Was the past a better place? It certainly wasn’t as comfortable for the racing cyclist with itchy wool clothing that sagged in the rain and winter training meant bulky clothing and millefeuille of layers just to try and stay warm. GPS bike computers, electronic shifting, the widespread use of carbon in frames and rims are all obvious tech advances. But what of clothing? Often overlooked it’s been through several revolutions in recent years and there’s more to come.
With the UCI calendar for 2016 out, a chance to look at the stats behind it. Which is the busiest month, which countries have the most race days and more.
Some more thoughts on the Tour de France route and the presentation earlier in the week. Once the presentation’s been digested and the profiles poured over there’s more to think about.
First up this is a route to look forward to and the closer your inspect it, the better it gets.
Several teams are sponsored by lotteries like FDJ and Lotto-Jumbo but in 2015 it’s Lotto-Soudal who’ve been lucky with the draw. Best team of 2015? Of course not but Lotto-Soudal have beaten expectations and their own records and it’s worth noting. The finish 2015 in third place on the team victory ranking.
The 2016 Tour de France route is out and the presentation even managed to spring a surprise with a second time trial that nobody had predicted. It’s a promising route that celebrates the mountains and includes several new climbs. Glance at the map alone and you’ll see it quickly escapes from France’s boring northern half. Here’s a closer look.
Alexander Kristoff finishes the season as the most efficient rider in the peloton, winning close to one in every four races he started: 20 wins for 82 race days. It’s an incredible rate when you consider he’s had a few training races and some mountain stages along the way too. Here’s a look at the win rates of the top riders, why it pays to be a sprinter and a look at those who slid down the rankings this year too.
Pro cycling’s off season fast approaching arriving but if the racing stops the planning doesn’t. Whether you’re plotting a victorious classics campaign or a trip to Europe you need to know when the pro races are.
Here’s the 2016 pro cycling calendar, subscribe or download an iCal file to import the same calendar into your organiser, phone and computer diary.
Every year the route of the Tour de France is the subject of a long guessing game before the official presentation of the route. It’s testimony to the race’s importance that many want to know next July’s route already. With the racing season ending it’s good to project to next summer.
The sporting calendar isn’t quite over but almost every pro cyclist has stopped racing for the year.
A professional cyclist’s work is seasonal and if the work never stops from now until early 2016 the rhythm does given that the racing season is over. What happens in the off-season?
The Abu Dhabi Tour is over and it’s been an event with as much politics and money as sand. This makes it all the more interesting, a poor race to watch but a rich one to ride. There are lessons to be learned, including some for established European races to take on board.