MY FAVOURITE DOMESTIQUES 2011

Geraint Thomas Team Sky
All rounder domestique who, I hope, will soon be a team captain as his skills demonstrated in the spring classics bode well for the future. Strong and fast and with an increasingly good tactical sense.

Pierre Rolland Europcar
An impressive Tour de France campaign has launched this rider to new heights, very strong in the inclines and vital to Voeckler's titanic performance.

Jelle Vanendert Omega Pharma-Lotto
The Ardennes classics wins by Philippe Gilbert owe a lot to this Belgian rider, indefatigable team player. Also strong at the Tour.

Tom Veelers Skil Shimano
Veelers is to Kittel what Renshaw is to Cavendish. He helped Kittel becoming one of the sprinters to watch out for the next few years.

Mark Renshaw HTC
Well, apart from the Worlds, he has been the leadout man to almost all of the Manxman's victories. Amazing at protecting and projecting, great placing eye and a mean sprinter himself.

Jens Voigt Leopard Trek
The domestique of domestiques! If you ever need to man up, watch him ride and follow his style.

Marco Pinotti HTC
A well deserved pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia and great placings at the Romandie and Tirreno-Adriatico. His support is always vital on any team and his speed hasn't lessened with experience. Great time triallist, old school hard working rider.

Chris Froome Team Sky
Showed his full potential at the Vuelta when he displayed leader characteristics while helping Wiggins and almost winning it himself.

Comments

REACH OUT, TALK TO PEOPLE

I wanted to share what we did at the weekend in the hope to inspire other people to try what my partner and I ended up doing. A few days ago we were walking the dogs late in the afternoon and on the way back, in this big field, we noticed an elderly woman walking slowly leaning on her stick. We asked if she was ok as she seemed tentative and a little confused. The very first thing she said, almost without realising that's what she was going to say was: "You are the first people I've spoken to all day". Neither of us expected that so we stayed with her, chatting away for about 40 minutes. We ended up walking her back to her house, exchange numbers and invite her for a Sunday roast. She was going to be 89 a few days later and it seemed a nice thing to do. She was really touched as she didn't have it in her to cook a roast for herself (and she admitted she hated cooking).

LA CLASSICISSIMA, A PREVIEW

As classics go, Milano-Sanremo is the longest of them all (almost 300km) and one of the oldest (1907). Eddy Merckx has won it a record 7 times. It has been marred by late snow at times and its route has been modified here and there, but at its core is the length and flatness, so one for the sprinters traditionally but not so much of late. There are a few lumps, but although short and not very steep, they usually come at the end of a long day on the saddle and have been decisive in the outcome of the race. In recent times, the climbs of Cipressa (added in 1982) and Poggio (added in 1960) have been the theatres of all-out attacks. The breakneck and twisty descent from the Poggio especially, induced some of the most entertaining racing... and some awful crashes too. The finish in the town of Sanremo has moved posts a few times but whether it was in the false flat of Via Roma or on the pan flat promenade by the sea, many a time it has ended in a bunch sprint.

AN OLYMPIC EFFORT

When the Olympic cycling road race and TT race routes were announced I was extremely excited. I live bang in the middle of both. One of the most important races in cycling was going to be ridden near my house. Television screens would be filled with images of roads I'm familiar with, the pros will be riding my commute to work AND some of my cycling club runs' routes (Kingston Wheelers).

The Clouds Factory

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