As part of the series on the 1980s, here are five items related to fashion during this decade. Riders had their styles before the 1980s: a slick haircut there, some meaty sideburns there. But cycling didn’t mix with fashion. Shorts and shoes were black after all. But all this changed in the 1980s… 1. Sunglasses … Read more
Will riders skip the Worlds or will they hop to Melbourne? I’d hate to be a national coach this year. With the Worlds taking place in Australia in October, every rider (and his wife) wants to take part, since they can get a free business class ticket out there… and back. Your phone will be … Read more
The English bicycle manufacturers were highly conscious of the publicity value of a victory in the longest road race ever held. For that reason they left no stone unturned to give riders who were using their bicycles every advantage. Sound familiar? Is this a quote about Team Sky’s “marginal gains” methods, searching for every advantage … Read more
My colleague @edwardpickering once said we were in for 5 years of Cancellara winning every TT, Contador every Tour and Cav every sprint… Lionel Birnie, Twitter That’s an interesting comment posted by two of Cycle Sport and Cycling Weekly’s most knowledgeable writers. And it’s true at first glance that we could see three riders carve … Read more
So the wintry part of the cycling season comes to an end. We now swap the cobbles, mud and dust for smooth roads and more climbing. The Ardennes classics are coming and riders are now right in the crucial period for the Giro build up. Time for the inner chainring. A quick look back on … Read more
Cancellara’s winning move yesterday took some guts, he was going clear a long way from the finish line, with a headwind too. But did he attack? Yes, but in a very clever way. He used the “sneak attack”. I’ve not won many races in my time but when you want to attack, think twice. “Attack” … Read more
Cycling is popular in Europe but more so in some places than others. Here are the key heartlands of the sport. 1. BelgiumNo country in the world takes cycling so seriously. This doesn’t mean that all 10 million Belgians love cycling, just as all Canadians don’t follow Ice Hockey and all Japanese aren’t into Sumo. … Read more
Do the maths: sideburns + Brooklyn jersey + Gios bike = total class Roger de Vlaeminck is one of only three riders to win all five monuments, along with Rik Van Looy and Eddy Merckx. They called him “The Gypsy” and also “Monsieur Paris-Roubaix”. His family were not travelling folk, although his parents did sell … Read more
Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix is the biggest one day race on the French calendar. I can’t add much to the fantastic previews out there already. Instead three small points: The Hell of the NorthThe north of France is a grim place. It has pockets of high unemployment, the far-right National Front scores well and scores on other … Read more
Following Samuel Sanchez’s aggressive win in the Queen Stage of the Tour of the Basque country yesterday, Omega Pharma-Lotto are now the only Pro Tour team not to have won a race this season. When will their numbers come up? You might ask “so what?”, there will always be a team that has to wait … Read more