The Outer Line

The Outer Line review the intent and current effects of the system, and offer recommendations for how it should be used in the future.

Televised bike racing has been static for the last 50 years — what can be done to change it up and make race coverage more engaging?

Leading cardiologist suggests that the risks to himself and others in the peloton could spell the end of the Italian star's racing career.

Each team that receives a WorldTour license in 2023 ensures its future for at least three years.

A look at UCI WorldTour team wins — and trends — from 2012 through 2021.

Could pro cycling take lessons from pro triathlon?

Newly appointed USA Cycling chairman Brendan Quirk discusses the challenges and opportunities facing USA Cycling and how to grow cycling in the United States.

As a final deadline draws near, The Outer Line talked to embattled Team Qhubeka-NextHash principal Doug Ryder about the team’s prospects and survival.

If the UCI decides this week to award the 2025 World Championships to Rwanda, will it constitute a bold step forward in cycling’s internationalization, finally putting sub-Saharan Africa squarely in the sport’s limelight, or will it be a turn towards sportswashing?

The Riders Union is stepping up its campaign to more actively represent the interests of the professional peloton, challenging the legal standing of the CPA and its claim that it automatically represents all the athletes. The UCI will have some decisions to make.

The Outer Line digs into the question: Is money the primary key to competitive success in cycling? If so, should we be trying to ensure a more level playing field?

Athletes from many different sports have taken a stand this past year to protest the state of racial equality and justice in this country. Dave Zirin’s new book chronicles the origins and range of these protests – at the high-school, college, and professional level. Pro cycling and most elite endurance sports are largely out of the loop.

More young riders are foregoing the traditional late-spring, weeklong races to prepare for the Tour de France in favor of dedicated altitude training. Those legacy races may gradually become less relevant and need to reinvent themselves or reschedule their place in the calendar.

The American riders have been chosen for next month’s Olympic Games. Here, we look at the process, analyze the inevitable disappointments and ask the ultimate question: Did we choose the best athletes to win medals in Tokyo?

USA Cycling has announced a new initiative – the “Let’s Ride” campaign to get more kids — from all walks of life — onto bikes.

The Outer Line chats with retired pro cyclist Christian Vande Velde.

We examine the recommendations for athletes who have suffered from COVID-19, as well as the best practices for avoiding spreading the virus.

The Outer Line examines options for making the KOM contest more exciting.

The Outer Line chats with retired pro cyclist Tom Danielson

After a year of living with COVID and the effects of the global pandemic, we have better insight into the razor-thin economics of even pro cycling’s biggest events, and what the sport should do to mitigate these risks and strengthen its future.

The Riders Union, which initiated a breakaway athlete union effort a few months ago, is ready to formally kickoff.

Phil Liggett talks about covering the Tour de France, and offers insightful stories about Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong, and other cycling icons.

Some lessons learned from NASCAR's business model can be applied to professional cycling.

A look at the relative gains or losses of each WorldTour team during the off-season transfer market, and a ballpark predictive technique for team performance in the upcoming season.

The Rodchenkov Act, signed into U.S. law in December 2020, could bring significant consequences for cheating in sports — and the sort of results that WADA failed to deliver during the Russian doping saga. But such impacts could also come at a significant financial cost, and could permanently erase the legal buffers separating sports integrity from criminal prosecution.

An interview with retired pro cyclist, activist, and author of ‘STAND: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress. What really happens when we stand on the front lines of change.’

In an exclusive interview with The Outer Line, the former president of WADA talks about his time in the world of international sport and anti-doping – saying Lance Armstrong got what he deserved, and confirming that the 2021 Tokyo Olympics will go on as currently planned.

The six-year-old team will line up with existing stars around Chris Froome, including Dan Martin, Andre Greipel, and Alex Dowsett. But, money doesn’t necessarily buy competitive success.

NASCAR and pro cycling generally play out at opposite ends of the sporting and cultural spectrum. But there are also some striking parallels between the two sports – particularly in terms of team structure and reliance upon external sponsors.

The best-recognized commentator in pro cycling talks about how he got his start when he was hired to be the driver for British announcer David Saunders.

Almost all American sports have seen a significant decline in TV viewership during this pandemic-abbreviated season. However, the American audience for the Tour de France was the highest it’s been in ten years.

Teams will be permitted to expand to 32 for next year, dropping to 31 for 2022, and then back to 30 in 2023.

The effects of Dylan Groenewegen’s harsh sanction, and the threat of further legal action, continue to ripple through pro cycling. If sprinters are concerned that aggressive tactics could land them on the sidelines for a year, or even in jail, it could spell the end of traditional sprint finishes. The UCI must clarify this situation.

Cycling legend Greg LeMond is poised to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest honors for civilians.

A stronger riders union could bring substantial progress on the major challenges the riders face today – more stable employment, safer racing conditions, and a more secure post-retirement future.

Dr. Richard Freeman’s Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Great Britain picked up again in October.

The Retrospectives podcast brings in Alex Stieda the first North American to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France for a chat.

An analysis of race statistics over the last few years hints towards the coming dominance of the new generation of pro cyclists.

