The small town of Soissons in Picardie, northern France, is just like any other little French town – that is to say, they love their cycling. The host town of a stage of this year’s Route de France, the women’s Tour de France, on Saturday the attention turned to men’s road racing as Soissons hosted the départ of the 2012 Paris-Brussels.
A mix of both ProContinental and WorldTour teams made their way to Picardie to contest the race through the stunning French countryside. The summer sun promised a beautiful day and warm temperatures ahead for riders and spectators alike. Those lucky enough to have a race pass sipped beverages in the shade of the pavilion as they watched the team presentations, while others jostled for the best positions to watch from the side.
For some it was the chance to meet the riders that had people turning out in their hundreds. FDJ-Bigmat and their young rider Arnaud Démare and Omega Pharma-Quickstep with the Classics rider of the moment, Tom Boonen, were particularly popular, fans swamping the team buses to get autographs or photos with their heroes. Even the promising Danish youngster Jonas Aaen Jörgensen was more than happy to smile for photos as he strapped on his helmet and headed for the starting banner.
Despite their smiling faces for the fans, the riders were still focused on the race to come. I spoke with one of Team Rabobank’s Australian riders before the race got underway, and Graeme Brown had a very pithy description of what lay ahead. “Long day,” he put it simply. Brown was part of the leadout for Rabobank’s other Australian rider, sprinter Mark Renshaw. “Absolutely, I think Mark could be on the podium today. We’ve put everything on him, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be Rabobank’s day. The five-man breakaway was brought back in time for the sprint, but Omega-Pharma Quickstep’s train proved too strong for Rabobank, and Renshaw was left to sprint against Boonen in the final few metres. There was nothing the Australian could do to prevent the Belgian superstar taking his 13th victory for the season, adding a Paris-Brussels win to his Classics repertoire. With the World Championships on the way, Boonen has certainly shown himself to be the rider to beat.
There is a red BMC jersey hanging out the window of the Hilton Hotel. The owner probably just wants to air it before tomorrow, but for those who notice it it’s a reminder that their heroes are not far away.
The Santos Tour Down Under Tour Village sits in the shadow of the Hilton in the late afternoon sun. Outside in the small grassy area, the sponsors are spruiking their wares, offering freebies and competitions to the hundreds of fans who pass by, while inside the main tent the team mechanics are preparing the bikes for the following day’s stage, the curious public watching as they clean the bikes, change wheels and lubricate chains. Across the road is the bike expo, all the bicycle, helmet and clothing sponsors showcasing their goods to the avid cyclists, as well as the GreenEDGE caravan where Robbie McEwen will hold a book-signing later.
The Tour Village is often one of the best places to meet the riders - the team buses and cars pull up into the field behind the village, the riders cutting through the village to the team-only gate leading to the pedestrian crossing outside the Hilton. As we wander the tents, Mark Renshaw walks past in his orange Rabobank jersey carrying a large bag of ice; he is evidently repeating his ice-bath recovery of the day before.
Nathan Haas also wanders past with a coffee in hand and stops for a chat. His day was not as good as he had hoped, his form just not what he needed it to be this early in the season. When we asked how it felt riding at a ProTour level for the first time, he also made the interesting comment the ProTour cyclists don’t necessarily ride at a higher level than the Continental teams, but they ride more days a year at that same level. We wish him luck for the Tour and the year and he heads back to the hotel.
Inside the village pavilion I stand and stare at the mechanics working on the bikes, picking the numbers on the frames to know it’s Gerro’s or Robbie McEwen’s or Blel Kadri’s ride they’re working on. They have a routine for each bike – first cleaning away the grit with a compressed air gun, then checking all the brakes and moving parts, preparing and attaching the wheels and finally lubricating the chain and gears to ensure maximum response on the road. It’s fascinating how intricate the work is – and how well the mechanics know the bikes.
I talk to some of the GreenEDGE soigneurs and mechanics as I watch. Of all the mechanics, soigneurs and other helpers on the road, only one is close to home: all of them are European except for one New Zealander. While GreenEDGE ideally wants an Australian support team for their Australian riders, the quality of soigneurs and mechanics hasn’t yet reached that of the riders. Instead the two Basque mechanics methodically prepare all the team’s bikes in turn before refitting a few punctured wheels for tomorrow’s stage. Only one of these mechanics will be in the team car once the race starts, ready to assist riders with problems on the road.
Back outside the grass is full of seated people, watching a replay of the day’s stage up on the big screen. Many of those who watched the stage from the roadside haven’t seen anything else of the race. Up in the back corner in the radio station’s tent, 5AA are broadcasting their Santos Tour Down Under show live, the presenters giving me a smile as I stand and watch them for a while. At 7:30pm a live band steps onstage, entertaining the crowd while the Hilton’s food stall does a roaring trade in cones of chips and plastic cups of beer. We leave for the train station.
As we leave, we notice the figure of Lotto-Belisol’s injured rider Jürgen Roelandts talking to a couple of friends in one of the inside stalls. Apparently we are not the only ones, as a couple of other cyclists stop to say hello. As he leaves, we walk over and wish Jürgen all the best for his recovery and the coming season, and he thanks us in his lovely Belgian accent. We smile at each other, exit the pavilion and leave the village with all its noise and colour behind us.
We didn’t make the train.
