Cafe Happy Hour!

Notes from the Slightly Bemused Desk

Tour de France Open Thread: What are you looking forward to?

Time for the Party at Mauro Vegni’s Place

In which I ramble about the Giro (as we cycling writers are wont to do) until I decide this post is long enough.

The “Next Stop: the Podium!” Post!

Challenge accepted, Chris!

Podium Cafe's Vuelta Roundtable!

So we're back again for some semi-coherent discourse, this time for the Vuelta. Yet again, we bring you another PDC member, who we lured into the trap of debating this stuff with us. Topics covered include Conor's willingness to triple Galicia's exports, Chris' turnaround on Nairo, and Jens' love of the Tour de L'Avenir.

Tour de France: then and now

The Tour de France is one of the sporting events with the longest history and traditions. Join us in a look at some of the photos from the Getty archive that highlight how much the Tour de France changes and how much it stays the same.

Pre-Tour de France Open Thread: Who'll Win?

We've had our say, now it's time for you to bicker.

Editors' Roundtable: Tour de France Edition

With just a day left until the Grand Depart of the Tour de France a brave band of editors have stormed the beaches of Normandie to bring you this latest roundtable edition. Today's edition features the usual suspects, plus Cafe member RC Speed.

If you win a bike race, enjoy it!

Sondre Holst Enger enjoys his stage win in Tour of Croatia

The career options of Tom Boonen

We look a possible future paths for our hero.

Grand Tour Roundtable

In our second part of the pre-season roundtable we turn our attention to the three Grand Tours and air our expectations and predictions.

Vuelta a Espana Poll!

Roubaix Week: Teams Power Poll #3!

Wij zijn er klaar voor ... and more

It's Ronde eve and all is quiet. Tomorrow morning the madness will erupt with an early start in Brugge and a full day of the best bike race in the world.

Ten reasons to love Dwars door Vlaanderen

Wednesday marks the start of the true classics season and first up is Dwars door Vlaanderen, the greatest little race in the world in this humble writer's opinion. There are bigger and fancier races but none give the same pure joy of bike racing as Dwars. Here's why everyone else should love it too.

Friday Open Thread AND Strade Bianche Poll

It's Friday night, eve of the Strade Bianche. Starting tomorrow we are entering probably the most intense period of racing of the season. So draw a deep breath.... and take our poll.

Kuurne : The birthplace of the \O/

Maybe you've seen the orange Podiumcafe symbol \O/ and wondered where it came from. Well here is a bit of nostalgia.

"Best of rest" women's cycling kits - VOTE NOW!

Vote for your favourite smaller women's cycling team kit in the "best of the rest" poll

The FSA Directeur Sportif Suggestion Box

Bring all your ideas on how to improve our cycling game for the 2015 season

VOTE: Women's raceday of the year

The most important vote of the day!

Podiumcafe Women's Raceday of the year: Nomination

Usually a tricky category because we've all seen fewer races and some of the best efforts we've only read about or seen highlights of but this year we've actually seen more than ever. A few World Cups, a few well covered stageraces, Worlds..... So what was your favorite? Remember to give good reasons for your nominations

TdF Rest Day: Open thread

Lazy day for us, a busy day for managers, agent and riders at the Tour. Expect the news and rumors to trickle out today about transfers and assorted stuff. First news of the day is a happy one......

Belgium knows how to put on a bike race

While most of us have our eyes fixed firmly on Italy, Belgium once again proves why they win cycling.

It's Giro d'Italia time!

Benvenuti a Podiumcafe! We're just days away from the Giro and it's time to drop everything else and start paying attention. Are your thoughts lingering on how Boonen managed to lose Roubaix? Stop doing that. Is your mind churning, thinking of Froome/Contador duels in July? Cut it out. Focus! Those bums will have their day later. This is the Giro, the best three weeks of stageracing of the year!

So you want to build an FSA DS Classics juggernaut

Of course as any sound Podiumcafe reader your highest wish in life is to build an FSA DS team that steamrolls the spring classics and lands you squarely in the lead after April. What happens thereafter is of less consequence, let the lesser folk scrabble for the puny leftovers after the races that truly matter. In women's racing there isn't quite the same prestige in a few iconic races but you can still build a team to focus on the hard, gritty spring races. You can still have a team that wins where it matters . You can still be the King or Queen of April.

And the kits just keep on coming.....

More kit-reveals today plus a HUGE SECRET REVEALED......... Argos-Shimano will from now on be known as Giant -Shimano. Who saw that coming?!

Men's Race Day of the Year: Nominations!

My favorite discussion of the year even though I seem to have forgotten more races than I remember come November. Or maybe that's why I like it? Getting reminded of the nuggets of racing during the year through the descriptions of you guys. Remember that in this category we try to focus on single days of racing, not entire races, to keep the comparisons between classics and stageraces manageable.

Podiumcafe Female Rider of the Year: Nominations!

While the male rider of the year is usually a hotly debated topic, especially with the difficulties in comparing riders with different specialties, the women's category has become a question of "Vos of course, but who at least deserves a mention?" these last few years. This year though looks at least a little bit different.

Giro d'Italia Team Presentation

The Giro Team Presentation always offers ample opportunities for snark and awkward fashion and interview moments. This year's burning question : Did Paul Smith come up with a special design for Girbecco's outfit and if not, how will the otherwise jolly ibex handle such a snub?