Greatest Spring Classics Races – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Originally named Omloop van Vlaanderen, the race was created by newspaper Het Volk to compete against rival Het Nieuwsblad’s Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen).
- info@procyclinguk.com
Men’s Cycling
Men’s cycling is where my interest started, by watching the 1996 Tour de France.
Since then I’ve watched a lot of it, have my favourite riders and teams and can have a reasonable go at predicting results.
I try and write as many race previews as I can to help with fantasy teams and give information to those interested. Particularly with women’s racing too.
You can read all my posts on men’s cycling below – always let me know if you think my predictions are wildly off!
Greatest Spring Classics Riders – Alejandro Valverde
Valverde will turn 40 towards the end of the 2019 Spring Classics and whilst a great rider is also a controversial one. It’s probably easiest to think of his career in two parts, before the ban and after the ban.
Roubaix Velodrome – A History
These days there are two velodromes in Roubaix. One is indoors and not even 10 years old yet. The other is the immensely iconic outdoor one that sees the finale of Paris Roubaix. Officially known as the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux, it has held the finish of Paris Roubaix since 1943. That is except for 3 years …
The forgotten story of Julien Vervaecke
Born just before the end of the 19th Century, Julien Vervaecke went onto win a monument and finish on the podium of the Tour de France. His career was not without controversy, Paris Roubaix, in particular, proving to have its fair share. Ultimately, it was a life to end in tragedy. The early career of …
What happened to… Jacky Durand
My first recollection I have of Jacky Durand is of him riding what was presumably the last stage of the 1999 Tour de France. I must have seen him in plenty of breakaways during that Tour but it’s this one image that has stuck in my mind. As the confirmed Lanterne Rouge of that Tour, …
Pro Cycling Families – Part 2
I wrote a post a couple of years ago about pro cycling families. Specifically, fathers and sons who are both pro cyclists. I revisited it a few months ago as it needed updating.
What happened to… Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen was something of a favourite of mine growing up. During that spell where McEwen was at his best, I was a teenager just starting to ride further than ‘up the village’. I’d picture myself sprinting to victory as the Aussie sprinter, who I was already taller than. I even put him in my …
Pro Cyclist Couples 2020
2021 Version is here Being in pro cyclist couples is tough, many many days spent away from home travelling the globe to race. If you’re racing in a different place to your partner, you might not see them for weeks or months. There are some riders racing in Australia over the last 5 weeks since …
What happened to… Michael Rasmussen
This week, we’re looking at the Dane Michael Rasmussen. Following on from last week’s look at Michael Boogerd, I promise I haven’t got it in for riders of Dutch teams from the 1990s! At his peak, Rasmussen was famous for always thinking about his weight. The often heard story was that he would count out …
2020 Spring Classics Race Dates and Favourites
In the early part of 2020 are the collection of races known as the spring classics. These races all have lots of character and tradition and for the most part take place in Belgium (with the odd exceptions in France, Italy and the Netherlands). A lot feature the brutal addition of cobblestones, some are on …