sport magazine - issue 262
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Sport magazine - Issue 262TRANSCRIPT
Issue 262 | June 29 2012
From Les ALpes to De ZwArte: An A to Z oF the tour De FrAnce
IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE, I HAVE TO BE THE BEST OF EVERYONE | MARK CAVENDISH, TEAM SKY
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©2012 Oakley, Inc. | 01727 795791 | uk.oakley.com
INTERCHANGEABILITY IS A GAME CHANGER | THE ALL-NEW RADARLOCK™
WITH SWITCHLOCK™ TECHNOLOGY
Radar
05 The great finals Ahead of Sunday’s Euro climax, our favourite ever, er, climaxes. Been some good ones, too
06 The future, sort of We step inside the Nike House of Innovation
08 In The Moment A new book of amazing sports photography. Think coffee table
10 The game of the Games We select our favourite bits from the official game of the 2012 Olympics
o this coming weekFeatures
18 A-Z of the Tour de France All you need to know about the greatest cycle race in the world, and the favourite is a Brit...
31 Bradley Wiggins ... for it is he. Will he land our first ever Yellow Jersey?
36 What now for England? Ignominious defeat against Italy, but can this England team actually become any good?
40 Pete Waterfield Tom Daley’s diving partner talks exclusively to Sport
Extra Time
52 Gadgets The new Microsoft Surface – part tablet, part laptop
54 Viktoriya Konoplyanka A Ukrainian WAG. Yes, we know they’re not in the final. So?
58 Grooming Your stag weekend survival kit: vodka not included 60 Entertainment The Amazing Spider-Man (above) plus an Edvard Munch exhibition. We’re a broad church
1860
issuE 262, junE 29 2012
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| June 29 2012 | 03
2004 Copa America: Brazil 2-2 ArgentinaCésar Delgado so nearly won this cracking
final when he put Argentina 2-1 up on
87 minutes, but Brazil’s mighty ‘Emperor’
Adriano produced a stunning turn and volley
three minutes into injury time to level. He
whipped his shirt off to reveal a then-rippling
torso (it still ripples, but in a far less athletic
way) and soon the riot police were running on
to the pitch to separate the teams. Brazil
went on to win the title 4-2 on penalties.
2000 Euro Championship: France 2-1 ItalyThey trailed Italy 1-0 (a goal made in part by a
superb backheel from Francesco Totti), but
world champions France had the firepower to
fight back. Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet
and Robert Pires all came off the bench to
join Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry,
allowing the French to finally break Italian
resolve. Wiltord scored four minutes into
injury time, setting up extra time and
Trezeguet’s spectacular golden goal blast.
1986 World Cup: Argentina 3-2 W GermanyNo one player has ever dominated a World
Cup the way Diego Maradona did in Mexico
‘86, but there were five different scorers in
the final – and not one of them was Maradona.
Argentina were up 1-0 at the break, but it was
the second half that
electrified. Jorge
Valdano made it 2-0
before a great
German team fought
back with goals
from Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge and
Rudi Voller. Then, on
84 minutes, Jorge
Burruchaga was put through by a sublime pass
from – yes – Maradona, to score a fine winner.
1984 Africa Cup: Cameroon 3-1 NigeriaCameroon’s first Africa Cup of Nations win
was a feast of great goals and ridiculously
tiny shorts. The pick of the strikes was the
79th-minute goal that put Cameroon 2-1
ahead, Theophile Abega going on a mazy
dribble before exchanging a neat one-two
with Roger Milla – then allegedly just 31 and
with his best years very much still to come
– and slotting past the keeper. Ernest
Ebongue netted a cracker five minutes later
to send the commentators suitably berserk.
Radar
| June 29 2012 | 05
Final countdownEuro 2012 finalOur deadlines meant
we went to press
before knowing the
result of the two
semi finals, making a
preview for Sunday’s
match a bit tricky.
One thing we do
know, however, is
that England won’t
be in it – and you can
read our plan for
the England team’s
future on page 36
They have a rep for disappointing, but fear not: we pick the fab four major international finals that have thrilled us in the past 30 years
p08 – The sporting imagery of Tom Jenkins
*
*
*
p06 – The cycling artistry of Neil Stevens
p10 – London 2012: the official game
Sta
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Pedalling prints
06 | June 29 2012 |
Radar
arty McFly may have visited the
future, but all he found there was
that his mom had gone and had
breast implants (but, hey, at least she’d
stopped hitting on him). If only he’d popped
into the sports section of a department
store, McFly might have encountered
something similar to the futuristic new
Nike House of Innovation, which opens
this Monday at Selfridges, London.
Here you can try out and buy the latest
cutting-edge Nike projects, such as the
much hyped FuelBand and the lightweight
Flyknit footwear, and you can even trial the
new Nike+ range of basketball, training and
running shoes via an immersive, video
game-style experience on giant LCD
screens. Frankly, it’s got everything apart
from working hoverboards. For now.
NIKE House of Innovation at Selfridges,
Oxford Street, July 1 to August 12
One foot in the future
his wonderful new
series of Tour de
France illustrations
from artist Neil Stevens
gets a big ‘oui’ (please don’t
snigger, this isn’t ‘Allo, ‘Allo) from us. The
warmly colourful image on the left is of Stage
16 of the world’s most famous road race, but
the British illustrator’s Colourvelo series isn’t
just about the upcoming Tour. The artwork
covers all angles of cycling, from Olympic
events to typographic prints to portraits
of riders, such as the great ‘Cannibal’ Eddy
Merckx (below). They’re perfectly timed for
an exciting summer of cycling, and make an
appropriately dashing addition to any wall.
Neil Stevens prints cost from £30,
crayonfire.co.uk
T
M
Sport magazine’s free iPad app is now on Newsstand, so it’s even easier to get your
weekly fix of the best previews and big-name
interviews. The Sport app is quick to download, easy
to use and has great added content, including video
interviews and extra photography. It’s totally
interactive and, best of all, it’s completely free!
To celebrate our move to Newsstand, we’ve
teamed up with online cycle store Wiggle to offer
our iPad readers an exclusive competition. As the
UK’s number-one cycle shop, Wiggle is giving Sport
app readers the chance to win more than £2,000
of cycling gear, including a Verenti Rhigos.04 bike
worth more than £1,000, plus top-quality kit such
as shorts, tops, sunglasses, jackets and more.
For your chance to emulate Bradley Wiggins
(interviewed on page 31) and become a cycling king,
download the free Sport app through Newsstand and
answer the simple question in this week’s iPad issue.
For your chance to win, download the Sport app nowCompetition closes at midnight on Thursday July 5 2012.
Full terms and conditions at www.sport-magazine.co.uk
Win! £2,000 of cycling gear with the Sport magazine iPad app!
A city,united
08 | June 29 2012 |
Radar
ans of insightful sports photography,
rejoice. Today sees the opening of a
free exhibition from one of the UK’s
premier snappers, Tom Jenkins, with a book
also out this week. Jenkins has an ability to
capture what is generally called ‘the moment’.
Our favourite isn’t a revealing photo of Jonny
Wilkinson, Zinedine Zidane or even one of a
sumo wrestler called ‘The Dumptruck’, but
this image from Old Trafford in 2008.
It may appear at first like a rather tricky
Where's Wally? image, but it’s actually taken on
the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash.
Despite the fierce rivalry between Manchesters
United and City, this photo poignantly illustrates
how supporters stood together to pay their
respects to those lost in the tragedy.
In The Moment: The
Sports Photography
of Tom Jenkins
(Guardian Books,
£30). Exhibition at
Kings Place, June 29
to August 31,
kingsplace.co.uk
F
To
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Coverstory
10 | June 29 2012 |
Radar
As the official London 2012 game is released today, we pick out our favourite features
London 2012: The
Official Video Game
of the Olympic Games
is out today for PC,
PS3 and Xbox 360
We have fond childhood
memories of Daley
Thompson's Decathlon,
but it was a bit
confusing that Daley
was represented by a
bright white pixel man.
Visuals have come a
long way since, and the
mo-cap used to track
athletes for this game
results in supremely
realistic animation.Say goodbye to
button-mashing: the
controls for the London
2012 game rely more
on timing and tactics.
In the swimming, for
example, you have to
control the dive, the
breakaway under water,
then get into a rhythmic
pattern of left and right
analogue movements to
reflect the swimmers’
actual strokes.
Alternatively, you can – for the first
time in an official Olympic game,
we’re reliably informed – play with
motion control. Dozens of the events,
including archery, kayaking, the
javelin and cycling, are created with
PS3 Move and Xbox Kinect in mind.
Variety is key. Games like this are naturally a series
of interconnected mini-games, but with 40+ events,
repetitiveness is a danger. By including events
such as the trampoline and table tennis, which
play in different ways to the athletics, you and your
terrifying adversary (or your three-year-old cousin
with developing motor skills) have plenty of choice.
McToughhe endurance event designed by a rather
sadistic member of the Special Forces,
Tough Mudder, arrives in Scotland this July.
Their 10 to 12-mile obstacle courses tax your
fitness and mental fortitude with high walls, muddy
trenches, four-foot flames and ice-cold water. It’s all
but impossible to complete individually, so teamwork
is essential. Hey, at least you’ll have the rugged
Drumlanrig Castle landscape to inspire you onward.
Held on Ju1y 14-15, enter at toughmudder.co.uk
T
ot sure if we mentioned it – we
may have, once or twice – but our
2011 Paul Gascoigne cover was
nominated for Cover of the Year at the
prestigious PPA Awards. Well, it only went
and won. We’re incredibly proud, so a huge
thank you to you if you voted for us (or even
if you didn’t), to photographer Jon Enoch
and to Gazza himself, of course.
N
Issue 230 | October 21 2011
Let the game begin
12 | June 29 2012 |
Radar Editor’s letter
Editor-in-chief
Simon Caney
@simoncaney
Sport magazine
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Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897)Art editor: John Mahood (7860)Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861)Digital designer: Chris FirthSubeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431)Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915)Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914)Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961)Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)Contributors: David Lawrenson
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F or as long as I can remember, and even before I was born, back in the dim and distant past, expectation levels around the England team were always
somewhat at odds with reality.Take the very first World Cup, back in
1930 in Uruguay. England was not even
part of FIFA at that time, for various
reasons – one of which was that we were
clearly so much better than anyone else in
the world at our game that it was all a bit
pointless. So we didn’t enter in 1930.
