Maple Leaves Over Milan: Nationality in Cycling

Posted by on June 3, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

Whose victory was this? It wasn't a maple leaf emblazoned on Hesjedal's maglia rosa in Milan but the corporate logos of his team sponsors...

A week has passed, and Ryder Hesjedal is firmly ensconced in the record books as the victor of the 95th edition of the Giro d’Italia. As the first Canadian to win a grand tour, Hesjedal created history in Milan last Sunday with his come-from-behind conquest over Joaquim Rodriguez. But while the result is not in question, the aftershocks of the verdict reverberate. Whose victory... Read More

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Cobblestone Classics 2012: Boonen Completes Record-Setting Spring

Posted by on April 8, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

Boonen stayed clear to celebrate his record-setting ride all by himself in the Roubaix Velodrome.

Seven days after winning his record-tying third Tour of Flanders title, Tom Boonen used Easter Sunday to firmly cement his place as arguably the greatest rider in cobblestone history. Without Fabian Cancellara in the field to steal some of the attention, Boonen placed his wheel on the line in Compiègne alongside the other 199 starters as the one rider everyone else would be watching.... Read More

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Cobblestone Classics 2012: Cancellara’s Collarbone is Boonen’s Boon in Flanders

Posted by on April 6, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

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They are two men with disparate goals. One is a time-trial legend, the only man ever to don the rainbow stripes of the world TT champion four times. The other is a tortured sprinter, as infamous for his past cocaine issues as his ability to streak past rivals at the finish line of a long day of racing. One has seven Tour de France stage victories, the other six; one has earned them... Read More

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PODCAST: Ryan Braun, Alberto Contador and the State of Drug Testing in Sports

Posted by on February 26, 2012 · 1 Comment 

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I joined fellow writers Ethan Calof and Jacob Rude for the first edition of a weekly podcast that you will be able to find every week here at Global Turnstile if you miss the live airing at Spreecast. This week we discussed Ryan Braun’s successful appeal of his positive test for synthetic testosterone; Alberto Contador’s retroactive two-year suspension that resulted... Read More

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The Futile Fight Against Doping

Posted by on February 10, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

Will Jan Ullrich's ubiquitous magenta jersey really fade out of our consciousness when we think of Lance Armstrong's final Tour victory?

What gets lost most in the shuffle when a doping case is ruled upon is not a sense of guilt or innocence, but a better understanding of why athletes have been compelled for over a century to co-opt the best medical technology of the time to improve their performance. The truth, whether fans want to face it or not, is that there is really no “clean” era in any sport.... Read More

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