|
A Day in the Life | Sweet Delight
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 19-12-2013 08:23
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
Dippofix - It is rather scary 
Shonak - I don't think his sister looks enough like him to take his place 
The Hobbit - Thanks a lot, great you like it 
baia - Maybe he can just take a different turn in the race and go in the other direction instead of Camembert 
sutty68 - Thanks!
I will try to give you daily updates until my next internship (which is end of January - February). Every day will be tough but I'll try |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:15
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
Spoiler Imageshack is giving me trouble, can't upload my pictures right now... So I'll do the report without pictures, hope that's okay.
Hi!
Big day, for two reasons. You know why.
So I had a plan.
First I'd be ready in Paris to start the race to Camembert. My form and the strong field wouldn't allow me to race for the podium, I thought, so I wouldn't be held up at a podium ceremony.
The race would be over at around 5 o' clock, I guessed. That gave me just enough time to get showered, get dressed, go get something to eat in Camembert (something with cheese, probably), get in my car (which my sister will be driving from Paris to Camembert!) and go South. I could meet the girl in the red dress at 8 o' clock at the Place Clemenceau.
It was a 2 hour drive, so if I could leave at 6 o' clock, all would be fine!
Sounded like a good plan.
So my sister needed to drive me to Paris. In the car, I already wrote down the following section on Boonen.
Tom Boonen just wrote a unique piece of history. Just like last year, and just like Rik Van Looy before, he took Gent - Wevelgem, Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris - Roubaix. Thanks to these victories, he is sole record holder in all three of those races!
 Paris - Camembert
With my current legs and my lack of racing lately, I'm hoping for a top 10 here. I was ready to start, when suddenly...
"Slight change of plan, Henry. Warren will be leading the race today, we need you in the breakaway."
"No, wait, I can't, you told me I'd --"
"No discussion. You better be in that break today. Warren's done so much for you already, time to do something back."
I'd love to give back to Warren. Anything, anyday, just not today...
"But, pl --"
"No, Henry. Start at the front, go into the break."
The Race I obeyed. Of course I obeyed, they were right. Warren has done so much for me already, I needed to do this for him.
I fled from the peloton quite easily and formed a three-man break. Maybe if we could stay away long enough, I'll come in on time! We were off to a long day, though. Three man for 200 kilometers.
50 kilometers to go. The peloton was nearing. This was way too fast!
I got caught by the peloton. I tried hanging on but it just wasn't possible. I saw them riding away. The team car drove by.
"What time is it?"
"4 o' clock."
Already 4? Damn, I wouldn't come in for at least another hour and a quarter.
I started riding harder than ever. My legs were screaming out, but I had to make that date.
45 kilometers left to go. I saw the team car pulled up alongside the road. Maybe someone had a flat tire. I looked while driving by and saw nobody, an empty car. What the hell?
42 kilometers left to go, I saw the peloton. Why was I getting closer to the peloton again, that can't be right? Wait a minute, there's been a crash. Many riders are laying down on the ground. I see Warren, too!
"Henry, quick, give me your bike!"
"What?"
"Mine's broken, team car's not here, quick, come on!"
I saw him ride away with the help of a few team mates. Oh, damn. When the hell was the team car coming?
Twelve minutes later, the team car pulled up.
"We had a problem with the engine and had to go find help, what happened?"
I told them everything.
"Get in."
I accepted reluctantly. No use in finishing the race now, especially since it started to rain.
A quarter past 5, the race is over. Warren managed a 10th place.
Result | 1 | Thor Hushovd | BMC Racing Team | 4h40'00 | | 2 | Maxime Vantomme | Crelan - Euphony | + 52 | | 3 | Matti Breschel | Team Saxo - Tinkoff | s.t. | | 4 | Lou Smeets | Lotto Belisol | s.t. | | 5 | Arthur Vichot | FDJ.fr | s.t. | | 6 | Manuel Quinziato | BMC Racing Team | s.t. | | 7 | Pavel Brutt | Katusha Team | s.t. | | 8 | Marcos GarcÃa | Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | s.t. | | 9 | Javier Moreno | Movistar Team | s.t. | | 10 | Warren Barguil | Citigroup Pro Cycling | s.t. |
Analysis & Daily Thoughts Okay. I quickly took a shower in the team bus, got dressed, too. I was already late, so I decided tp skip dinner in town and just eat something in the car, no biggy.
