Nicolas Portal was a rider for Team Sky last year. Towards the end of the season it was announced he was leaving the team, heart problems cut short his racing career. But Sky gave him a management job. An ex-Caisse d’Epargne rider, Portal’s Spanish language skills might have been a clincher given the arrival of … Read more
There are some foods that are particularly European. Maybe people think of fine wine, truffles, baguettes and ravioli. But for cyclists there are some particular foods that stand out. As part of a series about food in Europe for riding, here’s the latest: syrup. Product Description This is syrup made from reduced fruit juice or … Read more
Fans might flick off the TV after watching a stage race but for the riders there are still struggles to overcome. A weak shower on the team bus followed by a long journey and more often than not, a drab hotel with boring food. Hotel accommodation can vary. Even the Tour de France sees teams … Read more
The first summit finish of the season? It depends if you include the Tour of Langkawi but the Tour of the Mediterranean always includes the climb of Mont Faron. Mont Faron is a cliff-like mountain above Toulon, amongst other things base of the French navy. There is a narrow road – so narrow it’s one … Read more
In the English-speaking world it’s rare to find sports radio dedicated to pro cycling. Downloadable podcasts are a good alternative, if not better since you choose when you want to listen. I’ve reviewed several podcasts before, see the list below for the full details, including URLs. A reader was asking for an update to this … Read more
inrng.com, the new home of The Inner Ring started this week but crashed in the neutralised zone. The mechanical’s fixed. But I got a some emails from readers unable to connect. In particular, downloading the audio bonus of Van Poppel’s radio encouragement didn’t work, the server crashing mid-download for several people. So if you missed … Read more
A ride doesn’t just clear my mind, it fills it with fresh ideas. If I go out for more than an hour then often answers appear and new ideas flash into my mind. This might sound like spurious justification but for me it’s true, issues I might have been weighing up can often get resolved. … Read more
News of Manolo Saiz’s comeback… isn’t that new, nor a surprise. Outside cycling Saiz owns a small palace where he offers a restaurant and wedding receptions. But he’s been talking to the media about new projects for some time, slowly raising his profile. For example he’s tweeting. Background Saiz is infamous as the manager of … Read more
If you are a user of twitter, a note to say that The Inner Ring no longer has the username of “39teeth”. The old chainring has been consigned to the mechanic’s truck and shiny new one, stamped “inrng” is now in use. The blog and Twitter go hand in hand, with Twitter being used for … Read more
The guys over at Pavé were kind enough to mention to their readers that The Inner Ring had moved. To return the favour, I’d recommend you visit them, that is if you’re not already a reader. There’s plenty to read and I particular like the race previews on the eve of the classics. Right now … Read more