"I actually don't like cycling," he says. "I am a natural competitor and cycling is just the medium that I have chosen. It is not very healthy mentally, but it is just the way I am."
Boardman, who confessed on BBC Radio 5 Live's `Head to Head' program, explains: "I don't think that it is particularly healthy but I think that to be top in sport -- especially this kind of sport -- you have to be slightly mentally unbalanced.
"I do it because I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from it and people very often confuse enjoyment with satisfaction."
On his sporting future, Boardman comments: "There are lots of sports I would still like to try. Middle to long distance running quite appeal to me, triathlons appeal to me a lot and I am actually intending 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."
Boardman says in the interview that winning a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was "a bit disappointing".
He continues: "You work for something for a number of years, I suppose I had 10 years aiming towards one thing, and then in a second it's all over. "I didn't get the feeling of elation that I expected to go with it ... I did feel rather cheated."
Boardman, one of only two Britons to have worn the Maillot Jaune of race leader in the Tour, describes the event as "barbaric". Regarding the sport's heavy demands, he says, "In short terms I would challenge anybody to tell me or to show me a sport that is as hard as professional cycling."
Or, may be, because his victories were always spectacular, with kilometers between him and the others. And, don't forget, he was the first man to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year (1949).
So, I don't know why, but I know he is still a legend for a lot of people and we don't want to forget the "campionissimo".
1946: Milano-Sanremo 1946: La Primavera The war is over, racing is on again, and once again the 1946 season opener is Milano-Sanremo, la Primavera - Springtime, the First Truth. Coppi is no longer with Legnano, but has joined Bianchi. the famous "biancoceleste" (Bianchi Blue) who he rejoined at the end of his career. Strengthened with Bartali, nothing was impossible for this squad. At the start in Milan, after only a few kilometers, Frenchman Teisseire attacked hoping to pick up a few intermediate primes along the way. With him went four other "corridorii" and Fausto. Since Binasco ( 15 or 16 klicks out if I remember rightly - b. h. ) the lead group of six had stayed together until the first slopes of the Turchino where only Teisseire was able to respond to Fausto's attack. (Remember, this was a matter of some prid to Fausto; he was born in this neck of the woods - b. h.) During the climb of the Turchino, Coppi dropped Teisseire and rode through the Turchino tunnel on his own, increasiing his lead with every turn of the pedals. 145 kilometers out front "on the rivet" and Fausto swept into Sanremo 14 minutes ahead of Teisseire and 24 minutes ahead of Bartali who was in the main peloton. In Italy, Coppi was welcomed as a Campionissimo. Now there were two Campionissimi; Coppi and Bartali.
Background: Milan-Sanremo is in some ways a strange race. It is
the longest of the remaining classics, and in some ways it is the
easiest; in others the hardest. It is easy because the climbs are
not really that bad; even the Poggio di Sanremo can be climbed by
a reasonably fit rider on the big ring. It is virtually flat for
the first 100 km to Novi Ligure and then even takes a slight
downhill turn to Capriata d'Orba. The Turchino can be a bit of a
grind as the road rises about 360 meters in the next 35 km or so.
But only the top stretch of the Turchino is anything like
difficult. Offsetting the climb, there is very often an early
morning offshore tailwind and I have myself ridden MSR when we
were through the Turchino Tunnel at 143 km in slightly under 3
hours!!
There is also a legend that nothing happens before the Turchino.
Most times that is correct, but remember Fignon and Kelly and the
rest of the boys a few years back? They were about 32 minutes down
at the Turchino on a very small group and climbed off the bikes in
disgust when they found out. All kinds of threats had to be made
to get them back on the bikes, and if I remember Kelly rightly,
there must also have been a carrot; probably in the form of good
Italian 1000 Lira banknotes!!!
Be that as it may, part of the difficulty with MSR is the monotony
of the flat terrain. After the Turchino there is a dramatic and
breathtaking descent to sea level, a drop from 532 meters down to
sea level at Genova Voltri (Genoa/Genes) in only 12 kilometers and
it is blindingly fast.
