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Defending champion Clemens Fankhauser to return to An Post Rás with Hrinkow Advarics CYcleanG team
One year after winning the race with Clemens Fankhauser, the Tirol Cycling Team will attempt to once again shine in An Post Rás, with the Austrian outfit confirming that it will take part in next month’s race. Although Fankhauser has moved to the Hrinkow Advarics CYcleanG team – and will defend his title with them – the Tirol Cycling...
Martin, Roche and Brammeier all due to start in Amstel Gold
The classics action moves to the Ardennes this week, and three Irish riders are down to start in Amstel Gold this Sunday. Nicolas Roche (Team Sky), Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin) and Matt Brammeier (MTN-Qhubeka) have all been listed on the provisional start list for the Dutch classic. The race has attracted a lot of big names, and amongst the favourites are World...
Stories about Watts. Improving sprints with Nacer Bouhanni
Cofidis and Nacer Bouhanni reveal their techniques at their training camp in this video from Orbea to help improve their sprinting. Using two scooters, each rider in turn, sprints from one scooter to the next, before decelerating and dropping back to the first sccooter. Each rider does this ten times. They also outline the work done to help improve their...
Eddie Dunbar in tremendous day-long solo break in La Côte Picarde
(Photo @bogaertsk) Eddie Dunbar had another very impressive performance today in the 180-km La Côte Picarde, the second round of the Nations Cup, as he spent much of the day on a solo attack gaining nearly eight minutes on the peloton at one stage. The Irish team of Dunbar, Daniel Stewart, Javan Nulty, Jack Wilson and Sean McKenna faced many of...
UCI Statement on safety at races
After two recent incidents at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of the Basque Country, the UCI have released a statement on safety at races. Firstly, at the Tour of the Basque Country, numerous riders came down due to a crash in the final kilometre of one of the stages. It emerged that bollards had not been removed from the road, and...
NEW SRAM 1x Road Groupset
We've seen 1x systems on mountain bikes for some time now and more recently in cyclocross. SRAM have just released a 1x system for road bikes. Chain ring sizes are available in 38-54 and the system on average will save you 170 grams but more importantly will greatly reduce the risk of dropping the chain off the...
From Genocide To A Cycling Team In Rwanda
Samuel Mugisha always dreamed of professional cycling as a way to support his family. But after he won a coveted spot on Team Rwanda, his dream grew. In a country still showing the scars of genocide, Samuel discovered that cycling for his country comes with important responsibilities. Check out this short movie titled, King Of The Mountain: From...
Drone footage of Lacets de Montvernier
The Lacets de Montevernier are set to feature in this year's Tour de France on the stage from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. The climbs features 18 hairpins and is spectacular. It's only 3.3km long with an average gradient of 7.8%, and it's maximum percentage is 21.2%. It climbs 258m. The hairpins come in quick succession, about every 150 metres. The road was...
“My figures over the winter were really good and I just need to get back to where I was” Sean Downey
Despite a very promising start to the season where he finished in 30th place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Sean Downey of An Post-Chain Reaction has struggled since then due to illness. However, he’s hopeful that he’s over the worst of it, and will be back on form soon. We spoke to the Down man about the opening few months of his...
Was Martin Elmiger the real winner of Paris-Roubaix?
Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) finished in 5th place in yesterday's Paris-Roubaix, but seems to have been the top finisher of those who didn't cross the level-crossing when the barriers were coming down. In previous editions of the race, those who crossed level crossings have been disqualified, but this did not happen yesterday, so Elmiger has a valid case for being...
“Bradley will attack at Carrefour de l’Arbre” Tom Boonen’s prediction
Four-time Paris-Roubaix winner Tom Boonen has spoken to Sportwereld about who he sees as favourite for Paris-Roubaix. "For me the big favourite on Sunday is Bradley Wiggins," Boonen said. "An extraordinary rider, as you have in every generation. Experience? He has that. Everyone sees him as a tour rider, but remember that he has ridden Roubaix at least ten times." "Team...
The pavé sectors of Paris-Roubaix and their ratings
Below are the various sectors of cobbles that the riders are going to negotiate in Paris-Roubaix today, their location, length and their rating: 27. Troisvilles (98.5km – 2,200m) +++ 26. Viesly (105km – 1,800m) +++ 25. Quievy (108km – 3,700m) ++++ 24. Saint-Python (112.5km – 1,500m) ++ 23. Vertain (120.5km – 2,300m) +++ 22. Verchain-Maugré (130km – 1,600m) +++ 21. Quérénaing – Maing (133.5km –...
A day on the cobbles of Flanders with the An Post-Chain Reaction team
By Graham Healy The Irish Continental team An Post-Chain Reaction decided to have a team launch with a difference this year, whereby sponsors and press were invited to join the team on a recce of part of the Tour of Flanders route, just a few days before the actual race took place. The cycle turned out to be a great idea...
Looking back at the closest Paris-Roubaix ever
Arguably the closest ever finish in a monument was the 1990 Paris-Roubaix, when a photo finish was needed to determine the winner. An elite group formed that day after the Forest of Arenberg which included five from the Panasonic team. With nearly one hundred kilometres of the race still left, one of that team, the Belgian Eddy Planckaert attacked, and...
Synergy Baku to return to An Post Rás
The Synergy Baku team from Azerbaijan have announced that they will return to the An Post Rás next month. The team boast an impressive record in the race winning two stages in three years and claiming two top five overall finishes. The Baku outfit took stage wins in 2013 with the Russian Kirill Pozdnyakov plus the Kiwi Rico Rogers...
Josh Edmondson to lead An Post-Chain Reaction in the Ardennes
The An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly team make the short trip through the Belgian border to Northern France this Friday (10th April) to tackle the Circuit des Ardennes International (2.2). Former Team Sky rider Josh Edmondson (GB) has been charged with leading a six man team that includes Irish duo Conor Dunne and Sean Downey, Lithuania’s Paulius Siskevicius...