I know I said I was done talking about doping yesterday, but Cyclingnews’ additional coverage on Jaksche is just too good. The specificity with which he calls out Walter Godefroot has apparently convinced Astana to jettison him – after the Tour, that is. So if you’re a Tour de France rider, you’ve gotta sign the…
News Archive
I really shouldn’t need to spell this one out for you
The '07 Tour: Dope Stories to Date
Long weekend, missed some stuff, most of it involves drugs, so I’m just gonna get it all out of the way now. Despite his recent suspension, Milram has named Alessandro Petacchi to their TdF team. Some call it a vote of confidence from the squad, but since a verdict on Ale-Jet’s apparently over-zealous inhaler usage…
2007 Fitchburg-Longsjo Race Report – Stage 4 Criterium
I overslept. I’ve never really overslept on race day before, but let me tell you, it throws everything off. Even after coffee (I’ve been drinking a bit of that lately), you’re groggy, just a step or two off. By the time I arrive at the racecourse, the rest of the team is already in kits,…
Kessler Suspended, Petacchi Out? Barloworld In.
On the ride to work today, I hatched this theory that maybe the “men in black” weren’t really Astana like everyone’s been saying. Maybe they were Caisses d’Epargne, a squad that tends wear black kits, and has had a few scrutinized riders. Well, looks like it’s back to the drawing board for me. Matthias Kessler…
Nothing Makes Sense
Arrrg! Shimano, why? First Cannondale and now you? You beat SunTour in the 80’s by pouring millions into engineering and research. You were so awesome when you came out with the 10 speed Dura-Ace in ’03 and said “our research shows aluminum cranks are better”. Now you let idiot mechanics say “Nowadays everybody wants to…
The Hay is in the Barn
So, now that Vlad Karpets has locked down his second stage race win of the year at the Tour de Suisse, the blogosphere breathes a sigh of relief. No more posturing, no more shadowboxing – just the Tour. Sure, there’s the Eindhoven TTT and some fancy jersey giveaways, but for the contenders, the hay is…
Tour de Suisse, Some (Anti-)Doping
So after mountains of insurance paperwork, follow-up medical care, driving all over New England in search of a Cannondale dealer and previewing the first stage at Fitchburg (note to organizers – next year, you need to give the fat kids a reason to show up), I have returned! News – Vlad Gusev isn’t just for…
"The Secret" in Cycling, Armstrong, Disco, and Suisse
So how many of you out there are down with The Secret? Well, I’ve got proof that it works. Wasn’t it just yesterday I questioned CSC’s team anti-doping program in light of Bjarne’s recent confession? And then today – boom – CSC announces that all its riders have been clean thus far. Not too shabby,…
Books, Honchar, UCI, Tour de Suisse
Man, everybody’s got a book these days. Floyd Landis wrote one that was apparently pretty bad (he stole the title, too), and Saul Raisin’s working on one about his comeback, despite not having really come back yet. Used to be only the weirdos and paraiahs of the cycling world wrote books, but with the help…
Crashes Come in Batches
If that’s not a cycling adage, it should be, because they do. Just ask Paolo Bettini. I got hit, hooded, and wind-shielded by a non-yielding left turner yesterday. The police declined to cite her, and I feel like she genuinely didn’t see me (thus the lack of brakes), but this will probably result in weeks…