What the-? Mid-April? Already? And only one race report? Yes, dear readers, I am sorry to have been so inactive this spring. But with all the chaos associated with getting a job, I haven’t been training as much as I like. And, of course, then upon landing a job, I trained so much that I…
Month: April 2006
Tom Boonen: Tornado or Strong Breeze?
Now that Tom Boonen has completed a second incredible spring season, and is off the bike, kicking it at home in Monaco (search “holiday”), I’d like to take a moment to examine his achievements a little more closely. Currently, Tom Boonen is everything you could possibly want a World Road Race champion to be: an…
Rivalry? What Rivalry?
Did you know that Quick.Step and Davitamon-Lotto have a rivalry? No, for real, it’s true (search “rivalry”). Of course, after this spring classics season, I wouldn’t blame you for being unaware. Let’s count up Davitamon’s classics wins between Nokere Koerse (I know you’ve never heard of it, but it marks the official start of the…
Roubaix '06 – The Year of the Loser
Look at this: at first, in response to his DQ at Paris-Roubaix, Davitamon’s Peter VanPetegem said “The decision was fair, and I won’t contest it”. And now? “Davitamon Protests Disqualification”. What a whiner. Apparently, he and everyone else complaining about the Roubaix DQs don’t realize just how deadly the game of “Beat the Train” can…
The Curse of The Great Tombino
Ah, Paris-Roubaix. There is no finer example of bike-racing spectacle. Fabian Cancellara proved once again that the secret to victory is to keep your head up, attack once, and finish alone. Most news reports state that the CSC rider “dropped” Vlad Gusev to make good his escape, but this implies the Swiss rider made specific…
Vasco, Sarthe Results, Wevelgem Tomorow, Roubaix LIVE
So I watched Pais Vasco live today, streaming from Eurosport. It was a nasty little race course, with a profile resembling the EKG of a cardiac spasm. Debate seems to be raging over whether there were 12 or 13 categorized climbs, but either way, no fun. Sammy Sanchez took a very classy win, dropping the…
More Flanders, Valverde Vins in Vasco, Grillo Gana in Gallia
Tom Boonen won Flanders again, and there is ample criticism (read Angelique Van Petegem’s comments at the bottom) directed at pretty much anyone not affiliated with Team Quick.Step. Dirk Demol has offered a few excuses (scroll down) but it’s unconvincing; if no mortals dare to challenge the dominance of LeFevere’s squad next weekend, I’m hoping…
How Not to Try to Win Tour of Flanders – Rant
Discovery DS Dirk Demol is not a stupid man. “One thing is sure,” he told Eurosport yesterday, “The longer that everybody waits to make the race hard, the better for Boonen”. It’s sound logic, as the best way to upset a heavy favorite is to make things not go smoothly and predictably. What I don’t…
The Real April 1 News, Final Flanders Forecasts
So April 1! Bon Anniversaire to Paolo Bettini and GMail. As you might expect, fake news was everywyhere today. I’m a little disappointed in VeloNews for their attempt, which I guess they and Cyclingnews each got from Hed; maybe this was supposed to be part of the gag, I suppose, but it was funnier the…
WADA Raids Quick.Step, Flanders Course Changed, Other Odd News
In Belgium this morning, WADA stormtroopers raided the Quick.Step team bus just after dawn, on a tip that World Champion Tom Boonen had been using cocaine to boost the power and confidence of his sprinting ability. “We believe Boonen became addicted to blow after his wild night in Madrid last Fall”, stated WADA Chief Dick…