There’s nothing like the giddy thrill of a season-opening race in which there is no clear favorite (except for that one guy who is always a clear favorite for every race until June or so…) to take the mind off darker news. Here are previews from Cyclingnews and Pez; if the map looks familiar to…
Author: cosmo
Unibet Rips Me Off, ASO's Finger on the Button
Why do I suddenly feel like a Band-Aid? Because I just got ripped off. Mere hours after coining the phrase myself, much–maligned ProTour neophytes Unibet.com issued a statement entitled “Do not wreck the European bike” that said, in part (my boldface): “We feel strongly victimized by the cartel ASO, RCS Sport and Unipublic…The cartel wants…
More Races Like Het Volk, ToC Means Less UCI, ASO and Carmichael.
Reason #426 I’m looking forward to to Het Volk: it’s neither a ProTour event, nor owned by Grand-Tour organizers ASO, RCS or Unipublic (henceforth referred to on Cyclocosm as The Cartel), and thus provides a much needed reprieve deLaclosian squabble raging between those two camps. After months of posturing, threats and fruitless negotiation, the fact…
I'm Back, Ullrich Retires, Het Volk Looms
Yes, I’m back! Check out the FAQ to see what’s new! My return comes just in time to see one of the greats hang up his bike forever. Often criticized for off-season indolence and questionable tactics, Jan Ullrich’s legacy seems already cast as soft-bellied foil to his hard-nosed nemesis, Lance Armstrong. Though we at Cyclocosm…
WordPress for Make Benefit Glorious Cyclocosm
Yes, it’s true: I’ve been skimping on the posting lately. But it’s not my fault! You try porting 400+ posts from evil New Blogger to less evil but far more finicky WordPress. Compound those difficulties with the fact that Cyclocosm isn’t even hosted on my own webspace and that I know frick-all about SQL, then…
Slew of Seconds at 'Cross Worlds, Quick-Step Leads at Qatar
Well wouldja look at that? Three American silver medals at the Cyclocross World Championsips – only the U23 Men (of course, the squad I actually know people on) failed to podium, or, for that matter, to even play a major role. While I’m as pumped as the next Yank about these finishes, let’s just keep…
The Lyin' of Flanders
Today, Johan Museeuw did more damage to sport of cycling than any rider since the incorrigible Richard Virenque. At a press conference, the so-called “Lion of Flanders” gave tacit credence to the doping charges that haunted much of his career by saying, with resounding ambiguity, “I was not 100% honest”. The phrase “not 100% honest”…
Pound, McQuaid Flaunt Job Security; Valverde Rumors.
Things are booming in the idiot business, and these days, there’s no shortage of work. Dick Pound, a sort of Google among the intellectually lacking, has been on a media blitz recently. Why the Canadian wants to parade his reckless impartiality and complete lack of technical knowledge to the general populace so close to the…
Quote of the Month – Mayo's a Stranger to Yellow
Some might say it’s a tad early yet to be declaring a given soundbite the Quote of the Month. But the way I’ve been posting recently, this may be the only quote I take a moment to rip on in January. So savor it. Trust me, it’s tasty. “Mayo admitted he would find it strange…
Top 10 Ways I'd Like to See Dick Pound Die
I know, I know – it’s not nice to wish death upon people. But I’m not doing that. Everyone, Dick Pound included, is going to die someday. I’m simply compiling a list of the Top Ten ways in which I’d like to see him pass on. It was extremely hard to limit this to ten…