Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
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2017 Tour de France | 2017 Giro d'Italia
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. - Winston Churchill
Current racing:
- August 19 - Sept 10: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 20: EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg
- August 15 - 18: Tour du Limousin
- August 18: Veenendaal - Veenendaal
- August 7 - 13: BinckBank Tour (formerly Eneco Tour of Benelux)
- August 10 - 13: Arctic Race of Norway
- August 10 - 13: Colorado Classic
- August 8 - 12: Tour de l'Ain
U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame inducts Roy Knickman, Lawrence Malone,
Tim Mountford & Joe Saling
Here's the Hall of Fame's news release. I posted it complete because it had so much good info.
DAVIS, Calif. (August 11, 2017) – The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame will induct four legends of American cycling in ceremonies being held on November 11 in Davis, California. The honorees represent several disciplines within the sport of cycling. The inductees are Roy Knickman (Modern Road & Track Competitor), Lawrence Malone (Off-Road Competitor), Tim Mountford (Veteran Road & Track Competitor), and Joe Saling (Contributor to the Sport). With the Class of 2017, there are now a total of 154 Inductees in the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
“The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame is proud to honor these individuals,” said Bob Bowen, board president. “These individuals were selected by the voters because of their supreme accomplishments in the sport of cycling. Their induction into the Hall of Fame will serve as a perpetual reminder of their dedication and sacrifice to the sport.”
Induction weekend will be held November 10-11, 2017 in Davis and features a celebration of American cycling. The public is welcomed to join Bicycling Hall of Fame members, cycling industry leaders and cycling enthusiasts for a free Club Ride on Saturday, Nov. 11; and the induction ceremony that evening. Tickets for the Nov. 11
Induction Ceremony at the UC Davis ARC facility are $55.00 each and they are available for purchase online at: https://squareup.com/market/us-bicycling-hall-of-fame. For more information, visit: www.usbhof.org
The Hall of Fame has been located in Davis, Calif. since 2010 and it boasts 8,000 square feet of displays and exhibits that tell the story of American cycling history via inductee memorabilia and a collection of bicycles from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Class of 2017 Inductees include:
Veteran Road and Track: Tim Mountford
In an era when U.S. cycling was largely focused on results back home, Tim Mountford had great success on the international stage. A ferocious sprinter who excelled in a variety of disciplines, Tim placed 10th in the sprints at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and competed with Jack Disney in the tandem sprints at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. At the 1967 Pan American Games in Canada, he won a bronze medal in the 10-mile event. Tim also won a gold medal in the Men’s Sprints in the 1969 National Championships in Detroit, Michigan.
Showing a remarkable endurance when it comes to speed events, he raced in four individual and team sprint events at the 1970 World Amateur Track Championships in Leicester, England including the 1000 meter time trial; Tandem Sprints with Skip Cutting; and Team Pursuit with John Vande Velde, Dave Chauner, Chris Halsey. Tim reached the sprint quarterfinals at the 1971 and 1972 World Professional Track Championships in Verse, Italy and Marseille, France.
Tim also was a throwback to turn of the century racers while competing as a Six Day racing specialist, placing second with partner Dieter Kemper in 1973 at Los Angeles and third that same year at the Detroit Six Day with A. Fritz. He finished 14 additional “Sixes,” the most raced by any American since the 1940s.
Modern Road and Track: Roy Knickman
Roy Knickman’s career spanned multiple continents and momentous moments on some legendary teams. Success came early at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when Roy won a bronze medal as part of the Team Time Trial with Davis Phinney, Ron Kiefel, and Andrew Weaver. He made his mark early in his career on some of cycling’s most iconic teams – La Vie Claire, Toshiba-Look, and 7-Eleven. Early teammates included all-time greats Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault and American legends Davis Phinney and Andy Hampsten. In 1987, he won stages of Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de Suisse. Roy added a stage win of the Coors Classic in 1988, the final year of the landmark U.S. stage race. He then reached the pinnacle of road cycling, competing twice in the Tour de France.