There’s probably still someone at the FA
claiming that we ‘would have won it’ had
we been there. Indeed, England didn’t
enter the World Cup until 1950, and did
so amid much fanfare – until they were
humiliated by the part-timers of the USA
and sent home with their tails between
their legs. Maybe we should have seen
the signs then.
And so it goes on: every time England
actually make it to a major tournament,
we have expected them to win it. Not get
to a final, or even a semi, but actually win
it. Sven-Goran Eriksson was vilified when
he kept getting us to the quarter finals of
World Cups. Maybe history will be kinder
to him. It should be.
And yet, it strikes me that the mood of
the nation has changed in the past few
weeks. Despite being played off the park
by Italy, England returned home to a
reasonable reception, if not the obligatory
MBE (though presumably every member
of the team already has one of those).
The reason being that they tried their
best. The skill levels were some way below
most other teams, but they tried. They
ran, and tackled, and showed some team
spirit. When they lost, we shrugged and
said: ‘Ah well, it happens. The best team
won.’ And it was rather refreshing.
I chatted to a former Ryder Cup player
this week. He’s no longer on the
professional tour, and he doesn’t miss
it one bit – after more than 30 years of
hard graft on the golf course, he found
he was struggling to even make a cut,
let alone win tournaments. There was
no bitterness in his voice, just a
resigned acceptance that, in this day
and age, golf is all about distance and
less about art. It’s a shame: sometimes
things move on, but you wouldn’t
necessarily call it progress.
Just a week after the death of Tom Maynard, another sportsman of outstanding promise has died. Jockey Campbell Gillies was just 21. His ride on Brindisi Breeze was one of the highlights of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, but it is desperately sad to watch a replay of that race from March and realise that neither horse nor rider are still with us.
Resetting the meterFinally, finally, finally, we seem to understand that England are not likely to win tournaments
Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk
Ale
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No Cole: Ashley misses from the spot – and sends England out in the last eight again
Reader comments of the week
@simoncaney great read
on WK, true class, likeable
and hard as bloody nails.
Chis & haye might want to
take note... I am sure they
won’t.
@Jamiehockin
@simoncaney gd piece on
Klitschko 2day both of them
are class. They’ve had no
one to fight for 8 years
unfortunately so don’t get
the credit.
@monkey6170
Good analogy
@simoncaney: England
football team like new
girlfriend, full of promise
so we forgive the things
that will later annoy us.
@EmilyJG
@simoncaney Loved the
Wimbledon Top 10, but no
Sampras-Agassi in ’99?
Agassi was all-time great
that day and still lost in 3.
Unbelievable.
@The_Catch_IV
So glad you mentioned Tom
Maynard in today’s editors
letter... A great young talent
whose full potential will
never be known. RIP Tom.
Siobhan, via email
Winner of PPA Cover of the Year Award 2012
14 | June 29 2012 |
Ala
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Ladies and gentleman Proof here that, in the wrong hands,
Sex Panther cologne can have truly
devastating results. A dab under each ear
and old Reg here was beating them off with
a rolled-up copy of the Royal Ascot form
guide. Cue the Benny Hill music, please.
Radar Frozen in time
| 15
18 | June 29 2012 |
From the nose- bleed climbs of the alps to the man they called 'De Zwarte', sport proudly presents an alphabetical lowdown on the most gruelling road race on the planet...
illuSTRATIONS BY Neil Stevens crayonfire.co.uk
Tour de France
| 19
is for
ALPS
Surely
nowhere
on the route
reflects the
gruelling,
noble nature of the Tour better
than the Alps? Just man and
machine measuring their mettle
against majestic mountains. This
year's route includes six alpine
stages, but eschews the famous
Alpe d'Huez. In its place is the
equally tough Col du Grand
Colombier, a mile-high climb
making its Tour de France debut
in Stage 10 this year. It's one of
the toughest ascents in the
region, a gruelling 17km of uphill
pedalling made even harder by
the gusts of wind raking across
the exposed summit, and a
fitting place to start the hopefully
not-quite-so-trying marathon
that is our Tour de France A to Z.
Team GB and Team Sky
head coach Dave Brailsford
assesses Bradley Wiggins'
Tour chances...
“Crashing out of last year's
Tour was a real shame for Bradley because he
was in such great shape – but we learned a lot as
a team. Then for him to come back and do what
he did at the Vuelta and then the worlds was just
testimony to how far he's come in terms of his
mental strength. It seems to be that in the past
year to 18 months, all the experiences Bradley
has had – good and bad – have come together
and clicked and made sense. His approach to the
sport now is fantastic.
“He's probably one of the most, if the not the
most, coachable athletes we have – he really gets
the sessions and adheres to them. His compliance
to different sessions, ability to absorb workload
and understand why, to train through fatigue,
and his attention to detail with his diet and
weight management and everything else is
just off the scale.
“He's seeing the rewards of that now. His
mental robustness has improved, and I think he
deserved great credit for what he did last year.
That bit between crashing in the Tour and coming
back – that six or seven weeks in between – tells
you more about Bradley Wiggins than any of his
performances. Out of sight of everybody at home,
and in pain just after an operation, and he had the
fortitude of mind and body to be able to work so
hard to come back again. That's something special
– and that's what sets the great guys apart.”
Turn to page 31 for our chat
with Bradley Wiggins
is for Bradley Wiggins
The most famous
of streets hosts
the final stages of
each year's Tour.
It can be, at times,
processional (with finishing places
decided), but it is sometimes dramatic,
with victory snatched from the jaws of
defeat and vice versa. Even if the prize
jerseys have already been as good as
tailored, the sprinters will battle for
the honour of being first over the line
as they complete eight laps from
l'Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la
Concorde and back. Mark Cavendish
will be looking to make it four wins in
a row on this stage – and he's a man
who usually gets what he wants.
Not quite the 1920s spy thriller it sounds
like, but just as intriguing. Captain Alfred
Dreyfus was a Jewish artillery officer
in the French army who was wrongly
convicted of treason in 1894 after
allegedly leaking French military secrets
to the Germans. It was a hot topic in turn-of-the-century
France, and Le Velo, the country's leading sports daily, was
firmly on the side of the young soldier. The case dragged
on despite the identification of the real culprit (who was
subsequently acquitted in a rigged trial), and a group
of businessmen who advertised in Le Velo disagreed
vehemently with its editor, Pierre Giffard, on the issue.
In 1899, one of them, wealthy motor car company owner
Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, got involved in a bit of a
rumble between the Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards.
Unlike your modern fist-fight, this was a classy affair – all
gin-based cocktails and pithy one-liners. Fittingly, it ended
with the Marquis striking the French President on the head
with a walking stick. Savagely criticised by Giffard in Le Velo, he decided to withdraw his advertising and, when
released from jail, formed his own paper, backed by other
anti-Dreyfusards and called L'Auto-Velo (later shortened to
L'Auto after legal action – it's the forebear of L'Équipe).
Three years later, in 1903, L'Auto conceived a cycling
race around France to boost their circulation, and “finally
nail Giffard's beak shut”. And so, in rather unedifying
circumstances, Le Tour was born. It worked as intended –
circulation rose from 25,000 before Le Tour to 65,000
afterwards, and it became France's number-one sports
daily the following year as Le Velo closed its doors, unable
to compete with its new rival.
But what of poor old Alfred Dreyfus? After spending
years imprisoned on Devil's Island, off the coast of French
Guyana, he was finally exonerated in 1906, and went on to
serve his country in the First World War – although not before
being shot in the arm at close range by a disgruntled military
hack called Louis Gregori. Journalists, eh? Can't trust 'em. >
is for the Dreyfus affairis for Champs-
élysées
20 | June 29 2012 |
Tour de France
is for gear
“L'Auto,
journal of
ideas and
action, is
going to
fling across
France today those reckless and
uncouth sowers of energy who
are the greatest professional
riders of the world... from
Paris to the blue waves of the
Mediterranean, from Marseille
to Bordeaux, passing along the
roseate and dreaming roads,
sleeping under the sun, across
the calm of the fields of the
Vendée, following the Loire,
which flows on still and
silent, our men are going to
race madly, unflaggingly.”
Those are the words of
Henri Desgrange, editor of
L'Auto, as he announced the first
ever Tour de France. Considered
the father of the Tour, he
qualified as a lawyer but chose
sport after being fired following
complaints about his calves
showing as he cycled to work.
Casting that prudish (and
bizarre) judgement aside, he
went on to revolutionise cycling.
REplica yellow leaders' jersey £60
If you're a cycling aficionado, but actually
winning the Tour is beyond you, why not
pretend by donning the colours of the race
leader? It's the ultimate in glory-hunting –
if only a similar option existed for football.
cyclesurgery.com
tour de france training bike £1,499
If you want to bask in the reflected glory of
the Tour, but can't actually bring yourself to
go outside, then this exercise bike – which is
pre-programmed with the inclines and views
from the Tour using Street View – is ideal.
proformfitness.co.uk
LE tour de france 2012 game £33
And if you can't even be bothered to drag
your bloated carcass off the sofa, don't fret
– you can still get involved with the official
game, which offers all the excitement of
the Tour, with none of the horrible rashes.
Available on Xbox and PS3 at amazon.co.uk
is for Henri Desgrange
Despite the romance and poetry
of the Tour's origins hinted at by
Desgrange (left), the Tour has
in truth always been a hotbed of
scandal, with the sheer scale of the
task leading some riders to look for
a way to make things easier. Yes, riders have
ingested myriad substances – from the
ether used in the first race to numb the pain,
to the bizarre cocktail that led to the death
of British rider Tom Simpson (see K). Drug
use was legal until 1965, and was so ingrained
in the early iterations that in 1930 the Tour
handbook reminded riders that they had to
bring their own. After the criminalisation of
substance use, the first en masse test in
1966 found almost a third of riders were on
amphetamines. Of the 45 Tours since then,
19 have been won by riders who either
tested positive for or admitted using banned
substances at some point during their careers.
The list of culprits is as long as the list of
substances used: nitroglycerine, strychnine,
ether, cocaine, chloroform, painkillers,
testosterone, steroids, amphetamines, EPO.
