Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. - John Wooden
Current racing:
- Jan 19-26: Schwalbe Classic & Tour Down Under
Upcoming racing:
- Jan 20-26: La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
- Jan 26 Feb 2: Vuelta a San Juan
- Jan 30-Feb 2: Challenge Illes Balears
- Feb 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- Feb 2: GP la Marseillaise
- Feb 22: GP Leuven
Latest completed racing:
- Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
- Dec 29: Superprestige Diegen
- Dec 27: Azencross
- Dec 26: World Cup Heusden-Zolder
- Dec 22: World Cup, Namur
- Dec 15: Vlaamse Druivencross
- Dec 7: IKO Cyclocross-Essen
Fernando Gaviria to lead UAE-Team Emirates at Vuelta a San Juan
Gaviria's UAE-Team Emirates posted this release:
UAE Team Emirates will continue their early season race program in Argentina for the Vuelta a San Juan (2.Pro) which runs from 22/01 – 2/02 over seven stages.
As in previous editions, the race offers ample opportunities for the sprinters where Fernando Gaviria will be aiming to leave his mark having claimed five stages there since 2017. The race also features a 15.5 time trial on stage 3 which should favour the likes of Tom Bohli and Brandon McNulty.
Last year saw Gaviria win two stages in the mass sprints while Valerio Conti fell just short of the podium with 4th place on GC.
Fernando Gaviria winning stage four of the 2019 Vuelta a San Juan
Sports Director Simone Pedrazzini (Swi) will lead the following riders:
- Fernando Gaviria (Col)
- Maxmiliano Richeze (Arg)
- Brandon McNulty (USA)
- Oliviero Troia (Ita)
- Tom Bohli (Swi)
- Juan Sebastian Molano (Col)
Gaviria : “I’m excited to be coming back to race in Argentina. Last year we started the season well here with victory on stage 1. The level of sprinters is always very high so it acts as a good test in the early part of the season. We are coming to the race well prepared. It’s true, this year I will have an extra motivation because Maximiliano Richeze will be by my side. He is a very important person in my career and in UAE Team Emirates we are happy to have him with us. With him in the team, we will have even more encouragement from the fans too, because for them Richeze is an example for the locals.”
Pedrazzini: “With Gaviria in the race and 4 riders to help him in the sprints (Richeze, Molano, Troia and Bohli) we will certainly have responsibilities in the race to bring Fernando to the sprint to try to win as he has often done here in San Juan.Mc Nulty will be our man for the general classification.”-
Some bike tariffs to be reduced, many still in place after Trump signs Phase 1 deal
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this report:
WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a Phase 1 trade agreement with China and said he will reduce recently imposed tariffs on some products from 15% to 7.5%. The tariffs that the Trump administration put on most other bike-related products remains at 25%.
Separately, the administration has recently granted tariff exclusions for most kids bikes and for e-bikes, reducing those tariffs back to where they were before Trump took office and allowing companies to request refunds for the additional tariffs they've paid. Previous exclusions were granted to smaller product categories, including adult singlespeed road bikes and wired cycle computers.
The Phase 1 agreement calls for China to buy an extra $200 billion in products and services from the U.S. over the next two years and agree to provisions protecting U.S. intellectual property. According to the White House, China has "agreed to end its practice of forcing foreign companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies in order to gain market access." China also pledged to curtail currency manipulation and the U.S. has already removed the country from its list of currency manipulators.
The Phase 1 agreement does not address Chinese government support for manufacturers and it does not remove most of the tariffs imposed by the administration, which remain at historically high levels.
The agreement does not include tariff reductions but Trump said during the signing ceremony that the U.S. will reduce existing tariffs on List 4A from 15% to 7.5%. The lowered tariff is expected to take effect Feb. 14.
List 4a products include bike helmets, lights, and many miscellaneous bike components and accessories. Those tariffs took effect in September 2019.
Trump also has indefinitely delayed tariffs on List 4b products, which include balance bikes, apparel and footwear. The List 4b tariff was to have taken affect last month at 15%.
You can read the entire story here.
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