William Fotheringham

United Kingdom

journalist covering cycling for the Guardian since 1989, writer of 14 books. latest is The Greatest: the Times and Life of Beryl Burton published September 2019

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Articles

Simon Yates rides away with improbable prize of Giro d’Italia while rivals lose plot

3 weeks ago | msn.com | William Fotheringham

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Simon Yates rides away with prize of Giro d’Italia while rivals lose the plot | William Fotheringham

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

The Mexican standoff is a much-loved cinematic device, but the stalemate beloved of western movie script writers has rarely, if ever, decided one of cycling’s Grand Tours.
Barry Hoban obituary

2 months ago | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

Barry Hoban, who has died aged 85, was one of the first generation of British cyclists to make a mark in European professional cycling, a prolific sprint winner whose UK record of eight stage wins in the Tour de France stood for 34 years until the greatest sprinter of them all, Mark Cavendish, reached his peak. His record of 11 Tour finishes from 12 starts stood until 2024 when it was eclipsed by Geraint Thomas.
Barry Hoban, British cycling legend and Tour de France icon, dies aged 85

2 months ago | msn.com | William Fotheringham

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
Barry Hoban, British cycling legend and Tour de France icon, dies aged 85

2 months ago | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

Barry Hoban, the British cycling Icon and eight-time Tour de France stage winner has died aged 85. Hoban was a pioneer of cycling in the UK in the 1960s and 70s and blazed a trail for cyclists such as Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas. Born in 1940 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, Hoban cut his teeth for local cycling club Calder Clarion as a sprinter before realising he had a particular aptitude for climbing. He turned professional in the 1960s and spent 19 years on the circuit.
Rik Van Looy obituary

Dec 29, 2024 | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

Rik Van Looy, who has died aged 90, was the most dominant one-day cycle racer of the 1950s and 60s, nicknamed “the Emperor of Herentals” (after the Belgian city in which he lived) or “the Wheel Breaker”. He ended his 18-year career with a tally of 371 professional road race victories, which remains second only to that of Eddy Merckx. A double world road race champion, he was the first cyclist to triumph in the five great one-day classics known today as the Monuments.
Chris Hoy: a remarkable, determined human being unchanged by success | William Fotheringham

Oct 20, 2024 | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

At a certain age, joked Sir Chris Hoy in October 2011, you don’t even buy green bananas. The throwaway remark was intended to underline the complexities and unpredictabilities of being a “senior” athlete – Hoy was then 35, seemingly blessed with eternal youth – but it seems grimly apposite in the light of the Scot’s announcement that he has terminal cancer and may have only between two and four years to live.
Tadej Pogacar lands world road race championship to complete triple crown

Sep 29, 2024 | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

Ripping up the script is the Tadej Pogacar way, and on Sunday the Slovene’s unique approach to bike racing won him the world road race championship in Zurich, thanks to an audacious, borderline foolhardy attack 100km from the finish. Finishing solo, just 33sec ahead of the Australian Ben O’Connor, Pogacar joined Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche, the only others to have landed men’s cycling’s toughest prize, the “triple crown” of Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and world road title in the same season.
Steve Williams wins Tour of Britain title as Govekar takes frantic final stage

Sep 8, 2024 | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

Superficially, the final stage of this year’s Tour of Britain into a windswept Felixstowe had a routine look, a chaotic bunch sprint won by the Slovenian Matevz Govekar, and Steve Williams of Wales straightforwardly sealing overall victory. But what preceded the sprint was 158 kilometres of anarchic racing, with a strong southerly splitting the peloton repeatedly amid a frantic series of attacks and chases.
Paul Magnier exploits ‘mousehole’ to take fourth stage of Tour of Britain

Sep 6, 2024 | theguardian.com | William Fotheringham

The list of previous Tour of Britain winners in Newark is short, but it points to a promising future for the Frenchman Paul Magnier, who took his second stage win in four days on the banks of the Trent. Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria (2017) and the Dutchman Olav Kooij (2023) are both sprint names to be reckoned with, and these two incisive victories suggest the 20-year-old Magnier is on the same road. This was a finely calculated effort in a slightly less technical finish than in Kelso on Tuesday.