Since my return to cycling three years ago, Ned has for me, been the face of professional cycling; providing insights on team dynamics, interviewing the key riders and, with co presenter Chris Boardman, trying to explain such nuances of the sport as the differences between a peloton and a bunch! So when I saw that Ned was coming to our little Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis for the second 'work in progress' outing of his stage show Bikeology, I had to get tickets.
The publicity for the show went something like this: ".. presenting for the first time an honest, self-effacing walk through the world of Bikeology. What drives the cyclist (apart from a sturdy, well-oiled chain) to such ecstasies of endurance? What curious, deep-rooted passions are aroused by sight of a simple pair of padded shorts? And what on earth is a derailleur? From the humble commuter to the winner of the Tour de France, Boulting takes an off-centre look at what it means to ride a bike, drawing on his own underwhelming adventures in the saddle to his fourteen summers spent hurtling around France in pursuit of the sport’s biggest name including no less than Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome and of course Armstrong. A breakneck descent through the history of the sport followed by a lung-bursting climb into the present day – all two-wheeled life is here!"
So, what did I make of it?
During the first half, Ned focussed on the history of the bicycle and those who ride them. I appreciate the show is still work in progress, but I'm not sure he really endeared himself to the predominately MAMIL and technically savvy audience .. or may be this was his plan. As per the publicity write up, Ned's delivery came across as being very much an honest, self-effacing walk through of his world of bikeology. He was, therefore, unashamed to state that he had no understanding of how a bike worked, nor any interest in the various components, hubs, cranks etc, which most of the cyclists I have met can and do wax lyrically on the merits of each for hours on end! To top it all, Ned dissed the use of Strava and, unlike Kristian House cycling pro and fellow pundit, will not be on Rapha's list of celebrity promoters for 2016! At the half time interval, while enjoying the show, I must admit I was feeling somewhat disillusioned with Ned's personal view on cycling in Britain.
It was, however, very interesting to hear of how Ned first got into cycling. His TV career began in 1997 when he co-presented the Sky Sport's Soccer Saturday show. In 2001 he moved to ITV Sport to present their major football events. It was then while at ITV that he was asked, out of the blue, if he would like to cover the 2003 Tour de France. He had apparently never seen a bike race, hadn't cycled for many years and had only vaguely heard of Lance Armstrong who, by then, was already several years into his drug fuelled winning spree. He mused that his newness to the sport became very exposed during his first live TV appearance in Paris on 4 July 2003, when in summing up his broadcast he said, "...Dave Millar just missing out on the Yellow Jumper." Enough said!
Anyway, during this part of the show, Ned briefly covered the history of the Tour, his experiences of travelling with Boardman and interviewing the many pro cyclists along the way. He certainly left us in no doubt as to his dislike of Armstrong. He spoke of Wiggo 'letting his hair down' at post 2012 celebrity events, of being invited home for nachos by Froome and tipped Quintana to win the 2016 Tour de France.
The final act was a Q&A with Ned. I thought picking questions collected during the interval from a cycling helmet was a great way to engage with audience. The question which most confused and amused him, however, was one asking whether he favoured wet or dry lube! Ned was somewhat flummoxed by this, seemingly unaware that such a choice existed, depending on weather conditions, for chain lubrication! He later added the hashtag #DryLube to the bottom of a thank you Twitter, so it obviously hit a chord with him.
Ned finally closed the show by answering a question that he is frequently asked .. that being whether he shaved his legs. After some procrastination, he stated that while his wife was not in favour of such an activity, it was one of the first things he did at the start of each Tour, as he was assured of being away from home for some weeks. This, he confirmed, is apparently not for any aerodynamic benefit he may gain on the bike, but rather that it feels so nice when pulling on trousers over smooth legs! Who would have thought .. so, am I going to have to give that one a go now? .. we'll see!
Overall, a great night's entertainment and an interesting insight into Ned Boulting's Bikeology .. it did what it said on the tin.
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