Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish, Alberto Contador… it is the riders of the Tour de France who command the fans and the media’s attention.
But behind every great rider and team is a host of staff – soigneurs, mechanics, nutritionists and many more whose role in keeping the team ticking along can often go unnoticed.
Embedded in the heart of MTN-Qhubeka, having previously worked for the Cervelo Test Team, Ian Blackburn of Elite Physio is one such person.
Blackburn will be sharing his experiences of working in cycling’s greatest race – the Tour de France – ahead of this year’s Grand Depart at our ‘an evening with RCUK’ at the Yorkshire Bike Show.
Taking place from 5pm to 7pm, we will be talking all things cycling with a variety of industry insiders at Leeds Town Hall.
And having worked at a wide range of huge sporting events, Ian – a self-confessed bike lover, who has competed at elite level on the road and in mountain biking – admits nothing compares to the Tour.
“The Tour de France is, of course, the pinnacle of working in cyCling, it is unbelievable,” he told RCUK. “The opportunity to work at such a unique event with the best team – riders and staff – is something I will never forget.
“The demands of the day-to-day challenges and emotions are exhausting but the excitement and camaraderie is second to none. The Tour is by far my most enjoyed sporting event exceeding the Olympic games in Beijing and London, which were both very special.”
Ian worked with the Cervelo Test Team after a chance opportunity introduced him to team boss Thomas Campana – with British Cervelo Test Team rider Jeremy Hunt already among his clients.
It allowed him the opportunity to work behind the scenes at the 2009 Tour for the defending champions – Carlos Sastre having won the previous year – at a race in which Thor Hushovd went on to claim the points jersey.
And he admits the pressure is far above other sporting events – even the Olympic Games.
He explained: “The pressures between those two events are very different. At the Tour de France, it is a daily circus requiring exact coordination of riders staff and equipment as the race moves on every day.
“It also requires an ability to cope with fatigue and close living with a small group of individuals. We were extremely privileged at Cervelo because Thomas Campana was so good with his man-management but that is Swiss precision, I suppose.
“The Olympics by contrast is based in one location so the pressure is definitely less. There is more opportunity to relax a little and take time out. At the Tour de France this is not an option – it is full gas, constantly.
“Not everyone can cope with this, but personally I love being on the go and the riders deserve this degree of attention.”
The number of tasks assigned to Blackburn during the Tour makes for long days and stressful stages. Soigneur might be a more appopriate job title when he is working at cycling’s greatest race, given the number of tasks assigned to him in addition to his role as a physio.
“My role varies daily depending on the parcours, weather, injuries and logistics,” he explained. “Typically, the day will begin at around 6am, getting breakfast before the riders and ensuring their specific breakfast requirements are catered for.
“We then undertake our designated roles, such as packing cars with rain gear, bottles etc. We make race food that might be additional to the needs of each rider or that particular day, ensuring it is fresh, along with preparing food for the staff for each day.
“I might have some treatments that need addressing for individual riders and perhaps apply tape or similar. We are responsible for collecting the riders suitcases and then it’s off to the stage start or next hotel to set up for that night.”
When the race arrvies, however, Blackburn says the best policy is to leave the riders to their routines – not that it reduces the stresses and pressures on the support staff.
He added: “The role during the day is predetermined to eliminate duplication or us missing things.
“The stage start can be stressful as you are aware the riders are nervous. Things might need doing such as taping, pre-race massage etc but largely you need to allow the riders their time and space to prepare – trying to create a relaxed environment for them is key.
“We leave ahead of the start heading for the feed zone en-route. It is a tense period when the riders arrive here, recognising them at speed can be difficult. Generally it’s OK but sometimes things can go wrong and they miss or drop the mussette, or a rider falls.
“From here we are off to the finish, trying to get ahead of the race to arrive first but at Grand Tours we normally follow the race convoy and another staff member is at the finish to meet the riders.
“Post-race, we usually look after two riders each but my additional clinical skills mean I am there to address specific injuries, perhaps back and neck problems from crashes or posture.
“Often I have been working through to 1am having treated the whole squad, though fortunately this is rare.
“At some point it is dinner and a catch up with the other staff then bed. Some days you are on the go for 18 hours and while we try to minimise this, racing is unpredictable.”
Blackburn’s role now comes as part of a very different set-up, with African Pro Continental team, MTN-Qhubeka.
Set to start the Vuelta a Espana this year as a wildcard team, however, Blackburn admits he is relishing the challenge of being part of the underdogs.
“The role at MTN is diverse, although I have clinical skills above the normal soigneur roles I am expected to contribute to all of the duties required to support the riders.
“At the start of each year we work as a medical team to assess and identify each rider’s needs, including injuries and specific muscle or skeletal imbalances. It is then a collaborative approach to address these and ensure each rider is at their optimum for the coming season.
“During races I have to implement the specified requirements of our sports nutritionist, Dr. Rob Child, and link also to our team doctor Carol Austin.
“Collectively this covers race nutrition (drinks, food etc) and recovery post event. In conjunction with this is of course soft tissue maintenance and specific treatment for each rider.
“The process remains fluid and changes rapidly throughout the year as race demands change or injuries occur.”
He added: “At Cervelo, the European style of organisation and way in which each of us were handpicked for our skills and personalities was quite unique.
“We had the best bikes, kit, medical support and staff then the riders were added. We were fortunate to have fantastic riders with super talent some of whom had been written off or discounted from contention by other teams. We proved them wrong.
“Carlos Sastre and Thor Hushovd were amazing to be around, ultimate professionals, then guys like Heinrich Hausler, Jeremy Hunt, Brett Lancaster, Roger Hammond and Dan Lloyd were just fantastic in creating the camaraderie and team spirit to win that made Cervelo Test Team the envy of the peloton.
“Literally everyone wanted to be involved with us. MTN is totally different – we have a much smaller budget which presents some limitations.
“The team structure is very similar in terms of staff selection but it is on a smaller scale and this can be stressful when maintaining the optimum standard of care and attention for each rider.
“Gerald Ciolek, Linus Gerdeman, Sergio Padilla and Ignas Kovolanovas are super experienced guys who we rely on to help develop the African riders.
“It is a privilege to be involved in the project and work with these athletes, but also to see just how talented our African riders are.
“Once these riders have adapted to European racing, and the weather, you can see just how competitive the team can be.
“MTN is definitely still evolving but we have proved that we can be competitive in ProTour racing and throw you all some surprises – Milan San Remo 2013!”
Ian Blackburn will be a guest at ‘An Evening with RCUK’, which takes place during the Yorkshire Bike Show on Friday July 4.
For more information on the Yorkshire Bike Show, or to buy tickets, visit http://yorkshirebicycleshow.co.uk/
