Finally, some proper hills. The 158km third stage, from Men Tou Gou to Yong Ning, featured three category one climbs, including an epic descent the type that seems to contradict the theory that engineers are stable, logical beings. In the end though, a well-pedigreed Irishman took honours whilst our van load of media dudes had … Read more
World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin blitzed the opening individual time trial (ITT) around Beijing s Olympic Park course, dispatching the 11.3km distance in 13 minutes, 34 seconds (50km/h average speed) to secure the red leader s jersey. Problem is, almost nobody was there to see it. The Tour of Beijing local organising committee (City … Read more
At the opening ceremony of the 2011 Tour of Beijing Asia s inaugural and only UCI WorldTour event 18 of the world s best professional cycling teams took turns stepping onto a glittering stage for their introduction. A 19th team entered the room on a wave of pumping music, lights and adoration China s National … Read more
Formed in 2000, FHL (Flying Hairy Legs) is an eclectic group of expat and local Chinese road cyclists braving the often-hazardous ring roads, secondary motorways and city streets of Shanghai s urban sprawl, whilst providing a great starting-point for travelers and newbies wondering where the hell to start. This was exactly the position I found … Read more
Amongst the 220 delegates attending the inaugural Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress in Brisbane, peak bodies of the Australian bicycling industry were also contributing. Retail Cycle Trade Association Executive Officer Graham Bradshaw met with Cycling iQ to explain how. Who is RCTA and what are the organisation s objectives? Retail Cycle Trade Association of Australia, or RCTA, … Read more
1991. Shimano STI was introduced, Miguel Indurain s five-year Tour de France dominance began, teens moshed to Nevermind , and the World Wide Web officially launched to the public. Bicycles were purchased in bike shops and carbon fiber frames were often of dubious quality. But thanks to a surge in exports from the US and … Read more
Australians stayed awake into the wee hours to watch Cadel Evans seal a historic win at the 2011 Tour de France. Post-Tour engagements have continued to pile up, including a media conference arranged by team sponsor BMC at Eurobike, Germany. The following Q+A is compiled from several journalists who attended the media conference. Evans answers … Read more
Asia s first WorldTour professional road cycling event will be held in Beijing, 5-9 October, but it didn t happen by chance. Global Cycling Promotion, a relatively new commercial division of cycling s Swiss-based governing body, the UCI, is owner and promoter of this event. Alain Rumpf, GCP s director and keen rider himself, elaborates. … Read more
Accessibility used to be all that stood between a bicycle brand and a consumer. Today, it s more complicated. Multiple business models co-exist, creating a plethora of purchasing options for consumers. It is both exciting and confronting. Every node in the supply chain, from factories to bicycle retailers, must be profitable to survive the new … Read more
Last month Cycling iQ analyzed Flight Centre Limited, the Australian-based global travel agency that, in 2008, diversified into selling bicycles domestically. Super Retail, another publicly-listed Australian enterprise best known for its Super Cheap Auto automotive accessories division, followed suit the same year and quickly got a reality check about the bicycle business. Whereas Flight Centre … Read more