There was plenty of controversy during the 2010 Tour de France and one polemic was Ag2r-La Mondiale’s John Gadret’s “moment of treachery” when team mate Nicolas Roche punctured and Gadret refused to give him his wheel, despite the Irishman being the team leader and sitting higher on GC. Roche said afterwards that he felt like … Read more
Only in August: Sastre outsprints Cav and Oscar July and August are the big holiday season in France and for many who take their time off in August, the criteriums are a chance to see the riders from the Tour on parade. The same is true across Europe, there are special post-Tour criteriums in Belgium, … Read more
The top 10 countries on the UCI rankings as of 15 August get permission to have up to nine riders in the World Championship road race and a large team can be a real help towards a rider in the race, so long as the team is able to offer support and isn’t made up … Read more
I twittered the other day about Eritrean rider Daniel Teklehaimanot possibly joining the Cervélo Test Team and since then, a second source has independently hinted at the same thing although he says it’s at the “possibility” stage rather than contract time. You might not of heard of him but he’s 21 and finished sixth in … Read more
A conflict of interest It’s hard to know where Team Sky ends and where British Cycling and its Olympic aspirations begin. An article over at velonews.com, in turn taking up an article in the British newspaper The Guardian, suggests it’s something that now concerns the British government (and I’ve got memories of London’s Cycling Weekly … Read more
Blurring the message Something tells me July didn’t exactly follow the spreadsheet scenarios designed by Team Sky. The only success was Stage 3 of the Brixia Tour and I bet you don’t even know where Brixia is. Faced with the need for success Team Sky’s mastermind Dave Brailsford says in an interview with French sports … Read more
I don’t know about you, but for me this picture sums up the 2010 Tour. Contador in yellow and Andy Schleck in white stare at the each other with an intense glare, man-marking as they ride. Meanwhile Rabobank’s Denis Menchov does his thing in the background. The rivalry between Contador and Schleck was the defining … Read more
The King of the Mountains jersey is known in French as the “Maillot à Pois“, literally the Pea Jersey. Only with Anthony Charteau’s win, it’s more like petit pois. I salute his win but last year he wasn’t even picked by Caisse d’Epargne to ride the Tour. How it should be: polka dot and yellow … Read more
The French stage winners were invited to a function at the Elysée Palace, the Presidential office and residence. President Nicolas Sarkozy is suffering in the polls and this reception was a first: after the disastrous football world cup showing, a photo opportunity with sportsmen who win can’t go amiss, even if some tastelessly loud shirts … Read more
The Tour de France’s lanterne rouge was Lampre’s Italian rouleur Adriano Malori. He seemed to battle on but didn’t suffer from any big illness or injury but he’s a heavier rider who spent a lot of energy helping Alessandro Petacchi to secure the green jersey. Here are a few other observations on the race: Most … Read more