February 2014 24
Allo allo, why taking photos on duty can be bad for your health.
At the start of the 1994 Tour de France, Laurent Jalabert was one of the fastest and most fearless sprinters in the peloton. By the end of the first stage, he’d vowed to change his riding style forever. Sat on the road, covered in blood with broken teeth, collarbone and cheekbone it wasn’t surprising that […]
Five of the best Mark Cavendish sprint finishes
Tour de France – Champ Elysees 2010 Cue close shot of Thor Hushord ‘sprinting’ with Pettachi on his wheel. Phil Liggett asks the question ‘is he going to pull off a big surprise?’, er no Phil, as Cav flies past them looking like he’s in a different race. Milan San Remo 2009 Cav wins […]
Tirreno – Adriatico: When a climb is too steep even for the pros
Watching the pros you always marvel at how easy they make everything look in a bike. Well, almost always. At last years Tirreno Adriatico there were waves of protests following the stage 6 parcours which included the Sant’Elpidio a Mare climb at the end of the 200 km stage. This beast had an average gradient of […]
Brillant Jens Voigt response to his double crash at the 2010 Tour
Ever wondered why so many people love Jens? Here’s the double crash he suffered on Stage 16 of the 2010 Tour. Here’s his very funny reaction to it. Wondered why he’s so happy? Remember what happened to him on Stage 16 the previous year.
“The Professor” smashes “The Badger” at the 1984 Tour de France
Lauren Fignon’s career was to became defined by the 1989 TdF, the one he lost by eight seconds to Greg Lemond. But his career (and life) should be celebrated for the performances he delivered during and especially at the start of it, including his 1984 destruction of four-times Tour winner, Bernard Hinault. He burst onto […]
Greg Lemond Comes Back From The Dead To Break Irish Hearts
Chambery 1989 and one of the great one day road races. The World’s dished out a stunning finish this year, with Tour de France winners Greg Lemond and Laurent Fignon battling it out with the one-day stars Sean Kelly and Adri Van der Poel for the rainbow jersey. Sean Kelly had been the world’s number […]
Big Mig Destroys A Young Lance Armstrong in the TT
Miguel Indurain, or Big Mig to give him his official title, dominated the Tour de France in the early 1990′s, winning five consecutive times from 1991 to 1995. An incredible physical specimen, Big Mig was 6ft 2ins and 175lbs (80kgs) which should have prevented him being competitive climbing anything longer than a speed ramp. But, […]
Gavia 1988 – The Day The Big Men Cried
Epic is perhaps over-commonly used in sport, but Stage 14 of the 1988 Giro over the Gavia pass was truly an EPIC stage. In Italy this stage is still known as “The Day The Big Men Cried” such was the brutal nature of the weather, combined with climbing the partially paved 2621m giant pass. Having […]
Jesper Skibby gets run over at 1987 Tour of Flanders
We all know that feeling of being on the limit on a steep climb, over-geared and desperately trying to keep balanced whilst grinding slowly up the hill. In the 1987 Tour of Flanders Jesper Skippy was experiencing that exact emotion on the infamous Koppenberg – a 22% wall of rough cobbled pain. This climb is […]
Bernard Hinault Breaks His Nose But Still Wins His Fifth Tour
Bernard Hinault always imposed his authority on a race. As one of the last great patrons, Le Badger made sure everyone knew who was in charge when he was racing. In the 1985 Tour de France, Hinault was heading for his fifth win and wearing yellow as a group charged into Saint-Étienne. Following this […]
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