Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, November 23, 2017
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2017 Tour de France | 2017 Giro d'Italia
Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk. - Seneca
Latest completed racing:
- November 19: Bogense Cyclocross
- November 12: Gavere Cyclocross
- November 5: European Cyclocross Championships
- Oct 28 - Nov 5: Tour of Hainan
- November 1: Cyclocross Koppenberg
- October 29: Cyclocross Ruddervoorde
- October 28: Cincy CX, Devou Park
- October 28: Grote Prijs van Brabant
Sam Jenner and Harry Sweeny to stay with Mitchelton-Scott in 2018
The team sent me this release:
2017 Australian U23 national road race champion Sam Jenner will be staying with UCI Continental team Mitchelton-SCOTT for the coming 2018 season alongside compatriot Harry Sweeny.
The two talented young Australians have formed a vital part of the team’s makeup throughout a successful 2017 season and the retention of both riders is a significant step forward in the team’s continuing development.
“It’s unreal to be joining the team again for 2018,” said Jenner. “I’ve been part of the set up for a couple of years now and although I’ll be sad to see some mates go I’m equally excited to see some new faces coming in to replace them and am looking forward to see what next year will bring.”
“It was great to wear the national stripes throughout the 2017 season and to see so many positive results achieved by the team. This year has been better than we all expected and has only been possible with the dedication from both riders and staff.”
After a challenging 2017 season that was disrupted by injuries Sweeny is looking forward to getting started with a busy Australian summer schedule before the European calendar comes into full swing. “I am excited to be signing with Mitchelton-SCOTT for a second season,” said Sweeny. “2017 was a great experience for me, not only in learning the way U23 racing unfolds, but also adapting to a European lifestyle.”
“Unfortunately I had a few injuries along the way which made the season quite challenging in places, however I am eager to perform in my second year with the team. I’m looking forward to the Australian summer of racing as always and can’t wait to head back over to Europe with what has become a tight knit bunch of teammates.”
Sport director James Victor spoke of the importance of retaining the services of both riders as the team comes off the back of such a successful season and looks to build into 2018. “After the team’s most successful season to date it was an important step for us to re-sign both Harry and Sam and continue along the path of developing some of Australia’s next generation of talented athletes and pursue more success for Mitchelton-SCOTT,” Victor said.
“Sam is coming into his third season with the team and without question he forms part of the backbone of the squad and was an integral member of the team that achieved 35 podiums from 41 international race days in 2017. Sam never missed a race day and when you asked for that little bit extra, Sam could always be relied upon to keep the race plan moving.
“After successfully supporting riders like Lucas Hamilton, Jai Hindley and Michael Storer (who are all moving up to WorldTour) throughout 2017, next season we will be looking for Sam to chase some of his own personal ambitions. He gained some valuable experience this year after racing with the national champion’s jersey on his shoulders and that will stand him in good stead for 2018.
“Harry suffered some niggling injuries and unfortunate circumstances cost him some race days this season, but he showed great determination to give everything to the team when he was present and that highlights the great work ethic and camaraderie we have within the group.
“It was very impressive to see Harry getting through the Baby Giro d’Italia as an 18-year-old in what was super successful week of racing for the team. Harry is already training hard for 2018 and is in good shape and motivated to gain as much experience as possible.
“The European Spring Classics suit Harry’s characteristics and he will be targeting them as early objectives before the favourable terrain and racing style of the Asian races later in the season.”
Sam Jenner
Date of Birth: 2nd April 1997 (20)
Place of Birth: Armidale, NSW
Nationality: Australian
Turned Pro: 2017
Major Results:
2017
- 1st National Championships U23 – Road Race
- 2nd AN Post Ras – Stage 8
- 6th National Championships U23 – (ITT)
- 8th Herald Sun Tour – Youth Classification
- 9th AN Post Ras – Youth Classification
Harry Sweeny
Date of Birth: 9th July 1998 (19)
Place of Birth: Brisbane, QLD
Nationality: Australian
Turned Pro: 2017
Major Results:
2017
- 14th Baby Giro d’Italia – Stage 5b (ITT)
- 18th Trophee Paris-Arras – Stage 3
- 19th Baby Giro d’Italia – Youth Classification
Team Sunweb talks to its nutritionist Titia van der Stelt
Here's the team's interview with its food expert:
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR EDUCATION AND YOUR ROLE IN THE TEAM?
