A review of the Road Book 1989, a comprehensive record of the 1989 Professional Road Racing Season
The Road Book 1989 is the inaugural cycling almanack in the Blue Series celebrating one of the most exciting years in the sport, the year of the closest Tour de France finish and the year the Berlin Wall fell.
When the first Road Book was published covering the 2018 season it immediately identified a gap in the market few realised was there and brought a unique level of insight into the sport of professional road cycling. With it though came one point of frustration – why did no one do this years before?
Well, the creators of the Road Book listened and the Blue Series of Road Books was born, with the flag dropping on 1989. A year that reminded American audiences, again, that the biggest sporting event in the world wasn’t the Super Bowl or the World Series, but the Tour de France.
As with the ‘Red Series’ the book is chock full of statistics and essays by those in the thick of the action. All the big races are in there and with each a description of what happened that day both on and off the bike, the latter a reminder that while professional road cycling can seem like a bubble it happens in public life goes on around it. Here’s an example:
TOUR DE SUISSE
Stage 4
17 June 1989
Liestyal-Bad Zurzach
166.5kmThe city of Liestal is famous for its Chienbase traditional parade held annually on the Sunday night after Ash Wednesday. Often characterised as a pagan spring festival, it features the startlingly dangerous-looking sight of people processing through the cobbled streets of the old town clutching huge flaming torches of strips of pine.
p 196
Of course 1989 is the year that a certain American with a French surname, Greg Lemond, broke French hearts in the most painful way when he bested French ‘national treasure’ the late Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds, on the final day, in Paris. Three hammer blows that struck deep into the French psyche. It was the closest the French have come to winning their home race in the 33 years since. It was also the year of the Tour de Trump versus the Tour de Rump, not a typo – see page 121.
A gallery of photographs from some of the best photographers in cycling bring 1989 to life and remind us that this was the era not just of steel frames but before shell helmets and the ubiquitous presence of sunglasses, when the suffering and glory was there for all to see. Everything changes, but nothing changes.
Happy Reading!
More details on the Road Book Series can be found on the official website here: https://theroadbook.co.uk/
The Tour de France runs from 1-23 July, starting in the Basque city of Bilbao and finishing on the iconic Champs Elysee in Paris. The race, comprising 21 stages and covering a distance of 3,404-km, features five mountain stages and a sole time-trial of 22km on stage 16.
Stage List
Date
Stage # Start- Finish
Distance
01/07
Stage 1 | Bilbao – Bilbao
182
02/07
Stage 2 | Vitoria-Gasteiz – San Sébastián
209
03/07
Stage 3 | Amorebieta-Etxano – Bayonne
185
04/07
Stage 4 | Dax – Nogaro
182
05/07
Stage 5 | Pau – Laruns
165
06/07
Stage 6 | Tarbes – Cauterets-Cambasque
145
07/07
Stage 7 | Mont-de-Marsan – Bordeaux
170
08/07
Stage 8 | Libourne – Limoges
201
09/07
Stage 9 | Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat – Puy de Dôme
184
10/07
Rest Day
11/07
Stage 10 | Vulcania – Issoire
167
12/07
Stage 11 | Clermont-Ferrand – Moulins
180
13/07
Stage 12 | Roanne – Belleville-en-Beaujolais
169
14/07
Stage 13 | Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne – Grand Colombier
138
15/07
Stage 14 | Annemasse – Morzine les Portes du Soleil
152
16/07
Stage 15 | Les Gets les Portes du Soleil – Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc
180
17/07
Rest Day
18/07
Stage 16 (ITT) | Passy – Combloux
22
19/07
Stage 17 | Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc – Courchevel
166
20/07
Stage 18 | Moûtiers – Bourg-en-Bresse
186
21/07
Stage 19 | Moirans-en-Montagne – Poligny
173
22/07
Stage 20 | Belfort – Le Markstein
133
23/07
Stage 21 | Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – Paris
115
Stage details can be found on the official Tour de France website here
Back on the plains after the previous day’s summit finish, the pancake-flat course of stage 4 of the Tour of Oman was a final opportunity for the sprinters, who did not let it go to waste.
After completing a winding run through ochre-hued mountains and catching the last survivor of the three-man breakaway —Kongphob Thimachai (Roojai Insurance)— 13 kilometres from the line, the fast men revved up for a drag race to the finish line outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) was once again the speediest of the lot, charging to his second victory in the race three days after bagging stage 1 in another bunch sprint. The Dutchman outgunned Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Orluis Aular (Movistar Team), at the top of the false flat in the final kilometre.
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) held on to the red jersey with a six second margin over Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on the eve of the finale, where the race will reach its climax on Green Mountain.
