When you hear sentences like "once again, they've stretched the elastic" or “his legs have turned to rubber and his effort reduced to mere survival," you are probably watching a cycle race with commentary from Phil Liggett.
After working on 38 Tours de France, Liggett’s passion for the sport is still as evident as the day he started and at age 67, he’s got no intentions of slowing down. He recently spoke about a variety of subjects, including his views on race radios, Paris-Roubaix and Bradley Wiggins.
VeloNation : Do you and Paul Sherwen have contact with each other when you are not at the races?
Phil Liggett : Paul and I lead private lives, but we have a lot in common and we do keep in contact when not together at races. He lives in Kampala, Uganda and I spend my time split between London and RSA. We talk mainly about cycling and coverage plans but we are always aware of where each other is and what we are doing.
VN: Which rider was the biggest surprise of the 2010 season?
PL: It was no surprise to see the continued development of riders like Contador and Andy Schleck, but the big surprise was the arrival of Tasmania’s Richie Porte who won best young rider, wore the Maglia Rosa for 3 days and finished seventh overall [at the Giro d’Italia].
He also finished fourth in the ENECO Tour and 4th in the Tour of Britain. He’s 26 and ready to tackle his first Tour de France this year.
VN: Who will be the biggest surprise of the 2011 season?
PL: I think Cadel Evans has the chance of returning to the top. He rode a good season as the World Champion in 2010 but tried to do too much. Now, he will concentrate on the Tour and has already won Tirreno Adriatico as build-up. This will be his best chance to win the Tour and at 34, he would be one of the oldest winners.
VN: Are you for race radios, or against them?
PL: I am not in favour of use of the radios to talk tactics. The riders always quote safety as their reason for wanting them, which is a blind, of course. There is no reason why all riders cannot be on radios that all receive the same frequency and therefore all safety fears can be eradicated. I like to think that once the race has begun then it is between the riders and the riders alone.
VN: Who are the three most underrated Directeurs Sportifs in pro cycling?
PL: I don’t think any of the DS are underrated but some seem to get better results than others. Johan Bruyneel, Bjarne Riis are probably the most famous, but perhaps Marc Madiot and Jean Rene Bernaudeau should deserve better for the way they produce very good results from teams that are not full of stars.
The DS most sadly missed in 2011 will be Hendrick Redant who lost his job when Pegasus didn’t take to the road, while the top duo is Brian Holm and Rolf Aldag of HTC-High Road.
VN: Is the demise of the Cervelo Test Team a big loss to the sport, because they were brilliant at spotting talent?
PL: Not really, as the team goes on with its deal with Garmin. Jonathan Vaughters is another shrewd operator and has a knack of spotting talent at the development stages.
VN: Will Bradley Wiggins make top 5 at the Tour de France ever again?
PL: It is difficult to envisage Bradley making a top five result at the Tour, but he is equally likely to prove us wrong. Last year he was mentally outside the loop and never remotely looked liked repeating his fourth place of 2009. This year his Sky team are benefiting from a year’s experience and that is showing. So maybe Bradley can make the return I think he would like.
VN: Who is going to win Paris-Roubaix this year?
PL: I would like George Hincapie to win in what is likely his last year, but I think Cancellara will be difficult to beat and if Mark Cavendish rides, who knows what he can do.
VN: What do you think of Leopard Trek’s roster?
PL: It’s starting to get results, but this team is a mystery to me. Why did everyone leave Saxo Bank for a non-existent sponsorship? It seems that the big deal fell through but the team has stayed together because they are friends. The team has the quality, of course, so results will come. However I don’t think they will enjoy the same success as they did at Saxo.
VN: What is your Tour de France top 5 predictions for this year, providing Alberto Contador is able to ride?
PL: I would go for Evans; A. Schleck; Contador; Porte; Basso. Hey, but who knows, that’s why we love the Tour!