White socks are the default choice for road riders, although a few riders have used black and other colours. Why? Well in the late 1920s Charles Pélissier decided his legs were so tanned and impressive that he felt a pair of white socks would help him show off. Until then black and brown, yes, were … Read more
As part of the series on the 1980s, here are five items related to technology during this decade. 1. Clipless pedalsAn OEM ski binding company, French company Look realised that the mechanism used to fix a skier’s boot onto a ski could be copied to hold a cyclist’s shoe onto a pedal. Until clipless pedals, … Read more
The top-10 of the opening stage of the Giro di Trentino, courtesy of cyclingnews.com. Riders with a past conviction for doping have been blacked out. Yes, I believe in forgiveness but I’m pachydermic when it comes to forgetting. So whilst these guys are back in the bunch, today’s result shows just how forgiving cycling fans … Read more
Vacansoleil offers camping holidays around Europe but whilst many Europeans head for the holidays in July, there are increasing chances that the company’s cycling team will be hard at work in July. Someone’s about to lift the lid With the media whispering more and more about Vienna and the curious Humanplasma clinic, cyclingnews.com is reporting … Read more
Click the image to image to enlarge, it’s a a screenshot from the Ag2r La Mondiale team website. It’s a nice looking site on a sub-domain of the sponsor’s own website. Note the clean design and corporate colours, it’s good stuff. But…Look more closely though and the only email address on the website is a … Read more
Here’s a screenshot from the UCI’s website, taken half an hour ago. Back in February the wandering Dane was confirmed as a rider with the small Miche outfit but mysteriously his name has been deleted from the team’s entry on the UCI website. Is he moving teams? Is he about to get busted by revelations … Read more
Radioshack is the US electronics retailer that you probably as the backer for Lance Armstrong’s team. But like any big company, it operates in a competitive field and there’s now talk that the company could be a takeover target. Today’s New York Post says that the company could be for sale, with rival Best Buy … Read more
Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne race is always good to watch thanks to the fearsome Muur de Huy, a leg busting climb that ‘only’ averages 9.3% but has sections well above 20%, meaning any rhythm is near-impossible. The riders climb this three times. There’s even a quasi-religious symbolism as the riders pass seven chapels on the road. … Read more
Not so rampant now As I’ve written on here before, Belgium has two regions and some are keen to see a wedge driven into the country so it splits in half. Only a separatist cycling fan might want to rethink their plans for a moment. I’m being flippant but note that the only Belgian classic … Read more
Those images of cols packed with spectators for the Tour de France doesn’t necessarily mean the entire French nation is interested in cycling. Paris-Roubaix got some decent audience figures but today the Amstel Gold is on but you can’t watch it on French TV, unless you have the specialist satellite/cable channel Eurosport. 18 channels, nothing … Read more