The Year Of The Unretiring Cyclists - Raúl Alcalá Comes Back For The Vuelta A Chihuahua

by fmk on Oct 6, 2008 8:40 AM EDT Comment 30 comments

The winner of such classic Petit Tours as the Tour de Trump, the Tour duPont, the Coors Classic, the Vuelta y Ruta de Mexico and the Vuelta a Asturias - as well as the Maillot Blanc in the 1987 Tour de France and a couple of stage wins in later editions - Mexican cyclist Raúl Alcalá is making a return to the pro peloton. Alcalá is saddling up for the third edition of the Vuelta a Chihuahua - or Tour of the Little Short-Haired Dog - which runs through to October 12th.

The son of an auto-mechanic, Alcalá - now 44 - was discovered in a local race and imported into America in the 1980s to become a professional cyclist (and who said NAFTA was useless?). Speaking to Velo News he explained the reason for his comeback:

"Money is not a problem. My life is still very good here in México. But my life is cycling, and I got a little bug in my head. That is when I know I want to come back. I know I will be one of the older guys but my body feels like new now. I have never stopped riding the bike. I’ve been training hard, but done no real races for 14 years. So I have the power but not the rhythm. I hope it can be like it was before, but first I need to see what happens in this race. After that we see if I am the captain or the domestique."

Rumours that the new Cervélo Test Team are interested in signing the former Motorola rider will be heavily denied by Gerard Vroomen shortly.

1 recs | Comment 30 comments

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http://bp0.blogger.com/_vW7eKZ7_y1A/Rtcy6qw5GVI/AAAAAAAAA88/lctx2xPp7gg/s1600-h/DSCN0986_edited.JPG

by Albertina on Oct 6, 2008 8:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Grr, why doesn't that work?! Try this:

The possible winner?

http://littleblondechihuahua.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle.html

by Albertina on Oct 6, 2008 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

Is this a Rock Racer in the climber’s red jersey?

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 6, 2008 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know, I think it might just be.

Will you just look at that claw polish! Seriously weird.

by Albertina on Oct 6, 2008 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm amazed at the comments section,

apparently Poppy has a lot of friends.

by brunopitton on Oct 6, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know!

Crazy.

by Albertina on Oct 6, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i really don't know what to say - I think that has to be the end of the internet

by humbug1 on Oct 6, 2008 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well it’s possibly the end of cycling when we’re swapping piccies of pooches just cause a bike race has a funny name.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 6, 2008 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That said, when I saw this race in the calender last week I was hoping there’d be an excuse for someone to post about it.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 6, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Of course you were, no question!

by Albertina on Oct 6, 2008 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am too old

to scoff at stories like this. This is good news, right? Still, when Hinault announces his return…

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Oct 6, 2008 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

sage4

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Oct 6, 2008 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

uh oh

DS Little bear taking over

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Oct 6, 2008 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he wants to talk about stage4, the Cholet TT

there’s a Schumi-thread on the front page.

Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets

by Jens on Oct 6, 2008 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is anyone actually keeping a list of all these unretiring riders?

Mario Cippollini
Malcolm Elliott
Lance Armstrong
Alexandre Vinokourov

Who else?

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 6, 2008 11:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Floyd?

I suppose he doesn’t count.

"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."

by Chris... on Oct 6, 2008 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is he coming back and where? Domestic team?

Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets

by Jens on Oct 6, 2008 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he is rumoured to have signed with the old heathnet team to be sponsered by his hip doc's

by humbug1 on Oct 8, 2008 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Vandenbroecke for the 5th time.

Will post it in the right tread

Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.

by Frinking on Oct 8, 2008 6:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok frinking. Just read the whole post before you talk..

Yes sir.

Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.

by Frinking on Oct 8, 2008 6:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

y'know

I always thought that Alcala had one of the abso-freakin-lutely most beautiful positions on a bicycle ever.

It was like: “oh! so that’s what you’re supposed to look like . . .”

by R Mc on Oct 6, 2008 7:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice comment.

I remember him really fondly, never knew too much about him but seems like he was a really likable guy. To be honest I always thought he’d do more…then again he has 2 maillots blancs and I have diddly squat.

by plinytheelder on Oct 7, 2008 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

here we go...

by JFS_PGH on Oct 8, 2008 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Frank Vandenbroucke

More comebacks than ~~Jesus~~ Sinatra.

“I will live as a priest. Last year I trained a whole winter with knee pain, although I didn’t say it at the time, because they don’t really believe any longer. My left leg was missing 36 percent of its strength and in June I wanted to operate on it for the last time. I have now been working on my body for more than a month. The muscle mass is not yet totally back, but doctor De Clercq guarantees me that the knee will come good again. In the next six months I’ll try to make something from this preparation. I want to live as a priest, train and then look for a team. Everything is good with my children. I may see my daughter again in Italy and I want to travel there for the last week of each month. I can train there too. I am now a bachelor. After my relationship with Sarah I had four or five months where I was seeing another woman, but nothing came of it. I live for myself now.”

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 7, 2008 6:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

on the podium of the Tour next year

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http3A2F2Fwww.deia.com2Fes2Fimpresa2F20082F102F072Fbizkaia2Fkirolak%2F505370.php&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=es&tl=en

by lucybears on Oct 7, 2008 8:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice find. Fun read.

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 7, 2008 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stage 1

Alcalá finsihed safely int he bunch at the end of Monday’s first stage, on the same time as the stage winner. Again speaking to VN at the end of the stage he said:

"It was hard and fast. At the beginning my legs were a little heavy but I felt better at the end. I hope tomorrow I feel even better. Right now I’m tired but less than what I was thinking it would be."

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 7, 2008 3:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Alcalá abandons

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http3A2F2Fwww.biciciclismo.com2Fcas2Fsite2Fnoticias-ficha.asp3Fid3D4608&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=es&tl=en

by lucybears on Oct 8, 2008 3:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

OK, in spanish then

Raúl Alcalá abandona en la Vuelta a Chihuahua
En su regreso al ciclismo Raúl Alcalá, del equipo Rica Burguer, tuvo una desafortunada segunda etapa, al caer en el kilómetro 60 con lesiones de menor consideración en el tobillo y codo izquierdo, así como una herida en la boca, optando por abandonar la Vuelta Chihuahua Internacional 2008.

"Me siento triste por tener que dejar la carrera, pero contento por volver a viejos amigos, lástima de este suceso, pero sigo agradeciendo las atenciones que el Gobierno del Estado y la organización han tenido conmigo", expresó el ciclista.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=4608

by lucybears on Oct 8, 2008 3:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

VN have it too now.

Wondered if he’s keep up once the roads rose. Odd, it was the fall the killed his hopes

According to one of the race photographers, Alcalá was caught on the far outside of a tight hairpin and didn’t make the turn, instead skidding off the road and into the dirt.

Ho hum. Maybe not next year’s Paris podium then, eh?

pounding along in three ratios like a sonata
like a Ritter with pommelled scrotum atra cura on the step
Botticelli from the fork down pestling the transmission
tires bleeding voiding zeep the highway

by fmk on Oct 8, 2008 3:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs