10 wishes: Nathalie Novembrini and Tristan Valentin

Nathalie Novembrini has been a contributor to VeloVoices this year, with a feature on Italian women’s cycling and a photo-essay at this year’s Il Lombardia. When she isn’t wielding a camera, she is studying for a Masters in Sports Psychology. Her favourite cyclists are Tom Boonen and Giovanni Visconti. Here is her wish list for 2013:

1. I can tell people that I’m a cycling fan, without hearing their typical reaction: “It’s just a bunch of doped guys, how could you like this sport?” You’re right, I should probably watch football instead …

Wish 2: Let's get the Giro jerseys back to their original colours - and bring back the Maglia Nera!

Wish 2: Let’s bring back the maglia nera!

2. Giro d’Italia’s jerseys change back to their original colours! The mountain classification leader wears the green jersey and the cyclamen jersey is cyclamen, not red. Oh, and welcome back the maglia nera! Will riders hide in barns just to win it, as it’s told in old cycling tales?

3. Orica-GreenEDGE‘s Call Me Maybe is nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards. [And that other teams follow suit!- Kitty]

Wish 4: Tom getting a massage after his San Remo win?

Wish 4: Tom getting a massage after his San Remo win?

4. Tom and his magnificent Boonens are on the first step of the podium in San Remo, with Marcel Kittel in second place. Third place doesn’t matter, but if he’s blonde and good-looking he won’t ruin the scene!

5. I sometimes manage to get out on my bike instead of always pretending to have something important to do. It’s not that I’m lazy but … there are just so many mountains around me!

6. Female cycling finally gets the respect it deserves. They are just as great athletes as their male counterparts, but they need more opportunity to show it to the world.

Wish 7: Go on guys, try your luck, please!

Wish 7: Go on guys, try your luck, please!

7. McQuaid, Verbruggen and, why not, Di Rocco (FCI President and UCI vice-president) win the lottery and move to the Seychelles (or Timbuktu or wherever), leaving sports in the hands of those who really love it.

8. Giovanni Visconti is not so low in spirit as he usually is when something goes wrong in a race and he can race in the rain, without panicking at every raindrop.

9. I finish the drawing of Boonen I promised a friend … a long time ago!

10. It’s a wonderful year for cycling and every race is a great show, for both riders and supporters.

Our final wish list comes from Cofidis rider, Tristan Valentin

Our final wish list comes from Cofidis rider, Tristan Valentin

Tristan Valentin is a professional cyclist with Cofidis who has had an injury-and-illness-marred 2012, yet it was his best year as he became a father for the first time. When he’s not obeying little Mila’s every command, he is training with renewed vigour and keeping a watchful eye on some of the younger riders, like teammate Rudy Mollard. Here are Tristan’s ten wishes:

1. Acknowledge what cycling does against doping.

2. Recognise the difficulty of the sport.

3. Create a cyclist moto club. [MotoCycloClub, I like it – Sheree.]

4. 2013 to be the best season ever for me!

5. Re-sign a good contract (of course).

6. Women’s cycling gets bigger and better – they deserve it as much as the men’s peloton.

7. Win a race and have my daughter in my arms on the podium.

8. See many new sponsors investing in cycling and in teams.

9. Get a super cool city bike with big fat tyres – moto style!

10. Most of all, keep being happy.

10 wishes for 2013

Kitty Fondue

Kiss My Panache

Sheree Whatley

Ant Beal

Tim Liew

Velocast’s Scott O’Raw

Cycle Cote d’Azur’s Claire and Anton Blackie and Emma Davis

VeloLIVE

10 Wishes: VeloLIVE

VeloLIVE is a Russian cycling website written by a well-connected band of fans who have their fingers firmly on the pulse of cycling-related news, particularly in respect of Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh riders. They’re so in the know that not only do we get our tips from them, but so does The Inner Ring. Their pro-blogger is also Yaroslav Popovych, whom we’re sure has some juicy tales to tell! Here is their wish list for 2013:

Our wishes for the UCI

1. Mr McQuaid: be strong, quit cycling!

2. Before setting new rules and regulations ask yourselves “Would we be happy to comply?”

Our wishes for race organisers

3. Think carefully before choosing a route! Cycling is neither a game of chess nor a car chase for a film. Don’t try to turn the sport into a spectacle whose only goals are to make money from advertising or from scandals off the back of the love fans have for cycling!

Wish X:

Wish 4: Let’s take a leaf out of Nordic skiing’s book for time trials!

