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 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.

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 .