Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, January 28, 2016

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Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking. - William Butler Yeats

Today's race:

• January 28: Trofeo Campos-Santani-Ses Salines, first of four Mallorca races.

Coming up:

• January 31: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race
• January 31: Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise

BMC Racing Team ready to tackle the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

This came from the team:

27, January 2015, Geelong (AUS): BMC Racing Team is set to cap off the team's Australian racing program at the second edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race this Sunday, 31 January.

The team's six-man squad at the UCI 1.HC-ranked, 174 kilometer race is based on the team's recent Santos Tour Down Under roster: Rohan Dennis (AUS), Alessandro De Marchi (ITA), Floris Gerts (NED), Peter Velits (SVK) and Danilo Wyss (SUI). Joining them is Rick Zabel (GER) who will kick off his 2016 season.

Rick Zabel will be at the Great Ocean Race

BMC Racing Team Sports Director Allan Peiper said the race, which starts and finishes in Geelong and continues along Australia's picturesque coastline, will allow all six riders to have their own chance. "It's a great opportunity for all of the riders to have their own chance for once because there isn't an outspoken leader who can win in a sprint or who can ride away on the final climb.

"We'd like to have someone in the breakaway and then coming into the last laps the guys can move and respond to any breakaways that I'm sure we'll see in the final stages of the race. If it does come down to a sprint, then we'll have Rick Zabel and Danilo Wyss there. Every rider will get his own chance."

The one-day race is an important opener to the 2016 season for BMC Racing Team, with the event founded by former BMC Racing Team rider and 2011 Tour de France winner, Cadel Evans.

"The team is based on Cadel. His results helped make the team what it is, so obviously we want to do well," Peiper confirmed.

BMC Racing Team has brought Zabel in to replace Marcus Burghardt who fractured his left elbow at the Santos Tour Down Under. "I'm really happy to be starting my season earlier than expected in Australia at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. It will be a good chance to test the legs after some solid training in the off season," Zabel said.

Rider Roster: Rohan Dennis (AUS), Alessandro De Marchi (ITA),Floris Gerts (NED),Peter Velits (SVK), Danilo Wyss (SUI),Rick Zabel (GER)

Sports Director: Allan Peiper (AUS)

Giant-Alpecin crash update

The team sent this news:

Team Giant-Alpecin reports that the recovery of the riders involved in the training accident in Spain is progressing steadily.

Warren Barguil (FRA), Fredrik Ludvigsson (SWE) and Ramon Sinkeldam (NED) are currently home. Team physician Anko Boelens (NED) explained: “Warren will undergo surgery on Thursday for his scaphoid fracture. This won’t change our earlier estimation of six weeks of recovery needed. Fredrik has already tried his first minutes on the home trainer and is showing good signs of recovery.”

Warren Barguil (leading a small group in the 2014 Vuelta) is already back home after the crash

The team reported on Monday that further exams that day showed that Sinkeldam also has a fractured scapula. Surgery will not be required, but recovery will take longer than initially expected.

John Degenkolb (GER) returned to Germany today for further treatment and recovery in the hospital. Boelens said: “John’s left index finger was damaged in the accident and he will have additional surgery in Germany. As a professional athlete, he needs the functionality back in his finger, and the recovery time for that is extremely difficult to predict.”

Further examinations have shown that Chad Haga (USA) will not need surgery on his orbital fracture. “Now the swelling has decreased and surgery won’t be necessary. Chad will be able to leave the hospital and travel home to Gerona, Spain, in the next few days.”

Max Walscheid (GER) had successful surgeries on both his tibia and thumb in Germany. He will need to stay in the hospital for a few more days, and his recovery will take some months.

Adriano Malori condition updated

This is from his Movistar team:

Movistar Team issues the following press release to inform on the latest news about the health status of its rider Adriano Malori.

Italy's Adriano Malori was moved on Monday to a specialised clinic in the city of Buenos Aires, with the aim of having more precise medical checks done on him, with techniques and instruments not available at the hospital in San Luis he was admitted to after his accident. This is the usual protocol in such injuries, consequence of a cranioencephalic trauma. He's accompanied at all times by team doctor Jesús Hoyos, who coordinates, together with the services of the hospital itself, all attentions received by the rider.

After that information, Movistar Team feels obligated to issue the following considerations, which clarify some informations published by different media during the last few days:

1.- The riders who closely witnessed the accident confirmed the sequence of events that led to Adriano's injuries: Malori hit a pothole, which threw him off balance and made him crash. That was, without any sort of doubt, the reason for his accident.

2.- Moments after the accident and following his admission to the hospital, joined by the team's medical staff, the rider was induced to a status of 'coma', which stands for a sort of induced sedation, allowing the patient's injuries to heal in a controlled way. The 'coma' was never a direct consequence of the trauma.

3.- The Movistar Team has always informed about the condition of riders, like Adriano Malori, who crashed during a competition or while training. Our informations are always offered with an aim for transparency and issued periodically, but always taking into account that, sometimes, respect to the involved rider's intimity and to his family and friends is much due. In no way has the Movistar Team tried to hide the seriousness of the rider's injuries. There cannot be any confusion about the extreme rigurosity on our communications, which are always based on precise, reliable medical reports.

