Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009
Or something like that . Actually, today's honorific comes from the National Trophy of Sport, something akin to best Belgian sportsman of the year. It's a very prestigious award, and isn't given to very many cyclists. Believe it or not, Eddy Merckx only shared the award once (not sure but it looks like they don't have any repeat winners).The Emperor of Herentals is a former winner, as is Tom Boonen...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 11/17/2009
By Bryn Lennon, Getty Images Sport Tom Boonen is a cross between a sprinter and a strong cobbled classics rider. He’s a multiple winner of both major cobbled classics, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. He’s also won six stages of the Tour de France along with the green points jersey in the Tour and the rainbow jersey of World Champion. Add to that most of the other cobbled races,...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 11/13/2009
One of the most interesting facts to come out of EP 's recent poll (results below and still time to vote!) regarding past dopers is that those riders who were contrite and apologetic seem to fare far better in the eyes of cycling fans than those that continue to lie and stonewall authorities. The question asked of EP 's readers was: "If you could eliminate one rider from professional cycling,...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 11/13/2009
Apologies to our southern hemispherite friends, but I have Flanders on the brain, in no small part because 1) it was 40, windy and raining buckets on my ride in, and 2) my Facebook page has voluntarily defaulted to Dutch. The latter I take as a compliment. Below I try to argue that Gent-Wevelgem's big changes (Sunday, longer) will remake the race back into the mega-classic it was before it became a...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 11/12/2009
Stijn Devolder has more than earned his salary over the past two seasons for his Quick Step team by winning the Tour of Flanders. The Belgian took top honors two years in a row at the Flemish monument, and for doing so he has become a legend not only in his home country, but worldwide. However, Devolder has been an also-ran throughout much of the rest of the cycling season. Despite having two monuments...
Cycling Art Blog (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
The artisan... Where framebuilding equals art the cycling world can look and marvel at Dario Pegoretti. He was well schooled in the seventies learning framebuilding from none other than the great Luigino Milani. He actually continue building in the Milani shop in Verona until 1999. his art... During the nineties pro teams sought out Pegoretti for his functional frames and badged them under different...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009
For the second year in a row Mark Cavendish proved himself to be the World's pre-eminent sprinter after he dominated cycling's sprint scene in 2009. The Columbia-HTC rider took the most number of sprint wins, followed closely by teammate André Greipel. Garmin's Tyler Farrar's strong end-of-season saw the US rider make his mark, while formerly dominant sprinter Tom Boonen slipped away from the...
Deadspin (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
Belgian Tom Boonen, on his positive test: "I was very drunk. I do not know what happened, but the next day I tested positive for cocaine." [Cyclingnews]
Cyclocosm (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
What is this show “Holland Sport”, on which cyclists say things to the world? It does not seem like it sets a reasonable standard for investigative reporting. (probably should read the comments before proceeding) First it was Thomas Dekker, talking about how EPO didn’t help and how he only took it once. Now it’s Tom Boonen, talking [...]
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
Over the last week, it seems like Astana has gotten serious about trying to keep Contador. It seems that Vino has kept his promise about being willing to do anything to keep the Spaniard but he and his Kazakh brethren are making deals left and right... In about the last 2 weeks they have: -Brought on a new co-sponsor-Samruk, which is the state holding and investment firm for Kazakhstan. -Signed David...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 10/19/2009
Tom Boonen recently made comment that he is thinking about targeting the world time trial championship next year in Australia. To say the least, this comment is hugely surprising. Yes, Tom Boonen is an outsized talent capable of succeeding in a variety of circumstances, yes Tom Boonen has won prologues in the recent past . . . but world time trial champion? Seems almost impossible. Over the past season...
All the Days of Dolores (Free subscription) | 10/18/2009
Pchaw to the Tour de France – we have a better Tour, one that goes right past our front door! Last weekend, 155 riders set off from Paris (or Chartres, fairly nearby) on the gruelling 230km ride to Tours. It was won by the Belgian Philippe Gilbert thanks in part, it must be assumed, to his attention to vital details such as choosing the perfect rider to get into the slipstream of on the home...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
While some of the overall contenders for the 2010 Tour de France may look with fear upon the route's early stages in Belgium and Northern France, the Quick Step team and Classics specialist Tom Boonen will certainly be aiming for victory on familiar terrain. The route of stage one to Brussels may bypass the cobbled sectors made famous in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, stage two will pass over a portion...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 10/13/2009
Since our last post over a week ago, a lot has gone down in the cycling world. Although it has only been 11 days, it feels like a lifetime. Hopefully EP is back on track, ready to post again on a daily basis. Before we get back into our regular swing though, some comments on the last few days . . . Alberto Contador continues to wait on an answer as to where he'll ride in 2010, but it looks like he'll...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/12/2009
Just a quick post on a rare day off -- from work, kids, etc., (translation: ride!) -- to ask the question that is on a lot of minds in the peloton just now. You can bet it's on Damiano Cunego's mind right now. He is well acquainted with the strength of Cadel Evans at the moment: Cunego was one of the protagonists struggling desperately to bridge up to Evans, in vain, over the last 3km of the Mendrisio...
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