Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, September 16, 2017
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2017 Tour de France | 2017 Giro d'Italia
I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom. - Thomas Carlyle
Current racing:
- Sept 12 - 16: Tour of Denmark
- Sept 16: Memorial Marco Pantani
- Sept 16: Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem
Upcoming racing:
- Sept 17 - 24: UCI World Road Championships
Latest completed racing:
- Sept 15: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- Sept 14: Coppa Bernocchi
- Sept 13: Coppa Agostoni
- Sept 13: GP de Wallonie
- August 19 - Sept 10: Vuelta a España
- Sept 3 - 10: Tour of Britain
LottoNL-Jumbo's Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen report
We posted the report from winner Fernando Gaviria's Quick-Step Floors team along with the race results.
Here's the report from second-place Dylan Groenewegen's LottoNL-Jumbo team:
Dylan Groenewegen became second in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s 24-year-old rider finished just behind the Colombian Fernando Gaviria in the bunch sprint after a race of 192 kilometres.
Seven riders made for an early breakaway, but they failed to stay ahead. During the last kilometres, Team LottoNL-Jumbo was in front with four riders. Despite that, the sprint preparation was disrupted by a crash.
Groenewegen managed to stay in front nevertheless. “Afterwards, I battled with Fernando Gaviria in the sprint”, Groenewegen looked back. “I went first, but it was a bit too early maybe. Despite that, Gaviria was stronger today. I wasn’t good enough. Becoming second means I’m the first loser and I’m disappointed about that. Fortunately, we'll get another chance tomorrow in the Primus Classic.”
Fernando Gaviria wins the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
Andrea Guardini joins Bardini-CSF
The team sent me this press release:
Andrea Guardini will be the leading sprinter of 2018 Bardiani-CSF. The #GreenTeam, led by Bruno and Roberto Reverberi, has reached an agreement with Italian sprinter for the next two seasons.
Born in Tregnago, Verona’s province, on 12th June 1989, Guardiani collected forty successes in seven years career as professional. After the first two seasons with Farnese-Neri (2011 and 2012) he transferred to Astana until 2016. From January 2017 he’s wearing the jersey of Team UAE Emirates, with whom mutually agreed to part aways at the end of this season.
Guardini stand out as pure and explosive sprinter and, in his palmares, shine 17th stage of 2017 Giro d’Italia, record of wins at Tour de Langkawi (twenty-two) and stage wins in Qatar, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey, the Netherlands, China, France, Belgium and Portugal.
Andrea Guardini wins a stage in the 2016 Tour de Langkawi
Quotes by Bruno e Roberto Reverberi, managers of Bardiani-CSF: “We’re really happy for this new addition. Guardini is a great sprinter, winning and reliable. We wanted to add a new fast rider in 2018 roster and, as soon as we understood there was the chance to sign him, we immediately made our offer. He’s not a neo-professional rider, he’s experienced and already successful, but he has the right profile to be involved in #GreenTeam project, bringing experience useful for our young riders and, of course, taking victories”.
Quotes from Andrea Guardini: “It didn’t take too much time to find an agreement with Bruno: both me both the team strongly wanted to work together. I want to thank him e the sponsors who support the team, enthusiastic such as Bardiani’s family and CSF, for this opportunity”.
“During past weeks I thought a lot about my career so far, I thought about my future prospectives and ambitions. I couldn’t hide myself that in last seasons, included 2017, I didn’t get what I wanted. I’m pretty sure I can deserve a place in a World Tour team, but the most important thing for me is the role I can have. In Bardiani-CSF I know I can be leader in many races”.
“Coming back in a Professional team is not a failure for me, but a conscious choice. I know I’ll be in a solid and well equipped team, in a young and motivated environment. Other remarkable aspect is the calendar. Bardiani-CSF has always raced important events, so I can alternated good level races suited for my characteristics and top events”.
“The team has a sport project based on young riders and the strong wish they showed to sign me, professional since 2011, it’s a shining proof of the trust they have in me. It’s really a huge motivation for me and, at the same time, makes me to feel responsible. I’ll bring my experience to help my young teammates growing”.
Lucas Hamilton to join Orica-Scott in 2018
The team sent me this news:
Talented Australian Lucas Hamilton will make the jump to the top level of professional cycling with ORICA-SCOTT in 2018 after showing great promise racing with the development arm of the GreenEDGE set up, Mitchelton-SCOTT this season.
Tour of Alsace winner Hamilton will join the team on a three-year contract, tying him to the Australian outfit until the end of the 2020 season. The Chinese registered Mitchelton-SCOTT have enjoyed an outstanding 2017 season so far at Continental and U23 level with achieving multiple victories and a total of 36 podiums in 43 international race days.
Hamilton started the year by placing third in the under 23 road race at the national championships before going on to win the event at the Oceania championships. That was followed by a victory in the individual time trial at the Baby Giro d’Italia and the overall win at the Tour de Alsace along with a host of second places in the European one-day races.
“I am really looking forward to joining such a fantastic team like ORICA-SCOTT next year,” said Hamilton. “It has always been a dream of mine to join the WorldTour and I couldn’t be happier to be making that step up with an Australian team.”
“It is exciting to think about continuing my development as a rider and being in a position to learn off the older guys on the team with the success that they have achieved and the experience that brings. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
A strong time-triallist and climber, Hamilton is a rider with a bright future and sport director Matt White spoke of the excitement at seeing a rider like Hamilton come through the ranks.
“Lucas is a credit to our development team,” said White. “They’ve produced an incredible amount of talent over the years – before it was a lot of track riders coming through the program, but the last couple of years it has produced guys like Robert Power and Jack Haig.”
“Lucas is the cream of the crop at U23 level and obviously it is exciting for us to have a guy like that come through our feeder team. We’ve seen the results he has had on the road this year and it’s going to be exciting to see him on board the professional team.
“He is a big talent. Where that talent will take him is our big challenge and responsibility to give him the right pathway through to the next level of professional cycling.”
Lucas Hamilton:
Date of Birth: 12th February 1996 (21)
Nationality: Australian
Place of Birth: Ararat
Turned Pro: 2018
Major Results:
- 2017 1st Tour de Alsace – General Classification
- 2017 1st Tour of Alsace – Youth Classification
- 2017 1st Tour of Alsace – Mountains Classifcation
- 2017 1st Baby Giro d’Italia – Stage 5b (ITT)
- 2017 1st Oceania Continental Championships – Road Race
The Pro's Closet raises $9 million to fund expansion
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:
BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — The Pro's Closet has completed a $9 million round of funding. The investment round was led by Boulder-based venture capital firm Foundry Group with participation from Ridgeline Ventures, an existing investor in TPC. The company said the investment will fund the launch of "a leading edge, e-commerce-capable website, in addition to expanding the team and the company's infrastructure for servicing and reconditioning bikes before sale."
The Pro's Closet was founded in 2007 by Nick Martin, a former professional mountain biker, as an eBay consignment company, selling used bike gear on behalf of fellow racers. The company now has 40 employees and claims to be the world's largest retailer of used bikes and bike gear. Besides used gear, TPC sells overstock inventory for suppliers and retailers. Martin is the CEO.
Foundry Group is a venture capital firm focused on making early-stage technology investments, and participating in select growth rounds.
You can read the entire story here.
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