Put simply, it's an unfortunate cloud that
hangs over every Tour victory. And, as the
drugs move away from boosting immediate
performance or dulling pain towards
increasing the level of substances that occur
naturally in the body, it's getting harder and
harder for the testers to keep up. >
is for illegal substances
is for
El Diablo
For almost
20 years,
60-year-old
German Didi
Senft has
been ruffling up his bushy beard,
squeezing his not inconsiderable
frame into red tights and jumping
up and down at the side of
the road waving a trident as
professional cyclists whizz by.
He has delighted fans at cycle
races all over Europe, but the
riders might feel differently. After
slogging your way up a punishing
ascent, surely the last thing you
want is an insane geriatric's lycra-
clad scrotum bouncing up and
down in your face. Nauseating.
is for favourites
Injuries and suspensions have thinned out the field of
favourites, with Andy Schleck out with a broken pelvis
and Alberto Contador suspended. It's been argued that
the partially co-operative nature of the Tour means
this will make it harder rather than easier for those
who remain. But who is best placed to take advantage?
Bradley Wiggins
7/5
The Team Sky rider
is in phenomenal
form and hungry to
become the first Brit
ever to win Le Tour.
The 32-year-old has
been training with
teammates in
Tenerife, returning
to Europe only to
dominate races.
Cadel Evans
9/4
Twice runner-up and
defending champion
is sure to put up a
determined fight, but
the Australian has
struggled to keep up
with Wiggins thus
far this season. Still,
at 35, he's a grizzled
and experienced
competitor.
Chris Froome
25/1
A support rider
for Team Sky, but
demonstrated in the
Vuelta last year that
he has what it takes
to challenge for
victory in the big
races. One of Team
Sky's most crucial
domestiques, but is
capable of more...
22 | June 29 2012 |
is for legends
It's tough enough to
win even one Tour
de France, so these
legends of the race
deserve their places
as sporting greats.
lance armstrong 7 wins
Neil Armstrong was the first man to
set foot on the moon, and Stretch
Armstrong always returned to his
original shape – so Lance had a lot to
do to keep up with his namesakes. It's
safe to say he did so, recovering from
testicular cancer to win the Tour a
record seven times in a row between
1999 and 2005, when he retired.
Returned in 2009 and finished third
before giving up professional cycling
for good last year. Now 40, he is trying
to qualify for the World Ironman
Championships. Truly a phenomenal
athlete, even if he's never been able to
shake off persistent drug allegations.
eddy merckx 5 wins
The Belgian really earned his nickname,
'the Cannibal,' and left his mark on the
Tour de France (although thankfully
not by taking a bite out of anyone).
His first Tour win was in 1969, when
he simply destroyed the competition
on the sprints and in the mountains,
collecting the Yellow Jersey, the Green
Jersey, the mountain classification and
the awards for combativity and the
best all-rounder – and all at the
relatively tender cycling age of 24.
He won four of the next five Tours,
eventually succumbing to a pelvis
injury originally sustained during
that first victory back in 1969.
MIGUEL INDURAiN 5 WINs
Considered too tall to do well in the
mountains, Indurain (or Big Mig, as
he was known) compensated for it by
being gifted with a supreme heart and
lungs – his blood could carry almost
twice as much oxygen around his body
per minute as your average person,
and significantly more than his fellow
riders. He used those gifts to win five
Tours in a row between 1991 and
1995, attacking indiscriminately on
the mountains and the flat. Quiet and
retiring compared with some of his
more outspoken rivals, he never quite
had the charisma of other winners
– but deserves his place on this list. >
Tour de France
This is what it's all for – these jerseys
in bright yellow, brilliant green and pure
white and polka dot, for some reason.
Don't worry, there's cash on offer for
the winners as well. If you're finding
this all as confusing as a women's
clothing shop, here's our quick guide
to the sartorial prizes on offer for the
riders after each stage, and at the
end of the Grand Tour.
is for jerseys is for killer
climbs
Hoy, Cavendish and
Simpson – the only
three cyclists to win
Sports Personality
of the Year. Tom
Simpson was just as good as his
modern counterparts, becoming world
road racing champion in 1965. But two
years later he lay dying by the roadside
of Mont Ventoux. Already known for
pushing his body to the limit, Simpson
was sixth in the Tour, but had been
struggling with a stomach upset. It
was a blistering day in Provence and,
the understanding of medical science
not being what it is now, riders were
limited to carrying two litres of water.
To compound matters, Simpson
had been drinking brandy to settle his
stomach and had taken amphetamines
because, well, that's what riders did
back then. Tragically, in Simpson's
case it had the opposite effect to that
intended – two kilometres from the
blinding white of the mountain's
summit, he collapsed due to extreme
dehydration. He had pushed his body
and his mind to the point of no return
– so far, in fact, that he was no longer
aware of his condition.
“Put me back on my bike!” is what
Simpson supposedly said to his team
mechanics as they rushed to his aid –
although these words were reported
by a journalist covering events for The
Sun, so could easily have come from
an answer-phone message. They duly
complied, but just half a mile later he
fell once more, never to rise again.
yellow
The rider with the lowest total
time at the end of each stage
wears the Yellow Jersey.
Whoever's wearing it at the
end wins the Tour. The White
Jersey is for the leading rider
under the age of 25.
green
Points are awarded for final
positions in each stage, and
the rider with the most points
wins the green. More points
are awarded for flatter
stages, so this is where the
sprinters come into their own.
polka dot
For the 'King of the Mountains'
– points are given to the first
few riders to the top of each
climb, ranging between one
point for the easiest to 20
points for the first to top the
hardest hors categorie climbs.
www.panasonic.co.uk/lumixgofferwww.panasonic.co.uk/lumixgofferCASHBACK*
£35NOW WITH
24 | June 29 2012 |
Tour de France
Cycling's greatest
names will have
one eye on London,
even as they're
propelling their
massive thighs
up alpine slopes.
The Olympic Road Race takes place just
six days after the Tour ends, with the
Time Trial another three days after
that. Some cyclists have opted out of
one or the other, but British hopefuls
Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish
are adamant they can compete, and
succeed, in both France and London.
After all, once you've conquered
the Alps, Box Hill's just a bump in
the road. Right?
"You are assassins,
yes, assassins!" were
the words of defending
champ Octave Lapize
to race organisers at
the summit of the first
real mountain stage in the Tour, in the
Pyrenees in 1910. Back then, riders
had to carry their spare tyres,
provisions and all up these steep
ascents on ungeared bikes. Many
walked. This year's race includes
11 Pyrenean summits across two
massive stages – the beasts that
are Stage 16, 197km from Pau to
Bagneres-de-Luchon, and Stage 17,
144km from Bagneres-de-Luchon to
Peyragudes. They could be decisive
in the general classification – where
mountains have a habit of breaking up
the peloton and stringing the riders
out – but also in the battle for the
Polka Dot jersey, with three hors
categorie climbs and more than 100
points available to the top riders.
Walking will be frowned upon. >
is for the tour
by numbers
is for olympics
is for the pyrenees
stages
days miles covered
The approximate average
number of calories burned
by a rider during the Tour
riders
400 tossers riding around Surrey
wishing they were on the Tour
Sport chats to sprint
supremo Mark Cavendish
as he vies to retain the
Green Jersey...
Will team Sky be aiming
for both Green and Yellow at the Tour this year?
“I guess so, but it's for Dave Brailsford to answer
that really. I'll prepare as best as I can to contend
for green, to contend for stage wins and to
contend for the Olympics. And on the other
end of the scale, we'll prepare for the general
classification – and the guys in between are
the ones who have to see if that happens,
you know.”
Who are your main rivals for the Green?
“I'm not really looking at anyone else, as always.
I'm just looking at what I've gotta do. I know that
if I prepare to the best of my ability and my team
does too, then we should be the favourites –
there's no need to look at anyone else.”
So you're the favourite then?
“Yeah... I guess so.”
Would you ever pull out of the Tour to make
sure you're ready for the Olympics?
“No, only if I get eliminated by a time cut or... no.
I'll finish the Tour de France. I pulled out in my first
year as a pro after a week, but I wasn't ready for
the Tour. Then in 2008 I stopped for the Olympics,
and since then I've finished it every time."
Do you regret stopping for the Olympics?
“Yeah, I never made a secret of that. I'll never
do it again.”
Mark Cavendish was at the launch of the new
partnership between Team Sky and Jaguar Cars
is for mark cavendish
26 | June 29 2012 |
Tour de France
While we're on the
subject of tough climbs,
we might as well have a
look at the 'queen stage',
which is the name given
to the toughest stage each year. This year
it is, without a doubt, the aforementioned
Stage 16 in the Pyrenees. From the town of
Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon near the border
with Spain, the route rises and falls over
four of the toughest summits in pro-cycling:
Col d'Aubisque, the Col d'Aspin, the Col de
Peyresourde and the Col du Tourmalet, which
at 2,115 metres is the highest point on this
year's Tour. It's a Tour classic that's been
used dozens of times, but that won't make
it any less tough for the riders. And it could
be where this year's race is won or lost.
is for Queen stage is for route map
While Tour winners secure
the plaudits, their success
usually owes something to
the work of their support
team – or domestiques –
who can aid their team
leader in all manner of
ways, from bringing them water from team
cars or creating a slipstream to enable
them to gain ground, to actually giving up
their bike in the case of a mechanical failure
or puncture for the leader. The term
'domestique applies' to support riders and
actually means 'servant'. It was coined in
this context as an insult, by father of the
Tour Henri Desgrange, who believed his
race should be about individuals. He banned
support riders for decades, but they are
now an accepted and vital part of the Tour.
is for support teams
Something a bit different from the
massed starts and pelotons of your
average Tour stage, the three individual
time trial stages on this year's Tour will
let fans see an explosion of raw power.
The first is the Prologue stage in Liege,
Belgium, which will launch this year's Tour and decide who
gets to don the Yellow Jersey for the first stage proper.