The last 140 or so kilometers are along the flat coastal raod with
only the "capi" or headlands of Capo Mele, Capo Cervo, Capo Berta
and the Col della Cipressa for relief, before the Poggio (Hillock)
di Sanremo to break the monotony. One tends to lose focus and just
stare at the wheel ahead, do your few pedal revolutions at the
front and float back to the rear of the paceline. There is seldom
the need for echelons in this race and it is truly monotonous,
since apart from the Capi, the road never gets much more than 5 or
6 meters above sea level.
Tradition has it that you must be at the front going up the
Cipressa if you want to win. Partly because on the narrow roads
there are often crashes.
The last myth, which Kelly punctured so dramatically a few years
back in 1992 is that you have it sewn up if you can go over the
Poggio with a few seconds in hand. Argentin learned that to his
dismay after having gone over the top solo only to find Kelly on
his back wheel when he looked round to see what kind of a lead he
had with 800 meters to go. Game over. Kelly even had time to
straighten up his jersey in case any of the tifosi were in doubt
about which kind of watch they should buy next time.
The descent from the summit of the Poggio into Sanremo is deadly;
it is narrow and steep, but there are so many switchbacks that it
is impossible to descend very quickly, and there is no well
defined edge to the road; you are onto the gravel pretty quickly.
You are much better off on your own.
The confusion on the Poggio is also unbelievable. The route is
packed with ambulances, team cars, commissaires, police, press and
anyone else who can justify being there, whether their presence is
needed or not. There are usually up to four helicopters low
overhead, and all the drivers are leaning on their horns. It is
the closest thing to bedlam I have ever seen.
Psychos in New Mexico Report filed Dec. 6, 95 Carolyn Donelly's "Revenge of the GoatHeads" PsyhcoCross Series is again being held in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico. The race is held in the shadow of the world famous "Pit", where Jim Valvano's Wolf Pack upset Olajuwan, Drexler and the rest ofthe Houston team for the NCAA championship in '83 (or '84). The "Revenge of the GoatHeads" is much bigger than any NCAA Final Four and the number of celebrities in the race was unprecedented. As the twenty riders lined up for the start of the second race in the series there were many current and former nationa champions in the field (only one in Cyclocross though). The favorite for a repeat victory was Lawrence Malone. John Frey suggested that Malone start in the very backof the field in order to, "...give him someone to chase". Malone didn't seem to feel to guilty about beating the field from the front and basically did it again, just like last week. Also in the field were such notables as: Gabriel Aragon, John Armijo, Bart Bowen, Rod Bush, Geno Fales, John Frey, LobsterBoy (Gareth) Jones, Wretch (Rich) McClung, Brad Nu, Waz (Everybody knows me) Warsa, Chris (NLN), Josh (NLN), Tim (I gonna be a docta) Irwin, and others. Once Malone was safely off the front, the rest of the field spread out on the course. Rich (aka Wretch) McClung kept Malone honest using his crosscountry running skills to stay on the same lap as Lawrence throughout the race. Bart Bowen finished thir after stopping to change his bike out because of a flat. The course was extremely sandy in places which suited Malone fine, "It simulates the mud on the run up." Mr. Malone is definitely a joy to watch, every time he lapped me allI could think was, "If he laps me two more times on this lap, this will be my last lap." McClung was in town with his beautiful wife Anne visiting friends and eating green chile. Rich and Anne live in beautiful Northern California were Rich spends his time taking care of their, "tiny little pup", and contemplating returning to fulltime professional bike racing so that he can, "...drop 'em all, and let God sort 'em out!" Bart Bowen, well, what can I say about Bart. He has come along way since that summer in '85 when in the Comet Classic he went wide in a corner, hit the curb bounced over the gaurdrail and escaped death by holding on to the gaurdrail while dangling 40 ft off the concrete ditch bottom. I don't remember if he was given a free lap or not after almost perishing at the bottom of the drainage ditch. Good thing for Saturn that he was able to catch the gaurd rail. Gabriel Aragon showed that he has returned to the spectacular form he had three years ago, by finishing second (to the last). His PshycoCross skills have improve dramatically (after watching