Later in his career, Roy focused on the U.S. domestic circuit racing for the dominant teams of the early 1990s, Coors Light and Mercury. After his racing days, Roy applied his cycling skills to help the next generation when he became a coach with USA Cycling.
Off-Road (Mountain Bike, BMX, Cyclocross): Lawrence Malone
Dedicated to what was in the 1970’s considered to be a fringe sport, Lawrence Malone left an indelible mark on Cyclocross. He perfected the “barrier bunny-hop” maneuver, clearing obstacles without having to dismount. His technique – utilized at the World Championships – brought worldwide attention to the fledgling U.S. Cyclocross scene. The barrier hops have been crowd favorites ever since. He confirmed his dominance in U.S. Cyclocross with five consecutive national titles from 1975 to 1979.
Contributor: Joe Saling
Over the past half-century, few have had the impact on all levels of competitive cycling, regionally or nationally, as Joe Saling. He has been involved in every level of the sport: state champion, national champion, world champion, race promoter, coach, consultant, media spokesperson, race announcer, historian, bicycle shop owner, equipment sales executive, cycling safety advocate, and long-standing "glue" that has held together one of the nation's legendary clubs, the Somerset Wheelmen in New Jersey.
Perhaps most noteworthy is Joe's legacy as someone who introduced and inspired many hundreds of young people to experience the thrill of racing or the joy of simply riding a bicycle. He has been, and remains, a teacher, a mentor, and an inspiration to many.
Joe served as U.S. Team Coach and Manager at the Summer Games in New Zealand in 1981 and in Trinidad in 1983. He also has served as a board member to the forerunner of the USA Cycling organization and for the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, originally established in Somerville, New Jersey. He was heavily involved with national and international events including the 1983 Pre-Olympic International Track meet in Los Angeles, the 1987-1988 Fuji National Track Series, and the 1988 Goodwill Series. Joe’s passion for grassroots cycling motivated him to form the first 4-H Bike Club in the country, to organize bicycle rodeos, and to create bike safety programs for elementary schools.
About the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame
Founded in 1985, The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing American competitive cyclists and contributors to the sport for their significant achievements. Its mission is to preserve the history of American cycling in order to educate people about the past and encourage them to participate in the future of the sport. Encouraging all levels of cycling, the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame promotes cycling development and fitness.
Vuelta a España stage four team reports
Here's the news from stage winner Matteo Trentin's Team Quick-Step Floors:
Matteo Trentin sprinted to victory in Tarragona and earned a place in the history books as the 100th rider to win stages in all Grand Tours.
Quick-Step Floors is on a roll at the Vuelta a España, where our team has just nabbed another stage victory, number 12 this season in a Grand Tour, a performance last attained by a squad seven years ago. After Yves Lampaert kicked off things on the second day with a beautiful solo attack in the last kilometer, it was now the turn of Matteo Trentin to finish it off and score his first World Tour victory of the season.
The day was one for the sprinters, with only a third-category climb on the course, which didn't pose any problem to the peloton led by Quick-Step Floors' Tim Declercq, who controlled the gap of the four-man break and made sure it didn't go north of six minutes. Once Tim's job was done, Bob Jungels and Niki Terpstra took over in the last ten kilometers and reeled in the last two escapees, before shutting down a late attack.
Julian Alaphilippe – a Vuelta a España debutant – then came at the head of affairs and stretched out the peloton with two kilometers remaining with a nervous tempo that didn't allow other teams to come around and master the finale. Yves Lampaert was the last man in front of Matteo, and the Belgian made sure of pumping in the watts and keeping his Italian teammate on his wheel as he negotiated the tricky and technical final meters, before Trentin opened his sprint and emphatically powered to the line, beating Juan Jose Lobato (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Tom Van Asbroeck (Cannondale-Drapac) by several bike lengths.
Matteo Trentin wins Vuelta stage four.
After catching his breath, an ecstatic Matteo took us through the final kilometers of the stage: "We took responsibility again today and did the bulk of the work for most of the stage. Tim chased down the breakaway, then Bob and Niki protected me, while Julian and Yves brought me in a great position. I knew the last kilometer was a technical one, with several tight bends, but wasn't worried at all about it, as I had Yves with me, who showed two days ago how good he is in such a situation. I am really happy I could repay all my teammates for their hard work and come out on top here."