There are points up for grabs in these stages as well, and
strong performance will be crucial for the likes of Mark
Cavendish if he wants to claim that Green Jersey. Riders
set off seperately from a launch ramp and look to set the
quickest time, with Green Jersey points on the line.
is for time trials
Ever since the Tour began,
unscrupulous riders have been
trying to cheat. The drug use
we know about, but we've also
seen a baffling array of other
ways that reads like a list of
Wacky Races episodes. Broken glass and nails on
the road, itching powder in the shorts – we're
surprised no one's tried bending a road sign
towards a painted-on tunnel. The second Tour
was an absolute shambles – in Stage 1, two
riders who tried to break away from the main
group were set upon by four masked men who
had jumped out of a car. Because the stages
were so long, the riders cycled all night, so could
get up to all sorts of heinous shenanigans. One
rigged up an insane mechanism in which he
secured one end of a length of wire to a car and
the other end to a piece of cork, which he held
with his teeth to pull him along. Others simply
hitched a lift in cars or trains. In all, nine riders
were disqualified after the 1904 Tour, and Henri
Desgrange rejigged it to run during daylight, so
that from then on his organisers could make sure
none of the riders were using giant slingshots or
ACME rocket bikes (having said that, see X). >
is for underhand tactics
28 | June 29 2012 |
Tour de France
Sport's guide to
Tour jargon
Autobus A smaller
peloton-like group
that forms at the back of the race during
mountain stages, with the sole purpose of
finishing within the time limit.
Blocking Attempting to slow the speed
of a group to help teammates who may
be staging a breakaway in front.
Domestique A support rider whose job
is purely to help their team leader win
the stage.
Drafting Following closely behind
another rider to avoid wind resistance –
akin to slipstreaming in Formula 1.
Hors categorie The hardest level of
climb on the Tour.
Peloton The large group of riders that
forms at the front of a race. Drag can be
reduced by as much as 40 per cent for those
at the back of the peloton. Riders at the front
have to work the hardest and will often drop
to the back to allow others to take their place.
Soigneur A rider's assistant, who will sort
out his food and clothing during the Tour.
is for
vocabulary
Moving the Tour to
daylight hours wasn't
enough to stop cries of
cheating. As recently
as 2010, rumours flew
around the peloton that
some teams had installed tiny motors inside
the frames of their bikes, to release power
at a button press. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't
it? Not to the organisers, who responded
robustly – a selection of competitors' bikes
are now X-rayed before each stage of the
Tour to make sure there are no motors,
machinery or tiny elves living inside.
is for X-rays
The Tour begins with
tomorrow's Prologue,
and runs until Sunday
July 22. There will be
live coverage and
highlights throughout the Tour on British
Eurosport and ITV4. ITV4 will have live
coverage in HD every day (usually starting
at 2pm), with highlights every evening
at 7pm. British Eurosport will also have HD
coverage and highlights, with programmes
usually starting at 1.15pm, and highlights
at 6.15pm.
is for Your Guide
to watching
De Zwarte van Brakel – roughly
translated as 'the black-haired
person from Brakel' – was the
imaginative nickname given
to Belgian cyclist Peter van
Petegem, who, you guessed it,
has black hair and is from the Belgian town of Brakel.
Okay, so not a great start (we're down to Z – can you
blame us?), but there have been some truly excellent
nicknames doled out by cycle fans. We've touched on
Eddie 'the Cannibal' Merckx (fleetingly, in case he was
hungry), and of the current crop there's The Manx
Missile (Mark Cavendish), The God of Thunder (Thor
Hushovd) and the delightful Cuddles (Cadel Evans).
Some riders have been nicknamed for their looks,
such as Marco 'Il Pirata' Pantani, who wore a bandana,
earring and eyepatch (this is true of the first two,
at least). Bernard Hinault will tell you his nickname,
'The Badger', comes from his tenacity. But it's
actually because he looks like a badger. Classic.
Amit Katwala @amitkatwala
is for 'de zwarte' and the best tour nicknames
It's easy to forget just how fast the
riders are going – and when things
go wrong, it usually means a broken
something for someone. Last year was
particularly bad: the 2011 Tour saw
Bradley Wiggins break his collarbone in
an early crash, but that was far from the worst incident. Farcically,
during Stage 9, a French TV car cut across the line of the cyclists,
clipping Juan Antonio Flecha and flinging rider Johnny Hoogerland
into a barbed wire fence. Sacre bleu!
is for Wipeouts
Want more?To watch some of the most dramatic crashes from Le Tour,
download our iPad app from Apple Newsstand
Bradley Wiggins
CHASING LEGENDS When Le Tour begins in Liege tomorrow, all eyes will be on Britain’s own Bradley Wiggins as he looks to make history for a second time this year...
| June 29 2012 | 31
Brit winning the Tour
de France just doesn’t
happen. Never in the Tour’s
98 illustrious editions has one even graced the podium at the end of the final stage in Paris, let alone rolled down the Champs-Élysées clad in the illustrious Yellow Jersey of the race leader.
Yet all the talk ahead of this year’s race is of one man, and a British one at that: Bradley Wiggins. “I’m the favourite for the Tour de France,” he says, puffing his cheeks out incredulously, his mind clearly a little blown to be the bookies’ pick. “It’s something to tell the grandchildren one day.”
There are 11 days to go until the Grand Depart in Liege when Sport sits down with Wiggins in the poolside bar of a Majorcan hotel. He’s staying in an apartment nearby with his family until a few days before the Tour, taking advantage of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range’s high gradients and the island’s oppressive heat to prepare for what could be the greatest race of his life.
He’s lean – exceptionally lean – and sporting those distinctive mutton-chop sideburns that have become
as much a part of his persona as they were for the man who inspired them – The Who bass player, John Entwistle. So Wiggins is easily spotted among the plethora of holidaymakers in ill-advised (and ill-fitting) budgie smugglers around the pool. But as we rise to greet him and shake the hand of the man tipped to make cycling history, we’re offered an apology in place of a palm: “Sorry, I’m not being rude. I just can’t take any [injury] risks at this point...” Dodging a handshake is not a very British thing to do, but then neither is winning the Tour de France. Yet.
Are there any great gains to be made in this period
before the Tour starts, or is all your money already
in the bank?
“It’s more about stuff off the bike now – how you rest, trying not to get ill, keeping an eye on the weight, all those kind of things. There’s only a couple of key
A
Bry
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en
no
n/G
ett
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ag
es
sessions we do on the bike, but the ones we do really
have to count. Other than that it’s just about waiting
and trying to relax. I’ve had enough experience to
know that the worst thing you can do in this period
is go out and test yourself to see if it’s still there.”
In terms of the attention you’re getting, is this the
biggest build-up you’ve had to a Tour?
“This is… I wouldn’t say it’s new to me, but I was out
at 6.45am this morning with five film crews following
me and lord knows how many photographers along
the route – in Majorca at that time of the morning,
that’s quite incredible really. But that’s because I’m
doing well and that’s a nice thing, you know. You could
have attention for worse things.”
Do your children [Wiggins has a son, Ben, and
daughter Isabella] understand it?
“No they don’t – they have no understanding of it
at all. My son thinks we’re here on holiday, you know?
But cycling itself is the norm for them. Everyone in
their family cycles, so from a young age everyone’s
in lycra and there’s bikes around the house. My son
wants to race. He definitely likes it, but we’re trying
to push him into rugby league at the moment. He plays
in a local team and he loves it. I love it – it’s a brilliant
sport. I find it inspiring how hard it is. It’s harder
than cycling.”
It’s harder? Really?
“It’s just the tackles they
take – they’re physically
hard, you know? But
that’s just me. It might
be that rugby league players might look at cycling and
say: ‘My god, how do you do that?’”
Speaking of which, you’ve made history as the
only rider to win Paris–Nice [inset], the Tour de
Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine in the
same year. People are saying you’ve peaked...
“It was never the plan to peak for those races and
win them. We won those races off the back of being
in this plan, which is fantastic because what are we
gonna do when we do taper? We’ve been working
towards peaking for July and those races have been
stepping stones. I won Paris-Nice, which is amazing,
but I only won it by eight seconds – it’s not like I won it
by three minutes. Then we had big blocks of training
in April before going to Romandie and I won that. Then
we went away again and did big blocks of training at
altitude, came back and won the Dauphine.
“Every time it’s just got a bit better – that was
always the plan. And with that we’ve led races, had
the Yellow Jersey and everything that goes with that.
I know how to do a press conference now – which you
have to do every day after the stage if you’ve had the
Yellow Jersey – and the team now knows how to ride
at the front. We’re well trained at all those things.
So when we do get the Yellow Jersey – if we get the
Yellow Jersey – in the first week, it’s not a big ‘what
are we gonna do now?’ kind of thing. We know how to
do this. We’ve done it before and it’s all instilled in us.”
Is the media circus that accompanies the Tour one
of the most difficult aspects to handle?
“It can be, because the last thing you want to do when
you’ve finished six hours of riding is go to a sports
hall somewhere and talk to all the press. You want to
get back to the hotel and, if you’ve had a good day,
go and thank your teammates, because you don’t
normally get to see them afterwards. You also want
to have some food and talk to your family, or whatever.
So it can be an irritation. In Paris-Nice, I got frustrated
with it. I didn’t want to do it, but I’m now accepting
that’s what comes with it. You just have to work out
how to make it as unstressful as possible. Simple
things help – like the person who comes with you having
some food there and a bottle of drink. It becomes part
of the race and you have to prepare for it.”
Last year, we didn’t get to see what you were
capable of in the Tour [Wiggins broke his collarbone
in a crash on Stage 7]. But how do you compare
where you are now with where you were in 2010,
when you finished in 24th place?
“We were all novices in how to win the Tour when this
team started. No one knew all the answers – I certainly
didn’t. I had no idea of how I got fourth the year before
and that’s where Tim (Kerrison, Wiggins’ coach) came
in. He came from a swimming and rowing background,
so he knew about endurance training but had no idea
about the traditions of cycling. In swimming and
32 | June 29 2012 |
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Bradley Wiggins
How he rolls: Wiggins, in Yellow Jersey, attacks the Alps during the Dauphine (below) and (inset) with the Paris-Nice title
“ The team knows how to ride at the front. It’s all instilled in us”
34 | June 29 2012 |
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/Ge
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Ima
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rowing, they train all year
round – overload, race
and compete. That is
basically how we’ve been
working. Racing less,
training more. Taking
bigger chunks of time to go away and train at altitude
or work on our weaknesses. That’s been the big
difference this year. That, and having faith in Tim.
