“I’m by no means happier than once I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Pricey Readers – Our beloved colleague and good friend Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t count on Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed along with his future. Learn the total put up right here – and please take into account donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a choice of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get previous.
Extra ‘From the Boards to the Highway’: When Ed Hood listed the monitor riders who turned efficiently to the street, it brought about a landslide of suggestion of the riders Ed had missed. So, right here is a component 2 and much more ‘Trackies turned Roadies’.
Extra street males from the boards
I not too long ago penned a chunk about riders who had ‘transitioned’ from monitor to street, it was by no means meant to be a definitive checklist however went down nicely with a variety of of us; nonetheless I additionally acquired a variety of ‘pelters’ as we are saying in Scotland for these names which I didn’t embody. Nevertheless, a number of the strategies I acquired weren’t right, Robbie McEwen for instance got here from BMX reasonably than the velodrome and Sean Yates’ profession – while he did journey the monitor a bit later – was firmly rooted within the English time trial and street racing scene.
However with out additional delay let’s take a look at SOME of the riders I didn’t embody first time spherical.
Baldato – Class on a monitor or street bike
It was David Solari, a person who’s featured on our pages, who identified to me that his former group mate, Italian sprinter/classicer, Fabio Baldato – by the way, the one skilled bicycle owner ever to ‘get away’ with a beard – had his roots on the monitor. Baldato was within the Italian junior nationwide squad for the group pursuit which took Worlds silver in 1985 and bronze in 1986. He additionally took silver within the Worlds newbie factors race in 1989 earlier than embarking upon a street profession with nice success – profitable phases within the Giro, Vuelta and Tour; and coming near a Monument win on a minimum of 4 events with second place in Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders twice.
A younger ‘Cav’ the monitor rider
The primary outcome which will get a palmarès web site point out for Mark Cavendish – aka ‘Lazarus’ – is profitable the British Junior Kilometre Championship in 2003, he was additionally second within the junior dash and scratch. There was one other outcome that 12 months, in a race not too removed from the place I stay in Scotland, which was a portent of issues to come back because the recent confronted Manxman took a silver medal within the British Junior Highway Race Championship behind massive Matt Brammeier who went on to a superb professional profession, profitable the Irish nationwide street race championship 4 instances. Third in that race was a Welsh man known as Geraint Thomas. . .
And now the Tour inexperienced jersey and stage winner
‘Cav’ is ranked thirty ninth in Eric Bowen’s new e-book rating the highest 100 cyclists of the fashionable period – however that was on the finish of 2019 and there have been one other 4 Tour stage wins and a inexperienced jersey since then. The awarding of factors within the e-book is a tad convoluted however the identical for each rider so I suppose it’s truthful sufficient?
Bryan Coquard – London 2012 Olympics
Profitable French sprinter – however who’s but to land a very ‘massive one’ – Bryan Coquard began his profession with a bronze medal within the French novice’s factors race championship in 2007; inside two years he was World Junior Omnium Champion, a title he efficiently defended in 2010. Since then there have been a number of Nationwide, European and World titles throughout factors, omnium and madison disciplines. To not point out silver medals within the Worlds u23 street race and Olympic omnium in 2012. On the street his greatest success is the GC within the 4 Days of Dunkirk however he nonetheless longs for that Tour de France stage win.
Caleb Ewan preventing it out with Dylan Groenewegen within the 2019 Tour
Small however extraordinarily fast Aussie quick man, Caleb Ewan is one other who began profitable as a monitor rider and has by no means stopped since taking nationwide junior championships within the 2011 factors, madison and omnium – he went on the take the Worlds junior omnium that 12 months too. The nationwide junior criterium championship additionally went his approach that 12 months; in 2012 he gained the junior Het Nieuwsblad – and the remaining is historical past.
Rio 2016 – Fernando Gaviria
A person who launched himself to the larger biking public by beating the ‘Manx Missile’ not as soon as however twice in sprints at 2015 Tour de San Luis in Argentina; Fernando Gaviria was truly a extremely achieved flyer earlier than he spoiled Cav’s days. The Colombian was a double world champion in 2012 with wins within the junior omnium and madison. That very same 12 months that he beat Cav he took the senior Worlds omnium, efficiently defending the title in 2016. Since then he’s gained phases within the Giro and Tour however two brushes with the dreaded Covid appear to have dulled his edge a bit – let’s hope he can get again to his former place as one of many quickest and most enjoyable males round.
