Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, October 14, 2017
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2017 Tour de France | 2017 Giro d'Italia
People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. – Rosa Parks
Current racing:
- Oct 10 - 15: Tour of Turkey
Latest completed racing:
- October 8: Paris-Tours
- October 7: Il Lombardia
- October 5: Milano-Torino
- October 5: Paris-Bourges
- October 3: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 3: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- October 3: Sparkassen Munsterland Giro
Tour of Turkey stage four report from Astana:
The fourth stage of Presidential Tour of Turkey started today in Marmaris and finished in Selçuk after 204.1 km of racing.
It was mountain stage with 3 climbs and the uphill finish, which was decisive for the stage victory as well as for the general classification of the race.
The main battle was played at the final kilometers with a lot of attacks, including attack of our Jesper Hansen at the last km to the top.
In the final Danish rider of Astana Pro Team finished second, five seconds behind the stage winner and new leader of the race Diego Ulissi from Italy.
"I have tried to attack, but Ulissi was really strong today. Team made a very good job, guys did their best to help us. I was almost at the front and started the climb at the perfect position. For today I’m happy with my second place and let’s see how the race will develop," said Jesper Hansen just after the finish.
After today’s stage Jesper Hansen moved to the second position of the general classification, at 12 seconds behind first place.
Diego Ulissi wins Tour of Turkey stage four.
Kazakh rider of Astana Pro Team Andrey Zeits also was among the leaders at the top of the final climb and finished on the 10th place. Zeits also improves his position in the GC and now closes Top10 Best riders of 53rd Presidential Tour of Turkey, 50 seconds behind the new race leader.
Alex Howes stays with Slipstream Sports
Cannondale-Drapac sent me this release:
Slipstream Sports is proud to announce the contract extension of Alex Howes. The Colorado native has been part of the Slipstream Sports organisation since inception. His new two-year deal covers his 12th and 13th season with the American-registered squad.
“Alex wanted to stay, and I wanted Alex to say,” said Vaughters. “It was as simple as that. He’s been with us his entire career except for one season where I farmed him out to a French team to toughen him up a bit. He’s grown up with us and has grown into the heart of this team.”
“Being based out of Colorado, Slipstream Sports has always my home team,” said Howes. “Over the years, it has become more than a just a team. It really is a family, and I have invested a lot emotionally in the team over the years. The team’s focus on producing results through grit and and creativity echos my personal racing style.”
That personal racing style netted Howes the Vuelta al Catalunya’s climber’s jersey and four victories in 2017. He won two stages at the Cascade Cycling Classic while racing for USA Cycling. He celebrated in #GreenArgyle when he was first across the line on the second stage of the Colorado Classic and the third stage of Tour of Alberta.
Alex Howes wins the third stage of the 2017 Tour of Alberta
Howes has long shown promise at the Ardennes Classics and has made no secret of his desire to wear the stars and stripes jersey. “I think my stage seven win at the USPRO Challenge in 2014 is my proudest moment in argyle,” said Howes. “The way the whole team rode their hearts out for me and then to pull it off in front of a hometown crowd was truly spectacular.
“This year, my hands down (or is it hands up?) favorite moment was my win in Breckenridge at the Colorado Classic,” noted Howes. “It was the queen stage and the wildest crowd I’ve seen. In the coming years, I would like to head back to the Tour de France, find the top step of the US Nationals podium and find that big result in the one-day classics I know I’m capable of achieving,” said Howes. “And I plan to have fun along the whole journey.”
Like his teammates, Howes was hugely relieved when EF Education First stepped up to #SaveArgyle for the upcoming seasons. He says he was vocal about his appreciation for the team’s newest partner on social media for reasons that extend beyond job security.
“I really believe in what EF is trying to accomplish,” said Howes. “When I was 15, I traveled to Belgium to race cylocross. That first trip to Europe at such an influential age really opened my eyes to the world beyond the US borders.
“I believe it is absolutely essential that we actively cultivate a knowledge and understanding of cultures beyond our own in order to be good global citizens. Without travel and the study of foreign ideals, we can never possess the empathy and understanding required to cooperate with our neighbors in order to make the world a better and safer place.”
With the new partner comes a slew of new teammates. Howes, who has has played an integral role in creating an atmosphere within the team that feels equal parts personal and professional, is excited to welcome a new crop of riders into the fold.
“When your teammates are simply your co-workers, you can never really give 100 percent,” said Howes. “When they are some of your best friends, you give everything and more. I don’t know all the new riders yet, but I’m looking forward to showing them the ropes. I’m especially excited to see Logan Owen onboard. He’s a great guy with a ton of potential. I know he’ll fit right in.”
Uncertainty and devastation as California retailers and industry members are scorched by wildfires
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me sad news:
UPDATED: At least three CamelBak employees lose houses as fires damage homes and trails, force evacuations.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Retailers, industry suppliers and other members of the cycling community in California are living through scary times as multiple wildfires scorch some of the country's most popular riding areas, including the Napa Valley.
So far there are no reports of direct damage to any businesses, but the Santa Rosa homes of former pro racer Levi Leipheimer and Cannondale's Silvano Rastelli were both destroyed. Several popular mountain bike areas in the Napa Valley and near Anaheim Hills have been burned, and it's not clear when the areas will reopen to riding.
At least three CamelBak employees lost homes, and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help them rebuild.
At the Trek Store of Santa Rosa, one employee has lost a home to the fire, while two others have been evacuated.
"There are still a lot of unknowns," said David Whitehead, sales lead at the store. Whitehead said many popular riding areas are closed and the air quality makes riding nearly impossible in any case. At least two groups have canceled bike rentals from the store in recent days and the long-term effect on nearby trail systems is uncertain.
"We're playing it minute by minute. We closed at 4 yesterday and we'll probably close early today. There isn't a lot of business, but we did get a phone call from a family that lost its home and they want to buy all new bikes for the family," he said.
Leipheimer reported on social media that his home was destroyed. "I lost my house but not my home here in Sonoma County. We WILL make it through this," he wrote on Twitter. The fires came a week after thousands of cyclists rode on Leipheimer's favorite area roads during Levi's GranFondo on Sept. 29.
You can read the entire story here.
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