Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

(AFP/Damien Meyer)
Rain Sicilian roads made for a slick crash filled stage. The processional pace must have been a result of the crashes and recovery from the previous two stages. Passing from Catania to Messina there were many crashes highlighting the Giro coverage. Bradley McGee is the latest early exit from a nasty crash. That is [...]

FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

Filippo Pozzato took a very fast sprint finish into Autun on Stage 5 of the Tour de France. The final slightly uphill finish was so fast that speeds reached up to 50mph. That is some fast turning of the pedals.
The stage was being billed as a hilly challenge that would disrupt the [...]

(DiLuca is ticked at Gasparotto: AP Photo)
When you hear Italian cyclist speak they always talk about being calm or serene in their racing or training. It is almost like they are talking about going to a spa instead of an intense bike race. This is particularly interesting since Italians are know for their hot tempers. [...]

FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images
Danilo DiLuca has been looking very ticked lately. He made it to the podium, third place to be exact for the Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallone. The Killer of Spoltore usually does not seem to be the groggy angry type. He usually seems friendlier. Perhaps it is frustration that he did not [...]

(pic from Yahoo! News)
Another exciting Paris-Nice is in the books. This one was particularly eventful with several lead changes and a dramatic last day stage win that sealed the overall victory by the latest “Next Indurain” of the Spanish peloton. In fact Paris-Nice saw two potential “Next Indurains” with Luis Leon Sanchez getting the moniker [...]

Filippo Pozzato’s switch from the talent laden Quick-Step team to the Liquigas team for 2007 was a sign that the 25 year old Italian was ready to be his own man in the Classics. The winner of Milan San-Remo in 2006 was a new talent in a talent rich team twhose goals all seemed to [...]

(pic from http://www.team-csc.com/)
Ivan Basso and Bjarne Riis are no longer working together. The fallout from the Operation Puerto scandal has tarnished the relationship between Riis and rising star Basso. The close working relationship took a severe blow when allegations arose over Ivan Basso’s involvement with Dr. Fuentes who is at the picenter of the Operation [...]

The Italian one day races in August are a chance for top Italians to show off their form to Franco Ballerini in order to get a spot on the coveted Azzurri squad for the World Championships road race. This year Stefano Garzelli has been one of the more dominat riders in these one day races. [...]

(Pic from Yahoo! News)
Third Grand Tour is a charm for Danilo DiLuca. After much promise for a great performance in the Giro and the Tour de France Danilo DiLuca came up short. Illness and bad form made DiLuca’s attempt to improve on his 2005 magical year impossible. Today “The Killer” took control in the Vuelta’s [...]

Stefano Garzelli seems to be the default Tour contender on a team that is mostly focusing on the Giro D’Italia. Last year Garzelli and Cioni were supposed to be the main Liquigas antagonist for G.C. but Danilo DiLuca’s surprising and inspired performance put Cioni and Garzelli into a supporting role.
This year with DiLuca looking [...]