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colorado calling danny boy. come in...

the fine fellows that form the rapha condor jlt cycling team are currently in colorado usa for this week's usa pro tour challenge, competing against world tour teams such as garmin sharp, bmc, cannondale, tinkoff saxo and all the other usual suspects. it's their opportunity to show what strength and depth a uk domestic team can offer against the top tier of the sport.

senior partner at sponsors jlt and former president of the rapha condor club (sadly ending with the withdrawal of title sponsor rapha at the end of this season), charlie pearch, is spending the week as an integral part of the team. he kindly offered to send notes from the inside, when time and opportunity permit. his first missive from abroad arrived today, so there is surely no more apposite time to air his views of the team's adventures across the pond.

hopefully there will be more as the week progresses.

"34,000 feet at 894 kph approaching Denver which is 90 minutes away and Caravan of Love is in my head. The Isley Bros words "Are you ready..." and "from the highest mountain..." resonate. My heart skips; I am alive, excited. IÕve followed my football team all over Europe, Milan, Rome, Porto, Bremmen, Stuttgart, Paris, Munich (ah what a night that was), Istanbul, but never have I done anything quite like this. A week, a ten hour flight and a small fortune to get here, just to follow a small British cycling team that realistically has little chance of doing anything. In football parlance it's Crewe Alexandra vs Manchester United. So now the Isley's sing "Stand up, Stand up..." words resonate deeper. "Are you ready, are you ready". The music stirs up hope. One never knows, maybe one of the youngsters will take a liking to a blue jersey.

"I'm wondering if John would like what's coursing my head right now? He's a music aficionado, but I am not sure about the Isley Brothers. Herety's an amazing man, so loved by all those that have ever ridden for him. Ok maybe there's an odd exception, but take the likes of an old King of Scotland, Jimmy McCallum, who told me two days ago of his respect and love of John, and that he was even planning on leading out our sprinter at the Nocturne. That says a lot. John Herety is British Cycling through and through, one of those northern diamonds. A man who tells it straight; he's the best. Ok, he's demanding, but he cares. He's a perfectionist, he's focused, but ultimately he's just bloody good and I can't wait to see him tomorrow.

"The thing is I know with 100% certainty that every British DS will be tuning into Colorado, and will be a tad jealous of our wildcard entry. And I am certain that they, deep down, will be rooting for the Men in Black, who this week will actually be representing British Cycling over here.

"So as we start our descent into the city that is a mile high, I figure that this will not be a long descent! The first officer just told us it's 31 degrees (88F) and thatÕs at 6pm. The race, which starts on Monday, is at altitudes considerably higher. Imagine, just imagine what the lads will be thinking when they sit on their top tubes at the start of the race on Monday."

sunday 17 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy, part two...

The race starts proper at 21:10 UK time. There is apprehension in the camp; the first day is always hard and our youngsters are up against some world tour riders and others that have just come off the back of the Utah race. Today it's three 33 km loops from Aspen back to Aspen. They are rather hoping that a break goes on the first loop, on the climb to Snowmass to calm things down a bit. I have a feeling that they won't get their wish.

What the guys are fearful of is whether they have acclimatised. The first four days were horrible: nosebleeds, headaches, and as Kristian says it's like breathing through a straw. They all feel better now, but you never know until that first climb. All just want to survive and get through today. Right now, post breakfast, they all sit on phones trying to kill time and not think about what lies ahead. If they did, Elliot tells me that they will over-analyse and that's not good for the head. So much is in the head. It will be a grim three hours.

I learned that a chain consumes 9 watts of power. Kristian has one that consumes 5. He sends his chains back here to a specialist who coats them in a special wax. When applied, it looks like the chain came out of the freezer. They all are on 25mm tubs, and are all riding 11-27 cassettes. The young New Zealander though, has a 52/36 chainring set. All will be on Bora wheelsets with rim depths that will vary depending on taste.

Going into breakfast, I held the door open for a United Healthcare rider. He looked at my black RCJ t-shirt in disdain. No smile and no thank you.

One thing I will say about the Americans, they sure do things properly. Fabulous organisation and we have a superb fleet of vehicles at our disposal. Everything is running like clockwork and the organisers are all very pleasant and friendly. One guy came by the truck yesterday and implored us to make sure that we did not leave rubbish outside the van. There are bears around here and we were advised that they will rip open anything. RCJ is now waste management compliant!

