Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, December 30, 2015

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The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them. - Swami Vivekananda

Cycling Helps Parkinson's

I know this story isn't new, but it's new to me and I find it wonderful and captivating. You have to click a second time on the video when it opens.

 

Tom Boonen has hearing loss after Abu Dhbi crash

When Tom Boonen crashed in October's Tour of Abu Dhabi, it was originally thought his worst injury was a fracture of his temporal bone (at the side and base of the skull).

It turns out he also suffered a permanent hearing loss. "I lost some of my hearing and that's final. It's annoying but you get used to it," he told the Belgian paper Het Nieuwsblad.

Although the doctors had originally thought he would not be able to resume training for six months, he recovered quickly and is deep in preparing for the 2016 season.

Tom Boonen at the 2015 world road championships.

"My memory quickly returned. I remember where I was before the fall and of all that happened. I found my spirits and my motor skills are good. I can speak normally, I see everything. All this is reassuring. If the brain is not subjected to pressure in the first five hours, the greatest danger is past."

Giant-Alpecin January cyclocross preview

The team sent me this release:

December began with seventh- and eighth-place finishes at Zilvermeercross and Spa-Francorchamps, respectively, for Team Giant-Alpecin’s Lars van der Haar (NED), followed by strong third places at Scheldecross, Heusden-Zolder and Diegem and fifth place in Namur.

“December had a difficult start but a strong finish,” said van der Haar. “I got sick during a short training session on Mallorca, and then I returned to training too early, so I had a bit of a relapse. I’m currently moving toward the desired level, and I’m satisfied with the way I finished the month. My aim is to hold on to that level, and I hope to even improve a bit further.

“January will be an important month, with both the national and world championships, and I hope to add another jersey to my collection. My goal is to finish the World Cup strongly, ideally with another victory.

“I’m happy with what I’ve shown so far this season. The world championships course suits me, and I hope to perform well there, as I am really looking forward to it.”

Team Liv-Plantur’s Sabrina Stultiens (NED) reached the podium in her season debut, with a second place at Zilvermeercross, followed by 16th place in Namur, seventh at Heusden-Zolder and fifth at Diegem. Stultiens explains: “I had a good start in Mol. In the World Cup races I noticed my lack of racing rhythm and technique in comparison to my competitors, but I’m steadily improving.

“Last weekend’s races went quite well, as I was able to follow in terms of condition, but I made some small errors that kept me from competing for the win. January will be an important month for me, with the national championships and world championships.”


JANUARY RACE CALENDAR LARS VAN DER HAAR
01/01/2016 - Baal, Belgium
10/01/2016 - National Championships: Hellendoorn, the Netherlands
17/01/2016 - Lignières-en-Berry, France
23/01/2016 - Rucphen, the Netherlands
24/01/2016 - Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
31/01/2016 - World Championships: Zolder, Belgium 


JANUARY RACE CALENDAR SABRINA STULTIENS
03/01/2016 - Leuven, Belgium
10/01/2016 - National Championships: Hellendoorn, the Netherlands
17/01/2016 - Lignières-en-Berry, France
24/01/2016 - Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
30/01/2016 - World Championships: Zolder, Belgium 

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