Tour de France on TV

Category: Classics and day races

  • The autumn one-day race

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    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…

  • Rui Costa is climbing something

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    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…

  • Who will win the 2013 World Championships road race?

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    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…

  • Contenders for the time trial at the 2013 World Championships

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    It ain’t much of a spectator sport, but the world time trial promises great drama this year. This is because there are three major contenders, whereas time trials often seem to be more about whether Tony Martin will get a puncture or not. Bradley Wiggins Wiggins is known for winning stage races off the back…

  • Dan Martin is no relation to Tony Martin

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    Despite their seemingly identical fear of surnames, Dan Martin and Tony Martin are not related. Time trialist, Tony Martin, is fully German, while 2013 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner, Dan Martin, is fairly Irish. Dan was born in Birmingham and has only had since 2004 to work on his Irish accent. He is, however, Stephen Roche‘s nephew, so…

  • Liege-Bastogne-Liege highlights are on ITV4

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    I always forget to tell you this stuff. If you’re in the UK, highlights of Liege-Bastogne-Liege are on ITV4 at 9pm on Sunday. You can also catch the programme on the ITV Player afterwards. The ITV Player still has a few of the other spring races available as well. Almost summer Cycling seems to be…

  • Roman Kreuziger gains a face at Amstel Gold

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    There was once an unsettling Hong Kong Phooey story in which a master of disguise is found lying on the floor at the end with an entirely featureless face; just a smooth patch of skin where eyes, nose and a mouth should be. “I guess he just ran out of faces,” says the police officer…

  • Is Bradley Wiggins going to ride Liege-Bastogne-Liege?

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    No. Turns out he’s not bothering. Although the Monument was one of his stated targets for the season, he’s going to ride the four-day Giro del Trentino instead as he looks to build fitness ahead of next month’s Giro d’Italia. The Giro del Trentino offers pretty good preparation for the Giro as it takes place…

  • Ardennes Week – welcome respite for the perineums of the peloton

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    Barse pain subsides and thigh pain increases as we roll off the cobbles and up the short, steep climbs which characterise the Ardennes Classics. The Belgians may name their races after motorways which have since changed their name or towns which the race doesn’t actually visit, but the Dutch name their major day race after…

  • The lonely life of Fabian Cancellara

    —

    by

    Alex
    in

    Cycling is a solitary sport. The peloton may be large and teamwork may decide races, but these elements are but fleeting conveniences. At the end of the day, cycling is about getting away from everyone and everything and striking out alone. It is a sport which attracts people who will happily risk frostbite if it…