Category: Races

Quote of the day – From Cannondale’s Ted King

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date July 16, 2014
No Comments on Quote of the day – From Cannondale’s Ted King

Cannondale’s Ted King published a new blog post on his personal website and wrote about his early exit from the Tour de France.

Ted King’s ride at the Tour de France ended abruptly on Monday as he was forced to abandon after a Stage 10 crash. He also did crash earlier in the race, once in Stage 3 and again in Stage 4, forcing him to race with tight bandages on both sides of his body. Furthermore, he fell ill on Monday, adding to his tough luck in a stage current yellow jersey holder Vincenzo Nibali called “the hardest stage I’ve ever done in a Grand Tour.”

Tags Tour de France 2014

Giro d'Italia Races

A Tribute to Vincenzo Torriani

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 11, 2014
No Comments on A Tribute to Vincenzo Torriani

Vincenzo Torriani (Novate Milanese, 17 September 1918 – Milano, 24 April 1996) was best known as one of the original “Giro Bosses” or organizers of the Giro d’Italia. He held the role for 46 years, from 1946 to 1992. This video clip is from the documentary named “The Greatest Show on Earth“. Soundtrack: “Di quella pira” – a popular tenor aria (or more specifically cabaletta) sung by Manrico in Act 3, Scene 2 of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, “Il Trovatore“. Tenor: Franco Corelli.

Races Cyclists and Teams Tour de France

Safety advice for the cycling fans, from Marcel Kittel (video)

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 5, 2014
No Comments on Safety advice for the cycling fans, from Marcel Kittel (video)

Francesco Bongiorno unclips his pedal on Monte Zoncolan — Francesco Bongiorno unclips his pedal to avoid crash, after a fan pushing him - Giro d'Italia 2014 stage 20, Monte Zoncolan

Marcel Kittel, the sprinter of the team Giant-Shimano, in a video prepared in collaboration with the ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation – the Organizer of the Tour de France) gave the cycling fans some safety advice.

Kittel says: “Thanks for coming to the Tour to support us. Please respect the riders, protect yourself and especially your children.”

Tags Tour de France 2014

Giro d'Italia Races

Monte Zoncolan from a fan’s point of view (video)

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date June 4, 2014
No Comments on Monte Zoncolan from a fan’s point of view (video)

Monte Zoncolan with Adam Hansen — Monte Zoncolan - a fan's point of view - with Adam Hansen

Stage 20 of Giro d’Italia 2014 finished atop Monte Zoncolan. It is widely regarded as one of the most difficult climbs in Europe: the Zoncolan has been compared with Vuelta a España’s El Angliru, in the Spanish region of Asturias. The steepest, 23.6% pitch of the Angliru is very short however, being part of a kilometer stretch that averages “only” 17.2 percent – while the Zoncolan has a kilometer of nearly 20%.

The “thing” is situated in Friuli Venezia Giulia and belongs to the Alps. Starting from Ovaro, the Monte Zoncolan ascent is 10.5 km long. Over this distance, you climb 1210 vertical meters. The average percentage thus is 11.5%.

Tags Giro d'Italia 2014

Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) Classics Races

Passion for cycling

A child is waiting for the peloton. — A child is waiting for the peloton at Tour of Flanders.

An anonymous but very beautiful photo… One of the best cycling-related photos, which contains no bike.

Tags Ronde van Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders

History and Legends Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia

Merckx vs Battaglin on Monte Carpegna, 1973 Giro

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date February 25, 2014
No Comments on Merckx vs Battaglin on Monte Carpegna, 1973 Giro

Merckx vs Battaglin, 1973 Giro (featured)

If you watch Jørgen Leth’s great documentary about the 1973 Giro d’Italia, “Stars and Water Carriers” (Stjernerne og vandbærerne), you may remember Merckx vs Battaglin battle at stage 8 on Monte Carpegna.

