The phrase “swan song” is a reference to an ancient belief that the Swan is completely mute during its lifetime until the moment just before it dies, when it sings one beautiful song. Swans are not actually mute during life – they produce snorts, shrill noises, grunts, and hisses – and they do not sing … Read more
Becoming a professional rider isn’t as straightforward as you might think. There are many amateurs winning all over Europe and beyond. So in a series of tips on how to make the step up, here are some suggestions. Background Imagine you’re an amateur who’s just won a pro race, you’ve left big ProTour teams trailing … Read more
A quick look over the shoulder at the most popular pieces on the blog in April. Cancellara’s sneak attack – a look at how Fabian Cancellara rode away and how you can use the same move in a race Does Cancellara have an electric bike? This was very popular and I reported it tongue in … Read more
Watching today’s stage of the Tour of Romandie, won by an aggressive Simon Spilak, something flashed across my mind: the Lampre kit is very old. Look at the photo above from Maurizio Fondriest’s win in the 1993 Milan – San Remo, observe the details. See how old the Fiat Tempra looks, the motorbikes seem ancient … Read more
As part of the series on the 1980s, here are five items related to bike brands during this decade. So press play and travel back in time once again. Falco – Rock Me Amadeusenvoyé par trashfan. – Regardez d'autres vidéos de musique. The 1980s were a crucial time for frame design. Whereas the choice at … Read more
They were denied passports There’s a good interview over at NY Velocity with Michael Ashenden. Ashenden’s an Australian physiologist with an expertise in blood doping, and an advisor to the UCI. The interview assesses where the “Bio Passport” scheme is today, essentially it is a source of information and a tool but it is not … Read more
I wrote earlier this month that RadioShack could be up for sale, the retailing business and not its cycling team. But whilst the New York Post has a decent track record in flushing out takeover rumours, there’s been nothing so far. RadioShack announced its first quarter results this week, profits came in ahead of expectations. … Read more
Poor Mark Cavendish, he wins Stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie and rather than smiling and enjoying the moment, he decides to stick two fingers up at the world. I know he’s had troubles over the winter but a win is something to celebrate, no?
BackgroundLagardère is a French company with a focus on media interests. It owns 20% of French satellite TV channel Canal+ as well as other print interests, like newspaper Le Monde. It’s the world’s largest magazine publisher, via its subsidiary Hachette-Filipacchi. Run today by Arnaud Lagardère, the company is now coming under pressure from certain shareholders … Read more
We We Young and Carefreeby Laurent FignonHere’s a review of Fignon’s autobiography. It contains a few elements from the book so if you worry I’ll spoil the read for you, look away. Fignon’s autobiography caused a storm when it came out. For the wrong reasons. Fignon had just announced he’d been diagnosed with cancer and … Read more