Sports Poets Society

di Rino Negri Bicisport n. 5, maggio 1998 Nell'87 l'irlandese Stephen Roche firma un trittico degno di Merckx: Giro, Tour e mondiale. Difende i colori della Carrera e al Giro parte per favorire Visentini, vincitore l'anno precedente e primo nel cronoprologo di Sanremo. Dopo la cronosquadre di Camaiore, vinta dalla Carrera, Roche indossa la maglia rosa. Visentini diventa nervoso e si calma soltanto dopo aver battuto tutti nella crono da Rimini a San Marino. Il bresciano diventa infatti capoclassifica e pretende che i compagni siano al suo servizio. A sconvolgere la situazione è la tappa di Sappada. Van der verde si scatena, Roche risponde bene e torna al comando. Esplodono le polemiche. Senza più morale Visentini tira avanti fino a Pila, dove Roche consolida il primato. Il giorno dopo Stephen trionfa nella crono Aosta-St. Vincent che conclude il Giro, mentre l'avvilito Visentini si ritira. Secondo è Millar a 3'40", terzo Breukink a 4'07". Il Tour parte

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/03/where-are-they-now-flanders-and-roubaix-winner-peter-van-petegem/ by José Been - Cyclingtips, March 5, 2021 Peter Van Petegem is a double Tour of Flanders winner, a Paris-Roubaix champion, and a three-time winner of the Omloop Het Volk (now Omloop Het Nieuwsblad). Still, the former Belgian pro remains modest. “I would never walk into a room stating my results list and boast about it,” he tells me. “Not in the past and not now. This is not who I am.” Van Petegem is a softly-spoken and friendly man with a love for cycling that echoes in every word. He still follows many races on TV, men’s and women’s, and he found a job that keeps him in touch with the world of cycling. His own, long career spanned 16 years at the highest level. No fewer than 20 victories make up his palmarès. He is one of 10 riders who has won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year.  “There are many highlights,” he says when asked if 2003, the year he achieved that doub

https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/story/on-the-road-with-peter-van-petegem In the Tour of Flanders Centre, our starting point, two cobblestones are evidence of Van Petegem’s Tour victories in 1999 and 2003 . “I’m a cobblestone rider,” Van Petegem smiles. “You must love cobblestones. I grew up on them and the hills in this area, thus this is all part of my nature. I was particularly motivated by those flandriens, like Briek Schotte , who also had to fly over these cobblestones.” His tips on how to handle them? “First and foremost flexibility ! That’s why I often ride with my hands up high. You have to use your back to go with the movement. I see a lot of racers who lack this flexibility. They rely mostly on their hands. They’ll wear two pairs of gloves and tape their hands up. And despite all that they blister .” NOT A SPORTSMAN The cobblestones in the Tour of Flanders are of mythic proportion. ‘Stone bloodsuckers’ the poet Willie Verhegghe christened them in a poem that is displayed at

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/la-fleche-wallonne-2021-preview?fbclid=IwAR20xgztPZc77LItFfL-UKKI-EG09zJiOP3Uk7P8qCU0d7mYpYcBWPbIPeM Rouleur preview the 2021 edition of La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday 21st April, where the winner must conquer the Mur de Huy WORDS: JOE TIMMS Rouleur - April 15, 2021 The heart of the Ardennes Classics takes place this year on 21st April. The strongest puncher wins La Flèche Wallonne, no questions asked. This is due to the searing climb that defines the race — the Mur de Huy. 1.2km with an average gradient of 10.1% and featuring much steeper pitches , it's a real hellhole. It comes as no surprise, then, that a select few riders have dominated the race over the last decade. Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe won every edition between 2014 and 2019 . The Spaniard claimed victory four years in a row from 2014 to 2017, before Julian Alaphilppe won in 2018 and 2019. That streak means Valverde holds the record for the most wins with