Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, December 11, 2020
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2020 Tour de France | 2020 Giro d'Italia
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world. - Albert Camus
Upcoming racing:
- Dec 12: Scheldecross
- Dec 13: Gavere Cyclocross
- Jan 19 - 24, 2021: Santos Festival of Cycling
- Jan 28 - 31, 2021: Challenge Illes Belears
Latest completed racing:
- Nov 14: GP Leuven Cyclocross
- Nov 7 - 8: European Cyclocross Championships
- Oct 31: Cyclocross Koppenberg
- Oct 24: Cyclocross Ruddervoorde
- Oct 20 - Nov 8: Vuelta a España
- October 3 - 25: Giro d'Italia
- Oct 21: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne
- October 18: Ronde van Vlaanderen
- October 14: Scheldeprijs
- October 11: Gent-Wevelgem
- October 11: Paris-Tours
- October 7: De Brabantse Pijl/ La Flèche Brabanconne
Deceuninck-Quick Step presents 2021 team jersey
Here's the team's update:
The New Year is often seen as a time for new beginnings and a fresh start, and never has that felt more appropriate as we move away from the chaotic year of 2020. The new year also means a new cycling kit for Deceuninck – Quick-Step and the 2021 incarnation is sure to get tongues wagging.
The new kit
And from the back
For two decades, Vermarc Sport has been supporting the team’s efforts to not only perform in some of the world’s biggest cycling events, but also to look stylish while doing it. The new kit has moved back to shades of navy alongside the iconic blue, for which the team are synonymous. The design is subtly finished by incorporating a wolf hair design print, which of course is a nod to our Wolfpack spirit, that is put on display by our riders in all the races.
“We’ve been working with the team for many years now and from the very beginning it felt like we were part of the Wolfpack family. We are proud to design and supply the kit to the world’s best cycling team and happy to announce this new cycling kit for 2021”, said Marc Verbeeck, CEO of Vermarc Sport.
Sam Bennett, who this year claimed a brace of Tour de France stage victories en route to becoming the first Irishman in 31 years to win the famous green jersey, said: “I am a huge fan of the new kit. The navy is really classy, as we would expect from Vermarc Sport, who are always doing an amazing job with our kit. I like that they have kept the iconic blue on top, which is really nice. Some of my heroes wore this blue; Tom Boonen had some great success in this jersey and I am looking forward to wearing it next season and representing it as best I can in every race.”
Ski mountaineer Anton Palzer will commence his professional cycling career with BORA-hansgrohe in 2021
The team sent me this update:
BORA - hansgrohe concludes its roster for 2021 with a lateral recruit. Anton Palzer may not necessarily be very well known in cycling, but in ski mountaineering and mountain running, the 27-year-old German is among the absolute best in the world. ‘Toni’ is now seeking a new challenge and is aiming to begin his journey in cycling with BORA - hansgrohe from April onwards. First of all, however, he will concentrate on his final winter season.
Anton Palzer will be joining Bora-hansgrohe for 2021. Sirotti photo
“It may look like a daring venture and a certain risk is definitely involved, but we have been following Toni for quite a long time and are convinced of his physical abilities. You can see from examples like Roglič or Woods that such an experiment can be successful, and we have always said that we would scout within different sports. I don’t mean to say that Toni will be competing for the Tour victory within two years. However, we see a lot of potential in him, particularly in the high mountains. In summer, he trained on the bike for a week with some of our riders in Austria, which worked out very well, and from a technical standpoint, he is also quite strong. Our interest was then piqued and we noticed that Toni was looking for a new challenge. He ultimately convinced us with his enthusiasm and professionalism. We will utilise him more and more at the beginning of the season for difficult one-day races and mountainous week-long races. There he will have to learn how cycling works and, above all, take on tasks for the team. We'll see where this journey takes us, but we'll take it step by step.” - Ralph Denk, Team Manager
“Professional cyclist - for a long time this was just a thought in the back of my mind, a little dream that seemed unattainable and miles away from my realm of possibilities. The decision to embark on a new sporting career was only made during my contact with BORA - hansgrohe and matured alongside several further discussions with the team. Over the course of this year, Ralph Denk and Helmut Dollinger have given my wildest dreams real potential, and I am very grateful for this!
"The most important goal now will be to integrate myself well into the team, to learn as much as possible from my new teammates and to put myself in the service of the squad. The challenges for me personally are, on the one hand, embarking on the development from individual sportsman to team player, and also a certain change of rhythm: Up until now I was primarily a winter sportsman, and now the focus is on summer.
"From a sporting point of view, I will have to slowly grow into cycling and develop a certain racing intelligence. In the first year I will also have to cope with the challenge of a double season (winter and summer). My strengths certainly lie in the high mountains - but since the paths into the mountains are often flat and windy, I certainly have a lot to learn there!
"Overall, I would like to develop myself as an athlete, open up a new playing field for my physiological performances, and also show that it is worth holding on to dreams.” - Anton Palzer
“Toni approached me this Spring with the question of whether I could support him in preparing for the World Ski Mountaineering Championships. We have been working together since April and it was soon clear that some of his performance values, such as his VO2max, are exceptional. In summer, he trains a lot on the bike anyway, so we examined his data in detail. However, the decisive factor for this change was that Toni was certain that he wanted to try it. The potential is there, but data isn’t everything. You still need to show your horsepower on the road. In any case, it will be an exciting project. It will be a particular challenge to make the transition from his last competition season in winter to his first bike races. But generally speaking, we have to be realistic, keep grounded, and use the first season to learn. Then we’ll be better able to see what is possible.” - Helmut Dollinger, Coach, BORA - hansgrohe
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