Malone lap him so many times). His results show the drastic improvement (last week Gabriel was dead last). Mr. Aragon also managed to lap Tim(I gonna be a docta) Irwin in the latter portionof the race. John Frey was seen laying under his bike on the steepest climb struggling with his "new fangled" SPD's. The huge crowd gasped when he began to slidedown the dusty incline on his hip. An audible sigh ofrelief rose from the throng, as Frey's bookrack (he does't even have a library card) on the back of his Sandia Crest surplus Mountain Bike (sans shocks, how gouch) snagged on a rock and stopped him before he built up any momentum. Waz Warsa (everyone knows Waz) has shown a suprising consistency in the series, finishing in the middle of the points in both races. The most amazing thing about these results, is that up until minutes before the race Waz has no idea whose bike he is going to use. His ability to adapt to borrowed equipment is unmatched in the cycling world. Also, during the fourth lap of the race Waz formulated a new algorithm for the conversion of linear finite element approximations to a parallel structure that will run on the water cooled, teraflop Wazmatron he built in his garage before the race. (Wazmatron is a registered trademark) Rod Bush showed his unbelievable tenacity, and endurance by starting out slowly and deliberatly, and then tapering off from there. He marched through the field like a bowling ball in molasses. The wind and the dust affected Rod more than any of the otherracers. "I had to spend my split on Q-tips to cleanmy ears." Rod was heard to say on Monday. Once Rod cleaned his ears he was ecstatic to hear that he had finished in the points for the second time. LobsterBoy Jones (aka Gareth) fell out of contention when he was injured in a spill. The rumoured self-diagnosis was that he broke a finger. After finishing second to Malone in the first week, Lobster Boy was hindered by injury. LobsterBoy willbe back soon, LobsterGirl will see that he iswell taken care of. Geno Fales (our resident Pro/Expert Mountain Biker) was discouraged from the start. "Seeing all those wicked dudes at the start made me tired." After finishing 3rd last week he is looking to have a good showing on the last day which is double points. Brad Nu, is the Cat 4 World Champion. He solidified his title last year when he won a Cat 4 race at SuperWeek. Brads big blue shoulders could be seen at the front of the pack throughout the Super Week Series. Brad has been a Cat 4 for ten years and he attributes his amazing talent to training with Waz sometimes. Tim (I gonna be a docta) Irwin looked like fish out of water. He did manage to stay on course, and the wind did not blow him away. Even Gabe lapped him for God's sake.John Armijo (a certified Albuquerque Bad Ass) has shown consistency and stregth in both of the races and looks to finish in the top ten on points for the series. John attributes his success to, "Painting houses with all of the windows and doors closed." Josh was seen at 1:00 am at a downtown bar, drunkenly explaining the finer points of PshycoCross to a French Bombshell. Josh told the press after the race, "Even with a hangover I can crush Gabe." I don't know too much about Chris but he did finish in front of me. I overheard him telling someone that he started to fast and really died at the end. That made me feel good since I never even came close to him. In conclusion, Malone is a Bad ass, Wretch could get off his death bed and still whip up on 90% of the racers out there, Bart hasn't lost his fitness from China, Frey is contemplating getting a library card, Rod could cultivate potatos in his ears, if Geno can't win than forget it, Waz needs to buy some equipment, Gabe is still as mediocre as ever, Tim Irwin needs to concetrate on school, Brad Nu needs to upgrade, John Armijo needs a breathing mask when using latex in small unventilated rooms, Chris needs to hang out with me more so that I will know who he is next time he beats me, Josh needs to stop hitting me in the bar when I won't buy him a beer.
PAMPLONA - "Miguel e il nome di mio figlio", proclaimed a happy Miguel Indurain. Miguel like his dad. Like his grand-dad. That's the rule in the Indurain clan. Miguelito is just great, and so is mamma Marisa. The baby weighed 4.1 kilos and measured 50 centimeters. [As reported previously in Pro-News] Asked by a journalist if the baby looked like him, Miguel replied, "He looks like me and he looks like Marisa." "I want to spend as much time with my family as possible," said Miguel, "I will have to balance the needs of my family with the necessity of being away from home to compete in races."
