very next para:
It is becoming the Galapagos turtle of the motoring world — fascinating in its ability to look its age when born and exactly the same a century later.
Oh dear, this is just priceless… a car – purportedly a sports car – that is not only akin to a giant turtle that takes 40 years to grow to maturity but “fascinating in its ability to look its age when born”! As Wikipedia attests, it hatched from an egg and looks like a baby turtle… the mind boggles with thoughts of what animals, vegetables or manufactured goods do not look their age when born… and boggles again when said creature (or car) doesn’t change appearance in 100 years. I think Neil meant to say that it it hasn’t changed much in overall shape, just gotten somewhat bigger. There, that’s not hard, is it?
This is really annoying, both because it’s a distraction as the first Grand Tour of 2009 gets underway and because Tom Boonen has so much to lose, for so little reason. We can presume it’s been taken for recreational reasons, but he’s not the only one (in the wider community) to do so is he? He is however a huge role model for kids in Belgium, as well as for much of the cycling world. So it matters, but not so much that it should get this much attention, surely? Does he need counselling? A cocaine habit is one thing, but the guy gets caught – twice – out of competition. Which indicates he has some self-control, but not enough to pull free. (So why risk everything, Tom?) It’s not for performance-enhancement, it’s just a guy with fame and money being tempted by an illicit drug… and giving in. He’s young but adult enough to cop the consequences; he’s also famous beyond belief in Belgium, cashed-up and probably a target for all sorts of people with trash to peddle. Let’s hope some perspective is kept here.
Tom Boonen has been suspended by team Quick Step following his second positive control for cocaine, taken on April 27, in Belgium following the Spring Classics. The 2005 World Champion could face criminal charges for violating the conditions of his suspended sentence for cocaine use.
Setting Boonen aside for a moment, this is a community issue, not just an athletic one. Athletes are in the spotlight and performance enhancement is arguably viewed as ‘cheating’ by many, and certainly so by the established, traditional media as well by many of the ‘clean’ athletes themselves. And there are good arguments to control such substances, not just for sporting fairness but for the athlete’s health. But does recreational cocaine use – illegal though it may be – really constitute such a threat to our wider society, one that justifies the resultant media frenzy? Unfortunately the media have a stake in both creating and destroying these role models, a conflict of interest that just won’t go away.
Filed under Boonen, cocaine by Rob.
This is really annoying, both because it’s a distraction as the first Grand Tour of 2009 gets underway and because Tom Boonen has so much to lose, for so little reason. We can presume it’s been taken for recreational reasons, but he’s not the only one (in the wider community) to do so is he? He is however a huge role model for kids in Belgium, as well as for much of the cycling world. So it matters, but not so much that it should get this much attention, surely? Does he need counselling? A cocaine habit is one thing, but the guy gets caught – twice – out of competition. Which indicates he has some self-control, but not enough to pull free. (So why risk everything, Tom?) It’s not for performance-enhancement, it’s just a guy with fame and money being tempted by an illicit drug… and giving in. He’s young but adult enough to cop the consequences; he’s also famous beyond belief in Belgium, cashed-up and probably a target for all sorts of people with trash to peddle. Let’s hope some perspective is kept here.
Tom Boonen has been suspended by team Quick Step following his second positive control for cocaine, taken on April 27, in Belgium following the Spring Classics. The 2005 World Champion could face criminal charges for violating the conditions of his suspended sentence for cocaine use.
Setting Boonen aside for a moment, this is a community issue, not just an athletic one. Athletes are in the spotlight and performance enhancement is arguably viewed as ‘cheating’ by many, and certainly so by the established, traditional media as well by many of the ‘clean’ athletes themselves. And there are good arguments to control such substances, not just for sporting fairness but for the athlete’s health. But does recreational cocaine use – illegal though it may be – really constitute such a threat to our wider society, one that justifies the resultant media frenzy? Unfortunately the media have a stake in both creating and destroying these role models, a conflict of interest that just won’t go away.
Filed under Boonen, cocaine by Rob.
Only a Belgian would be enjoying the lousy weather at the Tour of California.
