I’ve always wanted to appear on cyclingnews.com, preferably a big article with images of me winning a mountain stage in front of an adoring crowd. Barring a late discovery that I’ve been getting my training very, very wrong that’s never going to happen. So when the editor of cyclingnews.com got in touch to ask for … Read more
Alberto Contador is set to be cleared by the Spanish cycling federation, the RFEC. His defence has rested on two factors: The quantity of Clenbuterol detected was too small to have a performance enhancement. The principle of “strict liability” in the anti-doping rules is unreasonable. Yet these rules have no minimum tolerance for Clenbuterol and … Read more
With the internet swirling with rumours about Contador being cleared, a quick post to state a few points. On a point of order, it’s all rumours for now. That said when the Spanish media pack starts running in the same direction… As I’ve said before, under the rules Contador needs supply proof to support his … Read more
Fans might flick off the TV after watching a stage race but for the riders there are still struggles to overcome. A weak shower on the team bus followed by a long journey and more often than not, a drab hotel with boring food. Hotel accommodation can vary. Even the Tour de France sees teams … Read more
inrng.com, the new home of The Inner Ring started this week but crashed in the neutralised zone. The mechanical’s fixed. But I got a some emails from readers unable to connect. In particular, downloading the audio bonus of Van Poppel’s radio encouragement didn’t work, the server crashing mid-download for several people. So if you missed … Read more
A ride doesn’t just clear my mind, it fills it with fresh ideas. If I go out for more than an hour then often answers appear and new ideas flash into my mind. This might sound like spurious justification but for me it’s true, issues I might have been weighing up can often get resolved. … Read more
If you are a user of twitter, a note to say that The Inner Ring no longer has the username of “39teeth”. The old chainring has been consigned to the mechanic’s truck and shiny new one, stamped “inrng” is now in use. The blog and Twitter go hand in hand, with Twitter being used for … Read more
Denis Troch probably isn’t a name you know but he is an instrumental figure for quite a few French riders. A former professional soccer player with several Parisian clubs, Troch retired into coaching and then onto team management. But football management is one of the most insecure jobs in the world, managers can get replaced … Read more
Horner riding around the block again Whereas some sports see participants fade once they pass the age of 30, cycling is a sport where a certain maturity helps. The lack of impact saves the body but tactical awareness helps deliver results too. That’s why the average age of a World Tour rider is 29. The … Read more
A self-referential item but I started The Inner Ring last February and it’s been an interesting project. From a trickle of readers at first, it’s now grown into something read by thousands a day. It’s been a chance to correspond with lots of cycling fans via email, the comments, twitter and beyond, plus it was … Read more