Author: Harold Dalton

Cahiers du Cyclisme, January 2011 edition Cycling is unique as a mediasport not in that it’s a sport entirely devised by the media, but in that it’s a mediasport whose entire structure is wholly resistant to media coverage. Cycling was initially consumed not as sport but as literary spectacle, something you could see in person but only ever understand through the written word. The Tour de France’s conception was as serialised story in a newspaper, a grand narrative captivating its readers. Perhaps it’s for this reason the pre-war records are dismissed as fanciful, relating to a type of sport few modern fans recognise, the tales…

Digital WorldBike is happening right now. We’ll be periodically editing this post to add updates for as long as our enthusiasm holds. Welcome This is what it looks like. The backdrop changes every few seconds. If you click Conference, you can hear people talk Sport, Tech, or Mobility. If you click Expo you can look at some virtual trade show stands (and harass the company’s employees via text chat). If you click Info, you can choose between a chat room and registering for some kind of thing. Jens greets you. We saw this twice, so it probably wasn’t live unless…

We’re all stuck inside avoiding the deadly plague. Well, ok, we can see you’re still getting out on Strava. But we can’t go to the pub, which means we have plenty of free time. For that reason, some of our favourite bike mags are now free for the duration of the lockdown. We’ve included them here, plus a few free books if you’re feeling more revolutionary. Ok. Here they are, in order of how much we like them. Conquista “To give you all something to do while you’re stuck indoors we have decided to make pdf versions of all previous…

In just four days, the first ever Digital WorldBike conference will take place. Cyclry will be there as though it was a real life trade show that we’d been sent to cover, which mostly means hanging out in the food court (kitchen) chatting with our friends (cats) and then finding a Bianchi (Specialized) to photograph at the last minute so we have a story to file. In case that was too subtle, this is not a real life trade show. It’s a virtual one, so there’s no danger of catching COVID-19 or chlamydia. Plus we don’t have to comb our…

Here’s the UCI talking about postponing some test events. We’ll have confirmation of the Olympics being moved to 2021 real soon though, so just consider this news the apéro before the real thing. In the current context of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which also affects Japan, cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), must announce that the Tokyo 2020 test events for BMX Freestyle and track cycling scheduled for 11 and 12 April, respectively in Tokyo and Izu, will not be held as originally planned. In view of the current health situation, holding the events would potentially put at…

Kalas, one of our favorite cycling clothing manufacturers at the moment, have shifted their operations to help fight the spread of COVID-19. Chapeau. From cycle wear to face masks. Sleeves, braces, collars, zippers and other parts of our clothing have been temporarily left aside and Kalas production has been transformed into a face mask manufactory.Thanks to the high commitment of the Kalas production team, a total of 9,452 face masks have been produced and supplied to firefighters, paramedics, doctors, municipalities and retirement homes to help to fight the coronavirus pandemic ?

USADA announced Friday that John Gleaves, of Fullerton, Calif., an athlete in the sport of cycling, has accepted a four-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation. Gleaves, 36, tested positive for oxandrolone metabolites 17α-Hydroxymethyl-17β-methyl-18-nor-2-oxa-5α-androst-13-en-3-one and 17β-Hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-2-oxa-5α-androst-13-en-3-one, as well as clomiphene and its metabolite 4-hydroxyclomiphene, as the result of a urine sample collected in-competition at the Masters Track National Championships on August 31, 2019. Oxandrolone is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and clomiphene is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators. Both substances are prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for…

Immediate Media, who own Bike Radar, Cycling Plus, MBUK, and a triathlon thing, have partnered with Cafeyn. We don’t really know what Cafeyn is beyond the fact that it’s probably pronounced like caffeine. Their blurb is more like a CEO’s microdosed acid vision than anything substantial: paradigm-shifting digital information streaming, or something similar. Anyway, we think that it means you can read magazines on your phone. Dennis and TI Media are also on it, so you have a bunch of cycling magazines to choose from. Here’s what they’re saying: Cafeyn, the popular European information streaming service, announces the signature of Immediate…