TDU

Watching the Tour Down Under is one of the most exciting races of the year and it keeps getting better!

One of the most compelling and obvious reasons to watch the race is because it's the first of the new season.  We get a glimpse into the new teams, kits, and riders who will be fighting it out for each squad.  Australia didn't have many of the superstars on display, but there were several key riders who look like they are going to be great this year.  Rohan Dennis looked strong and very capable for BMC, hence the first overall place.  Dumoulin looked like he is going to be a star this year.  If he gets the team support for some of the big races, he could be a fantastic all around rider.  Of course, he may be overshadowed by the sprinter Marcel Kittel who may have usurped Cavendish as the world's fastest man ... and his hair is definitely superstar quality.  Impey, Pozzovivo, and Porte looked very competitive.  The best kit award goes to ... Team Cannondale - Garmin.  They looked sharp with the green argyle and POC accessories.

Ryder - looks fast.   Source: Cannondale - Garmin website

The TDU takes place in a great location with some decent climbs and some strong winds to test the riders.  It was a fast race which made for some exciting action, and a few scabs along the way.  The television coverage was fantastic, the background information about south Australia was really well done, and the geography makes me want to visit as soon as possible. 

The Saxo Team is going to be tough this year, and it's main rival will be the Sky Team.  There are so many strong riders on these two teams.  Movistar will be good too, but I won't predict too many big wins unless there is an upset in the major tour races this year as Quintana is a climbing machine. Cannondale Garmin will look good, but not to many wins this year.  Although I do have high hopes for Talansky and Martin, and Ryder is always my favorite for his laid back attitude and nationality reasons.

I want to head down under now more than ever!  Happy Australia Day!  

The Tour of Alberta 2014

It is a real treat to watch the pros ride by at 50 km/h or more.  I stood at the curb and felt the wind blow by as these pros fought through wind and rain and grim.  They climbed the hills of Edmonton with tons of ferocity and descended fearlessly.  

For those of you who have watched the pros on TV, you need to see them in person.  It is amazing to see how fast you can make a bike go with your tires only centimeters from the rider in front of you.  I have done this many times, but it still gives me a bit of sphincter lock.  It doesn't matter to these guys if it's going uphill at 30 km/h or downhill at 70 km/h.  On TV, it is great, especially with the commentary from Phil and Paul.  But in person, the energy is pretty incredible.  The determination in their faces to keep racing is beyond compare and the level of professionalism is inspiring.  It must take a huge amount of professionalism to ride through the crap conditions day after day, get up off the tarmac after a fall and catch back up to the peloton when you're bleeding everywhere, or even when you have to answer really dumb questions after you just came in 2nd place by 1 second.  

A few notes about this year's tour.  Dumoulin was awesome here in Alberta and should have won the tour title; his amazing performance was only exceeded by the way he handled winning the white jersey instead of the yellow jersey.  Also, hats off to Tim Johnson, not only is he a cycling star, but he has a bright future in TV broadcasting.  Great job on colour commentary!  Ryan Anderson, the Red Jersey winner for best Canadian, was amazing.  He looks like a future winner.  The dirt sections referred to as Canadian Pave are nothing more than an interesting twist to the terrain.  If it was truly dangerous, the pros would slow down ... just like they do if a descent in the mountains is slick.  The brave will prevail!

Climbing at the Tour Of Alberta

Overall, the Tour was a huge success from my viewpoint.  The stages were interesting and challenging - the pros can handle anything including "Canadian Pave." The field was talented with lots of young, up-and-coming riders and diverse teams.  The events were family and fan friendly.  

Belkin Procycling Team has a  new fan.

Not much could be improved.  If we can somehow manage to get a tour stage to traverse one or several of our mountains, that would be perfect.  I would suggest a few climbs in Jasper National Park (more on that soon).  We have some huge mountains here in Alberta ... we should include them.  I know the National Parks are always a touchy subject, but it would be awesome for a professional bike race and have very little impact on the Parks.  It might even attract some of the best climbers, increase the clout of the race, attract more teams, and bring bigger sponsors to make it an economic super success. 

I hope to see you next year Tour of Alberta!