Le Tour de Rivalry

It’s history time for cycling

As is the way with every other sport, cycling has a folkloric aspect that details the great rivalries between men hauling their bodies up mountains I could honestly never contemplate EVER climbing.

A rivalry is a part of the media circus and inevitably there is one each year, mainly between the riders aiming to win in Paris.

For back in the day there was Eddy Merckx; whose riding style was uncompromising and ferocious style while Spaniard Luis Ocana was the first rider to succeed his four titles in 1973 after Merckx was asked not to attend for concern he’d rival the Frenchman Jacque 

Anquetil’s record of 5 tour wins. Yes, that did happen. And mind you, Eddy Merckx would come back a year later and claim yellow for the fifth time.

However in modern times any time two riders of note join on the same team it is as if the media have a duty to speculate a rivalry.

This occurred with Lance Armstrong joining Astana with Alberto Contador in 2009.

And again it has been referred to as reigning world champion Thor Hushovd joins the current winner of le Tour de France Cadel Evans on American based team BMC.

As Hushovd is a sprinter it would divvy up the focus on the overall title if he were not to work for Evans to defend his golden title.

However from the outset Evans has dampened claims that there is a rivalry and states that he (Hushovd) needs to work for Evans during the tour.

If anything, saying from the outset what will happen is anything but self destructive, in fact it quells media inflating a balloon as this balloon of tabloids now has a hole in due to Evans confirmation of 2012 BMC tour team dynamics.

While there are rivalries in cycling its best to keep them on opposing teams and not your own.