As part of a series of pieces about life in Europe beyond cycling, here’s another addition. For more in the series, click on the Out of Competition tag below. Spain’s having a great summer sports-wise. Nadal’s just won the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the soccer team’s in the World Cup final and maybe Alberto Contador’s going … Read more
It’s been an eventful opening of the Tour de France given the numerous crashes. Painful for the riders but it also means extra work for the team staff. Mechanics will stay up late rebuilding bikes and team physios are attempting to rebuild the riders. If you want an inside look on this, take a look … Read more
A family-friendly two fingered-salute Visibly sitting up yesterday, it wasn’t a day to remember for Cavendish. Whilst many waiting journalists had been prepping headlines about Champagne for the British sprinter, it wasn’t to be. Now clearly Cavendish isn’t on the same form as last year. But for me, it was a collective loss for the … Read more
There’s a tale of a US law professor who begins his university course with a lecture on witness statements. Midway through the lecture a man bursts in, jostles the lecturer and grabs the professor’s briefcase, wallet and jacket and escapes. Shocked, the professor says “right, can you guys tell me what happened, take notes and … Read more
Man down. TV ratings up. The cobbles proved controversial, especially with Frank Schleck going out of the race. But for me at least, their inclusion in the race is fine. It’s all about the quantity of pavé. Past visits have included a lot of more stretches of cobbles, for me under 14km is fine, especially … Read more
This isn’t so much a new review, more a heads up that you can get a daily dose of audio analysis via podcasts. There are three to consider: The VelocastThe two Scots are giving a daily post race analysis. It’s a good chat but they are limited by their presence in Scotland, this is not … Read more
Like many I saw Contador struggling in the final straight whilst his team mate Vinokourov powered a small group to the finish line. “What’s Russian for traitor” I wondered. But I was wrong. It turns out Contador punctured towards the end of the race but he won’t lose any time. Indeed Vinokourov driving to the … Read more
There’s some confusion over the UCI rules regarding bike changes. There’s nothing really new today for the cobbled stage. In short, wheel changes are allowed from support staff but for the whole bike, it has to come from the team car. Here’s the rule in full detail from the UCI rule book: 2.3.029 Technical supportRiders … Read more
Whilst the Stockeu crashes, the medical bulletin and tensions in the bunch over Saxo’s shutdown rages, let’s not forget Sylvain Chavanel. He factured his skull in Liege-Bastogne-Liege but on the same roads yesterday he was the first to attack. He initially rode alone, building up a lead as a wild chase finally allowed a few … Read more
I’ve written before about the fine line between finding exciting roads and turning a race from a sporting contest into a real life version of Wacky Races. Clearly there’s a gap between the fans, who want to see gruelling tests every day and the riders who can’t risk a season and their health on a … Read more