A mere 10 days since the Tour and we’ve already had how many races? My count of top-tier post-Tour Euro cycling events is currently at three; one classic and two fairly extensive stage races: Tour of Denmark (29 July – 2 Aug) Clasica San Sebastian (1 Aug) Tour of Poland (2 Aug – 8 Aug)…
Tag: The Cartel
An Open Letter to the ASO
(I tried contacting the directly ASO via their YouTube channel, but they refuse to accept messages from anyone they aren’t friends with. I sent this to them via email links on their homepage, but I do not expect a reply.) Dear Sir or Madam, I was very disappointed to read this morning that you filed…
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,…
Three Days of Pain, Ramp up to Ronde Continue
We’re barely through the second of 3.5 stages, and already The Pain has taken a toll – Leif Hoste’s well on his way to another unhappy Ronde, to go with his flag-in-spokes from ’03 and leave-stronger-teammate-behind-before-losing sprint from ’06. It’s all fun and games for Tom Boonen, of course; he seems awfully relaxed for a…
Another Week, Another French Win.
Right…so I took on a third job last week. Questionable judgment on my part, I know, but it appears to be a short-term kinda thing. At any rate, some of my predictions in last week’s post have already begun to come true. Astana – not invited to the ’08 Tour. No Kloeden, no Levi, no…
Sheldon Brown, R.I.P., RCS Still Alive, Qatar
It was a rough Sunday out here in New England. First was the Pats loss, and then came word of Sheldon Brown’s passing. It’s not so much that without Sheldon’s site I wouldn’t be writing this; it’s that I wouldn’t be on a bike. At all. Riding a bicycle, especially an entry-level machine, causes stuff…
I'm Back and Everything's a Mess
Cycling’s like a room full of fine china, an eight year old, and a hammer. You turn your back for a second and suddenly everything’s gone straight to hell. A much deserved month-long hiatus, and the top cycling story is “Lance Armstrong’s tagging an Olsen twin?” Granted, we should have seen this coming, but really?…
Your Weekly Update As Things Wind Down
Seven days? Has it been a week already? Oh, right, there’s no Züri Metzgete, which makes for a pretty sizable gap. Some 30 day stretches are jam packed with up to five overlapping races, but suddenly the racing scene’s a barren wasteland (slight apologies due to Franco-Belge). No wonder there’s such acrimony over scheduling. Anyway,…
Racing, Tabloids, Drugs, Tabloids, Beef
So I’m going to start the day in Denmark, where Matti Breschel became the first Dane to win a stage at the Tour of Denmark in nearly half a decade. No word yet on whether to chalk that winless streak up to bad luck, or an active anti-Danish campaign by embittered Rasmussen teammates. Speaking of…
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…