Realising that actually, I trust this man. It’s been
eye-opening. People ask: ‘How have you won Paris-Nice
and Dauphine in the same year? It’s impossible –
only Eddy Merckx has done it.’ And it’s because the
traditions are so different to how we’ve done it.”
Just six days separate the finish line in Paris from
the start of the Olympic Road Race. If you do the
business in the Tour, will you be allowed even the
smallest of celebrations?
“I know that the end process is the Olympic Time Trial.
That’s what will make all the sacrifices worthwhile –
to stay until the job’s done. And that job finishes on
August 1, regardless of the result in Paris. To win the
Tour would be amazing. It would be hard not to be
emotional about it, but we’ve planned for this since
November. If we win the Tour, how is that going to
impact on the few days after that? I’ve said from day
one that I’m not going to let it impact what we do at
the Olympics. So, after the Tour, we’ll maybe talk
about it for an hour or two with the media and then
say: ‘Right, now I’m focusing on the Olympics.’”
So, despite all the Tour talk, the Olympics still
comes into your thoughts on occasion?
“A bit, yeah. But I know the minute I roll down that
ramp in London for the time trial, my body will take
over and the event will happen. The details were put
in place months ago, so we know that on Sunday night,
the minute the Tour finishes, we fly to the holding
camp in Surrey. Other than that, it’s very simple.
“We train all the physical aspects, we have all the
equipment – the best bikes, this, that and the other
for the Olympics – and that’ll just happen when we get
there for the Time Trial. The Road Race is a bit more
complicated because tactics are involved, but the Time
Trial is what we do day in, day out in racing – I may
have to do my best ever Time Trial to win the Tour on
that final Saturday of the race. So in fact, the Tour’s
probably the best preparation for the Olympics.”
How would you like to be remembered once your
cycling career comes to a close (apart from being
the rider with the best sideburns in the peloton)?
“It’s funny, because Dave [Brailsford] asked me that a
while ago. I said you know, with YouTube and everything
now, I’m unlikely to be remembered as someone who’s
great with the media and whatever. [Smiles] But what
I do want to be remembered for is actually being really
good at what I did, and that’s performing. No one can
ever take them performances away from me. My
name’s there with Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil
as the only rider to win Dauphine and Paris-Nice in
the same year. And I’m the only rider to win the
individual pursuit title at the Olympics twice. They’re
never gonna go away. So, just being really good at
what I did – focusing on a goal and winning it – that’s
what I hope to be remembered for. But I suppose
everyone will have a different view. Some people
might look at you as a legend – or some won’t.”
Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag
Follow Team Sky throughout the Tour de France on
Facebook.com/TeamSky or via Twitter @TeamSky
The men behind The man
Bradley Wiggins credits a pair of Aussies with transforming him into a Tour de France favourite. Meet Tim Kerrison (left) and Shane Sutton...
Kerrison, a sports scientist, joined Team Sky in 2009 from British Swimming, and has also worked with Olympic rowers in Australia. His brief was to discover where and how improvements in performance could be made alongside fellow Aussie Sutton, a no-nonsense former pro who played a key role in transforming the fortunes of British Cycling and is now head coach at Team Sky. The pair designed Wiggins’ training programme using information gathered during the 2010 and 2011 Tours. It began in November and has thus far delivered the best six months of Wiggins’ road racing career.
“ The Tour is probably the best preparation for the Olympics”
Velo yellow: Wiggins in the peloton with his Team Sky teammates (above); and on his way to winning in Romandie (right)
bradley Wiggins
36 | June 29 2012 |
The End of Euro 2012 England's next steps
As the world and his wife reflects on England’s exit from Euro 2012, we consider the steps Roy Hodgson must take to ensure a successful qualifying campaign for their next major test: the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
Roy’s road to Rio
1. Retain the humilityHodgson took the England job a full five
minutes before the start of Euro 2012, but
in his short reign he has managed to coax
a degree of humility out of a group of players
well used to being overindulged and
ridiculously overpaid at club level. This is no
different for many of the high-profile squads
that have spent the summer in Poland and
Ukraine, of course, but it's all too easy for
those in successful teams (most notably
Spain and Germany) to maintain a base level
of harmony and dignity – and all too easy
for those failing miserably (take a bow,
Holland and France) to resort to infighting,
backbiting and the kind of shambolic disunity
that has reportedly blighted England camps
at past tournaments.
No such shenanigans with Roy's class of
2012, however. The manager may not have
had the easiest ride in the run-up to the
tournament, and received precious little
public support from his bosses over the
non-selection of Rio Ferdinand, but his
reputation as an excellent man-manager has
been borne out in the quiet, professional
manner with which his charges went about
their business in Poland and Ukraine. Any
controversy over the selection of John Terry
was minimised by keeping the former
skipper well and truly in his box, while the
appointment of Steven Gerrard – who leads
by example over barking at his teammates
– was perhaps cannier than it first seemed.
Throw in the recruitment as coach of
Gary Neville, who offers the kind of link
between management and players that
seemed so lacking in the Fabio Capello era,
and Hodgson appears to have begun a
process on which he can build as he looks
towards a World Cup qualifying campaign.
2. Ditch the formation“Roy does like a rigid 4-4-2,” said Gary
Lineker for the umpteenth time in the
aftermath of England's penalty shootout
defeat to Italy last Sunday. It's important for
a manager to be clear about how he wants
his team to play, true – but it's also
| 37
important for that same manager to realise
when the system he prefers plainly isn't
working. And if there's one thing the entire
watching world seems to understand about
modern football, it's that a rigid 4-4-2 simply
doesn't cut it against teams that pack the
midfield and, crucially, possess players of
superior technical ability.
We're not telling you anything you haven't
spent much of the week already reading, but
never was this more obvious than against
Italy – for whom Andrea Pirlo spent an
evening playing passes at will while the
entire England midfield seemed bewilderingly
incapable of getting near him.
Don't be fooled into thinking Pirlo had an
armchair ride, however. UEFA stats show
that he ran further (11.58km) than any other
player on the park on Sunday, but it's a lot
easier to do this when you have the ball at
your feet – which is why Gerrard (second in
the stats at 11.26km) was doubled up on the
turf with cramp after little more than an hour.
Hodgson has been blessed with what
should prove a straightforward World
Cup qualifying group – neither Ukraine nor
Poland looked any great shakes at their own
tournament – but that shouldn't stop him
from converting to a midfield three. Who fills
those three spots is open to debate, but if
Gerrard – who has signalled his desire to
continue, and should be retained – is to take
control of a game in the manner we know he
can, he simply must have two guys alongside
him. Poor old Scott Parker can't survive
there for much longer on his own.
3. Pick the right playersNow comes arguably Hodgson's toughest task so far – namely, judging who
are the players he wants to retain, those he
wants to lose, and those he wants to bring in
for a two-year World Cup campaign.
First, the keepers. John Terry's selection
caused no end of debate ahead of the
tournament, but he gave a timely exhibition
of why Chelsea fans love him so much as the
lynchpin of England's relentless rearguard
action in Ukraine. Zlatan Ibrahimovic exposed
just how little pace Terry has left, but as an
out-and-out defender he has few peers in
England. Assuming he retains his liberty, he
should retain his place. Elsewhere, Parker
performed admirably and deserves to
continue, while Theo Walcott and Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain did enough to suggest
they both have an international future.
There are a few whose futures are less
certain, however. England lack strength in
depth up front, but there seems little point in
retaining Jermain Defoe while he can't hold
down a regular starting berth at club level.
Few understood why Stewart Downing even
went to Ukraine in the first place; just having
a left foot shouldn't be enough to see him
keep his place, so he shouldn't. And, with
more promising alternatives back to full
fitness, it would be a surprise to see another
two Liverpool men, Jordan Henderson and
Martin Kelly, feature much in the future.
As to those the manager should be looking
to bring in, Jack Wilshere is the first name
on the list. Assuming the Arsenal midfielder
ever plays again (and word is that he might),
he should be one of the two midfielders set
to augment Gerrard in Hodgson's new-look
side. As one of the Premier League's better
passers (something the current England side
lacks in spades), Michael Carrick should be
approached about making a return; while
both Gary Cahill and Kyle Walker should
return to put pressure on Joleon Lescott and
Glen Johnson in the back four. It would also
be encouraging to see consistent club form
(and fitness) from Tom Cleverley, Jack
Rodwell and Daniel Sturridge.
And that just leaves those for whom the
end of the international road is nigh. The
reasons Hodgson gave for leaving Rio
Ferdinand out suggest we won't see him
again, while there must be questions about
whether Frank Lampard, who will be 36 when
the World Cup rolls around, should return.
Both have been great servants to England,
but now is surely a time to look forward.
Danny WelbeckFar from the finished article, but Welbeck led the line impressively against France, scored a brilliant winner against Sweden and occasionally combined well with Rooney. Shouldn't have been taken off against Italy, and looks to have a future at international level.
Ashley YoungWent into the tournament billed as England's potential matchwinner, but utterly failed to sparkle and looked a beaten man as he stepped up to take his ill-fated penalty in the shootout. Can't imagine he has many more chances before Hodgson starts to look elsewhere.
Joleon LescottInherited a starting role after Gary Cahill was forced to pull out of the squad injured, but defended admirably alongside John Terry and can be proud of his efforts. Still a question mark over his distribution, but all in all an excellent tournament.
Wayne RooneyHow can a lack of match fitness have such a detrimental effect on a player's touch? Rooney didn't look out of shape in Ukraine, but he looked out of sorts and could have been subbed long before the end against Italy. Starting to look like we may never see the best of him on the international stage again.
Hits and missesThe men who impressed, and very much failed to, at Euro 2012
5Yellow cards for England at Euro 2012, at an
average of 1.25 per
game. After the
quarter finals, only
Germany – with
three yellows at an
average of 0.75 per
game – had a better
disciplinary record
Number of passes England completed on Sunday, in stark contrast to Italy’s 815. The team’s most frequent passing combination was – wait for it – Joe Hart to Andy Carroll
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38 | June 29 2012 |
Euro 2012 The Story So Far
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By the time you read this, the game will almost be up. Germany will be
playing Spain again this Sunday in a
repeat of 2008’s final, unless Portugal beat
Spain, in which case they’ll play Portugal
instead. Or Italy will beat Germany and play
Spain instead, or Portugal. We’re not entirely
sure of the specifics, but someone will
definitely be playing someone in Sunday
night’s showpiece final – of that there is no
doubt. They just won’t be playing England.
