Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, November 21, 2016

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2017 Tour de France | 2017 Giro d'Italia

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - Calvin Coolidge

Latest completed racing:

• October 9 - 16: World Road Cycling Championships
• October 20-23: Abu Dhabi Tour
• October 23: Chrono des Nations
• October 23: Japan Cup
• October 22-30: Tour of Hainan

Wiggins-Cavendish win Gent 6-Day

Etixx-Quick Step posted this race report:

On the last day of the Gent Six Day, Iljo Keisse and Elia Viviani began with a victory in the second points race, followed shortly by a success in the team elimination, which helped Iljo and Elia get a one-lap bonus and leapfrog their opponents, thus jumping to first place in the general classification. The battle for glory turned more intense by the minute, and it became obvious that the overall victory was going down to the wire, but the huge pressure didn't stop the Belgian-Italian duo from nabbing the supersprint and the second derny of the afternoon, thus adding two more wins to their haul.

The frantic Madison race, the competition's final race, saw the first three teams in the GC go neck and neck until the last 50 laps, when the intermediate sprints came into play, and Team LIDL won three of them. Then, in the closing minutes, the Bradley Wiggins/Mark Cavendish duo attacked and gained a lap thanks to which they claimed the overall honours in 't Kuipe, at the 76th edition of the competition.

At the end of the day, Iljo Keisse and Elia Viviani finished third in the GC, which witnessed tight margins between the first three teams, a result that shows the cohesion and firepower of the two despite this being the first track event for which they paired up. For Iljo, who has 14 participations and six triumphs at the Gent Six Day, this was the 5th time he concluded on the podium, a feat that cements his status as one of the all-time greats in the history of the race.

General classification:

1. Bradley Wiggins/Mark Cavendish – 410 points

2, Kenny De Ketele/Moreno de Pauw – 475 points (+ 1 lap)

3. Iljo Keisse/Elia Viviani – 468 points (+ 1 lap)

EU to change anti-dumping rules, what does this mean for China-made bikes?

Bike-eu.com posted this report:

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Commission has presented a proposal for a new method for calculating dumping on imports from countries where there are significant market distortions, or where the state has a pervasive influence on the economy. Does this mean that the 48.5% anti-dumping duty now in place for China made bikes exported to the European Union will not end by 2018?

For decades there’s an anti-dumping duty enforced on bicycles imported from China into the EU member states. This has protected the European bicycle sector from a flood of ultra-cheap bicycles from China. With the 2013 renewal of the dumping measures it was widely expected that this would be the final 5 year term. With a new methodology in place for determining dumping as well as a strengthened anti-subsidy legislation there’s a much reduced chance that these measures will be stopped by 2018.

An EU press release on the Commission’s proposal says, “The purpose of the new method for calculating dumping is to make sure that Europe has trade defence instruments that are able to deal with current realities – notably overcapacities – in the international trading environment, while fully respecting the EU’s international obligations in the legal framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The proposal, which introduces changes to the EU’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy legislation, follows a broad public consultation and is accompanied by an impact assessment. The new anti-dumping methodology would apply to cases initiated once the amended rules are in force. The proposal also includes a transition period during which all anti-dumping measures currently in place as well as ongoing investigations would remain subject to the existing legislation.”

The EU press release stipulates further, “Under current rules, in normal market circumstances dumping is calculated by comparing the export price of a product to the EU with the domestic prices or costs of the product in the exporting country. This approach will be kept and complemented by the new methodology that will be country-neutral. It will apply the same way to all WTO members and will take into account significant distortions in certain countries, due to state influence in the economy. WTO members will no longer be part of a list of countries subject to the so called “analogue country” methodology. This approach will be reserved for non-market economy countries that are not members of the WTO.”

The Commission has also proposed a strengthening of the EU anti-subsidy legislation so that in future cases, any new subsidies revealed in the course of an investigation can also be investigated and included in the final duties imposed.

In determining distortions, several criteria will be considered, such as state policies and influence, the widespread presence of state-owned enterprises, discrimination in favour of domestic companies and the independence of the financial sector. The Commission will draft specific reports for countries or sectors where it will identify distortions. As is the case today, it will be for the EU industry to file complaints, but they can rely on such reports by the Commission to make their case.

You can read the entire story here.

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