In praise of the peloton
Sometimes it’s a soap opera, sometimes a melodrama, sometimes a comedy. There have been moments of tragedy, and of high farce, but there is one thing that it never fails to be – a thriller. Of course, I’m talking about the Tour de France. And the 2009 edition more than lived up to expectations. I missed the first two weeks because I was on holiday, sailing in the Greek islands. (There are not many things that I would miss the Tour for, but this was one of them.)
But I arrived back just in time to see Alberto Contador blow away Lance Armstrong and all his rivals on the climb to Verbier with one week to go.
But the excitement of the last week was more than enough – Bradley Wiggins’s temporary climb up to third place, the attacks of the Schleck brothers, Armstrong’s overpowering presence, and, of course, Mark Cavendish’s incredible ability to squash all challengers almost with impunity.
So, for the Brits, it was a great race, and let’s just hope that they can build on such an amazing achievement.
And amazing it was. We watched them climb Mont Ventoux with such apparent ease. Last Monday Paul rode L’Étape du Tour, which covered the Mont Ventoux stage. It was anything but easy, judging by his account in The Times. Read it, and weep with him. And salute the men who made it look so easy.