Bicycle Racing News and Opinion:
Tuesday, November 3, 2015

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Boels-Dolmans Cycling & Nutrition eBook

The kind people at the Boels-Dolmans women's pro cycling team and SIS (Science in Sport) sent me a copy of their free eBook that's filled with good information about training and nutrition for women cyclists. Included is a beginner's 12-week training plan.

Of course, there is no escaping that there is a bias towards the sponsor's products. But still, I think this is a really fine resource and well-worth reading.

You can download it here. They do want your email address, by the way.

Boels-Dolmans rider Elizabeth Armitstead is the elite women's world road race champion

Rapha and Team Sky to end clothing partnership

Here's the open letter from Rapha boss Simon Mottram:

TEAM SKY: AN OPEN LETTER FROM SIMON MOTTRAM
Words: Simon Mottram | Date: November 2, 2015

In 2012 Rapha announced the beginning of a four-year Partnership with the world’s number-one professional racing team, Team Sky. Rapha has been a part of Team Sky’s countless achievements since then, including two Tour de France victories and success on all types of terrain and in all conditions. Together, we have redefined performance and style in the peloton, both on and off the bike. It’s been an amazing ride so far and the success of the Partnership has been beyond expectations.

After reflection and discussion, both Rapha and Team Sky have decided not to renew our Partnership beyond the current four-year deal, which concludes at the end of the 2016 season.

For the next year Rapha will focus on the Research and Development projects that are already in progress with the team. With several special new products due to be released in 2016, we now look forward to an exciting final season with Team Sky and celebrating the Partnership in style.

Going forward Rapha will continue to find Partnerships that serve and connect with our customers wherever they are from, and across the many levels and disciplines of this beautiful sport. The success of our Cycle Clubs and the RCC (Rapha Cycling Club) gives us the confidence to keep moving forwards, to try new ventures and trust our instincts. From 2017 we will continue to support racing in many ways, especially locally, but we will also focus on new geographies, partnerships and categories. We will be announcing news on these exciting developments soon.

Sincerely,

Simon Mottram
Founder and Chief Executive
RAPHA

Chris Froome in the Rapha-made Sky kit

ZEG to Take-Over Kettler’s Bicycle Factory?

Times change. There was a time when the Kettler "Alu Rad" [aluminum bike] stand at the old Cologne bike show seemed to dominate the show floor with its size. That was in the early 1980s, long before the Asians had largely taken over production of consumer bikes. The company was started in 1949 and made its first aluminum bike in 1977 (Cannondale started making aluminum frames in 1983 and filed for bankruptcy in in 2003). Kettler was founded by Heinz Kettler and is currently being run by his daughter Karin Kettler.

I was saddened to see this piece in Bike Europe:

ENSE-PARSIT, Germany. According to a local newspaper – the Saarbrücker Zeitung – Europe’s biggest dealer cooperative ZEG is about to take-over Kettler’s Hanweiler based bicycle factory. The Kettler management is currently working on an insolvency plan which is scheduled to be finalized together with the company’s creditors at end of the year.

According to Kettler (manufacturer of outdoor furniture, fitness equipment, toys and aluminium bicycles) the restructuring of the company has started. This was officially announced after a staff meeting on 28 October. On 2 June, 2015 Kettler filed for insolvency.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Dutch Federation and Tour organization argue over money

The Dutch daily De Telegraaf is reporting that the Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) is demanding 140,000 Euros from ASO, the organization that owns the Tour de France, for running the first two stages of the 2015 Tour de France in the Netherlands.

The KNWU says that ASO must pay them before the start of the 2016 Tour.

ASO is disputing that obligation and the Dutch have brought an arbitration case before the UCI (sorry for all these acronyms) to force payment.

KNWU boss Huib Kloosterhuis said that the organizers of all cycling races pay pay smaller or larger amounts of money to the KNWU for the privilege of running a race in the Netherlands. Kloosteruis says that the amount due from ASO is small to ASO but serious money to the Dutch.

The 2016 Giro d'Italia will start in the Netherlands, but the KNWU is unworried about payment from the Italians.

I'll try to follow this to see how it turns out.

2015 Tour de France map showing the start in the Netherlands.

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