The ad man and the brothel

They say that advertising and politics – and even journalism -  are among the dodgiest professions you could ever become involved with. A pessimistic view perhaps, but there is some truth to it. On the other hand, good journalism can and does expose scandals.

As for politicians they can offer packages of hope and terror – and regarding the latter, it is the 80^th anniversary of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the political satire warning of threats to democracy, as relevant today as it was eight decades ago.

Funny how things come to mind, as they do in this torrent of unconnected recollections played out at speed in my head recently and which I felt it necessary to nail down here.

My working life began in advertising agencies, an industry often criticised for creating demand for products we don’t really need.

It would take a few years before I found my true vocation, graduating from being an amateur cyclist to being paid to write about my hobby – a dream job, really, away from the real world.

I have fond memories of a very amusing book I read at the time, “Confessions of an Ad Man”, by David Ogilvy of Ogilvy Benson and Mather, one of the biggest in the ad business.

Ogilvy acknowledges from the off how suspicious some people are of this profession.  I loved his stories. Here are a couple of them.

At a business reception, a woman said to Ogilvy, in low conspiratorial accusing tone: So YOU are in advertising, are you?”

At which, he leaned towards her and, in low conspiratorial tone, whispered: “Yes, but I implore you NOT to tell my aunt.

“For she thinks I play the piano in a BROTHEL.”

The book was full of amusing anecdotes like that. For instance, when pitching for a new client, Ogilvy stressed it was important to find out how many people on the client’s side would be involved in signing off a new campaign. You didn’t want too many coming in with their half-baked ideas because they wouldn’t have a clue! They think they might have but they haven’t.

He recalls how his company were one of several ad agencies invited to pitch for a famous name account worth several £millions. They were all there together on the day, to be wheeled in one by one and presented to their betters, the board of directors.

And he recalls being told they would each have ten minutes to make their pitch. When a bell rang it signalled time was up and even if they were in mid-sentence, they must smartly leave the room.

This irritated Ogilvy so he decided to play them at their own game.

When he and his team were invited to present their case Ogilvy stepped forward and said he had question.

“Yes”, the pompous spokesman said. “Go ahead”.

“Thank you, Sir,” said Ogilvy. “My question is, how many people of your company will need to agree to approve our work? “he said.

Ogilvy’s view on this was that too many people – let us say it was six – was too many. I can’t recall now the precise number he would be satisfied with.

I think it was two; three at most.

When the board gave its answer Ogilvy, without a moment’s hesitation stood up and said: “Ring the Bell”.  And walked out.

Loved it, loved it.

Politicians – the good, the bad and the ugly

Politics: well there are some good people in politics, especially in the Lib Dems. And the bad and the ugly?

Well, in the UK, the most controversial figure of modern times who frequently comes to mind is the late Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Prime Minister (1979 – 1990). The Iron Lady, they called her, loved and hated in equal measure.

There is a TV programme running at present blaming Thatcher’s policies for

creating the mess that is Britain today. 

From the Falklands war to financial deregulation and the poll tax, Thatcher transformed UK politics. One of her defining moments was her battle with the unions, ending their stranglehold on government with strikes and pay demands it was claimed were limiting Britain’s economic growth!

But I pause to defer to the record, or what passes for the record, to check on available facts for this period.

Accounts of that period tell us that the previous government led by Edward Heath were battling high inflation and to counter this Heath had put a cap on wages. 

The unions simply saw it as the never-ending struggle to increase wages in line with inflation. And that will always be the fight.

The view from government was that union cannot be allowed to hold them hostage with strikes. That they had too much power and must be cut back.

To many in heavy industry Thatcher’s action to strip the unions of power was a devastating move.  Many jobs were lost as mines and factories closed, for which she would never be forgiven.

It was said that in striving to create conditions to improve the economy she went too far and it was the workers who paid the price.

The most violent conflict between the police and pickets came in the Battle of Orgreave (a coking plant) in 1984,  believed to have been a stitch up carried out by the police to discredit the miners.

Seventy-one pickets were charged with riot and 24 with violent disorder. But the trials collapsed when police evidence was deemed “unreliable”. A solicitor acting for some of the pickets said it was “the worst example of a mass frame-up this century.”

