Sandy Casar

knedlicky

I was sorry to hear this morning that Sandy Casar is retiring – too many problems with allergies and back pains apparently. He's 34 years old.
He often livened up stages by being in breaks, even if he rarely won in the end.

He spent his whole career (15 years) with just one team – FDJ – which in its way must be some sort of a record.

takethehighroad

Always enjoyed watching him race, and he was a strange character in that he was a Frenchman that rode better in Italy than in France.

Allez Sandy, chapeau

Yellow Peril

Sandy was King of the oft ill-fated breakaway. The Tour will be much the poorer without him.

ms_tree

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Always enjoyed watching him race, and he was a strange character in that he was a Frenchman that rode better in Italy than in France.

Allez Sandy, chapeau

+1

I was thinking that today during the Vuelta (Geniez's win today and Barguil the other day) that French riders seem to ride well outside France because there isn't the same pressure on them as during the Tour. Pinot is another case - had an horrendous Tour and had to abandon and everything under scrutiny but is not doing bad in the Vuelta.

Crampeur

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J0pps8Wlgc

knedlicky

Crampeur wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J0pps8Wlgc

Reminds me that I once read 1970s top-rider Agostinho died after a dog ran in his path causing him to fall.
Maybe it’s not yet law in France that dogs are to be always kept on a lead; I think it is in the UK (not that everyone follows).

Recently, one of our club members crashed after a cat ran into his path – which sort of surprised me, cats normally have the 'nouse' to run sideways away, not 180 degrees sideways away.

Cumulonimbus

Yellow Peril wrote:

Sandy was King of the oft ill-fated breakaway. The Tour will be much the poorer without him.

Bit harsh? He won stages in 2007, 2009 (after the winner was dqed for drugs) and 2010. In 2012 he came 3rd on one stage, in 2011 he picked up two 3rd places. Also, in 2010 he finished 2nd on the first Tourmalet stage.

disquieting_museeuws

Sandy scored one of the most bizarre wins I've seen, in the 2003 Tour of Switzerland. He was in a two-up breakaway which got caught in the last kilometre, then he proceeded to win the bunch sprint!

http://youtu.be/fiB509Nb2t0

Yellow Peril

madasahattersley wrote:

Cumulonimbus wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

Sandy was King of the oft ill-fated breakaway. The Tour will be much the poorer without him.

Bit harsh? He won stages in 2007, 2009 (after the winner was dqed for drugs) and 2010. In 2012 he came 3rd on one stage, in 2011 he picked up two 3rd places. Also, in 2010 he finished 2nd on the first Tourmalet stage.

Sounds like a compliment to me. There's no such thing as a breakaway rider that doesn't usually get pulled back at that level. They are there purely to animate the racing, attract attention for sponsors and very occasionally, win.

Thanks Luke, a compliment was exactly what it was. I loved his style of riding and he did get some rewards. He is one of very few memorable French riders in recent years. If anyone has got time to trawl through my old posts I think I mention him in a post regarding what I look forward to in the Tour de France each year.