I studied a Food and Dietetics degree at the applied University of Nijmegen (HAN) in the Netherlands. Afterwards I did Sports Nutrition (also HAN) which was accredited to Olympic standards in Sports Centre Papendal, Arnhem. On top of this I also did a masters in Movement Sciences spending half of my studies in Maastricht and the other half in Glasgow.
I am responsible for everything to do with nutrition at Team Sunweb. In the team we work with performance planning. The performance team sets out the goals for the year, based on that the race plan for all riders is made indicating, in which races, we aim to perform with which riders. Based on this input we, the experts, analyse in which ways we can contribute to these goals optimising fields of nutrition, but also with equipment and data analysis. We look at what type of terrain the race is on; for example, if it’s a mountain stage I would make sure the riders were eating more carbohydrates and less fibres, to refuel every day the most optimum way to maintain high energy levels.
Team Sunweb rider Tom Dumoulin won the 2017 Giro d'Italia.
There are a lot of different aspects to my job; I spend time doing anything from developing new products with our partners DSM, BORN, De Halm, Bisschopsmolen and Finca Duernas to implementing these innovations with our riders. My daily role in the team tends to be speaking with riders and giving them nutrition advice. I would explain what to do during training as well as during and after races. I also work closely with the performance staff to see which goals we have with riders related to body composition and nutrition, and to see which races I should visit to ensure riders nutrition is optimal. Last year I spent more time at races but now our team has expanded we share the workload a little bit. When we don’t have a cook at the race, I work closely with our operations department to make sure that the hotels where our riders are staying are receiving and applying our nutrition guidelines. This means that we are constantly sure that our riders have the right foods available at the right times.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE LAUNCH OF YOUR NEW BOOK, “EET ALS EEN ATLEET”. WHERE DID THE IDEA ARISE FROM?
I write blogs for the platform, “I’m a Foodie” about the sciences behind (sports) nutrition. There is a small community of bloggers that do the same as me for the platform, providing information for both fellow dieticians, keen athletes and those who would like to know what the real evidence is behind statements which are often quickly posted online “I’m a Foodie” received a lot of questions in response to another book they had published, “Eet als een expert”, with people asking for sports tailored advice. They approached myself and my co-authors and asked if we would be interested in writing one, and the rest is history.
WHY IS GOOD NUTRITION IMPORTANT FOR ATHLETES?
Nutrition is an athlete's main fuel. If you aren’t well-fuelled then you can for sure finish one training session, but if you want to make the most out of yourself during the moment where you really must perform then you should ensure that your nutrition is optimal to do so. Nutrition also really helps with recovery meaning that you can strengthen your ability continuously with the correct intake.
DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF ADVISING A TEAM SUNWEB RIDER WITH THEIR NUTRITION.
The approach depends on the moment during the year and the kind of rider. For example, during a Grand Tour I would have contact with the riders every day to optimise their nutrition intake to help with recovery and continued performance. Outside of Grand Tours, regular contact is equally as important. Contact moments are scheduled each month where we can monitor the progress of goals that have been set for each rider at the beginning of the year by myself and the performance team. A good example of a goal that could be set is with our Development Program. The riders are young and often aren’t cooking for themselves and don’t know much about nutrition. Our goal in this case would be for them to understand exactly what they are eating and when they should be eating certain foods. Another example could be when a rider needs to lose or gain weight for a Grand Tour. In addition to this I am also always available for advice whenever it’s needed, if a rider is ill I will often have contact with them almost every day to help them with their recovery.
IN GENERAL, WHAT TYPES OF FOODS SHOULD ATHLETES EAT AND WHEN? BEFORE ACTIVITY, DURING, AFTER, RECOVERY DAYS?