“The early weather in this race helped me a lot [for the Classics]. I feel great now after racing two or three days in the rain!”
Quite a contrast from the Tour Down Under, which of course was held in a heatwave (as usual).
Only a Belgian would be enjoying the lousy weather at the Tour of California.
“The early weather in this race helped me a lot [for the Classics]. I feel great now after racing two or three days in the rain!”
Quite a contrast from the Tour Down Under, which of course was held in a heatwave (as usual).
Filed under Boonen, cocaine by Rob.
Filed under Boonen, cocaine by Rob.
The biggest problem with the idea of dope controls is ‘who decides’. In other words, who actually has the moral and ethical right to decide what is “good” or “bad” dope? Whilst drugs that are clearly shown to offer performance enhancement, like EPO, are ‘probably’ something we can all agree on, in fact not everyone will agree that we should set up costly programs of detection, control and punishment in the first place. The alternative may be ‘legalising’ dope but monitoring the health of riders and asking them to stay within limits; or perhaps simply ‘outing’ them so we know who the ‘cheats’ are, but not withdrawing their right to participate.
And then we have recreational drugs and ‘out of competition’ testing. Again it’s a moral and ethical question. Do we have the right to say for example that cocaine is wrong, but alcohol is fine? What of an athlete’s right to live a ‘normal’ life? And then again, should we consider them role models and expect the highest standards?
And then there’s Tom Boonen. Obviously and clearly an outstanding athlete, a top road sprinter and dominating one-day classics rider. He’s had some run-ins with the law lately, and we ‘kind of’ expect better from him. But should we? Do the standards we apply to athletes apply to journalists, to lawyers, or to popular music and movie stars? Should they?
What has Boonen done? Apparently he has lost his driving licence twice and been implicated – and now has been caught in an out-of-competition test for cocaine: from CN – “This is not the first time that Boonen has been linked to the drug (cocaine). Last December, his good friend and cyclo-cross star, Tom Vanoppen was caught by the Flemish doping controllers with cocaine. During questioning Vanoppen allegedly named Boonen as his dealer, a claim Boonen later denied. Following the claim, Boonen’s parent’s house was searched. Boonen’s brush with the law does not stop there however. Just last week, he lost his drivers license for the second time in six weeks. On Tuesday night he was pulled over by the police travelling at 180 km/h in a 90km/h zone on the Mol ring road. He had a blood alcohol reading of 1.0. Six weeks earlier he lost his license for 14 days for travelling 120km/h in a 70km/h zone. In 2006 Boonen was the face of the Belgian roads and traffic authority, promoting safe driving.”
Obviously not a good look for Boonen and his team, irrespective. But what penalty should apply to recreational drug use, especially outside of competition? And who can truly decide right from wrong without exposing themselves to charges of hypocrisy, when the ‘norm’ in most Western societies is clearly and certainly to indulge in recreational drug taking?
The biggest problem with the idea of dope controls is ‘who decides’. In other words, who actually has the moral and ethical right to decide what is “good” or “bad” dope? Whilst drugs that are clearly shown to offer performance enhancement, like EPO, are ‘probably’ something we can all agree on, in fact not everyone will agree that we should set up costly programs of detection, control and punishment in the first place. The alternative may be ‘legalising’ dope but monitoring the health of riders and asking them to stay within limits; or perhaps simply ‘outing’ them so we know who the ‘cheats’ are, but not withdrawing their right to participate.
And then we have recreational drugs and ‘out of competition’ testing. Again it’s a moral and ethical question. Do we have the right to say for example that cocaine is wrong, but alcohol is fine? What of an athlete’s right to live a ‘normal’ life? And then again, should we consider them role models and expect the highest standards?
And then there’s Tom Boonen. Obviously and clearly an outstanding athlete, a top road sprinter and dominating one-day classics rider. He’s had some run-ins with the law lately, and we ‘kind of’ expect better from him. But should we? Do the standards we apply to athletes apply to journalists, to lawyers, or to popular music and movie stars? Should they?