The Alto Livenza museum of Portobuffole (Tv) has sponsored the founding of an Italian Cycling Museums Association. Other organizations dedicated to honouring cycling and cyclists are: the Museo del Ghisallo at Magreglio (Co), the Museo Learco Guerra in Mantova, the Museo Alfredo Binda at Cittiglio (Va), the Museo Giannetto Cimurri in Reggio Emilia and the Museo =ABI Campionissimi=BB at Novi Ligure (Al).=7F (Bartali and Magni are still going strong, but time takes it's toll, unfortunately, and there will undoubtably be these, and other, museums to be founded in the future - Bill Henderson)
LECCO - (Italy) That is the prognosis for 22 year old Dario Frigo, from Limbiate (Mi) who will ride for Saeco in '96 and who took a fall the other morning whilst training in the Como region. According to doctor Laura Chiappa, spokeswoman for the Lecco hospital, Dario will be 20 to 30 days recovering from a hairline fracture at the base of his skull. He will stay off the bike and have a good Christmas before resuming training upon the advice of consulting neurosurgeon doctor Taborelli.
(A little Nostalgia) GET READY FOR A GREAT TOUR BY STEPHEN ROCHE It is hard to believe that eight years have already passed since I won my Tour de France! Eight years since that magical season which also included wins at the Tour of Italy and the World Championships. Although I've been retired for two years, I haven't lost any of the passion for the sport, and I'm delighted to be following the Tour again this year as a commentator. I'm particularly excited to be working with the World Media Network which will allow me to reflect on more than just the day's racing and finally plug me into the Internet world. Few of the riders of my day remain active, but the battle is the same, always fierce. **** Sunday July 23 - 20th stage SAINTE GENEVIEVE - PARIS - 155 km 12:48 AM Cosmopolitan Hordes Gather in Paris Cyclings fans and tourists gather on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the thunderbolt of racers flashing up and down the avenue. They come from all over the world, North and South America, Europe and the French provinces. Popping champagne corks, munching sandwiches and waving flags, they picnic and party and wait, sometimes all day, to see some of the greatest athletes on earth. Once mainly a Gallic affair, the Tour is now the third-largest spectator sports event worldwide after the Olympics and the soccer World cup. Every year some 15 million cycling enthusiasts line the route and thousands turn up to watch the grand finale in Paris. Many of them will be waving the red and yellow colors of Spain. Spaniard Miguel Indurain is set to make cycling history in Paris by becoming the only rider to win five consecutive Tours. Other will be rooting for their national heros - Bjarne Riis of Denmark, Alex Zulle of Switzerland and Frenchmen Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque. Surprisingly, the French have not won the Tour in a decade since Bernard Hinault held the yellow jersey. But perhaps once Indurain retires - several years in the future - the French and other nationalities will again have a chance to triumph. 12:55 AM Floating to Paris Ivan Gotti is pedaling on a cloud. He has had his photograph in newspapers worldwide and has been interviewed on Italian television. Even his parents are hounded by the media. As for the neighbors, they are thrilled to have a cycling star in their midst. The church bells in his Italian town on the Adriatic have clanged for days. Gotti, a member of the Gewiss team, rides towards the Champs-Elysees in fifth place, 11 minutes 33 seconds behind Miguel Indurain of Spain. As a newcomer to the Tour, he's proud of his standing, especially that he wore the yellow jersey two days the first week of the competition. Although many miles have passed under his wheels since then, he is still reeling with euphoria. 'It's only now that I realize what it means,' he said. it's=7F unbelievable. Everybody pushes you and slaps you on the back. It's like a dream.' Gotti won the jersey in a fluke. Frenchman Laurent Jalabert crashed before the finish in Le Havre in northern France, putting Gotti in the lead. Two days later a break in the pack defrocked, and he's not come close to retaking it since. But the mere fact of having basked in golden glory has given this shy Italian confidence and ambition. 