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A feeling bittersweet
Missing out on a Tour de France berth may
have been a good thing for Simon Gerrans, for the 2009 season has
quickly turned out to be his annus mirabilis.
Look past
his baby face and saccharine smile, and there lurks arguably
Australia’s best one-day rider of his generation, who, at 29 years old,
is entering the prime of his professional cycling life. The best is
still Phil Anderson, and in that sense it’s apt, for the reverential
Anderson was Gerrans’ mentor in his early years.
Top-ten
placings in the three Ardennes classics – Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne
and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – followed by a stage win at this year’s Giro
d’Italia led all and sundry to believe we’d see Gerrans flying the flag
at this year’s Tour de France, supporting defending champion Carlos
Sastre and the team’s sprinter Thor Hushovd.
Incredulously, the Monaco resident found himself watching on the sidelines. How his Cervélo TestTeam must rue that decision now.
Clearly,
the shock omission only added fuel to the fire burning inside the belly
of Gerrans, who since then, has won his first major classic, the GP
Ouest-France in Plouay a tad over two weeks ago, then confirmed his
rise to stardom by triumphing on Stage 10 of the Vuelta a España.
Look at how he won his three grand tour stage wins, becoming the first Australian to do so.
The
stage to Prato Nevoso at the 2008 Tour finished atop an 11.4-kilometre
climb; this year’s Giro leg to Bologna also ended with a summit finish,
but was only 2.1-km in length; and the Vuelta stage had a sub-four-km
climb that topped out 11-km from the finish in Murcia, which provided
the springboard for victory.
All were won deep into the race (stages fifteen, fourteen and ten,
respectively) and each time, Gerrans won from a small breakaway, which
not just demonstrates versatility, but finishing speed, strength in the
finale, and cunning.
Combine likely equal leaders Stuart O’Grady, Allan Davis and Cadel
Evans into the mix, and Australia may well witness their first world
road champion on September 27 in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
A
leg-sapping 262 kilometres in length and coupled with a mammoth 4,655
metres’ vertical gain – equivalent to three Alpine passes at the Tour
de France – the insidious road will undoubtedly determine who in this
heady quartet four has the legs to go the nineteen laps required.
It’s a pity that’s the only time you’ll see nine Aussies racing as one.
That
Gerrans – along with Mathew Hayman and Chris Sutton – signed with
British-backed Team Sky leaves me feeling bittersweet. No doubt, it’s
going to be a kick-ass squad with loads of moolah, leading-edge
equipment, and some of the best sport-directors in the biz, one of whom
is an Australian, Scott Sunderland.
But shouldn’t we be
heralding the birth of Australia’s first Tour de France squad? Is this
not the next logical step for Australian cycling?
“I’d be very
disappointed if it didn’t happen in the next couple of years,” O’Grady
told me in a phone interview prior the start of the Vuelta.
“We
basically need a big company to come on board who’s interested in the
Tour de France. We’ve got such a great pool of talent; we’ve got such a
wide variety of riders.
“And I think once they see the return
they make on the Tour de France, then they’re probably asking
themselves why they didn’t do it ten years ago. But hopefully it will
happen sooner rather than later,” said O’Grady.
It’s time to
raise this issue once again, get Australian investors interested,
motivated and committed, and get an all-Aussie team to the Tour de
France. The time is now.
Your Say
Melbourne
Who here remembers Paul Stoddard? A proud aussie living in Europe who owns an airline (Oz Jet) and threw away hundreds of millions of dollars in F1. Cycling is a mostly european sport and Europe is his market. I am sure running a protour team would be a more cost effective way of advertising his brand in his target market while being patriotic.
Sydney
I'm not sure why your hung up on this distance issue. It's gonna be one hell of a show for the 2010 world championships to see every cyclist take a private jet over to our shores. And how do you explain a Russian team entering into the market with their distance problem as well?? And who said it has to be a company/bank?? I'm sure we have a few Oleg Tinkov's in our population to put up funds. Lance Armstrong was rumoured to be paid $1 million from SA government to come over. I think that is proof enough that Australia is capable of investing money into the sport. Anthony Tan is right, the time is now. You only need to look over to the USA, where the goverment froze half the funds for the Tour of Missouri. That race is now in jeopordy. Where the TDU is SA biggest sporting event. I think you're trying to find excuses when they don't exist.
Melbourne Australia
Hi Michael, It's a money thing when a company doesn't have the big bucks to gamble in the first place. BANKS don't go broke very often. If you could name an aussie company willing to sponsor a cycling team, then go for it. Would like to see it happen. Lance Armstrong is promoting his Livestrong Foundation, and Adelaide were fortunate to gain his services/promotion of the TDU by his association with "The Lithgow flash"-Marjory Jackson, who lost her husband to cancer. so in fact, Lance , by his appearance , made this race a higher profile, and this was great for cycling and tourism. Also it is a distance thing. Hauling oneself from Europe to Adelaide is hardly a domestic flight, unless a cyclist has a private jet and support team likeTom Cruise. The UCI calendar ain't gonna change much. Why ? because it's a money and distance thing
Sydney
"Its a distance and money thing".... hmmm... How would you then describe team ASTANA? Last time I checked the UCI calendar I don't remember the big boys racing there. But somehow the Tour Down Under doesn't get a mention when clearly we attract some of the biggest names in the sport. Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pereiro, Andre Greipel, Robbie McEwen. No, I don't think think you have a strong case there. Sure it is a lot of money to fund a TOP-END team, but with an estimated $500 000 return on advertising exposure with a small breakaway, its good value. Some teams are only on a reported $3 million budget. Now ask yourself if it is really a money thing.
Sydney
I agree, Cervelo TT must be condemned for leaving Simon Gerrans out of the Tour de France....Carlos who!? And good on SG for going to Team Sky next year, sounds like an interesting 2010 coming up!!!
Melbourne Australa
Joel, I read your comments with interest, and for all those reasons Australia wouldn't be able to fund a team. It's a distance and money thing, plain and simple. No aussie company would be interested in global exposure, Our politicians sold us out to off shore manufacturing. Remember ? None of the state Tourism bodies would be interested either, they can't even hire a full time photographer/journalist/writer to promote Australia. Unfortunately cycling in Australia doesn't have the history of big tours, like Europe. Our guys are forced to compete where the big gigs are. It's all about a wage, for professional cyclists. It takes $millions to support a team, and only the big companies, & bankks can handle this massive sponsorships, but then we all know this, so where does it leave Aussie cyclists. In Europe, with a nice chalet, if the cyclist is good enough to be in a well heeled team.
Adelaide
Good Point Dany, look at what the nationaly diverse Team Columbia has achieved.
mt morgan
I can still remember how national teams almost destroyed European pro cycling,that is why we have now pro teams based on ability of each rider and overall tactics of the team,and how each fits into the tactics and aspirations of the team regardless of nationality.I think, it would be tragic to start to promote national pride instead of a good competition.So please keep nationalism out of sport ,it is bad enough in politics
Maroochydore
columbia doesnt have a single american on its roster besides hincapie who is leaving they just care about winning. american sponsors come and go and fortunately they have enough companies to fill the void. what would happen to an australian team if its major sponsor was to pull out after a year or two.
Sydney
If sponsorship is ever going to be found, it will need to be an Australian company wanting significant exposure world wide and more specifically Europe. The companies must also be willing to put that much money (I guess $US10+million as Astana is rumoured to have around a $US20 million budget) into advertising in a single basket. Personally, I don't see it happening quickly unless a group like Tourism Australia decide to take the plunge. I suspect it's way outside of Qantas budget.
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