What has Boonen done? Apparently he has lost his driving licence twice and been implicated – and now has been caught in an out-of-competition test for cocaine: from CN – “This is not the first time that Boonen has been linked to the drug (cocaine). Last December, his good friend and cyclo-cross star, Tom Vanoppen was caught by the Flemish doping controllers with cocaine. During questioning Vanoppen allegedly named Boonen as his dealer, a claim Boonen later denied. Following the claim, Boonen’s parent’s house was searched. Boonen’s brush with the law does not stop there however. Just last week, he lost his drivers license for the second time in six weeks. On Tuesday night he was pulled over by the police travelling at 180 km/h in a 90km/h zone on the Mol ring road. He had a blood alcohol reading of 1.0. Six weeks earlier he lost his license for 14 days for travelling 120km/h in a 70km/h zone. In 2006 Boonen was the face of the Belgian roads and traffic authority, promoting safe driving.”
Obviously not a good look for Boonen and his team, irrespective. But what penalty should apply to recreational drug use, especially outside of competition? And who can truly decide right from wrong without exposing themselves to charges of hypocrisy, when the ‘norm’ in most Western societies is clearly and certainly to indulge in recreational drug taking?
Daniele Bennati took his 2nd Tour win just days after his first, and in the best place, too: Paris. Lampre deserved the win today after attacking and chasing so hard for Ballan, so it was somehow fitting that Quickstep, having done little to motivate the stage should accidentally lead Bennati out to the win. Boonen didn’t seem to have the legs today, or was playing safe with the green jersey, just doing enough to keep it on his shoulders. Either way he didn’t get to grips with his lead-out man and slipped away to 5th. Unless of course it was a cunning plan to allow Bennati the win, robbing his closer rivals of the opportunity to take maximum points…
Overall no-one threatened Contador for the win, and he took that an the best young rider. Cadel Evans took 2nd, as expected, and Leipheimer was content to stand on the podium in 3rd. It could all have been so very different had there not been several key casualties, both via accident and doping scandal. Still, this is a long race at high speed in difficult circumstances, and it wouldn’t be special if winning it was straightforward, would it?
Daniele Bennati took his 2nd Tour win just days after his first, and in the best place, too: Paris. Lampre deserved the win today after attacking and chasing so hard for Ballan, so it was somehow fitting that Quickstep, having done little to motivate the stage should accidentally lead Bennati out to the win. Boonen didn’t seem to have the legs today, or was playing safe with the green jersey, just doing enough to keep it on his shoulders. Either way he didn’t get to grips with his lead-out man and slipped away to 5th. Unless of course it was a cunning plan to allow Bennati the win, robbing his closer rivals of the opportunity to take maximum points…
Overall no-one threatened Contador for the win, and he took that an the best young rider. Cadel Evans took 2nd, as expected, and Leipheimer was content to stand on the podium in 3rd. It could all have been so very different had there not been several key casualties, both via accident and doping scandal. Still, this is a long race at high speed in difficult circumstances, and it wouldn’t be special if winning it was straightforward, would it?
Well it had to happen – the long break got chased down in the last kilometre and the Quickstep train fired up perfectly. When the Steegmans express left the station he had Big Tom on board and this time it went perfectly to plan… Boonen obviously thinks he looks good in green, up he was very lucky that no-one lit up the stage on the cat 2 climb. He won’t be so lucky in the Pyreenees.
Filed under Boonen, Le Tour by Rob.
Well it had to happen – the long break got chased down in the last kilometre and the Quickstep train fired up perfectly. When the Steegmans express left the station he had Big Tom on board and this time it went perfectly to plan… Boonen obviously thinks he looks good in green, up he was very lucky that no-one lit up the stage on the cat 2 climb. He won’t be so lucky in the Pyreenees.
Filed under Boonen, Le Tour by Rob.
Big Tom Boonen blasted back into the green jersey, with Freire, Zabel and Seb Chavenal close by… so I guess it was his turn. Oscar must be next, surely? Except it won’t be on the next stage – July 14th – as that’s reserved for French climbers/breakaway specialists only, or so the French would hope.
