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Cycling Tips

How to fold an inner tube

A simple demonstration showing how to fold an inner tube, from “Every Cyclist’s Handbook” published in 1936. Some things never change.

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Giro d'Italia Races

Giro d’Italia 2018 Stages and Route

Giro d’Italia 2018 route has been announced by RCS Sport, the organizer of the race. For the first time ever, a Grand Tour will start outside of Europe: Israel will host the first three stages of the Giro d’Italia 2018, beginning with an Individual Time Trial in Jerusalem on Friday, May 4. It will also be the 13th time that the Giro starts outside of Italy. The race will be finished in Rome with a final circuit stage on Sunday, May 27. There will be no team time trial (TTT) and limited opportunities for the sprinters in the 101st edition of the Italian grand tour.

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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Monte Zoncolan

One of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing, Monte Zoncolan is a mountain in the Carnic Alps, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It has been used in the Giro d’Italia six times (2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2018) and in the Giro Donne (Giro d’Italia Femminile, rebranded in 2013 as the Giro Rosa), once (1997).

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Paris-Roubaix Classics Races

Peter Sagan wins Paris-Roubaix 2018

Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) won Paris-Roubaix 2018: the triple world champion attacked from a group of favorites with 54 km to go, caught the two remnants of the early break (Silvan Dillier of AG2R la Mondiale and Jelle Wallays of Lotto Soudal). Wallays quickly dropped, but Dillier was still going strong, he started sharing the work with Sagan and they were never seen again.

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Special Bicycles Bicycles and Equipment

Officina Battaglin launches disc version of Power+, their best-selling modern steel frame

Officina Battaglin, the brand founded and managed by the 1981 Giro-Vuelta winner Giovanni Battaglin, has launched a disc version of their popular Power+.

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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Montevergine di Mercogliano

Montevergine is located near Avellino, in the comune of Mercogliano, in Campania, central Italy. The mountain is a limestone massif and part of the Apennine chain. Under the peak, at some 1,270 meters, is the Sanctuary of Montevergine (see notes 1), where the climb ends.

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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Mount Etna

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. With a height of currently 3,329 meters / 10,922 ft (this varies with summit eruptions), it is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus, and also the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps. To date, the Giro d’Italia has visited the volcano four times, three times to the Rifugio Sapienza and once to Piano Bottaro lower down. The last visit was in 2017, where Jan Polanc, the Slovenian rider of UAE Team Emirates won stage 4, as the last survivor of a four-man breakaway. The fifth visit will be in the 2018 edition.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

Black Jersey is Back

Between 1946 and 1951, the Giro d’Italia had a special jersey, “maglia nera” (English: black jersey), for the last-placed rider. There was a real competition between many riders, to win this highly-coveted jersey. The last-placed rider would ride the final victory lap with the race winner each year around the historic Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan.

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

A Mountain Pass during the 1925 Tour de France

Today’s historic photo of the day: a mountain pass during the 1925 Tour de France. Frenchman Roger Lacolle (Météore) is leading the group (in the left, walking). The rider going the opposite way is a native, not a competitor.

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

Jean Alavoine atop Col d’Aspin (Tour de France 1922)

Today’s historic photo of the day: on Wednesday, July 5, Frenchman Jean Alavoine (Peugeot-Wolber) crosses over the Col d’Aspin during the Tour de France 1922, stage 6. It was a monster 326-kilometer stage from Bayonne to Luchon, which contains three major climbs: Col d’Aubisque, Col d’Aspin, and Col de Peyresourde. Alavoine won the stage in 14 hours 28 minutes and 44 seconds. The second finisher, Victor Lanaers (Automoto) came 16 minutes 43 seconds behind. The overall winner, Firmin Lambot (Peugeot) came third, at 31:05.