Valverde’s got the squirrel by its nuts Following my piece on the Basque country and Valverde’s ongoing presence in the bunch, reader Alex Murray left a comment asking whether Valverde’s team sponsor had taken a stance. I was curious about this too, after all whilst the team is Spanish, Caisse d’Epargne is a a French … Read more
Today’s stage finish Whilst many cycling fans will be focussed on the Flemish Classics and the upcoming Paris-Roubaix, don’t forget the stage racing in Spain. The Tour of Catalonia is done and today sees the Queen Stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, finishing at the San Antonio sanctuary above the small town of … Read more
Imagine everyone shouting your name Today sees the Scheldepriijs race, aka GP de l’Escaut, take place in Tom Boonen’s backyard, near Antwerp. He got a huge welcome and needed a police escort to get from his home to the start. Now not everyone in Belgium cares, but a lot do. Tom Boonen is already a … Read more
Me? I’d rather have chronic back pain… French squad Ag2r-La Mondiale have signed a sponsorship deal with Swiss shoe company MBT. Famous for their rounded sole which apparently helps the skeletal muscles, the deal is presumably for off-the-bike shoes. Expect to see the likes of Cyril Dessel and Nico Roche rocking and rolling around the … Read more
This blog covers pro cycling, but so do many websites. Races travel across farm tracks, through towns. I want to help place the sport into the context of political, geographical and social forces that surround it. Bike races don’t take place in a bubble. So as part of a series about life in Europe called … Read more
Number 1 idiot? Lampre’s Lorenzo Bernucci is the latest rider to be named in an ongoing Italian investigation into doping. Reports suggest the Italian police found some banned substances in a raid on the Lampre rider’s home. Comically, Bernucci seems to be claiming that blood-diluting products are for his brother and his wife. But whilst … Read more
Some footage from 1994. The current forecast says dry weather but look what happens when it rains. In the past edition Franco Ballerini and Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle had entered the velodrome together to end in a photo-finish sprint. Now they struggle with mud, punctures and rivals in a sporting contest that at times looks like fight … Read more
Photo from Pez. Bedankt! I won’t add to the superlatives the media have been employing to describe Fabian Cancellara’s win on Sunday. Attacking so only Boonen could follow, then dropping the Belgian champion on steepest section of the Kapelmuur and then soloing into the finish: you don’t get better. Instead, just a quick word to … Read more
Baby face, adult body Jens Keukeleire’s no slacker. A neo-pro, he’s made a name for himself with three wins in a short space of time, the GP Le Samyn, the Noekere-Koerse and the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen. Not the biggest races but a neo-pro would bite your arm off to make the front group, yet alone … Read more
Amazing as it might seem, the hardest cobbled sections of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix were not “discovered” until the late 1960s/early 1970s. In other words, these crucial sections belong to the sport’s modern era and are not necessarily part of the glorious history of the sport. The KoppenbergMany would say the Koppenberg is … Read more