There’s an interesting article on Velonews by their tech guru Leonard Zinn, brought to my attention by Twitter’s Velocentric. Zinn knows his stuff but this time I think he’s confusing correlation with causation. The piece boils down to this idea: Armstrong was a major driving force behind the rapid adoption of molded carbon fiber bikes. … Read more
It appears Xavier Tondo is behind Spain’s Operación Cursa, that a tip-off from the Movistar rider alerted police and resulted in the bust of small supply network. Sadly the reverse story is all too common, tales of riders being involved in selling on to their team mates, like Eddy Mazzoleni but there are plenty more. … Read more
The 2011 Milan-Sanremo race will be unchanged from 2010, despite trouble finding a spot for the finish line. Traditionally the race finished on the Via Roma, the main street in the centre of Sanremo. But in 2008 the finish moved to the Lungomare, the coastal road. Building works prompted the move and since then local … Read more
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” Il Gattopardo, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa It’s open season on the UCI. I’ve been following the sport for some time and frustration from all sides with the performance of cycling’s governing body is common. Riders see their jobs and health at … Read more
The news that the Spanish federation cleared Contador in the absence of proof is a confirmation that the existing rules were cast aside. The principle of “strict liability” has been abandoned, instead the RFEC says: “The minimal amount detected could not presume an improvement in sporting performance… …This brings us to the conclusion that with … Read more
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