The Greatest Sprinter Ever?

[insert superlative here] Mark Cavendish has now won four stages in this year’s Tour. Any rider who bagged four stages during their entire career would be considered pretty useful but four in one tour is exceptional. Cavendish’s total now stands at 14 stage wins. That puts him just one win short of übersprinter Freddy Maertens. … Read more

Stage 18 – spectator rest day

Siestas are popular in south-western France, it must be the Spanish influence. I suggest you consider having an afternoon nap too as this afternoon’s stage promises to be a dull one. Certainly it’s a day to focus on the day job, to clean the bike or generally avoid the race. Just tune in for the … Read more

All downhill from here

The war of fog I’ve got the blues this morning, after an incredibly close battle for the overall it feels like the Tour de France has already finished. Certainly riders claimed they could see the Eiffel Tower yesterday through the mist on the Tourmalet and the remaining stages to Paris look like a procession. It’s … Read more

Contador to sign with Riis?

Right, this is a blog and not a newspaper or website with high standards of journalism to uphold. It’s not cyclingnews.com either. I feel I can float ideas even when I can’t get them officially confirmed. Fran Contador is a busy man So here goes. Astana can’t afford to keep Contador. His brother, acting as … Read more

Katusha, Astana and now… Vendée

Astana and Katusha are two cycling teams with state sponsors, sports teams that are designed to radiate the national glory of the motherland. Well now there could be a third state-sponsored cycling team: Vendée. The Vendée is a small départment in France that’s not famous for a great deal. But in order to spread the … Read more

A Forecast for Contador

There are huge industries dedicated towards predicting the future. Meteorologists try to predict the weather, only they struggle to get things right when they look more than four days ahead. French radio often carries adverts for clairevoyants, literally someone with clear vision, one call on a premium phone line and you can speak to somebody … Read more

Why Ride?

On the rest day I thought I’d step away from the Tour de France for a moment. One of the things that fascinates me most about cycling is why we ride. After all for most in the world cycling means transport, not sport. But a few race. At first glance it is a very hard … Read more

Stage 17 Pau – Tourmalet preview

It’s the biggest stage of the Pyrenees but – whisper it – it’s not that hard. Yes the first climb up the Col de Marie Blanque has sections at 13% but it’s short. Yes the Soulor is a long climb and of course the Tourmalet is hard. But look again at the profile and note … Read more

Fignon’s Combativity Prize

Whilst the debate over a dropped chain rages to the extent of excluding Thomas Voeckler’s impressive win, one thing worth mentioning is the special prize awarded on the day to Laurent Fignon. One rider a day is awarded the Prix de la Combativité, a reward for the most attacking rider of the day. Voeckler won … Read more

Different vantage points: armchair vs. saddle

Even a housewife becomes a DS when the race is on One thing missing from the debate over Andy Schleck’s chain and Alberto Contador’s acceleration is that we’re not looking at it from their point of view. With two motorbikes and a helicopter covering the group of favourites, TV viewers have the perspective that a … Read more