reohn2 wrote:East Africa is a poor part of the world generally so the opportunities for bike racing are few whereas running has always been a cultural and perhaps necessary way of life,that and the light frame/build of East Africans is a bonus.
One hopes that the area will not always remain poor.
Whilst I agree I fear it may.
Kenya has an emerging middle class although the very poorest in the slums of Nairobi live in tragic conditions. The problem with cycling is not the availability of good equipment but the roads. Driving standards and surfaces are not conducive to cycling in my experience. Curiously the sport being most heavily promoted is rugby, especially the 7 aside version.
Mike Sales wrote: One hopes that the area will not always remain poor.
Whilst I agree I fear it may.
Kenya has an emerging middle class although the very poorest in the slums of Nairobi live in tragic conditions. The problem with cycling is not the availability of good equipment but the roads. Driving standards and surfaces are not conducive to cycling in my experience. Curiously the sport being most heavily promoted is rugby, especially the 7 aside version.
That doesn't surprise me,it's fast and gracious.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
geocycle wrote: Kenya has an emerging middle class although the very poorest in the slums of Nairobi live in tragic conditions. The problem with cycling is not the availability of good equipment but the roads. Driving standards and surfaces are not conducive to cycling in my experience. Curiously the sport being most heavily promoted is rugby, especially the 7 aside version.
I am sure the roads don't help.
I can think of one Kenyan who has done well in cycling. In his autobiography he recounts tales of long hard rides on rough roads with the Safari Simbas. His mentor was David Kinjah, who had ridden professionally in Italy I believe. Froome had advantages not available to his club mates of course, but I am sure that he and Kinjah will be followed.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
cotterpins wrote:Whatever the result, you can never take away that "G" is the first ever British-born TDF winner!
Nicole Cooke might disagree, as she says in her book "The Breakaway". But of course I understand what you mean. She is Welsh too.
Nicole is indeed one of cycling' greats, along with Beryl Burton. I'm also aware that she is Welsh but I'm not sure what year she was in the men's TDF?
Yes, how strange, it is always the nice guys + gals who win
My favourite is Sebastian Langeveld of EF Education First, he won the rote laterne for Nederland for coming last, 155 th, +155! Bet he is a nice guy too
Education Last? Cash, business, Fracking First!
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
And to think the nay-sayer predicted the end of cycling as we know it when Sky announced it was ending sponsorship of the team If Bernal is looked after properly Ineos will win more tours with him than Sky have with Wiggins,Froome and Thomas put together I can see him equalling LAs 7.
yes Bernal could be a great champion, provided he doesn't succumb to the many things (like injury) which can stop any rider in their tracks. Interestingly the bookies got it right, didn't they ….? (I posted the pre-race odds upthread).
Disappointing that the final two mountain stages were curtailed in the way they were but I don't think it would have greatly changed the overall outcome. Arguably G's goose was probably cooked anyway; as well as team orders (send Bernal up the road and then counterattack only if it doesn't compromise his position) G missed his bottle at the top of the Iseran and wouldn't have had a chance to feed properly before the climb to Tignes had it gone ahead.
No less than three landslides over the road blocked the intended route of Saturday's stage; the geology in the region of the CdR is pretty unstable; when I was last there the road had clearly been rerouted relatively recently because of persistent landslips.
Overall, despite the last mountain stages being as they were, I think it was one of the best TdFs I can remember.
Bernal has the potential to be a great champion,and because Ineos have the budget Brailsford needn't overrace him or the other rising stars he has signed up . It'll be the same with Carapas. The money available,capability and experience of Brailford and his team means the sky's(sorry)the limit. That said I'd be surprised if Froome ever regains his previous form after such an injury. We'll see,as they say.....
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
