Highlights of 2011 – Part IV

Five moments from 2011. They are a personal choice like any list sometimes you omit more than you include but I’ll explain each moment. They’re presented in no particular order.

This time Stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse. Arguably the fourth biggest stage race in the world, Switzerland is Europe’s mountain nation and full of stunning roads. In this highlight of 2011 you get clever tactics, a master class descending and Peter Sagan showing that a vicious mountain pass like the Grosse Scheidegg (16km, 7.7% average, several sections at 12%) doesn’t worry him.

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Highlights of 2011 – Part III

Five moments from 2011. They are a personal choice like any list sometimes you omit more than you include but I’ll explain each moment. They’re presented in no particular order.

Here, a double header: Stage 18 and Stage 19 of the Tour de France. I could cover each stage as a separate highlight but that means I’d have to drop something else from the year so a tandem highlight…

Stage 18 of the Tour de France saw something special: a contender for the yellow jersey launching a long range attack.

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A picture says a 1000 words

They say a picture says a thousand words and I think this one from cyclingnews.com says plenty.

We have Alberto Contador in a yellow jersey branded with the Discovery channel, UCI President Pat McQuaid holding a gun, Danilo Di Luca winner and the man in the grey suit is Jan Jannsen, the first Dutchman to win the Tour de France.

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Eurofoods: Speculoos

Speculoos

In the series of European foods with a link to cycling, next up is the Speculoos biscuit. Speculaas in Dutch but speculoos in French and Flemish some might know this as Biscoff, a brand name.

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Highlights of 2011 – Part II

Five moments from 2011. They are a personal choice like any list sometimes you omit more than you include but I’ll explain each moment. They’re presented in no particular order.

What does it feel like to win a big race? Well the video clip above gives you a clue. It is the Tour of Flanders and Nick Nuyens wins for Saxo Bank. The race itself was great to watch, a battle that provide surprises all the way to the finish.

But one addition was the use of cameras inside the team cars. A small innovation, you’d think video footage of a man driving a car would be dull and normally you’d be right. But the cameras caught the action from the Saxo Bank team car with Bjarne Riis and Tristan Hoffman momentarily going beserk with joy.

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Book review: The Sweat of Gods

Sweat of Gods

This blog covers topics in cycling that go beyond race results, I often try to look at the business behind the sport. An inspiration for this was the book by Benjo Maso “Zweet der Goden”, originally in Dutch and since translated by Michiel Horn for Mousehold Press and better known as “The Sweat of Gods”.

Cycling is full of myth and exaggeration, perhaps more than other sports. Tales from past races have become legend and Maso, a Dutch sociologist, explores the history of cycling to unpick myths, exposing the commercial pressures behind the sport. The basic premise is that business has driven the sport. Whether it is manufacturers trying to sell bicycles or newspapers selling copy, commercial conspiracy turned races from mere competitive rides into gladiatorial conquests of dramatic proportions.

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Getting the Euro look

You might have seen the Euro Cycling Rules on the internet. It’s amusing and like many internet successes it has a grain of truth along with some humour. We might mock the obsession with riding with tubs and obligatory white shoes but ultimately, who wouldn’t want to have shiny kit and the finest wheels money can buy?

I’ve ridden in several English-speaking countries and found the image of Euro-cycling was especially strong in Australia where, anecdotally, many riders fantasised about riding in Europe. Some would return from trips a little downbeat, although usually very satisfied with the whole thing.

The reason for the disappointment? They discovered that whilst the Alps, Tuscany or the Italian lakes can offer fine riding, the local riders themselves are not as elegant. Put simply, the Europeans just aren’t what many anglophones call “Euro”, a concept associated with The Rules.

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Emails

A brief note to say thanks to readers who have emailed in recent days. Technical problems have prevented me from replying but I’ll get back to you in a couple of weeks’ time (I’m away, see previous post).

The dying art of wheelbuilding

Wheel building

A fine racing bicycle was once a blend of art and craft but most of today’s bikes are the product of assembly lines and supply chains. Look at a team issue bike and perhaps the only remaining parts requiring a human touch are the wheels. But even this is dying out. Here’s a look at why factory wheels are increasingly dominating the market.

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Highlights of 2011 – Part I

I’m going to pick five moments from 2011. They are a personal choice like any list sometimes you omit more than you include but I’ll explain each moment. They’re presented in no particular order.

Hushovd Lourdes

First up is Stage 13 of the Tour de France from Pau to Lourdes. Allow me to set the scene. We had Thomas Voeckler in yellow and a relatively short stage across the Pyrenees dominated by the hors catégorie Col d’Aubisque. Revisiting my preview of the stage I called things quite well predicting a breakaway and pointing out the descent would suit risk takers. But few thought Thor Hushovd was going to win.

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