The third part in the series of cycling in the 1980s, I’m going to nominate five French champions. With the exception of Laurent Jalabert, the French have never had a world class rider since this period. 1. Bernard Hinault. The five time tour winner remains in the sport as ASO’s podium man but forget his … Read more
A tale of two audiencesYou’re probably male and aged between 25 and 45. No, this blog doesn’t have some high-tech way to monitor readership, it’s more that men in this age group are the biggest followers of cycling in the US, UK and Australia and other English speaking countries. But this isn’t the case in … Read more
Here an open question: what’s been the biggest improvement in cycling technology over the last 50 years? We’ve seen indexed gear shifting, clipless pedals, wearable helmets, carbon frames and Campagnolo today offers an 11 speed cassette. Well, my answer would be clothing. I was out for a long ride yesterday in the mountains behind Monaco … Read more
It’s time for the longest race on the calendar. A UCI ruling means no race can be longer than 250km but an exception is made for the 298km Milan-San Remo. First held in 1907, the race is another symbolic event where riders leave the often grey and grizzly industrialised Milan for the sunshine and palm … Read more
I posted a story on here about Fabio Parra’s bid to get into the Colombian Senate. Elections were held last Sunday and finally the results are coming out. Apparently the delay has been causing recriminations on all sides. But one thing that isn’t disputed is the news that Fabio Parra’s bid to get elected has … Read more
RIP Guy Lapebie (pictured) who died recently. Brother of Tour winner Roger, he finished third in the great race, as well as being a double Olympic Champion. Say “Rapha” and many cyclists will associate this with a London-based company producing semi-retro styled cycle clothing. But this business has appropriated a slice of history as it … Read more
You know it’s spring time when the weather warms up, the birds sing and … George Hincapie starts sounding confident ahead of the classics. Speaking to cyclingnews.com, “Big George” is getting ready for the monuments. For years American cycling was gifted Armstrong’s Tour de France riding but this was a once a year thing and … Read more
The Sword of Damocles is an ancient Greek fable that tells of a sword suspended by a horse’s hair above the head of Damocles, a courtier in Athens. At any moment the hair could break, leaving the sword to plunge towards poor Damocles. It’s a tale that says the threat of something looming over us … Read more
Fabio Parra was a force during the 1980s. The Colombian rider won two stages in the Tour de France and finished third overall in the 1988 Tour after some brilliant mountain riding. After retiring in 1992 he’s done an MBA and now runs a plastics business. His younger brother Ivan won two stages of the … Read more
My two posts on Peter Sagan have been popular (Peter Sagan’s got skillz and Who’s Peter Sagan?) so here’s a tidbit of news that hasn’t reached the English-speaking media yet: Sagan was approached by Quick Step two years ago after he finished on the podium of the junior Paris-Roubaix. The Belgian boss outfit invited him … Read more