WE GO AGAIN
KEVIN MCCALLUM: Hunter’s ugly-pretty Tour affair during King Blem’s rule
In 2007, the most famous South African at the Tour de France was a mechanic. Gary Blem was sitting in the back of the Team Barloworld car, his head out of the window, his blond ponytail flapping in the wind like a happy Labrador. As they left the joys of London and headed to Canterbury for the first stage of the Tour, a shout went up: "Hey! Gary Blem!" It was not the last time the team management, sitting in the front two seats of the car, would hear his name as they rolled along in the convoy behind the riders. King Blem has many friends. He has paid his dues in South African cycling. I met him about 15 years ago when he owned a bike shop in Boksburg. He ran spinning classes out of it. His hairstyle was the same. I remember he had a Trek Y-Foil frame for sale. It was ugly beautiful, just like his hair. Robbie Hunter’s affair with the Tour de France in 2007 was ugly beautiful. He was desperate for a win. He’d taken the step down from the top tier of teams to ride for Barloworld, the...
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