The Futile Fight Against Doping

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. Despite the façade of fair play and gentlemanly amateurism that has... Read More

Contador Case Clouds Cycling’s Comeback

The Tour de France finished this year amidst a lot of excitement. There was the inspirational tale of Cadel Evans’ realization of the long-fought quest to become the first Australian (or citizen of the Southern Hemisphere, for that matter) to emerge victorious in the battle for the yellow jersey. There were the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, flanking Evans on the Parisian podium, the first brothers to ever share a top-three finish in the... Read More

2011 Tour de France: Pre-Race Reconnaissance

Cycling is unique in that the climax of its season comes not at the end of the season but dead center in the heart of the calendar. It isn’t the Tour Down Under in January or the Giro di Lombardia in October that the top riders of the road dream about. No, it is the sunflowers dotting French countryside in July that captivates the imagination, the high Alpine and Pyrenean passes that separate the contenders from the pretenders. It is a rite... Read More

2011 Tour de France: Nagging Pre-Race Questions

Cycling is unique in that the climax of its season comes not at the end of the season but dead center in the heart of the calendar. It isn’t the Tour Down Under in January or the Giro di Lombardia in October that the top riders of the road dream about. No, it is the sunflowers dotting French countryside in July that captivates the imagination, the high Alpine and Pyrenean passes that separate the contenders from the pretenders. Read More  Read More

2011 Giro d’Italia – Rest Day Ruminations (Stages 13-15)

94th Giro d’Italia/07-29 May 2011 Throughout the course of the Giro d’Italia, Sports Nickel’s resident Non-Traditional Sports Fan in America will offer his news and notes on the action from the first grand tour of the 2011 cycling season… Read More  Read More

Next Page »