Volta a Catalunya Stage 6 Preview

There were only two nailed on sprint finishes in this race and today is one of them. This hasn’t stopped Giant-Shimano’s Luka Mezgec winning three stages so far and the route today is ideal for him.

But there’s an uninvited guest today: the wind. With Flanders enjoying balmy spring conditions, Catalonia is colder and windier and today’s stage could see crosswinds do some damage.

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Volta a Catalunya Stage 5 Preview


The longest day in the race, this could be a day for a breakaway. As well as the usual preview fare there’s also a quick note below on the GP E3 Harelbeke which is planned to finish 20 minutes after today’s stage.

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Volta a Catalunya Stage 4 Preview


After yesterday’s introduction to the mountains today’s stage is the big one with a long, steep climb leading to a high altitude summit finish. It’s not certain to settle the race but will hand-pick the contenders.

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Volta a Catalunya Stage 3 Preview

Volta Catalunya La Molina

The race enters the Pyrenees for the first mountain stage but the final climb is not fierce. Instead this is a day when the descent could pick the winner because foul weather is forecast and the riders face a long and chilly ride down the top of the Coll de la Creueta in freezing temperatures. A battle between the big guns isn’t certain but they might feel compelled to turn up the heat… if the stage goes ahead.

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Luis Ocaña vs. Eddy Merckx


Here’s a video documentary from last night’s Informe Robinson show in Spain about Luis Ocaña, the 1973 Tour de France winner. It’s a Spanish production but with a lot of French audio thanks to interviews with Eddy Merckx, Johny Schleck and Ocaña’s French widow. Without subtitles it’s obviously not for everyone but if you’re patient you’ll find rich archive of video, photo and more in a slick package.

It’s also the chance for a book giveaway, with a free copy of Daniel Friebe’s excellent Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal book.

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The Bulls of Spain

Toro Osborne Vuelta a Espana Tour of Spain

A reader once asked via twitter what was the Spanish equivalent of sunflowers at the Tour de France. Just as the Tour de France has pretty clichés of riders rolling past fields of sunflowers, for me the Vuelta a Espana has hilltop hoardings of the bovine kind.

There’s a story behind this. It starts with vino de Jerez, the fortified wine from the city of Jerez that’s known as sherry in English.

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It’s The Economy

As the screengrab above shows Spain’s unemployment level has reached to a record high of more than six million people, a rate of 27%. Cross the Pyrenees and the story is the same as France’s unemployment has just hit a record high too.  Over the Alps and Italians are trying to form a government after months of institutional crisis, the Swiss are bringing in measures to curb immigration from out-of-work migrants in Europe and the continent’s shared currency is causing headaches from Cyprus to Slovenia and beyond.

Pro cycling does not exist in a bubble and Europe’s economic woes are causing real problems for the sport, from obvious concerns like the lack of sponsors but also creating longer-term structural challenges.

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Should Luis León Sánchez Be Suspended?

Luis León Sánchez has been on “non-active status” since February after his team started an investigation into media reports he was linked to Dr Fuentes.

Months later and he’s taking his Blanco Pro Cycling team to the UCI to try and settle the matter of his informal suspension. The issue goes beyond this rider and shows us how different teams are struggling with ethical issues.

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Tour of the Basque Country Preview

Vuelta al Pais Vasco

Whilst many look the classics, one of the joys of pro cycling is its variety with different riders tackling different races. Today sees the start of the Tour of the Basque Country, another spring ritual that takes place in front of giant roadside crowds that rival the Flemish for support, enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport.

It’s a great race with a series of hilly stages and also a fine test of form ahead of the Ardennes classics.

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