Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, October 27, 2018
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2018 Tour de France | 2018 Giro d'Italia
Originality is a thing we constantly clamor for, and constantly quarrel with. - Thomas Carlyle
Current racing:
- October 23 - 31: Tour of Hainan
Latest completed racing:
- October 21: Japan Cup
- October 9 - 14: Presidential Tour of Turkey
- October 14: Chrono des Nations
- October 13: Il Lombardia
- October 11: Gran Piemonte
- October 10: Milano-Torino
- October 9: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 7: Paris-Tours
- October 7: GP Bruno Beghelli
- October 6: Giro dell'Emilia
- October 4: Paris-Bourges
- October 3: Sparkassen Munsterland-Giro
Andrea Guardini wins Tour of Hainan stage four
We posted the organizer's stage four report with the results.
Guardini's Bardiani-CSF team sent me this:
Andrea Guardini finds his way back to success by imposing himself in the sprint of the fourth stage of Tour of Hainan (Qionghai-Wanning, 142 km) in front of Ballerini (Androni-Sidermec) and Looij (Monkey Town). After being out of the games in the first stage due to a fall and having placed fourth and fifth, the Italian has hit the victory thanks to a good hint and the great work of his team Bardiani-CSF.
"I felt the duty to win to repay the enormous effort that my teammates have made since the first stage to put me in the best conditions. Today, finally, I did it: I'm very happy " said Guardini.
Andrea Guardini takes Hainan Tour stage four.
"The stage of yesterday, in particular, had left me very embittered. It is difficult to digest the fact that your teammates work for over 200 km and then, in a few meters, you can not finalize. Today I had to take revenge, to prove to them and to myself that I deserve trust. It's a huge satisfaction ".
"In today's sprint we have been impeccable. Getting untangled in these situations is never easy. Sprints are not very linear and the competition is fierce. There are tough contenders and you must have clear ideas, as well as so much cold blood, to manage the final kilometers. The best move was the attack of Wackermann 5 km from the finish, which allowed us to remain covered and leave the burden of pulling to other teams. Maestri and Simion piloted me very well in the last km, then I thought only to push the pedals as hard as I could ".
"On paper, from here to the end of the race, there are still four good opportunities to try to present us a new success. As we have seen every sprint is a story in itself, but we will be there", concluded Guardini.
For the #GreenTeam today's victory is the number nine in 2018. Guardini had already raised his arms to the sky twice in season, both at the Tour de Langkawi, while the professional palmares fly at 43.
The Bardiani-CSF experience on the roads of the Tour of Hainan (the last race of the year) will continue for five more stages, including the queen scheduled for Tuesday (eighth and penultimate fraction).
Sam Bewley extends with Mitchelton-Scott
The team sent me this news release:
New Zealand stalwart Sam Bewley has re-signed with Australian WorldTour team Mitchelton-SCOTT on a two-year deal through 2020.
There since the beginning back in 2012, the two-time Olympic track bronze medallist and 2015 Giro d’Italia stage winner has progressed to become an invaluable member of the team and an intelligent leader respected by teammates and competitors alike.
A truly selfless and supportive worker for others on countless occasions when the Kiwi’s limitless engine has laid the foundations for stage successes from Grand Tours and week-long stage races to one day classics.
2018 saw ‘Bewls’ play a key role in Simon Yates’ thirteen days in the leader’s pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia and he continues to play a massive part of the Australian outfits team time trial unit.
Sam Bewley:
“I’ve been a part of this team since the beginning when we were a team just trying to find our feet all the way through to monument victories and grand tour podiums. The way this team operates and has progressed together as group is something that is close to my heart.
“We are going to continue to do some pretty special things and achieve things we have been so close to over the past two or three years. I am excited that I will continue to be a part of that in the future.”
Head sport director Matt White:
“Sam has been with us since Mitchelton-SCOTT’s inception and we are really pleased to be able to continue our relationship over the coming seasons.”
“He has grown into one of our leaders within the team and brings with him great attitude and energy alongside an astute intelligence that he carries both on and off the bike.
“Sam’s all-round performance in support of Yatesy at this year’s Giro d’Italia was a highlight of the season and typifies his qualities as a communicator and selfless contributor towards the goals of the squad whilst displaying how hard he is willing to work for his teammates in any situation.”
Sam Bewley
Date of Birth: 22nd July 1987 (31)
Nationality: New Zealander
Place of Birth: Rotorua, New Zealand
Joined Mitchelton-SCOTT: 2012
BCA and Detroit Bikes ask for new tariffs on complete bike imports
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:
WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Two domestic bike assemblers — Bicycle Corporation of America and Detroit Bikes — have asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to look into imposing tariffs of up to 50 percent on imported bikes. The companies' Section 201 request would encourage U.S. assembly of bikes using foreign parts, they said.
The extra tariffs, if the ITC and the White House agree to the request and recommendations, would be on top of existing duties on bikes. Currently most bikes are subject to duties of 5-11 percent, while bikes from China are subject to an additional 10 percent tariff that took effect in August and increases to 25 percent on Jan. 1. The same new tariffs apply to most Chinese bike parts.
The Section 201 duties would apply to imports of bikes with a Customs value under $400 from all countries, so would give little incentive for importers to shift bike assembly out of China to other countries to avoid the newly imposed tariffs.
"This is specifically geared toward driving new bike assembly jobs in America," Zak Pashak, the president of Detroit Bikes, told BRAIN on Monday.
The tariffs imposed in August were intended to punish China for unfair trade practices, but are not specifically intended to help U.S. businesses. In contrast, Section 201 tariffs investigations primarily look at how U.S. industries are being affected by imports, without looking at what's happening on the other side of the border; they can lead to tariffs of a maximum of 50 percent as a remedy. Generally they result in tariff rate quotas (TRQs) that are collected only after a certain volume of imports has been surpassed.
Section 201 petitions, allowed under the Trade Act of 1974, are very rare, but have been successful under the Trump administration, said Kelsey Rule, an attorney who is representing Detroit and BCA. In the last 15 years, there have been only two Section 201 petitions, but both were made during the Trump administration and both were approved.
"It's one of the tools that this administration is willing to use. ... There is a bias toward action in the Trump administration," she said.
The U.S. has imported 15 million to 19 million bikes a year in this decade. To account for U.S. assembly capacity, the petition calls for a 50 percent tariff that is imposed only after 15 million bikes are imported in its first year, leaving U.S. assemblers an opportunity to make up the difference. Over the following three years, the threshold would go down by 1 million units per year, encouraging the U.S. assemblers to increase capacity. Section 201 tariffs need to be renewed after four years.
You can read the entire piece here.
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