le grimpeur

The café raid2
Guy WR posted in Classic Climbs on March 24th, 2009

The organizers of professional cycling races, particularly the Tour de France, have always had some strange ideas about water. Restrictions on water consumption by the riders has been one way race organizers for Grand Tours have tried, even in recent times, to keep the races tough, as a test of the survival skills of the riders. As if the long stages, broken roads, heat, cold, furious attacks, terrifying descents, and interminable climbs were not enough, tyrants like Henri Desgrange and his successors have imposed rules on drink bottles (as well as many other trifling regulations). (more…)

The point of the journey2
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills on March 10th, 2009

Some recent reading has given your author some pause on the issue of riding (and climbing) better.

Firstly, if one is to believe Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, “personal explanations of success don’t work” and that those who achieve success in their field “are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Gladwell, in his analysis of success, stresses the opportunities that allow the beneficiaries to dedicate themselves to their profession (the often-cited 10,000 hours of practice), which leads to that success. There is not too much room for natural talent in Gladwell’s scheme. (more…)