Any visitor to France will soon notice the wasp-like whine of scooters that have been modified by teenagers. Some part of me thinks that if you are going to be riding an underpowered moped powered by engine designed for a garden strimmer then you’d want to ride around in silence, to avoid drawing attention to … Read more
Tar fondu Life in France is great but it’s not without its problems, the relentless politicisation of every minor event, teenagers on mopeds with modified exhausts that make a vuvuzuela sound soothing and… melting roads. Picture the scene, you are descending a stunning route and suddenly round a bend to discover the road is melting, … Read more
Française des Jeux riders unveil their new jersey for the Tour de France. The sponsor recently signed a new deal with the team, backing Marc Madiot’s band for another four years. Photo: L’Equipe.fr
Older readers might remember Canadian cyclist Steve Bauer. A strong rider from the mid-1980s onwards, he won a lot of races and was a the front of many more and was ranked in the top-10 best riders each year. During his career he held the yellow jersey in the Tour several times. You might also … Read more
This is from the wonderful Italian Cycling Journal. In a tongue in cheek move, Specialized have unveiled their 2011 range, including this Roubaix SL3 complete with mock Duracell battery.
Sorry but I’m not going to write a big Tour de France preview. They all say the same thing: Contador’s the favourite Andy Schleck’s his closest challenge Those cobbles could cost someone the race Can Wiggins go better? Eugene Christophe broke his forks in the Pyrenees …I could go on, take a look at some … Read more
This is something raised during the RTL-L’Equipe cycling podcast but since the show is in French, I thought it might be interesting bringing it to an English-speaking audience. A rare photo of Pepe Martí at work Vélo Magazine’s Nicolas Perthuis is an authority on training methods and sports science, to the point of annoying some … Read more
This is part of a series of podcast reviews. Having reviewed some, it turns out others have similar tastes when it comes to podcasts (see The Drum Up and Atomic Echo) and it’s thanks to them that I discovered The Bike Show from Resonance FM. Living in the South of France, Resonance FM’s London signal … Read more
OK, this is straying away from the usual cycling territory but I’m fascinated by the ejection of the English team from the soccer World Cup. I also wrote about France’s elimination too. Some of the team said they were “tired” and commentators said that the players looked languid. Apparently some blame a lack of a … Read more
I’ll say it now, this year’s Tour de France marks the 1ooth anniversary of the race’s visit to the Pyrenees. This is why the race features several stages in in the Pyrenees. No doubt we are all going to be made very aware of this. But a lot of the tales are myths and exaggerations, … Read more