John Wilcockson
BACKGROUND: Wilcockson writes about all aspects of cycling but specializies in European road racing. He has reported the Tour de France no less than 40 times. A graduate of the University of London, Wilcockson became the editor of VeloNews in 1988 and has since worked as editorial director and now editor-at-large. His other journalism experience includes being the editor of International Cycle Sport, Winning: Bicycle Racing Illustrated and Inside Cycling magazines, as well as serving as the longtime cycling correspondent of The Times and The Sunday Times of London. He is the author of more than a dozen books. He raced as a Cat. 1 amateur in Britain, France and Ireland before becoming a writer and editor in 1968. These days he celebrates his birthday each year by riding his years in miles in the Rocky Mountains.
BIKES IN THE GARAGE: '98 Seven Cartesia, '87 Vitus and '04 Jamis Dakota
Stories by John Wilcockson »
Posted: Sun, Jul 19th
Inside Cycling - This Tour is not over“Contador was the strongest today,” Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck said shortly after Sunday’s intense stage 15 to Verbier. “And now it will be very difficult for us to win the Tour de France. But we will try again.”
Saxo Bank surprised many on Sunday by being the ...
Posted: Sat, Jul 18th
Inside the Tour - Verbier: the mini Alpe d’HuezAlthough Sunday’s stage 15 from Pontarlier in France to Verbier in Switzerland is 207.5km long, the first 200km is almost irrelevant in the context of who will wear the yellow jersey into Monday’s rest day — unless something totally unexpected happens before the leaders ...
Posted: Fri, Jul 17th
John Wilcockson: The 2009 Tour is far from easyAll week long, people watching the Tour de France on TV have been saying, “This Tour looks too easy. When are they gonna start racing?”
Memories are short, and appearances are deceptive.
A week ago, everyone was saying that the opening stages of this 96th Tour de ...
Posted: Thu, Jul 16th
Inside the Tour - Danger awaits in the VosgesThe climbs (and descents) in the low mountains of the Vosges of northeast France have often caused unexpected problems or opportunities for major Tour contenders. Bad crashes ended the winning hopes of Raymond Poulidor and Luis Ocaña during Tours of the 1960s, while Ivan Basso ...
Posted: Wed, Jul 15th
John Wilcockson: Cav' can be beat, but he's still the favorite for Thursday's stageWhile Mark Cavendish is getting all the glory of stage win after stage win at this 96th Tour de France, he always compliments his Columbia-HTC teammates, notably his lead-out man Mark Renshaw. But the Manxman, who looks like he’s on his way to at least six stage victories this ...
Posted: Tue, Jul 14th
Inside the Tour - Cavendish about to emulate HobanEditor's note: The Tour de France recently honored John Wilcockson for his remarkable 40 years of reporting. VeloNews.tv took the opportunity to salute him.
Posted: Mon, Jul 13th
Brad Wiggins: The joker in the packWhile Alberto Contador was being grilled by a 250-strong media throng at the Novotel Limoges on Monday afternoon, a small group of six reporters sat around a table with Brad Wiggins at the Campanile hotel barely 500 meters away. And that’s how the lean, long Brit likes it: no ...
Posted: Sun, Jul 12th
Pending final week, the Tour becomes a waiting gameWhen the first phase of the 96th Tour de France ended on Sunday with a near 80-man field sprint (on a mountain stage!), we knew that the race leaders were already looking ahead to the final week.
They all know that the stages in the Alps, followed by a time trial at Annecy ...
Posted: Sat, Jul 11th
Inside the Tour - Marginalizing the Tourmalet?This year’s Tour de France is laid out so strangely that even though two of the toughest Pyrenean climbs, the Aspin and Tourmalet, are included in Sunday’s stage 9 they will be virtually marginalized. That’s because from the top of the Tourmalet — the most difficult ...
Posted: Fri, Jul 10th
Inside the Tour - Watch for surprises this weekendJust five teams are still in contention to deliver the winner of this excruciatingly tense 96th Tour de France. And these five do not include Ag2r-La Mondiale, the French team of the new race leader Rinaldo Nocentini. He was far from being the strongest man in Friday’s ...
Posted: Thu, Jul 9th
John Wilcockson: A change of pace for the TourThere have been very few “down” moments in this 96th Tour de France. All of the first six stages have thrown different challenges at the 180 starters, and it’s a testament to today’s breed of pro cyclists that only three of them have so far dropped out — and all due to ...
Posted: Tue, Jul 7th
It’s all about the teamUntil the very final meter of Tuesday’s 39km team time trial in Montpellier it looked as though Lance Armstrong was going to grab the yellow jersey from Fabian Cancellara. That he didn’t take it may have disappointed those Armstrong fans looking for a Hollywood ending to a ...
