STEVE BAUER & ALEX STIEDA ON CANADIANS AND THE 2013 TOUR PELOTON
St. Catharines, Ont.’s Steve Bauer rode in the Tour de France nine times and has been a fixture of Canadian cycling since the early ’80s. Alex Stieda, who was born in Belleville, Ont., is the first North American to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and is now part of the board of directors for the Tour of Alberta. Here are their thoughts on four possible Tour de France contenders from our country. After each rider are one to five stuffed Credit Lyonnais lions, one of the prizes for a stage win. One lion en peluche indicates low odds of a rider being in this year’s Tour. Five indicates very good odds, but not 100 per cent. This is bike racing after all, and almost anything can happen.
SVEIN TUFT AGE: 36, TEAM: Orica- GreenEdge
SB Certainly Tuft is a team man extraordinaire. He would bust his gut for his leader and would definitely be the best asset during the critical first week. He could work the wind for key men and help win the team time trail for Orica- GreenEdge. AS I like Svein on a triple T [team time trial]. It depends on the team’s goals. If they’re going for GC, they need Svein there for triple T. They need Svein there at the front to create a big draft for their GC guy. If they are going for stage wins, he could be there for lead- outs because he’s a motor from 5 km to 3 km to go to create a draft.
DAVID VEILLEUX AGE: 25, TEAM: Europcar
SB Dave has a real shot. I understand he missed by one man last year. I believe he will be in as long as he is fit and has no issues or injuries prior to Le Tour. AS I don’t know David and Hugo as well as Steve, but I know Veilleux is a strong rider. Europcar tends to be more opportunistic in the Tour. Could Veilleux help them in certain situations? Possibly.
RYDER HESJEDAL AGE: 32, TEAM: Garmin-Sharp
SB If Ryder is healthy, he is the best candidate for the leadership of Garmin-Sharp due to his complete balance of talent, especially his climbing and important time trial abilities. His cool and experience are also a plus. I’d vote for him as leader, no question. AS He’s a strong time triallist. He’s not the best. He’s strong in the mountains, but not the best there either. He’s the perfect GC guy. But, he needs a team that can focus on GC. Some of Garmin-Sharp manager Jonathan Vaughter’s tactics have been confusing to me, such as going to races with multiple goals – having two GC riders, targeting stages, targeting team GC. But with the Tour, I think, you have to put your eggs in one basket, and you have to build a team around a winner.
HUGO HOULE AGE: 22, TEAM: Ag2r- La Mondiale
SB You never know. The boy is talented and he may have an outside shot. He faces some of the same challenges as Dave: Canadian on a French team and requiring some more experience and depth. But Hugo will get to the Tour someday. SA I think 22 is pretty young to get thrown into a Grand Tour. If I was the directeur sportif of Ag2r, I’d try him out in Romandie, Suisse or the Dauphiné this year. Maybe then he’d ride the Giro or the Tour next year.