2016 Movistar team presented

Here's the team's release:

Movistar Team's sixth season was launched today at the company headquarters in Madrid's Distrito Telefónica. The riders directed by Eusebio Unzué were presented to the media in the presence of varios Telefónica authorities, including Public Affairs Director Carlos López Blanco. The event was shown on the social media using the hashtag #MovistarTeam2016, and recorded for broadcast in Spain on the Movistar+ platform.

The 2016 Movistar team

Thanks to almost 150 victories, and 1.5 million kilometres raced in five campaigns, Movistar Team has maintained the status it has held since its foundation in 1980 as the team of reference in the international peloton. The 2015 season saw the riders achieve magnificent results: both Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde stood on the final podium of the Tour de France; Valverde won the UCI world rankings for the 4th time in his career; Alex Dowsett set a new World Hour record, 21 years after Miguel Indurain; Andrey Amador finished fourth in the Giro d'Italia; and, on top of all this, the prizes for the Best Team in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

General Manager Eusebio Unzué emphasised the team's hunger for yet more glory in 2016, when the season's goals will once again include victory in the Grand Tours and in the leading events of the UCI WorldTour calendar, as well as the overall team ranking for a fourth consecutive season. “It’s not anything we didn’t do during the last few years, so it’s achievable, and I’m also excited about the progression of our youngsters, the talent of our two big leaders and the huge team behind us. Together with our partners, the whole squad is fully focused on fulfilling the biggest goals, and under Telefónica’s sponsorship, we’re calm and confident that we will be able to fight for the Tour and many other big races.”

Thirty partners and nearly forty support staff complete the team roster. Over the past five years, this vast and complex structure has met the challenges set by Telefonica in the digital sphere, by positioning itself as one of the most followed teams on the net. 700,000 followers accompany the team, via its official website, movistarteam.com, and its Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud profiles. This social network presence is completed by an official shop, event broadcast innovations via Periscope, initiatives like "Vive Fan", and competitions and events like the Movistar Bike Fiesta.

The event also saw the presentation of the official suit designed for Movistar Team by the men's fashion brand Scalpers. This sponsorship relationship started in 2013, since when the paths of both parties have led to great success. For the new season, a navy suit with a fresh, current cut combines with a white shirt, embroidered with the initials of each team member, and a limitied edition tie.

MOVISTAR TEAM ROSTER 2016

RIDERS (** marks new signings for 2016)

Andrey Amador (Costa Rica, 29 years old)
Winner Anacona (Colombia, 27)
Jorge Arcas (Huesca, Spain 23) **
Carlos Betancur (Colombia, 26) **
Jonathan Castroviejo (Vizcaya, 28)
Alex Dowsett (Great Britain, 27)
Imanol Erviti (Navarre, 32)
Rubén Fernández (Murcia, 24)
Jesús Herrada (Cuenca, 25)
José Herrada (Cuenca, 30)
Gorka Izagirre (Guipúzcoa, 28)
Ion Izagirre (Guipúzcoa, 26)
Juanjo Lobato (Cadiz, 27)
Adriano Malori (Italy, 27)
Dani Moreno (Madrid, 33) **
Javi Moreno (Jaén, 31)
Nelson Oliveira (Portugal, 26) **
Antonio Pedrero (Barcelona, 24) **
Dayer Quintana (Colombia, 23)
Nairo Quintana (Colombia, 25)
José Joaquín Rojas (Murcia, 30)
Marc Soler (Barcelona, 22)
Rory Sutherland (Australia, 33)
Jasha Sütterlin (Germany, 23)
Alejandro Valverde (Murcia, 35)
Fran Ventoso (Cantabria, 33)
Giovanni Visconti (Italy, 33)

STAFF

General Manager: Eusebio Unzué. Manager and Technical Director: Alfonso Galilea. Directeurs sportifs: José Luis Arrieta, José Luis Jaimerena, Chente García Acosta, José Luis Laguía. Mechanics: Tomás Amezaga, Aritz Berruezo, Fermín Gómez, Alexander Gubanov, Senen Pintado, Fernando Sánchez. Masseurs: Iñaki Aranguren, José Ángel Arenas ‘Guaje’, Garikoitz Baños, Ignacio Bernardino ‘Tato’, Juan Carlos Escámez, Fernando Gómez, Javier Iriarte, Borja Jaimerena, Mikel Otero. Medical staff: Jesús Hoyos, Alfredo Zúñiga. Physical preparation: Cycling Research Center (Mikel Zabala, Manuel Mateo, Jorge Sanz, Javier Dafos). Osteopath: Íñigo Michelena. Nutritioalist / Cook: Lorenzo Pajares. Marketing & Comunicación: Juan Pablo Molinero (Director), Dani Sánchez (Digital), Matt Rendell (Press), Sebastián Unzué (PR). Administration: Javier Valera, Francisco Fdez. Maestre, Verónica Lorca, Elena Sánchez.

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