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Talking Tactics: What goes around comes a-Ronde for Cancellara
At the start of March, after Fabian Cancellara had been outfoxed by Cannondale’s one-two punch of Moreno Moser and Peter Sagan at Strade Bianche, many observers dismissed the great Swiss champion as a...
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Talking Tactics: Cancellara on track at Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix is referred to as ‘the Queen of the Classics’ and ‘the Hell of the North’ with good reason. Every year it delivers a spectacle of high drama and derring-do, the stuff of cycling legend....
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Talking Tactics: How did Roman Kreuziger win Amstel Gold?
Roman Kreuziger surprised both fans and rivals with a stinging solo attack with 7km to go in last Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race that enabled him to time-trial his way to his first classics victory. But...
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Talking Tactics: Key factors in determining the Giro winner
Rather than look back on the Ardennes, this week I’m going to look forward to the Giro d’Italia, which starts in Naples in just ten days’ time. This year’s edition looks set to be as close and...
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Talking Tactics: Teaming up
A three-week grand tour is not one race but a series of races within races. Each competing team has different objectives: general classification, sprints, one of the four main jerseys, individual stage...
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Talking Tactics: How Luca Paolini became the maglia rosa
In last week’s Talking Tactics I looked at how different teams’ objectives influence their rider selection for the Giro, depending on which of the many races within the race they are focussing on:...
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Talking Tactics: Who will attack in the mountains this week?
With the first high summit finish in the bank, the general classification is now starting to solidify. With a hilly conclusion today and back-to-back summit finishes to tackle over the weekend, what...
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Talking Tactics: The road to victory
We’re now at the business end of the Giro, with the next few days set to determine all the major classifications. With that in mind, let’s have a look at what we can expect to happen tactically over...
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Talking Tactics: Giro d’Italia – how the jerseys were won
The dust – or should that be snow? – has finally settled on this year’s Giro, so I’m devoting this week’s Talking Tactics to an examination of how each of the four major jerseys – overall, points,...
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Talking Tactics: How good a form indicator is the Dauphiné?
The Critérium du Dauphiné (formerly the Dauphiné Libéré) is generally touted as being the biggest and best warm-up race for the Tour de France. But with the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Luxembourg...
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Talking Tactics: How to win the polka dot jersey at the Tour
Over the next three Wednesdays I’m going to cast an analytical eye over the races within the race at the Tour de France, to explore where key battles will be won by the mass of riders whose objective...
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Talking Tactics: How to win the green jersey at the Tour
In the run-up to the Tour de France I’m casting an eye over the races within the race beyond the yellow jersey. Last week I examined the battle for the polka dot jersey. Today I’m turning my attention...
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Talking Tactics: The battle for the yellow jersey
This is the last in my series of three Talking Tactics previewing tactical aspects of the forthcoming Tour de France. I’ve already taken a look at how the polka dot and green jerseys will be won. Today...
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Talking Tactics: Parking, positioning and power
Every Wednesday during the Tour de France I’ll be examining tactical tidbits from the week’s stages to look into key events which shape the race. Here are a few observations from the opening four days....
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Talking Tactics: Pyrenean carnage merely a dress rehearsal
Last weekend’s stages in the Pyrenees will live long in the memory, first building up Sky‘s aura of invulnerability and then just as quickly exploding that myth. It was a brutal two days that taught us...
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Talking Tactics: Gone with the wind
After several stages run along coastal roads where the threat of crosswinds is obvious, it was ironic that the stage where the wind finally tore the peloton asunder took place about as far away from...
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Talking Tactics: Tour de France – how the jerseys were won
In this week’s Talking Tactics I’m taking a look at how each of the four major jerseys of the 100th Tour de France were won: overall, points, mountains and best young rider. General classification 1....
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Talking Tactics: The road to the rainbow passes through Spain
Other than scratching my head about the Tour of Poland starting in Italy and puzzling over the complexities of its attractivity classification – answers on a postcard, please – there wasn’t a huge...
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Talking Tactics: When the fox escapes the hounds
It is a scenario we have seen time and time again at the end of flat stages. The day’s breakaway has been caught and, as teams start to think about winding up to set up the sprint, an opportunist...
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Talking Tactics: Expecting the unexpected at the Vuelta
With two summit finishes in the first three days of this year’s Vuelta a Espana, all eyes were focussed on the top contenders to make an early statement and claim a psychologically-boosting victory....
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