As an academic researcher, I have studied drugs in society for the last 20 years. In my current job, I also study cycling history and culture, and the place of drugs and doping in this sport.
I know a lot about this topic. But something new dawned on me the other day. I realized, that in all my years thinking about this issue, I have learned much more about how to get away with doping than how to prevent it.
A funny video: one of the fans of Thomas De Gendt writes “unblock me De Gendt” on the road during Stage 16 (probably) of this year’s Tour de France. Apparently, the Belgian cyclist had blocked him on Twitter for an unknown reason. His friend Lonyo Pastor (@Lonyo77), who took the video, wrote on Twitter that “Hi @DeGendtThomas one of my friends wants to tell you something. He doesn’t know what he did wrong @excusasypupas“. And De Gendt really unblocked hem! He answered: “Even I don’t know why he got blocked. He is unblocked now.”
Santini has created three special edition jerseys celebrating the UCI Road World Championships which take place this year in Yorkshire in Great Britain. The colors of the Union Jack and the legendary rainbow stripes feature both technical and casual wear. An inspired and inspiring capsule collection celebrating the Road World Championship in which Yorkshire-native and new mum Lizzie Deignan will be battling to take the rainbow jersey on home ground.
July 9, 1925: in this historic photo, the legendary Italian cyclist Ottavio Bottecchia approaches to the finish line at Tour de France 1925 stage 13, a 275 km going from Nice to Briançon. The monster stage had featured three major ascents, all above two thousand meters: Col d’Allos (2,250 m), Col de Vars (2,108 m), and Col d’Izoard (2,360 m).
Fellow Italian Bartolomeo Aymo (sometimes written Bartolomeo Aimo), the Alcyon teammate of Bottecchia’s rival Nicolas Frantz won the stage in 13 hours 5 minutes, and 3 seconds. Bottecchia finished in second at 9 min 57 sec, 3 min 40 sec ahead of Frantz, who finished in third and reinforced his yellow jersey. Bottecchia, who had also won the previous year’s edition and became the first Italian to win the Tour de France, started the 1925 Tour by winning the first stage, then he won 6th and 7th stages, and made his Tour victory complete by also winning the last stage.
Today’s historic photo of the day: Lucien Lesna during the 1901 Paris-Brest-Paris, with his support car beside him. I love the heroic era of cycling and the clothing of that era. Lucien Lesna (11 October 1863 – 11 July 1932) was a French racing cyclist. He won 1901 and 1902 editions of Paris-Roubaix.
eSAS, the world’s first front and rear electronically-controlled suspension system for road and gravel bikes has passed the test of the Paris-Roubaix’s notorious pavé with flying colors. The high-tech solution developed by the Milan-based electronic suspension leader, HiRide, was used with great success both during an exclusive international media road test and on some of the pro bikes during the grueling race itself.
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.
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).
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.
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.