Because England will be back home in Dubai
by the time you read this, having their fragile
little egos gently buffed back to full health
by a team of hand-picked sycophants –
and with only six days until the new Premier
League kicks off again, they’ll be massaging
round the clock.
Now, what you may have worked out from
the opening paragraph is that we’re writing
this after the quarter finals but before the
semi finals, so we’re lost down the corridor
of uncertainty and clearly winging it. But
winging it has been a recurring theme of this
European Championships: Ashley Young, Alan
Hansen, Mad Mario masquerading as a world-class footballer, all of Holland, Don
Fabio and his Magnificent Mechanical Capello
Index Guessing Game – we’re all just winging
it and wondering how long our luck holds.
What we can say with complete confidence
though, is that it’s been a quite magnificent
European Championships. We’re sure of
that because that’s what everyone’s saying,
although we’re not entirely convinced. If you
like one-sided games, players spannering
balls wide of open goals and referees
ignoring obvious goals, then this has truly
been the tournament for you, otherwise...
There have been moments of undeniable
excellence – Ronaldo’s rampaging against
Holland and the Czech Republic, his exquisite
hair of two halves™, all those step-overs (7.6
per match! But no longer fooling anyone),
and his hair – did we mention the lad’s hair?
Then there’s Germany, a team built in the
image of their manager Jogi Low: suave,
silken and, to a man, playing keine underpants.
We liked Andy Carroll’s herculean header
against Sweden, and Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s
killer kung-fu against the French, and who didn’t fall in love with Andrea Pirlo?
Sure, there was that cute little cucchiaio
past Bruce Grobbelaar in the England goal
last Sunday, but that wasn’t the half of
it. The technique, the nonchalance, the
lightly feathered continental coiffure
that Wayne Rooney dreams of nightly
– the man had it all, and still has.
There were plenty of great moments,
yes – but where were the truly great
performances, the truly great games?
(NB: This may change between now and
when you read this, so to be safe... what
a game last night! What a finish! What
impudence! This has been the greatest
tournament since – insert your own choice
here! Etc and so on.)
The truth is, when The Diary looks back
on these Euros, we won’t be remembering
it for the right reasons. We’ll remember it
more for the rising optimism of Dear Old
England that was entirely at odds with their
pug-ugly performances against France,
Sweden and Ukraine. And we’ll wonder why anyone held out any hope at all.
We’ll laugh again at Wayne Rooney’s ratty
hairpiece, and wonder why a man of his age
would publicly out himself as a fan of Deacon
Blue, FFS. (As we type, we expect he’s chilling
to Ocean Drive by the Lighthouse Family.)
We’ll recall Alun Shearer’s shit-eating grin, largely because it wakes us nightly in
a cold sweat. We’ll shudder at the thought
of mad Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin offering to bugger some sense into a journalist (“If you’re a man, go with me. One
on one”). And we’ll bemoan what the Euro
bastards did to Seven Nation Army. Most of
all though, we’ll recall Euro 2012 as being the
tournament where we finally turned into our
parents. Having grown up with World In
Motion, Lethal Bizzle’s England ‘song’ was an
aural assault: a song without a discernible
tune, and that’s not singing, is it? Gary
Lineker claimed it was ‘dench’, the daft tit.
But inevitably, we’ll look back on Euro 2012
with regret. Obvious regret that we pulled
Ireland in the office sweepstake. Big regret
that, with the stage set for him to push on
sartorially, Jogi Low played it safe with the
white shirt, black slacks of middle management
– we pray he’s saving his big Spandex-and-
stack-heels ensemble for the final.
But most of all, monumental regret that
we wasted another 500 hours watching
England matches only to arrive at the same
conclusion we reached two summers ago:
they’re really not very good. Still, they’ll
definitely win the World Cup in 2014, of
that we’re convinced.
And with the big final this weekend, we’re not sure who’s playing, or what we’ll do with our time now it’s over...
Over and out (and mildly down)
40 | June 29 2012 |
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He won Olympic silver eight years ago, but for British diver Pete Waterfield it’s his current partnership with a certain teenage sporting superstar that has finally put him in the spotlight
Pete Waterfield
Dream team When Pete Waterfield is invited into schools around
the country to talk
about his success as one of
Britain’s top divers, he’s often
met with blank faces from
those not old enough to
remember the silver medal he
won in Athens eight years ago.
“But then I mention Tom
Daley,” he says, chuckling. “And
suddenly they know who I am.”
Alongside former synchro
partner Leon Taylor, Waterfield
won Britain’s first Olympic
diving medal since 1960 at the
Athens Olympics. The duo were
afforded the five minutes of
fame that usually accompany
such feats, but not much
besides. “We didn’t get half as
much attention as Tom does,”
says the Walthamstow-born
31-year-old. “But we raised the
profile of our sport by doing it,
and out of that came Tom. Now
he’s raising the profile again
and taking it to another level,
which is great for the sport.”
Waterfield has since been
propelled to that level too, after
joining forces with Daley at the
start of 2011. The duo have
formed a synchro dream team
that looks to be hitting form
just in time for London 2012.
They won the overall gold medal
in this year’s World Series,
and set a new personal best
at the Olympic trials earlier
this month.
SHOulDering tHe Pain “I’ve had the best results of my
career over the past two years,”
admits Waterfield, whose Beijing
Olympics were scuppered by a
shoulder injury. “I was diving
really well when I got there,
then three days before my
event the shoulder went. I did
the prelims and got through in
fourth place. Then, when I woke
up the next day for the semi
finals, I could hardly lift my arm
above my head. As soon as I got
home, I had surgery on it and
everyone thought I probably
wouldn’t come back from it.
So it’s been nice to prove a few
people wrong and show I’m still
here, you know?
“I was out of competition for
nearly a year – they had to cut
through one of the muscles in
my shoulder, so I basically had
to teach my arm how to move
again. Getting back was a
struggle and probably the
toughest time of my career, but
all the hard work’s been
worth it. My body is definitely
screaming at me now, though.”
POOl tOgetHerThe partnership with Daley
might be only 18 months old,
but it’s one that Waterfield says
had been on for some time.
“We’d competed against each
other and knew it was always
on the cards that we might get
together,” he explains. “When
Tom was a bit younger, he
wasn’t as strong as he is now,
so the timing wasn’t quite right.
You couldn’t stick him on the
weights that much at that age,
because when you’re still
developing it’s not good to be
hammering your body with
weights. But once he got to
the age when he could, he got
bigger, started to jump higher...
and he was ready to be paired
up with me.”
Waterfield concedes his
partnership with Daley is very
different to what he’s had in the
past. “Because there is an age
gap, it is a different partnership
to what I had with [fellow
silver-medallist] Leon Taylor,”
he explains. “Me and Leon were
best friends and that was the
way it worked for us. With Tom,
it’s a bit different – but it works.
When we’re in the pool we’ve
still got the same aspirations,
we still work hard for each
other and we’re both there for
the same reason – trying to win
medals. It doesn’t mean we’re
not friends; it’s just that, you
know, when he’s out and about
with the younger ones, I don’t
wanna cramp his style. I have
a younger son, so I know what
they’re like. He doesn’t want me
around him all the time.”
London will be Waterfield’s
fourth and final Olympics – and,
while the consensus is that the
Chinese divers are gold-medal
favourites, he’s not discounting
an upset. “They are the ones to
beat, but anything can happen,”
he says. “If we can dive well and
get 15,000 people screaming
for us, that puts pressure on
the other divers. Hopefully they
will miss a dive and we won’t.”
Then, maybe, a generation
of schoolchildren will remember
they met that Olympic diver
Pete Waterfield, once.
Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag
Pete Waterfield is having laser hair
removal at The Harley Medical Group
as part of his Games preparations
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42 | June 29 2012 |
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As a three-time world champion, three-time Commonwealth gold-medallist and current world record holder for the 50m backstroke, British swimmer Liam Tancock is a serious medal hope for London 2012 – and he isn’t half looking forward to it
There’s not long to go until the Olympics
gets under way. Are you getting excited?
“Definitely. I qualified at the trials in March,
and it’s just been getting bigger and bigger
since then. More and more people have been
qualifying in different sports, which has all
added to the build-up, and now there’s a real
sense of Team GB. Training’s been going
fantastically well, and I’m just mega excited.
I’ve got 549 teammates I can’t let down!”
You performed at Beijing. What is it like
competing at the Olympic Games?
“It’s incredible. I’ve done the full circuit since
I started competing at senior level in 2005,
and most of the big events I compete at are
just about aquatic disciplines or specific
nations. Once every four years, we get
together as a bigger team, a greater team,
and we go up against the very best that the
rest of the world have to offer. People talk
about it as the greatest show on earth, and
it truly is because it lasts for a good couple
of weeks and it involves world-class sports
every single day. That’s just fantastic!”
How much are you looking forward to
the Games being at home?
“Yeah, it’s going to be amazing. I’ve only been
involved in that situation once in Britain, at
the Short Course World Championships back
in Manchester in 2008 – but to have a home
crowd was incredible, with people chanting
our name as we got out of the pool. It really
was like what footballers get every week
– and that was only with about 5,000 people.
We’re talking about 17,500 people in London.
It’s our turf, so people are going to have
to come and race us in our playground, so
to speak. That feeling of being proud to be
British is really hotting up at the moment
with the Royal Wedding, the Jubilee and now
the Olympics, so to be involved is incredible.
Everyone’s getting mega excited about
getting behind Team GB, and I get to be
part of Team GB. That’s incredible!”
And GB swimming seems to be absolutely
flying right now...
“Totally. It’s on the crest of a wave at the
moment, and the sport’s just growing in
popularity. In the past, people didn’t see
swimming outside the Olympics or other big
events. But that’s starting to change, and
people are starting to know the sport better.
It would be fantastic if, as a team, we can
be successful enough to inspire more people
to take to the water. I’m truly passionate
about the sport, and if I can get this much
excitement out of it, hopefully others can too.”