So I got out of the bus and said "bye" to the team.
I turned the corner and entered the street where I was meeting my sister with the car.
- Heh?
The street was completely deserted.
"Where the hell is my sister and where the hell is the car?"
I looked at my watch: 17:56
Oh no... |
| |
|
|
| Dippofix |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:20
|
Classics Specialist
Posts: 3904
Joined: 29-01-2013
PCM$: 300.00
|
Oh shit, what an awful day for henry. 
|
| |
|
|
| The Rider |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:23
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4543
Joined: 29-02-2012
PCM$: 200.00
|
Henry is going to miss out on the.....  Hamburger love!!!
A decent result for the team there.
Also, why use imageshack when you can use Photobucket? For me Photobucket only has errors 2% of the time (if that) and I hardly ever have problems with them . |
| |
|
|
| The Hobbit |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:24
|
Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2730
Joined: 18-08-2013
PCM$: 200.00
|
Maybe for him Photobucket is like for me, as in upload fails for 70% of photos. I just prefer it, everyone to their own I guess |
| |
|
|
| Shonak |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:35
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
|
Stressful day but everything's still okay. Go get her, Tiger!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
|
| |
|
|
| sutty68 |
Posted on 19-12-2013 17:51
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
|
Warren got the tenth place thanks to Henry's nice gesture of giving him his bike, i hope he thanked him at the end |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 19-12-2013 20:31
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
Dippofix - Not the best day indeed
The Rider - I stopped using Photobucket after hey changed some things that made it much harder to use it for me. Imageschack is pretty good and hasn't failed me much before. 
The Hobbit - Very true. Photobucket gave me more errors than Imageschack.
Shonak - A cyclist must learn to deal with stress, right?
sutty68 - I'm sure he did. It's good that they're good friends, might help them in the future
Thanks for the growing support, everyone! |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 19-12-2013 20:31
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
The Night of the Camembert - Part I It wasn't until 3 am that I came home. I had lost my keys earlier that week so I rang the door bell. There was no answer.
I rang again. Phew, my sister opened the door three minutes later.
"Where the hell were you?"
The next race for me was Giro del Trentino, a 5 day stage race in Italy. It looks like a great opportunity for me. There are two mountain stages where I can really do something, I think!
 Giro del Trentino - Stage 1
The Race Could this be the comeback of Andy Schleck? His team had the utmost confidence in him today, that's for sure.
Tactics didn't come into the picture today. Only one hill, close to the finish. It was to be expected attacks would follow.
I would be lying if I said I was badly placed, or had an off-day, or was not concentrated. No, I was just not good enough. Really struggling to hang on, I was at the very end of the thinned out peloton at the top of the hill.
But the pace never dropped, and I lacked the energy. As soon as I lost touch and got the wind in my face, I fell behind quickly...
Slagter competing for the victory was all happening minutes before I arrived. Bye bye general classification...
No, not good enough.
Giro del Trentino - Stage 2
Nothing to be said. We finished 8th as a team and I'm now 2 minutes behind the leader of the classification.
Analysis & Daily Thoughts A month after my triumph at the Critérium International, I'm left disillusioned here in Italy. I'm still very far from achieveing my dream of becoming a strong stage racer. For a climber it isn't easy, but if I can't even catch up on a hill...
It's time to refocus, and work harder than ever... |
| |
|
|
| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-11-2024 00:37
|
Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
|
|
| IP: None |
|
|
| Shonak |
Posted on 19-12-2013 21:27
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
|
Man, hoped your sister would just pop up from around the corner. Cross my finger that another chance will come sooner or later.
Keep at it, Henry, at the Giro del Trentino. It's not always easy but races like this learn you to bite and keep pushing. One can not always be the champ, unfortunately. There's still one more stage and either if you are good enough or not, this is never a reason to not attack or try something.
