Waiting, just waiting. I know the local roads well, not just the routes to take but the details along the way. There are the obvious features like climbs, sharp corners and rough sections of roads. But I also I know where almost every dog lives within a 50km radius. Not only that, I know plenty … Read more
Women’s cycling doesn’t get the level of coverage it deserves, it has improved substantially over recent years. If you don’t follow much of it, take a look at the Tour de l’Aude. The Aude is a départment in Southern France that lies between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. This means it has a supreme choice … Read more
Saturday’s Giro stage was epic and already a highlight of the 2010 season. But what makes for stunning television is not necessarily sport. Penelope Pitsop defending the Maglia Rosa from the Equipo Formicaio To reduce the argument to the absurd, imagine a race organiser spraying oil on hairpin bends and digging large potholes to trap … Read more
You could probably start a blog called “Hardest Sport in the World” and just feature endless cycling reports. But what more do you want, look at the Giro stage yesterday and it was a cocktail of insanity, TV joy and Tuscan mud. Off road, foul conditions and then you through 191 riders in to the … Read more
It wouldn’t be the first time that hundreds of people have been moved out of Dunkirk to Britain, this time it’s the organisers of the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque stage race who are considering a stage in Britain, according to French newspaper La Voix du Nord. With the ferry companies keen to promote their links, … Read more
Today sees the Giro d’Italia resume in Italy. The overall classification is already taking shape with Wiggins, Evans and Vinokourov wearing pink so far and today’s stage could change things once more. It’s a unique event, team time trials are very rare in the calendar. They punish individual talents, a rider can lose valuable time … Read more
Phew, the Giro stages in Holland were something, it was like the classics season had suddenly got going. Cold weather, small roads, crashes: it was early April all over again. I found it made for exciting riding but is this what a Grand Tour is all about? I’m in two minds, on the one hand … Read more
As part of the series on the 1980s, here are five items related to bike componetry during this decade. 1. SuntourJapanese componentry didn’t just mean Shimano. Suntour also produced a top end groupset, the Superbe Pro. It was similar to Shimano in design and features, with a functional look and crisp shifting. 2. MavicFamous for … Read more
Mont Ventoux is part of cycling legend. The mountain is unlike others in France because it stands proud of the land, famous passes in the Alps and Pyrenees like the Galibier and Tourmalet merely snake their way from one valley to the next. Instead Ventoux dominates the terrain it occupies and the road reaches the … Read more
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to cheat, you know, to get my blood turbo charged and lay waste to the opposition. In times past I’ve raced against some big names and people whispered about EPO users. I never came across it, maybe I was totally naive or blind but nobody tried to … Read more