The unforgiving slopes of the ‘Green Mountain’ saw the fourteenth Tour of Oman reach its climax today. Known officially as Jebel Akhdar (5.7 km at 10.5%) it was the scene for the final brutal settling of accounts.
David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ), who had earlier taken the stage three and the overall lead on Eastern Mountain, started the stage with a tenuous six second lead over Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) on GC. The Breton fought gallantly to defend his red jersey, but finally cracked under pressure from Yates with 700 metres to go.
The British rider finished stage 5 a couple of seconds behind the Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre, who secured his first win for new team Soudal Quick-Step but more importantly 43 seconds ahead of Gaudu. This was enough to propel Yates to his second consecutive overall victory in the Tour of Oman.
12/02/2025 – Tour of Oman 2025 – Stage 5 – Imty > Jabal al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) – (138,5km) – GAUDU David (GROUPAMA-FDJ)
Paret-Peintre’s efforts allowed him to leap-frog Gaudu to take second spot at 6 seconds, while Gaudu rounded out the final podium at 39 seconds.
12/02/2025 – Tour of Oman 2025 – Stage 5 – Imty > Jabal al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) – (138,5km) – RIES Michel (ARKEA-B&B HOTELS )12/02/2025 – Tour of Oman 2025 – Stage 5 – Imty > Jabal al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) – (138,5km)
The fourteenth edition of the Tour of Oman tackled the first of two summit finishes in Monday’s 180.8-kilometre stage 3. Legs tingling in anticipation of their first real test of the season, the climbers went head to head on Eastern Mountain (1,016 masl), under the gaze of Jabal Sham, the highest peak in the Sultanate (3,018 masl). David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) proved strongest in the long-awaited duel that pitted him against the reigning champion, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates – XRG).
After firing off multiple attacks within the last few hundred metres of the final ascent (4.8 km at 8.5%), the Breton outsprinted the British rider by 1 second, with Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) third at five seconds. Gaudu opened his account for the season and wrested the leader’s red jersey from Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step), who was dropped with three kilometres to go after going into the red for his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre, fourth at 13 seconds. Gaudu has 6 seconds in hand over Yates and 12 over Howson going into the last two stages.
From the first few pedal strokes at Al Rustaq Fort, which provided the scenic backdrop to the start, the peloton had to play whack-a-mole with a horde of breakaway specialists undaunted by the 203 kilometres of stage 2 —the longest of the Tour of Oman. The five men in the early breakaway pushed their advantage to five minutes at the foot of Bousher Al Amerat, where the going got tough. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step) and Mikel Azparren (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) managed to bridge the gap near the halfway point.
The Belgian and the Spaniard soon upped the pace with Magnus Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) in tow. Although the new three-man lead group still enjoyed a five-minute buffer going into the last 30 kilometres, it melted to just over a minute with 10 kilometres to go, when Vervaeke went for broke.
The 31-year-old puncheur, a reliable domestique ever since he turned neo-pro, grabbed his maiden pro win at the end of a performance full of panache and suspense, crossing the finish line with just two seconds to spare over the peloton in a crash-marred finale. Vervaeke triumphed atop the Yitti Hills, beating his teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre and Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL) and vaulting into the overall lead.
Decked out in their black-and-yellow livery, the Visma – Lease a Bike armada went full steam ahead to put their captain, Olav Kooij, on coarse to victory when the opening stage of the 2025 Tour of Oman reached the boulevard hugging the coast of the Sea of Oman.
Buoyed up by the efforts of his shipmates, the 23-year-old Dutchman seized the victory at Bimmah Sink Hole, stealing the wind from Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) in a bunch sprint to claim the opening stage of the fourteenth Tour of Oman and pull on the inaugural red jersey.
With a stage win at the 2024 Giro d’Italia Kooij lived up to his status as the man to beat on Saturday. This is his first triumph of the season, his first since a stage at the Tour de Pologne and a maiden win in Oman —where he is racing for the first time— and his 37th career victory overall.
08/02/2025 – Tour of Oman 2025 – Stage 1 – Bushar > Bimmah Sink Hole (177,7km) -A.S.O./Oman Cycling Association/Pauline Ballet
Five men broke away as soon as the flag dropped and added some excitement to the 177.7-kilometre opener. The blistering sun and the mostly unfavourable winds prevented their advantage from increasing much beyond five minutes. The last two survivors of the breakaway, Rodrigo Álvarez (Burgos-Burpellet BH) and the leader of the combativity standings, Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance) were caught with 25 kilometres to go, not long after David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) took third place and a bonus second at the second intermediate sprint.
08/02/2025 – Tour of Oman 2025 – Stage 1 – Bushar > Bimmah Sink Hole (177,7km) – TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE – A.S.O./Oman Cycling Association/Pauline Ballet
The hosts of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women stages have today been announced, as preparations for the inaugural edition of the race progress ahead of the Grand Départ in Welshpool on Thursday 6 June.
