Brought back to life by reader demand, the Broken Chain Award is considered for any person or thing that protrudes above the surface of cycling’s bad behavior and bad ideas. Yours in Cycling, Gianni The obvious first choice, the easy choice, was the French TV driver who put Juan Antonio Flecha down on the road…
Author: Gianni
Gianni has left the building.
Riding the stones of Paris-Roubaix, in the Spring, in crap weather (it’s possible) and finishing the ride in the velodrome in Roubaix* should be enough enticement for any right thinking cyclists to jump on to this event. It gets better, watching the race in a scrum of drunken-loud-mad-fans, everyone covered in a sheen of beer,…
Rule #28: “White is old school cool. Black is cool too, but were given a bad image by a Texan whose were too long. If you feel you must go colored, make sure they damn well match your kit.” You bet white is old school and for good reason, it is the only color of…
Training with the Pros, it sounds like fun but it can’t be. Pros are genetic freaks; they put more kilometers on their bikes than any of us civilians do on our cars each year, they ride around whole countries at an average speed greater than 40km/hour and they can dish out such Rule V style…
Before arriving in Paris I kept hearing, “Oh the best way to see Paris is on foot, walk the whole city, it's really the only way to experience it.” I'd rather be shot and thrown into a dumpster by the Seine. Walking is not for cyclists – it sours the guns, it's slow as hell….
When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. I’ve whined about Thomas Voeckler on this site for years. After his yellow jersey escapade in the TdF many years ago he became the new Richard Virenque, the new golden boy of French cycling. That was my first problem with Thomas as I never liked RV, let me rephrase, I…
In May, Velominati wake up too early, brew espresso and open laptop computers to watch small streaming videos of the Giro d’Italia. We notice how different the Giro is from the Tour de France. It’s more colorful, more vibrant, more full of life. If Hinault somehow represents the TdF, Moser would represent the Giro. Lo…
olympics
Defining MomentsAlexi Grewal’s version of his win in the ’84 LA Summer Olympics
milan-san remo
Anatomy of a PhotoIt is said that this race is one of the easiest to finish but hardest to win. Really, it is the easiest to finish? I’ve driven from San Remo to Milan and it takes hours and hours, even at Italian highway speeds. I’m amazed this race usually ends up in a field sprint, somehow big…
Greg Lemond wins his second World Championship at the 1989 Worlds in Chambery, France
This photographer knew the picture that people would remember and that would shine a light into Sean Kelly’s character wasn’t of his face; the story is all below. These are legs only a cyclist could love. In 1988 these legs won Paris-Nice for the seventh time, Gent-Wevelgem and his only Grand Tour Victory, the Vuelta…
deda
TechniqueNothing says “amateur” more than an imperfect handlebar tape job. A review of Specialized S-Works Handle bar tape
Boardman
The HardmenHow long a distance can you ride in exactly an hour? That is a question many famous riders, over the years, have tried to answer precisely. Merckx, Boardman and now Spartacus?
Is it awesome to wear team kits? Yes, but took me a long time and a trip to Italy to have this revelation. Looking good in matching jersey and shorts is cool.
The Rusty Chain award, an award going to the la grand Douche of 2009. This year’s top contenders are Rebellin, Schumacher and Di Luca.