CADEL

This is a pleasure that i had not anticipated at the beginning of the 2011 Tour de France ! Frankly having seen Cadel looking so tired before the ITT of the Dauphine Libere in Grenoble i commented to the team Doctor that i felt he was not at the top of his game ! Certainly that day he did less than was expected of him and thus was second to Wiggins at the end of that Tour !

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During the period of the 2000 Sydney Olympics i first heard of Cadel and was able to meet him at the "Rundfahrt Ossterreich " in 2001 whilst he rode for SAECO and i was on the Kitzbuehler Horn when he took the win the next day . Cadel has always been hard to get alongside during the various tours that i would meet him at but was always gracious enough to autograph the various items that i would pass to " Disabled / Behinderten / Physically Challenged Sport " over the years . In London at the Grand Depart there he warned that he had little time for talking to " fans " and the team "distanced " the media during that event so that he could get the personal space that was needed for recovery each night .

 

NOT being involved in Cycling before the World Ski Championships in 1997 at Sestriere i had no idea of the Downhill scene let alone the Mountain Bike Stars . In fact i went to a Downhill event in 1998 and was delighted to see an Aussie out of Perth take 3rd place and whilst chatting to him after he passed me his goggles which are in my possession to this day . Who knows where they are in my luggage but i recall using them when ski touring on several occasions .

So often over the years i have been asked if i am a fan of particular Cycle Racers but always answer "I am a fan of Fair Play " , for me the important thing is not the nationality but the attitude to the sport .

 

Being in Mendrisio was a rare pleasure as i was a VIP guest of the locals and meeting and greeting the "Ancients " of the sport was a day to remember . Where i was entertained was close to the finish line so seeing the  action on TV , cycling around the area and then seeing Cadel physically cross the line was a memory i will treasure . During the day i greeted Sean Kelly , Carmine Castilana and many others as well as sampling the local wines and cuisine .

 

There will be people who will dispute my opinion BUT " Waltzing Matilda " would have been more appropriate for the Ceremony on the Champs Elysee on Sunday !  Cadel has always been for me the epitome of the "  LITTLE AUSSIE BLEEDER " and i think that all " DIGGERS " will agree with me  !

 

Having been at Grenoble for the ITT of the Dauphine Libere i was quite content to miss the Hoopla on Saturday and follow the action on the TV and enjoyed watching Cadel " Bunny hop " after the 3rd time check as he headed downhill !

IN 1998 i rode the Champs Elysee through the caravan with the French Flag from the Hotel Carillon and an Aussie Flag from Georges of the bar near Brussels Airport so having that experience it has been some years since i have visited the Champs Elysee on the Sunday as trawling around the back of the barriers farewelling people until next year tends to be " Hit or Miss " !

 

 

 

 

OLYMPIC SUMMARY

Bad news day, after several hours out on the bike in two sessions of several hours I find that some sponsorship is not going to happen for the 2010 Project. There are 380 profile visits on the Blog which is only part of the picture as once someone first visits they do not need to check the profile again particularly as they “Bookmark” the site. Sponsors do not look at this but the number of “friends” does get to figure in their equation. Started to pay more attention to “face book” as a source of contact and although I messaged over a hundred people this past week the link to the blog , last week only seven visited through face book . What I had hoped was that with the Paralympic Games due to start next week many more would have visited to checkout the link to the TV coverage amongst other matters.


No doubt people are busy but I can only draw a parallel to twitter where I put an item in “we follow” and got ten new followers immediately, all were from “spivs” looking to build their numbers as they offered to make me rich! Once I posted a comment on this aspect most disappeared within hours. Would like to think that those who “request friend” with me on Facebook are looking to help support “Disabled Sport” as that has been the mission the past twelve years and I am not looking for numbers but supporters who will commit some help to the primary purpose! This past week there has been visitors from 24 countries including Tanzania, India and Ukraine from Google as a link. Amazes me how small the world can become.



New candidate for the “PYGMY Team” found today as I rode up the Gerlos Pass this morning , hit this Link for "Item 2"if you want the Whole story. Photo represents the vehicle colours not the vehicle. Overcast day started with spring like weather so I was out on the bike after 9am enjoying a respite from the winter chill suffered in previous days. After the climb towards Gerlos I went to Mayrhofen and then onto the climb to Finkenberg that I did a little slower yesterday. Climbing at the moment requires a higher cadence to get the same time results that I had last year, no doubt as my strength and confidence returns I will ride in 5th instead of 7th cassette gear when making these climbs. After lunch I was out in sunshine to the north of the valley and going north was wind in the face and the return was easier in the sun albeit with a steady incline.

