You’ve probably heard by now that Floyd Landis has confessed. Sadly, There isn’t a whole lot of data in the Landis emails. Floyd doesn’t really say anything that people haven’t been saying for years in late-night IM conversations and court depositions. I was hoping at least to get a photo of the vaunted refrigerated motorcycle…
Five Years Ago Today
Five years ago today I wrote my first real post on this blog during my lunch break, at Dos Gringos Burritos in scenic Carbondale, CO, in the shadow of Mount Sopris (at left). I believe Ute City Cycles, the shop I worked for at the time, has since moved to Aspen. Quite an anniversary gift…
Pascal the Mechanic
We’re all familiar with Chris Anker Sorenson’s fantastic pain management skills. But when you’re 1.5km from the top of a mountain-top finish in a Grand Tour, and Xabier Tondo has just been let off the leash to run you down, even he needs a little extra help. That’s when SaxoBank calls in Pascal: “On the…
A Stage For the Grandkids
Pippo Pozzato gets a new nickname after today’s stage: Cassandra. He predicted the action pretty much to the letter (Evans winning, Sastre, Basso losing time) but was unable to do anything about it himself—possibly, some have suggested, because the weather was too grim. At any rate, the nickname is certainly inline with scope of the…
Maybe All Grand Tours Should Start in the Netherlands
So for those of you scoring at home, that’s two consecutive Grand Tour starts in the Netherlands, and two consecutive Grand Tours marked by huge crowds, active racing, and scenes of epic carnage in the early going. If the pattern continues, this year’s TdF depart in Rotterdam might just be that rapturous moment in which…
When Is A Win Not Just A Win?
I’ll admit to being something of a Wiggins Skeptic. Not in the sense that he might be doping or cheating or anything like that, but in the sense that brilliant Tour performances from flatlanders tend to be one-off deals. There’s no doubt he’s got a couple more Top 10 TdF rides in him, but seeing…
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
When I began following this sport, one of the first things that struck me were riders’ reactions to anti-doping efforts. Granted, no one likes being woken up early—all the more so if the early wake-up comes with a blood test. But I’d imagine getting smeared across the Pyrenees by 25 guys cranking oxygen to their…
100 Years of Giro Winners
Ah, the Giro—first Grand Tour of the season. Though it will always be second fiddle to the TdF, the Giro is a unique entity in its own right, hallmarked by dangerous finishing circuits, an occasionally pedestrian pace, and heaps of snow still clinging to the Alpine peaks. While the Tour was designed as a race…
Sympathy For The Badger
I’m not a petty man. I disagree with Bernard Hinault on a number of issues, but I’ve still got a tremendous amount of respect for the former rider, who, to quote another blogger, has been “taking people to the pain cave since 1977“. So it’s nice to finally find some common ground with the Breton—even…
A Tale of Two Podiums
Well, I didn’t see it happen live, but I hear that the finish of Wednesday’s Fleche-Wallonne (or “Walloon Arrow”, if one is to take Universal Sports or the AP seriously about this sort of thing) was pretty exciting. Tactical considerations aside, I think it’s nice to see a reigning Tour champ active and attempting to…