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 first: Nutella. Product description Nutella is a sweet spread. It’s made from hazelnuts, … Read more
For a long time the transfer season revolved around Alberto Contador. The saga of his team for 2011 meant many other big names could not move until the Spaniard made up his mind. For example Astana recruited Kreuziger and Menchov went to Geox but only after Contador had announced he was going and in turn … Read more
The European road racing season is about to draw to a close and there are three main events left on the calendar, all in Italy. First is the Milan-Turin, then comes the Giro del Piemonte and finally the Tour of Lombardy next Saturday. All three races take place in north-western Italy and are conveniently timed … Read more
Canadian bike company Cervélo likes to think of itself as an innovative company, and it can make strong claims given some of its frames. But it’s now trying a new idea that’s not related to carbon fibre or aerodynamics: centralised ordering and distribution via recognised dealers. In a press release, Cervélo outline a new distribution … Read more
It’s good to see more and more readers and it would be even better to hear from you. This isn’t a commercial website aiming to maximise traffic nor to target a particular readership niche so I can be free to shine a light on some often-overlooked issues. There might be common themes on here, for … Read more
I’ve sometimes wondered about Aldo Sassi. He’s an Italian sports scientist who today runs the Mapei Sport centre, a training service offered to pros and amateurs alike. He’s hung around with some suspicious types in the past but today he’s seen at the forefront of clean sport. He makes a virtue of coaching riders … Read more
Pat McQuaid might be a familiar name to you. The Irishman is President of cycling’s governing body the UCI and by definition one of the most powerful men in the sport. But he’s not the only McQuaid in the sport. Allow me to introduce the other McQuaids. Next in the series is David McQuaid, the … Read more
Towers of strength Etorre Torre is the chief prosectutor for the Italian national Olympic commission. The fact that the Olympics organisation has its own chief prosecutor should tell us enough. Torri is their anti-doping terrier. Here’s American writer Sam Abt on the man: Italy, for the past two decades the hub of doping scandals and … Read more
Don’t know much about history,Don’t know much biology,Don’t know much about a science book,Don’t know much about the French I took Sam Cooke clearly wasn’t a follower of pro cycling. One of the weirder aspects of following pro cycling is that as well as learning about 11 speed gearing, European geography and foreign languages, you … Read more
Two quick points I’ve been thinking about. Too long to put on Twitter, too short for a separate blog post. Here goes…Electric BikesThe Cancellara electric bike story was one of the most read items on here in the Spring, especially since I think the Inner Ring was first to break the story in English. The … Read more