So it's a beautiful day here; the sun is out and it's a fresh morning. We just need to pray that we can survive the day.

monday 18 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy, part three...

I saw Elliot, Rich, Hugh, and Mike come back to the team cars, all looked as though they had just come off the western front. None of them spoke. They were ashen. Their black overworn, ageing kit now nearly see-through and with holes, was adorned with white streaks of sweat. Snot mixed with dried sweat ran down their faces. In a word, they looked awful.

Word reached us that Magus B - who I have much respect for - was talking up Graham's chances of winning the sprint. Sadly I watched Graham at first hand start to go backwards on the first climb. Once the elastic broke he fell back into the team cars. When we passed him, his shirt was open, his chain around his neck was swaying back and forth and his sweat-ridden face told us immediately that he would not survive. Not long after, Tom fell back the same way, and he would go back to join Graham. Frantic words ensued between the two Directeurs Sportifs, Tom asking John for guidance, when they could get reception on dodgy radios. Tom was told to stick with them.

A breakaway went early and seemed to be holding about a 90 second lead, with Cannondale on the front driving the peleton, keeping them in check. In the meantime all we cared about was the safety of our lads, becoming worried when we saw some falling back through the peleton. We knew they were suffering. They couldn't breathe It's that simple.

On the last lap on the run-in, the crackling voice over the radio said that rider 31 had made a break. It had to be Herr Voigt and sure enough he helped to explode the peleton. We passed our boys on the last climb; they would all survive the day, Tom just made the cut nearly twelve minutes adrift. Sadly, Graham did not, and he is now looking to try to get an earlier flight home.

This sport is so hard.

tuesday 19 august 2014

colorado calling Danny boy, part four...

The mood over breakfast was quiet. Kristian and Brigga were down early. Graham Briggs is a hugely respected and loved member of the team; what happened yesterday hurts. The show goes on, and as it does I reflect on the behind the scenes part of this team.

The soigneurs run around like flies for the riders' every demand. There's a hierarchy of course; they will all die for Kristian, but like life, the young new riders need to earn the respect of those that go back and forth for you. These guys are up early and late to bed. Without them, the team would simply not function.

So The good people of Aspen got a taste of Johns driving skills early on. He was at the back when the radio crackled, 'Rapha to the front.' He's an amazingly skilled driver, fast and furious and somehow manages to squeeze a six foot wide car through a five foot gap. A JLT client sitting in the front seat visibly went white. Hugh had punctured in the neutral zone.

Once fixed, off they charged down the valley away from Aspen. The pace was fast, but controlled. Here's one to watch for and yet another sign of the resurgence of French Cycling perhaps. A 22 year old kid on the Bissel Development Team by the name of Clement Chevrier grabbed the Blue jersey on day one. Today following a comfort break, he quickly got back in the cars which were doing 70 miles an hour off McClure summit. This kid sat on the car in front of John a mere couple of inches from its rear bumper. The exuberance of youth. Clement has confidence, and remains in the blue jersey.

So as the boys turned left up towards Kebler Pass, which is at 3,000 meters (I know because I was standing there), the heavens opened. When that happens in America it's just bigger: deep dark sky and lightning bolts, hail bouncing off my helmet as we waited. Down below they were on a hard packed dirt road, which is actually easy to ride on in the dry. A minute ahead of the bunch another 22 year old on the Hincapie Development Team was making a name for himself. Robin Carpenter clad in grey, appeared out of the tarmac and was over the KOM and never caught. Behind him in a small bunch sat Rich Handley. He didn't hear me shouting at him high up on the bank. Hugh was not far behind.

Dan Whitehouse was the last rider over Kebler, and I have to admit shame when standing there in full team kit, surrounded by generous Americans trying to keep me warm. I didn't enjoy the chants of 'cheat, cheat as Dan hung onto the car mirror. Three minutes later Dan was in the ambulance suffering from the cold. No sympathies here my friend. Sorry!

