FULL FLIGHT….

The sheer poetry in motion when a bike rider is in full flight is something to behold. The exhilaration mixed with undisturbed focus is something that is magical. In the 1992 Tour De France Britain’s Chris Boardman showed just how it’s done in the prologue.

When it was ‘Big Migs’ turn, he rode away from the whole peloton…up and over a climb with only Johann Bruyneel in tow and this on a day before a major time trial. It was the 1995 Tour stage from Charleroi to Liege in Belgium.

And of course my favourite in 1988 on Luz Ardiden, Pedro Delgado of Segovia from Spain, turned on the power from the legs of the world’s greatest climber and left the best of the rest as if they were standing still. In my opinion, nothing compares to seeing a cyclist in flight on a mountain stage. It is something so sublime, so powerful you can almost taste it.

Then the greatest climber of all time with 7 crowns to the KOM Jersey, the Maillot Espois; Richard Virenque of France on Mont Ventoux while being chased by the American, Lance Armstrong, was out in a break-away all day and still managed an attack leaving his rivals in the heat of Provence. Such talent as this Frenchman had is rarely seen and I suppose the only one who comes close is Federico Bahamontes of Spain in the earlier years.

We also see Thierry Marie on a 300km break-away riding at his best going on to win the stage and the Maillot Jaune in 1991 on the 6^th Stage dropping Lemond from first place. Miguel Indurain was to win his first of five wins that year.

I once watched Miguel Indurain and Pedro Delgado descend into St Etienne, they dropped everyone in their wake, to see such great cyclists move through slippery descents and chicanes is to say the least, moving.

But in the end, no matter who it is, we have all experienced this moment, the decisive moment, that moment of untouchableness. That moment when you look over your shoulder and all you see is the shaking of heads… and there is just no response because you are in full flight!

Photograph of Miguel Indurain courtesy of micaiahsellsout.wordpress.com/.../

All other photographs courtesy of my friends. Above Kevin Evans in the Giro Del Capo and below Mark Florence in the 94.7, both from South Africa