Edited by Shonak on 19-12-2013 21:27
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
|
| |
|
|
| welker3257 |
Posted on 19-12-2013 21:45
|
Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2336
Joined: 29-05-2013
PCM$: 200.00
|
He needs to get his own car keys and house keys
Gig 'em Aggies
Fast N' Loud Cycling Project - ICL
|
| |
|
|
| Dippofix |
Posted on 19-12-2013 21:52
|
Classics Specialist
Posts: 3904
Joined: 29-01-2013
PCM$: 300.00
|
Hmm, still a lot to be improved for Henry, but it gives him more freedom to attack, which i hope he can use.
|
| |
|
|
| Atlantius |
Posted on 19-12-2013 22:06
|
Team Leader
Posts: 6795
Joined: 21-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
|
Some rough days for you lately, but it's all part of learning I suppose...
|
| |
|
|
| baia |
Posted on 19-12-2013 23:08
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 5398
Joined: 04-10-2007
PCM$: 200.00
|
Damn.. how much bad luck will strike Travis?.. no matter what happens, just don´t quit... either from the race or from Michelle..
Really enjoyed the read.. keep it up.
|
| |
|
|
| admirschleck |
Posted on 19-12-2013 23:20
|
Team Leader
Posts: 6690
Joined: 11-10-2010
PCM$: 200.00
|
baia wrote:
Damn.. how much bad luck will strike Travis?.. no matter what happens, just don´t quit... either from the race or from Michelle..
Really enjoyed the read.. keep it up.
 ? |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 20-12-2013 07:29
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
Shonak - In Giro del Trentino there are 3 stages left, luckily 2 mountains stages and a hilly one. So let's hope to make something of it yet. You are right that this is not a reason not to attack
welker3257 - I think so, too
Dippofix - Now there's a plan!
Atlantius - At least it's learning him how to cope with losing...
baia - Travis? What the hell Nah, he won't quite the race. At the worst he can still give Warren a hand! Glad you enjoyed reading it!
admirschleck - Exactly |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 20-12-2013 12:53
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
The Night of the Camembert - Part II "Where was I? Where the hell were you?" We've never had a fight at this hour, but the both of us had no plans of backing down. My sister, the big brains of the family, thought she was meeting me back home.
"How could I meet you at home when you have my car?"
She saw her mistake and laughs. Yeah, funny stuff.
"So what happened?" She asked of me. "It's the middle of the night, why are you home so late?"
"Well," I answered, "I had to find another way to get to Place Clemenceau..."
Amstel Gold Race & Flèche Wallonne
I'll give you the results of the two WT races leading up to La Doyenne quickly:
Amstel Gold Race
1. Iglinsky
2. Valverde
3. Rodriguez
Flèche Wallonne
1. Sagan
2. Quintana
3. Evans
Giro del Trentino - Stage 3
The Race The peloton opted for a casual speed today. There was a solo break from our very own Carpenter.
And then something remarkable happened. Many had decided his career was over, nobody expected him at any level. But after an absence from the sport for almost a year, Andy Schleck returns, with maybe his strongest legs ever?
I saw a group ride away and I wasn't able to follow. I took it pretty hard and I wanted to give up right there, right then. But then, John-Lee rode up to me and told me something. It's personal, but it was very inspiring.
And then I knew, what the hell was I doing? I changed gears and started to fight back!
I came closer to the breakaway group and Slagter, the race leader, was having troubles holding my wheel!
Andy Schleck is back! Write that down now. It wouldn't surprise me to see him on the podium of a Grand Tour this year. It might be early to tell, but you didn't see the way he raced up that mountain. It was more than impressive and the best climbing I've ever seen.
In fact, it is the level of climbing I once hope to achieve.
After a great final 3 kilometer, I nearly catch up with the chasing group. I cross the line 8th!
Crossing the line, I felt strong. I had been quite low during the race and the past few days, but fighting back with every fibre in my body had done me good. I was growing stronger now!
Result
Analysis & Daily Thoughts The peloton really had a hard time on the mountain, and by some miracle I get into the top 10! During the next two stages, I want to improve my standings and perform better than ever!
Edited by Ian Butler on 20-12-2013 13:41
|
| |
|
|
| krisa |
Posted on 20-12-2013 13:07
|
Classics Specialist
Posts: 3962
Joined: 12-04-2011
PCM$: 200.00
|
Carpenter: what a ride!!!
Vergnaud: very well done |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 20-12-2013 14:06
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
krisa - Thanks! Carpenter sure put in a great race today |
| |
|
|
| Ian Butler |
Posted on 20-12-2013 14:06
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 21854
Joined: 01-05-2012
PCM$: 400.00
|
Sorry, post to get the next report on the next page
Edited by Ian Butler on 20-12-2013 14:07
|
| |
|
