Ivan Basso Reveals Testicular Cancer Diagnosis (VIDEO)
Twice-winner of the Giro d'Italia, Ivan Basso, has revealed during today's rest day of the Tour de France that he has been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He will be returning to Italy for treatment. Basso had been expected to be one of the key Tinkoff-Saxo team members to try and help Alberto Contador win the Tour de France. Basso...
“No Words to Express How I Feel Now” – Nicolas Roche
Nicolas Roche (Team Sky) has expressed his disappointment on Twitter about the outcome of yesterday's Team Time Trial in the Tour de France. Team Sky managed to come within a second of the winning BMC Racing Team's time. After his team mate Wout Poels put in a big turn on the final climb, Roche was seen to be struggling. On...
Highlights of Stage 9 of the Tour de France
As had been predicted by many, BMC Racing Team won the team time trial from Vannes to Plumelec. However, their margin of victory was what was the big surprise as they only beat Team Sky by one second in the 28-kilometre stage. Orica-GreenEdge started first due to being last in the team classification. However, with just six riders left in...
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...
Tour de France Stage 9 Details
Today's ninth stage of the Tour de France is from Vannes to Plumelec. What's unusual is that team time trials normally take place in the opening days of the race, rather than nine days in. The teams of the main GC contenders, Team Sky (Chris Froome), Movistar (Nairo Quintana), Tinkoff-Saxo (Alberto Contador) and Astana (Vincenzo Nibali) will be all expected...
“I really had the legs today, but I couldn’t get out” – Dan Martin
Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin) came close to taking his second ever stage in in the Tour de France yesterday, when he finished second behind Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2R-La Mondiale) on the finishing climb of the Mur de Bretagne. It was always a stage that was going to suit the Irishman, and he had spoken beforehand of it being one of the stages...
Tour de France Stage 8 Details
Today, the riders face a 181.5kms stage from Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne, and the key feature of the stage is the climb to the finish. The Mûr-de-Bretagne has featured just once before as a stage finish. In 2011, Cadel Evans timed his sprint perfectly to take the win. The climb has also featured in another stage, when it was on...
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...
Tour de France Stage 7 Details
The seventh stage of the Tour de France is 190.5kms from Livarot to Fougères, and this is a stage that should suit the sprinters. It's predominantly flat, with just a category 4 climb of the Cote de Canapville to be negotiated shortly after the start. Chris Froome (Team Sky) goes back into the race leader's position, following the withdrawal of...
Highlights of Stage 6 of the Tour de France
A serious crash had a big impact on the Tour de France again today, as yellow jersey wearer Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick Step) crashed in the last kilometre. He was later diagnosed with a broken collarbone and forced to pull out of the race. 188 riders had started stage 6 in Abbeville, with Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) a non-starter due to a...
1880’s The Decade Virtual Reality Bicycle Trainers Were Invented
VR trainers are available but they haven't become mainstream yet and are not cheap. This extract from a book shows a DIY system using a bike, a set of rollers, a fan and a cinematograph so 'the pleasures of a tour can be had in a hall bedroom'. Below is some of the text from the book - The...
Speed up. Slow down. A Roadbike Film.
The Wheels are spinning and pedals turn, And one hundred revolutions occur each minute, That's when we start to listen, Who are randing or cheering or swearing. And the white noise of the wind in our face, Drowns out every days worries, When with every mile passing by, Those to-do lists become less urgent. In todays world life happens so fast. We are all in a...