'I've made enormous progress,' he said. 'After the Tour I would like to compete in the Vuelta. I'll race in the Giro as well, and next winter I'm going to follow a special training schedule.' 12:59 AM Shuffling With the Pack Towards Paris Exhausted and bitter, Andrei Tchmil pedals towards Paris with no hope of glory. He's won no stages, made no heroic attacks, not even come close to wearing a coveted jersey. The Russian leader of the Lotto team wants the ordeal to end. 'It's painful,' Tchmil said. 'Everyone talks about those who are high up in the standings. But the rest of us are suffering.' The Russian is resigned to his 71st place. 'That's sports. That's life,' he said, with a shrug. From the beginning there were omens this would be a catastrophic race for Lotto. It lost its star sprinter Belgian National Champion Wilfried Nelissen in a crash the first week. Other Lotto riders were eliminated in the Alps. The only remaining members are Tchmil and Belgian Peter Farazjin. 'When you don't have any more energy, having two or nine teammates is the same thing,' Tchmil said, remembering struggling over the=7F Alps. 'The race was really fast, and I wasn't feeling well. My legs weren't moving.' At 32, Tchmil is looking back, not forward. 'I've had my day,' he said, remembering his victory in the Paris-Roubaix race in 1994. He did almost as well in the race this year, coming in second. In the future he plans to concentrate on classics. 'Some people aren't made for long tours,' he conceded. 1:54 PM The Other Miguel As towering Miguel Indurain of Spain cycles towards history on Sunday, Miguel Arroyo trails behind, struggling to finish the last stage. Arroyo has had a mediocre Tour. He is in 61st place, 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds behind 'Big Mig'. Considered a gifted climber, Arroyo never made it over the mountains with the best of them. 'The pace is too fast for me,' said Arroyo in an interview with the International Herald Tribune. But the small Mexican - he's stands 5-5 and weighs 130 pounds - is accomplishing one goal by simply finishing the Tour. Arroyo once worked as a farm hand in Mexico. His mother wanted him to go to university and become a professor or an accountant. He choose cycling instead. The 29-year-old Mexican has been consistent, but never a winner. 'I haven't been lucky,' he said. 'I always end up near the finish with two or three other racers and it's difficult for me to win a sprint.' After the Tour, Arroyo plans to return home and prepare for the World Championships in the hope of finishing at least in 10th place. After that, perhaps in three years, he'll give up the life of a racing nomad and settle down with his family. 'I will work in the bicycle shop I set up and try to organize a Mexican cycling team,' he said. 6:05 PM An Historic Fifth Win Miguel Indurain of Spain took his place in the Pantheon of cycling legends on Sunday, winning his fifth consecutive Tour de France. His unequalled flat transcends the restricted sphere of cycling, establishing him as one of the world's top athletes. Indurain won two stages in this year - the two individual time trials - and consistently crossed the finish among the first group of riders. He had many challengers at the beginning, but towards the end of the race the only cyclist near him in the standings was Alex Zulle of Switzerland. Zulle finished second overall, trailing Indurain by 4 minutes and 35 seconds. Denmark's Bjarne Riis, who dreamed of outdistancing Indurain, came in third, at 6 minutes and 47 seconds. Gallic pride was saved by Frenchmen Laurent Jalabert who won the green jersey of the best sprinter and Richard Virenque, crowned 'King of the Mountains' for a second successive year. Uzbek sprinter Djamolidine Aboujaparov, who battled hard for the green jersey, won the final sprint in Paris. Up to a half a million people, slurping wine and waving the national flags of the champions, pressed up against metal barriers on the Champs-Elysees to see the blur of cyclists flash by in the grand finale. 