環(huán)球英語 1222 Serving on Two Wheels
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Colin Lowther.
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And I’m Bruce Gulland. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
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The sounds of a bicycle race. These two-wheeled vehicles are moving very fast. Each rider pushes his legs to turn the wheels faster, and faster. These teams of riders have raced for many days. Each day, one man wins the day’s ride. On that day, he enjoys much glory and honour. But, the final winner is the rider that finishes the weeks of racing with the lowest time.
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Today, one man is pushing himself as hard as he can. He is in front of all the other riders. And he is winning this day of the race. He is even moving closer to becoming a winner of the whole race. But then, a car drives next to him. A person in the car tells the rider to stop. The rider’s team leader or chief has crashed. His bicycle is broken. And the chief needs the other rider’s bicycle. The rider stops. He turns around. And he rides the long way, back to his chief. Today he will not win glory.
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This rider is a Domestique. And he is racing in the famous Tour de France bicycle race. Today’s Spotlight is on Domestiques, and their important job in this race.
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The Tour de France is the most famous bicycle race in the world. Twenty teams compete, each with nine men. They will race up and down mountains, and through towns and cities in France. The race lasts for twenty-one days. Each day is a different stage or part of the race. There can be many stage winners. But the general winner is the rider who had the lowest time when all the stage results are added together.
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Only the world’s best riders can race in the Tour de France. Even then, many riders will not reach the finish line. Each year many riders crash. Some go to hospital. Some continue to ride with broken bones. Other team members become too tired to race after climbing the high mountain roads. Some have even died.
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The very best riders become famous all around the world - men like Lance Armstrong. He won first place for seven years. He won these races even after recovering from cancer. It was a rare honour, but Lance Armstrong could not have achieved it without help from his Domestiques.
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Domestique is a French word. It describes a person who is employed to work for a master. In the Tour de France, each team has a chief. The other eight men in the team will work hard to help their chief win the race.
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A Domestique will protect his chief. He will travel in front of him to prevent the wind from slowing him down. He will carry bottles of water for his chief to drink. If his chief crashes, the Domestique will stay with him until he can again reach the rest of the riders. And, if the chief’s bicycle is broken in a crash, the Domestique will give his chief his own vehicle. He must then wait until another bicycle is given to him by the team managers. The Domestique’s first goal is to help his chief become the race’s general winner.
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Many Domestiques have special skills to help their chief. Some are sprinters. These are riders who can ride at very high speed for short periods of time. On the long, straight roads, the sprinters will go very fast to try to tire the other riders. Then, the chief can beat these tired riders.
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Other Domestiques are very strong in climbing the mountain roads. They will help their chief to get to the top by riding close in front of them. By beating other riders, these skilled riders also win points for themselves.
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The best Domestiques are those who have ridden in many big races. Through their experience, they learn to be wise riders. Some Domestiques are good enough to lead their own teams. Andreas Kloden is a former Domestique. He finished second in the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006. He has earned great respect, and is strong enough to lead a team. But he is also happy to support other great champions like Jan Ullrich, Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador.
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Another strong Domestique is George Hincapie. He used his skill and energy to help Lance Armstrong win all of his seven Tour de France races.
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All riders in the Tour de France have great stories to tell. But one of the best stories is about a Domestique named Rene Vietto. Rene was chosen to ride as a Domestique for the French team in 1934. He was riding with the great French champion Antonin Magne.
During the race, people were very surprised when Rene Vietto reached the mountains. Rene rode up the difficult mountains in front of all the other riders. Every day in the mountains, he left all the riders behind him - even his team chief.
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Rene was only a Domestique, but his hard work in the mountains produced an amazing result. He was now in second place. He had a strong chance to win the Tour de France. Many people thought he would receive the famous yellow winner’s shirt at the end of the race.
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But then, he received bad news. His team chief had a problem. Antonin Magne had crashed. His bicycle was damaged. Rene Vietto stopped his bicycle. He turned around and rode back up the mountain to his team chief. Rene Vietto gave away his chance to win the Tour de France. Instead, the honour went to his chief, Antonin Magne.
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Rene Vietto continued to race for many more years, but he never did win a Tour de France. However, he did win something else. He won respect and a different kind of fame. People began to call him King Rene. And they remembered the honour and respect he brought to the job of Domestique.
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When Rene died, he was buried on a mountain road near his home. Now, many bicycle riders travel to this place. They want to show respect to King Rene. He gave up glory to help another man win the world’s most famous bicycle prize. But in doing so, he won respect for himself and the job of all Domestiques!
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The writer of this program was Alan Harris. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called ‘Serving on Two Wheels’.
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
