Kellogg's Tour / Robert Millar Question

[starkj73]

Can anyone recall a Kellogg's Tour or milk race when on something like the penultimate day his team waited and one rider even turned back to help Millar?

I think at the time Millar was on the same team as Sean Kelly.

[Salvatore]

Can anyone recall a Kellogg's Tour or milk race when on something like the penultimate day his team waited and one rider even turned back to help Millar?

I think at the time Millar was on the same team as Sean Kelly.

I think it was 1989 on a stage which went over The Tumble (S Wales). Kelly was in the PDM team. I can't remember the name of the rider who was in the break who stopped and turned round - it's on the tip of my tongue*. The PDM team car tried to turn round on the upper slopes of The Tumble, but the road was too narrow, so he just stopped in front of me, and I reached out and touched Sean Kelly's spare bike (a Concord which was showing signs of wear), in the hope that some of the magic would be transmitted.

N.B. This is all from memory and probably very inaccurate.

*Raul Alcala is the name of the rider I was searching for. Whether he was the one who turned round or not I'm not sure.

[Salvatore]

I've found this about the 1989 Kellogs:
http://www.paulcurran.ndo.co.uk/articles/1989/890903-KelloggsTour.html

The best Kellogg's Tour yet was highlighted by Millar and Gianetti's race-winning break on the penultimate stage from Birmingham to Cardiff. While long-time leader Martin Earley and his PDM team-mates watched and waited for second-placed Remig Stumpf and his Toshiba team to take up the chase, Millar and Gianetti romped into an uncatchable lead.

Millar was with Z-Peugot.

I think it was Nico Verhoeven who turned round to help Martin Early who was the best placed PDM rider.

[rdaviesb]

Just looking though the prologue result - Millar beat Kelly by 2 seconds over 1.7 miles!

Did Paul Curran ever get back on his bike? I remember he had a terrible crash.

[Salvatore]

Just looking though the prologue result - Millar beat Kelly by 2 seconds over 1.7 miles!

this 1.7-mile slog up the one-in-eight gradient of Dundee's Law Hill

Kelly probably did well to limit his loss to 2 seconds.

[Salvatore]

Did Paul Curran ever get back on his bike? I remember he had a terrible crash.

Paul's racing career was unfortunately cut short following a serious accident in 1996 whilst riding the Tour of the North Pennines. His back was broken, and the injuries he sustained were such that he will never ride a bike competitively again. I am pleased to confirm however, that Paul has made a good recovery and is even getting out on his mountain bike for some social rides.

[David Martin]

this 1.7-mile slog up the one-in-eight gradient of Dundee's Law Hill

Kelly probably did well to limit his loss to 2 seconds.

It isn't 1 in 8. There are patches of 1 in 9 but the main thing is the unrelenting uphillness of it - rising 150m vertically over the 1.7 miles. Some bits are relatively tame.  It is a nice ride - as I live nigh on at the base I can use the top part as a hill training circuit.

The Dundee Stage Race uses the top half (with a flatter lead in as we cannot close down Dundee City Centre) as the prologue. Current recommendations are for cyclocross bikes as the potholes appear to be breeding..