French wine… or Belgian beer for Jonathan Vaughters? Ask most people in the sport and they can only see Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck dominate the Tour de France for the next few years. Maybe others will share the podium with them but as things stand, the yellow jersey looks locked down. Now such assumptions … Read more
Laurent Fignon is on the front page of all the French newspapers I saw in my local tabac today. L’Equipe calls him “Un Mec à Part“, or a “different kind of guy”. I can’t add to all the anecdotes and quotes. As ever, The Inner Ring is about taking a different angle on things. So … Read more
Very sad news today that Laurent Fignon has died, aged 50. I’m sometimes uncomfortable with the sentimentalism that appears when someone who we didn’t know dies. People eulogise but can’t claim to know the person, this can undermine their nice words. Yet without knowing the man, I wouldn’t be writing this blog if it wasn’t … Read more
It’s hot in the Vuelta. Many riders are reporting temperatures well above 40°C (104°F), that’s because the tarmac heats up which in turn warms the air. Oscar Freire reported 49°C. As you’d imagine, riders need to drink a lot. Spanish sports website AS says some teams emptied three ice boxes of 80 bottles each, meaning … Read more
Was the nocturnal Seville team time trial an innovation? Not really, the 1967 Tour de France featured a nocturnal prologue with the course lit by gas lanterns. That year’s Tour de France became more famous for the death of Tommy Simpson on Mont Ventoux but it was the first time in the Tour de France … Read more
Particle accelerator Brownian motion is the term used to describe random motion of particles suspended in a fluid. For example, introduce a drop of dye into a glass of water and the colour will spread in a different way each time as the molecules “dance” through the water in a random way. For me, the … Read more
The Pegasus Racing project has been on the radar of Aussie cycling fans for some time but now the pace seems to be picking up, with registration papers being submitted to the UCI with the aim of getting ProTour status. It’s great news for the sport in terms of a new team, especially since it’s … Read more
Wiggo Jackpot I already wrote that Jonathan Vaughter’s crafty sale of Bradley Wiggins to Sky was a master stroke. Faced with a team desperate for success and flush with cash, Vaughters sold Wiggo at the top of the market. A pity Wiggins never lived up to the expectations attached after his excellent ride in the … Read more
If Cervélo claimed “subtle changes” in the UCI rules caused their Test Team’s demise then the other UCI rules may also hamper the ambition of Garmin-Transitions to sign several of their riders. Why? Well the UCI imposes a limit on the number of riders a ProTour team can employ. Here’s the relevant rule: 2.15.110 RidersThe … Read more
What follows is a random collection of points but following the abrupt withdrawal of the team, I wish I was at the team’s press conference this afternoon to put these points: Why did Brett Lancaster start tweeting about house hunting in Girona in late July? Did he fancy moving to a country where he doesn’t … Read more