Colin O Brien, Author at The world's finest cycling magazine

Marco Pantani: Rise and Fall

At home with his parents, Colin O’Brien explores modern cycling’s great tragedy – Marco Pantani

The Giro d’Italia then and now: Interview with race director, Mauro Vegni

“Whoever doesn’t come to the Giro is missing out. It’s the Giro that makes champions, not the other way around.”...

Giro d’Italia 1968: Merckx’s greatest moment

Colin O’Brien on the day in 1968 when Eddy Merckx saw off all comers and conquered the mighty Tre Cime...

Strade Bianche: The making of a modern classic

Strade Bianche is barely 10 editions old, yet it feels like it’s been with us forever. Colin O’Brien explores how...

Vincenzo Nibali: Shark life

Arguably the finest, most complete racer of the current generation and one that we’re looking forward to seeing back racing...

A load of old bollards: an unusual park that celebrates cycling’s heroes

Tucked away in a park in Trentino is a collection of paracarri – stone road markers, from Italy and beyond –...

Felice Gimondi: Rise of The Phoenix

“My first race was in Treviglio, and we had a little three-wheeled van belonging to a greengrocer as a team...

Cummings, Phinney, Dowsett, Hutchinson: the art of the time-triallist

The ‘race of truth’ is both the most idiosyncratic and unforgiving of cycling’s disciplines. Rouleur sat down with a few of time-trialling’s...

Comment: is the Giro-Tour double still possible?

Pro cycling’s most illustrious brace has never been more demanding but it does not belong in the dustbin of history, argues Colin...

Giro d’Italia: Dumoulin’s Denouement

Following drama on the Stelvio stage, the Giro is still Dumoulin’s race to lose

2017 Giro d’Italia comment: Southern Comfort

Italian cycling is about far more than Dolomite switchbacks. Colin O’Brien on the Giro’s week in the south of Italy,...

Jean Metzinger: Cubism and Moser in Venice

Kandinsky, Braque, Bacon… Moser? We’re in Venice, for an exhibition of paintings. In a city without streets or bikes, writing...

Sean Kelly: Providence on the Poggio

The ageing king Kelly proves he’s still got it with one last throw of the dice on the Poggio descent in the...

Il Lombardia: Dressed to chill with Sportful

“Fancy going to Lake Como to ride with some of the guys from Tinkoff-Saxo? asked the editor. Not a hard...

Eyewitness: Silence of the Lambs

Silence. The Colle dell’Agnello is swarming with people, but you wouldn’t know it. This climb, cresting right on the frontier...

Damiano Cunego

Return of the Little Prince: the 2004 Giro winner on adapting to survive in modern cycling and his bid for...

Ramūnas Navardauskas: Big in the Baltics

Italy has been a happy hunting ground for Ramūnas Navardauskas. Cannondale’s 28-year-old Lithuanian wore the maglia rosa for two days...

Love Will Tear Us Apart

There’s a depressing inevitability to it. The stadium’s full, the game in full flow, the atmosphere incredible… and then with...

False Kings

Once upon a time, the people of the Dolomites worshipped the Marmot. Weird, but true. The first queen of the...

Yellow Fluo

This was supposed to be a very different story. After following Neri Sottoli, formerly Vini Fantini, for a year, this...

Design stories: Mr Ghibli – Campagnolo’s master of the disc wheel

Campagnolo has always been different. From the moment Tullio Campagnolo was driven to invent the quick-release after a frozen-stiff wing-nut...

Cult hero: Laurens ten Dam

This is a story about a professional rider who showed up at the Tour of the Mediterranean in 2013 without...

In Gamba

João Correia was not the man I’d expected to see centre-stage at the winner’s press conference in Florence for the...

Gelato Excellent

Paolo was never a superstar on the bike, but he was valued by those he worked with. He enjoyed a...

Author: Colin O Brien