We now go into a funny period on the calendar, there’s almost no racing until the Tour de France. Yes there’s the national championships, but that amounts to just one road race and one time trial. So the next two weeks are going to focus on the build up to the Tour, a series of … Read more
With France’s soccer team behaving like spoilt brats, the media are going to town on the story of the team’s implosion, the massive egos and the management blunders. Gawking at this, one comment stood out: the French football federation, FFF, had commissioned research and polling in recent years and the team was seen as aloof, … Read more
I’ve had a few people ask me about riding in the south of France, people unfamiliar with the region, rides and even custom. So I’ll try to put some advice out every week now that many are coming to ride the roads here. Here’s the first, inspired by the sight of riders dipping their shoes … Read more
Ag2r-La Mondiale’s kit gets plenty of criticism, the brown shorts are not exactly a favourite. But I’ve seen a few riders for real, as opposed to photos, and the jersey looks fine. One thing that will be different for July is that the clothing will feature a special carbon fibre “spine” for the jersey. The … Read more
There mere mention of the UCI can cause anxiety amongst some reads but this time, trust me, relax and read on… Here’s some good news that both interesting and encouraging: the UCI has a development cycling team The organisation’s HQ in Switzerland is not just an office building but labelled the “Centre Mondial du Cyclisme“, … Read more
Some interesting information landed in my lap the other day and, via Twitter, I asked for some in the cycling world to offer advice. It’s not the biggest story in the cycling world but it involved some big names so I didn’t want to splurge the details on here without reflecting on it. I’m grateful … Read more
The Tour de Beauce is a Canadian stage race on right now. Yesterday’s stage finished in Thetford-Mines and as the sprint wound up… someone decided to cross the road. The race entourage, the crash barriers, the speaker over the PA system, the attendant crowds, it was as if none of it was there. CanadianCyclist.com captures … Read more
Cyclingnews.com are reporting that BBox-Bouygues Télécom manager Jean-René Bernaudeau is close to a deal with a new sponsor for 2011. The existing sponsor announced some time ago it was retiring and the race has been on to find a new sponsor. Arguably it’s helped the team, they’ve been strong and taken wins when you might … Read more
Watch Gerben Löwik’s nasty crash below, courtesy of cycling.tv. The Dutchman’s brake cable snapped during Stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse. I can’t think of another time when a cable snappped, it’s a rare thing. It’s a grizzly crash, we can only watch the rider knowing he cannot stop. Löwik had to leave the … Read more
Ah, Monaco! Monte Carlo! Images of the Formula 1 GP, Grace Kelly, James Bond holding court at the casino, the shimmering seas, the yachts. It’s all good. Only it’s not quite like that. Yes it can be a pleasant part of the world but not everyone likes it. I do some work for small outfit … Read more