Spring is now going into summer here in southern France and you notice the differences. One thing is the heat. It can be 30°C in the shade but remember that temperatures are hotter in the sunshine. Above all, the roads are dark lumps of rock and soak up the heat. It’s common for tarmac temperatures … Read more
A great photo courtesy of cyclingnews.com. For some time I’ve always thought Basso looked as if he wasn’t trying, his face was part smile, part gurn. Clearly this was a superficial opinion, he’s not spent the last year on a cycling travel holiday but yesterday’s stage up the dreaded Zoncolan showed a new face. Just … Read more
Cyclismag has picked up on the apparent scoop by Spanish website velofutur.es, where details of the revised UCI Pro Tour appear to have been leaked. Who leaked them and what’s their agenda? That’s for another day. Since my French is better than my Spanish, what follows is derived from cyclismag.com. The TeamsNo more four year … Read more
Many riders have surnames that are also nouns. I apologise if this ruins your TV viewing, those once exotic Euro names can actually prove a bit dull but here are some more of the peloton’s names translated from their home language into English: Serpa, mountain sherpa Valerio Agnoli – Valerio Angels Manuel Belletti – Manuel … Read more
It’s hard to know where to begin with the Landis emails. So I’ll take a look at the UCI, since most people are concentrating on Landis, the emails and the others named in them.For me, the UCI is part of the problem here. Whereas a governing body should aim to be beyond reproach, many get … Read more
The DVD of race highlights is going to be a best seller. I rarely watch these things but am already interested getting a copy, the Giro is just past half way but the race has been turned upside down. The obvious highlight was the Stage 7 from Carrara to Montalcino, a 222km slog across and … Read more
I can’t say much more on yesterday’s stupendous Giro stage – a “hold up” said La Gazzetta Dello Sport – and the leaked emails from Landis are circling in my head like crazy. So let’s go elsewhere for a moment. The Tour de L’AudeFine scenery, fine roads and if not fine wines, very decent ones … Read more
I wrote about how to turn pro before, this is a follow-up to that piece. Join the right teamMany amateur teams send riders into the pro ranks every year. Not just because their riders are strong, but because they are recommended by the team staff as well. If you are capable of winning, then winning … Read more
It’s proving to be a great race that brings up surprises almost every day. But the final stage, a time trial, has one final spectacle, an arrival in the arena of Verona. A special bridgeway is being built to allow the riders in and they will enter the arena in a theatrical atmosphere with an … Read more
What a stage today! The race was turned upside down within 20km of the stage start. Once upon a time…It’s the 16th stage of the Giro d’Italia and a promising rider has just won the pink jersey. Mapei rider Cadel Evans took the overall lead after a strong rider in the hardest mountain stage of … Read more