Time to look back at the 2018 season, to select a few highlights for review the moment with added hindsight. First, the final stage of Paris-Nice, a cliffhanger on the corniche where the result was uncertain until the very end.
With the season finished it’s time to look back at the wins and also take a deeper look at the stats. Which teams had the most podium places but the fewest wins? Which teams are the most reliant on one rider?
A challenging climb that’s part scenic detour, part gymnasium. Off the radar for years, it’s on the route of the 2019 Giro and a rival to the likes of the Mortirolo and Mont du Chat thanks to its relentless gradient and length.
The Giro route is out and a quick glance shows the usual route with a loop towards the south and then the passage through the Alps before the finish. Look more closely and the route is more intriguing with new climbs, an unmentioned gravel road plus a record amount of vertical metres and three time trials stages to compensate.
The Tour de France’s route was out and one of the features of the 2019 route was the lack of time trialling, both in the number of stages and the few kilometres on offer. It’s part of a trend as the chart shows. One frequent response in the comments and by email in recent days is that more time trials, whether more stages or just one long time trial, would “balance” the Tour’s course and give time trial specialists and others more of a chance against the pure climbers. It’s an idea that sounds right… only recent editions suggests it wouldn’t work out like that.
Here’s the calendar for 2019. There are several new races and another blog post ought to look at the new races but in the meantime you can put all the major pro races, including the five day Coppi and Bartali week and the six day Four Days of Dunkerque into your digital diary.
There’s also quick explainer on how to subscribe to the calendar, the meaning of the UCI labels and more.
The Tour de France presentation was unveiled and if we knew the start and finish and most of what came in between had leaked out there’s still a lot to digest with details of new climbs, potential rule changes and more.
Winter is coming and Lombardia is the last great race of the year. Nevermind the season fatigue you’ve accumulated, time for a last show of stamina as this is often a rewarding and dramatic race to enjoy before the off-season arrives.
Who is Peter Sagan? He’s the rider in the green jersey and the rainbow bands, the one who does the wheelies, the videos and more. Yet go r all the iconic images and animated GIFs the person behind them seems elusive so here’s his autobiography with 260 pages to explain more.
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