all words by Mike Franchetti
Only romantics imagined that the mess uncovered at the 1998 Tour de France would have disappeared by the turn of the century, and the crooked doping programs which defined the era have impacted the image of pro cycling forever. Yes, the Tour de France in the early 2000s was a mess; but we can’t forget
Even the most cursory of scrolls through social media last month would have revealed the tale of Redditors vs. Hedge Funds, and likely sparked a previously undiscovered curiosity in the stock market. Should we all be trading stocks? If so, which ones? And when? And why? Luckily, the world of pro cycling is a far
The 2020 pro cycling season could be filled with real change. The backdrop of the sport shifted noticeably in 2019 with plenty of riders making the jump from the junior ranks, and the merry-go-round of team leaders clunking into gear during contract season. We got three debut Grand Tour winners in 2019; a feat which
The 2010s are over and we’ve been made well aware of the hungry twenty-somethings ready to devour every race for the next ten years. The end of the decade felt timely with a number of big-name riders misfiring over the last few years or, in some cases, coming up short in fascinating cross-generational duals. 2019
Bad contracts, loss of confidence, terrible luck, or just a mid-career crisis. There’s plenty of reasons why talented riders’ careers stall. Here’s seven riders who used to have the cycling world excited, but now struggle for space on any website. Ruben Fernandez It might be a little harsh to accuse former Vuelta race leader Ruben
Since launching Just Pro Cycling I’ve got very good at being wrong. I dismissed Philippe Gilbert’s return to cobbles and argued that Nairo Quintana would finally conquer the Tour. This post is an apology disguised as a list. I was wrong about Mathieu van der Poel who looks to be the new superman of road
In recent years we’ve been treated to the stickiest of sticky bottles and the most ridiculous of car tows but nothing to challenge the great disqualifications of yesteryear. We did see Eduardo Sepulveda hitch a ride from a team car – nope, not his own – whilst searching for a spare wheel but many felt
The 2018 Tour will eventually be remembered fondly; John Degenkolb’s resurgent win in Roubaix, a cracking battle on Alpe d’Huez and Julian Alaphilippe’s moustache curling with happiness all over France. Nevertheless, fans are in agreement that the final week fizzled out without much happening. Who were the stars of the last three weeks? Here’s my
