Jake climbs another mountain - on two wheels

I've been meaning to do this post for a few days now, but everytime I sit down to do it, something else pops up. I'm not going to let it this time, because this is about Sporty Jake and, if there's one thing I love, it's Jake being Sporty, especially in spandex.


When I returned home from the London Live Earth extravagaanza last Saturday, I was wedged into a train with people with stepladders and steps, which wasn't particularly pleasant actually. But it turns out that I was sharing the train with what seemed like a large proportion of the million or so people who turned out on to the streets of London to watch the Tour de France set off not in France. Of course, this reminded me of last year and the excitement many of us felt when, out of the blue it seemed, Jake turned up in France to watch parts of the race with friend and Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong.


In fact, Jake prvoved his own cycling credentials by accompanying Lance up the Tour's most famous climb - l'Alpe d'Huez - setting, Jake laughed, the 'record for actors'. False modesty indeed, not many of us could cycle up an Alp, especially not that one. This was presented in the media as Jake's other mountain, as opposed to Brokeback of course. Jake arrived in France in the centre of Lance's controversial and infamous battle with Floyd Landis, but Jake proved a worthy distraction and maintained that he would cheer for whomever he wanted - even Landis - but he wouldn't let on who for. However, Jake's respect for his friend after seeing him in action, steaming ahead of him on the Alp, spoke volumes in terms of admiration: "I am speechless. Obviously he is extraordinary when you watch him from afar. Seeing this and then watching riding on the bike. It is unbelievable."


It was also clear that Jake and Lance were having fun outside of the race and Lance was no doubt enjoying being able to act like a spectator. The two were seen together at the Igloo nightclub: "Lance Armstrong and Jake Gyllenhaal made their way in around midnight, both wearing baseball caps pushed down tight on their heads. Women said Armstrong's name in heavily accented French as he walked through the crowd, hitting the second syllable harder than the first. As the two men found a spot to talk in a back corner, Brewer shifted into a different mode, setting up a defensive perimeter to keep the crowd back and give them a little space. I had a short conversation with Armstrong, and then headed back out in the crisp night air alone and walked across the mountain to the Club Med."


Back in the hotel, Lance was "back from a run and looked fit enough to compete in the race he once dominated. Yet telltale signs that those days were over were scattered on every side: from the cold beer and plate of pastries sitting on a table nearby, to the collection of friends, including actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who gathered around a TV set and insisted on switching channels in time to watch Tiger Woods win the British Open." Now you know me, I can forgive Jake anything, BUT watching golf may be a step too far. I'll move on...


Jake said in a Discovery podcast, preserved in the Miscellaneous Video section of the Media part of IHJ, that his Tour de France experience gave him a succession of pinch-me moments, not least because of his helicopter trip above the course. It also allowed him to see firsthand - perhaps a little close for comfort - the adulation of a sportsman, with people hurling themselves in front of their bikes to get close to their hero Lance. It must have been extraordinarily exciting for Jake to have been part of one of the major sporting events, especially one that he is so good at himself, enabling him actually to take part in an extremely difficult part of it.


This video gives you some flavour of what it must have been like for Jake. Many of you will remember it from last year, but it doesn't hurt to pay it a revisit. If the video doesn't behave, you can also reach it from this page.

Pictures from IHJ and Kreutz Photography.