A few off-season loose ends and thoughts…
Highlights of 2020 – Part II
In the second of the 2020 highlights here’s the Tour de l’Ain. Normally a modest 2.1 stage race, in 2020 it had all the right ingredients to set up a summer of sport and told us plenty about the upcoming Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France, setting up the Jumbo vs Ineos duel.
Highlights of 2020 – Part I
The first of five picks looking back at 2020 is Paris-Nice. Held in March it almost feels like two seasons ago now. The final stage had to be scrapped but there was plenty to enjoy along the way despite a fraught atmosphere as the coronavirus spread across Europe. Max Schachmann led from start to finish but there was never a sense of inevitability and he was tested right until the final moments of the final stage.
Jean-Pierre Carenso
Jean-Pierre Carenso has died aged 86. A former director of the Tour de France, Carenso – pictured on the right – is one of several “forgotten” directors from the 1980s and did a lot to change the race and the business of pro cycling in a short space of time.
2020 Team Victory Rankings
With the season finished it’s time to look back at the wins and how the teams fared, and also take a deeper look at the stats. Which teams had the most podium places but the fewest wins? Which teams are the most reliant on one rider?
Why Did Groenewegen Get A Nine Month Ban?
Dylan Groenewegen has been banned for 9 months after he caused Fabio Jakobsen to crash in the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne. This is a record ban for an in-race incident and we actually don’t know why he’s got such a long ban. You might have a view but that’s not the point.
2021 Pro Cycling Calendar
With the 2020 season just finished, here’s the pro cycling calendar for 2021, free to download for your diary or phone. It’s packed with racing and obviously conditional on the outlook for public health next year, already the Tour Down Under and the Herald Sun Tour have been cancelled but there are a few additions and omissions so here’s a closer look…
2021 Tour de France Route
The route for the 2021 Tour de France has been unveiled and it marks a return to tradition with more time trials and fewer summit finishes. Here’s a closer look at the route…
Thursday Shorts
Grand tour previews take up molto time so here’s a chance to look at things in and around the sport that can’t fit into a stage preview and got stored up for later…
The Moment The Giro Was Won
Wilco Kelderman can see Tao Geoghegan Hart and Jai Hindley riding away, he’s losing time and there’s still the toughest section of the Passo Stelvio rising up ahead of him. For weeks he’d tracked race leader João Almeida and after a strong ride to Piancavallo the Dutchman looked set to inherit the race lead when the Portuguese rider discovered his limits in the high mountains, only now the Giro is slipping away from him.