Monthly Archives: August 2007

The return of the Colombians

It was back in the 2002 Tour de France that a Colombian last set the race on fire in the mountains. Santiago Botero showed tremendous form that year and claimed a stage win at Les Deux-Alpes. An unconventional climber, in style and build, Botero used his time-trialling prowess (he won the first long ITT that …

August 29, 2007 – 7:14 pm | By Guy WR | Posted in Classic Stages, Climbers, Doping | Comments (2)

The anti-grimpeur

New Zealand pro sprinter Julian Dean is the anti-grimpeur. In this year’s Tour de France, for Dean and the other non-climbers, the stages through the Alps and the Pyrenees were all about finishing the stage without being eliminated by the time cut-off. “For me it was back into survival mode where the focus is just …

August 27, 2007 – 9:09 am | By Guy WR | Posted in Climbers | Comments (0)