Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in ericqjprice's InsaneJournal:

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
5:01 pm	The Loss of Pro Biker Simpson It seemed right to place a bunch of white flowers on Tom Simpson's grave yesterday, the eve of the 40th anniversary of his death on Mont Ventoux. Simpson, who grew up in Harworth, died of exhaustion during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967. Looking at the photo you have the overwhelming urge to physically step back into history and drag Simpson off his bike, by force if necessary, and save him from himself. Simpson in yellow In 1962 he became the first Britain to wear the maillot jaune in the Tour de France, although he held onto it for only one day he finished in 6th place overall. Tom Simpson – Early Life Tom Simpson was born in County Durham, the youngest child of a coal miner in 1937. The family later moved to Nottingham where Tom became interested in cycling. During his amateur career he quickly established himself as the coming man. "The French loved him because after two weeks in France he was doing his interviews in French, broken French admittedly, but this was just an ordinary guy from Nottingham." Simpson won the BBC sports personality of the year in 1965 Tommy Simpson grew up in Harworth in north Nottinghamshire in the 1940s. From an early age he developed a passion for cycling and joined the Harworth and District cycling club. He left for Brittany, where he raced in amateur races and also met his future wife Helen Sherburn. Life as a Pro Cyclist After winning a couple of amateur races he was offered a contract with Rapha Geminiani Team, who also had British cyclist Brian Robinson on the squad. Those front pages are on display in the little museum dedicated to Simpson in the sports and social club at Harworth, the north Nottinghamshire mining village to which his family moved when a child. In 1962, he became the first British cyclist to wear the maillot jaune of the Tour, eventually finishing 6th overall. By 1963, he was riding for a new team Peugeot BP (with distinctive black and white jerseys). Two years later he became world champion and acquired the coveted rainbow jersey. Also on display are the jersey, the white fingerless mitts and the black shorts in which he died two years later. This was a considerable achievement given that 1965 also saw the brilliant Scotsman Jim Clark win the Formula 1 World Championship and the Indianapolis 500. Tom Simpson and the Tour de France After his exertions on his maiden tour in 1960 Simpson may have been expected to rethink his approach, but playing the percentage game was not his style. Unlucky or reckless, or a combination of both. The 1965 tour was a huge disappointment. "Put me back on my bike," he said to the crowd. Cyclists at the Tom Simpson monument on Mont Ventoux A police helicopter took Tommy to the St. Marthe hospital at Avignon but he was declared dead soon after arrival. Harworth has lost its shoe factory, its light-bulb factory and a colliery that once provided 1,100 jobs. The shock of Simpson's death is still etched on the minds of a generation of the British and French public. This time Simpson was unconscious. The son of a Durham coal miner, Simpson appreciated and respected the value of money. The words carved into the stone are in French: "A la memoire de Tom Simpson, medaille Olympique, champion du monde, ambassadeur sportif Britannique." Back in his home village a replica stands at the entrance to the sports club. On this one the inscription is in English. But then came the warning signs On the Vuelta - the Tour of Spain, then held earlier in the year - he won two stages but also had to be forcibly dragged from his bike by his Peugeot manager, Gaston Plaud, when he started zig-zagging out of control on the ascent of Port d'Envalira in the Pyrenees while 10 minutes ahead. Despite this Simpson managed to get into a breakaway group as the climb progressed, but he could not sustain the pace. Eventually Simpson fell back to a chasing group, yet still he tried to attack on a couple of occasions and make up lost ground. Offers of water by a fellow rider were refused, as Simpson held grimly on. Aftermath The cycling community was shocked by his death. The next stage of the Tour was a procession, with the British riders allowed to cross the finishing line first (Barry Hoban happened to be first) At first the link between his death and drugs was not widely publicised. After struggling for a while to maintain control of his bike Simpson finally collapsed." Plaud's account ties in with that of Simpson's respected British colleague, Vin Denson, who had advised Simpson to retire three days earlier after a torrid Alpine stage when Simpson had suffered horribly with a gastric upset.. After his tragedy, the UCI did start to implement more drug testing, although its efficacy was open to question... When his fellow riders learned of his death later that day there was widespread disbelief that one of the most charismatic and universally loved members of the peloton was gone. A post mortem revealed that Simpson had been taking amphetamine. Indeed, in Death on the Mountain the journalist Jean Bobet remembered Simpson poking his tongue out before the start to reveal five tablets. At the bottom of the mountain a number of witnesses remember him being one of many riders who swept through a cafe to help themsleves to every drink available. It seems fairly certain that Simpson drank Coke with brandy which he probably thought would help his groaning stomach. But, his career has always been overshadowed by the knowledge of his extensive doping and his willingness to push himself so far, he ended up paying the ultimate price. Yet, despite his tragic death, he is held in high regard by the Cycling fraternity. More here Current Mood: nauseated Current Music: Indy (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
