Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia

I know you're trying, but just not hard enough. Sorry. – Climate change activist Greta Thunberg

Upcoming racing:

• Nov 17: Flandriencross

Latest completed racing:

• Nov 10: European Cyclocross Championships
• Nov 3: Telenet Superprestige Ruddervoorde
• Oct 27: Superprestige Gavere Cyclocross
• Oct 26: Cincinnati Cyclocross
• Oct 17-22: Tour of Guangxi
• Oct 20: Japan Cup
• Oct 20: Chrono des Nations
• Oct 13: Paris-Tours
• Oct 12: Il Lombardia

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Team Dimension Data rebrands to NTT Pro Cycling

Here's the team's release:

NTT Pro Cycling, a UCI WorldTour cycling team based in South Africa, unveiled its team for the 2020 season as it rebrands from Team Dimension Data. The announcement, made at the home of NTT in Tokyo, was accompanied by a jersey reveal and insights into the technology solutions driving rider recruitment and race strategy within the team.

The new kit will grace the WorldTour and the sport’s biggest races throughout 2020. It’s a brand that riders – old and new – will wear with immense pride, while at the same time continuing to showcase the impact that bicycles have in changing lives through NTT Pro Cycling’s work with Qhubeka, which has recently distributed its 100,000th bike. 

The new jersey

The team for 2020 features nine exciting new riders, to supplement the current pool of talent as the team looks to race with a goal of establishing itself among the top ten teams in the world.

The 2020 line-up includes:

	Name	Country	Age
1	Carlos Barbero	ESP	28
2	Samuele Battistella	ITA	20
3	Edvald Boasson Hagen	NOR	32
4	Victor Campenaerts	BEL	28
5	Stefan de Bod	RSA	22
6	Nicholas Dlamini	RSA	24
7	Benjamin Dyball	AUS	30
8	Enrico Gasparotto	CHE	37
9	Amanuel Gebreighzabier	ERI	25
10	Ryan Gibbons	RSA	25
11	Michael Gogl	AUT	26
12	Reinardt Janse van Rensburg	RSA	30
13	Ben King	USA	30
14	Roman Kreuziger	CZE	33
15	Gino Mäder	CHE	22
16	Louis Meintjes	RSA	27
17	Giacomo Nizzolo	ITA	30
18	Ben O’Connor	AUS	23
19	Matteo Sobrero	ITA	22
20	Andreas Stokbro	DNK	22
21	Dylan Sunderland	AUS	23
22	Jay Thomson	RSA	33
23	Rasmus Tiller	NOR	23
24	Michael Valgren	DNK	27
25	Max Walscheid	DEU	26
26	Danilo Wyss	CHE	34

Each of the riders were selected with the help of a technology solution that was co-innovated by NTT and NTT Pro Cycling. The solution leverages advanced data analytics that helps the team to select riders, prepare its race calendar and assign the right riders to the right races. Technology also helps the team monitor the health and wellness of its riders through a mobile application, and business-focused applications such as asset tracking, vehicle tracking and monitoring, help the team to function as a well-organized global business. Together, we’ve created the most technically advanced team in the WorldTour.

Doug Ryder, Team Principal, NTT Pro Cycling:
“Thanks to all of our partners, and in particular our title sponsor NTT Ltd.. We strive to be the benchmark within the sport through being a performance-driven, technology-enabled team that is underpinned by our unique purpose-led approach in support of the Qhubeka charity.

“Our commitment to changing lives together with Qhubeka remains stronger than ever and we’ll be looking to do so with even greater enthusiasm in 2020. Together with our staff, riders and valued partners this core belief remains a foundation of our organization

“Our team’s story now continues into the next phase, which will see us use our established platform to aim higher and to shoot further. We truly are a team that was born in Africa but created for the world.”

Ruth Rowan, Chief Marketing Officer, NTT Ltd.:
“We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership with Doug and the team under the NTT brand in 2020. As headline sponsor, we help NTT Pro Cycling to leverage technological innovation to realize its ambition of being ranked among the top 10 cycling teams in the world. We’ve brought together our data platforms, analytics and machine learning, and combined them with the NTT Pro Cycling’s expertise in athletic performance to create a truly unique team that is focused on being the best in the world, whilst riding for a cause.”

