Italy can be a vibrant country where even small conversations are animated with big hand gestures and proud boasts. Yet by contrast Italian press releases are in a world of their own. Riders make announcements to the world that seem only to express a state of total tranquillity and calm. For example, speaking after winning … Read more
An interesting article from New Scientist, sent in by a reader, points out some research into muscle gain. If you’re interested in training and in particular, bigger legs, then take a read. But one thing stands out from the piece: Anabolic steroids are thought to work by increasing the number of muscle cell nuclei. “If … Read more
When will J-R Bernaudeau speak?What’s going on with the BBox-Bouygues Télécom cycling team? The team has been hunting for a replacement sponsor for some time but as yet, nothing has been announced. There are rumours but there’s still some confusion. Riders have apparently been briefed that Bouygues (a media, TV and telecoms conglomerate) will back … Read more
Following last Saturday’s Like Father, Like Son entry, here’s a follow up. For as well as Ignacio Moser, another famous son is racing at the Worlds: Rik Zabel. German Erik Zabel was the six time green jersey winner in the Tour de France, that’s him with his son on the podium of the Tour not … Read more
The hardest working man in cycling Cycling Quotient’s a handy database of results, archives and statistics. One thing to note is the rankings of riders with the most race kilometres in their legs this year. Here’s the top-10 as of today. 1. Thomas Voeckler, 14,243km2. Jens Voigt, 13,802km3. Danilo Hondo, 12,911km4. Andrei Grivko, 12,716km5. Luca … Read more
Do you like the watch here? It’s got more ice than a polar cap. Just look at all those diamonds on the face and they’re not just for show: they rotate along with the hands. It’s the Solitaire, by the Swiss watchmaker Sarcar. The price is unknown but another Sarcar model is mentioned by hip-hop … Read more
Yvan Van Mol, Quick Step’s back seat driver? La Gazzetta Dello Sport quotes Ricardo Ricco’s agent as saying the move to Quick Step was thwarted by two people, rider Jerome Pineau and team doctor Yvan Van Mol. Pineau had already made his thoughts known via the media. But apparently Van Mol didn’t want Ricco, although … Read more
I’ve stuck mainly to pro racing on The Inner Ring and whilst I’ve discussed related matters, like business and politics around the sport, there hasn’t been too much on bike kit on here. Kit matters and it’s often something many fans spend a lot of money on. But whisper it, a lot of bike kit … Read more
Riccardo Ricco’s move to Vacansoleil is not without its controversy. The Dutch team wants to step up a level to enter the ProTour, it also wants to take part in the big races like the Tour de France. Is signing Ricco a good way to go about this?YesRicco has proven he can win and he’s … Read more
Hands up if you’re an embarrassment Someone should keep a blog just to monitor the ramblings of UCI President Pat McQuaid and to rebut his misleading public statements. Now he has done the sport a service when it comes to internationalising races. The idea of the ProTour was a good one (although I think it … Read more