Ned Boulting: ‘Freakish’ Cavendish and the 10 other Brits set for Tour de France
One of the things I most admire about road racing, of which of course the Tour de France is the very pinnacle, is its lack of partisanship.
This may strike you as a bit counter-cultural given the summer of sport which wraps around the great bike race: the Euros and the Olympics are exercises in flag-waving after all.
But in my mind it is greatly to the credit of cycling fans that, for the most part, they simply support the race. They have their favourites, for sure. But they can be drawn from any team, any nation. I like that.
So, it’s a bit odd that I find myself writing this column about the prospects of the 11 British riders who are down to start the Tour. This is the highest number in history, a fact which surprised me on a number of levels.
But first, a note of caution: It is highly unlikely that a British rider will win the 2024 Tour. Something bizarre would have to happen for either Geraint Thomas or Adam Yates to end up in the yellow jersey at the end of the race.
Thomas raced the Giro, but was a very distant (albeit very honourable) third behind the immensely talented Tadej Pogačar. He comes to the Tour in a support role for Egan Bernal.
And Yates, likewise, and although in stellar form, will be racing for his leader Pogačar. Stranger things have happened, of course. Riders can crash. But I think it is unlikely.
Tom Pidcock, who is physiologically capable of winning the Tour, has yet to convince either the cycling world, or himself, that he has the requisite mental skillset to race successfully for the general classification.
But that does not mean that the British riders will not leave their marks on the race. I would be very surprised if the three weeks of racing don’t produce multiple British stage wins.
It could be that Fred Wright will finally get over the line (though his form will have to rocket). Stevie Williams, the Welsh climber, will make his debut at the Tour this year and has never been better.
Scottish youngster Oscar Onley is also making his bow in France. Simon Yates will be racing against his twin brother once more. Those two made history on stage 1 of the Tour last year, completing a memorable Yates family one-two.
And then there’s the recently knighted Sir Mark Cavendish, back again 17 years after his debut and hunting down that elusive 35th stage win needed to go one better than Eddy Merckx; a record which, if it is achieved will last for decades (or only a little while if Tadej Pogačar carries on like a madman).
He will need everything to go right for him, and he will require the kind of freakish performance from him to which we have grown accustomed. Make no mistake, it is a very tall order. But his attempt to bow out as the best ever will be compelling. What a story, though. And what a rider.
All this comes, paradoxically, at a time when the domestic racing scene is on its knees.
A massively trimmed race programme, and the collapse of the professional scene in the UK means that riders are no longer able to make any kind of a living racing on these shores. Instead, they are forced to turn abroad, just like their British cycling antecedents.
The heartening thing to observe though, is that their number are undiminished. We are seeing the generation come through, despite all the odds, that were inspired by the deeds of Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and, yes, Mark Cavendish. One door closes, another opens, and in they come.
Ned Boulting’s Marginal Mystery Tour: 1923 And All That is coming to theatres this autumn. For tickets visit www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/ned-boulting.
