Cycling Previews Accuracy
So I’ve spent 2019 writing a fair amount of race previews for professional men’s and women’s cycling. I set out with the aim of doing a preview for each Women’s WorldTour race, which I almost did and a preview for each Men’s Spring Classic, which I did do. Other than that, some previews like Rund […]
Rund um Köln 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
The first week of June (2nd) sees one of Germany’s major one-day races take place. It’s the second oldest continually running race in Germany, a couple years off for the wars aside. The 2008 edition was cancelled due to snow, at the time the race took place on Easter Monday but has moved to its […]
Men and Women’s Liege Bastogne Liege 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
This Sunday’s Liege Bastogne Liege will be the first with the new finale. Gone are the late climbs of Saint-Nicolas and Ans and replaced instead with a more or less flat run into the centre of Liege. The old favourites are still in there though – the Cols and Cotes of Stockeu, Haute-Levee, Rosier, La […]
Men and Women’s Fleche Wallone 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
Wednesday 24th April sees the men and women’s pelotons tackle Fleche Wallone. Unlike Amstel Gold the women’s race has a solid continuous history since the first race in 1998 and similarly to the men has had a single rider dominate the finish in recent years. Alejandro Valverde’s run of 4 wins in a row was […]
Men and Women’s Amstel Gold Race 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
Sunday’s Amstel Gold Races see the men and women take on the hilliest part of the Netherlands – the enclave of Limburg tucked away in the very bottom corner with Belgium and Germany on either side. The men’s race is one of the major classics, although not a monument. The women’s race originally started in the […]
Scheldeprijs 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
In the gap between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix is Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs. It’s become known as the sprinter’s classic in recent years and the modern winner’s list rather backs this up. Marcel Kittel has won it 5 times and when he’s not won it Mark Cavendish (3 times), Tom Boonen (2 times), Alexander Kristoff, […]
Tour of Flanders 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
Sunday’s Tour of Flanders or De Ronde for short is the highlight of the Flemish Spring Classics season. All of the races in the area that we’ve had so far have all been a lead-up to this race – one of the 5 monuments of cycling. The race is tied in very closely to the […]
Milan – San Remo 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
This Saturday’s Milan – San Remo is a beast, 291 kilometres long, it’s one of the longest professional races on the calendar. A relatively flat parcours sees the riders cover a lot of flat ground until the mid-race climb of the Turchino and the final sequence of climbs involving the Cipressa and the Poggio. The […]
Strade Bianche 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
After a weekend in Belgium, the WorldTour moves on to Italy, with Strade Bianche taking place on Saturday 9th March. This relatively new classic will see its 13th edition in 2019 – it’s captured the imagination through its use of energy sapping white gravel roads which require strength and good bike handling to negotiate. Last […]
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2019 Preview – Tips, Contenders, Profile
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the start of the Spring Classics season. It’s the first race that will lead us into the major classics of the season like Paris Roubaix and Liege Bastogne Liege. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad contains a few of the same cobbled climbs (hellingen) that are also raced over in E3 Harelbeke and the crown jewel […]