Le Tour’s real team players
MOUTH gaping, his huge body bent over the bike, Tim Declercq is doing the dirtiest job at the world’s most prestigious cycling race.
The 29-year-old Belgian cyclist is riding at the front of the pack, his 1.90-metre frame taking the full brunt of headwinds, mile after long mile, day after day at the Tour de France. And he is loving every moment.
Declercq is what in cycling is called a ‘domestique’ — French for servant. He and his kind are tasked with humbly helping their more talented team-mates win the day’s stage and compete for the glory of the Tour title.
‘It’s what I was made for,’ said Declercq this week. “I know I am not explosive enough to be a team leader. But I don’t think that is a shame. I have found what I am best at.’
During the Tour’s first week, Declercq could regularly be seen at the head of more than 160 riders as they rolled through the green hills and wheat fields of northern France.
For Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels, having a rider like Declercq is key to a balanced team.
‘You don’t build a team with all good riders, you build a team with riders with different qualities,’ said Steels. ‘You always have to have somebody to do the dirty job.’
If a team leader has a mechanical problem like a punctured tire, the domestique must be ready to give him his own bike.
‘For the worker you got to do your job all the time and there is not much glory in it,’said Tom Scully, a New Zealand rider for EF Education First said.
Scully had to jump into action to make sure that Rigoberto Uran, the 2017 Tour runner-up behind Chris Froome, didn’t lose time when he crashed near the end of Stage 2 and Scully quickly led him back.
Spanish rider Imanol Erviti has more work than most of his brethren. While the Tour’s eight-rider teams normally designate one man as their leader, Movistar says that Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa all have free reign to go for the overall lead.
‘It gives more options for the team. But it is a bit more stress for us,’ he said.
Beyond their work ethic, many domestiques share the common story of young riders who had to set aside dreams of becoming stars and accept that laboring in the shadows was their way to be a professional cyclist. The pay-off comes when a team-mate climbs onto the podium.
Declercq has twice been able to enjoy stage wins by sprinter Fernando Gaviria at this Tour after spending many a mile keeping Quick-Step in charge of the race.
‘That makes the victory even sweeter,’ Declercq said. ‘I really killed myself two or three times, and if then you can bring home the bacon, then that’s really nice.’