Without that fundraiser, I probably would’ve gone home a couple of weeks ago - Dawson Craddock.
I missed July this year, there was no Wimbledon and no Tour de France...
Good news - July is back! The rescheduled Tour starts today (August 29 through September 20). My Julys are not spent sitting on my bike, they are spent sitting close to the TV. In utter fascination, I watch rail thin men with tree trunk legs sit on their bicycles and ride around France for 2,000 miles.
Why?
One reason is American Dawson Craddock. In the 2018 Tour he came in 145th – last place – 4.5 hours behind the winner. Unofficially the last place finisher earns the title - Lanterne Rouge (Red Lantern). Another honor earned by Craddock – he is the only rider in Tour history to remain in last place throughout the entire 21 stage race.
Craddock earned his honors – he fractured his scapula in a crash in Stage 1. An errant water bottle rolled under his front wheel – down he went and a cut above his eye also earned him several stitches.
Along the way Dawson rode over cobblestones, climbed alpine mountains, and pulled his weight in the team time trial.
But, that’s not all!
After the Stage 1 crash, Craddock decided to donate $100 for each stage he finished to repair the Alkek Velodrome in Houston. He invited fans to join him and his Dad set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising a $1,000. By the end of Stage 20 more than $150,000 had been raised. Craddock told Bicycling magazine:
“Without that fundraiser, I probably would’ve gone home a couple of weeks ago,” Craddock said. “Especially in the days immediately after the crash and in that recovery process, I drew a lot of motivation from the campaign. It’s going to change the future of the track.”
Some speculate the Tour will not finish this year – the year of COVID. If the Tour is not canceled men like Craddock will finish.
Taste the Food – Second Helping
Lawson Craddock Will Take the Tour de France’s Most Peculiar Honor: Last Place – Bicycling Magazine
GoFundMe - Dawson Craddock.
Tour de France - official site
Uphill, Downhill, I Like That - 2017 Taste the Food on Peter Sagan. He will be going for a record extending 8th green jersey in 2020.
