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Stunning images of Jered gruber from Team Garmin-Sharps recon of the 2014 Paris-Roubiax course.

In April, we secured a ride in the MTN-Qhubeka team car for the 3-day stage race, Driedaagse De Panne, in Flanders. We watched the race unfold from the most revealing of vantage points. Enjoy the ride.

The word “classics” gets thrown around a lot in pro cycling. The Spring “classics” season  starts late February or beginning March with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad  and  ends with Liege-Bastonge-Liege at the end of April.

After a very busy opening week for Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung at the Belgian classics, racing continues when the team start the 3 Days of De Panne on Tuesday. The 3 day, 4 stage Belgian tour is a prestigious race that sets the tone for another big week of Belgian racing with the Ronde van Vlaanderen also being on Sunday. 3 Days of De Panne always attracts a stellar field as riders look to be in peak condition ahead of the weekends Belgian monument by using the ‘DDDP’ to sharpen the race legs. Riders like Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma – QuickStep) will be on the start line, thus highlighting the calibre of rider on display. After a tough opening week of spring classics with numerous crashes, Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung will rest riders like Gerald Ciolek and Ignatas Konovalovas for DDDP, allowing an almost full compliment of African riders the chance to start the Belgian tour. Martin Reimer and Jay Thomson headline the team with support from Ferekalsi Debesay, Bradley Potgieter, Youcef Reguigui, Songezo Jim, Johann van Zyl and Dennis van Niekerk.   Rider – Jay Thomson  “De Panne is another interesting Belgium race where the ...

Team Garmin-Sharp’s Dan Martin gets his 2014 racing season underway today at the seven-day Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy (Mar 12-18) It is only the Garmin-Sharp rider’s second time doing the race and after last year’s rain-lashed affair where he finished 19th overall, just under eight minutes down on race winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team), Martin said he’s under no pressure whatsoever, with his big goal just two months away. Indeed, the team for Tirreno is built around American Andrew Talansky, but given the significant number of new faces in the team’s roster this year – and retirements of Christain Vande Velde and David Zabriskie – Martin’s keen to show the new guys the ropes and lead by example by chasing whatever results are possible. “The average age has dropped substantially in the team this year and there’s a lot of young riders. That’s going to change how we race and it’s definitely changed my position in the team. I feel old now,” Martin laughed (he’s just 26). “I’m now one of the older guys. It has brought it home to me that I’m going into my seventh season this year and the time has flown by. I have a bit of experience now and ...