The cavalry charge which slayed innocents in the Battle of Peterloo

But without doubt the greatest outrage of all was committed by the government against the people, the Battle of Peterloo, a massacre in Manchester in on 16 August 1819. 

 

The government strived to control the narrative in the Press, but the story of the killings got out nationally and internationally, with the Manchester Observer playing a leading role in exposing the tragedy.

Certainly I don’t recall being taught anything about this in school when being learning about the Industrial Revolution.

It took the recent film by Mike Leigh – The Battle of Peterloo – staring Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear, to bring this shocking event back into focus.

This was a meeting of around 60,000 people at St. Peter’s Field, Manchester gathered to protest at their desperately poor lives, their struggle to afford food.

They wanted political and economic reform which government stood against.  It was a peaceful gathering. People had come in their Sunday best.   This was a time when only 11 per cent of adult males had the vote.

But the huge gathering alarmed and panicked the city top brass who decided the meeting should be disbanded.  How dare these common people make demands? And so the unarmed gathering was violently suppressed by the Government and 18 protesters were killed and 700 seriously injured - cut down with sabres by a Yeoman cavalry charge to disperse them.

Never underestimate what government will do to restrict public protest when pushed to it. 

Fast forward 200 years to the general alarm at the arrests made at the recent protests supporting banned group,  Palestine Action, proscribed as a “terrorist organisation” by Labour.

UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk agrees the proscription of Palestine Action is “disproportionate and unnecessary.”

This was a peaceful silent gathering in support of Palestine, calling for an end to the killing of Palestinians  in Gaza, in the ongoing conflict with Israel. The protest saw  700 elderly people arrested but ultimately released without charge.

Cue for recalling George Orwell’s warning

Cue for the timely reminder of George Orwell’s highly successful political satire, Animal Farm, published in 1945 and its warning of threats to democracy.

This famous book shares a timely 80^th anniversary with celebrations for VE Day, the end of the war with Japan.

There was a newpaper feature on how Orwell came to write this recently,  and the point was made that Orwell’s warning is as relevant today as it was 80 years ago. The book has never been out of print.

But back to Thatcher.  Her legacy, surely,  was in selling off the public utilities to the private sector, including the water companies. 

As we know the private water companies have dropped us all in the shit by putting share-holders interests and their own ahead of maintaining and investing in the water industry itself.  

As a consequence of lining their own pockets these past 40 years they find themselves unable to invest the necessary funds to maintain and improve their water works. As a result, they are allowing tons of raw sewage to be discharged into the sea and into our rivers every day. They have become unfit to bathe in. Unfit for fishes to live in.

It is a huge health scandal which remains unresolved and has left the water industry £65billion in debt. Under public ownership decades ago, the water industry had no debt whatsoever.

Her successes and failures divided Britain.

When the Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempted to kill Thatcher by blowing up the hotel at the Conservative Party Conference Brighton in 1984 she escaped but five died and 30 were injured.

History records that the only British prime minister to have been assassinated is Spencer Perceval who was shot in 1812 by John Bellingham, a business man with a grievance against his government.
It was ever thus, grievances on one side or the other leading to inexcusable actions. More recently the senseless killings of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2015 and Conservative MP David Amess in 2021 invoked horror and outrage.

Hilary Mantel has the last word

In conclusion what comes fresh to mind is how a very famous author expressed her feelings about Thatcher – on paper!

This was award winning novelist the late Hillary Mantel who wrote a story entitled “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher”.

It was published in 2014, one year after Thatcher passed away.

One reviewer called it “Unpredictable, diverse, and even shockingly unexpected.  The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, he said, displays a magnificent writer at the peak of her powers”.

Mantel laughed at the MP who expressed horror that anyone could write such a story.  She retorted that if he was so offended by that, he could have no idea how nasty she could be, if and when the occasion warranted it. Straight talking with a wicked sense of humour, that was Mantel. RIP.

 

OIL AND DOPE BACK ON AGENDA

 

Watching Le Tour on television provides a much needed break from the shit problems in the real world.

