Everybody knows the Tour de France, but real cyclesport fans will always tell you that the best racing can be found in the classic races such as Milan San Remo, The Tour of Flanders, and of course, Paris Roubaix. The intensity of the racing in these events makes the average Tour de France stage look like a Sunday afternoon picnic ride in comparison. Not only are the courses longer and much tougher (Alpine super stages excepted) but there isn’t all the tactical “looking at the big picture” stuff going on as well. “If I don’t win a stage today, there is always tomorrow” seems to be the watchword, and the myriad of little strategies and races within races that are constantly being played out are one of the main fascinations of the big 3 week tours, but can frequently detract from the actual racing on any given stage. In the classics there is one day, one chance, one winner.

On Sunday the first of the real tough Belgian spring races takes place: Gent-Wevelgem and there follows the weekend after the Tour of Flanders and a week later, my favourite of all, Paris Roubaix. Why is this race my favourite? The winners list reads like a who’s who of cycling’s greats: Mercx, De Vlaeminck, van Petegem, Boonen, Cancellara. The history goes back for over a century. Then there are the cobblestones, 60 kilometres of them concentrated in the latter half of the race , many of them centuries old and preserved especially for this bike race. The resulting challenge holds a unique position among cycling’s great races and it’s one that I hope to go and watch at first hand one of these years, maybe even ride the cycle sportive covering the same route that is run every other year (looks like 2012 for me). But it’s not the history or the route that fascinates me so much, it’s the photographs: the haunted, filthy faces of riders who have had to dig deeper into their soul than they ever thought possible just to be able to say that they had finished; the riders so caked in mud and filth that it’s impossible to tell which time they are riding for. The visceral expressions of exhaustion burned into their eyes  draw a direct connection between them and the frightened shellshocked soldiers of nearly a century ago who fought and died over the same fields through which the race passes and whose faces peer out of sepia and faded stills. A flick through the pages of “Paris-Roubaix – a Journey Through Hell” will tell you all you need to know: this is no ordinary bike race.

In order to get me in the mood for the upcoming classic races I popped my new DVD “Road to Roubaix” into the player and settled down to watch. I don’t own many DVDs of actual cycle races as I think they are best watched live. I do have the DVD of the 2007 Paris Roubaix, though, as it was won by my favourite bike rider, Stuart O’Grady. David Deal and Dave Cooper’s film is set against the background of the 2007 race too and features interviews with many of the main protagonists of that race, as well as many  of the characters who have been involved with it over the years. Through some excellent photography and a haunting soundtrack this film evokes the atmosphere, history and respect that the riders have for the race far more than any video rerun can possibly do. One or two of the interviews do seem a little unprepared and are clearly snatched moments with great riders, but others are more considered. You can’t but help like Juan Antonio Flecha after watching this film (now riding for Team Sky) as his enthusiasm for cycling and his love of this race shines through. At times, some of the comments by cycling author Johnny Green seem a little self-consciously literary, but overall it’s a superb and beautifully filmed presentation of one of the world’s oldest and most distinctive sporting spectacles and one that is guaranteed to whet your appetite for the coming classics, if not to get you out on your bike and ride the cobbles!

If anyone knows where I can get hold of a DVD of Jorgen Leth’s film “A Sunday in Hell”, I would be delighted to hear from you.

I don’t normally put book reviews on this blog as I use Shelfari for this purpose, however, it might make a change from a description of my latest epic training ride; so, here goes.

You would be hard pressed to find to such contrasting riders as Cavendish and Coppi. One is a bundle of nervous energy, brash almost arrogant and only ever wins from the whirlwind of a bunch sprint. The other usually won through his effortless and metronomic pedalling style and his ability to simply ride harder and harder until everyone dropped off his wheel. Some of his Tour solo breakaways are the stuff of legend. In most ways it is an unfair comparison as Cavendish would win in a sprint against Coppi everytime, yet in most circumstances, except on the flattest of stages it would be most unlikely for Cav to get anywhere near the Italian.

I confess I found Cavendish’s book surprisingly enjoyable. It is ghost written by Daniel Friebe and he has done a commendable job in retaining Cav’s blunt voice and opinions some of which are distinctly heretical as far as British Cycling are concerned making you wonder if he ever will pull on a Sky Team jersey (Ican’t see it myself). Also covered is the Olympic Madison controversy and, as an epilogue, his Milan-San Remo win. Cav is rapidly heading towards superstar status in the UK and this enjoyable read is definitely worthy of your attention.

I own both of William Fotheringham’s previous cycling books (his biography of Tom Simpson which is refreshingly honest and lacking rosy tints, and his overview of British riders in the Tour de France, which, incidentally, puts Cavendish’s recent achievements into a useful historical context). I enjoyed both books immensely and hoped that this would be a worthy follow-up.

Coppi’s career spanned the Second World War and the book paints a superb picture of what it must have been like cycling on the ravaged roads of post war Europe. It also reveals some of the surprisingly modern training techniques used by Coppi as advised by his legendary blind soigneur, Cavanna without being shy of discussing the use of amphetamines by pro cyclists of that era. Post war Europe was flooded with amphetamine tablets that had been used widely by aircrew and other forces during the conflict and there was much less of the secrecy and dishonour surrounding the use of performance enhancers. Perhaps the book is at its best when discussing the huge controversy surrounding Coppi’s abandonment of his wife for the alleged “golddigger,” the “White Lady”. The conflict between church, society and a private individual played out in the media presents a foretaste of the kind of intense media scrutiny that celebrities and sports stars can expect today.

If I have a criticism of the book it is the lack of a “palmares” (career list of results) for Coppi which would have been useful. Quibble aside, it is an esential read for anyone interested in cycling history.

Amazon Links

Boy Racer

Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi

Roule Britannia: A History of Britons in the Tour De France

Put Me Back on My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson