Tag: Fabian Cancellara
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Bold old time triallists take Olympic gold
Sorry about the lack of reportage on the women’s Olympic road race. I was barbecueing and then couldn’t bluff my way through an article for the simple reason that I know nothing about the winner. Anna van der Breggen is Dutch and she won La Fleche Wallonne earlier in the year, which is part of…
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Born winner Greg Van Avermaet wins Tirreno-Adriatico
That Greg Van Avermaet, eh? He just can’t stop winning. Born winner. Always said so. Sticking with his new ploy of pitting himself against the even bigger bridesmaid that is Peter Sagan, Van Avermaet pipped the Slovakian to Tirreno-Adriatico by a single second. On his way to the win, he also took stage six. Not…
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Lizzie Armitstead wants to win all of the things – including Strade Bianche
Do women actually have an Omloop, you might ask? Of course they do. Lizzie Armitstead won it last week in what was her first competitive outing of the season. This wasn’t entirely surprising. Armitstead is already British and World Champion. She’s a fabulous rider and the only downside to her dominance is that I have…
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Andre Greipel rides like the wind – which on this stage meant in brutal, destructive fashion
Greipel wins! Take that pedals! At the finish, Mark Cavendish’s Etixx-Quick Step team made a bollocks of it. Starting his effort early, Cavendish seemed to be sprinting for an age with a great line of riders just chilling out behind him, biding their time. Other than Greipel, Peter Sagan and Fabian Cancellara also went past…
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Eight pairs to watch in the 2014 Vuelta a Espana
There aren’t enough race previews binding riders together into twos. Let’s be honest, all the best things come in pairs. Also Twixes. The Chrises – Chris Horner and Chris Froome Horner won last year. Froome’s one of the big favourites to win this year. What more do you need to know? Horner’s age, maybe? He’s…
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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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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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Contenders for the time trial at the 2013 World Championships
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…
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The lonely life of Fabian Cancellara
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…