Greg Henderson – From monitor to WorldTour
Large Kiwi, Vuelta and Paris-Good stage winner, Greg Henderson began his profession as a ‘chrono man’/pursuiter efficiently combining street racing as much as the extent of profitable WorldTour phases with a extremely profitable profession on the boards together with a Commonwealth Video games factors title and Worlds scratch championship. And on the different finish of the size, from monitor races which take minutes, he additionally gained the epic six hours plus, ‘Philly’ Worldwide Championship in 2006.
Roger Kluge – Giro stage winner and ‘6 Day’ man
‘Large Rodge’ – Roger Kluge is one other man who has efficiently mixed monitor and street having began his profession as a medallist within the German junior dash and keirin championships in 2003. He’s now one of the vital revered lead out males within the enterprise and a Giro stage winner in his personal proper. However regardless of dragging that massive body of his over the Dolomites he can nonetheless win six days, a European Omnium title and has taken two world madison titles with Theo Reinhardt.
Stefan Küng – Trackie to Euro TT champ
After I interviewed Stefan Küng again in 2015 about his development from 2013 Worlds pursuit bronze to 2014 silver then 2015 gold I didn’t then realise he’d go on to be one of many world’s premier ‘chrono males’ and a Worlds street race medallist besides – within the freezing, torrential horror of Harrogate, 2019. A nationwide junior omnium and European junior madison champion in 2011 his development has been regular ever since to the place he’s now a double European particular person time trial champion and able to high six finishes in Classics.
Aussie street/trackman – Brad McGee
Nearly each profitable Aussie street man lately got here up via their monitor programme, Brad McGee is a shining instance; nationwide novice street race champion in 1991 inside two years he was world junior pursuit champion. The next 12 months, 1994 he defended his junior world pursuit title including the group occasion plus the Commonwealth particular person and group pursuit championships. He moved as much as senior group pursuit champion in 1995 with Olympic particular person and group pursuit bronze his in 1996. The Commonwealth Video games in ’98 noticed him efficiently defend his particular person and group championships. The brand new millennium noticed him take Olympic pursuit bronze with 2002 seeing a second world pursuit title and a 3rd Commonwealth pursuit title. Olympic group pursuit gold got here in 2004 to go together with particular person silver. On the street his velocity in prologues netted him the chief’s jersey in le Tour and Giro – he made it a ‘full home’ of Grand Tour jerseys when he lead the Vuelta for 4 days in 2005; he did not win the Stage One time trial in Granada however second place on Stage Two accomplished his wardrobe.
Stuart O’Grady – Olympic champ, Roubaix and Grand Tour stage winner
One other legend of Australian Biking follows, ‘Stuey’ O’Grady; his journey to the highest started in 1990 within the unlikely environment of the previous heavy trade city of Middlesbrough within the North West of England the place he was within the Australian group which took bronze within the group pursuit. He repeated that achievement the next 12 months and was introduced into the senior group pursuit squad which additionally took bronze that 12 months. Olympic group pursuit silver adopted in ’92 earlier than the Aussie group claimed the rainbow jerseys in ’93. The Commonwealth Video games in ’94 noticed double gold – scratch and group pursuit with ’95 seeing the Aussies again on the high of the world group pursuit tree after bronze in ’94. The Olympic Video games in ’96 produced two bronze medals – group pursuit and factors with ’97 his first look within the Tour de France. Again on the Tour in ’98 he gained a stage and wore yellow for a spell. He additionally took the GC on the Tour of Britain that 12 months with the Tour Down Beneath going his approach in ’99 and once more in ’01. The 2001 season noticed him take pleasure in his second spell within the maillot jaune and be a part of an impressive Credite Agricole Tour TTT victory. The Commonwealth Video games in 2002 noticed him lead an Aussie whitewash within the street race from Cadel Evans and Baden Cooke. A 12 months later he was Australian Highway Race Champion with 2004 gifting him his second Tour de France particular person stage win and the Olympic madison crown with Graham Brown. A busy street schedule which produced many podiums – together with Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders – reached a peak in 2007 with victory in Paris-Roubaix. In 2008 he gained the Herald Solar Tour in his native Australia. His ultimate three main outcomes all got here in group time trials, profitable the Vuelta TTT with Leopard in 2011 then the Tirreno TTT in 2012 and Tour de France TTT in 2013 each with Orica.
Mark Renshaw – Monitor World champ to lead-out man
We’re at risk of ‘Aussie Overwhelm’ right here however will give extremely honourable mentions to Mark Renshaw who kicked off his profession as a junior world group dash champion in 1999 and went on to grow to be one of the best lead-out man of his era.
