Old HTRWW Archive

HTRWW Het Nieuwsblad 2015, or How To Lose Bike Race. Though to be fair, the victor’s (see how I avoided those spoilers?) team certainly did some good groundwork, and in the end, he didn’t precisely have it handed to him. Some reference material at https://cyclocosm.com/how-to and https://cyclocosm.com/the-break.

The women’s event really delivered this year—crummy weather, an unpredictable course, and most importantly, the brilliant heads-up duel that the men’s race just couldn’t quite make happen. Obviously, anytime I feel compelled to generate an on-screen counter, it’s a good sign that things are going right.

Despite the fact that it became road season last week (kinda), the cyclocross world still had yet to throw its final farewell bash. While still an interesting enough event, this year’s edition will almost certainly be better remembered for the clash of rivals it wasn’t.

Ah—it’s road season again. At least in Australia. This year’s TdU made a good effort to include pretty much every aspect of racing—breaks, big sprints, climbs, crashes I didn’t talk about, even echelons. Just don’t cross-reference it to my picks for the race earlier in the week.

  “Why do riders get in the break?” is probably the most common question asked by new cycling fans, and as I started to learn more about the sport I found Phil and Paul’s explanations less and less compelling. So I made my own, complete with examples, new and old. (In Germany or otherwise having…

A brief guide to where to find the cool stuff during a bike race. Obviously, you’ll see the break, you’ll see the guys leading the chase, and you’ll see the finish, but I’ve always found the real meat of the sport to be happening just behind the focus of the camera.

Obviously, specialization makes it tough to pick a “best” rider these days. So if I’m going to do it, it’s going to be a comprehensive approach. You can’t just look at who won the most competitive Grand Tour of the year and call it a day. Here’s how I see the competition, and who I…

Koppenbergcross makes a nice gateway into Euro CX for road fans. Some recognizable cobbles, no forced dismounts, and lots of pedaling. Plus there’s a stretch-regroup pack dynamic in the earlier laps that will feel very familiar, and as always, that unpredictable cyclocross mayhem.

Mmmm, smoggy. The last edition of the ill-fated WorldTour expansion into Asia wasn’t without it’s charms—surprise hilltop finishes, panda suits, cute notes to faraway daughters. But the production crew might want a few more dry runs, specifically with KM-to-go graphics and maybe not filming riders while they’re having a post-race pee.

(if the above isn’t working, go here) By many accounts, the last race of the European season. Certainly plenty of riders in the pack were eager to get ‘cross season to underway, especially considering the slick pavement, but still a few riders gunning for that last big result—just some gunning a bit harder than others.