Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, October 16, 2016

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is in flower – Albert Camus

Recently completed racing:

• October 2: Tour de l'Eurométropole
• October 3: Sparkassen Munsterland-Giro
• October 4: Binche-Chimay-Binche
• October 6: Paris-Bourges
• October 9: Paris-Tours
• October 11: Nationale Sluitingprijs-Putte Kapellen

Current Racing:

• October 9 - 16: World Road Cycling Championships

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Elite Men's World Championship Preview

This page was put up Saturday evening.

Here's what Etixx-Quck Step posted before the race:

14 Etixx-Quck step riders set for world championships. No other team will line up so many riders at the start of Sunday's race.

Last major event of the season – the World Road Race Championships – will get underway tomorrow morning under the scorching desert of Qatar, the first Middle East country to host the competition, and Etixx – Quick-Step will have 14 riders at the start, representing 10 countries.

Tom Boonen will be at the start line Sunday

Tom Boonen (Belgium), David De La Cruz (Spain), Fernando Gaviria (Colombia), Iljo Keisse (Belgium), Bob Jungels (Luxembourg), Marcel Kittel (Germany), Nikolas Maes (Belgium), Tony Martin (Germany), Maximiliano Richeze (Argentina), Fabio Sabatini (Italy), Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic), Niki Terpstra (Netherlands), Matteo Trentin (Italy) and Lukasz Wisniowski (Poland) will be the Etixx – Quick-Step riders who will line out for the start of the 258km-long race.

The first 150 kilometers will take the peloton through the desert, where splits can occur if the speed of the bunch is high and the crosswinds are strong. Still, if the gaps aren't too big once the riders will leave the sand dunes behind, a regrouping could take place on the 15.2km-long local circuit that the pack will cover seven times. In that case, it's very likely the race will come down to a sprint on the Pearl, in a finale made difficult by a series of roundabouts, U-turns and technical corners.

Of the riders mentioned above, Tom Boonen won the coveted rainbow jersey 11 years ago, in Madrid, after sprinting from a reduced group, but also four editions of the Tour of Qatar, a race in which he scored 22 stage victories. As a matter of fact, the event was dominated by Etixx – Quick-Step since its inception, with our team taking the overall glory on seven occasions, the most recent triumph coming in 2015, when Niki Terpstra rode to his second title.

Here's Team Sky's news:

Luke Rowe is all set for battle in the sweltering conditions of Qatar ahead of Sunday's World Championship road race. The Welshman will line up as part of a nine-man Great Britain squad for the 257-kilometre showpiece, with the race likely to favour the fast men in the bunch.

Rowe will look to take on a team role in Doha, and has spent the last few days getting used to the much-publicised heat. "We travelled over on Monday so we'll have been here for six days by the time we race," Rowe explained. "So it's just a case of trying to acclimatise as much as we can in a short space of time. As everyone knows from the media and watching the previous races it's filthy hot out here. It really is like riding in an oven!

Luke Rowe

"I've seen well over 40 degrees on the Garmin quite a few times. So that is going to be one of the biggest challenges - staying hydrated on Sunday. But we're all pumped for the race and looking forward to the challenge."

For Rowe the chance to link up with Great Britain is always an opportunity he relishes - with the chance to compete alongside old friends and team-mates.
"Whenever all the GB lads come together from the different teams for a race like this we have such a good laugh. We get on really well and throughout our careers we've ridden together with each other at a few points - whether that's internationally or for our trade teams. But the morale is really high and there's plenty of banter right around the table."

Team unity will be required in tough conditions, with the course heading out for an exposed desert loop before culminating in finishing circuits around The Pearl.
On that potentially pivotal section, Rowe added: "We went out there on Thursday to check out the opening loop before we get to the circuit. It's super open out there and super windy. But having said that the forecast for Sunday is for substantially less wind than we saw when we did the reccy. It's really exposed and traditionally like what we'd see at the Tour of Qatar - open, exposed, crosswinds, echelons etc. It all depends how the wind is on the day. If there's any wind at all it will split up big time I'd say. But we'll just have to see how it is on race day."

Despite rumours of a possible shortened race due to the sweltering conditions, Rowe maintains the best preparation is remain focused on a full-length encounter.
"The plan is to just forget about it. We prepare for 260km and then anything less is a bonus. It wouldn't be a bad thing if they did shorten it but whether they do or don't it's the same for everyone. You just have to get on with it."

2018 Eurobike trade show will be held in July

This story came from Bicycle Retailer & Industry News:

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Eurobike organizers have announced new dates for the 2018 trade show. Eurobike will move earlier in the year, kicking off on Sunday, July 8, and it will be exclusively for trade visitors, eliminating its consumer festival days.

Next year, Eurobike will remain in its usual timeframe, Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, with three days only open to trade visitors, followed by one consumer day on Saturday. It will also retain the demo areas outside of the "B" hall. Eurobike immediately announced that it would go back to one consumer day after the show this year, which expanded to two consumer days.

Organizers have not decided whether the 2018 trade show will offer three or four days for trade visitors. They said that will be determined closer to show time and after surveying exhibitors further. Eurobike conducted an extensive survey after the show this year, asking about dates, consumer days, and other topics.

"The bike market is enjoying great dynamism and seeing numerous changes to the value chain. By taking place earlier in the year Eurobike will be even more relevant and strengthen its position as the leading trade show for new trends and innovations," said Klaus Wellman, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen.

Eurobike show director Stefan Reisinger said the industry has fragmented with various dealer events and house shows held throughout the summer, and it's not sustainable long term for all of the stakeholders — manufacturers, retailers and media. "By announcing the new 2018 dates now, we're giving the bicycle industry the chance to orientate itself, providing planning security and the required advance notice to readjust and regroup for the significantly earlier future Eurobike dates," Reisinger said.

"We are aware that this might prove a challenge for certain market players. However, we're creating the conditions for the industry to present itself in a more unified fashion at the Eurobike show in the future," he added.

You can read the entire story here.

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