12:37 pm	Comments on The Passing of Pro Biker Weylandt GHENT, Belgium -- Some 2,000 fans, riders and cycling officials gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Wouter Weylandt, the Belgian who died in a crash during the Giro d'Italia last week. Gadret burst out of the chasing pack to surge to victory on the taxing uphill finish at Castelfidardo, ahead of Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez and Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti. Huge screens were placed outside the church for fans who could not get in. An inquiry was set to be opened by a local magistrate into the precise circumstances of the incident. Obviously this shocked Adam; it reminded him how dangerous riding on the roads can be and thankfully he took it easier to the stage finish. The whole situation is just so sad. Ceremonies inside the church were also shown on a big screen in the square, so supporters outside could take part. His family and many of the others attending wore pink scarves around their necks, similar to one which Weylandt wore in one of the last interviews he gave. U. I'm in China and with the time difference it has been difficult to keep in regular contact. Those attending included teammates Fränk Schleck and Fabian Cancellara, as well as Tom Boonen, Patrick Lefevere, Wilfried Peeters Eddy Merckx, and Belgian national cycling coach Carlos Bomans. Former teammate Tom Boonen, Belgian cycling great Eddy Merckx and close friend Tyler Farrar are just a few of cycling's royalty that came to pay their respects to the young rider. "He was intimidating but also worth imitating." After the crash, all riders rode the next stage of the Giro bunched together out of respect for Weylandt.be. "This is a difficult day for cycling and for our team and we should all seek support and strength in the people close to us. The team has now added the ability to quickly make a contribution via PayPal. He's not much of a climber and it's one of the toughest Giros ever, so at the age of 21, it's going to be hard for him. He lasted 12 days last year and it would be great if he made it to the end. But you did it.More Current Mood: nauseated Current Music: Indy (Comment on this)
Monday, June 13th, 2011
2:16 pm	So Why Ride a Fixed Geared Bike? Riding by using a fixed bike can be a unique encounter in comparison to a more common free wheeling mtb, so I'll try to describe examples of the enjoyment that we receive as a result of carrying it out. The main difference virtually similar to a diverse exercise. Pedaling a one gear fixed push bike is simply fantastic! Somehow, it is similar to balancing on the bicycle over again plus experiencing the understated wonders from finding a competent way of getting via one place to another with a lot much less strength when compared with walking or running. Typically the simpleness of the fixie bicycle boosts the good looks of the equipment along with magnifies the understanding of what a wonderful creation this is really. It is a distinctive surprise to realize you do not generally desire a thousand sprockets so that you can cruise on a push bike! A one gear bike consistently tells you what they're supposed to be doing, and helps to keep you affiliated with the cycle plus the streets. Rising as well as dropping down all slopes turns into a different concern, and therefore the fixed gear adds a brand new magnitude to the well known landscape. And with a light cycle which is developed for the job, you are going to discover riding a bike . Beyond the straightforward pleasures of employing the one gear bike, varied content from honored coaches and also professional athletes advise advantages of utilizing a fixie besides for better training in addition to efficient utilization of your actual exercise slots, but also for the additional options into a extensive race workout system. Current Mood: nauseated Current Music: Indy (Comment on this)
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
12:45 pm	Cycling's Marco Pantani Obituary Details on adventure and story of campione rider Marco Pantani. The charismatic Italian Tour de France winner Marco Pantani, who has died aged 34, enthralled cycling fans worldwide in the mid-1990s. His draw was his unpredictably romantic racing style, devoid of tactical nuances - "quixotic" was the term frequently employed. "Families turn on the television in the afternoon to watch the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia because they know Pantani will always do something, the question is what." said a reporter for La Gazzetta dello Sport in 1995. He became the master of the mountain stages of the Tour de France and one of a select band of riders to win the Tour and the Giro d'Italia in the same year. Investigators ordered an autopsy on Monday to determine the cause of death but violence was immediately ruled out. Magistrate Paolo Gengarelli said there were no illegal drugs in the room but 10 packages of prescription sedatives were found at the scene, some empty and some started. In 1994, he overcame a crash to finish third in the Tour de France. The coroner will come to examine the scene and there will be an autopsy on Monday according to Italian law. The news of Pantani's death has swept through the Italian cycling community like lightning, and people are extremely upset to hear it. He then withdrew into himself, he was alone." Italian TV commentator Davide Cassani, who was an old friend of Pantani's told RAI-TV's Sport2 Sera program that, "I'd like to know what happened... His first major success came in the Alps in the 1997 Tour, where he returned victorious to the summit of Alpe d'Huez after assaulting its legendary 21 hairpin bends in a record-breaking time of 37 minutes 35 seconds which still stands today. In 1998 he followed that up with unmatched performances in the Giro and Tour, becoming the first Italian to "do the double" and take both stage races in the same year since Fausto Coppi, another superb climber, in 1952. He was alone.. Pantani's ability to bound up the Alpine slopes effectively saved the Tour from self-destruction, although the Italian also acted as a ringleader in the riders strikes and go-slows as the peloton protested over what they regarded as police persecution.he'd changed.. Whilst outraged tifosi (fans) stoned the following cars on the race and the Italian Paolo Savoldelli refused to wear the leader's pink jersey he had inherited from Pantani in such an undignified fashion, the rider himself disappeared into a murky cycle of comebacks and doping stories. In 2000 there were shades of the old Pantani in the Tour, where he rode wheel to wheel alongside the overall winner Lance Armstrong on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux before the Texan gifted him the stage. But Pantani's rise coincided with the institutionalising of drug-taking among professional cyclists, and, by June 1999, he had become a pariah after failing a blood test in the Giro d'Italia... Slowly but surely Pantani became the scapegoat of a sport buckling under the pressure of high-level police investigations and a chain of doping scandals. "I'm quite mad by nature, and it's my craziness that has saved me from extinction." It was clearly not enough, however, to keep him from the anti-depression drugs that appear to have ended his life, either by accidental overdose or suicide." "I'm destroyed. If that was the beginning of his redemption, it was completed when his magic returned and he won two mountain stages of the Tour de France, beating off challenges from Armstrong. Regardless of our battles on or off the bike, I had a deep respect for Marco. Cycling has indeed lost a great champion and a great personality. "Marco paid a high price for all this. "For those who loved Marco there is only one word for this: tragedy..for years he was in the eye of the hurricane after he was the number one cyclist in the world. And then he was all alone and fragile. Current Mood: nauseated Current Music: Indy (Comment on this)