The joys of cyclingThere’s something joyous about those days when the thermometer jumps up a few degrees and you swap those thermal layers for lighter clothing I’ve been riding cocooned inside bib longs, overshoes, gloves and windproof jackets but yesterday was the warmest day of the year by some way. So it was just armwarmers, … Read more
Riding a bike into the finish of a race at 40mph with riders jostling through winding European town centres is dangerous enough but yesterday’s Ruta del Sol saw a gust of wind blow a crowd barrier over into the riders path. It’s this sort of freak event that shows the risks riders have to contend … Read more
According to a story on cyclingnews.com there is now a doping control test for human growth hormone. Before the cynics complain that the dopers stay one step ahead this is actually up there with the test for EPO or testosterone because it’s a test for something that’s apparently been widespread in use.What’s HGHIt’s human growth … Read more
The details of the Italian road race championships have been made public. Here’s some info on the circuit for the pros. The route is dominated by the the Ca’ del Poggio climb which whilst 1.3km long has an average gradient of 15 per cent. A wall that has to be climbed many times. The press … Read more
I’m showing my age but there was a time where the only way to get cycling results was to buy a newspaper and scour the results section on the sports page. If you were lucky you’d find the top-10 of Paris-Roubaix in small print. Today the internet means you don’t just get the results, you … Read more
I’m going to run a recurring series of things that marked cycling in the 1980s. Here’s five things to mark this decade of transition where the classic form of the sport slowly moved into the modern era of technology, fashion and science. 1. Headbands Once reserved for tennis players, these became a fashion breakout in … Read more
With the Giro d’Italia starting in Holland, a Dutch politician has suggested that they have men on the podium instead of girls. Here’s how cyclingnews.com reports it: Marco de Goede of the GroenLinks party had argued during a local council meeting that having podium girls was outdated and sexist. Because Amsterdam is known as the … Read more
Can Pat McQuaid do no right? The UCI seems to walk headlong into media elephant traps, the organisation charged with overseeing our sport frequently embarrasses both itself and the sport in general. I for one lament the way it operates. The latest goof is with the publicity-seeking Pierre Bordry (pictured), head of France’s national anti-doping … Read more
Watch out for this guy, Jean Christophe Peraud. A strong MTB rider – silver in the Olympics behind the invincible Julien Absalon – he’s the reigning French TT champion, having upstaged the likes of Chavanel and Moreau last summer. He won that title with a very aero position but his MTB background allows him to … Read more
Now that the racing in the pleasant, even scorching, climes of Australia, Qatar and Oman has come to an end, it’s back to work. No more sand, blue skies and, in the case of the Tour down Under, the eucalyptus perfumed air. Now it’s time for Flanders, where the roads are in bad repair after … Read more