Poor Roy Sentjens. The Milram rider was busted for EPO use and ejected from the Vuelta. He started with the classic opening defence, as reported by cyclingnews.com on Friday 10 September: “I don’t understand what is going on. I know everyone says this, but I’m really innocent,” he told Het Belang van Limburg. “I am … Read more
Never let it be said that cycling is a tough sport when it comes to picking winners and losers. If you fail, a second chance seems a birthright and those that make further mistakes can usually get an audience again and again. I’m all for second chances in life but many jobs in the world … Read more
An interesting article from New Scientist, sent in by a reader, points out some research into muscle gain. If you’re interested in training and in particular, bigger legs, then take a read. But one thing stands out from the piece: Anabolic steroids are thought to work by increasing the number of muscle cell nuclei. “If … Read more
Riccardo Ricco’s move to Vacansoleil is not without its controversy. The Dutch team wants to step up a level to enter the ProTour, it also wants to take part in the big races like the Tour de France. Is signing Ricco a good way to go about this?YesRicco has proven he can win and he’s … Read more
Hands up if you’re an embarrassment Someone should keep a blog just to monitor the ramblings of UCI President Pat McQuaid and to rebut his misleading public statements. Now he has done the sport a service when it comes to internationalising races. The idea of the ProTour was a good one (although I think it … Read more
Moi, controversial? Caisse d’Epargne might be withdrawing from pro team sponsorship but the French savings bank has not had its last word. Team manager Eusebio Unzue wanted to sign Ricardo Ricco, on release from Flaminia, but the sponsor blocked the deal. “Unzue wanted me but not the French sponsor” explains Ricco in the Gazzetta dello … Read more
Pat Jonker’s an Aussie-Dutch rider who’s recently come out in support of Lance Armstrong, telling FoxSports.com.au about doping at US Postal: “I didn’t see anything. If I was subpoenaed to go to court and put my hand on the Bible, I’d go.” Nice. But I’d make two remarks. First, the image below is a screen … Read more
No comment needed Read the revelations from Hans-Michael Holczer and it seems clear that both the UCI and Holczer believed Levi Leipheimer was doping. Sadly “Ex-US Postal rider caught in doping scandal” is barely a headline these days. So what follows is more about the UCI and the stance taken by a manager. Let’s note … Read more
Stevo and Yates? Reunited and it smells so bad I wrote earlier this week that Sky’s “Team Principal” was considering relaxing his standards when it comes to hiring a new DS for the squad. I wondered who he was talking about and then lo, a story popped up on cyclingnews.com: Neil Stephens is looking for … Read more
Blurring the message Something tells me July didn’t exactly follow the spreadsheet scenarios designed by Team Sky. The only success was Stage 3 of the Brixia Tour and I bet you don’t even know where Brixia is. Faced with the need for success Team Sky’s mastermind Dave Brailsford says in an interview with French sports … Read more