The number-one ranked team in the sport was launched yesterday and was done on a scale so far unseen in the sport. It didn’t start like this. The morning press gathering underwhelmed a bit. The name was confirmed as Leopard-Trek. Some were frustrated not to see the jersey revealed – although it leaked to … Read more
Last year’s Tour Down Under saw some fans pick an obscure rider and give him the support normally reserved for a star, chanting his name and daubing paint all over the roads. It was FDJ’s Arthur Vichot, a neo-pro who went on to have a half-decent season. The campaign started on the internet and quickly … Read more
Frozen skies It’s been an exceptional winter in many European countries with December being one of the coldest months on record in several countries. There’s been an uncommon amount of snow in Britain and the thermometer has been stuck below freezing from Belgium to Italy. Will this have an effect on the training of some … Read more
“Can you explain the rules to me?”; “Si, Senor” As a follow-up to the news on Contador and the rules relating to the case, some are wondering if he will be able to defend his title next July. For example Cycling Weekly have said that the Spaniard is going to be listed as a Saxo-Sungard … Read more
Date Prisa is “hurry up” in Spanish. Whilst the investigation into Contador’s case requires detailed examination, there are rules to ensure this does not drag on for too long. These state that the Spanish Federation has to keep the UCI updated on what is happening and above all, that the case “must be completed within … Read more
Here are some more of the peloton’s riders with their names put into English. It’s a light-hearted exercise but the point, if there is one, is to show to any anglo-saxon readers that that if some names might be hard to pronounce, they aren’t exactly exotic. Mauricio Ardilla – Mauricio Squirrel Yukiya Arashiro – Yukiya … Read more
The Quick Step team have held their pre-season training camp in Tenerife. As well as the stock individual photos, the team took a moment to publicise latex pillows and mattresses on offer from their sponsor Latexco in a rather bizarre way: Caught napping I put the same photo on Twitter earlier and received plenty of … Read more
Rous on the loose The season hasn’t started and we’ve yet to see the official colours of the Europcar team but things have not got off to an auspicious start. The team’s number two directeur sportif Didier Rous has just resigned. A refugee from Festina, Rous apparently became a changed man under Jean-René Bernaudeau and … Read more
Four letter word I’m a fan of Campagnolo and it bothered me to see Liquigas switching to SRAM, when Italy’s top team leaves behind it’s national partner I can’t help feel a tiny pain in my heart. But before you leap to the comments, note I’m not obsessive, I’ve had Shimano before and it’s proved … Read more
Who’s up and who’s down? As ever, The Inner Ring keeps an eye on the money that comes into the sport. Whilst I love watching the pros battle over bergs and cols, as well as racing and training personally, in the quieter moments it’s interesting to follow the money. Of the 18 UCI ProTeams for … Read more