Lappartient wins UEC Vote

McQuaid Lappartient

David Lappartient is the President of the French Cycling Federation and was elected President of the European Cycling Union, the UEC over the weekend. Does it matter? Well he’s talked of delivering an “electric shock” to pro cycling but in reality “Frenchman running European cycling” is probably as conservative as it sounds.

Lappartient’s agenda isn’t too obvious but he’s made two public statements that stand out. To support President McQuaid and to reject the idea of a closed league format of racing, the so-called “World Series Cycling.”

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The Spin: Paris-Nice Stage 1

Paris Nice Stage 1

On paper a stage for the sprinters… but just as paper is easily scattered by the wind, so too can the bunch be broken apart by crosswinds in the final. But the weather forecasts vary and the most likely scenario is a bunch sprint and a change in the overall lead.

Here’s the preview of Stage 1 including TV schedules, the weather, a local rapper and more.

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The Spin: Paris-Nice Prologue

Paris-Nice prologue

A prologue to start the 2013 Paris-Nice. If you watched last year’s race this is very different being short, urban and flat. Note the series of corners and junctions on the map above.

As well as the stage preview here is a look at the overall contenders for the race too.

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Roads to Ride: Strade Bianche + Race Preview

Strade Bianche race

As the tenth part of a series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is one of the sections of the Strade Bianche or “white roads” in Italy’s central Tuscany region. The idea is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether as part of cycling’s history or to look at the route on a day without racing and it is open to all.

The white roads are unsealed roads that can be found in many parts of Italy but local geology in this region provides a greyish rock which, when ground, produces a white dust. These roads are old but have been seized in modern times for cycling, whether the retro L’Eroica ride or the Strade Bianche race.

Here is both a look at the roads with a preview and analysis of Saturday’s race added with TV schedules, weather and more.

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UCI Survey

UCI logo

The UCI has an online survey to sound out opinions on the sport. The UCI is often a remote governing body to outsiders. In fact its staff are often helpful but as an entity it’s rarely accountable to fans and followers. Here is the chance to have a say.

Give it a try for yourself online at uci.ch and follow the link on their page to start the survey. It takes 10-20 minutes.

But the survey is a strange creation with some odd questions that might tempt you to click quickly but sometimes the answers are complicated. Some questions are leading and you can sense the result they want to achieve. It’s worth noting this as new investors look to cycling, or if you’re a sceptic, the barbarians are at the gate. Here’s a look at the questions, where they lead and more.

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The Waste of a Race

Paris Nice Green Zone

Time for some trash talk. There are many efforts to clean up cycling these days but here’s a more obvious example: stop riders littering the countryside they ride through.

Trials have been done in several races and now the UCI is getting on board for Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.

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Paris-Nice Overview

Paris Nice 2013

Paris-Nice leaves the French capital for the Mediterranean coast and its sunshine. Along the way there’s a variety of terrain including the high mountains. A mini Tour de France in March. A fine race it its own right, the daily battles also give us a clue to the form of riders ahead of the classics.

Here’s an overview for the whole race. There’s a concise preview of every stage with my take on the day plus plenty of other information on the prizes, jerseys, TV schedules and more.

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The History of the Three Kilometre Rule

Three kilometre rule

There’s a rule where if a rider falls or suffers a mechanical in the last three kilometres of a stage then they do not lose time on the overall classification. It’s worth explaining in its own right as it’s invoked many times a year and will come up in a stage race soon.

With Paris-Nice starting this weekend we could see the rule cited which would be appropriate it was this race that invented the rule, first because of a crash to a star rider and then formalised some years later thanks to Eddy Merckx.

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Team Victory Rankings

It’s early in the season but as you’ll see below, not as early as you might think. Here is the state of play so far with the win count for the 18 World Tour teams.

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Roads to Ride – Croce D’Aune

Croce d'Aune

As the ninth part of a series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is the Croce d’Aune on the edge of the Italian Alps. The idea is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether as part of cycling’s history or to look at the route on a day without racing and it is open to all.

The Croce d’Aune isn’t the highest road nor the hardest. But it has been a place of disaster and invention and it is in a scenic ride in its own right. If last week’s piece on France’s Col de la République was partly a celebration of the derailleur, the Croce d’Aune is the birthplace of the quick release lever and more. In fact a wheel change on this climb arguably led to the invention and perfection of modern cycle componentry as we know it today.

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