Until last week, that is, when in ITV’S second rest day Tour de France review, fronted by Gary Imlach, devoted time to the scandals surrounding French oil company Total Energies, who sponsor a World Tour team on this Tour.

They are accused of “green washing” in sponsoring cycling, of creating an image of being environmentally friendly when they are anything but. Quite the opposite in fact, hugely expanding their oil business. The burning of Oil – carbon - is we know, the main driver of climate change which, science tells us, is leading to the collapse of our environment and life on earth as know it.

As if this wasn’t depressing enough for our usually happy go-lucky Tour coverage, we were also subjected to the issue of the German doctor convicted of doping offences. This is Doctor Mark Schmidt.  Of particular interest is an alleged  message between  someone at Team Sky, now INEOS, and Schmidt.

First, the Total Energy story.

Those attempting to bring Total
Energies to book - Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France and Notre Affaire a Tous, supported by Client Earth filed a lawsuit in France in March 2022 against the company.  A year later the French courts agreed the case could go ahead.

It is claimed that the company’s ‘reinvention’ ad campaign violates European consumer law, misleading the public by claiming to be a major player in the energy transition” depicted in the design of a logo on the team jersey.

 It has pledged to reach company-wide net zero emissions by 2050 and denied that it is greenwashing.  

Countering this, it is being claimed that Total’s business plans include a far-reaching expansion of fossil fuel production and any significant emissions reductions are doubtful over the next 10 years.  

This matter also concerns an issue with the rights of the Native American Indians in Peru. The ITV programme featured Marcel Garcia Apagueno, Kichwa community leader, who took her people’s case to France to pursue the matter in the courts.

 

She said her people have been restricted by Total Energies from gathering food and harvesting plants.   She claimed the oil company had made an $84.7million dollar purchase of land and is using t heir forests to sell carbon credits to high polluting corporations.

 Her people have been excluded from making policy decisions concerning the development of green energy projects.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, says:

“We are custodians of the natural world who are committed to maintaining the natural equilibrium of the planet for the generations to come.”

Laura Quinones writing in Climate and Environment says

“While Indigenous Peoples make up just six per cent of the global population, they safeguard 80 per cent of the planet’s remaining biodiversity – yet receive less than one per cent of international climate funding.”

The Scottish organisers of the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2027 have taken a stand on this matter, saying they will not tolerate any team strip such as the Total Energy team clothing bearing controversial environmental claims in the design.

And now, onto the hoary subject of doping and the jailed German doctor.

This has been covered in detail by Cycling Weekly., although the first I heard of it was on  ITV's Tour de France program last week.

It concerns Dr Mark Schmidt, who worked as a doctor with the Gerolsteiner and Milram pro cycling teams. He was investigated for his role in helping athletes from cycling and cross-country skiing to blood dope, until a cross-country skier blew the whistle on his doings.

Subsequently, Schmidt was jailed for five years in 2021 for his doping activities between 2012 and 2019.

Journalist Sebastian Krause who covered the Schmidt trial every day looked through his many notes taken at the trial and identified a person who worked for INEOS/Sky and who had been in contact with Schmidt. Some of the  messages  allegedly sent between Schmidt and the INEOS/Sky worker were aired in court.

Here is one of them: “Do you still have any of the stuff that Milram used during the races? If so, can you bring it for the boys?”

That message was from June 2012,  just weeks before Team Sky won the Tour with Bradley Wiggins, and team-mate Chris Froome, second.

The programme said this is not implying any wrong doing by Wiggins nor Froome.

The reason all has blown up now is that the Schmidt affair was the subject of a German TV documentary last month. The story was picked up by the Sunday Independent, in a piece written by Paul Kimmage, the former pro who in 2007 published his book, entitled, “Rough Ride”,  his story about the culture of doping within cycling.

Daniel Friebe who is working on the Tour for ITV asked INEOS Team Principal Dave Brailsford about the Schmidt message story but he declined to comment.

Instead, INEOS issued a short statement to Friebe, as follows:  “INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority.

“The team reiterates its policy of zero tolerance to any breach of the applicable WADA codes historic and current.”

