Argentines and Cycling

Coverage of the recent Tour of San Luis in Argentina got me thinking about cycling in this beautiful country.

About 8 years ago I went on a multi-country tour of South America, which ended in Argentina. I had the opportunity to cycle around the countryside in Bolivia and Peru, but I didn't have enough time to repeat this adventure in Argentina.

There were lots of cycling holiday packages to areas like Patagonia, Mendoza or Bariloche in the Lake District - obviously taken up by foreign tourists.
But in terms of general cycling around Argentina, this was not so widespread back in  2006 when I was there.

I didn't have time to go cycling in the beautiful areas mentioned, but I was able to cycle around Buenos Aires during the week that I was there. In fact, this became my main mode of transport during that time.

Getting hold of a bicycle was an adventure in itself. When I asked the staff at the hotel where I was staying, in the Recoleta district, they were not aware of any bicycle shops that hired out bicycles. I then set about doing it the old fashioned way - asking around in local sports shops nearby (they couldn't help me), then looking through the Yellow Pages in a telephone booth in a shopping centre. The few bicycle shops which did hire out bicycles were a long way out of the town centre. Then, eventually I rang a shop called Bicicletas Canaglia, which, to my pleasant surprise said that their branch in Central Buenos Aires had a few bicycles that they rented out. I rang up that branch, and indeed they did.

I caught the bus to the shop on Calle Suipacha and went to the place with a spring in my step. The folks were pleasant and they were able to find a bicycle for me. It was actually the only bike they had left - an old Payera (also known as a beach bike). But hey, it was my size and the guys in the shop had made an effort to make it rideable for me.

The shop assistants were friendly and they provided me with a lock and a map of the area. When I asked for a helmet, the assistant went into an old cupboard and dug something out that he had to dust down before he gave it to me. It was bowl shaped, and not sure that it even fitted me correctly. But it was better than nothing! The man then went through the map very carefully showing me the recommended cycle routes, then telling me that I absolutely MUST NOT go down this road, and that road - muy, muy peligroso were the words of the day. After giving me the lecture on all the dangerous roads in the area (which was basically most of them!) he wished me a good bike ride.

Being used to commuting by bicycle around London meant that I had not felt worried about the prospect of riding around the streets of Buenos Aires. In actual fact, I had underestimated the complexities and risks! My route from the bike shop back to my hotel led me along Avenida Libertador. It was quite a busy road, with 4 lanes in each direction. That meant lots of traffic, and notably loads of buses. The streets were jam packed with them, worse than in Oxford Street. While buses only go around Central London at 15mph - buses in Buenos Aires sped down Libertador at around 40mph. Some even looked like they were racing each other!

As a cyclist, this was daunting. There was no cycle lane, and even worse was that there were bus stops every 50m so you had to constantly be on your guard as buses screeched to a halt at their bus stop while others pulled away. Then of course you had to hold a visible position just to be sure the drivers wouldn't fail to see you as they rumbled along the road.

Once back at the hotel the receptionists were surprised, and a little impressed that I had managed to find a bicycle at all - the only snag was that they had no place to keep my bicycle - not even a garage. So I ended up having to park my bicycle in a multi-storey car park, and even pay an attendant for leaving it there! I'm not even sure if that was the usual procedure. He was quite surprised to see someone bringing a bicycle into a car park.

Once I was used to the bicycle, and the logistical procedures as well as the screeching traffic I was able to plan a few areas to visit. I rode around various vibrant districts, including San Telmo, La Boca and Palermo. Nearby was a port area that had been regenerated and there were cycle paths. This was a hidden corner of the city and quite a nice surprise. I even saw a handful other cyclists around this area.

The other place that I went to was Tigre, 28km from Buenos Aires. For this, I caught the train to an area just beyond Palermo district, and then rode along a cyclepath that took me most of the way there. This was a very picturesque area and a lovely place for a family bike ride.

Once at Tigre I was treated to a stylish and artistic port, with galleries, trendy cafes and restaurants and a quaint market. This town was a great hangout and I went there a few times during my stay.

When I returned the bicycle to the shop, the assistants were just so relieved to see me back - and even in one piece!

My conclusion about cycling around Buenos Aires was that it is a great way to see the city, which is very beautiful. Cycling around places like Puerto Madero was fun, but it was a shame that very few people in the town appreciated seeing places from this angle. Although I was glad to have ridden around Buenos Aires, I was very aware that to do it you really needed to have the cojones! Even avid cyclist (as well as Talking Heads maestro) David Byrne recorded similar experiences of negotiating Buenos Aires traffic in his book, The Bicycle Diaries.

I have heard that things have moved on since those days in 2006. Buenos Aires seems to have improved its cycling facilities. Since 2010 the mayor has made steps to develop a network of cycle paths, and there is even a bike share scheme like the Boris Bikes in London. Furthermore, you can even meet other cyclists every last Sunday of the month when you go along to one of the Critical Mass rides. There are now also various organised cycle tours of Buenos Aires, and even more cycling holidays in the different regions of Argentina. Cycling in this country has moved on a fair bit, it seems.. I would be very keen to go back and try things out there again.

