Plus ça change

Increasing commercial pressure… the World Cup… Defensive maneuvering abruptly swept away any instinct for the offense… highly paid riders lured by bigger financial carrots… a greater marketability for the sport globally… tarnished the traditionally promoted heritage… the equation of prestigious races like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders with virgin events like the coming Summer International in England.

Changes to the calendar threaten the sport. Riders chase monetary incentives instead of glory. The racing risks becoming boring and defensive and new events are piled on to the calendar for the sake of globalization. A critique of the UCI’s plans for 2020? No, an assessment of the 1989 spring classics season by Australian journalist Rupert Guinness.

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Fallen and Forgotten Cyclists

The 2014 Tour de France will commemorate the 1914-1918 war but this time of year sees many in annual remembrance ceremonies, the rituals of wreath laying and the pledge of “never again”.

Last year I looked in brief at the fate of four celebrity riders Lucien Petit-Breton, Octave Lapize, Ludwig Opel and Roland Garros. But what of all the others? Here are a few stories of riders who might not be famous but their names are not forgotten. What stands out is the futility of their deaths, a training ride gone wrong or a river crossing that was too cold.

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The Worlds, Rainbows and Curses

Famous as the symbol of cycling’s world champion, cycling’s rainbow jersey was first introduced in 1927 when the inaugural world championships were organised in Germany. The winner was Italian Alfredo Binda, one of the sport’s first superstars.

Only look more closely. Since when did a rainbow have a black stripe in the middle?

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Roads to Ride – The Puy de Dôme

The Puy de Dôme is an extinct volcano in central France with a road that winds around the cone to the top. It’s been the scene of one of the greatest duels in the Tour de France.

It has become a road that belongs to the past because the construction of a railway line to ferry tourists to the top has meant the road is now closed. Or is it?

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Tour de France Stage 5 Preview

A long day with a sneaky surprise in store at the end as the hardest climb of the day isn’t a categorised climb. The Col de Gineste comes fifteen minutes from the finish. It’s nothing savage but provides some spice and scenery.

With crashes and climbs we’ve yet to have a full bunch sprint with the superstars and today could be the day.

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Book Review: Maglia Rosa

Maglia Rosa book by Herbie Sykes

Maglia Rosa, triumph and tragedy at the Giro d’Italia by Herbie Sykes

Another history book? No, this is much more. It’s a collection of stories from the Giro and Italy that goes beyond a sepia-tinged list of past race incidents, names and nostalgia. The second-edition version is also updated with commentary on the sport that looks at how the Giro is trying to find its place in the sport.

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The Myth of Raymond Poulidor

Raymond Poulidor

Raymond Poulidor is 77 today. The Frenchman has two nicknames “Pou-Pou” and “The Eternal Second” and unfortunately for him his Wikipedia entry begins ” ‘Pou-Pou’ redirects here. For other uses, see Poo-poo (disambiguation)”. But two names are linked as Poupou was a term of affection for an underdog, a rider who finished second so often that he won fame and fortune for losing.

But the more I read about him, the more he seems to be a misunderstood rider whose myths and simple labels mask the truth of an efficient and calculating rider.

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The Future of 2010

Nairo Quintana
L’Avenir is French for “the future” and as the name suggests, the Tour de l’Avenir is meant to be reserved for the stars of tomorrow. With this in mind, time for a quick look back at the 2010 edition because it was dominated by the likes of Taylor Phinney, John Degenkolb, Andrew Talansky and especially Nairo Quintana.

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Milan-Sanremo Documentary

Mark Cavendish talking about opera, Filippo Pozzato sliding his Ferrari around the bends of the Poggio, a priest discussing doping and a two-time winner of Milan-Sanremo from the 1950s riding an indoor exercise bike. All this and more in the documentary film by Wilfried de Jong.

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The History of the Three Kilometre Rule

Three kilometre rule

There’s a rule where if a rider falls or suffers a mechanical in the last three kilometres of a stage then they do not lose time on the overall classification. It’s worth explaining in its own right as it’s invoked many times a year and will come up in a stage race soon.

With Paris-Nice starting this weekend we could see the rule cited which would be appropriate it was this race that invented the rule, first because of a crash to a star rider and then formalised some years later thanks to Eddy Merckx.

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