After the Voiture Balai had passed, I took off after the convoy, working through the cars myself. Yes it was cold, horrible in fact, but surely you just work harder? On the descent there is a second section of dirt, now turned into a slippery light brown gloopy substance which got everywhere. On the descent it was tricky, made for Nibali, but the commissaires in their wisdom had stopped the race: on the tarmac at the end of the dirt section, on account of safety! This allowed others to join the lead group, a rather chaotic scene. But then they let Robin go with a 45 second lead which was just enough. George Hincapie was buying champagne in the bar at The Lodge last night.

Deserved.

So Rich is 3.25 back on GC, and Hugh, 5.21 adrift, moves up to 7th in the blue jersey category, 4.52 behind the young Frenchman. The mood is good and we are hopeful that things will improve from here. It's now grey here and has been raining overnight. Today is an exceptionally beautiful stage over Monarch Pass (11,327 feet) and then onto a mountain finish at Monarch Mountain. After this stage the team will know what lies ahead and what they can realistically aim for.

I met Barry Huckstep, Crested Butte's young mayor last night. He was so grateful that we came all this way. He was welcoming and genuine, with a warm handshake. I felt mighty proud to be British. This is truly a great spot.

wednesday 20 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy, part five...

Hugh Carthy! What a ride. The facts: Hugh crossed the line 12 minutes and 58 seconds behind stage winner and new race leader Tejay Vangarderen. This is Tejay's manor, this is his country and he's a World Tour rider. Hugh is 20 years old and just earned his spurs on the Continental Divide. I saw it with my own eyes, watching him descend from 11,312 feet crouched low like he was a plane coming into land and I saw him cross the line. And despite a shattered look, managed a broad smile when he saw me by the barrier. I'm dead proud.

To put Hugh's effort into perspective, he finished just a minute behind Jensie; yes folks, THE Jens Voigt! And now he moves up from 7th to 4th in the young rider classification.

The young French star, Clement Chevrier remains in the Blue jersey and appears to have an unassailable lead. I spent some time with him this morning over breakfast, and if he progresses, I think you are going to like him. Hats off to the Bissell Development Team as they hold the top three places in this competition. Hugh now has his work cut out to displace one of them on the podium.

Today's (Wednesday) stage was all about a mountain, a darned big mountain which is climbed twice, once from each side. The road, CO 50 is a wide three lane road with perfect grey tarmac and it's relatively straight so must make for a wonderful descent. But both climbs are loooong and without wishing to be a total bore on the subject, 11,312 feet in real money is 3,500 metres. Up here oxygen levels are reduced by 33%.

All six riders made it back. Sensibly a large grupetto was formed and it crossed the line 27 minutes and 53 seconds behind Tejay, well within the plus 14% cut off point. All our lads were in there, and it was great to see them back safe. I bought six little cloth patches that I will give them tomorrow over breakfast. All crossed the Continental Divide today and all richly deserve this small token.

It's now a long transfer, but as I type, I am constantly distracted by some amazing landscapes as we head towards Colorado Springs. team mechanic This is a seriously stunning state, the best that I have ever been to.

So yesterday I mentioned the soigneurs, and today a quick word about the mechanics, led by James. The bikes this morning were gleaming, new bottom bracket bearings had been put in, chains cleaned and oiled, and new bar tape applied. They, like the soigneurs, are unsung heroes in my mind. An integral part of a fabulous team.

As we near Colorado Springs my ears have popped, the altitude is a lower 6,000 feet. I am sure this evening that John and Tom will cook up a plan. I have a feeling that we will see a bit more of the Men in Black over the forthcoming days.

With all best wishes to you back home.

thursday 21 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy, part six...

Despite what you may think, a rider's life is not glamorous. Actually It's a routine and we are now well into it.

Breakfast is at 8am and like the previous days, it's in a big conference room with big round tables, however most of the teams tend to bring their own cereals and specialty food to supplement the fare that we are served each day. These are world stars who deserve the very best of nutrition. If it wasn't for healthy riders, this show would not be happening.

Dinner is much the same, and all the teams mix with one another and amble from one silver canteen to another in an effort to find something edible.

This is a circus, and while the public gape in awe at the riders, they are in reality, just bit players. They and race officials are staying at a variety of hotels; ours is called Hotel Elegante. It is far better than the team experience in many places in Europe, and it's a big complex positioned next to an expressway a little way out of town. It serves a purpose, but tongue in cheek I went over to the fabulous Broadmoore hotel complex where some are staying and I did rather wish we were staying here.

