Lowdown: The big question has reared its ugly head again and Belgium's No. 1 son, Tom Boonen, has put his self behind the use of disc brakes in pro cycle sport. Lee Rodgers has ridden both and has the Lowdown on the best stopping system and has the argument to back it up. Agree or disagree, the facts according to Rodgers are quite persuasive.

Lowdown: If you are a cyclist there is a very good chance that you love a cup of coffee and, for sure, you love to meet up with your ride pals in the cafe to dissect the recent race/sportive/training ride. Lee Rodgers looks at the wonderful bean, the roasted dark liquid that gets us out on the bike... or just out of bed in the morning.

Lowdown: The New Year of cycling beckons us out onto the tarmac, but for one reason or another we can't go and grumpiness takes over. Resident PEZ psychologist (aka: pundit), Lee Rodgers, dissects the whole problem of addiction and the suffering it can cause when you don't get your regular fix of the two-wheel habit.

Lowdown: When asked for their favorite articles of the year, this 'Lowdown' from Lee Rodgers got the vote from our North American photographer, Darrell Parks. Lee sums up the all-encompassing pleasure and pain of this sport we love so much.

Lowdown: Is technology the way forward? Ex-rider and coach Lee Rodgers thinks not and, surprisingly, he agrees with Taylor Phinney's latest stance on the World of pro cycling that is becoming "analytical and a wattage-based sport". Power meters are a tool not a rule!

Ever thought of visiting Japan and taking your bike along for the trip? If so, Lee Rodgers has the lowdown on the land of the Rising Sun... on two wheels. Japan has everything for the discerning cyclist, climbs, flat valleys, quiet roads and all with a picturesque back drop. Only one problem; it's too cold in December for Lee coming from a humid Taiwan.

Lowdown: A slightly different Lowdown from Lee Rodgers today, no doping, his thoughts on Taiwan as a cycling holiday destination... Good and bad! The island the Portuguese called Formosa - ‘beautiful island’ - might not be on your bucket list yet, so let Lee change your mind.

Lowdown: As WADA now has new powers to sanction anti-doping organizations that fail to comply with the code, it looked like things were getting brighter on the doping front. But, as always, someone comes along and ruins it all: Ivan Basso gets a new job, Father dopes son, George Hincapie rides the Cape Epic and Tramadol just refuses to be banned.

Lowdown: When is doping not doping? Easy, when it has a TUE. In today's Lowdown, Lee Rodgers is in a comparative mood: Wiggins, Van den Driessche, Dekker and Rasmussen, do they have something in common? It's not black and white, but then it never is. Then there are the dopers of the past: Gonzalez, Millar and Ullrich, some fairing better than others after the end of their careers.