His big break happened at the 1965 Tour de Suisse. Francis, in super form, was working for teammate Alfred Rüegg, shepherding the former race winner through the peloton with a notable degree of excellence, riding his guts out to put his wares on display, so to speak.
Read MoreFrancis, who’d been Swiss Amateur Road Champion and ridden three Tour de France’s, one with Salvarani alongside Felice Gimondi during his triumphant 1965 Tour, and another with Molteni, worked as a horticulturist after finishing his racing career. I was in France on my third and final attempt to make it in Europe, determined not to go home.
Read MoreI can generally tell when I’m riding with someone who’s only ever been on clinchers or, now, tubeless. They tend somewhat numbly plow right over just about anything on the road because the consequences are so minimal and they’ve never lived in the constant state of terror brought by riding tubulars
Read MoreThe big issue with the new Pina, was of course the decision on whether to go to disc brakes or not. I endured a veritable chorus of disc brake fervor from my Central Park riding friends, about how, “you’ll be sorry if you don't get them” and so forth, yet something held me back.
Read MoreI worry that the Colombians are going to follow the same race design policies that have been so destructive to our USA racing circuit: that of creating races that completely cater to WorldTour demands and in doing so, marginalize their domestics teams and by extension, races.
Read MoreHe’s considered the Miguel Indurain of Latin America, this large (for a Colombian) and muscular man, whose successes had him named “Colombian Athlete of the Century” in 1999.
Read MoreAlmost everyone rode their bicycles up the mountain. Bikes of all sorts, from WorldTour level to things you’d leave unlocked in New York and no one would steal.
Read MoreI remember thinking then, “This young guy is exactly what we need to shake up the sport, and anyone that tries that hard, and bucks the system so fearlessly, deserves my support.”
Read MoreThere is a definite dark star aura surrounding the Team Ineos. Everything is so perfect, the team identity so overpowering and intimidating, their massive money so very much on display combined with the unbelievable quality of their racers that it’s all somewhat off-putting.
Read MoreIf a rider weighs much more than 135 pounds, there’s little to gain by starting this Tour, sprinters included.
Read MoreEgan Bernal, the 22-year old Colombian winner of the Tour de France continued to show just what an phenomena he is with an end of season streak of performances that put everyone on notice: he’s perhaps even more than we’d thought.
Read MoreAnquetil’s first attempt failed to the raucous cheers of the partisan crowd. Alberto Masi, who had a shop under the banking’s of the track in the great cycling tradition, watched Anquetil’s failure, analyzed what was wrong with his position on the heavy French bicycle and went to work
Read MoreThe race exploded out of the blocks, riders wrapped up in all sorts of raingear to get them through the six hours of suffering ahead, and the sight of three Grand Tour winners at the head of affairs in a big breakaway put us all on notice that this was going to be a championship unlike any other
Read MoreIt was clear to the audience that Erik deeply loved Milano-Sanremo, the “Primavera”, that magically beautiful, 300-kilometer Classic race that he won four-times
Read MoreOn November 9th, 1989, the historic day that the Berlin Wall began to come down, Erik and the national team were in Tunisia at training camp. “We completely missed that most important day in German history
Read MoreEgan Bernal has opened a new era in cycling.
Read MoreHere we are, three days from Paris, and still, no knows who is going to win
Read MoreI witnessed the brilliance of Thomas De Gent.
Read MoreToday is the last chance for the “baroudeurs” those daring adventurers of the peloton
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