I’m away for a week so content on here is going to be lighter than usual. I’ve penned a few articles to cover my absence, a look at which riders have had a good year and another take on who needs to deliver something in 2011 to avoid a slide. There will also be an … Read more
That’s French rider Clément Lhotellerie in the King of the Mountains jersey from the 2008 Paris-Nice. He won the jersey and finished 11th overall, days after his 22nd birthday. Other impressive results meant he joined Vacansoleil in 2009 and was labelled as the team’s leader for stage races. Only it didn’t work out. He was … Read more
You might have seen the fuss over pro photographer Graham Watson. He’d tagged photos of Greg LeMond on his website with the word “fool”. When asked why he did this by a visitor to the website, he compounded the silly mistake with a dig at LeMond. Here’s the exchange on the website: Just noticed the … Read more
Readership is taking off exponentially at the moment and I just wanted to say thanks for the interest and to point out the way things work. Sorry if this is obvious or self-referential but here goes… The Inner Ring is about opinion, comment and more, the blog here lets me examine issues, often current events … Read more
I’ve started a series this week on European foods, not the finer stuff but more the quirky products that many a cyclist will devour. You can read the first part here. But The Inner Ring also has some other series: – It Was Acceptable in the 80s – Podcast Reviews– Out of Competition – What’s … Read more
There’s a new trial scheme in Switzerland for those given a doping ban. Unfortunately titled “Windop”* the idea is to counsel those who are given bans for doping offences. Just as many convicted criminals get advice on rehabilitation, the idea is to re-educate someone caught doping. The idea has been started by a psychologist working … Read more
Frank Grains Many riders have surnames that are also nouns. I apologise if this ruins your TV viewing, those once exotic Euro names can actually prove a bit dull but here are some more of the peloton’s names translated from their home language into English: Borut Bozic – Borut Christmas Diego Caccia – Diego Hunting … Read more
It’s good to see more and more readers and it would be even better to hear from you. This isn’t a commercial website aiming to maximise traffic nor to target a particular readership niche so I can be free to shine a light on some often-overlooked issues. There might be common themes on here, for … Read more
A housekeeping note. A lot of subjects covered on here aren’t new, it’s just I’m often the first to put them in English. If I do copy and translate from a source then I’ll always try to credit this. This is merely a blog, I’m not paid to hunt down original stories and pester the … Read more
Still trying to catch my supper As mentioned last Sunday, I’m away (and this piece has been written in advance). So in the meantime, if you want something to read to broaden your understanding of pro cycling, here are a few selections from the past. Team Sky vs. Great Britain How tax rates hamper French … Read more