Andy's blog

[theyoungest]

Right now we're in Fuerteventura for our final training camp before the racing season starts. It's a great location with the temperature constantly in the mid twenties. Unlike other teams we don't need scientific analysis to tell us that this or that place is the driest in Europe. We just rely on the weather man and this time he's right on the money.

Rely on the weather man? Well, what coincidence that Playitas on Fuerteventura also happens to be their sponsor.

Also, is this thing ghostwritten? It's a long way from Andy's barely comprehensible tweets to the flowery prose in his columns.

 

[Moondance]

Rely on the weather man? Well, what coincidence that Playitas on Fuerteventura also happens to be their sponsor.

Also, is this thing ghostwritten? It's a long way from Andy's barely comprehensible tweets to the flowery prose in his columns.

Yes. Was this ever in doubt? Almost every athlete's blog is ghost written. Most athletes barely have enough time to eat or sleep, let alone blog. If you want to find a blog thats really written by the (semi-) famous person you're interested in, look to a an actor or a comedian or someone like that. Those people actually have time on their hands.

 

[theyoungest]

Almost every athlete's blog is ghost written. Most athletes barely have enough time to eat or sleep, let alone blog.

Well, I think that's overstating it a bit, since there are more than enough athletes who write their own blogs. In fact, some of them think it's a nice distraction, especially in the off season with its mind-numbing training hours.

 

[Laurent]

I dont get what point you're trying to make? That he shouldnot do a joke about the location of his camp or that his blog isn;t written like his tweets? Either way u need to get out a bit more.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes. Was this ever in doubt? Almost every athlete's blog is ghost written. Most athletes barely have enough time to eat or sleep, let alone blog. If you want to find a blog thats really written by the (semi-) famous person you're interested in, look to a an actor or a comedian or someone like that. Those people actually have time on their hands.

Or read Ted King's.

 

[theyoungest]

Or read Ted King's.

Or (since I'm Dutch) Robert Gesink's, or Bram Tankink's, or Dennis van Winden's, or... well, there aren't many Dutch cyclists who do not keep a blog, it seems. And if these blogs are ghostwritten, my name is Vincent van Gogh.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

Rely on the weather man? Well, what coincidence that Playitas on Fuerteventura also happens to be their sponsor.

Also, is this thing ghostwritten? It's a long way from Andy's barely comprehensible tweets to the flowery prose in his columns.

I thought it might be ghostwritten.

Anyway, something I found interesting in the blog were his comments on Carlos Sastre...seems slightly annoyed with him.

 

[Zerak-Tul]

Well, I think that's overstating it a bit, since there are more than enough athletes who write their own blogs. In fact, some of them think it's a nice distraction, especially in the off season with its mind-numbing training hours.

I came to the same conclusion after seeing his twitter site compared to this blog. Pretty sure the blog is the work of (or edited by) a PR guy.

Some excerpts from his twitter;

"Back from a hard ride we did 190 km an now I now why they call it fuerteventura,witch means strong wind!tomorrow rest day!"

"Beautiful here sun but -8 celsius so I change program did 2h on the SRM bike watching Me myself and Irene "

"Well just to everyone my bike accident with the car I am ok still some pain here an there but noting broken can train again tx 4 support"

"There was a car who did see me an I could not avoid the crash I think he have more damage on his car then me I m gone be super forafewdays"

He seems like a nice guy from both his blog and his twitter, but either someone else writes the blog or someone edits his work heavily before it's posted. A third possibility is of course that he just figured from seeing the rest of twitter that that's how you're supposed to write on there!

 

[molecule]

Personally, I think he is writing it in either German or French and then it is translated. That would explain the discrepancy between his tweets and blog entries.

Secondly, I don't think that anyone else but himself could have written that last part about Sastre.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Secondly, I don't think that anyone else but himself could have written that last part about Sastre.

+1. The same goes for his comments on Wiggins move to Sky. My pick is that he writes it and it is translated or edited later.

 

[rgmerk]

At least some write their own...

This blog pieceby the silver medallist in the women's road race at the Aussie national championships sounds like the unadorned work of the author:

"Ruth took off like the world class 50kg climber that she is, and I was in a **** position, riding last wheel in the now 14-strong remnant of the peloton."

The original version (posted on the event broadcaster's website) had the four letter word uncensored.

Then there's this:

Thanks to the terrific pre-cooling, and the valiant support efforts in the feed zone, I managed two bidons of ice cold water on every lap and poured them over me like I was Floyd Landis trying to dilute suspicious hormones.

Only without the suspicious hormones. And the Mennonite family. And the patchy ginger beard.

I don't think a PR droid would have let that one through, either

 

[amp300]

I agree with the translation argument. Keep in mind too, twitter is only 140 characters or something. So it isn't really going to be that eloquent. More short and to the point.

 

[ergmonkey]

Whoever posted that pro athletes don't have time to blog must not understand what the life of an elite athlete entails. Sure, when you're traveling and racing, you don't seem to have a lot of down-time. During training periods, though, the day consists of the following:

-Sleep as much as possible
-train several hours per day
-eat intelligently
-nap as much as possible
-do non-stressful, non-strenuous activities like websurfing when no longer able to nap

Check out the U.S. Olympic Training Center if you don't believe me. I remember a whole lot of time being killed on the internet while I was over there.

 

[Christian]

Personally, I think he is writing it in either German or French and then it is translated. That would explain the discrepancy between his tweets and blog entries.

Secondly, I don't think that anyone else but himself could have written that last part about Sastre.

I'd say it's probably German. He's good in French, but he's much more comfortable in German.
But some parts are definitely very personal, and comments such as the one on Wiggins and on Sastre have to come from him, otherwise I'd fire the ghost writer.

He's not so bad in speaking English either though, you shouldn't take the tweets as a reference there. Maybe it's just the spelling part that he's not so great at.