Cycling Podcast Reviews Part XII, The Bike Show

This is part of a series of podcast reviews. Having reviewed some, it turns out others have similar tastes when it comes to podcasts (see The Drum Up and Atomic Echo) and it’s thanks to them that I discovered The Bike Show from Resonance FM. Living in the South of France, Resonance FM’s London signal … Read more

Feeling tired?

OK, this is straying away from the usual cycling territory but I’m fascinated by the ejection of the English team from the soccer World Cup. I also wrote about France’s elimination too. Some of the team said they were “tired” and commentators said that the players looked languid. Apparently some blame a lack of a … Read more

Mythbusters: the Pyrenees

I’ll say it now, this year’s Tour de France marks the 1ooth anniversary of the race’s visit to the Pyrenees. This is why the race features several stages in in the Pyrenees. No doubt we are all going to be made very aware of this. But a lot of the tales are myths and exaggerations, … Read more

How to pronounce Jens Voigt

The pro peloton might just be a collection of gaunt men with short hair but it’s an international thing, with riders from all over the world and one aspect of this is a broad range of languages, accents and names. Despite being a pro for 13 seasons now, Jens Voigt still sees his name massacred … Read more

Literary discussion of the Tour de France

The BBC have a 25 minute broadcast about the Tour de France, discussing the race as a social and cultural event rather than the sporting contest. The studio guests discuss the race and its significance to France without mention of Contador, nor an explanation of the yellow jersey. You can hear the show for the … Read more

Riis against time?

With the news that the Schleck brothers are to leave Bjarne Riis’s cycling team, time is running out for the Dane to find a new sponsor. The presence of the two lanky brothers is a real draw for any sponsor given the podium potential in the Tour de France. In the short term it’ll be … Read more

Five questions for Contador

Contador is such a favourite for the Tour de France that many are just wondering who will come second and third. But a bad day, a puncture, a crash and everything could change Indurain famously cracked in the 1996 Tour. More recently you could argue Cadel Evans would have won the last Vuelta and Giro … Read more

Cycling tips – what gear for the high mountains?

First time visitors to the big mountain passes often ask “what gear do I need“. But unless the question is followed up by a copious amount of personal information, from experience to wattages to ambitions then it’s almost on worth asking. So for those of you going to the mountains of Europe for the first … Read more

Small race, big crowds

Britain produces some very good riders but for a country visible from French shores, it does not have a much a race calendar. After all, only a handful of events are UCI-ranked, I think Slovenia has more. Many of the best British riders come from the track, not the road But thanks to Twitter I’d … Read more