Author: Harold Dalton

The 2010 season started early, with the first races in my schedule taking place before the trees had leaves. Wes Speksnijder and I were reunited, and though he disagreed that our almost season-long separation had been an intentional decision by the team’s management, I was happy with the prospect of being allowed to share a room with him again. My first race brought me to the middle of freezing cold fucking nowhere in Northern Europe. The journey from Sedgethorpe involved an overnight ferry, which I’d opted for on a whim and then regretted when I discovered how long it would take and that I’d be expected to sleep in…

The Z Lok represents further innovation from Hiplok, this time in the form of a secure, lockable cable tie for all kinds of outdoor uses. Innovators in Bicycle Locks If there’s one cycling company that I feel unequivocally positive about, it’s Hiplok. That’s something that emerged to me as I was writing this review — there are lots of brands I love in this sport (I’m somebody who’s been walking around in a Campagnolo logo face mask all pandemic), but very few I feel 100% happy with. So why Hiplok? I just think they’re doing something rare. They’re constantly innovating,…

Highlights Report The dream began five short years ago with a small continental team run by former-owner Ran Margaliot, and today it reached this new, incredible milestone: Alex Dowsett won Israel Cycling Academy’s first WorldTour stage in a Grand Tour. Together with teammate Matthias Brändle he got in the breakaway of the day. Together with Matthias he was dropped on one of the climbs, and together with him he came back to the front. “Matthias and I never stopped believing,” said Dowsett. “Having two in the break of six was essential,” the British ITT-champion said. When they returned to the…

Paris-Roubaix. It’s the best day of the year. And because it’s 2020, we don’t get it. Covid again. Bet it fucking rains on 25 October, when it was scheduled to take place. The race will return on April 11, 2021. Unless Covid is still a thing. Here’s what they say: At the request of the Préfet du Nord, Préfet des Hauts de France and following the Health Minister Olivier Véran’s announcement yesterday, that placed the Lille Metropolitan area on maximum alert, the 118th edition of Paris-Roubaix (UCI WorldTour) and the 1st edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes (UCI Women’s WorldTour), originally scheduled…

Former Team Sky and British Cycling doctor Dr Richard Freeman had his much-anticipated hearing in front of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester today. Here are some highlights. “I have regrets” When asked whether he covered up ordering Testogel, Freeman answered with a single word: “Yes.” He was then asked whether he knew the difference between right and wrong when he ordered banned Testogel as a Team Sky and British Cycling doctor. “Yes. I knew I was not telling the truth. Being honest is one of my core values […] Things just snowballed. I have regrets.” “When I gave…

The Giro is nearly here. We’ve already shared INEOS’s team, who are our favorites to win the overall (though far from our favorites in the other sense of the word). Now it’s time for some more. AG2R La Mondiale “We’ll arrive at the start of this autumnal Giro d’Italia with desire and determination. We will trust in the younger riders like Jaakko Hänninen and Aurélien Paret-Peintre, who will both celebrate their first participation in a Grand Tour. The latter will start off without being under any pressure, but will have the ambition to aim for the best possible overall classification.…

Ah, the Natchez Trace 444. It’s a race we all know and love. Or it is now that I’ve just learned it exists. It’s a qualifier for the Race Across America, and the 444 in its name refers to the distance of 444 miles that it takes in as it travels the length of the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. The parkway travels through three states and roughly follows the “Old Natchez Trace,” a historic travel corridor, which, according to the National Parks Service, takes you on a journey through 10,000 years of history, from American…

In the latest bad, but nevertheless completely unsurprising, news from a 2020 that appears systematically designed to destroy us all, the remainder of the 2020 USA Cycling National Championships have been canceled. Guess why? Yeah, you knew. While Europe is successfully hosting grand tours, COVID-19 is still wrecking shit in the USA. That means no cyclocross nationals, which was kind of the last bastion of civilization. Uh, at least for US cycling fans. USA Cycling tells us “After months of planning and seeking alternatives to hold a safe and successful Cyclocross Nationals, USA Cycling is announcing today the cancellation of…