Cameroon Prologue

The Prologue,
(click on pic for larger image)

OK, so we never did get out there for a pre race spin to loosen the legs up. Oh well. Come the evening we all left the hotel en mass and headed down to down-town Yaounde. The traffic was crazy as usual, infact it was probably worse because the center was closed down for the race. As we slowly edged our way though traffic, a 4x4 edged forwards just enough to totally squash an Estonian rider between 2 cars. The guy was completely stuck there, couldn't move forwards or backwards, couldn't even unclip, he was THAT stuck. He got out of it OK eventually.

The Crit course was crazy short. Up one side of the road and back down the other side. The corners at each end were just stupid dangerous.

James Spragg warms up round a dodgy corner.

We did a few laps of the course, supposedly to warm up, but there were so many people in the road it was impossible.

As you can see, this was a VERY serious warm-up...

Eventually we gave up on the idea of warming up, and it wasn't long before we proceeded to the team presentations. Each team was called up to the start line for an introduction to the crowd, the press and TV, after that we all lined up along the side of the road just next to start finish line, facing the Cameroon government. Yep, they entire government was out, from sports minister to International Olympic rep via UCI officials.
The event was to be run in heats. 1 rider from each team per heat, 2 riders eliminated per lap, and the winner of each heat went through to final to fight it out for the yellow jersey. This event had no bearing on GC, and was just as a down-town showcase and to see who would wear the jersey for the first real stage.

Presentation: Scott Lyttle, James Spragg, Sim Green, Scott Chalmers, Adrien Calatayud and Richard Brunet

Adrien Calatayud was in the first heat. He looked flippin serious, and although he was all out, it soon became apparent that this was all just a big laugh for everyone. Super strong French Team AVC Aix Haribo Cofidis pissed themselves laughing through entire event... as did most of us. Adrien won the first heat and was thus through to the final, meaning the rest of us no longer needed to try, we could just laugh and have fun all evening.

As the heats went on all the DSs soon realized that the Cameroon riders were suffering a bit, and it wouldn't be right to have no Cameroon riders in the final heat. So by the time myheat came around, I was supposed to help one of the Cameroon riders and try and get him through to the final. Most of the European teams had all agreed on this. Cameroon had invited us, had paid for everything, and in all honesty the real racing would start tomorrow... besides, with the crowd that was onthe streets of down town Yaoundé, you had to give them something to cheer about.

So, as I rolled up to the start line, Stephane Bonsergeant turned to me and said "you know what our orders are?"

I said: "Yep, no problem!" Stephane won the Univest Grand Prix back in 2004 when I did it in that terrible hurricane. Steph is now Pro with Bretagne Armor Lux, and would go on to finish 6th in Paris-Bourges a few days after Cameroon.

Steph then looked at the guy to my left and asked him. The guy was German and didn't understand. So Steph said: "You know the orders? No win today. We let Cameroon rider win."

The German looked shocked. "Why?" he said. A few of us argued with him... most of the arguments came through me as English was the common language. Eventually the German, feeling somewhat bullied by a majority of French guys all around him and probably thinking ahead to the days to come, started to concede. He was probably hoping to get in a break in the next couple days, and he knew dam well if he messed with us we would never let him get away.
So after a while the German looked at me and said: ".. maybe.... maybe..."
I told him I approved of his change of spirit and reexplained that we were in Africa, on their home ground, and considering this stage had no bearing on the overall classification of the race, we owed it to Cameroon to have some of their riders perform well, in the capital city, in front of the ministers, government and other big-wigs.

Finally the German said " ok, but he has to be good, he has to be at least 2nd, I'm not just giving it to him." Knowing that the rest of us knew it would be ok. We would get ourselves eliminated and make sure a Cameroon rider was there to battle it out.

Bit by bit we all got eliminated, making sure we got out just in time so that we were still there to remind the German we were watching him, but still making sure a Cameroon rider was in the mix. Stephane Bonsergeant did a stunning sprint as a Cameroon rider nipped him for the line. The crowd went crazy. Stephe could have easily taken the sprint, but he is such a class and experienced rider he faked the sprint beautifully.

In the end the German had to give it to the Cameroon rider, who actually had quite a good kick. He was the first Cameroon rider to get through to the final, and the crowd went totally crazy. Steph Bonsergeant and I were so happy, it seemed like we had just won a big race ourselves. Once you saw the reaction from the crowd there could be no doubt that what we had orchestrated was the thing to do. The heats went on and more and more Cameroon riders made it through to the final.

The Final:

The final was actually a good mix of riders, teams and countries. By this stage of the evening we had all decided it would be really great to have a Cameroon rider in the Yellow jersey. Luckily we had gotten rid of most of the "pain in the ass" riders who were only interested in themselves, and everyone was agreed on a Cameroon rider getting yellow.
As the laps unfolded before our eyes and Sanda Joseph of Cameroon didn't get eliminated, the tension in the crowd, and the atmosphere gradually until it reached electric heights like I have never seen. As Sanda Joseph made it to the last lap, the crowd was crazier than anything I have ever seen, even at the Tour. A lap later, Sanda crossed the line and took the yellow jersey. People started running down the road towards him. The poor bugger got knocked off right after the line. His bike was a bit damaged but he was OK. That's how crazy the crowd was. There were so many people that the rest of us were stack, jammed against our bikes and teammates unable to move an inch. This is without a doubt the best cycling memory of my life. It was nuts... they partied and sang well into the night.

We rolled back to the hotel that evening on a total high. It turned out to be a great event, a great way to start a stage race, to showcase the teams and bicycle racing to the crowds and to TV, without the high risks and dangers of a normal crit. What's more, the racing was constant as it lasted a few hours, but it wasn't just people going round and round, there was a sprint on every lap, and what amounted to the excitement and thrill of a stage finish every 5 or 6 laps.

I was cynical about the Elimination crit at first... but it was wicked cool!
And let me just say, that although we somewhat orchestrated Sanda Joseph's victory, the guys a good rider, who regularly figures in the top 10 of UCI races... he deserved it!

Look out, the yellow jersey has crashed... but he's OK!!!

The only dark spot on the whole thing was our own Richard Brunet who, in his heat, ended up going for the final against a rider from Cameroon... but Richard had to show everyone how strong he was. So he attacked him, dropped him, then stopped and waited for him on the last corner, showing the thousands of people present that he was GIVING the stage to the rider from Cameroon... Sadly unprofessional and actually condescending. Luckily I think that was all forgotten in the evening partying.

A great evening!!!