The Inner Ring - Part 253

Tuesday Shorts

Tuesday, 21 January 2014Tuesday, 21 January 2014

André Greipel was second on the opening stage of the Tour Down Under. Getting beaten by Simon Gerrans was an upset but Greipel’s presence in the front group was a surprise. Or was it? He’s often able to get over a short climb that others cannot. You might remember Greipel’s win in Le Cap d’Agde in the 2012 Tour de France when the bunch went over a steep climb in the port town of Sète and there are other examples. In fact “The Gorilla” has some mountain heritage, it’s a little known fact but a junior Greipel was German hill climb champion. It was in 2000 in the ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, high in the Bavarian Alps. He remains a specialist sprinter but don’t confuse his hulk with bulk.

Tour Down Under vs Tour de San Luis

Monday, 20 January 2014

Imagine holding a party, you invite lots of people only to discover someone else in your social circle is holding their own party on the very same day. Some friends and locals show up but most of your friends are partying on the other side of town. Awkward.

Only the Tour Down Under isn’t a social occasion, it’s the first event on the UCI World Tour. It might have the top-18 teams but it looks like the star riders are to be found in Argentina at the Tour de San Luis.

2014 Santos Tour Down Under preview

Sunday, 19 January 2014Friday, 17 January 2014

Welcome to a new season of racing. The Tour de San Luis is next week too and the Tropicale Amissa Bongo has opened the pro calendar but this is the first race on the UCI WorldTour calendar. All the big teams together and it’s all on TV.

This race has got harder in recent years and the 2014 edition continues the trend with a sharp climb on the first day that could rule out several sprinters. Here’s the pre-race race preview with a look at each stage, the contenders, a TV guide and more.

How Hot is Too Hot?

Monday, 2 June 2014Thursday, 16 January 2014

Anyone for tennis? Players in the Australian Open are getting heatstroke on court and next week sees the Tour Down Under start in Adelaide where it’s even hotter.

Racing in high temperatures brings a new set of challenges and some solutions are set out below. Can it get too hot to race?

Sponsor The Inner Ring

Thursday, 16 January 2014Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Looking for an ad opportunity to reach informed English-speaking cycling fans around the world? There is space for one advert. Read on if you’d like to know more.

2014 World Tour Team Kit: Blue is the New Black

Wednesday, 15 January 2014Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Saxo-Tinkoff unveiled their new yellow and blue jerseys today meaning all the 18 World Tour jerseys are out and pictured in various forms above.

Tinkoff’s yellow and blue design prompted sighs of relief on Twitter after complaints about the trend for black clothing in the pro peloton for 2014, even Oleg Tinkov joined in. Yes OPQS and Trek Factory Racing join Team Sky with predominantly black kit but arguably there are as many team in green as there are in black and besides, blue is by far the most widespread choice. Are we mistaking a team jersey for a fashion item?

Who understands the UCI World Tour?

Tuesday, 14 January 2014Tuesday, 14 January 2014

What’s the difference between a team riding the UCI World Tour and a UCI ProTeam? Why do the three grand tours award wildcard invitations but other races don’t? If the first division World Tour is capped at 18 teams, what is the maximum size of the second tier Pro Continental bracket?

All these are trick questions. Cycling’s prime calendar and its top teams are in system that takes a lot of time to understand and if you want to find the info, it’s hidden inside a dated website. Does it have to be so complicated?

Monday Shorts

Sunday, 12 January 2014Sunday, 12 January 2014

Evans counts points – Mourey counts to eight – Vuelta counts the decimal places – NetApp count on the Tour – Sanchez sans job – Chris Horner’s Dutch auction – Team Sky change powermeters?

It’s already Monday in Australia and Simon Gerrans is the new Australian road race champion. Rider nicknames are uncommon these days but if he did have a moniker then “The Sniper” seems appropriate for the way he’s able to target a race. Gerrans is a clever rider who doesn’t have the physiological firepower of Cadel Evans or Richie Porte but his “one shot” is making him a good trophy hunter, think yellow in the Tour or Milan-Sanremo. You can read his account of how he won at SimonGerrans.com. He’s now an obvious contender for the Tour Down Under.

The Sugardaddy Paradox

Thursday, 9 January 2014

Having listed the billionaires who fund several pro teams, time to take a look at their impact on the sport.

It’s great to see these people spending their money on the sport. But at the same time a large proportion of their money isn’t investment, merely that goes into the sport and straight out again. Along the way the money can be useful but it can also push others out of the way.

The Wealthiest People in Pro Cycling, Part II

Thursday, 9 January 2014Wednesday, 8 January 2014

There are enough billionaires and multi-millionaires in the sport to make this in to a two part series. After yesterday’s first instalment, here is Part II which includes the only woman on the list but arguably she’s the most powerful figure in the sport.

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