cycling and other stories
These days, a key part of preparation is to recce climbs and other potentially important stretches of road. Sometimes on Google maps, but often, and more likely for the big budget teams, in person. It’s a very labour intensive way of securing a small advantage for your riders.
Interestingly, the route profile was designed to perfectly resemble the up and down waves of Bernard Hinault’s furrowed Breton brow, as he contemplates his next public utterance on the Chris Froome/Team Sky/Salbutamol situation.
Like an addict, given a hit, real life melts away to be replaced by granular graphs of Tom Dumoulin’s speed data, rider profiles in the form of radar charts, and final kilometre sprint heat-maps. It makes Strava seem like mere gateway data.
It’s late June, which means that if you are a pro cycling fan your brain will be awash with TourContinue Reading
ragtime cyclist