Small races, big action: Andrew Hood’s personal highlight reel from 2011
- By Andrew Hood
- Published Dec. 28, 2011
- Updated Jan. 5, 2012 at 1:39 AM EDT
Bike racing is more visible than ever thanks to the proliferation of television and Internet coverage that allows fans to watch in real-time races in every corner of the globe.
While live images are more prevalent than ever, plenty of races are held in a virtual media blackout, at least when it comes to watching live-action footage.
A handful of smaller European races get little or no TV coverage, but that doesn’t mean that the racing is any less intense. I hit a few of those races in 2011, returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear when journalists wrote their dispatches the old-fashioned way, by listening to race radio and standing by the side of the road to see what was going on.
Here are a few of the races that flew well under the media radar in 2011 but made my highlight reel:
Vuelta a Murcia: Contador’s comeback
With his clenbuterol case hanging over his head like an executioner, Alberto Contador endured a roller-coaster season in 2011. The Spanish rider proved he was a fighter on the bike — he capped his season with overall victory at the Giro d’Italia and served up gutsy, down-to-the-wire racing in the Tour de France even though he was handicapped coming out of the gates.
His most emotional win came in Murcia in early March, just weeks after his return to racing following the Spanish cycling federation’s U-turn allowing him to return to racing. The three-day Spanish race saw Contador determined to let his legs do the talking and he earned a dramatic victory against Denis Menchov and Jerome Coppel, winning two stages and the overall.
The real battle came on the narrow, dangerous roads of the Sierra Espuña in southern Spain on the second day. Risking all, Contador attacked on a descent that saw David Plaza break his leg; also crashing was Juan Mauricio Soler, who would later suffer life-threatening injuries at the Tour de Suisse.
“I cannot put into words to describe what I have been through these past few months,” Contador said after the win. “This victory means a lot to me.”
The next day, Contador won a short time trial to cement the overall title and celebrated the victory in front of an exultant crowd in Murcia.
His clenbuterol case is finally to be decided in mid-January, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to reveal its decision. In the balance is the Murcia win, along with all his victories since the 2010 Tour de France.
FILED UNDER: News / Road TAGS: Andrew Hood
Andrew Hood
Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.