And the January Yellow Jersey goes to....

Daniel Day-Lewis!

Ok, so he's not a professional cyclist, but I have heard that Mr Day-Lewis, known for being a fiercely private individual, spends hours cycling around the mountains near his home reflecting on his roles.

Once a month I plan to feature my man, woman or object of the month - it can be for their cycling talents, and also for their talents in other places!

This month I have chosen Daniel Day-Lewis, not just because he has received multiple accolades for his role in Lincoln, or for his various films over the years. It is true that his versatility to play contrasting parts in films is excellent. From a gay punk in urban London during My Beautiful Launderette, followed by a terribly English gentleman in A Room with a View - then a severely disabled artist in My Left Foot - the list goes on.

If Daniel Day Lewis were a racing cyclist he'd probably be a champion road racer, track cyclist and mountain biker. He'd be well respected - even if he only raced as infrequently as he stars in films!

The reason why I have chosen Daniel Day-Lewis is because he's dapper and I think he's a damn handsome guy, with a lovely smooth voice. There, I've said it!
Fingers crossed you get another Oscar sweetcheeks!

A poem for those cycling challenges

As we come off the back of a weekend that included Burns Night I thought I'd follow one of the traditions of this festive Scottish evening by reciting poetry. In honour of the most famous poet from North of the border, Higg and a few of our friends read out our favourite poems after dinner. I read out a rock'n'roll poem by Murray Lachlan Young about Keith Richards. Another poem that I like is It Couldn't Be Done by Edgar Albert Guest.

I first heard the poem at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show at the end of last year.

It was a very apt poem to recite, in celebration of British athlete's outstanding achievements at the 2012 Olympics.

As a cyclist I like the way that this poem fitted perfectly with Bradley Wiggins's historic win at the Tour de France last year.

Many people thought the idea of a Briton winning the world's most famous cycle race couldn't be done, but Bradley Wiggins did it!

This poem inspires me, and it is one I will remember when I have to tackle La Marmotte, the Tour of Flanders, a ride from Milan to Rome, or any other cycling challenges. In fact, I will remember it when I tackle any challenge - on or off the bike.

It Couldn’t Be Done

BY EDGAR ALBERT GUEST

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

      On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

      At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

      Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

My moment of the week - 3

Tour de Yorkshire

So the Tour de France is coming to Yorkshire in 2014. I think it's great news that once again Le Tour is coming to the UK.

I remember the wonderful day out we had when the prologue was held in London in 2007. London put on an outstanding spectacle and a warm welcome for the riders, and I am sure that Yorkshire will put on an equally outstanding show. Yorkshire has a strong reputation in cycling. Quite a few of the team GB riders are Yorkshiremen and women. The topography of Yorkshire makes for challenging cycling and athletes from there tend to be a hardy bunch!

The story goes that if Yorkshire had been a separate country in the 2012 Olympics they would have come 12th in the medals table, placing hot on the heels of Italy and Australia, and well above Spain, Switzerland and Ireland!!

As someone who grew up in Yorkshire, and who has ridden a lot in the county I look forward to watching the Tour coming through a number of roads that I've ridden on. It'll be very interesting to see how the riders deal with Tan Hill, Buttertubs Pass and Holme Moss, among other well known climbs.

The overview of the route is here.


The main local paper in the area, the Yorkshire Post gives some background information to some of the areas that the Tour will pass through.


I hope to ride around the exact route in the future and will post write-ups for those not familiar with the area.
I also imagine that as the event draws nearer we will see more and more cyclists on those lanes, just as we saw with Box Hill in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Yes, on 5th and 6th July 2014 the eyes of the world will be on Yorkshire. Eee by gum! Better mek some more Yorkshire Puddings, put more pies int' oven an' order in wads more pints o' bitter!

My moment of the week - 2

Farewell Nicole!

This week Nicole Cooke announced her retirement from professional cycle racing. I am not sure if she will do one swansong final race for her fans. I don't imagine she's likely to though. When fellow British riders Emma Pooley and Victoria Pendleton announced the end of their cycle racing careers there was a chorus of "what a shame, we're sorry to see you go." There seems to have been mixed reactions from people in the cycling community.

Some folks made general platitudes about bidding goodbye to a champion. However many people have commented about how she will not be missed from the peloton. One journalist described his interview with her as being "by far the worst ever interview of his career by country mile." It us true that she does not like being interviewed. I remember sending her some email questions for a short feature I was writing on women's cycling and she failed to answer more than half of them. Respondents generally answered most questions in those days, so it was a turn-up for the books to see lots of blank spaces!

She was not known for getting on well with her fellow team mates, and often changed teams. At one point she had no team to race in at all. There was definitely an element of self-centredness and self-importance about her that people reported - I guess that is part and parcel of becoming a champion. In no way was this egoism shown more when she fell out publicly with GB teammate, Lizzy Armitstead over which rider would be the team leader during the World Cycle Racing Championships in 2011, and even there were discussions in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

While other Team GB cyclists were involved in public initiatives to encourage cycling or even just making public appearances to fans Nicole Cooke, did no such thing, preferring to stay in her ivory tower, training I guess.

