; ; The Francesco Mancebo Story looks headed for another interesting and perhaps final chapter. Once a top Tour de France contender, he was implicated ages ago in the never-ending, never-resolved Operacion Puerto investigation. Once in that hot water, he hastily retired, then unretired (“Look honey, no paycheck”) and went into hiding in the United [...]
To put it another way: has Garmin-Sharp team manager Jonathan Vaughters throw in the towel? Has the man who has tried so hard to change pro cycling for the better finally given in to the stupidity, cynicism, pettiness, politics, negativity and corruption? Maybe he has and maybe he hasn’t but from this distance, it [...]
Sometimes you get great legs, good luck and redemption all in one race. Roman Kreuziger won a thrilling solo victory in Amstel Gold and put plenty of disappointment behind him on the famous Cauberg climb. The Czech stage racer made a bold move attacking out of the chasing peloton with 17K, bridged up to the [...]
Patrick McQuaid received the endorsement of Irish Cycling for a third consecutive term as UCI president. However in return for their support, Irish Cycling asked McQuaid to bring up two issues with the UCI that are the exact reasons why McQuaid should never have recieved their backing in the first place: governance and ethics. Like [...]
Like all good head cases, Andy Schleck is headed back to California where we understand how to handle the psychological issues that have derailed the top climbers’ career. The Younger Schleck — the one with the mental problem, not the banned diuretic one — is doing the wise thing by buying a ticket to the [...]
Orange in the red. It appears that anachronistic little band of Basque cyclists called Euskatel-Euskadi is in deep trouble. Team funding has been a serious issue for years; the terrible Spanish economy forcing cutbacks. The team barely has two tapas to rub together. Team manager Miguel Madariaga has been pleading poverty and begging for euros [...]
Jean-Rene Bernaudeau, the team manager for Europcar, always seems to pull rabbits out of a hat — or lapins out of a chapeau if you’re keeping it French. The fact is, JR has pretty skilled at pulling in sponsors at the last minute and convincing riders not to jump ship until he does. [...]
In the wake of Team Sky’s disastrous spring classics campaign, critics were quick to blame Sky’s decision to train on the island of Tenerife instead of racing. With zero success in the recent Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, several riders from Sky have now admitted the novel approach might have been a huge [...]
Alberto Contador is fatigued and it’s just the first week in April. This doesn’t sound like good news for the formerly invincible Spanish stage racer. His number one season goal, the Tour de France, looms ahead and his legs are tired. After starting his season early and fast and furious down in Argentina [...]