NTT Ltd. is a newly launched, world-leading technology company comprizing the coming together of 31 brands including Dimension Data, NTT Communications and NTT Security, forms part of NTT Group. The company recently extended its global partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) until 2024. This partnership was initiated by Dimension Data in 2015, and the extension of this agreement enables NTT to continue providing technological innovations to enhance fan’s viewing experience of the Tour de France and attract an entirely new generation of digitally savvy fans.

Five years into the partnership, A.S.O. has been enabled to lead led the way in the use of advanced technology in cycling, demonstrating how the use of data can truly revolutionize the sport’s fan experience. This paves the way for NTT Ltd. to use its expertise to digitize other areas of sport such as connected stadiums and velodromes.

And here's a word from our sponsor:

New logo for CSF-Bardiani team

The team sent me this:

Three main innovations have been realized. First of all the new third name, Faizanè, finds his new placement together with the historical sponsors Bardiani & CSF. The second important innovation is the double ellipse, inspired from the bicycle wheels, that has been doubled. From a color point of view, that is the third innovation, the introduction of the cyclamen as main color, together with the confirmed green, that remains strongly linked to the team values, representing a young, dynamic and Italian team.

The team's new logo

Ag2r La Mondiale signs Harry Tanfield

Here's the team's release:

Harry Tanfield: “In a hurry to start”
"I'm definitely very happy about this opportunity. I will meet new teammates, get acquainted with a new structure, new equipment; it's really motivating!
I will also have to learn French! I am very motivated by all this. I want to continue to progress in my time trialling. I am still young and I still have many things to learn. I know that evolving within the group of specialists for the Flanders classics will be very rewarding. I cannot wait for the season to begin.”

Harry Tanfield winning stage one of the 2018 Tour of Yorkshire.

Tanfield in brief:
Born 17 November 1994, 24 years old
Professional since 2015
Main Results: Stage winner Tour de Yorkshire (2018); 2nd British Time Trial Championship (2018); 3rd World Championships Mixed Relay (2019);
5th BinckBank Tour time trial (2019).

VINCENT LAVENU: "A talented rouleur"
"We’ve had our eye on Harry for two years now, and this year we finally have the opportunity to recruit him. We are happy to sign such a talented rider, who will elevate us in the field of time trialling. Of course we will count on him in the road races as well. And he will also play an important role in the group of focused on the classics.”

THE NEWS:
Following the additions of Andrea Vendrame and Lawrence Naesen, both signed until 2021, and Clément Champoussin (who will join the team on August 1, 2020 through to 2022), the Briton Harry Tanfield completes the team’s recruitment for the 2020 season.

THE NUMBER: 5
Today the AG2R La Mondiale team started its team building training camp in Vaujany. This is the fifth time the team has started its season in Oisans. The team’s contract with Vaujany and Oisans runs until 2021.

Floyd's Pro Cycling to cease operations

The team posted this sad news:

Unfortunately CanAm Cycling, the management company running Floyd’s Pro Cycling, was unable to secure a title sponsor for 2020 and so the team will cease operations at the end of this year.

I’ll begin this announcement by repeating what’s been said all year: Floyd Landis supported our team at a time when North American road racing needed it and when he could have easily used that money to support the growth of Floyd’s of Leadville. His decision to be the title sponsor of our team was in part an act of loyalty to Gord Fraser and a sincere wish to help young riders on our team. Throughout the season, Floyd was incredibly busy with Floyd’s of Leadville’s many projects but he still made time to visit the team. He took us out to dinner, had a few laughs and went back to work. His focus for the time being has moved on from road racing and the title sponsorship of our team was perhaps a final gesture before turning his full attention to his business. Every single one of us involved with this team was so lucky to meet Floyd at this moment in his life and we wish everyone at Floyd’s of Leadville nothing but success.

I also want to offer a special nod to Roger Worthington. He has done more for cycling in North America than most people know. He has supported races such as the Dana Point Grand Prix and more recently the Cascades Classic, but check out the Worthy Brewing website. Look at all the community activities, local musicians and celestial gatherings that flow through that place. There is a bigger vision of Oregon’s place on the planet and cycling is merely integrated within that. It takes a striking combination of toughness, street smarts and heart to keep projects like Worthy Brewing going. It also takes good beer so if you’re ever in Bend, Oregon… you know what to do.

Roger welcomed our team into his home and they had a blast at the Cascades Classic. Later, we proudly raced at the Tour of Utah as Worthy Brewing. Like Floyd, Roger would show up, ride with the guys a few times then take off. He had work to do. It’s really hard to run a road racing team these days, but with guys like Floyd and Roger supporting us it’s clear we were spoiled.