Picture by Zac Williams/SWpix.com- 10/06/2022 – Cycling – The Women’s Tour 2022 Stage 5 – Pembrey Country Park to The Black Mountain – Wales –
The race will see the world’s top female riders and teams go head-to-head across four tough stages of racing, in what will be the first major international stage race delivered by British Cycling Events.
Hundreds of thousands of fans will line the streets for what is the nation’s biggest free-to-attend sporting event, as the country gears up for another thrilling summer of cycling.
The route
This year’s race will feature a number of familiar start and finish locations which have successfully hosted major international events in recent years.
The race will begin in Welshpool, situated in the heart of mid-Wales. Welshpool hosted the thrilling finish of stage four of the 2022 Women’s Tour, where Australia’s Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) sprinted to victory. The stage will see riders head north to the picturesque seaside town of Llandudno, in what will be a challenging start to the race.
Stage two will see riders stay in Wales for a start and finish in Wrexham, which also featured in the 2022 Women’s Tour. The rolling route will take in a series of challenging climbs in the dramatic Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales.
The caravan then will cross the Welsh border to the north-west of England, where Warrington will host both the start and finish of stage three on Saturday, with a flatter route that will favour the sprinters. Warrington welcomed the men’s Tour of Britain in 2021, where Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed a memorable stage win.
The race will then conclude in Greater Manchester, as part of the city region’s European Capital of Cycling celebrations. Riders will depart from the National Cycling Centre, the home of British Cycling, before taking in some of the region’s challenging climbs before they reach the finish line in Leigh, where the race winner will be crowned.
Full routes for each of the stages, along with the teams and riders competing, will be announced in the coming weeks.
“A monumental effort”
The race route has been designed and agreed in just 10 weeks, when we launched our new vision for major cycling events in Britain, thanks to the hard work and support of an experienced team of event staff. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to Welsh Government, Conwy County Borough Council, Powys County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, Warrington Borough Council, Manchester Active and others who have demonstrated such enthusiastic support for the race.
Jon Dutton OBE, CEO of British Cycling, said:
“Today is another important milestone in our journey and reflective of the enormous goodwill and support which major road cycling events continue to enjoy.
“Our primary focus has been to deliver a safe and competitive race in 2024, and while there is still a great deal of work to do, we remain every bit as determined to harness the race’s spotlight to make a real impact in the communities which it touches. We know that it is a vision which resonates strongly in the positive conversations we’ve been having with prospective commercial partners and hosts which continues to be extremely encouraging.”
Rod Ellingworth, who was announced as Tour of Britain Race Director in March this year, said:
“It’s been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year’s Tour of Britain Women. The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I’m sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout.”
Lizzie Deignan, former road world champion and Olympic silver medallist, said:
“It’s always special to race in Britain, and I’m so pleased to have two top level stage races to look forward to on home soil as I ramp up my preparations for a busy summer ahead.
“There’s clearly so much support and fondness for the race, both at home and further afield. The four stage hosts deserve credit for their commitment to women’s racing and for helping to make the race happen, and I’m sure that together we can put on a brilliant show in June.”
Earlier this month, British Cycling announced that the Tour of Britain Men would be delivered over six days in 2024, with an ambition to bring future parity to the two national tours, following the alignment of the event names in 2024.
Positive conversations continue with a number of commercial partners along with towns and cities interested in hosting future stages of both the men’s and women’s events.
“An opportunity to showcase the best of our area”
Jeremy Miles, Welsh Government Economy Secretary, said:
“Wales and cycling go hand in hand, with our spectacular scenery and routes providing elite and recreational cyclists alike with both challenge and enjoyment.
“This is a welcome return to Wales for this fantastic event and provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Welshpool, Llandudno, Wrexham and the surrounding area to an ever-growing cycling audience. We are very pleased to have been able to support the event and look forward to providing a warm ‘Croeso’ to all in June.”
Councillor Nigel Williams, Lead member for Economy and Regeneration, Wrexham, said:
“Once again the sporting spotlight will be on Wrexham as we continue to be a welcoming location for national events.
“After the success of last year’s Tour of Britain we have another opportunity to showcase the best of our area and this will bring huge benefits to the local economy.
“I know many enthusiasts will be looking forward to the event and to seeing the elite of British cycling as they race through the area. It will give many within the city centre and surrounding areas the opportunity to give the cyclists a warm Welsh welcome to Wrexham as they pass through.”
Professor Steven Broomhead MBE, Warrington Borough Council Chief Executive, said:
“Following the success of the men’s Tour of Britain stage finish in 2011, it’s great news that Warrington will host the pinnacle of the sport again, this time with both a start and finish for the Tour of Britain Women.
