The 100th edition of the Tour De France, held over the last few weeks, has not been without incident. Crashes, controversy and drug talk has followed the cyclists around France, culminating in the second British winner in two years, after over two centuries of failure. Certainly British cycling has improved over the last few decades, with riders like Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and, more recently, Chris Froome coming to the fore. Are we seeing the beginning of a spell of British dominance in the Tour, or is it just a case of 'London buses': we wait centuries for one, and then two come along at once? This blog post will sum up the events of the 2013 Tour de France, and assess whether we are likely to see further British winners in the near future.
This year's tour began in chaos, with a team bus becoming stuck at the finish line, causing a huge pile up. This left Tony Martin with a concussion and a contusion on his left lung, and Geraint Thomas with a fractured pelvis. The carnage also prevented Mark Cavendish from taking the first yellow jersey of his career, leaving Marcel Kittel to take the first stage. Froome and Team Sky's consistency ensured that Froome rose from his initial classification of 41st after stage 1, to 7th after the team time trial stage 4. Stage 5 saw the Manxman Cavendish take another stage in his career, with a convincing sprint finish to win. Froome had to wait until the 8th stage to take a victory, simultaneously claiming the yellow jacket for the first time. An emphatic 51 second victory gave signs of what was to come, and set Froome up nicely for the mid-part of the Tour.
Froome maintained his lead over the next four stages, giving himself a three minute overall lead by the end of stage 11. Stage 11 will also be memorable for Mark Cavendish. Neither the Tour, nor the Olympics, has given Cavendish the success that many believe he is due, with the Manxman the only British rider in 2012 not to take a gold medal home from London. This year was unfortunately no exception to that pattern, with his most memorable moment coming in the cycle between Avranches and Mont-Saint-Michel. After being blamed for a collision in the previous stage, Cavendish recieved whistles, boos, and most seriously, was sprayed with urine by a spectator as he rode in stage 11. A shameful act, which threatened to derail an otherwise enthralling Tour. Cycling as a sport does not need further controversy, with the doping scandals still hanging over the athletes heads. Further questions were to be raised after the announcement by Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, stating that they had been found guilty of doping. This led to questions over the conduct of Tour leader Froome, to the extent that some of his blood was sent off for analysis, and tapes of his previous Tour performances were reviewed, in order to determine whether it was 'humanly possible to improve to that level without doping'. Fortunately for both the Brit, and cycling as a sport, the tests concluded that Froome had not been doping, and was able to continue his assault on the rest of the field.
Over the next couple of stages, Froome's lead began to be eaten away at, losing a full minute in stage 13, and finishing 7 minutes adrift of the stage winner in the following race. His grip on the yellow jersey was beginning to look tenuous, and he will have undoubtedly been looking nervously over his shoulder. However, he responded in magnificent fashion, taking stage 15 on the backdrop of one of the most iconic mountain climbs of the Tour, and extending his lead to four minutes over the chasing pack. Surely it was his to lose now? A further victory in the individual time trial stage 17, saw the Brit practically confirmed as the Tour winner, as only a crash, or a serious incident, could prevent him from taking his maiden Tour victory. The win was confirmed in the final stage, finishing safely in the peloton to ensure that he followed Bradley Wiggins's lead, and became only the second Briton ever to win the historic event. The final stage also saw the incredible run of Mark Cavendish come to an end. Having won 4 successive stages on the Champs-Elysees, the Manxman failed to emulate his previous successes, being pushed out by the sprint king of the 2013 Tour, Marcel Kittel. But the day belonged to Froome, who stepped out of the shadow of Bradley Wiggins's sideburns, and showed that he is a fantastic rider in his own right. I am certain we will see many battles, both on the road and the track, between the pair of them over the coming years. British cycling certainly seems to be in good hands.
Traditionally, Britain have always been successful when it comes to cycling. In recent Olympics, this has been magnified, with names like Victoria Pendleton, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott and Mark Cavendish becoming household names. There was certainly reason to be concerned that this was just a 'Golden Era' for British cycling, as these 'eras' often only last a decade or so. If we look at other sports, England's dominance in rugby lasted less than that, and England's 'Golden Generation' in football never really materialised. So concerns were certainly raised when it began to look as though Beijing would be Chris Hoy's last Olympics, and Pendleton began to look past her best. However, firstly Wiggins, and then Froome on the men's side, and Laura Trott on the women's side, seem capable of picking up the mantle, and certainly seem no less talented than their pre-decessors. Credit must go the British Cycling coaches, headed by Dave Brailsford, for managing to consistently nurture such fantastic talent. As for whether we will see British dominance in the Tour de France, I think we would optimistic to predict that. However, I wouldn't mind betting that both Froome, and Wiggins, will be considered amongst the favourites every time they take to the hallowed streets.
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