You might have seen the story that three riders could face criminal charges following the Flèche Walloone. Personally I think criminal charges are a bit much, this smacks of a publicity operation for the politicians involved. After all, I’m writing about it now. Note it’s usually the fans who leave a mess behind, some places … Read more
The cheat’s latest weapon: dihydrogen monoxide Too much doping news at the moment, I’ll try to stay away from it a bit. But you can never escape it in the world of cycling and this story is worth mentioning. The previous day he had given himself a micro-dosage of EPO for the first time in … Read more
The RTL L’Equipe podcast is a good listen, one of the best podcasts going. Monday’s edition included a telephone interview with Astana’s Yvon Sanquer, the DS imported at the end of 2009 to replace Bruyneel and his entourage. Stuck in the middle with you When asked who was the team leader, Sanquer was firm that … Read more
Tour of Poland, he we come I can’t find the precise quote but there was a French general from World War I who said something like “my northern front is collapsing, the enemy has breached the eastern lines and my supply lines are being cut off. Excellent, I attack“. Now this sounds foolish in battle … Read more
Alexander Vinokourov’s win on Sunday has left some scratching their heads, and some were even shaking them. This includes the media following the race. The post-race press conference in Liège was dominated by Vino’s past, journalists kept asking about his suspension, his attitude to doping and other related topics. They see me rollin’, they hatin’ … Read more
Yesterday’s podium in Liège wasn’t exactly a fine image for the sport. But whilst debate rages as to who we want to see, remember that whilst sport has an unpredictable and even romantic side, it is not a fairytale. Our sport has huge problems. It has dealt with some and must still confront others. Will … Read more
cyclingnews.com – an update I wrote my review of the cyclingnews.com podcast back in February and was quite harsh on them. It’s a big site, backed by a decent sized business and so I set the standard quite high. Given CN staff have access to races and riders, simply chatting about races was too easy, … Read more
So I’ve had a few questions saying “who is this mystery team?” in response to the mention that not only were Café de Colombia mechanics stashing cocaine in their frames but a cycling team was a money laundering operation. I was only joking about my health, the team’s business is hardly a secret if I … Read more
I’ve been reading Laurent Fignon’s autobiography, of which an English translation is due out this summer and will write a review soon. One brief anecdote from the book. In the 1987 Vuelta, Fignon finished third to Colombia’s Luis Herrera. The first Colombian winner of a Grand Tour, it was a massive victory for South American … Read more
After a few days riding around Liege and it’s outskirts and my good mate nearly being mugged, it’s official Liege is a DUMP! Bradley Wiggins, Twitter. He’s right, Liège is an ugly place. The unofficial capital of Wallonnia, it’s a place that has seen better days. Its position on the Meuse river gave it a … Read more