The Olympics are over and so the “Witch Hunt” starts , local papers are full of the letdown that is being expressed due to the results which is as a result of a lack of Men’s Alpine Ski Medals , a situation that has not occurred since the start of the Winter Olympics Events. Torino 2006 produced 14 medals out of the 30 available! Was that result enough at the time, can’t recall too much in the media about that subject! What is apparent is that the Ladies brought home a Gold and some Silver and Bronze Medals which had it been Australia would have meant there being a ticker tape parade. I did note the disappointment on an Austrian face shown on Eurosport when he realised that he had missed the Bronze. At Torino he had taken home a Gold amongst the collection. Benny has taken responsibility for his results unlike some who are trying to blame the support staff.

Russia has also started a “witch hunt” as they also suffered a drop in prestige in the medal count and they are the next hosts. All I can offer is that as they refocus they will be assured a better result next time as they will have “Home Town Advantage” even if they do not produce some new talent in the intervening years. As I listened to a report about the Russian President’s remarks I had visions of Putin leading the team from the front by participating in the Karate Events. Canada is also in this boat as whilst every other sport enjoyed success the Alpine Team as a whole misfired and not a medal fell into their hands despite their best efforts. The “Canadian Cowboys” were no match for the “Crazy Canucks” of yesteryear.

In an earlier posting I quoted “It’s not whether you win or lose but HOW you play the Game”, well the Athletes entertained us as they excelled and I did not see any bad sportsmanship although I am sure the TV channels were on the lookout for examples!

THANKYOU TO ALL THE ATHLETES FOR YOUR GREAT EFFORTS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FURTHER SUCCESSES AT OTHER VENUES !!

HOW LUCKY WE ARE

How lucky most of us are is emphasized by those who have disability, we get out of bed every day to go to work or play without impediments. Nearly 15% of the population has a disability of a physical or mental nature and by contrast have to solve many issues that we would not even be aware of let alone think of each day. Many of these people started life as we did but through illness or accident have had to build a new life and learn new skill sets to cope and adjust to their new circumstances

Physically injured who have lost limbs are over a period of time in need of a variety of adjustments to the Prosthetics that they were initially fitted with and even have to have replacements fitted through the passage of time. Many sports people have had injury and have had to use crutches and support bandages, effectively for a period of time being themselves disabled. Some illnesses cause healthy human beings to desist from sport and their normal activities. One wonders how many reflect on this and think “there but for the grace of god”?


I raise these subjects because over the years I have had success in avoiding injury and illness but have been aware of the misfortune of others. Recently I have been the victim of “pulmonary embolisms” which has been restrictive as regards the high level of fitness I used to aspire to. Nearly 6 months on I am building the fitness level once again cautiously as I want to be continually fully effective when the spring arrives and the roads are clear.

Watching Larry King Live today I was reminded of the needs in Haiti, prosthetics! Heather Mills demonstrated the item she uses and reminded of the fact that she like others has had replacements throughout the history since her accident. Several websites were mentioned

www.physiciansforpeace.org -- www.heathermills.org .


Some of you will know of Physically Challenged/Disabled people who will have their support groups some of whom will already be aware of the need for these used items but there will be others that will happily donate if this is brought to their attention. Media in various locations can help get the message out to the community at large.

Recently I went onto a Blog and some of those there let me know they were not interested so now I join their “sandpit” let the “Charles Atlases” in their group kick sand in my face but persist in bringing to those other humanitarians there the subject I want to add to their attention. Those denigrating my efforts I now call my “fan club”, I also visit fatty to enjoy a little light relief so I can also see their point of view.

@adventurecorps is running a bike ride soon to raise monies for Haiti and George Hincapie together with Helens cycles.com is running an event this coming weekend! Please feel free to let me know of others as this will be tweeted as will the link. British TV reported a seven year old looking to raise £500 by riding 5miles on his bike, I have not yet found the website but as of today CNN report $200,000 + raised by his efforts! Can you imagine how this story has snowballed into the success it has become? Remind you of anyone, Susan Boyle perhaps?

WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO I HOPE IT SUCCEEDS