Saturday, 29 December 2012

Picture This: Knights On Bikes

 

The above picture looked comical when it was taken at the Olympics this year, but it's now set to be a little closer to the truth as Bradley Wiggins was named alongside Dave Brailsford and Sarah Storey in the queens New Years Honours list. It seems Knights are swaping horses for bicycles in 2013, with 'Sir' Brad leading the way. Wiggins joked: “It’s an incredible honour and an incredible thing to have, Sir is not something I would like to use in daily life because it would still sit uneasy with me. The only thing I have insisted on is that my wife and children call me Sir at home but other than that everyone is free to call me Bradley!". That throne might come in handy in Sir Brads living room, all he needs now is a sword...

Thursday, 27 December 2012

Picture This: Judgement Day For Lance Armstrong

 
Lance Armstrong has been very quiet of late, but today is Judgement day. Today is the last day Lance Armstrong has left to appeal the UCI's final verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Until this point Lance has faught tooth and nail to keep his reputation in tact, though recently he said he wouldn't fight anymore. No reply from Armstrong today will bring the whole affair to a close, though Tyler Hamilton warns that Armstrong may strike back: "You hear very little from Lance, but I think this will not be a permanent state, I fear Lance will hit back. I think he is suffering terribly, Lance is a very proud man, he believed, he was like an atlas and he could carry the world on his back and now everything is gone, the glory, the honor, it will be too much... Money, yes it personally cost him. It will tear Lance apart that he is not a hero anymore." The Clock Is Ticking....

Monday, 24 December 2012

Cyclings Christmas Winners And Losers

 
I'm taking two days off over Christmas but will be back on the 27th and will present my unorthodox season review before the new year. It's Christmas eve and though there is much to celebrate, not all of the riders are feeling the Christmas spirit. Here's this years Christmas winners and losers...

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Saturday Shorts: No Classics For Ballan, Schleck: I'm Here To Win, Leipheimer: Leinders Was Doping Dr, 2005 Vuelta Fiasco

 
There is not long now until Christmas, which means that the 2013 season is edging closer. Unfortunately much of the recent news remains firmly focused on the past, and in the case of Alessandro Ballan the crux of his 2013 season looks to already be over...

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Wednesday Movie: WiggoWall - Winter Training, Bradley Wiggins Style...

As pro-cyclists everywhere re-find their love of the bike at their respective winter training camps - working hard, building up base miles, getting back into their strict diets - there will be little time or allowance for much more than a single glass of pinot-noir and a mince pie this Chirstmas. Somebody try telling Bradley Wiggins that! After his 2012 he's every right to let lose and celebrate and we all know he is partial to a beer or ten - there were some less than flattering photo's of 'Wiggo' doing the rounds in the rags after his SPOTY win looking a little, well, pissed. But it's nice to see at least one rider getting into the party mood: Here's Bradley Wiggins at the SPOTY after-party with a rendition of Oasis - Wonderwall, now known simply as 'Wiggowall'...enjoy.

 

Monday, 17 December 2012

Picture This: The Gloom Of Froome...

 
Much can be made of a photograph, but as Bradley Wiggins took to the stage at last nights Sports Personality of the year awards ceremony with that popular phrase "I couldn't have done it without the team", the cameras conveniently focused on team-mate/enemy Chris Froome. There is a hint of a wry smile here but just before this moment it was more of a cold stare than anything else. Could it have been Froome up there? Should it have been Froome up there? We will never really know, but with Wiggins talking about a possible crack at the Giro/Tour double at the after-party, that icy look doesn't look set to thaw any time soon...

Sunday, 16 December 2012

SPOTY: Another Big Night In British Cycling History?

 
Unless you have been locked in a cupboard for the last 2 months you will be aware that tonight is once again Sports Personality Of The Year night. This award has a bit of an unusual status - a good deal of the nation watches it, but the award itself is rarely taken as being a 'major' achievement in any sportsman's career, it's nice to win but doesn't really mean a great deal. However, tonight's award could confirm a massive shift in the publics perception of cycling and bring what has been a 'fringe' sport well and truly to the masses...

Thursday, 13 December 2012

Wiggins For The Tour? Trouble In Store For Brailsford​...

 
If David Brailsford has had a tough couple of months, then they are about to get even tougher as Bradley Wiggins left nobody in doubt that he wants not only to ride the Tour, but to ride it as leader of Team Sky. Wiggins U-Turn comes after months of speculation that he will focus on the Giro and Froome will head to the Tour de France in 2013 as team leader - which David Brailsford had already more than hinted at. Here's what Bradley Wiggins had to say in an interview with BBC Radio 5Live today...

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Tuesday Shorts: Katusha Kicked Off WorldTour, Linda McCartney Team Doping? Armstrong Officially Tour-less.​..

 
Only this Sunday I mentioned how slow news had been in recent weeks, now two days on there is plenty to talk about as new doping cases come to light and the UCI make their WorldTour licence decision in a rather unusual fashion. Here is the Tuesday shorts...

Monday, 10 December 2012

Picture This: Bus For Sale?

 
If you like to travel in style and luxury then this could be right up your street. Euskaltel are selling off a team bus in order to pay their riders November wages. This blog has been following the ups and downs of the Euskaltel team since troubles began early last year and even though things looked slightly more secure moving into the 2013, managing to hold on to key finances and riders like Samuel Sanchez (who extended his contract recently), it still doesn't look good for the Basque team. If you want to help, simply buy the above bus for 918,000 euros which will help pay the November wage bill totalling 857,000 euros. Perhaps team boss Miguel Madariaga will be handing out bus passes for his riders to travel to races next year...

Friday, 7 December 2012

Friday Shorts: Rogers Joins Saxo, Wiggins Sportsman Of The Year, Lemond For President?​

 
It's been a slow couple of weeks and with Christmas fast approaching things look set to get even quieter - in the cycling world that is, but with Christmas comes the new year and with the new year comes the new season. Until then, you will just have to make do with a few shorts...

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

46 Days And Counting

 
Most people are probably counting down the days until Christmas which if they have been good could mean a new jersey, a new wheelset or if they are really lucky, a new bicycle! But it certainly isn't 46 days until Christmas. No, this event is much more important to cycling fans (some will probably be counting in hours, minutes and seconds!) - that's right, its 46 days until the start of the 2013 WorldTour season...

Monday, 3 December 2012

Picture This: Tour De France 1903 - The Winning Bike


With some images of the new team bikes for 2013 starting to do the rounds, how about this for a Tour winning bike? Forget today's 7kg weight weenies, this brute won the first ever Tour de France in 1903 - it travelled 1509 miles, over six stages averaging around 250 miles each under the legs of eventual winner Maurice Garin. OK, so there were not any mountain passes but a few lesser cols, the highlight of which was col de la République at 3,809 ft - nothing much by today's standards, but take a closer look at the picture...yes, that is a single speed!

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Rogers Sneaking Out Sean Yates Style?

 
Team Skys anti-doping policy has come under much scrutiny lately, and though I don't agree with every aspect of the 'sign or die' or policy, I was left feeling a little empty when Sean Yates wriggled out of the back door with his 'need to spend time with family' line rather than face the music and set the record straight like a man with dignity. So when I hear that Mick Rogers looks set to be joining Saxobank via the same back door, I was left a little bemused...