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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
2002 Tour de France rider journals
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Bradley McGee
Nationality: Australian
Team: La Francaise de Jeux
Bradley McGee can ride a four kilometre individual pursuit faster than some elite squads can ride as a quartet, averaging close to 60 clicks an hour for four minutes, all on his own. Scary, isn't it? No surprise then the good-looking New South Welshman has now matured to become a feared prologue and TT specialist, recently winning the prologue of the Dauphiné Libéré from his compatriot Baden Cooke - over a distance you might say was rather familiar to him: 3.6 kilometres. However Brad doesn't just want to be master of the chrono; he wants that and more.
Stage 13 - Saturday July 20: Lavelanet - Béziers, 171 km
Hold the phone, I'm still here
Hold the phone, I am still here. Been missing in action for a few days thanks to a 60 km/h body slide into a barb wired fence coming of the Col d'Abisque the other day. Haven't really had time to punch out my diary with all the patch up work needed on my skin lose and the fact yesterday was a lovely 200km roll around the Pyrenees. Lovely? Haven't these people heard of tunnels! I have been in a constant mind battle of late as the pain from the crash sets in, but the motivation to get through, recover and come back to the front of the bunch destroys any whisper of throwing in the towel.
Today, stage 13 was going to be my big stage with a perfect attacking course allowing a good group to get up the road and leave the bunch behind to the US postal tempo (interested only in protecting the GC lead and allowing a break to get many minutes). Sure enough this is what exactly happened but I was not there. Nor was I comfortable in the bunch. I was often tailing the field in fear of being dropped with absolutely no force in my legs to hold the moderate tempo. Obviously, and hopefully, a response to my crash on stage 11 but a real bastard of a day all round. One positive is that my mate David Millar did get up the road and took the stage. Nice one Dave.
Once agian Cookie took the bunch kick and this time with a good distance to Robbie and the other green jersey riders.
Thanks guys,
Brad
- Bradley McGee's official website - www.bradleymcgee.com
- pre TdF interview - Watch out here I come
- Brad's 2001 TdF diary
- Bradley McGee: A Profile