We rode to the start along a busy road and straight to the sign in. Spirits were high, for we were now at a lower elevation and it's a short 113 km stage. But it's a very beautiful one, up and into the Garden of the Gods, a protected park dotted with brown limestone outcrops. I asked Rich if he enjoyed the view, but he told me that the only view that he had all day was the wheel directly in front.

He missed an incredible landscape.

The break went very early. We missed it and twelve riders quickly gained three minutes on the peleton. In the break was Jens Voigt. Descending from the Garden of Gods, Jens broke free with a lap and a half to go, powered by the feed station on his own without taking a bidon, head down up the climb and stayed away in typical fashion. Panic grew in the ranks of Cannondale - who have done nothing in this race - and they gradually reeled in Jens to put their man Viviani into a position to sprint for the line.

And much to the chagrin of the crowd and the highly enthusiastic course commentators, they caught the magnificent 42 year old German just metres from the line. After 2:28:52 Elia Viviana took the stage. Our young rider Tom Moses did well to finish in the bunch, taking a deserved 23rd.

Today we head back into the mountains. It's a long stage of 168 kms from Woodland Park just outside Colorado Springs, to Breckenridge. After 30 kms the road rises up to Hoosier Pass, at an altitude of 11,539 feet, the highest point of the race. There is a desire within the team to try to get into the break.

Bon Courage is all that I can say.

friday 22 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy, part seven...

Rapha Condor JLT's Richard Handley managed to be part of a breakaway that succeeded in getting clear of the main bunch on stage five of this USA Pro Challenge. A total of twelve riders, including Handley, fought for the win in Breckenridge.

Richard had suffered in the week's previous stages, but managed eighth place ahead of race leader, Teejay Van Garderen (BMC). He had led a strong chase just in front of twenty-five riders who had broken clear over Hoosier Pass, second last climb of the stage.

For the 23 year-old Rapha Condor JLT rider it was nice to be up at the front end of the race, after the first five days suffering in Colorado State. "I'd felt much better over the past few days, so I was pretty keen on getting in the move today. It took ages for the break to get established, but when we went it was a really good group, with no-one on G.C., so we knew we had a chance of staying away.
"The gap went up quickly, but the weather got pretty bad as we went towards the climb. At one point I was totally frozen and it can be quite hard to know how you are going to be at the finish then. Yesterday we were down at less than 2,000m, and we climbed back to over 3,500m over Hoosiers Pass, so the air got pretty thin up there."

His move was broken-up on the climb of Hoosier's Pass, Ben King and Janier Acevedo of Garmin Sharp creating the decisive split. THey were the only team with two riders in the move, but it was Trek Factory Racing's Laurent Didier who pulled clear over the top. Handley remained with four others on the speedy descent into Breckenridge, with a strong chase following them onto the finish circuit.

The circuit of five kilometres featured a steep climb measuring 2km with a geadient reaching over 15%, before a technical descent to the line. The leaders reached that final climb 45 seconds ahead of the chase group that included Richard Handley and two minutes ahead of the race leader. Laurent Didier sprinted off the front for the win, while at the top of the last climb, yellow jersey, Tejay Van Garderen, attacked his rivals to close the gap on Handley's group.

Richard hung on to eighth place, after having ridden for 100km in the breakaway, finishing only 1'33" behind Didier.

Expected to be the deciding stage of theUSA Pro Challenge tomorrow (Saturday) continues with a 16km individual time-trial in Vail, which climbing from 2848 metres to 2,944m.

photos copyright andy bokanev. with thanks to charlie pearch and tom southam

saturday 23 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy. part eight...

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge have done us all proud, two fabulous hotels in the ski resorts of Breckenridge and tonight in Vail. Vail is a particularly nice town, a town where money appears to be no object. I am told that the pavements have under-soil heating in the winter, but it is out of the reach of all but a handful of cyclists as it's a town where apartments change hands for millions of dollars.

