“…it won’t snap, either.” -Lennard Zinn, on Mavic’s r-sys spokes, May. 8, 2009 I had a definite sensation that Lennard Zinn would end up ruing this tech story on Mavic’s “improved” R-Sys wheel design. I know Zinn’s got a heck of a reach, but at a beefy 190, I still wouldn’t put money against fellow…
Rants Archive
The Rants category was added in the early days of Cyclocosm to differentiate opinion pieces from the daily news recaps.
Sastre's Win Still Doesn't Take Cervelo Off the Hook
I bet that out there, somewhere, are people who think today’s Giro win by Carlos Sastre somehow justifies the ridiculousness of the Cervelo Test Team’s tactical blunder yesterday. From the moment the team car pulled alongside Serge Pauwels, the squad has been trying to explain away what was nothing but team mismanagement, pure and simple….
Exciting Racing, But Who's Calling The Plays?
Tactics take a holiday in tomorrow’s long, hilly time trial, and if the first half of the race has been any indication, a lot of the team cars could use a break. While the riders might focus on the gnarly courses, and other fans on the Stage 9 drama, I think the most glaring problem…
It's Not Right, But It's OK
That’s how I’d describe the rider reaction to today’s stage in Milan. Granted, the the 25 corners over 15k weren’t exactly easy, but it’s nothing pro riders can’t handle. I’ll agree the parked cars are a problem, but there are parked cars all over the Spring Classics, too. Would you rather see them on a…
Boonen Coke Positive is the UCI's Ethical Failure
(The UCI may not be specifically to blame as I’ve indicated here. The arguments that follow remain valid, and apply to all testing bodies.) I’m furious that the first day of the Giro was ruined by another positive cocaine test from Tom Boonen. But my ire is not directed at the Belgian classics rider. Instead,…
Inferior Potassium
Wait, wait…a loose federation of Central European businesses/state entities—named after the the capital city of Kazakhstan so none get any actual ad exposure—is having trouble putting together the constant supply of capital needed to run a cycling team? I’m not surprised that Astana’s collapse is happening so much as I’m surprised that it took this…
Why George Hincapie Will Never Win Paris-Roubaix
This is why George Hincapie will never win Paris-Roubaix. It might be OK if George were banking on his toughness to hock Carhartts or Dickies or a similar hard-wearing, blue collar brand. But multiple lines of fashionable, designer jeans—sold at the Dura-Ace price point of $145 a pair?! For shame. Look at Johan Museeuw. More…
The Bos-Impey Crash
Since I’m stuck at work on Marathon-freakin’ Monday, instead of at home making an Amstel video, I’m gonna burn my lunch break weighing in on the crash (around 3:40 in the above video) from the final day of the Presidential Tour of Turkey. Public opinion seems arrayed pretty heavily against Theo Bos, all the more…
Why I Look Past Pais Vasco
Now that I’ve gotten some sleep in lieu of videomaking, I’ve been trying to get my head around why I can’t get into these little baby stage races. Maybe it’s because they’re so anonymous—I mean, from Ruta del Sol onward, it’s just 5-day races with roughly three flat stages, two climbs and a time trial…
San Remo 1992: Quality Finish
Milan SanRemo has gotten a bad rap as a sprinters’ race. This misconception comes from people reading results and seeing 30 people finish at or near the same time. The race invariably goes to ribbons over the final climbs, and occasionally pulls itself together for a bunch kick. It’s a race anyone can win–sprinter, rouleur,…