 

 

 

 

GOODBYE GARY IMLACH AND ITV...and thanks

 

FAREWELL Gary Imlach and the ITV Sport team for the excellent Tour de France coverage you have provided us over the years.   For the 2025 show will be your grand finale, a victim of business deals and the end of “free to air” cycling coverage.

The good news, according to Cycling Weekly, is that race highlights may still be provided “free to view” another channel in 2026!

But what a buggar to lose the brilliant daily live broadcasts and nightly highlights on ITV which all began with Phil Liggett presenting on Channel 4 over four decades ago, as the “Voice of Cycling”. He was later joined by former pro, the late Paul Sherwen and the pair became Tour regulars on British Television.

Now ITV has lost out whenWarner Brothers Discovery struck a deal with Tour organisers ASO and the European Broadcasting Union for exclusive rights to cycling’s major races which will end “free to air coverage.”

I’ve read that ITV did not make a bid as our sport disappears next year behind a “paywall.”

I will miss your nightly one-hour tightly-edited stories which so perfectly encapsulate the day’s action and the excitement the Tour brings to the roadside.  It’s almost as good as being on the race yourself, and I can say that as one who was experienced it up close when serving my time on the press corps which rolls with the action. That was in the 80s,

Your spot on analysis, interviews with the top riders of the day, the general interest cameos about places enroute, old footage of past heroes, all stories which capture the atmosphere and flavour of Le Tour.

 It has hooked in general viewers with the breath-taking  theatre that Le Tour  provides, as the field speed past  castles moated chateaus and in north,  the sombre magnificence of cemeteries for the millions of war dead before, at last, reaching the French Alps and Pyrenees.

All of this brought to our screens and hosted by Imlach – in the hot seat since 1990 - providing sharp and succinct analysis with that wry smile and dry sense of humour.  

He is supported by commentators Ned Boulting and former pro David Millar; Matt Randall and Daniel Friebe for the cameo slots; plus post-race analysis by former Olympic champion Chris Boardman and ex Sky Team ride Peter Kenna ugh, now manager of the XDS-Astana.

You never know what stories they will come up. Only last week there was the delightful side story Imlach told concerning Meyrignac l'Eglise, the smallest town ever to host a Tour stage.

They sought out the mayor and were surprised – and amused – to find themselves pressed into action to save his piece des resistance – a giant floating message on the boating lake which had been blown off course - It was a floating message advertising the Correze region.

And so it was the ITV team including Imlach and the camera man climbed into paddle boats to pedal out over the lake to tow the floating message back into the position, the better to be visible to the TV helicopter when/if it flew overhead.

It did of course. And viewers the world over hopefully took note.

Allez. And now back to the racing action to tie up this evening’s program, as Imlach himself might say.

*And the latest, as I finish this piece, sees Pogacar in full “Demolition Derby” mode, on Thursday…OK, that’s a car race in which the winner literally drives into and smashes all the other cars off the track – but same difference!

For Pog’s attacks destroyed his closest opposition on the first Pyrenean stage to win by two minutes over Vingegaard, taking back the yellow jersey from Healy with everyone else nowhere.

I am reminded of how the young Superman – in the film – tested his extra ordinary capabilities as a young boy by running across the fields and keeping pace with an express train. Watched by goggle-eye passengers.

Except our own real live SuperPog went one better and left the train behind.

What ever next?

 

What to do with scammers

 

What can be done about scammers?  I read a poem about them being crucified? That would nail ‘em.

In our world, apparently, 10 years gaol is the maximum custodial sentence for fraud, which includes online scamming. In reality, scammers receive much lighter sentences. A recent television documentary told how one gentleman who fraudulently earned £millions conning “investors” with his fine art and fine wine scam was caught after a lengthy police investigation but got only three years. This was then reduced to two. Then he was allowed compassionate leave for a day and never came back.

He was caught again two years later, by which time he had amassed thousands more with fraudulent activities, but this time he faced charges in both the UK and USA.

Clearly, he was a career baddie who became very rich on his ill-gotten gains and was in need of more appropriate treatment.

Gaol is too good for them, in my opinion. They  con many people out of their life savings.

Why this particular beef about scammers?

Well, this is personal.  Computers in our house have recently been targeted by scammers. They explode into view on the screen with lookalike Microsoft and/or Apple graphics.

