Tips

The Rain Bag

Giro rainIt has to be the wettest racing season living memory. Anecdotes aside, meteorological data show high rainfall for Italy and France and the Tour of Switzerland has seen a stage modified because the road was still closed by snow. There are signs the bad weather is changing and summer must starting as the French air traffic controllers are on strike today, frustrating riders trying to get to the Tour of Luxembourg and the Route du Sud.

So before the weather hots up, here’s a quick look at an item of pro kit that’s not often featured: the rain bag.

This is a small bag belonging to each rider containing the clothing they need on a damp day. It’s packed into the team car and can be brought out when rain falls. The pro cyclist’s version of an umbrella.

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Tom Boonen’s delicate (t)issue

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Injury can rob a champion of their aura. We can attribute superhuman abilities, high pain tolerance and unparalleled handing skills to a top rider, But when someone announces they’ve got a saddle sore a bit of dignity is lost.

Right now Tom Boonen is soldiering on in the Vuelta with a saddle sore and normally you’d cheer at his brave riding but talk of “a kind of diaper” has made a few fans laugh and others feel sorry for him. Cyclingews.com have picked up a Het Nieuwsblad piece.

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Five useful things for following pro cycling

Some readers might be old enough to the days when, living in America or Australia, they waited for the airmail to deliver cycling magazines. Some race results might not arrive for months. These days you can get live images via the internet and instant results via twitter. I like to keep an eye on what’s … Read more

The rain bag

With the weather forecast suggesting showers are likely between now and Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and rain on the start line in De Panne today, here’s a quick look at an item of pro kit that’s not often featured: the rain bag.

This is a small bag belonging to each rider containing the clothing they need on a rainy day. It’s packed into the team car and can be brought out in case of rainy weather. The pro cyclist’s version of an umbrella.

Read more

How to watch a race

Going to watch a bike race is not as simple as you might think. Get it wrong and all you’ll catch is a cold, not the action. There are some hints, tips and skills that can substantially improve the experience. Given the classics season is now upon us, it’s time to share some of these. … Read more

The lowdown on sprinting

Meanwhile some people are racing bikes. And in a deliberate effort to look for encouraging stories that aren’t related to doping and scandal, here’s a quick observation from today’s bunch sprint in in the Tour of Oman. The sprint was won by Rabobank’s new recruit Theo Bos, the photofinish putting him ahead of Mark Cavendish. … Read more

Cycling tips – what gear for the high mountains?

First time visitors to the big mountain passes often ask “what gear do I need“. But unless the question is followed up by a copious amount of personal information, from experience to wattages to ambitions then it’s almost on worth asking. So for those of you going to the mountains of Europe for the first … Read more

Cycling tips – hot feet

I’ve had a few people ask me about riding in the south of France, people unfamiliar with the region, rides and even custom. So I’ll try to put some advice out every week now that many are coming to ride the roads here. Here’s the first, inspired by the sight of riders dipping their shoes … Read more