6:15 PM A Long, Hard Tour de France There were 189 hopefuls starting line in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany in western France on July 1st. Only 115 raced the last lap to Paris in one of the fastest, hottest and most difficult Tours in years. There were omens at the beginning that this would be a tough race. In the prologue, rain hammered down as the better riders set off. Britain's Olympic champion Chris Boardman, a time trial specialist, slid and crashed into a metal barrier, breaking an ankle and wrist. A few days later his Gan team also lost another top rider in a crash, French National Champion Eddy Seigneur. The Tour was also a disaster for the only Belgian team in the Tour - Lotto. Its top sprinter, Belgian National Champion Wilfried Nelissen, crashed the first week and had to drop out. Many of the team's other racers were eliminated in the Alps, leaving only two to pedal to Paris. But the worst crisis came in the Pyrenees Mountains on July 18th. Italian racer Fabio Casartelli failed to manuever a curve, crashed and died. The death of this 24-year-old amiable rider shocked and saddened his teammates in Motorola and the rest of the pack. They staged a slow funeral ride though southern France the next day in remembrance. A few days later, Casartelli's American teammate, Lance Armstrong, won an emotional victory in Limoges. Pointing his fingers towards the sky and blowing kisses to the clouds, he dedica d the win to his dead teammate. This Tour was not all tragedy and tears, however. New stars emerged. Italian Ivan Gotti, who has never won a professional race, wore the coveted yellow jersey two days the first week and raced to Paris in fifth place. Frenchman Laurent Jalabert also wore the yellow jersey the first week. He sped to Paris in fourth place sporting the green jersey of the best sprinter. Another Frenchman, Richard Virenque, was crowned 'King of the Mountains' while Italian Marco Pantani won an impressive two stage victories on mountain slopes. Although Virenque keeps the best climber's red polka dot jersey, Pantani was considered to be the best climber of the Tour. The Tour was also a success for Alex Zulle of Switzerland, who won the first stage in the Alps, and, hugging Spaniard Miguel Indurain's wheel, remained in second place to the end. Close behind him in third place was Bjarne Riis of Denmark, who boasted that he could beat Indurain. But the Spaniard, as always, was unbeatable. He won the two individual time trials and was among the first riders to finish in the mountains. In Paris he made history by winning the Tour for the fifth straight time. Only three other riders have had so many victories, but none consecutively.
Coppi takes his place with the best, holding the record for some 14
years until it was bettered by Anquetil in 1956...
World Hour Recordmen
35.325 km: Henri Desgrange, France, in Paris, 1893
38.220 km: Jules Dubois, France, in Paris, 1894
39.240 km: Oscar Van den Eynde, Belgium, in Paris, 1897
40.781 km: Willie Hamilton, U.S., in Denver, U.S., 1898
41.110 km: Lucien Petit-Baron, France, in Paris, 1905
41.520 km: Marcel Berthet, France, in Paris, 1907
42.360 km: Oscar Egg, Switzerland, in Paris, 1912
42.741 km: Marcel Berthet, France, in Paris, 1913
43.525 km: Oscar Egg, Switzerland, in Paris, 1913
43.775 km: Marcel Berthet, France, in Paris, 1913
44.247 km: Oscar Egg, Switzerland, in Paris, 1914
44.588 km: Jan Van Hout, Netherlands, in Roermond, Netherlands,
1933
44.777 km: Maurice Richard, France, in Saint-Trond, Belgium, 1933
45.067 km: Giuseppe Olmo, Italy, in Milan, 1935
45.375 km: Maurice Richard, France, in Milan, 1936
45.535 km: Frans Slaats, Netherlands, in Milan, 1937
45.817 km: Maurice Archambaud, France, in Milan, 1937
45.848 km: Fausto Coppi, Italy, in Milan, 1942
46.159 km: Jacques Anquetil, France, in Milan, 1956
46.393 km: Ercole Baldini, Italy, in Milan, 1956
46.923 km: Roger Riviere, France, in Milan, 1957
47.346 km: Roger Riviere, France, in Milan, 1958
48.093 km: Ferdinand Bracke, Belgium, in Rome, 1967
48.653 km: Ole Ritter, Denmark, in Mexico City, 1968
49.431 km: Eddy Merckx, Belgium, in Mexico City, 1972
50.808 km: Francesco Moser, Italy, in Mexico City, 1984
51.151 km: Francesco Moser, Italy, in Mexico City, 1984
51.596 km: Graeme Obree, Britain, in Hamar, Norway, 1993
52.270 km: Chris Boardman, Britain, in Bordeaux, France, 1993
52.713 km: Graeme Obree, Britain, in Bordeaux, France, 1994
53.040 km: Miguel Indurain, Spain, in Bordeaux, France, 1994
53.832 km: Tony Rominger, Switzerland, in Bordeaux, France, 1994
55.291 km: Tony Rominger, Switzerland, in Bordeaux, France, 1994