Parlez-vous Twitter?

People have differing views of Twitter. For some it’s just a stream of inane banalities. For others it’s a new form of communication that gives a personal insight into lives of others. I’m in both camps. Some people can tweet the most boring things but when it comes to pro cycling, you can get instant … Read more

Rapha Fail?

Here are two jerseys from Rapha’s latest collection, the “Country Jersey”. The Rapha Country Jersey celebrates some of Europe’s leading cycling countries; Italy, France, Belgium and Britain. The jersey sports Rapha’s trademark pared down styling and the colours of each nation have been incorporated on the right sleeve. The colours of each nation: only look … Read more

Kwak Kwak, Cuá Cuá

A broken duck Apparently kwak kwak and cuá cuá are the sounds a Flemish and Spanish duck makes. The cycling season is well underway but several teams have yet to break their duck and win a UCI-registered race this year. They are: Pro TourEuskatel – EuskadiOmega Pharma – Lotto UCI Europe TourAndalucia – CajasurCeramica FlaminiaColnago … Read more

Keeping Liquigas together

Forget Sky, Radioshack or Quick Step, arguably Liquigas is the strongest team around. They’ve got Basso, Nibali, Pellizotti and Kreuziger for the overall honours in any stage race, they’ve got Bennati and Chicchi for the sprints, there’s Willems and Kuschynski for the classics and the likes of Quinziato and Szmyd to help make things happen. … Read more

Cycling Podcast Reviews – Part VII

This is part of a series of podcast reviews. I was going to review the Beyond the Peloton films later but Cervélo have just announced a new series of films for 2010, so here are my thoughts on their 2009 output. Beyond The Peloton Rather than an audio podcast, this is a collection of videos. … Read more

One to watch

Having earlier picked Omega’s Jean-Christophe Perraud as one to watch this season, another ride to track is FDJ’s Yoann Offredo. Peraud’s early season success continued since I tipped him and it now looks like he could be riding the Tour de France. But Offredo’s season is more dependent on the coming weeks. You might have … Read more

What’s in a name – Part II

Having blogged about riders’ names, where Boonen means beans and Cipollini is Italian for small onions, here’s another name: Campagnolo. What does campagnolo mean? It’s an Italian term that translates as someone from the campi or fields or more precisely… a country bumpkin. I’m not sure that’s the sort of image you had in mind? … Read more

Cycling Podcast Reviews – Part VI

RTL-L’Equipe – Carrément Vélo Ok, this is broadcast in French so I’ll keep this review quick in case it’s less appealing for you. But if you can understand French then, for me, this is probably the best bit of pro cycling audio. It’s a weekly radio show at 11.00 am CET every Monday morning, an … Read more

Non toccare!

Don’t touch Milan-San Remo!As I wrote last week, Milan-San Remo is the longest race on the calendar but it all comes down to the final 20km. Reading the post-race comments it seems many people lament this. For many the race just isn’t exciting enough. But I don’t see why the race needs more climbs and … Read more

No light at the end of the tunnel

It doesn’t get more dangerous than an unlit tunnel. If you haven’t ridden in an unlit tunnel before, let me explain what it’s like. You suddenly go from daylight to dark and can’t see the riders around you, nor the road in front. The first time it happened, the tunnel had a bend in it … Read more