Tour De France 2012-Half Time Report

Posted on July 12, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

Just over half way through this years tour and these are the winners and losers so far as i see it:

Winners

Team Sky, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Cadel Evans (for being a terrier that wont let go of Brads leg), Vincenzo Nibali

Losers

Garmin Sharp, Frank Schleck, the cynics of the press pack, Ryder thingy, Marcel Kittel

Stuck in the Land of Confusion

Mark Cavendish

On the subject of Cav and, as i said when he signed for Sky, where does he fit in? In an Olympic year he is probably comfortable with lesser ambition in the Tour but ff to next year and will he be happy to ride for Sky if they arent riding for him? I sense a split in the Coalition

Anyway back to this years Tour and Sky look set for the win. Even if Brad falls off Froomey will still be there and the way that the latter is riding i wouldnt be surprised if he fled the Skyforce for pastures new next season to escape Brads lanky shadow. You heard it here first!

Chapeau Brad (whatever that means!)

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RussWatch at the Nationals

Posted on June 26, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

Russ road the Nationals, came 24th and looked knackered!!

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A Day At the Races

Posted on June 26, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

Heres my take on Sundays Nationals.

Endura made a bollox of it!!

Alright Endura are not in the same league as Sky but they are good, in fact at their level they are the current best in Europe, which makes it frustrating that when Sky and even Raleigh got players in the break Endura were nowhere to be seen. An end game with say Stannard against Tiernan-Locke would have been cracking to witness. Instead Endura spent a lap or two trying to haul in a seven minute break before they imploded and had to back off. They must be ruing this even now as they genuinely do have a depth of talent to be challenging for this title. I hope they do a better job at the Tour of Britain in September. In fact I will stick my neck out and predict that they will get more than their share of success when that race comes to town.

Congrats to Ian Stannard. A proper hardman and a natural successor to Sean Yates in my eyes. He bossed the race with Alex Dowsett at his side and i look forward to seeing this guy at the head of the bunch with the jersey on.

The ladies race was more or less predictable perhaps except the winner – Sharon Laws. The AA Drinks girls left Nicole Cooke for dead from the word go and Laws was a worthy winner. How good is Sarah Storey by the way. Without being patronising heres a Paralympian mixing it at the top level. Inspirational!

Looking forward to Tiernan-Lockes victory next year. You read it here first

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New Look

Posted on June 26, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

My favourite* daughter has deemed the previous incarnation of my blog to be old fashioned and out of touch. I now have a new theme. I’m just getting the daughter bit in so we know who’s to blame if its deemed crap.

* only!

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Nationals Lottery (It Could be You)

Posted on June 23, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

I will be at the National Road Race Champs tomorrow in North Yorkshire and it promises to be the most open race for a couple of years. Sky riders Brad, G and Cav are absent as they labour under the illusion that the Tour de France and the Olympics are more important. This leaves the way open not only for Skys Stannard and Swift but also the likes of Tiernan-Locke and Downing (Russ) of Endura and Kristian House of Rapha Condor Sharp.

Personally i will be rooting for Tiernan-Locke and Stannard although the supremely talented Scott Thwaites may just spring a surprise.

In the ladies race Nicole Cooke is likely to get worked over by the AA Drinks girls which is always good to see (sorry Nicole but you will never get a mention in “How to Win Friends and Influence People”). Favourite is the lovely Lizzie Armitstead. Emma Pooley will run her close.

Report to follow early next week with hopefully a few decent pics

 

 

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Where Does He Come Froome??

Posted on June 5, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

A trivia question for you. Where were the following great British cyclists born?

David Millar

Bradley Wiggins

Jeremy Hunt

Charly Wegelius

answers: Malta, Belgium,Canada and Finland

Chris Froome was born in Nairobi. He is in fact Kenyan but riding on a GB license due to his father and grandparents coming from here.

Dan Martin is an Irishman born and bred in Birmingham with a Brummie accent.

This just gets confusing especially when Froome is referred to as “Kenyan born Brit” but Martin as “Irishman”.

Now if everyone was repatriated to the country of their birth we would lose some great talent and gain Dan Martin, another great talent, and some minor defectors riding mainly for Ireland.

I started this post as a rant but on reflection i think we have got the better deal.

Thanks to Kenya we could have our first Grand Tour winner

 

 

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RussWatch

Posted on May 20, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

I know, i may be banging on about Russ Downing again but i think its time i did a series on the Rotherham Rocket (have i just invented a nickname for him?).

Introducing RussWatch. In this series we will be following the Sky reject to see how he is shaping up without having that sexy bus to go back to after each race. Last week he won the Lincoln GP, this week a stage in the Tour of Norway. Tenner says he will win the Nationals.

 

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Russ Shows His Class

Posted on May 17, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

I went over to the Lincoln Grand Prix Sunday last and as usual it didn’t disappoint. It is a testing circuit with the notorious climb of Michaelgate being hit no less than 13 times. The crowds were huge possibly helped by the weather and the racing was all out right from the off.

I went to the start this year which proved a good stomping ground for photos and then made my way into the city to witness a great day of action.

Russ Downing showed his class and i wont go into my usual ramblings about why he should be on a bigger stage. He may well be soon by default anyway the way his  Endura team are performing this season. They are winning everything in sight.

Kristian House and Marcin Bialoblocki made up the podium with Russ. Witness the photos i have taken which, without a press pass required a bit of guile and a bit of barefaced cheek.

Any way next stop is the Nationals next month. Bet i will struggle to get a ring side seat at the podium there!

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What Did I Tell You!!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

Well, I did my stint at the International Cicle Classic this weekend in rainy Rutland and it was just about everything you could want from a bike race; great course, good strong line up and the most atrocious weather i have ever witnessed a race in (since the TOB in Dumfries last year anyway).

The racing was hard and brutal and amounted to a war of attrition between the strong men until the best perm in the peloton, belonging to Alexandre Blain,

cleared off  on his own to win.

Personally i was having a blast. Pink bib and access all areas pass wading around muddy fields and parking in farmyards it just doesnt get any better. The only concern was in keeping my kit dry and my lenses rain free. But hey this was just part of the challenge of the day.

This race is awesome and that there rain just doubled the awesominity (mm!) of it all.

Sorry riders if you didnt enjoy it. Whats it got to do with you anyway?

 

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Living the Dream!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by chrismeadsphoto

A race I have previously waxed lyrically about is the Rutland-Melton International Cicle Classic. This is the UKs only UCI ranked one day event and as such attracts a high quality field and great media interest. What makes it more important this year on a personal level is that i have been granted a press pass so i can poke around the events nether regions to my hearts content. If i get my timing right i will also be responsible for the finish line shots for the Melton Times (thanks Chris Harby for the gig). I am not sure what the weather has in store yet, last year was dry and dusty, but i do know that rain or shine the photo opps will be awesome. Report to follow with no doubt some great shoots to boot.

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