Cycling News & Blog Articles

Gear Break: Friday, and it’s time to see what’s new on the cycling market: Campagnolo release their summer clothing collection, 100% and Belgian Waffle Ride create the ultimate eyewear, fizik special edition range, VeloAngle smart tool, Strava launches Local Legends, and Sufferfest/Wahoo fitness sports science division creates 20 new training plans.

Campagnolo 2020 Summer Collection

Much care and consideration has gone into refining these proven designs to maximize comfort and breathability, incorporate safety and improve aero gain, while we’ve also been developing all-new cycling apparel that reflects the performance of your state of the art Campagnolo groupset.

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Johan Bruyneel having a go at everyone, including Lemond – Top Story. The season will soon be back on and the top riders pick their races. The Italian calendar and race news from TDU, Canada, Germany and Slovenia. Lots of rider news and contracts. Team news from CCC, UAE and Movistar. The Worlds back in the USA and Rudy Pevenage has news on Jan Ullrich. Thursday EUROTRASH coffee time.

TOP STORY: Johan Bruyneel: “Lemond rode for French teams, the kings of the cortisone…”
In response to the new two-part ESPN documentary about Lance Armstrong, HUMO spoke extensively this week with Johan Bruyneel, the American’s partner in crime at the time. We now know Bruyneel’s vision: “In the 1990s, everyone had access to the same drugs: blood doping and EPO.” This time Greg Lemond and the French teams are being targeted by the Belgian.

The story in HUMO is a candid interview with 55-year-old Bruyneel: “We (Armstrong and Bruyneel) are apparently the big culprits of everything that went wrong in cycling. But explain the difference between me and Bjarne Riis. We raced in the same period. There were no differences regarding doping. Or at least: I never had a hematocrit of 60. We also followed a similar course as a manager. I worked with Ferrari, he with Fuentes. There is only a legal difference.”

Bruyneel means that his colleagues at the time got away with what they did. As for Riis, “The Danish anti-doping agency has respected the prescription of the facts, which means that he can still participate while I have been suspended for life. He is received with open arms. They want him because he is a good manager and he will not make that mistake a second time. But if they want your head, you don’t stand a chance.”

Ex-Rider Interview: There are some riders who love to tell you how good they are/were, and then there are guys like Steve Jones who just got on with it. Steve came through the ‘Dutch school’ of hard and fast racing to forge a name for himself on the continent before returning to the British pro scene and ANC. Ed Hood hears his story.

Steve Jones with ANC

He’s one of the ‘forgotten men’ of 70’s and 80’s cycling but he was British Junior 25 Mile Time Trial Champion, a Dutch Champion too, a serial winner as an amateur on the roads of Belgium and The Netherlands, an Olympian, winner of the amateur version of the Trofeo Baracchi, a team mate of some of the sport’s biggest names and a professional for a decade.

Oh yes, and he rode for Mr. Capper’s ANC team – Mr. Steve Jones is the man’s name.
Unfortunately, when we spoke to Steve he was recuperating from a nasty encounter with what he thinks was a van on our ever more dangerous UK roads:

And just like that, the use of ketones in Pro cycling made the headlines again after Tom Dumoulin announced he was quitting the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), mainly due to MPCC’s objection regarding the use of ketones, since Jumbo-Visma have been open in acknowledging their use. But do ketones actually improve performance? A timely new research provides some novel insights.

Tom Dumoulin: “They (MPCC) came up with the story of how dangerous the use of ketones is. I thought that was a very hypocritical attitude. In addition, our team uses ketones, so it is a bit hypocritical for me to be a member of the MPCC.”

For all those interested, I’ve dedicated one episode of Fuel The Pedal Podcast to this topic with Dr. Mark Evans, who’s dedicated his PhD research to the effects of exogenous ketones in exercise physiology. You can listen it here:

Tucked within a few square miles of Castel D’Ario Italy are arguably the most skilled hands in performance apparel manufacturing. You’ll find several of the brands you would commonly recognize bases here, including Alé Bikewear’s production facilities and HQ.

Alé have become a staple in cycling kit over the past few years, and unlike many brands in the sport, Alé are actually manufacturing product. Typically though, most of these products require the base fabrics to be milled from newly manufactured raw materials. Alé decided to go another, more earth-friendly way with the latest Bibs and Jersey, the new PRR Green.

The jersey is an eco-friendly 90% recycled materials.

The front panel is a weave that is 80% Polyester-Recycled / 20% elastane.

The new UCI calendar seems to be taking shape and we might see the Strade Bianche on the first of August – Top Story. Race news from the Giro, Vuelta, Poitou-Charantes, Ladies Tour of Norway and a different problem for Paris-Roubaix. The riders have a lot to say: Evenepoel, Ulissi, Groenewegen, Keukeleire, Kristoff, Van Aert, Bouhanni, Lopez, Dumoulin, Quintana, Betancur and Bernal. The Colombians fly in, Jakobsen talks sprinters, teams for the Ventoux Challenge, Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec to focus on Italian races, Lefevere funds team, transfer news, doping in Iran, Riis not co-owner of the NTT team and Bruyneel doesn’t need to see the Armstrong documentary. Loads to read, coffee time?

TOP STORY: RCS meet Italian government, optimism about Strade Bianche
Organiser RCS Sport will be meeting this week with the Italian Ministry of the Interior to discuss the restarting of cycling. RCS’s Stefano Allocchio told Lello Ferrara 3.0 on social media.

It seems certain that the Strade Bianche will be run on August 1. “We can confirm that the season will start with Strade Bianche,” said Allocchio. “I’ll go back to the office on Thursday. There will be a lot to do because we have been missed for a long time.”

The meeting with the minister and the chief of police will take place in Rome. “We’ll be at the Ministry of the Interior in a few days. We will then find out what the conditions are that are imposed on us for the execution of the races.”

Ex Rider Interview: At one time there was a strong home professional scene in Britain and up to the early 90’s there was a full calendar for the ‘paid class’ riders. But due to the blurring of lines between the pros and the amateurs, plus the disinterest (opposition) of the British Cycling Federation at the time; professional cycling disappeared. One of the top winners was ‘Super Sid’ Barras, there are not many riders out there with such a full palmarès.

Another win with Viking

‘Super Sid’ was what they called him; his tarmac graffiti artist fans used to paint; “screw ‘em Sid !’ on any suitable stretch of road surface. Sidney Barras was his Sunday name and few people have won more bike races than this man. British professional legend, Sid Barras talks about his amateur days, his motivation for turning pro, his strained relationship with Peter Post at Raleigh, his win in the Scottish Milk Race and that day at Eastway when he out-sprinted the great Eddy Merckx to take second place in the Glenryck Cup behind Didi Thurau. We also discuss the race he was favourite for every year for a decade but which it took him 10 years to win, the British Professional Road Race Championship. Sid was a fixture on the British professional scene for 18 years from 1970 onwards, it was high time we caught up with him.

Sid beating Dave Rollinson