Hit the Pavé

The guys over at Pavé were kind enough to mention to their readers that The Inner Ring had moved. To return the favour, I’d recommend you visit them, that is if you’re not already a reader. There’s plenty to read and I particular like the race previews on the eve of the classics. Right now … Read more

Blowing away the cobwebs

The video’s from Stage 3 of the Tour of Qatar. Watch the first few minutes if you can but if you’re in a hurry, fast forward about one minute in. You can watch the rotation of the riders, the desert wind is blowing in from the left and the group is rolling at speed in … Read more

Training the mind

Denis Troch probably isn’t a name you know but he is an instrumental figure for quite a few French riders. A former professional soccer player with several Parisian clubs, Troch retired into coaching and then onto team management. But football management is one of the most insecure jobs in the world, managers can get replaced … Read more

New Gears

Welcome to the new home of the Inner Ring. I started coverage about a year ago and things have taken off to the point where I felt it needed a new home and also a bit of a redesign. Maybe you didn’t mind the old version but I have to look at this site a … Read more

Never give up

A photo from today’s opening stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean. Saur-Sojasun’s Laurent Mangel got in the winning breakaway of six riders and thought the sprint was his. But he didn’t count on French champion Thomas Voeckler, the Europcar rider threw his bike for the line just as Mangel sat up. Voeckler won the … Read more

The UCI’s BMX headache (solved)

An update and correction: since posting this, someone from the UCI has been in touch to say that Johan Lindström no longer works for the UCI. My reader stated Lindström was indeed working with both jobs and when I double-checked on the UCI website, he was still listed (my screenshot): But the UCI website isn’t … Read more

Colnago Con Brio

There aren’t many blogs dedicated towards single bike brands. But there is one for Colnago called Colnago con brio. The clover-leafed company from near Milan is a mythical name in the sport, no wonder it has such a following. I grew up revering the name, the Italian frame builder was completely out of my league. … Read more

The State of Shock

The clip above is from the film Casablanca. When the police swoop on Rick’s Café, the police chief Renault expresses his shock to find gambling happening on the premises, using this breach of the law as a pretext to close down the bar. But only after he picks up his winnings. Beware of people expressing … Read more

Riccardo Riccó: "I gave myself a blood transfusion"

And we thought Contador had issues Riccardo Riccó has apparently admitted to blood doping, transfusing himself with blood that he’d stored in a fridge at home, confessing that he’d kept the sample for 25 days, that the blood could have been poorly stored during this period as a warning to the doctors. The sensational news … Read more

Radio stalemate

Carpani consults the bunch Speaking to cyclingnews.com, UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani suggests the governing body won’t back down over the ban of race radios. “We want to remind everyone that the decision has been taken with the participation of all the parties involved in the cycling movement. So the decision remains.” This is inflammatory stuff. … Read more