Italy used to produce Grand Tour winners as prolifically as pasta. Recently they have become a rarity, with sprinters the new normal. Ned Boulting on the ghosts...

“The sprinter is all thighs. Whether he is small and powerful like Cavendish, or big and powerful like Cipollini, he is always powerful”

Quick Step DS Brian Holm issues a badinage-filled response to our recently re-posted interview with Mario Cipollini

Rouleur takes a look round the gaudiest meeting room at Specialized HQ, recalling the impact Mario Cipollini had in introducing the Californian brand to the European pro peloton