Deserted About this time last year I can remember watching a questionable internet stream of the Tour of Qatar. The race crossed the desert and there was little to see except the tarmac and the riders. Maybe you’d get a junction every half hour or perhaps a section of roadworks. If you were lucky you’d … Read more
News that the UCI’s scheme to approve frame designs and oblige racers from the Pro Tour to the village kermesse to ride on a UCI-approved bike is set to go ahead. Only the reports say the costs of licencing have been reduced substantially, in some cases from 12,000 Swiss Francs down to 5,000. I can … Read more
Even Inspektor Derrick can’t catch the dopers You probably don’t watch much German TV. Here in France we’re treated to mid-afternoon re-runs of Derrick, a 1980s detective programme and not much else. But if German TV shows don’t export themselves, it’s worth remembering that the country is Europe’s largest and most wealthy country. It’s against … Read more
“Embattled” is word to describe the UCI President. Often Pat McQuaid is on the back foot, having to fight a rearguard defence to protect his organisation. The sport’s governing body does plenty of good, from regulating quirky forms of indoor cycling to encouraging the sport in Indonesia but iceberg-like, it’s the area of pro cycling … Read more
In a story I picked up from BikeBiz.com, it seems Spanish bike retailers are trying to unite against the Northern Irish online bike shop ChainReactionCycles.com (CRC). The retailer is almost unbeatable on price. Reactionary opposition Antichainreaction.com has been launched as a protest site, an amusing touch that in order to complain about a website, you … Read more
Today is Groundhog Day. In the town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania a small rodent is used as a portent for the fate of the upcoming spring . The groundhog has just announced an early spring. Phil casts a shadow over pro cycling The term took on a new meaning following the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” … Read more
Get used to it You can read the news this morning that Jack Bobridge has broken the world 4,000 metre pursuit record with a time of 4.10.534. Pick your own superlatives. KryptoniteThe fastest two times of 4.11.114 and 4.13.353 were set by Chris Boardman using the now banned “superman” position. As a result some said … Read more
The ladies Tour of Qatar starts tomorrow. At the same time a number of so-called Arab states are seeing prolific pro-democracy protests and several autocratic leaders have been falling back on military force. Right now expatriates are being evacuated from Egypt. So a quick word to reassure anyone that the upcoming pair of races in … Read more
The route had leaked out but today sees official confirmation of the Paris-Nice stages, starting on Sunday 6 March without a short prologue but a road stage instead. The 2011 “race to the sun” is also an edition with other differences, notably featuring a 27km time trial across the rolling hills of Provence. Stage 5 … Read more
A British Prime Minister once said that “a week is a long time in politics“, remarking how much can happen in the space of a few days, that fortunes can change and new stories come charging over the horizon. I’ve been away for a week and return to find the European racing season has started, … Read more