Nightglow Window

Phil Liggett’s Suitcase Of Courage

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
-William Shakespeare, Henry V



Solidarity. Fraternity.

There is a power in teamwork and friendship that surpasses the self, that enlarges the realm of the possible and tears down the wall of doubt.

I know this because le Tour de France climbed over the Pyrenees today.

I’m not much of cyclist, but the Tour “Day” France has been part of my July since 1990 when Christy and I followed Greg LeMond’s victory as we bicycle toured from Santa Barbara to Jackson, Wyoming.

Back then the papers were full of bad news, what with Iraq invading Kuwait and the drums of war beating ever louder, but there on the sports page every day we found reprieve as LeMond did the impossible.

So this team sport became a small pleasure, enjoyed only once a year, but savored.

Yep, team sport.

That was probably the biggest surprise to me, but as we’ve seen with Lance’s seven wins (or this morning when a T-mobile armada attack ripped open the peloton and then Rabobank’s Michael Rasmussen and Michael Boogerd did a fantastic job of establishing the tempo, setting up the stage win for Denis Menchov) it’s all about having friends you can rely on.



So it was an early morning for me, but riveting as I got up to watch the big climb through the Pyrenees. It was a brutal 208 km day. The climbs were: the Col du Tourmalet (‘hors category’ – 18.3km with an average gradient of 7.7% at 75km); the Col d’Aspin (category-one – 12.4km, 5.1% at 105km), the Col de Peyresourde (category-one – 9.7km, 6.8% at 136km), the Col du Portillon (category-one, 8.0km, 7.9% at 161km) and the final ascent to Pla-de-Beret in Spain (13km, 5.5% at 204.5km).

And if it couldn’t be big George Hincapie, then having Floyd Landis take the maillot jaune will do just fine, thank you very much.



So the Tour is one of the greatest sporting events ever: It has scale and depth, drama and scandal (too much of that this year I admit), pain and suffering, beautiful scenery, and long and storied history.

Then there’s Paul and Phil

Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett are the soundtrack of my July and hearing them frothing over on OLN with their British cycling colloquialisms is a hoot. So in honor of the big day through the Pyrennes, here are some of the best sayings from the super duo:

"Tail end Charlies"
Riders struggling at the back of the peloton

" He will be licking his lips"
Looking forward in anticipation (to the climbs/sprint /TT etc)

"Turn your granny to the wall"
The riders will be descending a treacherous Alpine road at over 80 kph. It
will be too scary for your grandmother to watch.

"He goes round corners like a fifty pence piece"
Description of Jan Ulrich's ragged cornering style

"Raining cats and dogs"
Above average rainfall for this time of year

"Going full bore out"
Traveling at top Speed

"Cheeky little chappie"
Rider of restricted height who keeps trying to get away from the peloton.
Often Spanish or Italian.

"Come a box of tricks"
Have an accident and end up on the floor. Often while descending or
sprinting.

"Er..."
Frequently uttered timefiller on long flat stages.

"Riding himself to a standstill"
Riding so hard he will not be able to sustain it.

"Face as long as a fiddle"
Unhappy looking rider. Often the day after he has "Come a box of tricks"

"On the rivet"
Sitting right over the front of the saddle whilst riding as fast as is
possible.

"After doing the thick end of ...(fifty)..miles"
After riding ...(fifty).. miles

"The man with the hammer has got him"
The rider is so fatigued he can barely continue.

"The hammer's gone down"
There has been an increase in speed

"Riding himself into a frazzle"
Riding very hard

"Hang on to your hats"
Watch carefully.

"Rough end of a ragman's trumpet"
No translation available. Suggestions please.

"It’s all over bar the shouting"
The race is already decided

"It’s not over till the fat lady sings"
The race could be won by anyone. Often uttered five minutes after "Its all
over bar the shouting"

"Ripped this thing to pieces"
A rider is making life very difficult for other riders in the peloton

"Hanging on for grim death"
A rider is struggling to maintain the pace of the other riders

"Put the cat amongst the pigeons"
An attack has happened that will illicit a strong response

"Go absolutely bananas"
Get very excited

"Lying a bit doggo"
A rider is very tired in the peloton or break. From "dog tired".

"A gnat's whisker away"
Very close. Often in a sprint when a photo finish is required.

"Its about as useful as a chocolate chainring"
Its not very useful at all.

"It's a bit dark over Bill's mother's"
The weather over there looks a bit ominous

"He's gone all around the Wrekin"
He's taken the long way around [the roundabout.

"It might blow the valves in your television set!"
Turn the volume on your TV down as the commentary is going to be very loud and excited

"He had the toilet two steps in no uncertain terms"
He has been suffering from gastroenteritis. In this instance referring to
Francesco Casagrande in the TdF2001

"It must feel like he's been hit with a shovel"
The rider out in front on the climb has been overtaken rather quickly by
the chasers

"He's at the bottom of the barrel"
The rider is now very fatigued

"He's like a fisherman reeling in his salmon"
The rider is passing other riders who were ahead and catching them one at a time.(Whilst they are probably being hit with a shovel. And at the bottom of the barrel.)

"There are 21 stages in the race and 21 teams. Each team will win a stage except some which will win more"
There are a lot of teams and a lot of stages which will be hotly contested.

"Come down the finishing straight like a dose of salts"
Traveling at high speed approaching the final sprint.

"It’s not all beer and skittles by any means"
The racing at the moment is so hard it can't be enjoyable for the riders.

"Mike Smith in Paris, I need to see a man about a dog!"
Mike Smith, please can you cover for me on this long stage as I need to pop to the toilet!

"He's come out of there like a cork from a bottle"
A rider has launched a devastating attack and left the peloton behind.

"He's shot his bolt and gone out the back"
The rider has pushed himself too soon and is now getting left behind

"Sackcloth and ashes"
I apologise for an earlier mistake I may have made

"Time for a quick sherbert"
Time for a quick drink

“Reaching into the suitcase of courage”
My favorite saying.