As the triptych of races in the Arabian Peninsula comes to an end Stage 5 of the Tour of Oman on Saturday and its summit finish on the Jebel Akhdar promises one of the best contests so far this season. Only the week’s racing isn’t live on TV to the frustration of many. Can we expect to watch every race for free?
Go High and Get Hot
A quick physics lesson. Feel free to skip this one but with the news today that Fabian Cancellara could attack the Hour Record in August at the Aguascalientes Bicentennial Velodrome in Mexico, here’s a quick look at the effect of altitude and temperature on performance.
Within hours of the story appearing in La Gazzetta Dello Sport Cancellara’s Trek team denied the plans saying the focus is on the classics. But if the record attempt is still uncertain the physics is fixed: riding at altitude in Mexico could be just what is needed to break the hour record. It’s not just for elite records either, air temperature can have a big effect on daily riding and Strava conquests alike.
Book Review: Ma Liberté de Rouler
Ma liberté de rouler by David Moncoutié
For a long time professional cyclists had one of two blood groups, they were either EPO+ or EPO-. David Moncoutié was one of the minority who avoided the doping culture. Yet he thrived and often beat the cheats.
There’s been plenty of publicity given to the doping and the dopers. Many ask “what about those that rode clean?” and here is the tale of one who did just that.
Volta ao Algarve Preview
A short preview with thanks to Portuguese blogger Rui Quinta who has helped decrypt each stage. It’s a compact race with something for the sprinters, climbers and a technical time trial, a good guide of early season form for climbers and classics contenders alike.
With many big names in Oman, there are still plenty of riders to watch here with Rui Costa, Chris Horner, Michał Kwiatkowski, Alberto Contador and Mark Cavendish.
Tour of Oman Preview
After Dubai and Qatar now for Oman where the sky is is scraped by jagged mountains instead of tall towers. It’s very different terrain and with it, a very different race and even landscape you’d like to ride through.
As well as the geography this race has got the cosmology with a galaxy of stars. Chris Froome, Joaquim Rodriguez and Vincenzo Nibali and many more are in action. Here’s a stage-by-stage preview for the week along with a look at the contenders, TV schedule and more.
Sunday Shorts
The Tour Med finished on Mont Faron today with Jean-Christophe Péraud winning the stage and Stephen Cummings finishing close behind in fourth place to win the race overall. The podium photo shows riders each with a story to tell.
The Cyclist’s Eye on Skiing
A departure from the usual talk of pro cycling now the Winter Olympics are in full swing. As someone used to watching cyclists in competition there are many crossovers from the impressive VO2 max scores of the XC skiers to the importance of aerodynamics in downhill skiing.
But what of aerodynamics? Looking at the Alpine ski events there seem to be many things where the skiers could take time for free. Taking the screengrab above with Italy’s Verena Stuffer for illustration. The more you look, the more you see.
Le Tour Med Preview
A quick preview of this five day race starting today in France. It’s a event that offers something for everyone with stages over 200km in length, a time trial as well as a steep summit finish on Mont Faron to settle things on Sunday.
It’s not on TV but worth scanning the results over the next few days because this is a hard event that should reveal who is in form.
The Kemmelberg: Belgium’s New Toll Road
Belgium, the heartland of cycle sport where the popularity level of bike racing is greater than any other country in the world. But if it’s a popular sport in the Kingdom, not everyone loves it and there’s growing trend to charge bike races for riding through a municipal area and now even the Kemmelberg is getting in on the act with a new tax for races.
UCI Witness Appeal
CAN YOU HELP? From 1998-2013 a series of anti-doping offences were committed. Did you see or hear anything? If so, contact the UCI.
The UCI announced that its Lausanne-based Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) is now seeking witness testimony from people in the cycling world. Here’s hoping it works but the incentives to come forward look slimmer than Michael Rasmussen from July 2007. All the same the CIRC is an attempt to understand and even document the past.