News
BBC Radio 4 pays tribute to Irish cycling legend Mick Murphy
A recent episode of Last Word on BBC Radio 4 included a piece on the legendary Irish cyclist Mick Murphy who died in September of this year. The Kerryman became known as 'The Iron Man' following his win in the Rás Tailteann in 1958 and in addition to being a cyclist, Murphy was also a farmer, wrestler, circus performer, bricklayer...
Mathieu Van der Poel on form in Heusden-Zolder
World Champion Mathieu Van der Poel appears to be coming into form at the right time to defend his title next month, as he took his second UCI World Cup victory in Heusden-Zolder yesterday, one week after winning the Namur round. Van der Poel set a furious pace early on, with only three riders able to keep up - Belgian...
“I can not forgive myself” – Luca Paolini talks about his cocaine use
During this year's Tour de France, Italian rider Luca Paolini was informed that he had tested positive for cocaine. An Adverse Analytical Finding of Cocaine (Benzoylecgonine metabolite) was found in a sample collected during an in-competition control on 7 July 2015. He initially denied the use of the drug. “I do not know what to say, I’m stunned. I did...
Sanne Cant wins Heusden-Zolder round of Cyclocross World Cup
Belgian Champion Sanne Cant took her second UCI World Cup win of the season in Heusden-Zolder yesterday and takes back the white World Cup leader’s jersey from eighth-placed Eva Lechner (Team Colnago SudTirol). Following a re-start due to technical problems, Lechner was the initial leader of the race before Ellen Van Loy (Belgium) took over with Cant stuck to...
New Californian law will require cyclists to pull in if traffic backs up
A new law being introduced in California will require cyclists to pull over when traffic backs up. The law takes effect from January 1st and cyclists who are now considered slow-moving vehicles will have to pull in to the right to allow backed-up traffic to pass. As with other vehicles, bicycles with five or more cars behind them will be...
Campbell Flakemore returns to cycling with JML Racing
Following on from the recent announcement that Campbell Flakemore was walking away from his contract with BMC Racing, the 23 year-old has now been included on the roster for the Australian JML Racing team for the 2016 season. Flakemore had a difficult season this year having broken his collarbone in the Tour Down Under and started to question his decision...
UCI launch new World Ranking system
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) have announced a new UCI World Ranking for men’s professional road cycling, reflecting a similar ranking in place already for women’s professional road cycling. The UCI World Ranking – individual and nations – will be published in parallel with the UCI WorldTour Ranking (individual, teams and nations). The new UCI World Ranking will be published once...
Team Giant-Alpecin to use Mini Clubmans as team cars in 2016
MINI Netherlands are set to partner Team Giant-Alpecin from 2016, whereby the WorldTour team will drive the new MINI Clubman during the season. The partnership, which will begin January 1 2016, will perhaps surprise some, but according to Hidde-Jan Haven, brand manager for MINI Netherlands, the MINI Clubman is a perfect fit for Team Giant-Alpecin: “The new MINI Clubman offers...
Philip Deignan out of action after breaking elbow in Majorca
Team Sky’s Philip Deignan will be out of action for an expected six weeks after breaking his elbow last week in Majorca. The Irish rider was knocked off his bike when hit by a car at a roundabout, during the final day of Team Sky's recent training camp on the Spanish island. However, despite his injury, Deignan was able to accompany...
Cycling in Berlin. (Theory vs. Reality)
Claudia Brückner took a trip to Berlin and looked at the cities cycling policy in some detail to see what the city had planned for cyclists. While the city has a cycling plan which included creating a survey for cyclists to find out which hot spots in the city needed most attention she concluded that two years after...
2017 Tour de France to start in Dusseldorf
The 2017 Tour de France will start in Dusseldorf. The news was confirmed by Tour director, Christian Prudhomme, on France Info this morning. London had previously expressed an interest in hosting the Grand Départ. However in September, Leon Daniels of Transport for London (TfL) confirmed that the race would not be returning to the British capital. It's believed that the...
Velon’s Best of 2015 Highlights
2015 was the year in which onboard footage from bike races really took off and Velon, the joint business venture of 11 UCI WorldTour cycling teams, have marked their 1st anniversary by producing this compilation of clips from the season. Amongst Velon's members are BMC Racing Team, Etixx–Quick-Step, Orica-GreenEDGE and Team Sky and one of the principles of the...
New South Wales cyclists must carry ID under new law
New laws to be introduced in New South Wales in March will require all cyclists over 18 to carry ID, and fines for certain offences for cyclists are set to quadruple. The new laws were announced by the state’s roads minister Duncan Gay and are part of NSW's 'Go Together' safety campaign. Other laws introduced include the requirement for drivers...
Mathieu van der Poel takes World Cup win in Namur (VIDEO)
The fourth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Namur, Belgium took place today and 20 year-old World champion Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Corendon) triumphed after a tough battle with Wout Van Aert (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace) in the Elite Men's race. The race took place on a challenging course on the slopes of the citadel at Namur. Van Aert, Van...
Nikki Harris takes her first World Cup win at Namur (VIDEO)
British rider Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea) took her first ever World Cup win today in Namur, Belgium after a long solo ride. She won ahead of Caroline Mani (France), and Eva Lechner (Team Colnago SudTirol). On the opening lap, Lechner took the lead, but Harris soon took over and went clear alone. After two laps, she had a lead of 20...
Focus recall Izalco Max bikes due to headset issue
Focus Bicycles have issued a product recall notice on the website of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the U.S. for their Izalco Max bikes. The concern relates to the headset which Focus state "could cause the carbon-fiber fork steer tube to crack, posing a fall hazard." An estimated 470 bikes in the US are affected plus an additional 31 sold...