Author: Alex
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Philippe Gilbert does the Monster Mash at Amstel Gold
Could anyone have stopped Philippe Gilbert on his favourite hill, the Cauberg? Michal Kwiatkowski would maybe have had half a chance if he’d had a little more help from team-mates. “We lost Tony Martin in a key moment and I missed him at the end.” What Kwiatkowski omits to mention is that his Omega Pharma…
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Niki Terpstra is Belgian enough
Let’s start with the top ten. Aside from Sebastian Langeveld, you should recognise all of these names, which makes me feel like I’ve done a pretty decent job over the last few months. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick-Step 6:09:01 John Degenkolb’s Moustache (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano 0:00:20 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing Sep Vanmarcke (Bel)…
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Gird your barses for Paris-Roubaix
It’s Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. Hills aren’t the issue. The route I remember the first time I discovered the proportion of the Paris-Roubaix route which was cobbles, I thought: “Is that all?” Now, having ridden on cobbles for an incredibly short distance, I see the route and think: “51.1km! Sweet mother of Merckx!” That’s the kind…
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Fabian Cancellara and the truths of cobbled racing
After E3 Harelbeke, I pointed out that the first step to winning a cobbled race was: ‘Somehow get rid of Fabian Cancellara’. At the Tour of Flanders, no-one managed this. In fact, the final moments highlighted many of the truths of racing on the cobbles. Three of the four riders in the front group were…
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What to expect from the Tour of Flanders
I promised you a Tour of Flanders preview, but then realised that I’ve basically been drip feeding you just such a thing since the autumn. This is why there are quite a lot of links below. You’ve probably forgotten most of it though, so why not open all the linked articles in new tabs and…
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Meanwhile, in the land of the skinny…
I’ve still got both eyes firmly fixed on the cobbles, but let’s just take a very quick glance back at the Tour of Catalonia, which hoved into my peripheral vision last week. It was what the stage racers were doing to keep themselves occupied while all the Belgians were hammering around in the wind and…
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Moustaches and flying bikes at Gent-Wevelgem
It was a sprint finish with about 40 riders in the front group. John Degenkolb’s moustache won. Here’s a picture of it. That’s John Degenkolb immediately behind the moustache and then Peter Sagan in the background. Sagan came third, with Arnaud Démare, who won the overblown RideLondon–Surrey Classic last year, finishing second. One man who…
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Peter Sagan follows the steps and beats the Steps
No-one’s unsubscribed in recent weeks, so I’m taking that as a sign that you’re either desperate to hear more about cobbled one-day races or that you’re not going to do much more than roll your eyes and ride it out until I get back to writing about the Tour in July. Our latest appointment was…
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Who won Milan-San Remo and how?
Road cycling is an endurance sport. That was the message after this year’s Milan-San Remo. We tend to think of riders enduring endless climbs up mountains, but here they endured shitty weather and a very long day in the saddle. Technically, the race finished with a sprint, but it wasn’t the usual kind of sprint.…
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Who will win Milan-San Remo and how?
First, an apology – because all the best things start with apologies. Even better, it’s a pre-emptive apology, which is basically just the promise of future disappointment. I am apologising in advance because I’m going to be several days late with my Milan-San Remo report. You’re okay with that though, right? I mean if you’re…