Recent news such as the proposed comeback of Mario Cipollini, the masters’ hour record set in Aigle by 100-year old Robert Marchand and the retirement of 1997 Paris-Roubaix winner Frederic Guesdon (FDJ-BigMat) after coming back from a broken pelvis in the Tour Down Under to complete this year’s edition of the race, got me thinking about the contribution made by the older generation of riders. By older, I mean anyone born in 1975 or earlier. This is a select group of 22 riders some of whom, like Guesdon, are planning that this year will be their swansong. Riders such as Robbie McEwan (GreenEDGE) and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) are indulging in a trip down memory lane before they climb off the bike and into the team car as a directeur sportif.  Continue reading →