The Giro will invite Acqua et Sapone, Androni Giocatelli, Farnese Vini, Colnago-CSF Inox and Geox. It was hard to leave any of these teams out, given the presence of Garzelli, Serpa, Visconti, Modolo and Belleti, Menchov and Sastre respectively. Indeed normally only four wildcards would be announced as the race is capped at 200 riders … Read more
The Swiss voted recently on a referendum for tighter gun controls. They rejected the proposal. The small Alpine state has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, a figure especially high for Europe. I can’t help wonder if a ready supply of firearms explains why the UCI is limping. The Swiss-based governing … Read more
I got an email from the guys at Bicycling asking if I’d consider submitting some words for a guest blog. As Bicycling Magazine puts it, “editor Bill Strickland is taking a short break from his blog The Selection to do a little extra work on the print magazine for Bicycling” and they’ve got some other … Read more
Vladi Karpets might have lost his mullet but there are others in the bunch who let their hair down after a race. Here’s a quick look… Daniel Oss has a lot more But, Samson-like, his hair has grown alongside his reputation. It was tidy as a neo-pro, now it’s alive. A rider for the classics, … Read more
we have won more races in 2008, 2009 and 2010 than any other team. Talented young stars and experienced leaders, working together to achieve success on the world stage. Our commitment to teamwork and to the best tools and technology has made us the world leader in victories. 412 wins since 2008 That’s from the … Read more
French broadcaster France Télévisions will show 132 hours of cycling this year. It might sound like plenty but when you subtract the Tour de France, there’s not much left. For example last weekend’s Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne weren’t on French TV, not even subscription TV channels Canal+ and Eurosport. Such a scenario is common for … Read more
A table of the wins per team this year, via Spanish website Biciclismo, including all the World Tour and Pro Continental squads. Rabobank lead with a good mix of quality and quantity thanks to Sebastian Langeveld, Robert Gesink, Oscar Freire, Theo Bos and others. Whereas Farnese Vini landed plenty of wins in the less prestigious … Read more
I could write a long piece saying how great today’s race was, examining the form of the riders, the relative strength of each team and the impact of racing without radios. But that’s not the point. Instead it was simply a fantastic race to watch. The 2011 Het Nieuwsblad was a 203km held in foul … Read more
The cold European winter is finally beginning to lose its grip. Whilst it can still return with a snow flurry or icy rain, there are signs that spring is on its way. The tree buds are beginning to swell, some woodland flowers are beginning to emerge and for cyclists, the unmistakable colour of spring: the … Read more
Here’s a post to satisfy fans of BigRingRiding.com. The latest edition of Vélo magazine has an interesting take on track cycling, reporting on the gears used over the years by the sprinters. 1970 Daniel Morelon 48×14 7.32 metres 1999 Florian Rousseau 49×14 7.47 metres 2001 Arnaud Tournant 50×14 7.62 metres 2011 Kévin Sireau 52×13 8.54 … Read more