The Inner Ring - Part 180

A La Walkowiak

Tuesday, 7 February 2017Tuesday, 8 March 2016

“They stole my Tour, they’re bastards“

That’s 1956 Tour de France winner Roger Walkowiak talking about the Parisian newspapers who criticised him for winning the race. To this day “winning à la Walkowiak” is a term used for an easy or an unexpected win, often in cycling but sometimes beyond, a French politician can triumph à la Walko too. With Paris-Nice passing by the city of Montluçon today, birthplace of Walkowiak, it’s a good day to correct this phrase. What if à la Walko really meant to take an impressive win at the end of a great race?

Paris-Nice Stage 2 Preview

Tuesday, 8 March 2016

Things return to normal with a classic transition stage, 213km to take the riders south towards an inevitable sprint finish.

Paris-Nice Stage 1 Preview

Monday, 7 March 2016Monday, 7 March 2016

Today’s stage features gravel road sectors late in the stage. There are two sections each covered twice on a finishing circuit that’s also got narrow roads, a steep “wall” climb and some tight bends. It’s all got the (cold) air of a spring classic.

Paris-Nice Prologue Preview

Sunday, 6 March 2016

Paris-Nice begins with a prologue, a chance for a time trial specialists to shine and for the GC contenders to gain time or limit their losses depending on their outlook and abilities. Don’t miss the early afternoon finish of this race.

The Classic Ingredients

Saturday, 5 March 2016Saturday, 5 March 2016

Liège-Bastogne-Liège was first run in 1892, Paris-Roubaix in 1896, the Tour of Flanders in 1913. These races have become legendary thanks to their rich history. The Strade Bianche race can trace its history back to 2007, a time when Jay-Z and Rihanna topped the charts. This weekend marks the tenth edition of the race. It has become an instant classic.

With new races springing up and 21 new applicants for the World Tour calendar what can the instant success of this race tell us?

Who Will Win Paris-Nice?

Sunday, 6 March 2016Thursday, 3 March 2016

The first major stage race of the year starts on Sunday. This edition sees new stage race contenders like Tom Dumoulin and Geraint Thomas up against old timers like Richie Porte and Alberto Contador over a mixed route with the old and the new, like Mont Ventoux and gravel roads.

The Rules of the Road Race

Thursday, 3 March 2016Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Can you ride on a bike path during a race? Who is to blame if riders stack up on sharp corner in the final metres of a race? Is it ok to cross a level-crossing if the gates are still open?

Some of the rules have changed for 2016 and for all the rest it’s impossible to remember all the UCI rules, they take enough enough space on a hard drive yet alone your own memory. What’s a rider to do?

Well these rules cover everything from BMX and frame design to media accreditation or World Tour team licence applications, the kind of things that no racer need worry about. So what in-race rules are there to remember if you’ve got a number on your back and your feet clipped into the pedals? Here’s a handy list of do’s and don’ts for racers…

Team Victory Rankings

Monday, 29 February 2016

What do you see in the picture above. Etixx-Quickstep forced to chase after missing the move in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? Or the most successful team in the sport so far this year?

As February ends some 15% of the season’s race days have been raced. Here’s a look at the victory rankings for teams and some of the stories behind them.

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Preview

Sunday, 28 February 2016Sunday, 28 February 2016

“Legends are born here” says the race poster even if Kuurne has seen riders like Chris Sutton, Bobby Traksel and Kevin Van Impe win through in recent years as well as more famous legends like Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw.

Seen as revenge race to correct any mistakes in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is becoming a sprinters classic, perhaps the most sprint-friendly race after the Scheldeprijs these days although it’s got a series of cobbled climbs and the wind is forecast to get up too.

The Moment Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Was Won:

Sunday, 28 February 2016Saturday, 27 February 2016

Luke Rowe and Greg Van Avermaet attacked up the Taaienberg. Normally the climb has been reserved for Tom Boonen but he and his team were absent this time and with over 55km to go the pair went clear with Tiesj Benoot and Peter Sagan joining them over the top of the climb. This was the moment the race was won.

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