Saturday sees the Trofeo Laigueglia race, now the season-opening race in Italy now the GP Etruschi has vanished. Only it’s not just the start of the Italian season but also the arrival of a new team from Africa MTN-Qhubeka. Each term has a story to tell behind the kit and branding but this one stands out.
Thanks to Seven Cycles
Seven Cycles are advertising for February and it’s a custom to say thanks in public for their support. The US framebuilder is here for a month with their ad on the top right of the page. They offer a range of custom built carbon, titanium and steel frames and to find out more, click on the ad to visit their site and learn more. You’ll land on a custom page, a nice touch.
Katusha CAS Crash Course
Joaquim Rodriguez won the Queen Stage of the Tour of Oman today but his future and that of his team is being decided this week. The latest is that Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce its verdict on the Katusha team tomorrow morning. The Russian team was surprisingly ejected at the eleventh hour from the UCI World Tour with little explanation given.
The shocked team appealed the decision. What can we expect from this verdict? It seems the team has the odds against them but if they do win it could turn undermine the very concept of the World Tour. Here’s a look at the likely scenarios, the rules and more.
Book Review: The Death of Marco Pantani
It might be St Valentines today but scanning Twitter it’s Pantani day to commemorate his death on this day in 2004 and the excitement he generated during his life.
There are a lot of books about Marco Pantani. Most are Italian. There’s a French one by Philippe Brunel, La Vie et Mort de Marco Pantani which is a good account. Brunel shuttles back and forth between France and Italy, Paris and Rimini to piece together the last moments of Pantani’s life and seems so suggest Pantani was a victim of conspiracies, whether his ejection from the Giro whilst leading the race, or his death in a hotel room.
But The Death of Marco Pantani is surely the best, being well-researched and a full biography of Pantani, from his early days to the post mortem.
Hein Verbruggen’s Olympic Rant
The UCI’s Honorary President Hein Verbruggen delivered a letter to the members of the International Olympic Committee’s 15 member board yesterday, a copy of which has been obtained by insidethegames.biz.
Verbruggen denies involvement in any cover-up involving Lance Armstrong and doping although the explanations furnished are, as we’ll explore, not exactly firm arguments. But above all the letter is an extraordinary attack on the World Anti-Doping Agency, both in substance and tone.
The Outskirts of France
Cycling is a great way to see France, not only does the scenery change but so does the food in your plate. The Tour de France in July is the obvious highlight but the season stretches across 118 days from the GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise in January to the Chrono des Nations in October.
But if France often prides itself on a reputation for tourism and gastronomy the pro cyclist rarely sees this side. Whilst TV images show châteaux and vineyards, the riders face concrete motels and oleaginous pasta.
Pro Cycling Calendar – Download and Update
Here’s the calendar for the 2013 season. You’ll find all the prime pro races in the world for men and women. This was first published last October. Since then races have been cancelled, others have been abbreviated or seen the dates change. Some of the dates on the UCI calendar were provisional and a few were wrong.
So if you downloaded the iCal file before be sure to get the latest edition as the calendar is regularly updated to reflect changes on the calendar. You can also subscribe so this is done automatically for you.
Tour of Oman Preview
This is one the early season highlights. What first started as a tourist promotion is now a full race in its own right.
Arid landscapes and deserted roads make this an attractive race to watch but the real draw is the startlist. We have last year’s Tour de France podium present with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali plus Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and many more including last year’s winner Peter Velits.
The only thing missing is live TV but there are daily highlights on Eurosport. Here’s a quick preview with stage profiles, TV listings and more.
Sunday Shorts
Thomas Lövkvist wins – Faron agony – “Professor” Péraud’s first win – No TV – Ruta Del Sol fundraiser flop – Wounded Lion King – Scarponi still missing – Oman test
Thomas Lövkvist has won the Tour Méditerranéen on the last stage. Overnight race leader Maxime Montfort of Radioshack lost out as the bunch split on the way to the finish line in Grasse, a town famous for its perfumes and spread on the flanks of hill. It’ll hurt Monfort more as he lives in the area and knows the roads well. Jurgen Roelandts won the stage and he too is a prospect, more than a just wagon in the Greipel sprint train.
Roads to Ride: Mont Aigoual
As the seventh part of a series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is the Mont Aigoual in the French Cevennes. 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.
Some climbs find notoriety because of famous races but Mont Aigoual is quite different. This is a climb that has been ridden in the imagination and literature more than competition because it’s the scene for The Rider, Tim Krabbé cycle-race novel.