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Unless you’ve been hibernating a bit too long or living under a rock you’re sure to know that its that time of year again when all the eyes of cycling turn towards France. This year though the fans eyes will have to drift a little north to England. For 2014 the peloton and the whole circus that follows the 3 weeks of madness is kicking off in the Yorkshire. Yorkshire for many will be famous for a few things, namely good quality strong tea, Yorkshire puddings -them golden yet fatty crusts of pastry that go so well with a roast dinner- and maybe then theirs the white rose. Yorkshire is a pretty spectacular place when the weathers not the typical drizzle of rain, this though helps with keeping the place a lovely lush green. Cycling in the area is tough, narrow and lumpy roads litter the landscape, drystone walls hem you in and sheep run from field to field. A minor hazard to avoid when taking in the great cycling territory. I’m pretty luck as I live just a short ride from where the peloton will be passing on stage one. One climb that will be making its mark on ...

For one special weekend in June the racing and cycling community of Italy descend upon the small town of Feltre based in the hills of the Italian Dolomites. The town has seen Giro action many times but this is not what people come for, they arrive in their local team or club kits ready to take on one the best amateur events I’ve been privileged to do. Castelli along with local club Pedale Feltrino organise and run the Castelli 24hr, as the name would suggest its a race that runs for the one solid day, from 10pm on the 5th June till the 10pm the next night. Hordes of teams race against each other around a 3km circuit that surrounds the old part of the historic town. Crowds line the street cheering and encouraging the participants at all hours of the day and night, music blares from speakers surrounding the circuit jeeping the atmosphere pumped up. Teams of between 11 or 12 riders split the work load of this 24 hours between each of them. This may sound easy, after all it works out at about just two hours each of racing, this is not so, usually each rider tackles ...

The  30-year-old  Austrian and former short distance triathlete only switched to longer distances for 2014 and already had a good start into the season with a second place at Challenge Rimini in May. At his debut over a long distance triathlon at Ironman Austria (Klagenfurt) he gained 4th place with an impressive time of 8:09:06. It hasn’t been anything but easy already before the race. Ironman is never easy and everyone has some issues once race unfolds. Coming straight from a block of altitude training in Font Romeux, were he sustained a foot injury, he was in doubt about his running capability. “I am delighted with my race and very satisfied with my performance. I surpassed all my expectations. The atmosphere over the day was amazing and it’s a phenomenal feeling receiving so much support at my home race. I really had a superb bike leg, but struggled during the concluding run. With about 20k to go, I got cramps and even wasn’t sure if I’d see the finish. Solely the supportive spectators and fans were crucial to move on till the finish line. The happiness I experienced today is beyond description. Finishing my first Ironman among the best is ...

Five years ago, while Alberto Contador was riding to victory in the Tour de France, Andrew Talansky was scratching out a living in races across the United States. Last month, Talansky secured the overall victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné on the final stage putting more than a minute into overnight leader Contador. Today, the 25-year-old Talansky is ready to lead Team Garmin-Sharp in pursuit of the Tour de France yellow jersey. Andrew will be supported by a strong argyle squad, including fellow young Americans Ben King and Alex Howes, both making their Tour de France debuts this year. Howes has been a part of the Slipstream organization since he was a junior in 2004. Tom-Jelte Slagter comes off a strong season to-date with stage wins at Paris-Nice and top-ten finishes in La Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Sebastian Langeveld, the newly crowned Dutch National Road Champion, has netted top-ten finishes in this year’s Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. The team is rounded out by 2011 Paris-Roubaix winner, Johan Vansummeren; Janier Acevedo, 9th overall in the recent Tour de Suisse and the Tour of California,  Ramunas Navardauskas, 2014 Lithuanian National Time Trial Champion, and Jack Bauer, who won the Prologue of the 2014 ...

The Castelli 24-hour race ticks all the boxes for a great cycling party central, its fun, sociable, enjoyable, sociable, fast and exhilarating as 80 teams of 12 riders tackle the 24 hour race. Each of them had their own tactic for the race, splitting the team in to groups of three who rotated in a two – three hour shifts, typically riding between 15-25 minutes throughout with crowds screaming all the way around the circuit. Amongst those riding for the victory, measured in total number of laps, were some of Italy’s top amateur teams, a few professionals and ex- world champions, you know it’s no walk in the park. Enjoy the stunning images by Enrico Ubezio from a great event in the heart of Feltre.