Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
"Whether he did it or not (and he has always emphatically denied the accusations and never tested positive), pretty well everyone else was at it, those were the times he lived in, and his achievements were immense by any standards"
It's that time of year again. Another glorious photo gallery from the world's most gruelling bike race. Sunflower fields, mountain passes, mud, pain, colour. And poor George Hincapie's astonishing varicose veins
There's no question that drugs have found their way onto pro-cycling scene. Could an innovative new biological passport be the solution to spotting steroid abuse? Opinions are divided and it's not a flawless system. But it's a start
On pro cycling, through the eyes of a rising star. "No other sport demands the same time, pain, and work ethic. You cannot race a Grand Tour without being in supreme physical shape, so fit that you are actually eating yourself"
Fatal accidents are, thankfully, rare in pro cycling. But on day three of the Giro d'Italia, 9 May 2011, a young Belgian cyclist lost his life. This piece describes events that day and the next, paying tribute to a promising athlete
Profile of British Cycling performance director and Sky team principal. Only a man who spends his off-time studying cycling stats could hold down two such jobs at the same time. A human dynamo "highly driven by not wanting to lose"
Welcome to the Tour de Pakistan, a 1000 mile race with none of its French counterpart's glamour. Expect armed escorts, potholes and congratulatory handshakes from mustachieod officials, rather than tv cameras, models and rose petals
Lovely appreciation of the Tour of Flanders, excerpted from book on cycling's Spring Classics. A series of brutal little climbs in the Ardennes. Rotten weather virtually guaranteed. One of the great one-day bike races
Interesting insights from pro cyclist on the importance of slipstreaming. Cyclists usually stay out of the wind by hiding behind each other, but all sorts of other moving objects can affect a racer's chances. Even TV helicopters
One climb in modern bike racing defies all technological advances. Step forward the Koppenberg, a narrow, frequently slippery, cobbled nightmare that still gets pro cyclists off their bikes and walking. Great story, lovely pics too
Good account of Milan-San Remo cycling race, and historic negatives that Matt Goss had to overcome in order to win. Not ignoring mass pile-up that split the peloton, leaving Goss without team support as finish approached
A few stand-out shots in this photo essay of a day spent following the Milan-San Remo bike race. The historic event -- the longest one-day race in professional cycling -- was eventually won by the Australian rider Matthew Goss
