Chris Boardman's 1997 Tour Diary
The Tour Build up
|
This years Tour de France which will take place between July 5th and July 27th is set to be one of the toughest in years.
The route, taking in the Pyrenees before the Alps has not been used since 1994. There are five mountain stages, compared with four last year
and 3 high altitude finishes. Chris has prepared specifically for this years Tour, basing his season around the event. This meant a late start to the year, with a steady build up to the big event. All has been going to plan & he has been scoring well in the early races he has ridden even though the events were considered preparation. His first real test in the mountains came in the Tour de Romandie where he finished 2nd overall to Pavel Tonkov, showing good climbing form on the penultimate stage to finish with the elite chasing group. He was recently seen on Eurosport taking in the major climbs to be used in the Alps and Pyrenees during this years Tour. Knowing the climbs is an important part of his preparation. After a disasterous Dauphine-Libere in which Chris retired with an intestinal ailment caused by a virus, his moral must be low. Having built his season around the 97 Tour de France, it is crucial Chris has a good Tour to aid his chances of a good sponsorship deal next year, when GAN pull out. The likelyhood is that a virus infection this close to the Tour may leave him weak. In the worlds toughest race Chris needs to be at his best and this remains an unknown quantity. Chris showed good form in the Tour of Catalunya, Two wins and a third place must have been encouraging so soon after his recent sickness. He looks a sure bet for the prologue, and a top 10 finish looks on the cards. The GAN team rode well, but on the day that mattered, the mountain stage, Chris lost 7 minutes. If he is going for the overall in the Tour de France then he will need his team to be there in the mountains, when the going gets tough! Maybee it was a bluff before the Tour, lets just hope so. Chris is now preparing for the prologue by doing some specialized training, lets just hope is doesn't rain in Rouen on July 5th! Chris recently revieled in a BBC Radio 5 Live interview "I don't like cycling!" and that he aims to retire from the sport by the year 2000. Not to put his feet up & take a rest but to try other sports. He comments "I actually don't like cycling, I am a natural competitor and cycling is just the medium that I have chosen. I do it because I get tremendous amount of satisfaction from it, and people very often confuse satisfaction with enjoyment" On his sporting future he adds... "There are lots of sports I would still like to try. Middle to long distance running quite appeals to me, triathlons appeal to me a lot and I am actually intendint to stop my cycling career at the age of 32 in the year 2000, because that will give me time to try other things, even to an internationally competitive level." When asked about the heavy demands of the sport he says... "In short terms, I would challenge anybody to tell me, or to show me, a sport that's as hard as professional cycling!" Interview Information Courtesy of : Bill's Cycle Racing Results and News Service |
|---|
Go
Top