Rose Cantine

No one can believe it but the Netherlands has just defeated France 4-1 and qualified for the quarterfinals. Goalkeeper Edwin van de Sar was brilliant.
Click here to read The Guardian’s hysterical minute-by-minute report of the match.

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I still can’t believe the news. Tom Boonen, one of the cycling’s mega-stars, has been barred from competing in 2008 because he tested positive for cocaine. He was not officially caught “doping” (i.e. using banned drugs during competition), he cannot be banned by the UCI. However, tour organizers can bar him into their races. He [...]

The Netherlands defeated Italy 3-0 in the first round of the European Championships. This is a big surprise. Everyone, myself included, expected the Netherlands to lose. But even in the slim chance that the Dutch team would win, I expected them to win by one goal, not three!

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Stijn Devolder (Quick Step) won the Tour of Flanders (De Ronde van Vlaanderen), Belgium’s most prestigious bike race. The cold, the rain and the wet snow caused several crashes and spills. CSC’s decision to use carbon wheels turned out to be a disaster as several CSC riders ended up skidding and ending up in the [...]

Fabian Cancellara (CSC) won the Milan - San Remo race (300 km) yesterday (22 March 2008). Paolo Bettini made an early attempt to take and keep the lead. Oscar Freire seemed to be up to something but Cancellara prevailed in the end. It was a beautiful day to ride from Milan to San Remo, and [...]

De Morgen reports that the parents of Tom Boonen have been questioned in connection with an allegation made by Belgian cyclist, Tom Vannopen who was caught using cocaine, that Tom Boonen was a drug dealer. Tom Boonen was not available for questioning by the authorities because he is in Qatar for a cycling competition. Apart [...]

Say goodbye to the pink and white uniforms of the T-Mobile cycling team because Deutsche Telekom has pulled its sponsorship effective immediately. The move surprised everyone since Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile has, until now, maintained that it will continue to sponsor cycling, despite the doping scandals that emerged during the 2007 Tour de France. However, the confessions [...]