Daniel Lloyd gave viewers a great insight into the ways of the pro peloton yesterday. As the Giro d' Italia wound it's way towards Benevento, the former professional cyclist turned TV pundit related an interesting observation of his days with the now-defunct Cervelo Test Team.
Working primarily as a domestique, one of Lloyd's key responsibilities was to deliver team leader Carlos Sastre to the bottom of an important climb in a good position. This function is easier than it sounds, where the domestique's role is to shield their GC rider from the wind and elements all the while providing bottles and whatever other assistance the team leader requires. Conventional wisdom and logic dictates that being towards the front of the peloton is pretty much a given in order to go with the main breakaways. Not so for Sastre who insisted on staying towards the back end of the bunch literally to the foot of a key climb, providing Lloyd with a few butterflies to say the least. The fact that Sastre literally rode through virtually the entire field once the road veered upwards might seem surprising. That he was in the top three over the summit is simply astounding. Or is it?
Lloyd's commentary reminded me of another rider who employed a similar tactic to Carlos Sastre. Fellow Spaniard Mario Lejarreta of eighties fame was well known for actually defending last position in the peloton on the flat roads before slicing through the field on the ascents. Passing other riders at speed uphill is a fantastic feeling he said, where this seemingly counter-intuitive tactic yielded Lejarreta many a high finish at Grand Tours.
The fact that Sastre and Lejarreta share the same nationality on top of their sporting idiosyncrasies could be coincidental. Then again Lejarreta hails from the Basque Country where riders from that region tend to eschew science in favour of instinct and intuition. And anybody who viewed Overcoming will recall Sastre and team owner Bjarne Riis having heated discussions regarding training techniques, throwback versus science.
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Speaking of sporting documentaries, another film profiling another Spanish athlete went live late last week.
On My Own Way is a short film profiling former World Champion triathlete Ivan Rana. Produced by Gines Diaz and Adrian Rodd, this compelling five minute flick demonstrates the world of Rana in a wonderfully flowing and almost poetic way. A three-time Olympian, Rana has never been afraid to follow his own path to athletic stardom. Be it running barefoot in the forest, spending a "gap year" as pro cyclist in order to fulfill a dream or walking the Camino de Santiago in the off-season, the native of Ordes and resident of Santiago de Compostela quite literally does things in his own way.
Like Lejarreta and Sastre, Rana is almost a throwback to years past of swashbuckling adventurers and explorers, where idiosyncrasies were often viewed as key qualities instead of suspicion and weirdness. Instinct and courage aren't necessarily guarantees for success but when success through these means is achieved it is often resounding and emphatic. Thinking out of the box seems to be a common denominator between these three fellows (read: amigos) were having the balls to stay true to what simply feels right is often the difference between success and failure.
Rana comments that his barefoot run though the plains of Lanzarote has yielded negative sensations leaving with cuts and bruises, much like his 2015 season. The mind-body connection is evident here indicate imbalance; not so at the beginning of the month with this performance sans shoes.
Rana, Sastre, Lejarreta: La Hombres de la Carrera!
