Tag: Scottish Stage Races

Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2007. The portents for Sunday were better: we weren't hung-over; the sun was out; and we got up to the start at Kuurne without one wrong turning. The chemists were shut though, so Pozzato couldn't buy his hair gel. The start at Kuurne is always a real, "organised chaos" job, there's a riders enclosure but somehow, some riders get mixed up with the crowd and can't get back in to the start enclosure, so have to wait on the roll-out beginning, then cajole their way through the sea of people so as they can go to work.

VeloVeritas owes an apology to the Frenchman who rides for that most Belgian of teams, Lotto’s Tony Gallopin; we thought he’d had his ‘day in the sun,’ wearing le maillot jaune on Bastille Day. And if we may digress for a moment; since World war Two the jersey has been worn on Bastille Day by a French rider on 17 occasions, including Anquetil on five, Hinault three times with Bobet and Tommy Voeckler both achieving this feat twice – as well as Monsieur Gallopin, this year.

Here at VeloVeritas we try to keep abreast of what’s going on across in Europe, one result which caught our recently eye was young Mark Donovan winning the Aubel-Thimister-La Gleize junior stage race in Belgium. Never an easy thing to do against all those would-be GVA’s. Best ‘have a word.’

Despite an Olympic Road Race, two World Hour Records, a World Amateur Pursuit Championship, two World Professional Pursuit Championship medals, a World Professional Road Race Championship, a Giro d'Italia, a GP des Nations and four Trofeo Baracchi many believe that the best of Ercole Baldini – who died on December 1st at the age of 89 – was never seen.

If, like me, you spend too much time on social media then you’ll be aware of the name, ‘Dave Marsh.’ His Universal Cycle Centre page keeps popping up with beautiful renovation jobs on ‘retro’ gems – with Raleigh in particular a marque they’ve made a science of.

Which are the fastest tyres in the world?-Dugast, no question. Check out the exotic machines ridden by the world's top track squads, Australia, France and GB, the common denominator? Dugast.