On one of the early climbs of the day, Eddy Merckx escaped bringing Spanish climber José Manuel Fuente (KAS) and the young Italian Giovanni Battaglin (Jollj Ceramica) along for company. Foolishly, Fuente took his pulls with the powerful Belgian and after having burned his matches, was spit out the back.

Tags Giovanni Battaglin

History and Legends Bicycles and Equipment Classic/Retro bicycles Races Special Bicycles Tour de France

Greg LeMond’s 1989 Tour de France winner Bottecchia

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 28, 2013
2 Comments on Greg LeMond’s 1989 Tour de France winner Bottecchia

Greg Lemond's Bottecchia — Bottecchia is a historical bicycle company that started as a small cyclery of Carnielli and improved in 1924 by Ottavio Bottecchia, the first Italian Tour de France winner (1924, 1925). A new company with a new name “Bottecchia” was born after the death of Ottavio Bottecchia in 1926. In 1940 the work force of Bottecchia was 100 people and the company became an outstanding race firm with the historical name of Ottavio Bottecchia and under the management of the Carnielli family. The bike was equipped with Mavic wheels and Mavic groupset: it was the only victory for Mavic as a groupset supplier in history of the Tour de France.

The advertisement of Greg LeMond’s 1989 Tour de France winner Bottecchia (in Italian). A beautiful and extraordinary bike. LeMond was racing for the AD Renting-W-Cup-Bottecchia team.

During the 1980s and at the beginning of the ’90s, the size of the front wheels of the time-trial bikes was 650c, unlike today’s bicycles.

Tags Laurent Fignon, Scott, Tour de France 1989

Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

The greatest show on earth

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 17, 2013
No Comments on The greatest show on earth

Vincenzo Nibali wins Giro d'Italia 2013 stage 20 (featured) — Vincenzo Nibali wins Giro d'Italia 2013 stage 20

The Tour de France is a ‘bigger’ race than the Giro. It has more media, more commotion, more people making demands on the cyclist’s waning energy. What it doesn’t have is the tifosi (see notes 1) of the greatest show on earth.

I discovered my passion for cycling at a very late age. I always enjoyed riding my bicycle starting from my boyhood: I rode for commute, I rode for enjoyment, I even raced a couple of times. But I started riding a road bike in my early 30s. Then I started watching cycling races and immediately fell in love with them.

I watched some races including Tour de France 2008 edition, with little understanding of what was going on actually. In the early stages, I was even thinking Mark Cavendish was going to win the Tour.

Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art Classics History and Legends Paris-Roubaix

Jean Metzinger’s “At the Cycle-Race Track (Au Vélodrome)”, 1912

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 10, 2013
No Comments on Jean Metzinger’s “At the Cycle-Race Track (Au Vélodrome)”, 1912

Au Vélodrome by Jean Metzinger (cropped)

“Au Vélodrome”, also known as “At the Cycle-Race Track” and “Le cycliste”, is a painting by the French painter Jean Metzinger. According to the art historian Erasmus Weddigen, it illustrates the final meters of the Paris-Roubaix monumental classic and portrays its 1912 winner Charles Crupelandt (1886-1955).

The painting was acquired by Peggy Guggenheim in 1945 and is now permanently on view in her museum in Venice; Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Jean Metzinger (June 24, 1883- November 3, 1956) was a major 20th-century French painter, writer, critic, poet, and sensitive and intelligent theoretician. Along with Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Albert Gleizes, developed the art style known as Cubism.

Tags Paris-Roubaix

History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

From heaven to hell: Wilfried Reybrouck at the 1974 Giro d’Italia

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 30, 2013
No Comments on From heaven to hell: Wilfried Reybrouck at the 1974 Giro d’Italia

In the 1974 Giro d’Italia, a completely unknown 21-year-old Belgian, Wilfried Reybrouck, won the first stage from Vatican City to Formia and wore the maglia rosa in his first professional Grand Tour.