Author Archives: Whit

About Whit

My experiences might easily fit many cycling fans' definitions of “living the dream.” Since getting hooked on the sport watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship, I've raced as an amateur on Belgian cobbles, traveled Europe to help build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux. As a former assistant director sportif with Mercury-Viatel, I've also seen the less dreamy side of the sport – the side rife with broken contracts, infighting, and positive dope tests. These days, I live with my lovely wife in Pennsylvania and share my experiences and views on the sport at Bicycling Magazine, the Embrocation Cycling Journal, and at my own site, Pavé.

Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Cofidis

Cofidis created a bit of a stir Monday when it was announced that team manager Eric Boyer had been fired after months of rumors. (Why they waited until the week before the Tour is anyone’s guess.) Fair or not, the decision to fire Boyer sends a powerful message to the nine riders chosen to represent … Continue reading

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: BMC

Team BMC comes to the 2012 Tour de France with a simple goal: win the race. With defending champion Cadel Evans healthy, confident, and fit, the team has a very good chance to do so. Few changes have been made from last year’s squad. Tejay Van Garderen has been signed to help Evans in the … Continue reading

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Astana

Astana has recorded some rather unexpected results so far this season—for better and for worse. On the bright side, Enrico Gasparotto and Maxim Iglinsky won the Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, respectively. On the other hand, Roman Kreuziger underwhelmed at the Giro d’Italia, failing to contend for the overall and instead having to settle for … Continue reading

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: Argos-Shimano

Argos-Shimano (formerly Skil-Shimano) returns to the Tour de France this year after a two-year absence following its abysmal debut in 2009. That said, while the guts of the team remain more or less unchanged, the Dutch team has good reason to believe it won’t walk away empty-handed. After all, Germany’s Marcel Kittel has proven over … Continue reading

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Tour de France 2012 Team Preview: AG2R La Mondiale

Like many of the French teams coming to this year’s Tour de France, AG2R La Mondiale brings a mixed bag to Saturday’s start in Liege. With no clear captain, the team will likely let the race dictate its tactics, with stage wins taking precedence over a high GC finish. In a perfect world, the team … Continue reading

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Saying Goodbye…

  The trick in attending a great party is knowing when to leave… I started Pavé on a whim about three years ago. I wanted to assign my students a project that would ask them to use technology to show what they’ve learned and thought blogging might be an interesting strategy to try. Inspired by … Continue reading

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