We were definitely spoiled by Leo Incolligno and Biemme. They made us the Worthy Brewing kit needed for Utah and provided amazing service consistently responding to the suggestions of our riders. Edwin Bull at Van Dessel gave riders the bikes needed for us to dip our toes into gravel and mtb. Edwin worked with our head mechanic to ensure we had the right bikes in the right place throughout the year. This level of support helped create the best internal culture of any team that I’ve run. The team culture had a lot to do with Gord Fraser’s leadership, but also the rest of our staff–including Michelle Paiement, Jen Agan, Richard Knutson, Sara Pearse, Alex Laursen and our medical advisor Dr Michael Roshon. We were a Continental team, aka Division 3, but the level of care that our riders received was incredible. Thank you to all our sponsors and staff and congrats on a great 2019.

Of all the great moments this year, and with 34 wins and 3 national champions we had a lot to choose from, the one that sticks out for me was Johnny Clarke’s win in Taiwan. Johnny brings informed leadership to any team lucky enough to have him on board. He is able to share knowledge in ways that make those around him better. That skill can often place him in a supporting role. It was therefore great to see Johnny take home the yellow jersey from Taiwan. It affirmed he was a leader who knew how to win, could walk the walk, and it set the tone for the rest of the year. Shortly after, we were off and running with Travis McCabe winning a bunch sprint in Langkawi by 50 metres after the leadout cracked the field.

This team would never have happened without the help, advice and vision of Kevin Field at Cycling Canada. Matt Jeffries at Cycling Canada has also provided crucial support at key times to help us achieve our goals. Louis Barbeau and Pascal Choquette of the FQSC have helped the team with integrated projects and provided resources, coaching and guidance for all of our Quebec-based riders. I could go on and name hundreds of people that pitched in this year but I’ll stop by mentioning Brian Hodes and VeloImages. His photography and sense of aesthetics have helped shape the look of our team every year.

Lastly, I want to thank all the riders who made 2019 memorable on and off the bike. This team was unique in that it had 4-5 different kinds of leaders who somehow all got along by deferring or stepping up at the right time. And speaking of leaders, I’m not going to thank Gord Fraser here. One day soon Gord and I will sit down over beer and I’ll thank him for his friendship and let him know that his knowledge of so many aspects of the sport has helped guide me for the last 6 years. Perhaps we’ll talk about 2019–and maybe even other cycling-related projects that are yet to come. I’d work with Gord any day. In the meantime, Floyd’s Pro Cycling had a good run but unfortunately, it’s time to move on.

New alloy frame 3D printing technology arrives

Bike Europe sent me this astonishing industry news:

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – It’s about 3D printed bike frames, but not in carbon. Aluminium frames made by using the so-called “Direct Metal Laser Sintering” (DMLS) technology is the name of this all new technology. It’s launched by the recently founded Kinazo Design sro in cooperation with Volkswagen Slovakia, owner of the 3D printer Concept Laser X Line 2000R from German Concept Laser GmbH.

3D printed bike frames were launched by several companies – mostly from outside the industry – at last September’s Eurobike. U.S. based start-up Arevo (on which Bike Europe reported recently) was one of them; presenting the world’s 1st 3D-printed e-bike monocoque carbon frame. Young Kinazo Design sro was also exhibiting on this year’s Eurobike. Here this Slovakian company debuted its e-MTB Kinazo E1 which is built around a 3D printed alloy frame.

That Kinazo E1 aluminium frame is being produced by a metal 3D printing process. According to the Bratislava, Slovakia based company the machine is supplied by Concept Laser GmbH which is a pioneer of powder-bed based laser metal melting machines suited for series production. Volkswagen Slovakia operates the 3D printer Concept Laser X Line 2000R.

Concept Laser’s 3D Additive Metal Manufacturing process is using the Direct Metal Laser Sintering technology. It’s based on a laser that is able to micro-weld powdered metals and alloys into fully functional metal components. This made it possible to print an e-bike frame from a single piece instead of eleven individual parts. The first Kinazo designed prototype presented several years ago consisted of eleven individual 3D-printed pieces, which were then welded together. Now the 3D-printed in-tube aluminum Kinazo E1 frame is made from one piece making it monocoque.

You can read the entire story here.

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