UCI Publish Sporting Criteria

In my column in Issue 2 of 2r Magazine I looked at the options available for team licences with a view to bringing some more stability to the system. Whilst we can explore franchises and more, one of the cheapest and quickest solutions is to publish the UCI’s criteria for scoring riders and teams.

For years teams had been ranked on a secret system that few understood leading to a lot of head-scratching and confusion. Only last Thursday the UCI quietly published Annexe-2014/UCI/A-10… better known as the Sporting Value criteria.

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Tour of the Basque Country Preview

Vuelta al Pais Vasco

Whilst many look the classics, one of the joys of pro cycling is its variety with different riders tackling different races. Today sees the start of the Tour of the Basque Country, another spring ritual that takes place in front of giant roadside crowds that rival the Flemish for support, enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport.

It’s a great race with a series of hilly stages and also a fine test of form ahead of the Ardennes classics.

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The Moment The Race Was Won: The Tour of Flanders

Cancellara Paterberg

Fabian Cancellara accelerates on the Paterberg and Peter Sagan tries to match him. But the Slovak’s exposed to the stiff breeze and struggling to follow. A gap opens up between the two riders. One metre, two metres and by the time they reach the top the Swiss rider has distanced his arch-rival by a few seconds. This was the moment the race was won.

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The Spin: Tour of Flanders Preview

Ronde van Vlaanderen

Easter Sunday is coming and whilst it’s church and chocolate for many in Europe, half of Belgium is preparing for the annual ritual of De Ronde.

The Tour of Flanders is one of the highlights of the cycling calendar, a manic race across seemingly ordinary countryside but where numerous cobbled sections and short wall-like climbs make for one of the hardest races of the year. Appropriately the race will have five hours of TV coverage, an endurance event even for those on a sofa. Full details below.

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Ronde van Paterberg, A Sunday on a Hill

Can’t make it to the Ronde van Vlaanderen this Sunday? Well let this superb video take you there.

It’s 15 minutes of filming on and around the Paterberg, one of the two crucial climbs on the race route, from last year’s race. It’s as good as being there, all that is missing is the smell of fried food and the peaceful squelch of Flanders fields under your feet. You can find some beer for yourself.

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Thursday Shorts

If you’re not yet excited about the Tour of Flanders this Sunday, perhaps the video above will do the trick. It’s not new but it’s still worth watching once a year. If you need a prompt to remind you that De Ronde coming up soon, note the first campervans have been spotted parked on the course.

France and Italy both venerate their national tours but often as a social and cultural event, people cheer for the yellow jersey without knowing who is wearing it. No country in the world does cycling like Belgium and the Tour of Flanders is the Flemish equivalent of the Tour de France compressed into one day, even a few hours and all the more potent for it.

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Peter Sagan, The Early Years

Right now there’s a lot of interest in Peter Sagan’s future, whether the short term matter of whether he can win this Sunday’s Tour of Flanders or broad questions asking where are his limits… or if he’ll implode like some celebrity supernova, engulfed by his own success?

But what of the early years? Here’s a short tale from 2006 when aged 15 he took on riders several years older. And beat them.

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Dirk Hofman, Luc, Tornado Tom Frits and Others

Tornado Tom

Yesterday’s piece looked at the politics behind the flag-waving you see in many Belgian races. But it’s not just politicians seeking publicity, businesses also want to get in on at the act.

Look at the image above and you’ll see riders sprinting for the line, maybe you spot Peter Sagan and Tom Boonen. Then you’ll probably find your eyes drifting to the giant pink Tornado Tom Frits banner. Perhaps you’ll then notice the crash happening. Either way the pink banner is more visible than the official sponsors whose signs line the finishing straight.

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Flemish Flags, Polls and Politicians

Gent Wevelgem

No finishing straight in a Belgian race at this time of year is complete without a big yellow flag with a black lion. But whilst the “Lion of Flanders” is part of cycling lore, it’s also loaded with politics and nationalism and these flags can be an attempt to hijack the race, using sport to play politics.

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The Moment The Race Was Won: Gent-Wevelgem

Peter Sagan Gent Wevelgem

Peter Sagan rides away from the lead group with 3.5km to go whilst Greg Van Avermaet, Bernhard Eisel and Borut Božič try to chase. These three riders were Sagan’s greatest rivals in a sprint finish. So instead of outsprinting them, he outrode them. This was the moment the race was won.

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