When Team Barloworld rolled on to the Champs-Elysees on the last day of the 2007 Tour de France, a story is told of how a representative of the main sponsor asked the team manager whether it would be possible to get the riders on the front for a few laps of the world’s most famous finishing circuit.
It would be possible, said the manager, for a little bonus money for the riders.The money was negotiated quickly. The amount agreed.
It was around €10 000, as I remember, and the red train of Barloworld gave their sponsor an explosion of publicity, cheered on by Phil Liggett. It scarcely seems nine years ago that Robbie Hunter was the first South African to win a stage and Mauricio Soler, the Colombian, also took a stage and won the King of the Mountains jersey.
Those were strange days indeed for Barloworld, heady and yet uncertain. They were told by the team owners that the team was up for sale, which shocked all of them.
That changed after Hunter won his stage and the team’s sponsors realised they had to ride the wave until it broke.Part of the 2007 Barloworld team was Geraint Thomas, the Welsh rider, who completed his first Tour at the age of 21 and was, remembered Hunter, an empty, exhausted shell when they went to party in Paris after the Champs Elysees.
Gary Blem, the South African mechanic, was in the Barloworld team car on the final day. He and Thomas celebrated on the Champs Elysees yesterday having guided Chris Froome to his third victory.
”It’s an amazing feeling to ride into Paris regardless of whether or not you are on the winning team,” Thomas told the BBC at the beginning of the Tour.
“Obviously it’s better if your lead rider has won because all the other riders are complimentary and it was incredible to finish arm-in-arm like we did last year. In 2014 it was a very different feeling because we didn’t win. It was a bit strange because we had nothing to ride for, but you are still happy to complete the race, see your wife and friends, have a normal life, drink a beer and eat a pizza. Come the Sunday night, whether we have won or not, we will let off a bit of steam.”
Froome and John-Lee Augustyn let off a bit of steam after both had finished their first Tours in 2008, a Grand Tour where the Barloworld wave came crashing down on to the reef of doping. Moises Duenas, the Spanish rider, was caught with EPO and kicked off the Tour and the team.
When I arrived to follow Barloworld in St Etienne on July 24, they had already taped over his name on the team bus. Just four of the nine Barloworld riders who started the Tour finished it. It may be the smallest team picture taken on the Champs-Elysees.Froome, Augustyn and Hunter were the African-born riders who completed La Grande Boucle in 2008 along with Italian teammate Gianpaolo Cheula.
Froome was last over the line on the Champs-Elysees that day, having given up a wheel to Hunter who had punctured, but still managed to get back up for the sprint to finish 10th.
Froome had had fun on the final stage, getting into a four-man break for a spell.In all, Barloworld took home just €22 480 from the 2008 Tour, the second-lowest of all teams.
Below them was Lampre, who had had a horror Tour with just €9 840 in earnings. The Italians will have earned a bit more than that today with Louis Meintjes finishing in seventh place overall and second in the young riders competition.There was much to celebrate for South Africa and Africa on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday.
Meintjes has grown into a true Grand Tour contender. Daryl Impey set up a stage win for Orica-BikeExchange teammate Michael Matthews, helped Adam Yates into the white jersey and finished second place on the seventh stage.
Dimension Data have worn yellow and green, and won five stages. Blem has had to rebuild two bikes for Froome. They will all have earned their beer and pizza last night.
RIP Gugu
The moment of silence for Gugu Zulu at Ellis Park on Saturday evening before the Lions beat the Crusaders was an act of class by the union for a man of class.
The love and respect for Gugu has been overwhelming, but not unexpected. As I wrote on Friday, he was the best of good men. You are missed, my friend.Much to celebrate for SA, Africa on Champs-Elysees.
The Star