Matteo's victory in Tarragona, where the Vuelta a España returned after four years, saw the 28-year-old set a remarkable milestone, as he joined the select club of riders with stage wins in all Grand Tours, becoming the 100th man in history to achieve this remarkable performance.
"It's a wonderful feeling to have victories in all Grand Tours. I'm very proud to have done this in the jersey of Quick-Step Floors; I came here for a stage win and I'm delighted to get it so early in the race. We're having a great Vuelta, everyone on the team is giving 100% in the race and we hope to enjoy many other fantastic moments in the next stages", said Matteo – the new points classification leader – whose all Grand Tour victories came in Lyon, Nancy, Pinerolo and Tarragona, all towns with a strong Roman heritage.
And LottoNL-Jumbo sent me this Vuelta report:
Juan José Lobato has become second in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s 28-year-old rider was very strong in the final and almost sprinted to his second victory of this season. Lobato commenced his sprint early, but the Italian Matteo Trentin was stronger in the end.
On the one hand Lobato was disappointed, but on the other hand his second place was a relief. “I started my season badly. I could train very well the last two months. That is paying off in this Vuelta, but I would like to win a stage”, he stated afterwards.
The technically difficult last kilometres suited the Spanish local very well. “Stef Clement did a great job in the final. By doing so, I could position myself more easily. At three hundred metres before the line, I started sprinting. Unfortunately Trentin was stronger today. Luckily, I will get more chances.”
Lobato’s second place is a boost for Team LottoNL-Jumbo. “Of course it’s a pity that Lobato ended up second in the end, but it was nice to see how we could stay in front in the last fifteenth kilometres”, sports director Engels looked back to the team work. “Furthermore, Lobato showed he can win a stage in this Vuelta. That offers perspectives for the upcoming days.”
Jasper De Buyst wins GP Stad Zottegem
Lotto-Soudal sent me this race report.
Note, this is not a race BikeRaceInfo.com covers.
The eighty-second edition of the GP Stad Zottegem took the riders on a 199 kilometre-long ride in the Flemish province of East-Flanders. The course consisted of a big 65 kilometre-long lap, and then five smaller laps which included both small hills and cobbled sectors. Boucher, Huppertz and Townsend went clear in the first few kilometres and the trio quickly built a five minutes lead. The cobbles of the Paddestraat split the peloton on every passage and a large group, with among others Sean De Bie and Tosh Van der Sande, broke away and caught the escapees. The peloton managed to bridge the gap in the last few kilometres and it was Jasper De Buyst who ultimately sprinted to victory. He won ahead of Joeri Stallaert and Kenny Dehaes.
Jasper De Buyst: "Of course I’m very happy with this win, it’s my third victory this season. Sean De Bie and I were the two designated leaders and we ultimately found ourselves in a great situation. Sean and Tosh Van der Sande managed to get in the front group that rode away just before the last passage on the Paddestraat while I could wait in the second group. That was a perfect situation. When everything got back together, I was in a good position and I knew the last turn was a bit less than 300 metres from the line, so I decided to launch my sprint early and it ultimately paid off."
Stage 4 of La Vuelta led the riders on a 198 kilometre-long flat course between Escaldes-Engordany and Tarragona. Le Bon, Osorio, Rossetto, Rubio and Schultz quickly formed the day’s breakaway and they were granted a maximum lead of six minutes. The front group worked well together until the only climb of the day, the Alto de Belltall, where Rossetto and Rubio left their fellow escapees behind. The duo managed to stay up front until the last eight kilometres. Jelle Wallays crashed three kilometres before the line. Jelle hurt his ribs and will be examined tonight. Matteo Trentin was the fastest in the sprint, ahead of Juan José Lobato and Tom Van Asbroeck. Jens Debusschere finished in fifth place. The leader’s red jersey remained on the shoulders of Chris Froome.
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