Veteran - LVRC

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in 1994, they recognised veterans officially. Of course they had left it far too late, as veterans had made other arrangements by forming their own National groups, with the first non-UCI world body, free Federations coming along in 1985, changing soon after to the current ICF. In England, of course, the BCF were reluctant to take on the UCI, knowing that the VTTA had around 5000 members, and failed to instruct their own veterans organisation (the VCRA) to bring in the now-accepted age categories. And so first TLI (1983) and then LVRC (1986) came into being. In 1995 the UCI ‘World Masters Road Championships’ came to St Johann, but on advice from the organisers, who told the UCI that only 30% of veterans had UCI licences, the controlling world body was forced to offer day licences to all non-UCI riders: what a climb-down for the world body. However, with the establishment of the time-trial Worlds, brought in in 2000, the UCI now feel strong enough to do away with the day licence. Possibly organisations like the BCF feel that the day licence was costing them money, and they wanted their pound of flesh. Sadly, St Johann never needed UCI recognition, as veterans worldwide recognised St Johann for what it was. Around 2500 riders compete there each year, and with family and friends the eight days is a major factor with the Austrian Tourist Board. Let’s hope that UCI intransigence does not cock it all up. From John Bettinson I was out with the lads on Sunday morning and as usual I was offering some unsolicited advice and, as usual getting the same response: ‘Oh no it isn’t.’ ‘Piss off. What do you know about it?’ ‘You always say the same old thing; thousands of miles. Not everyone responds to the same training’ I take it as an affront that these ‘no knows’ dismiss anything I tell them. At this time of year I will specify bulk miles but come end of March (pre-supposing they ever were ready) I will tell them the next bit. Well, because I got home early, I went for a walk around Tarn Hows. Enjoying the sun coming down through the trees a thought suddenly struck me. There is such a variety of trees that that I had to exclaim to my wife, ‘There is no right way to be a tree, is there?’ And I couldn’t help but draw an analogy with my understanding of training. My heart sank and all self-confidence drained from me. Maybe I do know bugger nothing? We walked on for a while, this revelation tearing at me. Then just as suddenly I thought about what the trees do each have in common. They all have strong root systems (or else fail) They all have trunks and branches They all have leaves that reach up for the sun They all have seasons They all have reproduction (No! Best ignore that one) They all have survival techniques in adverse conditions Oh yes! And they all know to bend in the wind rather than snap. Come to think of it, at least 90% is common with scarcely 5% negotiable. Just the way I feel about training and improving ones fitness. Morale returned immediately. So, the next time they suggest ‘You know bugger nothing’, I’ll just reply ‘You’re all wrong. I know bugger all.’ From Dave Moss, Dumfries I was amazed to read the criticism of the legitimate tactics of Tom McCall (and others like him).What unwritten rule is Dave Orford talking about? It must be in the special rulebook for the tactically inept. The object of a road race is to win at the slowest possible speed using the minimum of effort. There is no point busting a gut just to increase a break’s advantage at the finish. How, I wonder, do Tom’s critics think someone who fancies their chances at winning a bunch sprint, react to a break? I would suggest that the correct tactic is, a) if the break looks dangerous try and join it; b) sit in and on no account contribute to the work; c) if you cannot sicken the others so that they sit up, pop out and win the sprint at the end; d) ignore all criticism from bad losers and keep smiling. Any nonsprinters in the break should come up with their own ideas of how to get away from you: if they’re not good enough, it’s not your problem. A bit of verbal abuse to try and persuade you to share the work is all part of the game,but you should develop a thick skin and ride your own race. Only sad losers continue to moan after the race. You could drag the bunch up to the break, but you can’t do that all day and some other wheel sucking sprinter might just take advantage at the end! So, non-sprinters: get a life, remember you’re in a road race, not a timetrial, and get your tactics sorted: don’t blame the winner for your failings. As for me, I’d be back in the bunch hanging on for dear life. In fact, I would like to remind everyone of the other unwritten rule: If there is an overweight bearded northerner in the race, who seems to be finding it hard going, you MUST ease off and give him a push up the hills. From John Bettinson I’m a bit miffed at Tom McCall telling us to turn the other cheek to those famous followers who squash every move and sit in for the sprint. I’ve got more enjoyable things I can do than get up at 5 a.m., fill up with petrol, drive to the other coast and ride around with guys I don’t particularly respect sat tightly on my back wheel. From Ian Moore, Region 2 Now that the Special General Meeting has passed and everything, we hope, has settled down, I feel obliged to remind members of the LVRC’s objective: ‘the provision of a programme of competitive and social cycling events for male and female members of 40 years of age and over’. Let’s get back to basics and enjoy our sport, rather than quarrelling. From Terry Potter, Preston I read about the ‘well-kept secret’ AGM and note that most of the amendments went through unopposed – so it seems that most of those who attended were in agreement. Where were those who should, apparently, have been opposing not only the amendments, but the running of the meeting at all? It’s as well Percy Stallard has left us – the air might well have been blue at the waste of time and money. Years ago when the BLRC was formed, if we had always gone strictly by the book, we’d still be in black tights and well-kept secret events. The meeting was democratic, and this is what we’re all about. Page 18 Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002