They call these sudden intrusions pop ups, and they arrive out the blue, with much noise and bluster for shock tactics, an attempt to sow confusion, cause panic.  A voice over warns us that they have detected a suspected Trojan virus… warning don’t switch off whatever you do. And “Just immediately run this scan or call this number”.  

Oh, yeah?

Of course we know better than to do either of those things, but in a panic that’s what the scammers are hoping you will do,  hoping to gain access.  Getting rid of the pop-up nightmare has proved a nightmare and while it remains it has rendered the Mac unusable.

In the past we’ve got rid of them.

But this one is lingering and has so far resisted being cleared out.

So, what is to be done with the scammer bastards if caught?

I recall in one work of fiction the author’s heroes dealt with the criminals by flying them to Antarctica, where the bad people were ushered out to their freedom in the depths of a freezing winter, wearing only light summer clothing. The plane then took off, leaving them to it. It was -60c, so they probably had about 30 minutes.

Marvellous story.

But how about magic? This idea borrowed from Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts, that school for children with magical powers.

I have a Harry Potter wand in the house and do wonder sometimes if I dare to use it!

I recall one story when Harry was at home and had to endure the company of an aunt who he didn’t much like. The feelings were mutual.

On one occasion he decided he didn’t need to listen to her barbed comments anymore and so he cast a spell on her. Well, that was breaking the golden rule of Hogwarts, which was never ever to use your powers on ordinary people.

Harry’s father was furious when he released what his son had done. He knew as soon as aunt’s feet began to lift off the carpet. She gave an “oo” and and “ahh”, and her eyes grew wide in surprise, then fright as she swung up slowly to the ceiling where she bumped around next to the light fitting, arms and legs flailing about. Harry watched, bemused.

The door was open and she gradually glided out to the hall, crying out in bewilderment while Harry smiled. He and his horrified mum and angry dad looked on as she bumped along the hall ceiling and out of the front door, to disappear spiralling slowly upwards into the sky, her cries of alarm gradually fading away over the rooftops.

I am sure Harry, who was roundly scolded by his father for this wanton act, very soon afterwards cancelled the spell so that his aunt was returned to earth. But I’m not sure!

Would that I had Harry’s powers to deal with the scammers.

Prison is too good for them.

I would send the scammers aloft never to return, to be forever trapped in a floating void, fully conscious of their predicament, fearful, and wetting themselves, filling their pants, totally unable to do anything about their fate.

The idea would be for them to become so uncomfortable, so bewildered, they would eventually go mental, floating about up there in the sky for ever and ever, buzzed by gulls and swifts and perhaps scratched by the talons of hawks.

postscript: 

after further scammer interference, it has been decided scammers should be eaten alive, and be secured lying down in the shallows of a pirana infested river.

On the eve of the Grand Depart, a look back to Le Tour's longest stage of '84

 

In the previous blog I mentioned that Le Tour, which starts tomorrow in Lille,  is quite a bit shorter than some 40 years ago. In the 1980s the riders covered between 700 and in some editions, 1000 kilometres more.

For instance, this year’s three week marathon around France totals 3320 kilometres compared to 4020.9 in 1984, when Laurent Fignon won his second consecutive Tour.

It was inferred that shorter stages might reduce the temptation of those riders who might feel the need to take some “juice” to survive!  That hope went out of the window at the turn of the century, when EPO was the drug of choice, with Lance Armstrong and his team heading the cheats.

Since then it is claimed that the sport has cleaned up its act. I read that its 10 years since a rider last tested positive for doping on Le Tour, so good news.

But have the shorter stages made the race less arduous?  Not necessarily. The question was once put to Sean Kelly, four times the green jersey point’s winner in the 80s, and now a well-known TV pundit on Le Tour.

He considered that in some cases the race today had become harder, because the speed was now greater than it was for the longer stages back in his day.

One of the longest stages of the race in the 80s was during 1984 edition.

This was stage 9, from Nantes in the Loire to Bordeaux in the south, in the Gironde, 338 kilometres away! It was the longest stage of the modern era. Longer by between 60 and 100 kilometres from what was the norm.  back then.

