A brief history of the bicycle

With some of my recent posts about the new bikes for 2012, I thought it was about time to have a look at how the bicycle came to be.

The humble bicycle is almost unrecognisable to the rough drawing of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s students, in the 15^th century. Despite all of the components being available to the general public, nobody considered putting them all together. It wasn’t for another few hundred years, before things really got going.

Karl Drais

The real history of the bike starts with Karl Friedrich Christian Ludwig Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn, or simply known as Karl Drais. Aristocrat, Drais was one of the most creative of his time; however, he was regularly ridiculed by his peers. Many of his inventions are still in use today, including the meat grinder, but it was his bicycle that really made his famous.

Valverde's points won't help Movistar

Despite Alejandro Valverde’s success at debut race, after a two-year doping ban, his team will need to find success elsewhere, if they hope to secure WorldTour status next year.

Last year the UCI decided that any rider coming back from a doping ban could not contribute towards the team’s ranking points. A quirk in the rule allows riders to accumulate points and Valverde’s second place, in Australia, puts him 19 points behind Simon Gerrans. When deciding on whether a team should have WorldTour status, the UCI look at a number or different things including their ethical merits.

Valverde was handed his ban after a long drawn out case, which came as a result of the 2006 Operacion Puerto. Italy took the first step and banned him in May 2009 and a year later he was given a backdated two-year ban, from all competition. Despite his time out, it looks like El Bala could be Movistar’s best chance of a big victory this year. It won’t just be this year’s points that won’t count; the points ban will carry on throughout 2013.

Tour of Beijing: Good for Cycling or Bad for Cyclists

The inaugural Tour of Beijing is nearing its end and there has been mixed reviews from the cycling community. So is the Tour of Beijing good for cycling or bad for cyclists?

To be honest I think it is a bit of both; cycling needs to broaden its horizons, but not at the expense of the riders’ health. Cycling in Asia, when you compare it to Europe and even America, is almost non-existent. With some big sponsors dropping out of the sport (not mentioning any names HTC) and places like China are full of big business companies, who would be very willing to invest.

UCI begins court proceedings against Floyd Landis

Things seem to have gone from bad to worse for cycling’s resident mad hatter Floyd Landis, as the UCI start legal proceedings.

Landis has been attacking members of the cycling fraternity since he was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title and banned. The American was tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone and since then it has been difficult to tell the truth from lies. It seems that Pat McQuaid has finally had enough of the nonsense and has lodged the case with a Swiss court.

Franco Pellizotti banned by CAS after being cleared in Italy

Franco Pellizotti may have been forgiven, for thinking he’d got off scot free, after the UCI brought him to court for abnormalities on his biological passport.

The Italian has been convicted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, after the UCI appealed the original decision. Pellizotti was provisionally suspended, before the 2009 Giro d’Italia, and has had all of his results since then removed.

He had been cleared by an Italian court in October and even went as far as threatening to sue the UCI. The cycling governing body has managed to get their own back, after the CAS lumped the Liquigas rider with an 115,000 Euro fine. The UCI are applauding this as a success for the biological passport; as much as it is a success, it is another case of one court saying one thing and another saying something else. If a rider is to be banned, they should have a total ban, and there shouldn’t be so many decisions turned over.

Bring Back Team Radios

The UCI’s ban on team radio has taken a lot criticism since it began earlier on in the year. There has already been a protest in the opening stage of the Challenge Mallorca.

Teams rode the stage with the banned radios, claiming the issue was to do with safety and not Directors trying to control the races, which the UCI has indicated. There have also been protests in Argentina and Italy, with teams complaining about the lack of input they had in the decision. There have been requests, made by the Cycling Professionals Association, for certain options to be considered. These have included only having one rider per team with access to a radio or limiting use to hazard warning.

Alberto Contador tries to Save Career as he Submits Clenbuterol Defence Docoments

Alberto Contador should be enjoying his winter off after winning his third Tour de France at the age of 27 and joining Bjarne Riis at the SunGuard Saxo Bank team for 2011.

Instead he has just submitted his defence documents on Friday 26th November 2010 in his aim to salvage what has been a brilliant career for the Spaniard so far. Contador has been locked in battle with the Union Cycliste International (UCI – Cycling governing body) since he tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol in September. So how has el pistolero’s season gone from riding high to down in the dumps?

Franco Pellizotti Claims Damages from UCI after he is Cleared in Investigation

Franco Pellizotti has asked the UCI for damages after cycling’s governing body launched an investigation in to abnormal readings in his biological passport.

Pellizotti was clear to race on October 21st after months of legal battles after the UCI announced on May 3rd that they would investigate irregularities in his biological passport. He was represented in front of the TNA (Italian national anti-doping court) by team doctor Roberto Corsetti. The TNA has also asked the UCI to pay up €5000 for the investigation.

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport the UCI based its findings on 22 separate controlled tests. The first came back in December 2008 at Pellizotti’s house and the other two in 2009 at a training camp in April and three months later in Monaco just before the Tour de France.

Italian Cycling in Disarray

Two other Italian riders Francesco De Bonis and Pietro Caucchioli were suspended around the same time for suspicious findings in their passport, but it was decided Pellizotti’s case was different. The UCI is expected to bring an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Elite Women's Time-trial Start list

15:00:00 LEAL BALDERAS Veronica MEX

15:01:30 YAP Kimberley MAS

15:03:00 NONTASIN Chanpeng THA

15:04:30 BERTINE Kathryn SKN

15:06:00 KALITOVSKA Lesya UKR

15:07:30 MULLER Valeria Teresita ARG1

15:09:00 MOHAMMAD Mariana MAS

15:10:30 PANINA Tatiana BLR

15:12:00 ANTONOVA Yelena KAZ

World Road Championships - Timetable

Tuesday 28 September Schedule
Time Trial
♦ Team managers meeting, all categories 09:00-10:00
♦ Time Trial training session, all categories 13:00-15:00
♦ Confirmation of starters, all categories 10:00-12:00
♦ Distribution of race numbers for Women Elite and U23 Men 16:00-18:00
Wednesday 29 September
Time Trial
♦ Men U231 10:00-14:05*
♦ Women Elite1 15:00-16:50 *
♦ Distribution of race numbers for Men Elite 17:30-18:00
Thursday 30 September
Road Race
♦ Team managers meeting, all categories 09:00-10:00
♦ Confirmation of starters, all categories 10:00-12:00
♦ Distribution of race numbers for Men Under 23 17:00-19:00
Time Trial
♦ Men Elite1 13:00-17:35*
Friday 1 October
Road Race
♦ Distribution of race numbers, for Women Elite and Men Elite 13:00-15:00
♦ Men Under 231 13:00-17:15*
Saturday 2 October
Road Race
♦ Women Elite1 13:00-16:35*
Sunday 3 October
Road Race
♦ Men Elite1 10:00-16:50*
*Arrival Time estimated