185km and flat. Looks easy, no?
Non as they say in French. Arguably today is the only real sprint stage of the race because later on the race gets more and more hilly. Several teams will be giving it everything to set up their sprinters today. More, the route is exposed and the wind is likely to be a major factor in the race today with gusts of 65km/h forecast.
Well done to Gustav Larsson of Vacansoleil-DCM for his win in Paris-Nice. The windtunnel work paid off as he won by just one second over Bradley Wiggins. It rained for the later contenders and some said Larsson would not ordinarily have won. But I suspect the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Levi Leipheimer will have their chance for glory later in the week. Above all Larsson was given his departure time, rode his best… and won.
There’s a one page guide to the race with the stage listings, TV schedules, prize and more. See the big Paris-Nice link at the top of the page or click here.
But each day during the race there will be a separate blog posting called The Spin. This allows new elements to be analysed such as the riders in form and the weather conditions. So there’s one guide for the whole week and The Spin is for daily info on the morning of each stage.
Our sport has its classic races. Some are more than 100 years old, for example Liège-Bastogne-Liège was first run in 1892. Over time they’ve developed legends and histories that go a long way to make the sport what it is today. Sometimes a new race comes along and the organisers struggle to make it work. They could do well to learn the lesson of the wonderful Strade Bianche race which takes place today, combining local history with a free internet video stream.
How do you know a bike race is coming? Roadside fans often wait for the audible rumble of TV helicopters to indicate the race is approaching.
But in Belgium it’s different. Instead you know the race is coming thanks to the call of Rodania.
Paris-Nice starts this Sunday and you’ll find a race preview with a permanent link at the top of the page.
But first a look back because this is a race of innovation. Over the years it has welcomed exotic teams, transported riders by air and invented new race rules. Through the race’s history we can trace the evolution of the sport we know today. With other races in trouble today, Paris-Nice can perhaps provide some tips for success.
Having predicted trouble ahead for Spain, I didn’t think it would come to this. The Tour of Basque Country, Volta a Catalunya and the Clasica San Sebastián are all under threat because of financial woes. This story has been in the Spanish media and now cyclingnews.com relays the news.
There are many races in Europe, arguably there are too many races. But I’m talking about the smaller events and the trio of Spanish races named above are three of the biggest ones in Spain, they are loaded with tradition and prestige. If these events are in trouble, Spanish cycling is in trouble.
Kazakh team Astana has hired a British public relations agency called Weber Shandwick to help manage the team’s image. In the agency’s own words “to use the riders and the team to get media to re-evaluate perceptions of Kazakhstan” which is a nice way of saying trying to get people to forget Borat.
Nevermind that the film was a comedy, nevermind that the “Kazakh” scenes were actually shot in Romania, for many the Borat comedy films are indelibly associated with the country. Worse, if the films aren’t for you and you’re into more serious things then a mention of the country might make you think of an oil rich state gripped by personality-cult for its President. Cycling fans though think of Vinokourov and his sky-blue squad.
Yesterday the UCI put out a short press release on the apparent financial health of the pro peloton. Two statements stood out
It sounds great, money is pouring into the sport and riders wages are going up. Only the more I think about it, the more these trends are not healthy.