Even her retirement statement has been criticised. Why couldn't her statement have talked more about the positive aspects of her road racing career, including winning gold at Beijing, becoming World Champion and being ranked no.1 in the UCI rankings for a time. Instead her statement was turned into a blistering attack on drugs cheats, in which she speaks in an embittered way about how she missed out on more success (and money) due to the activities of her doping contemporaries. She also talked extensively about the plight of women's cycle racing and how a lack of funding has led to the removal of many key races from the women's racing calendar and professional female cycle racers struggle to make a living.

Such condemnation of disgraced road racers and calls for investment in women's cycling are not impertinent - on the contrary. But why did Nicole Cook not mention any of this earlier? Why wait until she's walking out of the room to say all this?

Rather than it looking like someone who has genuine concerns over the state of professional cycling, it has the appearance of being the words of an embittered, weary athlete full of angst over a lean trophy cabinet.

This does not make Nicole look good. That is a shame.

Notwithstanding the negative comments and publicity around Nicole, I'd still prefer to remember the positive things she's done.

I have a wonderful memory of Nicole Cooke crossing the finish line in front of her competitors in the pouring rain at Beijing in 2008, to win Britain's first Olympic gold medal. She then followed this up with a World Championship title in a thrilling finale that same year. I also remember the excitement at Nicole winning the biggest women's stage race in those days, the Giro Donne in 2004, as well as winning the women's Tour de France in 2006 and 2007. Even as a youngster Nicole had success where no other female had been before - being the first girl to win a national youth cycle championships, as British Cycling did not have categories for young women.

I even remember her turning out at Lancing Leisure Centre one grim November afternoon in 2003 to the spectate at a local cyclo cross race. Nicole cheered us all on as we slid around the muddy field in Sussex. These are the memories I'd like to keep of Nicole Cooke. People may not feel great warmth towards her, but it can't be denied that her succeses on the national and international stage has blazed a trail for Britsh women cyclists - and for that, we can salute her.
Thank you, and All the best, Nicole.

Nottingham Man styles up the Giro d'Italia

Being in Milan has its uses. I heard that British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith would be unveiling the leader's jersey (maglia rosa) of the Giro d'Italia in his showroom near the centre of Milan. So I was able to pop in and attend the launch event.

I hadn't known what to expect as although it was about cycling, theren wa a twist since it was being held at the main premises of a top fashion designer and a Knight of the Realm! In fact, it wasn't stuffy at all. People mingled freely and were welcoming. Sir Paul had time to say a few words to many people and he even posed for photos with us lesser mortals!

Standing with Andrea Monti, director of Gazzetta dello Sport, in his very down-to-earth style, and in a packed room, Paul Smith revealed each of the different leader's jerseys to the audience.

"It's just a jersey," he said of the maglia rosa. "There's only a limited amount you can put into designing a jersey. I've done my best, and I hope you like it!"

I like the way that he has put his signature on the collar and also his name features on the back of the jersey in very subtle print. He has also added in some of his trademark multicoloured stripes, and a splash of red, influenced by Andy Warhol's pop art. It's certainly a stylish jersey - even if it is the same colour as all the other ones in previous years!

Well, I say it's great that a British man can come along and design jerseys for a bike race in a country that is known for fashion. It wasn't Dolce & Gabbana or Giorgio Armani who got the gig this year, but Paul Smith - a bloke from Nottingham with a penchant for quirky styles and zany colours.

Mind you, let's not forget that Paul Smith is a keen cyclist himself. He was a racing cyclist in his younger days. As a boy, he was so passionate about cycling that he would keep his bicycle in his bedroom, never letting it out of his sight. And yes, he even cycles around Italy these days - apparently his favourite place is the area around Lucca and Viarreggio in Tuscany. He may not ride as fast as the racers in the Giro d'Italia, but Paul Smith will sure be bringing style to this year's Giro d'Italia!

My Moment of the Week - 1

It's nice to start the year on a good news note in cycling. Sadly, that hasn't been the case for 2013. Last Thursday the cycling community mourned the loss of Olympic mountain biker, Burry Stander who was the victim of a fatal cycling accident in his native South Africa. Stander died from injuries sustained when he was knocked down by a taxi, at Shelly Beach.

This sad event occurred not long after another tragic accident in which top Spanish moutain biker Inaki Lejarreta was knocked down and killed while out on a training ride in the Basque country just before Christmas.

I didn't know much about either of these riders, but I was still saddened by the news. It just goes to show that there is still alot of work to be done to improve cycle safety in many countries around the world. Even experienced cyclists are not safe on the roads.....Rest in Peace Burry Stander, Inaki Lejarreta and all other cyclists who have lost their lives while out on the road this year.

Stay safe in 2013 People.