A photo from today’s opening stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean. Saur-Sojasun’s Laurent Mangel got in the winning breakaway of six riders and thought the sprint was his. But he didn’t count on French champion Thomas Voeckler, the Europcar rider threw his bike for the line just as Mangel sat up. Voeckler won the … Read more
An update and correction: since posting this, someone from the UCI has been in touch to say that Johan Lindström no longer works for the UCI. My reader stated Lindström was indeed working with both jobs and when I double-checked on the UCI website, he was still listed (my screenshot): But the UCI website isn’t … Read more
There aren’t many blogs dedicated towards single bike brands. But there is one for Colnago called Colnago con brio. The clover-leafed company from near Milan is a mythical name in the sport, no wonder it has such a following. I grew up revering the name, the Italian frame builder was completely out of my league. … Read more
The clip above is from the film Casablanca. When the police swoop on Rick’s Café, the police chief Renault expresses his shock to find gambling happening on the premises, using this breach of the law as a pretext to close down the bar. But only after he picks up his winnings. Beware of people expressing … Read more
And we thought Contador had issues Riccardo Riccó has apparently admitted to blood doping, transfusing himself with blood that he’d stored in a fridge at home, confessing that he’d kept the sample for 25 days, that the blood could have been poorly stored during this period as a warning to the doctors. The sensational news … Read more
Carpani consults the bunch Speaking to cyclingnews.com, UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani suggests the governing body won’t back down over the ban of race radios. “We want to remind everyone that the decision has been taken with the participation of all the parties involved in the cycling movement. So the decision remains.” This is inflammatory stuff. … Read more
News in Marca and La Vanguardia that Contador has tested positive four times for Clenbuterol seems to make his case worse. But that’s not the case. The reducing quantity of the banned substance discovered each day, except for a pick up on the final Sunday, suggests this was simply the Clenbuterol leaving his body. As … Read more
High profile President, low profile organisation Just a quick observation but does anyone know the website for the AIGCP? The Association Internationale des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels is the organisation that lobbies the UCI and others on behalf of the big teams. Its President is Jonathan Vaughters. Right now the AIGCP is behind the protests over … Read more
You might remember the suggestions on The Inner Ring that new Aussie team Green Edge Cycling might have been resorting to the use of secret pre-contracts with riders. Time for an update. I’ve been in contact with the team’s backers and this has been denied in clear terms. But in public the riders linked to … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered what the house of a Belgian champion looks like, now is your chance to find out. Peter Van Petergem and his wife Angelique Segaert have opened a bed and breakfast guesthouse near Sint Maria Horebeke, bang in the middle of the Brussels, Kortrijk and Gent triangle. It’s 10km from Geraardsbergen. The … Read more