coppi

the boass

Seems like Columbia have this whole dominating sprint finishes thing pretty much down. Fourth ToB stage win for Edvald yesterday against the backdrop of serious crowds in Somerset and Devon. The South West always delivers!

cent cols steel

A bike worthy of the challenge indeed.

still a knobhead

This is the definition of half-assed. 

cent cols challenge

The Cent Cols Challenge is exactly the kind of riding that gets me excited - incredible scenery, historic climbs, plenty of suffering, glory too. It's far removed from my everyday cycling experience, which makes it all the more appealing. The inspiring event is the brainchild of Phil Deeker and is taking place right now. Rapha have a team riding in the Challenge, including Ira Ryan and Graeme Raeburn, with the latter keeping us up to date on their progress with these great blog posts. Follow and enjoy.

knobhead

He's writing for the Mail so I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise but still, what a complete wanker! Attempting to imitate Jeremy Clarkson is neither big or clever.

how do you say chapeau in spanish?

For some, the Vuelta will always be a mere afterthought; the not quite as grand tour; the stepbrother with the less fanciful lineage. But while its current position in the racing calender may affect it adversely, the race itself continues to be, in my mind, great. And this year is no exception. I had grown a little bored of The Comeback and the Astana shenanigans and watching a race unfold without Armstrong or Contador has been refreshing. Not that I don't enjoy watching them both race, I do. Bring on next year and all that jazz but right now I'm enjoying the space they have vacated, the limelight briefly up for grabs before it's consumed again by those who crave it, demand it, (sometimes) earn it. Yesterday's stage was epic in the true sense of the word; the riders clinging to the mountain, covered in rain and dirt and pain. Switch to black and white and lose the the 21st century equipment and you had the kind of old-fashioned, sepia-toned suffering that makes those historical images of agony such an essential component of cycling history. Cunego's win was oh-so impressive and I hope hints beyond just a return to form for this year's World Championships. Valverde was equally gutsy, as were Mosquera, Sanchez, Gesink, Evans and Basso, all of who left everything they had on the slopes of the Pandera. 

over the mountains...mountains

The Vuelta gets tough today...Valverde? Evans? Gesink? Basso? 

hell yeah

we're almost somewhere

I posted a picture of one of David Byrne's great bike racks a while back. Here's a little film about his designs that are now dotted around New York City (see above).

missing ingredient

sky pie

Team Sky has just announced that it's signed these guys. Glad to see that they had the good sense to get Russell Downing's signature. But we all know that they really want...

clean as a whistle

always a winner

I think we've seen this outcome before... running out of fresh victory salutes so Cav now opting for the tried and tested 'point to the sky' celebration.

the prince and the vuelta

A great ride by Cunego today. Always a favourite rider of mine, I had in recent years resigned myself to the fact that his Grand Tour days were over. Maybe he won't ever repeat his Giro win of 2004 but for today, at least, he's back!

at the races

real deal

I mentioned in my last post the plethora of new bikes that have that hand-built look to them so I thought it only right and proper that I showed a few photos of some real hand-built machines. These are all crafted by frame builder Ira Ryan out of Portland, OR and are, simply put, works of art. Works of art that enjoy mile after mile of tarmac, grit and gravel that is.

globe bikes

I posted a photo of Trek's new 'city' bike a while ago, and here is the Specialized version. Seems like both companies have been inspired by the growing popularity of hand-built bikes, or at least bikes that look as they have come from a small, sweaty workshop instead of an impassive factory line . As with the Trek models, I like how these Globe bikes look and while their website copy is pretty painful (I haven't figured out what a "competitive urban assault" is just yet, but apparently their fixed-gear model, called Roll, is more than ready for one), I'm a believer in the more affordable and practical bikes available the better.

the curious case of...

Inigo Cuesta. Forty years young. Sixteenth straight Vuelta. Inspiring.