Feature Articles
The Cycling Family 1961 (VIDEO)
The Foster family from Rushkington in Lincolnshire show us how they manage to transport a family of ten people around the place in a world before minivans or minibuses. Taking eight children camping is no problem for this family on their bicycle built for four which has a trailer in tow for the two youngest children. They also...
We All Know Who Sean Kelly Is But Did You Know That His Home County Was Host To The First Cycling Race In The British Isles
Waterford has played an important role in Irish cycling history. The first cycle club in Ireland- "The Dungarvan Ramblers" was formed in Dungarvan in 1869 by Richard Edward Brenan, the local Postmaster. His various other occupations included; bookseller, stationer, letterpress printer and photographer. In 1883, he edited and printed The Dungarvan Journal. Richard also went on to win...
70’s & 80’s Kids – The Raleigh Chopper
Most of us kids probably rode the MK2 Chopper which was first released in 1972. For the MK2 they bent the seat stays forward so you wouldn't be sitting so far back over the rear wheel compared to the MK1 version. They also added a nifty rear carrier on the back which in times of need you could always...
Joseba Beloki and the tricky descent of the Col de Manse
On the 14th of July 2003, the ninth stage of the Tour de France would see the riders race from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Gap. Going into the stage, Joseba Beloki sat in second place overall, just 40 seconds behind Lance Armstrong. That day, the riders would negotiate the Col de Manse before descending to the finish in Gap. Beloki...
The 1979 Tour and the Fight for the Lanterne Rouge
By Graham Healy The title of Lanterne Rouge, awarded to the cyclist who finishes in last place in the Tour de France, is a badge of honour identifying the rider who has arguably fought hardest to make it to Paris. It can be such an honour though that it can be fought for amongst the riders and the most memorable...
Remembering Fabio Casartelli’s Win in the 1992 Olympics (VIDEO)
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of Fabio Casartelli in the Tour de France. The young Italian rider had been descending the Col de Portet-d'Aspet, when he crashed and struck his head against a concrete block alongside the road. He suffered severe head injuries and lost consciousness. Doctors arrived quickly on the scene. He was...
“Crossed Tourmalet. Very Good Road. Perfectly Passable – Signed Steines”
Today's stage of the Tour de France includes one of the most iconic climbs in the race - the Col du Tourmalet. It was first used in the 1910 race, and has featured in the race over seventy times since. Below is the remarkable story of the reconnaissance trip made in 1910 to determine if the Tourmalet was safe to...
A German in Yellow – The remarkable Team Time Trial of the 1978 Tour
In 1978, the Tour de France featured a team time-trial which was an incredible 153 kilometres in length. It was the fourth stage of the race from Evreux to Caen, and instead of a team's actual time applying, teams were given time bonuses based on their finishing positions. The winners would be given a 2 minute bonus, 2nd got 1...
Vive le Tour – Louis Malle’s Documentary on the 1962 Tour de Franc
Vive le Tour is great short documentary by French filmmaker Louis Malle. It chronicles the 1962 Tour featuring scenes beyond just the racing itself. It shows the atmosphere as spectator gather to watch the race pass, the caravane publicitaire, the feed zone and drink raids. One of the most remarkable parts of the film is the footage of a...
40 Years of the Polka Dot Jersey
Forty years ago this year, the iconic polka dot jersey was introduced to the Tour de France. It meant that for the first time, the best climber in the race would wear a distinctive jersey. The meilleur grimpeur (best climber) of the race had been first recognised by the l'Auto newspaper back in 1905, when René Pottier was chosen as...
The Pavé Stage of the 2014 Tour de France (VIDEO)
Today's stage of the Tour de France is similar to the fifth stage of last year's race. On that stage from Ypres to Arenberg Porte de Hainault, the riders faced nine sectors of pavé and the race was blown apart. Amongst the sectors the riders faced were Carrefour de l'Arbre and Mons-en-Pevele. Chris Froome crashed twice before the riders even...
Sean Kelly’s first Tour de France stage win (VIDEO)
Despite winning the green jersey four times, which was a record at the time, Sean Kelly "only" managed to win five stages of the Tour de France during his career. This was in part due to being marked so closely during the race. His first stage win came in the 1978 race. In just his second season as a professional,...
When prologues go wrong – Pedro Delgado and the 1989 Tour de France
Prologues in the Tour de France generally don't have too much impact on GC. Race favourites may gain or lose a few seconds over each other, but in the bigger scheme of things, it’s not going to make too much difference to the final result. However, in the 1989 Tour de France, one of the race favourites, more or less,...
Dublin Then And Now – June 1961 & 2015
By David Gill American photographer Charles W. Cushman, traveled the world for more than 30 years and always had a camera by his side. Charles Weever Cushman was a member of the Indiana University Alumnus, and upon his death he bequeathed over 14,500 Kodachrome colour slides to his alma mater at the Indiana State University. It's from this collection that we learn...
Alan McCormack talks about his career and Schwinn from ’88 (VIDEO)
This is a nice video from The Pro's Closet of Irish ex-professional Alan McCormack talking about his bike from 1988 when he raced for Team Wheaties. His bike is a Schwinn Paramount, which is now on display, along with various other vintage bicycles, at The Pro's Closet's Vintage Bicycle Museum in Boulder, Colorado. Dubliner McCormack had a very interesting career,...
Introducing Mick Leonard – A Rás debutant
One of the unique aspects of the An Post Rás, which starts tomorrow, is that the field is made up of a combination of full-timers from UCI Continental and National teams, and also domestic teams from Ireland. This year sees national teams from Canada and New Zealand and Continental teams from Austria, Australia, Belgium and the UK amongst other countries...