Month: May 2011

The future of cycling?

This is tongue-in-cheek posting but several riders have been wondering aloud what’s next for them in the Giro. Some didn’t appreciate the offroad sections in the stage to Orvieto and we’re still waiting to see whether the roads are safe for Sunday’s stage up Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. Above all riders … Read more

Keep on riding

It’s been a heavy week. The death of Wouter Weylandt will overshadow the Giro and leave an indelible mark on the whole season. He won’t be forgotten, more so since the Giro has taken the number 108 out of the race for good. A nice touch but I’d like to see a more lasting and … Read more

L’Equipe publishes UCI “suspicion index”

Equipe suspicion index

That’s the list from this morning’s L’Equipe. It shows an internal UCI ranking of riders according to levels of “suspicion” relating to strange values gathered under the bio passport scheme. The higher the score, the greater the suspicion. The list was formulated by the UCI on the eve of the 2010 Tour de France.

Handle with care
Suspicion’s a particularly nasty sentiment. Finger pointing, accusations, denunciations, whispers and more are all ugly because often they’re quite wrong. So take the list above with more than a pinch of salt. There’s no direct link with doping, this is just an internal score used by the UCI to help testing. But both the list and the leak raise serious questions.

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The Giro resumes

Normally I’d be very excited about today’s stage of the Giro. Stage 5 from Piombino to Orvieto is a moderate 191km long but includes the sterrato or unpaved sections. The race leaves the Mediterranean, heading inland to use the strade bianche, white roads, of Tuscany as well as some climbs. But it’s impossible to forget Wouter Weylandt, any battles on dusty roads today just won’t have the same urgency or importance as they might normally get.

With Wouter Weylandt in mind, note the Leopard-Trek team have left the race. Yesterday’s stage must have been impossibly hard to ride for them. They’ll be back. The same for Tyler Farrar, he was very close to Weylandt and has returned home. If you’ve ever watched a Sporza internet stream and discovered Farrar speaking excellent Flemish in a post-race interview then a lot of this is because of time spent hanging out with Weylandt and others in the Ghent area.

The Leopard team have set up a way to donate money to Weylandt’s family. You’ll find full details for donations here and they’re working on adding a PayPal facility soon.

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Who makes what

Vittoria Factory

Like any industry, the bicycle sector is a broad one and international, with sophisticated supply chains going around the world. There are so many companies from garage artisan frame builders to corporate giants quoted on several stock exchanges at once.

I’ve put together a list of some of the main companies involved and the brands they operate. You might find some surprises, for example that Lapierre is Dutch-owned and part of the same corporate empire as Tunturi gym bikes. Or that helmets from Giro and Bell are from the same company.

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RIP Wouter Weylandt

At times like this I struggle for words. I never knew Wouter Weylandt and it’s hard to say much that’s not been said more eloquently by others. Like you, I can only wish his family, friends and team mates lots of strength. If it’s conventional to heap praise on the deceased, Weylandt was a genuine … Read more

The rules of sprinting

Cavendish vs Petacchi

As much as I like the internet and Twitter, the ability to replay the final moments of a sprint – or another incident in a race – means debate rages for hours after the race. In fact, I don’t mind debate as this is often an exchange of views and you can learn things and sometimes change your mind.

No, it’s the online skirmishing, the sniping that gets to me. Last summer’s Tour de France saw “Chain-gate” as well as the Renshaw headbutt. More recently debate over Hushovd’s role in Paris-Roubaix raged long after the municipal staff swept up the Roubaix velodrome. It’s not so much the chat, it’s the way a certain move is seen because people prefer certain riders and thus certain behaviour is excused… or inexcusable.

At the risk of reheating yesterday’s mini controversy over the finishing sprint between Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Cavendish, here’s a wider look at the rules on sprinting.

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Giro Stage 2 preview

I won’t be doing a preview every day but today’s stage is on roads I know and two regions that I appreciate.

The riders will have pockets stuffed with energy bars and gels because today is the longest stage of the Giro at 244km. But the route passes through some great places for food and whether by design or accident is a tribute to the giants of Italian agribusiness.

Giro stage 2

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Nibali interview

A short thing, no big deal but I missed Eugenio Capodacqua’s interview with Vincenzo Nibali in La Repubblica from last September. The journalist brings up the subject of doping and Nibali explains the influence of his family. His father would drive him around Italy to take part in races, often sleeping overnight in their small car … Read more

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