Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, February 8, 2019
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2018 Tour de France | 2018 Giro d'Italia
Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught. - Honore de Balzac
Current racing:
- February 6 - 10: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 7 - 10: Etoile le Bessèges
Latest completed racing:
- January 27 - February 3: Vuelta a la Provincia de San Juan
- January 30 - February 3: Herald Sun Tour
- January 31 - February 3: Challenge Illes Balears/Mallorca
- February 3: GP La Marseillaise
- January 26-27: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- January 15 - 20: Santos Tour Down Under
- January 13: Down Under Classic
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
Team Sky reports on the second stage of the Valenciana Tour
Here's the team's post:
Ben Swift sprinted to third place on day two in Valencia after a strong leadout from Team Sky.
The Brit was back in the podium places on his full racing return with Team Sky, taking advantage of good positioning on a technical finish in Alicante.
Geraint Thomas had led the team to the front of the race with 10km to go, and from there our riders pushed the pace on the run-in with Ian Stannard, Salvatore Puccio and Diego Rosa.
Chris Lawless joined Swift at the head of the race under the flamme rouge and finished 10th on the day, with Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) picking up the victory.
The race had been lined out over the top of the final La Carrasqueta climb, with the peloton pushing hard to distance Team Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Groenewegen after the Dutchman lost contact on the climb.
The bunch finish did not change the general classification, with Diego Rosa and Geraint Thomas both sitting 20 seconds back ahead of more selective stages to come.
Matteo Trentin won the second stage. Ben Swift can be seen directly behind him in the Sky kit.
Ben Swift:
"The guys were incredible. It's what I've really missed - that real team unity. When we decided to go we took it on. We waited ever so slightly too long just as we started the final push on the leadout. They came three or four kph faster than us so it was just about trying to catch up. And with that roundabout being a little bit precarious where you entered that was where you came out really.
"It was a really good job from the guys and the legs are feeling good. With Chris (Lawless) being a second year pro it's really good experience for him to do a leadout. He's going to be the sprinter for this team in the next couple of years. So for him to learn what he needs and what he wants of a leadout rider is good.
"It's nice to get a good result. It shows I've been training pretty well and I handled the climbs really well. But in hindsight I wish I'd gone a little bit earlier, if I'd have started my sprint with the idea of finishing at the roundabout."
What's Next?
A hilly third stage should start to see more time gaps appear on the general classification. Six categorised climbs pepper a day of constant undulations. The third category Salto de la Mora provides the finale, before a final steep drag to the finish.
UAE-Team Emirates headed to Colombia
The team sent me this news:
After a lucrative transfer in Argentina, UAE Team Emirates will travel to Colombia to participate in the Tour Colombia 2.1 from February 12 to 17.
The six stages of the race will feature an initial time trial, then a course designed for sprinters, three stages with undulating altimetry and the conclusive day dedicated to climbers with an uphill arrival on Alto de Palmas.
Under the direction of Joxean Matxin (Esp), UAE Team Emirates will have a strong Colombian adhesion of 4 riders, who will be joined by two more athletes from Italy and Switzerland:
– Tom Bohli (Swi)
– Fernando Gaviria (Col)
– Sergio Henao (Col)
– Sebastian Molano (Col)
– Cristian Muñoz (Col)
– Oliviero Troia (Ita)
Three riders (Bohli, Gaviria and Troia) have already raced in the Tour de San Juan, while the other half of the selection (Henao, Molano and Muñoz) participated in the Colombian national championships.
Fernando Gaviria just wins the fourth stage of the San Juan tour. Now he's headed to Colombia
General Manager Matxin has laid out the team’s goals for the Tour Colombia: “The start of the season has been good for our team, with positive results achieved in Australia and in Argentina.
The aim is to lend continuity to these performances, first and foremost with Gaviria, in what will be a homeland race for him. Fernando will be especially motivated and he will be able to count on the support of a great guy like Molano, who was his rival last year and who is now riding by his side.
We have a top tier line-up and that should mean that we can stand out as major contenders, whether in the individual stages or in the general classification, for which we are counting on Henao”.
2019 Taipei Cycle Show will see big changes
Bike Europe sent me this update
TAIPEI, Taiwan – No, it will definitely not be as usual. Despite the fact that the Taipei Cycle Show returns to its original March dates, this year’s event will be different to what many industry peers are used to. That’s not only caused by the fact that a big part of the show will be taking place across the road; at the all new Nangang Exhibition Hall 2. It is also caused by the fact that Taiwan’s industry is reinventing itself. Instead of Mountainbikes and sports the new focus is on e-bikes, mobility and connectivity.
It’s as always all about the money. These dollars and especially euros are making that the Taiwan bike industry is changing its face. Finally, after years of decline in volume and value, more money is again coming in. And more even in double-digit percentages as between January – September 2018 the export value increased by some 15 percent. E-bikes are responsible for the turnaround of Taiwan’s industry as the market is electrifying and getting digitized.
This year’s Taipei Cycle is taking place only five months after the 2018 edition. That has all to do with the organizers Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA) decision to turn back to the original schedule for the Taipei Cycle Show which is in March. The exact date for the Taipei International Cycle Show is March 27 – 30, 2019. As said, this edition of Taipei Cycle comes shortly after the 2018 edition which took place from October 31 to November 3, 2018. What this will do to the number of visitors is hard to predict. But what is clear is that lots of distributors, buyers and product managers skipped the 2018 event. According to show organizer TAITRA, last November’s Taipei Cycle was attended by 33,885 people, including 4,932 overseas visitors. For the 2017 edition TAITRA still reported 8,258 overseas visitors. So, will this mean that the ones that did not visit the show 5 months ago will be there end of March?
You can read the entire story here
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