Yesterday's stage (Saturday) was a ten mile individual time-trial from the Village of Vail to Vail Pass, ascending from 8,150 ft to 9,663 ft. The good news was the fact that there was a tailwind up the valley; the bad news was that it was raining and rather chilly. The other teams were better equipped than us in terms of TT bikes and turbos to warm up on. Logistically these would have just been impossible to transport across the pond, so the team had to warm up on the road and fitted clip-on aero bars.

I sat in the car that followed Rich Handley who had ridden so well the day before to take 8th place ahead of Tejay van Garderen. The first part of the parcours seemed fairly benign, and our thoughts were that yesterday's effort must surely be taking a toll. It was grey and miserable, but something was dreadfully amiss and clearly Rich was having a technical issue. Without a spare bike on the roof, we had no alternative but to urge him onwards, sitting in silence and holding our breath as Rich fought against whatever was wrong.

The crowd were in good spirits despite the rain and must have helped the riders morale; a small group waved a St George's Cross, and all sorts of cowbells were rung as we passed. Then three riders passed us, including a fast Michael Rogers. One guy appeared to shout something derogatory against the British. Very unnecessary. Then as we neared the top, the crowds were really colourful, and one guy ran alongside Rich shoulder to shoulder which cannot have been easy on him. It had taken Rich 30 minutes of high intensity riding to cross the summit.

Tejay van Garderan won the stage in 24:26, which was 37 seconds faster than his win last year. Rich finished 5:54 in arrears. His technical misfortune had been a bolt on the down tube holding the electronic battery working itself loose and lodging in his bottom bracket. Hugh Carthy was our quickest rider at 4:12 behind Tejay.

All our riders commented that this was a hard stage. Frankly it was grim.

There was good spirit between the Directeurs Sportifs and riders today. Charley Wegelius came over for a chat with Tom as Jonathan Vaughters sailed past waving to us. I grabbed a few minutes with Clement, holder of the youngsters GC, a real nice kid and someone we will see more of over the years. Then it was Ivan Basso's turn to come and say thanks to John for helping him get back into the peloton yesterday.

One day to go...

sunday 24 august 2014

colorado calling danny boy. part nine...

The end of a race is an anti-climax. You want to celebrate, party, have a laugh, sink a couple of beers, but that's not possible. These guys are all professionals. So the hard truth is that the cars brought the riders back to the team hotel, a quick shower and change, while the mechanics broke up the bikes and put them into bags. The scene at the team hotel was manic.

Gels, used bidons, rider cards, were all being gathered and put into bags for the flight home. As I write, the entire team are at Denver International and checking in on BA218 to Heathrow. All are at the back of the bus. They will land mid-day on Monday and on Tuesday a number of them will be in Northern France racing again.

That's real tough.

It's been a fantastic week. We have seen all the tweets and the messages on Facebook. One that asked when the team was going to do anything was discussed over breakfast one morning. I so wish that the author of that message was sitting at the table with us; I so wish that he could have seen the faces of the riders as they got off their bikes; I so wish they could have heard Tom speak to me this afternoon, his vocal chords clearly affected by the heat and altitude.

On paper it looks like they have done nothing, but that's not the view of JLT. We are real proud of these guys and what they have just endured. This is a fantastic team, a real mix of young, of ageing, a great DS, mechanics, swannies that carry our marque really well and a press team that is the coolest around (although I think that both Tom and Claire read this with trepidation every morning, hoping that I am not penning it late at night after that last gin and tonic).

So today, who cares? On Sunday's final stage, Hugh got into an early break but Jens decided to take off as it was his last race. We don't expect Hugh Carthy to hold Jens Voigt's wheel. It's not important. What I can tell you is that everyone in the bar was coming up to me and saying thanks for coming and all saying "please come back". So today a UHC rider had a turettes attack against Hugh as they flew into Denver, but then felt guilty, came up and apologised. usa pro challenge He recognised that, actually, our guys are not like that, that deep down despite their age they are gents. And that's not a bad thing.

We like that.

I think that a few lessons have been learned, but what I can publicly announce, despite the sad loss of Rapha, is that yes you will see the Men in Black next year, and hopefully here in Colorado.

Thanks all for reading and with best wishes.

i'd like to offer my sincere gratitude to the rapha condor jlt team, to tom southam and most importantly, to charlie pearch, for this series of reports from colorado. perhaps we can do it all again next year?

monday 25 august 2014