We’ve heard some interesting things about
your training...
[Laughs] “Yeah, I train with an elite group
in Loughborough and we’re quite forward-
thinking. Our coach, Ben Titley, has us
studying and taking part in other disciplines
– ballet and kickboxing, for example – to
pick up tips. Look at ballet dancers or
kickboxers – they need a strong core and
awareness of their body position to succeed.
Think about how that relates to swimming
and it’s a no-brainer, because our strong
core and body positions are key. So we are
taking elements of other sports to try to
make the best all-round athlete, I guess.
Ultimately, our goal is to do these things to
make us swim fast. Our sport is decided by
the tiniest of margins, so if we can do things
that others aren’t, we have an advantage.”
Mark Coughlan @coffers83
Follow Liam Tancock and the Sky Sports
Scholars on Sky Sports News and
skysports.com/scholarships
Liam Tancock
Stroke of genius
Backing it up: Tancock is hoping to improve on his 100m backstroke sixth place in Beijing
©2
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NOTHING BEATS A GREAT START.
A GREAT START CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
LIAM TANCOCK, 3X WORLD CHAMPION
7 DaysJUNE 29-JULY 5
HIGHLIGHTS
» Cricket: England v Australia, 1st ODI » p46
» MotoGP: Round 7, Assen » p48
» Baseball: Tampa Bay Rays v NY Yankees » p48
» Rugby League: England v Exiles » p50
» Best of the Rest » p51OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
44 | June 29 2012 |
Friday > BMx vERT | x GAMES | LOS ANGELES, USA | ESPN AMERICA 1.30PM
X factorJ
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You’ve won five X Games golds in a row, and
nine altogether. Is it even worth the others
turning up this year?
[Laughs] “Of course – it’s never a guarantee.
I’ve just been lucky enough to get it right all
these years. I think I’ve been more dedicated
and put more hard work into getting ready for
the X Games. The big mistake a lot of riders
make is trying to downplay the event. That’s
just an enormous amount of rubbish, because
everybody who comes to these games
prepares enormously for them. In extreme
sports, it’s the biggest deal of the summer.”
How are you feeling about this year’s event?
“It’s a strange one actually, because I’ve been
running around just lately doing a lot of TV
work, so I haven’t put as much time as I could
into the bike. Having said that, I did a lot of
my preparation in the winter because I knew
that I’d be busy. So, while it’s taken me away
from my bike a bit, it hasn’t taken my focus
away. Those days I’ve had off to do TV work
have actually given me a break from the
punishment of riding for long hours.”
So you’re feeling fresher?
“Yeah, but then I’m healthier this year anyway.
I’ve always got some knock here or there, but
at the beginning of last year I had a fractured
skull and I was due in for back surgery. By
this time last year, I was very tired from the
extensive rehabilitation I had to do in order
to just be able to ride at about 75 per cent,
so I’m in a better place and have a better
attitude to riding my bike this year. You know
what? It’s been a great year, so whatever
happens in LA, I’ll be happy.”
Who are the other names we should be
keeping an eye on in Los Angeles?
“It’s always the usual crew, but this year the
guy on top form is young Aussie Vince Byron.
He went to the Shanghai X Games and won,
and he’s coming in with a lot of momentum.
He’s got some incredible tricks and he’s
young, so he has this fantastic outlook on
how to ride a bike. He’s refreshing.”
Do you have any new tricks lined up for LA?
“Yeah, I have one I invented called the Time
Machine. I won’t tell you what it is, but if you
don’t pull it off, it’ll take years off your life.
If you pull it off, it’ll zap you into the future!”
Virtually untouchable on the halfpipe, Jamie Bestwick
has dominated BMX vert over the past 12 years. Ahead
of X Games 18, the Brit tells Sport he’s not done just yet
| 45
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Should Bolt and his teammates perform
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her designs will come to be as iconic as the
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faced with such an intimidating brief?
“First, I looked at what the Jamaican teams
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the right, but we should leave the final word
to a man who will be making Ms Marley’s
items look better than we ever could this
summer. “I can’t think of a better person to
design our Olympic outfits than Cedella,” says
a certain Mr U Bolt. “PUMA got that right,
hooking up with a legendary Jamaican, a great
designer who carries on the spirit of our
nation through the legacy of the Marley family.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
1 Named after a Bob Marley hit and featuring the
man himself on the right sleeve, the Iron Lion
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worn with that quintessential Jamaican swag.
2 The Legend Tee features iconic imagery from
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Our pick of the collection
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46 | June 29 2012 |
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Friday CriCket | england v australia: 1st Odi | lOrd’s | sky spOrts 1 10am
A year is a very long time in cricket, but Alastair Cook can look
back on his first 12
months in the job of
England one-day
captain with some
satisfaction. Taking
the reins from
Andrew Strauss
after England’s dismal showing at the 2011 World Cup, Cook has since
led his charges to a quietly impressive 12 wins from 21 matches,
securing four series wins from five in the process (the one blot being
a 5-0 hammering in India in the autumn). It’s no surprise, then, that the
selectors have named an unchanged squad for a five-match series
against the touring Australians.
That series gets under way today at Lord’s, where Cook is yet to
savour victory from two previous attempts as captain. Despite hitting
a majestic 119 (his first century as one-day captain), Cook was on the
wrong end of a six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka last July. And then, two
months later, a struggling India escaped from the home of cricket
with a dramatic tie after taking the wicket of Ravi Bopara with what
turned out to be the very last ball of a rain-affected match.
Thus, Cook will be hoping to make it third time lucky at HQ today,
and his side look in excellent shape to do just that. Ian Bell marked his
return to the one-day side with a commanding century in the first
one-day win against the West Indies earlier this month, while Cook
bagged himself another ton in the second victory three days later.
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will once again lead a fit and firing
bowling attack, which will relish having a crack at an underwhelming
Aussie batting line-up.
And what of the tourists? They may not have lost a one-day series
for more than 18 months, and remain at the top of the one-day
rankings, but Australia under Michael Clarke are not a team to be
feared like those of old. Geriatric paceman Brett Lee will lead an
attack also set to feature Mitchell Johnson, who has returned to the
squad after foot surgery, while the injury-prone but classy Shane
Watson will likely open the batting alongside David Warner, who hit
back-to-back centuries against Sri Lanka in March. They will sorely
miss Mr Cricket himself, though: prolific batsman Mike Hussey has not
travelled to England after the premature birth of his fourth child
earlier this month.
Competition
If it ain’t broke...
1,035Runs scored by Alastair Cook in ODIs since
taking over the captaincy in June last year,
at an average of 54.47. Contrast that with
his one-day record before becoming
captain: 858 runs at an average of 33.00
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48 | June 29 2012 |
7 Days
Ad
ria
n D
en
nis
/AF
P/G
ett
y I
ma
ge
s, E
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Sh
aw
/Ge
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Saturday | MOTOGP | ROund 7: Assen | BBC Red BuTTOn 1PM
For the second consecutive year, British rider Cal Crutchlow (right)
heads to Assen in the Netherlands
numbed with painkillers, nursing
wounds sustained at his home
race. Last year it was his
collarbone, this year his ankle –
which was dislocated and
fractured in final practice for the
British Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
Undeterred, Crutchlow competed in that race, putting in one of his
best performances of the season as he fought his way to sixth after
starting from the back of the grid. He plans to continue racing with his
injury despite being advised to take eight to 10 weeks off by doctors.
Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was similarly swashbuckling,
fighting from fourth to first to make it three wins in a row.
It was a perfect advert for the excitement (and the insanity, in
Crutchlow’s case) of MotoGP, and fans will be hoping for more of the
same in Assen, which served up a suitably chaotic feast last year.
Ben Spies took the win after pole-sitter, the late Marco Simoncelli
clashed with Lorenzo, who finished sixth in his worst result of the year.
It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen this time around – Lorenzo
has been spectacular on race day and has built up a 25-point lead over
Casey Stoner in the riders’ standings. Let the chaos commence.
Assen about
With the All-Star break just around the corner, the New
York Yankees travel to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Rays
in what could be a vital series for both AL East contenders.
The Yankees had an incredible run of form throughout
June, including a 10-game winning streak that included
series sweeps of the Mets, the Braves and the Nationals
during inter-league play. They will hope the improved
form of hitters Mark Teixeira (above) and Nick Swisher
will continue post-All Star Game (on July 10).
The Rays have struggled at the plate – the team’s
batting average is currently the fourth worst in the
majors, but they have kept themselves in the race with
a strong and consistent pitching rotation and a solid
bullpen, with Fernando Rodney dominant as their closer.
MONday BAseBALL | TAMPA BAY RAYs v neW YORK YAnKees | TROPICAnA FIeLd | esPn AMeRICA 12AM
Yankees on a roll
England will go into Wednesday night’s second Origin Match against the Exiles at the Galpharm
Stadium in Huddersfield full of confidence,
following their 18-10 victory in the first
encounter at Langtree Park.
It wasn’t pretty at St Helens’ new stadium,
with driving rain making for a dour contest.
But it was a significant first step in the
preparations for next year’s World Cup
for coach Steve McNamara’s team.
Analysis of their performance, which
culminated in a match-winning try from
Wigan’s Sam Tomkins (left), showed a
significant increase in intensity from the
players compared to a normal Super League
game, and McNamara will be looking for them
to build on that in the second game.
“It was a very tough game in difficult
conditions,” said McNamara. “We kicked well
and picked up some scrappy
tries. That was the only way you
could score. We did get loose
in the first half, but in the
second we had to show grit,
determination and steel.”
The England coach will have
to find a new skipper for the
game though, after Jamie
Peacock called time on his
international career. Peacock
said victory over the Exiles in the first Origin
Series game prompted his decision.
“The last achievement I felt I could have
with England would be to right the wrong and
beat the Exiles team, and this has happened,”
he said. “To play and captain your country is
the highest honour within the game, and this
was a decision that was not taken lightly.
I felt the time was right for me to step down
and concentrate on playing for my club.”
The Exiles, a side made up of overseas
Super League players, were weakened by a
raft of late withdrawals but still remained
competitive, with the Catalans Dragons
scrum half Scott Dureau outstanding.
They can expect some absentees back for
Wednesday’s game, which should prove a
sterner test and a more attractive spectacle
– particularly so if the weather is kinder.
