#152, Mickaël Buffaz 32 years old, 1st TdF

[Le breton]

#152, Mickaël Buffaz 32 years old, 1st TdF

I am just curious to see what reaction this post will get.

Mickaël Buffaz, is from around here (French-Swiss border around Geneva, for the scientifically-minded, his parents live right above well #3 of the LHC), he started biking in the Union cycliste Gessienne, with good results but not earth-shattering. Very clever and astute racer with a good finish he always performed at the highest level possible compatible with his physical abilities.

After obtaining his first pro contract in a small team (Jean Delatour if I remember correctly), he matured and improved slowly year after year and eventually ended up with Cofidis. Before that he had taken the time to get a University degree.

After participating in the Giro ( 3 times) and the Vuelta (twice) he finally got selected in the Cofidis team for this year's TdF.

At the age of 32 he must have been beginning to wonder if he ever was going to make it to the TdF. Clearly there are many racers out there more gifted than him that didn't make it to that level for lack of ambition, tenacity or just plain intelligence. I certainly wish him well.

 

[Parrulo]

this thread will get the same reaction as every single unnecessary new thread about the tour has been getting.

there are plenty of threads where this could have been posted. there is no need to flood the forum.

anyway on the story itself. congratulations to him. i am glad he managed to ride the tour

 

[the delgados]

I became enchanted with cycling at age 18, and started riding shortly thereafter.
I steadily advanced, and after a little over two years I found myself riding with the big boys.
But I had no clue what I was doing. Someone once observed that they could have driven a truck through a gap I left during a race.
What can I say? I lacked the acumen for good racing. I'm going to blame this on my country, which doesn't give a rat's *** about cycling. Otherwise I would have ridden le Tour.
Anyways, what were you saying?
Oh yeah, Mickael Buffaz. Bravo, Mickael! I'm going to live the next three weeks of my life vicariously through you.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Buffaz is a late bloomer and a good rider. I suspect we'll see him in a breakaway sometime in week 2.

 

[forty four]

I became enchanted with cycling at age 18, and started riding shortly thereafter.
I steadily advanced, and after a little over two years I found myself riding with the big boys.
But I had no clue what I was doing. Someone once observed that they could have driven a truck through a gap I left during a race.
What can I say? I lacked the acumen for good racing. I'm going to blame this on my country, which doesn't give a rat's *** about cycling. Otherwise I would have ridden le Tour.
Anyways, what were you saying?
Oh yeah, Mickael Buffaz. Bravo, Mickael! I'm going to live the next three weeks of my life vicariously through you.

i assume sarcasm....
if not your very arrogant and delusional move to the states you would fit in great its a theme around here. yes all are to blame except you and your lack of physical ability or worse just plain dumb racing tactics. ignorance is bliss....

 

[The Hitch]

Rinaldo was i think the same age when he rode his first Tour and he wore the MJ for a week.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Play nice, folks.

Susan

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Good for Buffaz reaching one of his dreams!

 

[Le breton]

I am just curious to see what reaction this post will get.

Mickaël Buffaz, is from around here (French-Swiss border around Geneva, for the scientifically-minded, his parents live right above well #3 of the LHC), he started biking in the Union cycliste Gessienne, with good results but not earth-shattering. Very clever and astute racer with a good finish he always performed at the highest level possible compatible with his physical abilities.

After obtaining his first pro contract in a small team (Jean Delatour if I remember correctly), he matured and improved slowly year after year and eventually ended up with Cofidis. Before that he had taken the time to get a University degree.

After participating in the Giro ( 3 times) and the Vuelta (twice) he finally got selected in the Cofidis team for this year's TdF.

At the age of 32 he must have been beginning to wonder if he ever was going to make it to the TdF. Clearly there are many racers out there more gifted than him that didn't make it to that level for lack of ambition, tenacity or just plain intelligence. I certainly wish him well.

Today Mickael Buffaz finished 68th at the Tour de vendée. His last pro race.

After years at Cofidis, with no continuation contract for 2013 - he didn't want to move to a lesser team.

His future is assured, in principle outside of cycling, but who knows.

To me it looks like he performed at the highest possible level for a cyclist with a real talent, but just average by pro standards.

Good luck to you Mickael in your future life.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm surprised he couldn't find a contract at one of the French teams, but if he wasn't prepared to move to a team like Big Mat-Auber 93 or Roubaix-Lille Métropole, then the decision to move on is fair.

Mickaël rode the Vuelta. One of the nice touches I like at the Vuelta is that every year when they get to the final circuits in Madrid, riders who are retiring get to go through the tunnel and emerge on the circuits first to take in the cheers of the fans for themselves one last time. Every year these short-lived moves get mistaken for attacks! This year, it was Grischa Niermann and David Moncoutié who rode together onto the Paseo del Prado. But unfortunately, many riders who will retire don't already know they're retiring in early September; Niermann and Moncoutié had already announced it. I always feel it's a bit of a shame that sometimes the loyal domestiques don't get their last hurrah (for example, last year one of the saddest sights of the Vuelta was seeing Txente García crashing and retiring from the Vuelta for the first time in 16 years, when it was slated to be his final race), because they don't know they're retiring until they can't get a contract.