David Lappartient may have ill-advisedly shifted rider frustrations away from the CPA and towards the UCI.

Former UCI President Brian Cookson and Steve Maxwell take a look at what cycling could look like after we emerge from the COVID-19 era.

The Outer Line talks with long-time American racer, Vuelta a España winner, and current NBC Sports announcer Chris Horner.

What could happen to team race strategies, or the overall outcome if one or more teams are expelled from the race? The chaotic 1998 Tour provides some interesting lessons and insights.

It’s always been a logistical and challenge to successfully put on a major international bike race. And COVID-19 adds a whole new layer of complexity.

The statistics suggest that Sagan is the most consistent Tour rider of all time, with the possible exception of the Cannibal, Eddy Merckx.

For the first time since retirement, Kevin Livingston is speaking up about his time in cycling, riding for both Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich.

Most cyclists have heard of PeopleForBikes, but what does it actually do, and where will its energetic new CEO Jenn Dice steer the organization in the future?

It is advisable that athletes become familiar with these new WADA directives, but it is easy to understand why that’s a challenging prospect.

In 1893 Knox was noted in the Black press for her 'graceful cycling.' She was a member of the League of American Wheelmen (L.A.W.), predecessor to the League of American Bicyclists.

Some of the potential cardiac effects of COVID-19 may not be immediately visible to the recovering athlete.

A look at how the international charitable group emphasizes bicycle recycling and self-reliance to build economic growth and empower local populations

Why can’t cycling generate more revenue from team merchandise?

Cycling needs to supplement its traditional TV coverage with concise highlight content and more compelling race narratives.

After months of only virtual events, some of the world’s best riders are lining up to race, outside, on the road – but no one can watch.

Environmental factors are already significantly impacting elite sport, and will continue to influence pro cycling’s efforts to expand and bring the sport before a wider and more global audience.

During the Tour de France 25 years ago, pro cycling missed an important early warning signal about the escalating impact of EPO on the peloton.

Does the COVID-19 era offer a doper’s dream or an avenue for the enhancement of anti-doping techniques?

Although the initial “alt-cal” received a lot of media attention, in reality, it was a fairly minor part of the overall Team EF Pro Cycling program.

At a time when key stakeholders desperately want to see cycling restart, the chances of disrupting or overhauling the legacy constraints of the sport – and enriching its future – may well be greater right now than ever before.

Is this a fashionable but temporary trend, or the emergence of a new sport, or segment of a sport? Or, it is a hybrid? Either way, cycling stands to gain, especially in comparison to other sports.

There are some signals which might suggest that you should take a more serious look at your health, rather than simply “soldiering on” in silence.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sir David Brailsford discusses pro cycling's return from the COVID-19 shutdown, whether cycling needs a better business model, and the Tour de France's power over the sport.

We talked in detail with General Manager Kjell Carlstrom, a former racer for teams Sky and Liquigas, and a team director at IAM Cycling before joining ISN.

'Each stakeholder is going to come out of this thing a little bit different than the way it went in.'

There are a number of perplexing questions around how the remainder of the 2020 racing calendar could potentially play out – which races will still be held, how competing races will be scheduled.

The Outer Line reached out to several event organizers to answer to this question, and provide some perspective on the situation.

For years, observers have insisted that cycling could make far more effective use of television and video formats to get behind the scenes.

The majority of WorldTeams have not yet publicized plans for any kind of new activities.

During scary and transformative times like these, we often look to history to provide insight, answers or comfort. When have similar calamities befallen mankind in the past, and how did we react? Did new innovations result? Was there eventually a silver lining? There is one historic parallel which should be of great interest to the cycling community.

Pro cycling managers have told The Outer Line that the COVID-19 pandemic could spell financial ruin for professional teams as their sponsors weather the uncertain economic future.

The Outer Line checked in with members of the pro cycling community in northern Italy, to get a sense of the situation on the ground there.

The Outer Line examines the growing impact of COVID-19 on the pro cycling season and what team managers can do.

Rally Cycling recently came up with a creative way to stretch its sponsorship dollars at last month's Tour Colombia 2.1.

The former Danish law enforcement officer and top tennis player says cycling has come a long way from the dark days of the Festina Affair.

The Outer Line sits down with legendary American rider Davis Phinney to relive his career, the career of his son, Taylor, and to discuss the current state of the sport.

Doping rings often use legal pharmaceuticals that have been illegally diverted to the black market. The Outer Line examines how anti-diversion tactics used by the healthcare industry can be used to combat doping.

The Outer Line examines the role that rider agents play in pro cycling. These power brokers can influence which riders start in which races, who gets a contract and who is left out, and how much a rider will get paid.

Three years after the 2017 UCI Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway, the race's problematic financials shed light on how not to organize a major international sporting event.

The Outer Line interviews Polly Dawkins, executive director of The Davis Phinney Foundation to learn more about the non-profit.

The Outer Line examines the news that Bjarne Riis will take a director role with NTT Pro Cycling for 2020.

The Outer Line charts the victories and top-10 finishes of the UCI men's WorldTour squads, and draws some sharp conclusions about which teams are succeeding, and which teams are not.