“We’re pleased to be playing our part in celebrating some of the world’s greatest cyclists, bringing elite sport back to Warrington once again. It will be a fantastic showcase that will equally generate societal, health and wellbeing benefits.”
Eamonn O’Rourke, CEO of Manchester Active, said:
“In the year Manchester was successful in becoming the very first European Capital of Cycling, we are delighted to be announced as a host stage for the 2024 Tour of Britain Women.
“Hosting such a prestigious event cements Manchester’s commitment to supporting women’s sport at all levels, and our dedication to encourage more women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity. Having hosted the Men’s Tour of Britain back in 2019 and more recently, the Grand Depart in 2023, it is a real honour to welcome and support the women’s stage to Manchester.
“We’re also thrilled that the route will commence from the National Cycling Centre, our world-famous ‘medal factory’ and home of British Cycling, providing a spectacular backdrop for the start of this stage – a unique opportunity only available when hosting cycling events in Manchester.”
Tour of Britain Women 2024:
Stage 1 – Thursday 6 June 2024: Welshpool to Llandudno
17th April, Pozzoleone, Italy: Danish cycling kit pioneers Pas Normal Studios and fizik, the Italian brand known for their innovative performance cycling shoes and saddles, have unveiled their latest collaboration – Mechanism PNS x fizik – a new road cycling shoe born exclusively from the partnership.
Designed to perform at the highest level and integrate the sleek style of the Danish apparel brand, the all-new Mechanism road shoe is at ease with the demands road cyclists require.
Dial up the performance
The sleek uppers utilize a resilient polyurethane-laminated material combined with a comfortable mesh, which results in reduced yield and provides long-lasting foot support where it’s needed most. The BOA® Fit System, featuring the metallic Dual-Dial Li2, allows bi-directional and differentiated fit adjustments for the instep and forefoot areas, delivering the precise, locked-in feel that racers demand.
Born to power pedals
At the base, fizik’s R2 outsole features an engineered carbon fiber layup that saves weight and delivers increased stiffness, with a stiffness index rating of 10, making this outsole the most responsive in the fizik range. A wide vent inlet and deep internal channeling provide cooling airflow, aiding temperature regulation while riding. The cleat positioning is set slightly further back compared to traditional settings to optimize pedaling efficiency and reduce knee compression—especially well-suited for very aggressive, forward aero positions adopted by racing cyclists.
Specifications:
PU laminate over mesh upper
Li2 BOA® Fit System
R2 outsole—full carbon unidirectional, stiffness index 10
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claimed his third stage win of La Vuelta 23 in Madrid, but with a very different scenario! The Australian sprinter followed Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) as they put the hammer down on the closing circuit, leading to a thrilling finale of the Spanish Grand Tour. The peloton came back inside the last kilometre but Groves still managed to sprint to victory. He is also the first Australian winner of the points standings of La Vuelta.
As he crossed the line alongside his Jumbo-Visma teammates, Sepp Kuss took his first Grand Tour victory after he helped his companions Jonas Vingegaard (2nd in the overall standings) and Primoz Roglic (3rd) conquer six three-week events in recent years.
Sepp Kuss speaking after the stage: “It’s incredible. I think today was the stage that I suffered the most of the whole race, now I’m just glad it’s over. I had a feeling it would be a fast stage when I saw all those guys getting ready to attack. I suffered more today than I did in Angliru. It was a nice way to finish off. No, I’m not different now that I’ve won La Vuelta, not at all. I’ll still be me. It’s life changing for sure. I think I’ll look back on this experience with a lot of fun memories. It’s still sinking in, I think it’s gonna take quite some time. Now, a big celebration. Family, friends are here, and that’s gonna be really special, to be with the riders and the staff, tell the stories of the last three weeks. So many memories and good times.”
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step (WT)) took the spotlight off the Jumbo Visma Show with a superb solo win at La Cruz de Linares, finishing 4’44” ahead of Damiano Caruso (Bahrain – Victorious). Andreas Kron (»Lotto Dstny) took third at 5’10 just beating Max Poole (Team dsm – firmenich).
Video Highlights of Stage 18 (video copyright La Vuelta)
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com – 07/09/2023 – Cycling – 2023 Tour of Britain – Stage 5: Felixstowe to Felixstowe (192.4km) – Wout van Aert of Team Jumbo-Visma celebrates winning the stage.
Wout Van Aert gave Jumbo-Visma it’s 960th team victory with the Stage 5 win in Felixstowe bring to end teammate Olav Kooij’s run to wins. The Belgian also took over the race lead after her managed to finish 3 seconds clear of the bunch, making it the only thing that didn’t change on the day.
