Category: Classics and day races
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A fairly brief preview of Sunday’s Tour of Lombardy
I’ll try and keep this fairly short, but these things always get away from me. The Tour of Lombardy, also known as Il Lombardia or the Race of the Falling Leaves, is our final formal appointment in 2014. It’s the autumn one-day race. Unlike most one-day races, which are either hilly or flat, the Tour…
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The buoyancy of Michal Kwiatkowski
It’s always good to know that a win isn’t a fluke and being as the World Championships finished with the same three riders on the podium as in this year’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege (albeit in a different order), we can reassure ourselves that the cream did indeed rise to the top. If it had been a sprint……
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A time for Cunis – a men’s world road race preview
That title’s a reference to 1960s New Zealand cricketer, Bob Cunis, about whom Test Match Special commentator Alan Gibson once said: “Cunis: a funny sort of name – neither one thing nor the other.” For that is what this year’s world road race circuit demands – a rider who is neither one thing nor the…
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The freakish box-ticking of Bradley Wiggins – a World Championships Time Trial review
Sit Bradley Wiggins down, hand him a form and a ballpoint pen and ask him to tick some boxes. He’ll look at you with a surly look on his face and probably flick the pen at you in a fit of pique. Then he’ll look at the form, spot something he likes the look of…
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Velocipedes at the Empire Games
A quick update from the Commonwealth Games where, unlike the Tour de France, British riders have figured prominently. Time trials Cycling News went all Phil Liggett, calling Alex Dowsett’s win for England ‘the ride of his life’. The rider called Rohan (Dennis) came second for Australia and Geraint Thomas took bronze for Wales. In the…
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Laura Trott and Peter Kennaugh are likeable British road race champions
A quick diversion to report on the British national road race championships and then I’ll hit you (not literally) with a bunch of Tour de France preview stuff over the rest of the week. I already told you that Bradley Wiggins won the men’s time trial. Emma Pooley won the women’s. Normally people take a…
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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…
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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…
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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)…