Who Can Break The Hour Record?


Who can break the hour record? Tony Martin? Bradley Wiggins? Fabian Cancellara? Taylor Phinney? All four can do it but the record is now open to hundreds of riders around the world. Chile’s Carlos Oyarzún can probably do it.

How so? The UCI announced a change of the Hour Record rules last week. There are two conclusions. First a rider can use any approved UCI track bike complete with tri bars, disc wheels and clothing rather than the classic “Merckx” bike with drop bars and low profile rims. Second the hour record has been re-established at 49.700km. Roll up, roll up.

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Giro Stage 9 Preview


The second of two selective Apennine mountain stages, today’s stage has a different feel with wider, more accessible roads. Today should be easier.

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Giro Stage 8 Preview


The first “reveal” of the race and one of two mountain stages in the under-rated Apennines mountain range, this 179km stage climbs Monte Carpegna first on one flank and then another with conclusive 13% ramps just before the finish line. Both are extremely difficult climbs with narrow roads and double-digit gradients. This is no medium mountain prelude to the Alps.

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Giro Stage 7 Preview


A day for the sprinters with an outside chance for a breakaway? That’s how it seems but yesterday saw a linear stage with a short summit finish offer drama, ejection and rejection.

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Giro Stage 6 Preview


The longest stage of the race thanks to a landslide which has added 10km to today’s stage. A flat route before scaling the road to the hilltop abbey of Montecassino, a visually spectacular finish and the Giro’s commemoration of a 1944 battle.

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Giro Prizes for All

Race leadership is pink,
Mountains are blue,
Sprints are red,
But as for the rest, I haven’t got a clue

That’s probably how many feel with the Giro prizes. You can probably understand the main jerseys but the race offers an enormous range of prizes every day with special awards for breakaways and even sporting fair play. Do you know your team prize from your Superteam?

This year also sees a new prize, the “Energy Prize” which has been dubbed by others as the kamikaze award. Plus all the cash prizes are listed from the Giro winner down to stages and the smaller awards.

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Giro Stage 5 Preview

Decisive? No. Dangerous? Yes. Today’s finish is uphill and steep enough to eliminate some sprinters and the race takes a steep descent with several hairpin bends on the finishing circuit.

After yesterday’s chaos today should bring some order. It’s forecast to rain at times but with a break up the road it’ll be near-impossible for the bunch to neutralise the stage.

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Giro Stage 4 Preview

Giro Stage 4
Rest day? Today’s stage sees the riders given the morning off and starts well after lunch. At 112km including eight laps around the city of Bari this looks like part group recovery-ride, part exhibition criterium.

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