Cavendish took out Big Tom’s rear derailleur with his front wheel, which locked Tom into his 11, whether he wanted it or not! Meanwhile Cavendish went backwards rapidly, another lesson hopefully learned (don’t cross wheels with Tom). McEwen looked to drop off Van Summeren’s wheel when the sprint got going, and once again lacked the kick and finish that he displayed on stage 1. He looks like he is simply opting out – perhaps with those injuries he sustained on stage 1 in mind – but only he really knows what’s happening. Hushovd is somewhat injured with a painful neck and not quite getting on top of the pedals like he did. And Boonen is now green (again).
Sylvain Chavenal remains on top of the spotted jersey comp and will be one of the likely attackers on Bastille Day, along with the overall GC contenders. 4 categorised climbs – including cat 1 Columbiere must mean – surely – that Cancellara will be allowed to drop from the front and finally give up the golden fleece… which will free up a tired CSC squad to support Sastre and his ambitions instead. I bet they are really pleased about that – perhaps resting up a day or 2 ago would’ve been better? Whatever, I’m sure they know how they feel. For T-Mobile Rogers is well placed and Evans may have a go – he’s been quiet but consistent; Leipheimer and Valverde are also waiting in the wings – and Astana will be looking to reverse recent fortunes, too. Indeed Kloden may well be the main man now with Vino clearly suffering from his fall. Disco may also have a trick up its sleeve. No matter what, it should be a real shake-up on GC.
Filed under Boonen, Le Tour by Rob.
Big Tom Boonen blasted back into the green jersey, with Freire, Zabel and Seb Chavenal close by… so I guess it was his turn. Oscar must be next, surely? Except it won’t be on the next stage – July 14th – as that’s reserved for French climbers/breakaway specialists only, or so the French would hope.
Cavendish took out Big Tom’s rear derailleur with his front wheel, which locked Tom into his 11, whether he wanted it or not! Meanwhile Cavendish went backwards rapidly, another lesson hopefully learned (don’t cross wheels with Tom). McEwen looked to drop off Van Summeren’s wheel when the sprint got going, and once again lacked the kick and finish that he displayed on stage 1. He looks like he is simply opting out – perhaps with those injuries he sustained on stage 1 in mind – but only he really knows what’s happening. Hushovd is somewhat injured with a painful neck and not quite getting on top of the pedals like he did. And Boonen is now green (again).
Sylvain Chavenal remains on top of the spotted jersey comp and will be one of the likely attackers on Bastille Day, along with the overall GC contenders. 4 categorised climbs – including cat 1 Columbiere must mean – surely – that Cancellara will be allowed to drop from the front and finally give up the golden fleece… which will free up a tired CSC squad to support Sastre and his ambitions instead. I bet they are really pleased about that – perhaps resting up a day or 2 ago would’ve been better? Whatever, I’m sure they know how they feel. For T-Mobile Rogers is well placed and Evans may have a go – he’s been quiet but consistent; Leipheimer and Valverde are also waiting in the wings – and Astana will be looking to reverse recent fortunes, too. Indeed Kloden may well be the main man now with Vino clearly suffering from his fall. Disco may also have a trick up its sleeve. No matter what, it should be a real shake-up on GC.
Filed under Boonen, Le Tour by Rob.
O’Grady just misses again.. Boonen reigns supreme. Again.
Results from Cyclingnews…
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep – Innergetic 4.47.00 (41,81 km/h)
2 Nico Eeckhout (Bel) Chocolade Jacques – Topsport Vlaanderen
3 Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Team CSC
4 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank
5 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner
And Rogers is on the podium at the Coppi-Bartali
1 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo 4.28. (40.49 km/h)
2 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.06
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile
4 Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
5 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Miche
O’Grady just misses again.. Boonen reigns supreme. Again.
Results from Cyclingnews…
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep – Innergetic 4.47.00 (41,81 km/h)
2 Nico Eeckhout (Bel) Chocolade Jacques – Topsport Vlaanderen
3 Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Team CSC
4 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank
5 David Kopp (Ger) Gerolsteiner
And Rogers is on the podium at the Coppi-Bartali
1 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo 4.28. (40.49 km/h)
2 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 0.06
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile
4 Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
5 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Miche
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