Tag: Pavé

  • Ridden: Vittoria Corsa Pro (vs Control NEXT vs Control Graphene vs Rubino Pro)

    Ridden: Vittoria Corsa Pro (vs Control NEXT vs Control Graphene vs Rubino Pro)

    What more can you say about tyres that hasn’t already been said? We know they are the most important part on any bike, the vital contact point between the road and rider, hopefully avoiding the two meeting in an unceremonious manner. They can make or break any ride, and render the finest of bicycles as…

    Click or not: Ridden: Vittoria Corsa Pro (vs Control NEXT vs Control Graphene vs Rubino Pro)
  • Opening Weekend from the Other Side

    Opening Weekend from the Other Side

    Finally, racing season has started. Sure, we’ve been watching the hot, empty roads of the Middle East and Australia, but when Opening Weekend in Flanders rolls around we know that the good stuff is here. The next six or so weeks is all about the wind, the rain and the cobbles, with fingers crossed for…

    Click or not: Opening Weekend from the Other Side
  • Roubaix: Anatomy Of A Shithole

    Roubaix: Anatomy Of A Shithole

    One of the best, most memorable (and repeated) lines from the movie In Bruges is “it’s a shithole”. Of course this isn’t true; Bruges (or Brugge in the local parlance) is a beautiful city with many a charm to captivate the senses. On my third visit to the city running a Malteni Classics Tour in 2015, the shithole…

    Click or not: Roubaix: Anatomy Of A Shithole
  • The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix

    The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix

    No matter what the Belgians say, the biggest Monument of all is definitely Paris-Roubaix. Its sheer brutality, unpredictability and stones that make their kassien counterparts look wimpy by comparison all add up to the most anticipated race of the Spring, and a fitting end to the cobbled classics, still the most exciting time of the…

    Click or not: The Flandrian Diaries: Paris-Roubaix
  • Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest

    Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest

    Every year the most sadistic of road racing fans hope for one thing; a wet Paris-Roubaix. We want the most epic of races to be even harder for the riders, the punishment of the pavé amplified by a decent coating of precipitation, the ancient farm tracks made more treacherous by adding to the already slick…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: The 2001 Mudfest
  • Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest

    Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest

    If you happen to be unfortunate enough to be listening to Phil Liggett calling Sunday’s race, you’re odds on to hear him utter the phrase “You can’t win the race here, but you can lose it here” as the riders tackle the brutal pavé of the Troueé d’Arenberg secteur. And he’s right on this one;…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: Millar On The Rivet In The Forest
  • Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery

    Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery

    It’s the most exciting week in professional road cycling… the Spring Classics bookended with the two greatest monuments, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and the Queen of the Classics, Paris-Roubaix. Last year’s edition of the Hell of the North was a true fairytale story, with the King of Belgium Tom Boonen going for…

    Click or not: Roubaix Week: Hayman’s Zwift Recovery
  • Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level

    Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level

    Consider yourself a true enthusiast of Flandrian racing? Then try these brief video delights, all focused around Le Samyn, a Belgian one-day Classic locally known as “Little Paris-Roubaix”. Racing coverage and the English language are both in limited supply here, but you do get a sense of the passion and atmosphere that surrounds bike racing…

    Click or not: Flandrian Friday: Spring Classics – The Next Level