Michael Rogers – Monitor and TT champion
And Michael Rogers who morphed from World Junior Factors and Group Pursuit Champion in 1997 to triple World Elite Time Trial Champion and double Giro stage winner – maybe fuller appreciations of those two will comply with if demand dictates there’s a ‘Half Three?’
Worlds’81: Steele Bishop, Danny Clark and Guiseppe Saronni
Rex Gilmore is only one of our PEZ readers who jogged my memory that 24 instances stage and twice Giro GC winner – and rated twentieth best-ever rider in aforementioned Bowen e-book – ‘Bepe’ Saronni began off on the boards. He was twice Italian Junior Dash Champion in ’75 and ’74 when he was additionally second within the ‘European’ [read ‘World’] junior dash championship to ‘Gibby’ Hatton of the USA with future kilometre legend, Lothar Thoms third. While Hatton went on to a Worlds senior bronze within the keirin behind one other two monitor legends, Urs Freuler and Danny Clark in 1983 and a profitable spell on the Japanese keirin circuit in addition to teaching world and Olympic champion, Marty Nothstein, Saronni grew to become a street all-time nice. In addition to his Giro success there have been two Tirreno-Adriatico victories, the Excursions of Romandie and Switzerland, a world title, Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Lombardy along with his complete successes topping 200.
Tom Simpson was a high monitor man
The subsequent identify I do deserve these ‘pelters’ for, omitting my very own hero, the late, nice, Tom Simpson, 3 times a Monument winner – Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders and Tour of Lombardy; Bordeaux-Paris winner, now late lamented however an enormous race within the 60’s; Tour de France maillot jaune and World Champion. The Englishman began out as a typical ‘clubman’ driving time trials, street races hill climbs and the monitor. He took silver within the 1956 British 4,000 metres pursuit championships to strongman, Mike Gambrill. That very same 12 months he took a uncommon in these days British Olympic medal within the group pursuit. In 1958, coached by Empire [now Commonwealth] Video games gold and Worlds silver medallist pursuiter, the late Cyril Cartwright, Simpson sensationally beat double world champion the late Norman Sheil to the British pursuit title. Sheil gained his revenge nonetheless within the Commonwealth Video games that 12 months with Simpson taking silver. By 1959 Simpson was in Brittany, turned professional, rode to a surprising Worlds debut with fourth place behind Andre Darrigade in a 7 hour 30 minute epic at Zandvoort and was on his strategy to being one of many most interesting roadmen of his era.
Geraint Thomas got here via the GB monitor system
We talked about Tour de France winner, Geraint Thomas earlier and sure, he too began on his journey to the highest on the monitor, with Maindy Flyers Biking Membership on the massive 460 metre Maindy Stadium bowl in Cardiff, at ten years of age. In addition to the British junior street race championship bronze he gained in 2003 there have been 4 podiums in British junior monitor championships that 12 months – kilometre, factors, pursuit and scratch. A 12 months later he was Junior World Scratch Champion and gained the junior Paris-Roubaix, the senior model of which some say he may have gained had his profession path been completely different. By 2007 he was within the GB group pursuit squad which gained the Worlds and rode his first Tour de France to construct that each one necessary ‘core’ for the Olympic group pursuit in 2008. In 2008 GB defended their Worlds group pursuit crown, Thomas ‘bought spherical’ the Giro – extra core – and was within the gold medal profitable GB group pursuit squad on the ’08 Olympics. Till his sole deal with the street after 2012 when GB once more gained the Worlds and Olympics group pursuit with Thomas aboard he was one of many quickest on this planet over 4 kilometres, setting a world report – however now pedestrian – 4:15 for the space in 2009. Aside from his beautiful 2018 Tour de France win his palmarès embody the British Elite Time Trial and Highway Race Championships, the Commonwealth Video games street race, the Excursions of Bavaria, The Algarve, Romandie and The Alps, Paris-Good, the Dauphine and the GP E3.
Elia Viviani Olympic champion
It was on the 2010 Grenoble Six Day I first noticed Elia Viviani in motion, he regarded tremendous cool and was clocking laps only a smidge slower than the massive hitter French specialist sprinters of the day. His velocity ought to have come as no shock although, he was already a Nationwide and European monitor champion at junior and u23 degree. And his prolific checklist of street wins was nicely beneath approach with each the Memorials Pantani and Vandenbroucke going his approach the 12 months I noticed him on the Grenoble boards. He’s now on 100 plus wins, together with phases within the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, a former Italian Highway Race Champion, former Olympic Omnium Champion and reigning World Elimination Race Champion. Going to Cofidis wasn’t his greatest transfer; however will Ineos give him the assist he wants?
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