Thursday Shorts

Tom Boonen’s in the Belgian press today with his new Ferrari but Thibaut Pinot will be driving one of these soon. It’s an Exagon race car that’s unusual because it’s got an electric engine powered by a lithium ion battery. A change of career for the climber?

No, instead it’s one solution to help him become more at ease with speed. Much has been made of his discomfort going downhill but the problem is not cornering ability but the pure fear of speed, something he experiences when a passenger in a car too.

Read more

Vuelta Stage 6 Preview

Another sprint finish awaits but the pecking order for the sprinters has yet to be established meaning uncertainty right until the finish line.

Read more

Book Review: Mountain Kings

“Mountain Kings, Agony and Euphoria on the Peaks of the Tour de France” by Giles Belbin

How hard are the mountains? The mere mention of names like Galibier or Tourmalet can be enough to evoke fear, mystery and for the fortunate, memories. In this book Giles Belbin sets out to try many of the Tour de France’s most famous climbs and relate the experience, both his effort to climb them but also what has made them so famous over the years.

Read more

Vuelta Stage 5 Preview

For all the red ink above this is not a mountain stage, the climbs along the way are steady pace and we should get the first bunch sprint of the Vuelta. Without any big name sprinters in the race the prize of a stage win is there for the taking.

Meanwhile Vincenzo Nibali is back in the overall lead normally something to celebrate but almost a burden given the duties it imposes.

Read more

Pro Cycling As The Shop Window

From the earliest days in the sport there’s been a close link between cycle manufacturers and teams. Marketing and sponsorship played a big part in the sport’s development as companies sought to prove their wares could withstand long distance races to convince consumers that they could ride to the factory or field without problem.

In recent years there’s been a revival with the Cervélo test team and now Argos-Shimano and Cannondale will be joined by Trek in 2014. But are pro cyclists being left on the outside when it comes to having the best gear?

Read more

Vuelta Stage 4 Preview

Almost a flat finish, today’s stage would suit the sprinters were it not for the Mirador de Ézaro, a vicious climb placed 35km from the finish. It will certainly thin the field but can it determine the result?

That’s up to the riders but this is a harder stage than it looks.

Read more

Vuelta Stage 3 Preview

Another day, another summit finish? Yes but today is much shorter than yesterday’s climb which was enough to eject Janez Brajkovič out of the overall lead and exposed a few riders, notably Sergio Henao and Samuel Sanchez. Today’s finish should offer excitement but probably less relevance to the overall outcome.

Read more

Vuelta Stage 2 Preview

The first road stage and the first uphill finish and this is a climb that’s 11km long with Alpine-style gradients. However the steep sections are short and so this should be a stage for the punchy riders who, to borrow Kipling, can keep your head and position when all about are losing theirs.

It promises an early selection by elimination and if the process of discovering the eventual race winner will need much more time, today’s stage is a high pressure moment.

Read more

Vuelta Stage 1 Preview

The opening stage of the Vuelta is no introductory prologue. Instead this team time trial is long enough to see significant time gaps open up and shape the overall classification for the first week. This is a fast course for big rouleurs, the antithesis of a race where the winner in three weeks’ time will be climber with a compact chainset.

It’s an evening event with the race concluding as the sun sets off the coast so adjust your TV routine if you plan to catch this on TV.

Read more

Who Will Win The Vuelta?

A long list of contenders, few races in the run-up to help gauge form and rider with motivation levels ranging from desperation to indifference  all makes picking the winner of the Vuelta a tough task.

Can Vincenzo Nibali cope with the heat to land a grand tour double in the same season? What of Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez, can their form last from June to September? And what of younger riders like Dan Martin, Bauke Mollema and Thibaut Pinot?

The Tour de France was enjoyable but Chris Froome was everyone’s pick and duly delivered. Here we have many questions and the welcome uncertainty suggests three weeks of discovery and entertainment await.

Read more

+ More