50 | June 29 2012 |
7 Days
WEDNESDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | ENGLAND v EXILES | GALPHARM STADIUM, HUDDERSfIELD | SKY SPORTS 2 7.30PM
Jo
e G
idd
en
s/
Em
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s S
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rt, H
un
ter
Ma
rtin
/Ge
tty
Im
ag
es
England go for the kill
Number of St Helens players representing the Exiles
in their defeat at Langtree Park earlier this month.
Just one – James Roby – was among England’s ranks
FRIDAY
GOLF
Irish Open Day 2,
Royal Portrush,
Sky Sports 2 10am
GOLF AT&T National Day 2,
Congressional Country Club, Sky Sports 3 8pm
SATURDAY
RUGBY UNION Super Rugby: Crusaders v
Hurricanes, AMI Stadium, Sky Sports 2 8.35am
ATHLETICS European Championships Day 4,
Helsinki, British Eurosport 9am
CRICKET Friends Life T20: Hampshire v Surrey,
Ageas Bowl, Sky Sports 2 2.30pm
HORSE RACING
John Smith’s Northumberland Plate, Newcastle
Racecourse, Channel 4 3.20pm
CRICKET West Indies v New Zealand: 1st T20,
Lauderhill, Sky Sports 2 7pm
BASEBALL MLB: NY Yankees v Chicago White Sox,
Yankee Stadium, ESPN 7pm
FOOTBALL MLS: San Jose Earthquakes v LA Galaxy,
Buck Shaw Stadium, ESPN 3am
SUNDAY
BEACH SOCCER
2013 FIFA Beach Soccer
World Cup Qualifier:
England v Azerbaijan,
Moscow,
ESPN 10.30am
MOTORSPORT
World Superbike
Championship Round 8,
Aragon, Spain, British
Eurosport 2 10.45am
GOLF Irish Open Day 4, Royal
Portrush, Sky Sports 2 12.30pm
GOLF AT&T National Day 4,
Congressional Country Club,
Sky Sports 2 6pm
MONDAY
BEACH SOCCER
2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifier:
England v Switzerland, Moscow, ESPN 1pm
CRICKET Friends Life T20: Gloucestershire v Welsh
Dragons, County Ground, Sky Sports 2 5.30pm
RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Widnes v
Castleford, Stobart Stadium, Sky Sports 1 8pm
BEST OF THE REST
| 51
TUESDAY
FOOTBALL UEFA Under 19 European
Championships: France v Serbia, Estonia,
British Eurosport 4.45pm
CRICKET Friends Life T20: Nottinghamshire v
Lancashire, Trent Bridge, Sky Sports 1 6pm
FOOTBALL UEFA Under 19
European Championships:
Estonia v Portugal,
Estonia, British
Eurosport 6.45pm
WEDNESDAY
RUGBY LEAGUE State of Origin III:
Queensland v New South Wales,
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane,
Sky Sports 2 10.30am
THURSDAY
CRICKET
West Indies v New Zealand: 1st ODI,
Kingston, Sky Sports 2 3.25pm
GOLF
US Women’s Open Day 1
(featuring America’s
Stacey Lewis, left),
Blackwolf Run, Wisconsin,
Sky Sports 3 11pm
Extra time Gadgets
52 | June 29 2012 |
Making the most of your time and money
Touch and go
Meet Microsoft Surface,
the filthy lovechild of a
tablet and a laptop
Making the most of your time and money
Microsoft SurfaceSoftware giant Microsoft has thrown its
considerable bulk into the dainty tablet world.
Announced last week, and set for launch in
October, the Surface is the first computing
device that the company have made
themselves. It has more in common with a
laptop than most tablets; there’s a USB port, so
you can print directly from it, and the top-spec
version will run Windows 8,
Microsoft’s cover-all OS. The best
feature is the device’s Touch Cover,
which includes an impossibly thin keyboard,
therefore making this a practical choice
for actual work. Tablets, it turns out,
aren’t just expensive toys any more.
£TBC | microsoft.com/surface
P60
Adam Garfield: does
whatever a spider can,
only slightly less creepy
54 | June 29 2012 |
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wit
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Maxim Ukraine/Lipstick Syndication
Extra time Viktoriya Konoplyanka
| 55
Extra time Kit
56 | June 29 2012 |
1 Genesis Equilibrium 20Phil Collins and pals might not be able to dance, but
they can design a bike. The Equilibrium promises a
ride that is ‘fast, fun and comfortable’.
£1,300 | madison.co.uk
2 BMC Teammachine SLR01 Ultegra Di2 Compact The Teammachine weighs in at a ludicrously light 6.65kg
and is built for speed. So much so, that last year’s Tour
de France winner Cadel Evans rode this very beast.
£5,000 | evanscycles.com
3 Boardman AiR 9.0The triathlon set-up makes the AiR 9.0 ideal for those
who don’t want to separate tri and racing bikes. And if
Chris Boardman tells you a bike’s good, you believe him.
£2,000 | boardmanbikes.com
4 Cinelli Gazzetta Della Strada The last word in speed, elegance and practicality:
Cinelli redesigned the seat stays and front fork for
mudguard fitments to better cope with bad weather.
£750 | probikekit.com
5 Carrera ViragoCarrera’s road racer boasts Shimano 105 gears on
a carbon-fibre frame that weighs in at 8.6kg.
£1,000 | halfords.com
Get back in the saddleLe Tour sets off tomorrow
and the Olympics is just
weeks away. So, you
know – on yer bike
2
3
4
5
1
12
34
5
Drinking warm duty-free vodka on
your flight is how most stag weekends
begin. Pack smart, however, and you
won’t end up being a casualty of tour
Extra time Grooming
Strong tourist
58 | June 29 2012 |
1. Nivea For Men selectionMake room for your mankini
with Nivea’s Factor 30 Pocket-
Size Sun Lotion (50ml), Stubble-
Friendly Sensitive Face Care
Hydro Gel (50ml) and Skin
Energy Eye Roll-On (10ml).
£3, £6, £8 | nivea.co.uk
2. Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress KitStag parties make anyone
tense. Thankfully, this Bath &
Shower Oil (55ml) and Muscle
Gel (150ml) support tender
muscles and boost circulation.
£45 | aromatherapyassociates.com
3. Rituals Luxury Travel KitRituals do your packing for you
with this hand luggage-sized
selection of shower gel,
shampoo, deodorant,
shave gel and moisturiser.
£22.90 | John Lewis stores,
nationwide
4. Gielly Green Classic Travel KitThe double-G’s classic hand and
body lotion, body wash, shampoo,
and conditioner (all 50ml) is the
gentleman traveller’s choice.
£18 | 020 7034 3060
5. Niven & Joshua Party Survival KitBounce back with this Wild Rose
24-hour moisturiser (10ml),
Milk Proteins 3-in-1 cleanser
(14ml), Guava body butter
(50ml) and shower gel (50ml),
and Evening Primrose eye
cream (5ml) combo.
£18 | nivenandjoshua.com
Paul Smith Medium Green Steamer Trolley SuitcaseStand at the baggage carousel
like you’ve made it. If you own
one, you pretty much have.
£545 | paulsmith.co.uk Ja
me
s L
inc
oln
, ja
me
sli
nc
oln
.co
.uk
Edvard Munch: The Modern Eye Tate Modern
He painted The Scream (also known as the face
we make when we realise Martin Keown is on
co-commentary), but this new exhibition shows
that Edvard Munch wasn’t just a one-trick pony.
The impact of the modern world on his work is
clear here, with one painting based on a real-life
burning building, complete with people fleeing.
You might have called the fire brigade, Edvard.
The Amazing Spider-ManSam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man was
heaps of fun, but this reboot does
enough to earn its ‘amazing’ prefix.
While Tobey Maguire had the nerdy
angst required of Peter Parker,
the web 2.0 version (Brit Andrew
Garfield) also delivers the cocky
one-liners that are Spidey’s comic
trademark. Garfield’s chemistry
with Emma Stone is this origin
tale’s strong suit, leading it to be
called the first superhero film
aimed at women. There is a
romcom element, sure, but the
dizzying, high-energy set-pieces
give this arachnid actioner a
nimble balance. Out next Tuesday,
and well worth getting stuck into.
South Park Season 15
Our favourite fat kid
(Augustus Gloop aside)
is back for another 14
episodes of chaos with
his ‘friends’. What’s a
Human CentiPad? Will
Crack Baby Athletics
catch on? And just how
big is Cartman’s penis?
All the answers, and a
whole lot more sweary
goodness, await you
on DVD from Monday.
Mallrats
For our money, the last
genuinely funny Kevin
Smith film is this 1995
comedy starring Jason
Lee as a slacker who
spends a day at the mall
plotting how to win back
his ex-girlfriend. Throw
in a beaten-up Easter
Bunny, a dating TV show
and the infamous ‘stink
palm’, and you have
chuckles galore. Out on
Blu-ray from Monday.Spec Ops: The Line (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
More involving than your usual military shooter,
Spec Ops: The Line sees you immersed in the
depravity of war-ravaged Dubai. There’s moral
dilemmas aplenty, plus a storyline with actual
depth, so you are quickly drawn in.
Sand-swirling missions also provide
plenty of gritty action, so if you
think morals are for pansies, just
crank up the heavy rawk and blow
every sucker away. Out today.
God Bless America
It’s directed by Bobcat Goldthwait – the crazed Zed of
Police Academy fame – but this black comedy looks
far smarter than the Academy series (yes, including
even Assignment: Miami Beach). Frank is a salesman
on the brink of suicide before he decides that it’s
less that he doesn’t want to live, more that he wants
others to die. So he teams up with
schoolgirl Roxy and they go on a
killing spree of selfish, vacuous types
– inevitably leading to a violent
confrontation with a Pop Idol-style
TV show. Out next Wednesday, and
probably not one for Simon Cowell.
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60 | June 29 2012 |
GAMe
Spidey sense
Spider-Man’s reboot sees him unleash his
zinging one-liners, while Police Academy
makes a comedy comeback... sort of
FilM
FilM
eXHiBiTiON DVDBlU-RAY
Extra time Entertainment
©2012 Oakley, Inc. | 01727 795791 | uk.oakley.com
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