The main fuel that athletes should be eating is carbohydrates, especially cyclists who burn a lot of calories. Before training it’s important for the meal to not be too big, but something that sufficiently takes your appetite away and includes some carbs and proteins. Whilst on the bike it’s crucial for a cyclist to only take easily digested carbohydrates, like a rice cake, gel, drink or a bar. To help with recovery afterwards it’s important to eat a meal with a lot of proteins, some carbohydrates and good fats on the side as well.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF NUTRITION ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ATHLETE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR NUTRITION INTAKE?
I have three rules that I always share with our riders. If you train for longer than one and a half hours then you must re-fuel properly on the bike, otherwise you will ‘hit the wall’, which means that you are totally out of energy and are only able to finish your training at half of your capacity. The second rule is to take your recovery seriously through nutrition. It doesn’t need to be a shake, it could literally be a sandwich with chicken which has all the nutrients in necessary for this process. Next to this, their nutrition should be well balanced across the board. If you are eating properly at every meal, all the time, you always get the best out of your training, so then you will see immediate improvements to your performance.
BACK TO THE BOOK, IS THERE A COMMON DENOMINATOR IN ITS RECIPES OR DO THEY SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES?
All of the recipes serve different purposes. The book is organised under different sections and contains a variety of information. It includes what should be in an athlete’s basic nutrition, how to calculate intake correctly, good types of breakfasts and meals through the day and the types of things you should and shouldn’t eat during exercise. Alongside this there are both high and low carb recipes, what to eat when you want to lose or gain weight, the types of foods best to eat on an altitude camp or in cold conditions as well as a section on whether you can take benefits from supplements.
ARE THESE THE KIND OF MEALS THAT TEAM SUNWEB’S NUTRITION TEAM MAKE FOR RIDERS WHEN THEY’RE ON THE ROAD?
Yes, they are. The rice cakes are the most popular recipe that our soigneurs make daily for our riders during racing. This is a recipe that we have developed over time using feedback from our riders to improve. Alongside the rice cakes, the book is full of recipes that we cook for our riders daily whilst on the road.
Will EU impose triple-digit anti-dumping duty on Chinese E-bikes?
Bike Europe sent me this analysis:
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Last Friday the European Parliament voted in favour of new EU trade defense rules including a new methodology on how anti-dumping duties should be established. On such duties the European Bicycle Manufacturers Association’s (EBMA) Dumping Complaint document refers to triple-digit dumping margins evidenced by price comparisons with Swiss made e-bikes.
EBMA’s dumping calculations are explained in detail in one of the many Annex documents that are linked to the Association’s Dumping Complaint.
In EBMA’s Dumping Complaint the following is said on how the Association established that Chinese e-bike producers are dumping their products on the EU markets: “The dumping calculations are made for the IP (Investigation Period) and on a quarterly basis by comparing the Swiss NVs with Chinese export prices to the EU for the representative product types and for hub and centre engines. The calculations clearly demonstrate that Chinese producers are heavily dumping e-bikes in the EU, with triple-digit dumping margins. The details of the dumping calculations are set out in Annex 22.”
In that Annex 22 document it is said that ”This annex contains dumping calculations based on costs of production in China. The Complainant obtained export price quotes with detailed cost breakdowns for each representative e-bike type and hub and centre engines. These quotes show that export prices do not take into account reasonable costs for direct overheads, labour and SG&A (Selling, General and Administrative Expenses), and a reasonable level of profit.
Accordingly, the Complaint has constructed a normal value by adding 14% direct overheads, 4% labour, 1% SG&A and 10% profit (the lower range of the target profit established in this Complaint) to the detailed materials costs. The total EXW costs were compared with the quoted export prices and show significant double digit dumping.”
Annex 22 also says “The Annex contains evidence of e-bikes prices offered by Chinese exporting producers to EU customers in the form of sample quotations. The information is business confidential by its nature. The excel table of the same Annex contains the price information on an anonymised basis. The disclosure of the actual quotes would be of significant disadvantage to the parties providing the information.”
On the basis of that price information by Chinese e-bike exporters EBMA calculated that the lowest dumping margin comes at 193% while the highest dumping margin stands at 430%!
What this will mean for the to be imposed anti-dumping duty when the European Commission’s investigation reaches the conclusion that dumping is taking place, is hard to tell. But what happened last Friday in the European Parliament will play a big role on that.
You can read the entire story here.
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