Local newspaper La Voix du Nord promises enfer météorologique this weekend. It’s going to be wet for Paris-Roubaix and this is novel, none of the starters have ridden a wet Paris-Roubaix before. A few thoughts on the matter…
World Championships Preview
No other country cherishes bike racing as much as Belgium and the men’s road race is the final event in a week of festivities and sport. Only there’s one thing missing so far and that’s a home win, can Wout van Aert deliver? Here’s a quick preview…
U23 World Champion
The World Championships are on this week and some World Tour pros are riding the U23 races. They qualify by age but shouldn’t the category be reserved for developing riders?
Vuelta a España Preview
It’s time to get your rampón, the Vuelta starts this weekend. We’re into the back end of the season but the Vuelta is back in its August slot and the perfect way to prolong summer. It’s easy to follow, this is tapas cycling with a daily diet of lively stages.
Book Review: The War On Wheels
The War on Wheels, Inside the Keirin and Japan’s Cycling Subculture, by Justin McCurry
Keirin racing might appear on your radar for the annual track world championships, or even just for the summer Olympics. In Japan it’s a way of life for participants and punters alike, one of only four sports where betting is allowed. This rewarding new book takes look at keirin as a sport, as a business and along the way holds up a mirror to Japanese society.
The Moment The Olympics Were Won
Anna Kiesenhofer attacks Anna Plichta and Omer Shapira over the Kagosaka pass. With a lead of five minutes on Annemiek van Vleuten and six minutes on the rest with just over 40km to go, the Austrian is going solo. This was the moment the Olympic road race was won.
The Moment The Olympics Were Won
Kagosaka Pass was the smallest marked climb of the day and just enough to launch the winning move as Brandon McNulty and Richard Carapaz managed to break free from a group that had been bossed by Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert. This was the moment the men’s Olympic road race in Tokyo was won.
Olympics Women’s Road Race Preview
The women’s road race is on today and features the same start and finish but cuts out the Fuji and Mikuni mountains to make for a more hectic race that will be harder to predict in the finish, although who’d bet against another Dutch win?
Olympics Men’s Road Race Preview
We’re set for a strange edition of the Olympic Games. Unlike other sports confined to empty arenas the men’s road race is this Saturday will showcase plenty of the best of rural Japan with a mountain course featuring Mount Fuji.
Familiar names from the Tour de France like Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert and Richard Carapaz take on others take on Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida, the Yates brothers and more.
Roads to Ride: Mikuni Pass
Here’s a look at Mikuni pass in Japan. It’s not famous but it should be the decisive climb of the 2020 Olympic road race, if only for the men, so here are some notes in this climb outside Tokyo which offers double-digit gradients and if that doesn’t take your breath away then the views of Mount Fuji will… as long as the weather’s fine.
This is repost from February 2019 in order to take a closer look at hardest climb of men’s Olympic road race