Author: Alex
-
Have you got used to Marcel Kittel finishing first in this year’s Giro yet?
Stage two: Marcel Kittel wins. Stage three: Marcel Kittel wins. This time, he gave everyone a head start, sprinting from way back in the bunch. But it didn’t really affect things. He is very, very fast. Kittel did at least have the decency to be really tired afterwards, having a little bit of a lie…
-
Get used to Marcel Kittel finishing first in this year’s Giro
I get the impression this is going to be the norm on the flat stages. In winning stage two, Marcel Kittel looked a notch above t’others. Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni was second and that might also become a regular thing. Will Kittel take the red jersey? That’s the Giro’s equivalent of the Tour’s green jersey and…
-
Weird old Svein Tuft takes the lead after a surprisingly eventful team time trial
Team time trials aren’t usually too thrilling, but stage one of the Giro saw Dan Martin crash out, Ryder Hesjedal lose three minutes and Joaquim Rodriguez lose a minute. Of the other main contenders, Rigoberto Uran and Cadel Evans are already well placed, while Nairo Quintana’s getting on for a minute back. The race leader…
-
The second-best 2014 Giro d’Italia preview on this website
This article was originally entitled ‘the best Giro d’Italia preview on this website’ but then I thought: No, I probably did an okay preview last year, so that’s not accurate. So I changed it to ‘the best 2014 Giro d’Italia preview on this website’ but then realised that I’d already highlighted some of the main…
-
The cast of the 2014 Giro d’Italia
This is a personal selection of riders to keep an eye on during this year’s Giro and therefore represents the probable cast of this website over the next few weeks. There are quite a few names, so let’s keep this as short as possible. The favourites Nairo Quintana Second in the Tour last year and…
-
Form, fitness, fatigue and Froome – what we’ve learnt from the Tour of Romandy
As expected, Chris Froome beat Simon Spilak by some margin in the time trial which rounded off the Tour of Romandy. This gave him the overall win and resulted in exactly the same podium as last year, with world champion, Rui Costa, in third. But as with so many stage races, the result itself seems…
-
Who needs team-mates?
Every pro cyclist actually. But at the same time, there’s little meaning in being team leader if you only ever finish right alongside your garishly-attired brethren. On stage three of the Tour of Romandy, Chris Froome made light of Team Sky’s relative weakness of late and did his thing alone. His thing? Vincenzo Nibali attacked…
-
Whither Team Sky?
The first stage of the Tour of Romandy was a 5.6km prologue. Michal Kwiatkowski’s continued omnipresence meant that he won, with Chris Froome nine seconds back in 13th place. Stage one was then shortened to 88km due to snow and Swiss rider Michael Albasini won, Chris Froome finishing safely in the main front group. So…
-
Simon Gerrans hits his target
I did say after the Tour Down Under that Liege-Bastogne-Liege was one of Simon Gerrans’ targets. Target hit. Just look at his cheery munchkin face. He’s delighted. Form This year’s race was something of a who’s who of 2014’s form riders. Obviously, you don’t win if you’re massively out of form, but the podium only…
-
Alejandro Valverde on the Mur de Huy
Sounds like a guess in Cluedo. And yes, Alejandro Valverde did indeed carry out mass slaughter on the slopes of Belgium’s infamous ‘wall’. La Fleche Wallonne (literally, the Walloon Arrow) is an even more significant win than his victory in Roma Maxima earlier in the season. Valverde likes these sorts of finishes. Steep, but necessitating…