In Part 1 Cavanna, Coppi’s blind soigneur, talked about training. In the second part of this 1953 interview from Miroir Sprint he turns his attention to diet. What I call living well… Biagio Cavanna I’M CONSTANTLY AMAZED at the ignorance of some Italian managers with regard to their riders’ diet. One young rider asked me if he should swallow whole eggs, like he’d heard Coppi did. His parents kept a chicken farm, he could have all he wanted. Then he went to his directeur sportif, said he didn’t feel too well – and the guy told him to go and eat plenty of eggs! You can imagine the state his liver was in. My advice would be: if you like eggs, eat them when they’re fresh, but never more than one a day, and never eat hard-boiled eggs – they’re poison for racing cyclists. Don’t forget: your diet dictates your results. I’ll just give you a few pointers on the kind of thing to avoid. Cooked spinach can still lie in your stomach, undigested, four hours later, and it can cause stomach cramps in the later stages of a race. Dried fruit is also harmful to bike-riders, and pork is poison compared with ham, which is much easier to digest. So what should you eat? I can best answer that by telling you what I serve the riders in my own pension, where nobody complains about the menu. An hour after getting up, breakfast: half a litre of milk with just a dash of coffee, and 100 grammes (4 oz) of bread. I consider all food during the morning unnecessary, as training is completed by midday and the riders then sit down to the following meal: thick soup, or a minestrone with rice and vegetables; 250 grammes of meat, salad (all raw salads are excellent) with an oil and lemon dressing; 100 grammes of soft cheese, fruit according to the season, and 200 or 300 grammes of bread. To drink, beer or wine, but only one glass. In the evening: vegetable soup, half a boiled chicken, salad again, gateau, fruit or cheese, 200-300 grammes of bread. Mind you, during the first two months with me, my riders aren’t too happy with so limited a diet. Carrea ate enough for four, and as for Filippi, my wife recently told me, it was a real pleasure to refill his plate. You can reckon that it takes two months for them – even for the gluttons – to get used to a regular and controlled diet. It’s interesting to add it all up. If one of my riders eats 7.5 kg of meat a month, that’s 90 kg a year. Chicken, at the rate of 15 a month, is 180 per year. Add to that 200 litres of milk, about 70 kilos of salad, and at least 120 kilos of fruit. Now that’s what I call living well … As you can see, there’s nothing magic about any of this. It’s simply a matter of following a regular regime, and form will come. Incidentally, let’s consider the nature of this ‘form’, and how you can tell when you’ve got there. When the rider gets back after a training session without being aware of any fatigue, then you can say that he’s approaching his best condition. If, after a 150 km ride he can run up several flights of stairs without feeling that his legs have turned to wood, that’s the first sign that form isn’t far off. When I gave Coppi a massage I could easily tell what condition he was in at that particular moment. When he was in record-breaking form it was like stroking the strings of a guitar, my fingers sliding from one muscle to the next. But if his form was below par, I would be able to feel under my fingers a thin layer of fat. I’m often asked how Coppi maintained his form from the start to the end of a season. The answer’s easy: I’ve never known a rider to be so meticulous. During his training cycles Fausto carefully weighed all his food and controlled his drinks, so as to avoid any risk of indigestion. Then, when preparing for the world championships, he would drink every morning, before breakfast, a glass of mixed vegetable juices: celery, carrots, radish and tomato. It got to the point where he wouldn’t sit down at table without having done so. These were the means by which he maintained his form: not just relying on his instincts to govern his training, but by maintaining a strict system of control throughout the year. Thus you can avoid the discomfort of constipation and its consequences, and the sort of boils which force so many riders to abandon races. It should go without saying that riders should be seen periodically by the doctor. I advise all managers to be aware of the importance for their riders of regular bowel movements. If the intestines – which I call ‘the engine of the champion’ – are working regularly, the young rider needn’t become over-anxious about a few results which are below what he expected. He shouldn’t be afraid that he’s lost form, or has been eating too much or too little. Everyone feels unwell from time to time. At such times I suggest a tisane with barley-sugar (excellent for stomach upsets), dandelion root (for its laxative properties), or crushed linseed with sugar and milk. You can boil it up for an hour, and when it’s cooled it can be drunk during the afternoon at the time when the rider suffering with the stomach upset would be thirstiest. Another of my little secrets: in the spring, when my riders get back breathless from their first rides, I have ready for them a big glass of hot lemon juice. The warm drink prevents irritation of the bronchii, so avoiding coughs, and soothes the effect of the cold air in the lungs. Lemon juice is an ideal disinfectant, more easily digested than milk. V Veteran Leaguer: Winter 2002 Page 19
Page 1 and 2: The Veteran Leaguer The official ne
Page 3 and 4: Calendar: new events, cancellations
Page 5 and 6: Special General Meeting It’s LVRC
Page 7 and 8: One of the most talented roadmen Br
Page 9 and 10: The Feeding Station Are you getting
Page 11 and 12: officials received racing jerseys a
Page 13 and 14: Picture Page From top, clockwise: N
Page 15 and 16: example the hugged thigh - should n
Page 17: Letters From Dave Orford The idea t
Page 21 and 22: Neil Martin didn’t have to fix hi
Page 23 and 24: Regional Officers REGION 1. N.W. EN

Veteran - LVRC

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