4. For timing mountain time-trials, why don’t you use the Gundersen point-time differential system as used in Nordic skiing in the Tour du Ski?

Our wishes for cyclists

5. In the race for money and success do not endanger your lives! Your well-being and that of your families and their love is much more important.

6. The Russian-speaking riders should make themselves more readily and openly accessible to the press and their fans by speaking in Russian.

7. Yaroslav Popovych continues with his VeloLIVE diary.

Our best wishes to the fans

8. Respect those riders who work hard, particularly the domestiques. Be respectful of and honest with the riders.

Our best wishes to the team managers

Wish X: More in-car cameras like the one in Team Saxo car at 2011 Ronde

Wish 9: More in-car cameras like the one in the Team Saxo car at 2011 Ronde

9. Install cameras in all the team cars following races and beam the images onto the race websites.

Our best wish to everyone

Wish 10: Champagne times ahead for everyone!

Wish 10: Champagne times ahead for everyone!

10. All our best wishes to those who are passionate about cycling. Don’t forget to visit us at VeloLIVE.

10 wishes for 2013

Kitty Fondue

Kiss My Panache

Sheree Whatley

Ant Beal

Tim Liew

Velocast’s Scott O’Raw

Cycle Cote d’Azur’s Claire and Anton Blackie and Emma Davis

10 Wishes: Cycle Cote d’Azur’s Claire & Anton Blackie and Emma Davis

Claire and Anton Blackie run Cycle Cote d’Azur and MecAzur, have recently married (each other) and are good friends with VeloVoices’ Sheree. They’re excited about the Tour pitching up on their doorstep in 2013, especially the Haribo car and the giant dancing Yeti, and are looking forward to introducing new clients to the splendours of cycling around the French Riviera and its hinterland. Here are their ten (joint) wishes:

For Professional Cycling

1. Exciting, attacking racing all season long.

2. An equal footing at major races for pro women.

3. A great Tour de France on the Cote d’Azur.

Wish X: We want our God of Thunder back! (Image courtesy of BMC)

Wish 4: We want our God of Thunder back! And thundering to a win at Paris-Roubaix! (Image courtesy of BMC)

4. A return to form for Thor Hushovd (BMC) and a win at Paris-Roubaix.

5. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, now with Sky, to return to the Tours of the Haut Var and Med and win again.

For us, while we’re cycling!

1. The end to punctures, broken chains, snapped spokes.

2. Discover more “hidden roads” of the Cote d’Azur.

3. Take part in more fun rides, ie. London-Edinburgh-London 2013, Defi de l’Ubaye, Deux Fois Cingles du Ventoux. [You think cycling from London to Edinburgh and back  – 1,400km – is fun! – Ed]

4. A coffee ride in France, with a good coffee.

5. Everyone enjoying riding a bicycle.

Emma Davis, the other half of Cycle Cote d’Azur, is a former professional track and road racer and Eurosport pundit.  She met Sheree when she was road captain for Hot Chillee’s famous London-to-Paris ride and now entertains her cycling clientele with a wealth of tales of her derring-do on two wheels. Her ten wishes for cycling in 2013 are as follows:

1. For the sun to shine when the Tour de France is in town so everyone sees how fantastic the Cote d’Azur is (and books to come with our company, Cycle Cote d’Azur).

Wish X: Hoping the Manx Missile doesn't have to carry another bidon ... (image by Panache)

Wish 2: Cavendish to return to his winning ways (image by Panache)

2. For Mark Cavendish to keep winning and show what a classy rider he is.

3. For Cycle Cote d’Azur to continue to grow and keep discovering new fantastic guides in Nice.

4. Every time I go out on my bike, I’d like the wind to be on my back and the sun in my face.

Wish X: That Tom Boonen crosses the Flanders finish line first (Image courtesy of Danielle Haex)

Wish 5: That Tom Boonen crosses the Flanders finish line first (Image courtesy of Danielle Haex)

5. For Tom Boonen to win Flanders again.

6. For cycling to look forward and stop dissecting the past. Let’s draw a line in the sand and move on.

7. For organisers to realise what is humanly capable and not push the riders over their limits. Racing can be fun with shorter stages.

8. For the Tour de France to produce a true and worthy winner. We need to have a positive image for young people coming into the sport.

9. For women’s cycling to get the TV coverage it deserves.

10. For me to get out on my bike more!

10 wishes for 2013

Kitty Fondue

Kiss My Panache

Sheree Whatley

Ant Beal

Tim Liew

Velocast’s Scott O’Raw