Author: Alex
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When Fabian Cancellara attacked Tom Boonen in the 2010 Ronde Van Vlaanderen
Earlier in the week, I wrote about Belgian bike racing and how it’s different from what you’ll see in the Tour de France. I thought it might be good to add a few visuals to that, so here’s a video of part of the 2010 Ronde van Vlaanderen. You get a good feel for what…
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Belgium’s major professional bike races
I’ve just been to Belgium. Yes, it was very enjoyable, thank you very much. If you’ve never been, the nation revolves around moules and mayonnaise; beer, bad weather and bike races. At least one of those warrants closer attention on this website. Belgian day races When it comes to professional cycling, there is the Tour…
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The cobbled stage of the 2014 Tour de France
The 2014 Tour de France route was announced yesterday, but it’s too much information to tackle in one go. I’d therefore like to start with just one of the more eye-catching stages because it also fits with my other aim for the close season of getting people a bit more enthused about the Spring Classics.…
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Benat Intxausti wins the race that no-one’s all that bothered about winning really
The hotly-contested Tour of Beijing is over. Benat Intxausti won. There was a hilltop finish on stage four and the results of that pretty much equate to the final general classification. Dan Martin came second. Sky’s David Lopez came third. There wasn’t much in it. The defending champion, Tony Martin, came sixth. He reckons he’s…
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Richie Porte is well up for the Tour of Beijing
Well up for it. WELL up for it. “It’s been a long season and the legs are tired. I’m here because the team want me here, because the points are tight.” That’s a rabble-rousing statement of intent if ever I heard one. Thor Hushovd is the race leader after winning stage one, taking a 10…
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Why every Joaquim Rodriguez win should be celebrated
Joaquim Rodriguez has cornered the market on bridesmaidery and for that, you should celebrate his wins. He deserves them more than most. While Purito won a number of races last year, his season was defined by losing the Giro on the final day and being denied the Vuelta through a single moment of dosiness. This…
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The autumn one-day race
That’s what I call it, because that’s how I think of it. Most one-day races are in the spring, but this one is an exception. Officially, it’s called the Giro di Lombardia or Il Lombardia. Unofficially, it’s known as the race of the falling leaves or summat like that. It’s the autumn one-day race. The…
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Rui Costa is climbing something
In my World Championships road race preview, I listed a load of major contenders before concluding it would probably be one of the other riders who won. Never let it be said that you don’t get accurate predictions on this website. Rui Costa is a very strong young rider, capable of winning Grand Tour stages…
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Who will win the 2013 World Championships road race?
No idea. Absolutely no idea. Chris Froome is nominated as Great Britain’s leader, but he’ll need it to be a really tough race where he’s basically last man standing in order to win. Chris Boardman has said that if Froome’s coming into the final straight on his own, there’s still a good chance that he’ll…
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Tony Martin really can do a decent team time trial on his own
The team trial took place over the same course as the individual time trial. Based on his individual time, Tony Martin would have finished sixth in the team event. Being as it’s easier to cycle behind someone else – particularly at higher speeds – that’s an astonishing fact. Tony Martin could compete as an individual…