Cyclopedia (29 page)

JOURNALISTS
Cycling is unique among sports in that its biggest and oldest events were founded and run by journalists. This led to an unusually close relationship between the written press and bike racing, which lasted over a century and has only changed in recent years. The first place-to-place cycle race, Paris–Rouen in 1868, was founded by Richard Lesclide, editor of the the first cycling magazine,
Le Vélocipede Illustré
. PARIS–BREST–PARIS, the TOUR DE FRANCE, and GIRO D'ITALIA began during daily newspaper circulation wars by the sports newspapers
Le Vélo
,
l'Auto
, and
Gazzetta dello Sport
respectively. The
Het Volk
Classic in Belgium was run by the paper of that name.

Early writers were often propagandists for the nascent cycling movement. Lesclide was one, as were others such as S. S. McClure of
The Wheelman
in America. In France, the writer Paul de Viviès, who wrote under the name VELOCIO, founded the “diagonals”—touring routes from one corner of France to another—and campaigned for the use of the derailleur (see Velocio's entry for his seven commandments of cycling). The director of
Le Petit Journal
, Albert Lejeune, was behind Paris–Nice, which has perhaps the most evocative name in cycling: La Course au Soleil, “the race to the sun.”

While Robin Magowan was one of the first American journalists to cover the Tour de France, in 1978 (his book on that year's race,
Tour de France, the 75th Anniversary Race
, is now out of print), Samuel Abt was the first US journalist to cover
the Tour regularly, producing dispatches for the
Herald Tribune
for over a quarter of a century. His books include
In High Gear: The World of Professional Bicycle Racing
;
Greg LeMond: The Incredible Comeback
; and
Off to the Races: 25 Years of Cycling Journalism
. Abt was the first American to be awarded the Tour de France medal for long service on the race. Abt said that the main challenge he faced was that he could not produce technical writing, since a newspaper audience does not have specialist knowledge of cycling, and instead he had to write about the people, the surroundings, and the strategy of the race, if it could be “explained coherently.” Rupert Guinness performed a similar role in bringing the sport to the Australian public by following PHIL ANDERSON, while the British pioneer was J. B. Wadley for the
Daily Telegraph
in the 1950s and 1960s. The doyen of the press pack in cycling these days is the British writer John Wilcockson, who edits the American magazine
Velo News
(which he founded together with Magowan's son Felix). Wilcockson, a former correspondent for the London
Times
, has covered 40 Tours since the 1960s. Jacques Augendre of
l'Equipe
was the first writer to cover 50 Tours.

As the French writer Jacques Marchand notes, the relationship between the press and the sport has changed in recent years. In the days of
l'Auto
, journalists treaded carefully around the issue of doping since the small number who covered cycling were an integrated part of the sport: their papers ran races, they stayed with the cyclists, and they traveled with the teams. Although few of them were former professional cyclists—Louison Bobet's brother Jean was an exception—but many had been keen amateurs. The sport was small in scale, and the cyclists were accessible and open. As late as 1989, it was possible to turn up at a hotel the night before the world championship and interview the Tour de
France winner off-the-cuff.

The rise of television in the 1990s and the arrival of big money in sports ended that close rapport, which has been made infinitely more complicated by a decade of doping scandals, as the
Times
writer Jeremy Whittle portrayed in his 2008 account of his career,
Bad Blood
. Cycling journalists are now divided into specialists, who cover the sport all season and have close relations with the teams, and the outsiders who turn up for the Tour de France. The riders are shielded by their agents and PR men, at races they hide in vast buses, and they are mistrustful of the press because of its coverage of drug scandals.

Most writers today are divided on the doping issue: some pretend it doesn't exist, but most admire the sport and hate doping and have an honest desire to give cyclists the benefit of the doubt unless charges are proven. There are relatively few writers who actively campaign against doping: the exceptions are
l'Equipe
's specialist Damien Ressiot, who in August 2005 broke the news that EPO had been detected in urine samples given by LANCE ARMSTRONG during the 1999 Tour, and the London
Sunday Times
sportswriter David Walsh, who has produced a series of books detailing doping allegations against Lance Armstrong, culminating in
From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France
(Ballantine Books, 2007).

KEIRIN
Probably the richest form of cycle racing on the planet, this Japanese discipline takes its name from the words for wheel and bet. This is a paced track event in which a group of nine sprinters are led up to finish speed before the pacer pulls off—usual ly with two or two and a half laps to go—so the sprinters can launch themselves for the line. It is the heart of a massive, intricate betting industry that is hugely popular in Japan. The sport was launched there in 1948 and is run by the Nihon Jitensha Shinko
kai (National Keirin Association).

Keirin has been part of the world track championships since 1980, and an Olympic discipline since 2000, but with two subtle differences. In the international arena the field is six riders per heat, and the pacing is done by a small motorbike with pedals to supplement the engine, known as a DERNY. In Japan the pacer who takes the sprinters up to launch speed is another cyclist.

In Japan, the riders wear motorbike helmets and body padding, with racing gear in full color depending on their rank. They bow as they enter the arena; the races typically are 2 kilometers, with a bell ringing constantly from 1.5 laps to go. The races are overseen by four judges, each one sitting in a tower on one of the four corners. The most successful keirin winner ever is Koichi Nakano, who also won the professional world sprint championship from 1977 to 1986.

“The top Japanese riders drive Ferraris and Lamborghinis and they're shocked at how penniless we are,” Scotland's Olympic
medalist Craig MacLean told author Richard Moore in
Heroes, Villains and Velodromes.
The top-ranked Keirin Grand Prix is worth over $1 million. A select group of foreigners—less than 10—race the circuit each year, but before competing they have to attend keirin school on a campus which has no less than four velodromes. There, the foreigners are fast-tracked but the Japanese entrants have to train and study for up to 15 hours a day. Among the entry criteria, new recruits must have no Yakuza (i.e., organized crime) connections.

As with sumo wrestling, keirin rules are arcane, devised to ensure that races cannot be fixed—the early years of keirin were marred by scandals—and cannot be affected by outside factors, so that racing conditions are perceived as fair by the betting punters. The bikes and equipment have to be made to strict guidelines by a certified builder, and have not changed for 20 years: frames are steel, and wheels have to be 36-spoked.

All components must be approved by the NJS. Riders are responsible for their own bike maintenance, which has to be done in silence.

The hierarchy among the several thousand pros is determined by points awarded for wins and placings, with a cut taken each month: the top 50 from each category go up, the bottom 50 are “relegated.” The lowest-ranked riders are eventually replaced by recruits from keirin school.

Tactics—where the rider will sit in the string behind the pacer and when he will launch his move—have to be declared in advance and strictly adhered to on pain of fines or bans. During a three-day keirin meet, the riders have to cut off all contact with the outside world. Mobile phones, computers, and other means of communication are banned. Riders cannot make gestures that could be interpreted by illicit gamblers, such as lifting the arms to celebrate a race win.

Foreigners to race the circuit include CHRIS HOY, who went on to be Olympic champion in 2008. But outsiders rarely win. The best Japanese, on the other hand, rarely turn up at the major championships. It's more lucrative to stay at home.

 

(SEE
TRACK RACING
FOR OTHER INTERNATIONAL DISCIPLINES)