There was an 8am start and the riders let the organisers know they were not happy with the distance. It would mean twice as long in the saddle compared to today’s stages. At least it was flat!

But it took close on 10 hours to complete!

They protested with a go-slow, and only cranked into the life in the last two hours.

But what a climatic finale!

A sunny but stiflingly hot boring day, every piece of shade on the route was taken by spectators.

Riders amused themselves by stealing spectator’s hats. Going back to the cars for bottles all day long and they only came to life in the last couple of hours.

The stage was won by classics Dutch star Jan Raas, who  stole ahead of the field in the final kilometres through the streets of Bordeaux.   I have this memory of Raas cheekilyleaving his effort to the very last in a risky stunt which almost didn’t pay off.

Having got a decent gap, he squandered his advantage with a delaying tactic which risked costing him the stage victory, looking ahead to the finish line in the distance, and then  twisting around to look behind again; taunting the main field surging in pursuit and closing fast. 

He waited, waited. He was saving all his energy before making one last burst with seconds to spare.  The Dutch journalists – in fact everyone - were open mouthed.

It was like watching a surfer defying a huge wave unfolding in all its fury which would surely engulf the pair.  Yet somehow it didn’t.

Raas surged ahead acrosss the line with an expression which said no bother.  

Leali was second in the same time, Mark Madiot was fourth at 3 seconds with Kelly outsprinting the main field breathing down their necks a further two seconds adrift.

It was a classic finish to enliven a long boring day. Raas stood there surrounded by press and with a confident grin - more of a smirk.  “Well…what did you expect?” it seemed to say.

Here was the star at the top of his game,  a one-day rider at heart, as this list his famous victories testifies:

World road championship 1; Amstel Gold 5;  Tour of Flanders 2; Paris-tours 2; Milan-San Remo ; Ghent Wevelgem ; Paris-Roubaix ; E3 – Prijs Harelbeke 3; Tour of Netherlands : Paris – Brussells ; Omloop Hetvolk .

Looking forward to the start of Le Tour

 

Have you bought your guide to the Tour de France 2025 which kicks off on July 5 in Lille Nord, just across the Channel?

It’s an excellent magazine, with in depth features on the riders, full route, detailed maps of each stage and much more. It also includes a supplement about the stages which have featured the feared climb of Mount Ventoux, scene of triumph and tragedy over the years and which features again this time. One page is devoted to Britain’s Tom Simpson who in 1967 collapsed on the cruel slopes of the Ventoux under the hot sun and died. The sport was shocked to the core.

That terrible occasion will for ever remain as a sobering reminder of the brutality of the Tour.

Curiously, though, this guide contains only a passing mention to Lille which is hosting the Grand Depart for the third time. Lille has a long relationship with Le Tour, having  hosted over 30 stages since 1906, including two Grand Departs before this one, in 1960 and in 1994.

Clearly, this is an oversight.

To find out more check out  this link: www.tourdelille.com

This is provided by Andy Sutcliffe, former editor of Cycling Weekly, who now lives in the Lille area. The lucky beggar will have the Tour passing his front door twice, or is it three times?

The Guide I have makes only a passing mention to Lille when it refers to  Chris Boardman winning the prologue there in 1994, in record time, to wear -  briefly - the famous yellow jersey.

This  year Lille Nord is graced with  hosting the first three stages in the region.

I was in Lille when reporting the 1982 Tour, when Dutchman Jan Raas won stage 6 there, a 221- kilometre loop.  They were longer stages back then.

That year’s race started from Basle in Switzerland and Bernard Hinault would win his fourth Tour out of five after an absorbing battle. That year also saw history made when non-European riders dominated for the first time, making HInault work to take time bonuses in intermediate sprints. Ireland’s Sean Kelly won the green points jersey, and Aussie Phil Anderson held the yellow jersey for eight stages before finishing fifth overall.

After the Lille stage the race had a day off to make one of its famously long transfers by road, this one over 400 miles to Brittany for Stage 7, a team time trial starting from Cancale.

Of course, the riders flew.

There was slight problem when  one of the two planes charted by Le Tour was taken out of service at the last moment! We picked up this story when we arrived at the press centre after a long drive from Lille.

Well,  you can’t simply hold up tired riders on Le Tour!  In fact, the riders barely noticed the delay, for another aircraft was conjured up to get them off the ground.

There was speculation as to where they got this plane from at such short notice.  The story goes that passengers about to board another flight were suddenly told of a hold up and must wait for another aircraft. Yes,  you guessed it. Le Tour nicked it, allegedly. No one stops Le Tour.

Well, demonstrations used to do so, workers wanting to bring their grievances to the notice of the press.

The Tour guide includes lots of good photographs, including of course, several of the defending champion, the wonder boy, world champion  and three times Tour winner Tadje Pogacar. His dominance these past few years – with one exception -  as exciting as it has been, is now  beginning to tire for some followers. 

Such is the fate that awaits all sports champions who so completely stifle the opposition year after year. We admire them of course, but then become impatient to see them beaten.

Having said that I shall eagerly await his attacks, for he lights the race up like no other, and from so far out.  He seems to have so m much more power than anyone else, often leaving riders like Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard struggling. But equally, I hope to see Pog seriously challenged this time, and for race to go down to the wire.

Last year Pogacar famously won the Triple: Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Road Championship. A rare feat.

We’ve got used to his seemingly effortless style, holding 50kph with that serene expression, almost a  smile.

Yet in one photo of this Tour guide,  Pogacar is barely recognisable. No smile. His face instead is wrought with pain and suffering. We don’t ever see that!  That shot was taken in the 2023 Tour on the Col de La Loze, when he famously cracked.  It cost him the Tour, and Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard went on to win his second consecutive edition.

The very same Alpine brute features again this year.

Could that be an omen?

Spookily. In typing the word “omen” the word count reached 666.

I have no wish to put spell on Pog, so I have added a few more words!

 

 

Anger as UCI ban "narrow" handlebars

 

THE Union Cyclists International (UC I) has caused a furore with their new rules to “improve safety” effective from next January.

Handlebars, in their view, are becoming too narrow.  So the width of handlebars is to be restricted to no less than 44 centre metres.

Also, because of the much higher speeds being attained which the UCI considers are unsafe (presumably in sprint finishes); gearing is to be restricted to a maximum of top gear of 54-tooth chainring and 11-tooth sprocket (giving 10.46 metres per crank revolution.) This in the hope riders won’t be able to go quite so fast!

 The UCI is also to limit fork widths and ban the use of helmets used in time trials from being used in road racing.

Leaving the matter of forks and helmets for the moment, it is the handlebar issue which is stirring up the angst.

The counter argument from those challenging the ruling makes the point that one size cannot fit all; riders of smaller stature have handlebars tailored to suit, which may be narrower than the 44 cm being proposed. 

This is especially relevant for women whose machines are generally of smaller proportions to those ridden by men.

As for higher gearing leading to unsafe speeds, what is the evidence for this?  Have I missed it?

What about junior racing on restricted gears? I can recall some hair-raising moments in 3/j events restricted to 86-inch gears (old calculation). I recall my own personal experiences and one event in particular with the tightly packed bunch gutter to gutter, elbows out, lunging for the finish line.

 I was placed third, driven by the fear that if I sat up I’d be run down!

OK, so it’s a much lower level of racing, but it’s all relevant.

The local newspaper s tory for that junior race was headlined it as “The Charge of the Light Brigade!

Dangerous! Well………………

Sprinting in road racing has always been dangerous and is best left to those with no fear and with big shoulders – I was once shouldered off my line  at an Eastway finish.

Whatever next? 

Should the UCI also look at high speed descents in the mountains?  Should that be cause for worry?

Well, we can put a stop to that. Take the Pyrenees and Alps out for a start.

Or, once the riders have reached the top, bus them to the bottom. Joking!

In Britain we could lose the Welsh mountains, the Yorkshire Moors, Lancashire Fells, the  Scottish Highlands and more.

In fact, let’s stop bike racing and take up dominoes – that’s a lot safer than the risk of all falling off

like dominoes!

Where have these UCI safety experts come from?  The International Federation of Knitting?  

Shit happens!