Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
God not only plays dice, He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen. - Stephen Hawking
Upcoming racing:
- Dec 5: Scheldecross Antwerp
- Dec 11: Ethiascross-Essen
- Dec 19: Namur Cyclocross
- Dec 27: Heusden Zolder Cyclocross
- Dec 29: Diegemcross
- Dec 30: Azencross
- Jan 1, 2022: GP Sven Nys Cross
- Jan 16 - 23, 2022: Le Tour de Langkawi
- Jan 22, 2022: Flandriencross
- Jan 26 - 29, 2022: Challenge Illes Balears
- Jan 30 - Feb 6, 2022: Vuelta a San Juan
- Feb 12, 2022: Gavere Cyclocross
Latest completed racing:
- Nov 13: GP Leuven
- Nov 7: Elite Men European Cyclocross Championships
- Nov 6: Elite Women European Cyclocross Championships
- Nov 1: Koppenberg Cyclocross
- Oct 31: Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Overijse Cross
- Oct 24: Ronde van Drenthe
- Oct 23: Ruddervoorde Cyclocross
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available as an audiobook here.
Here’s the team’s announcement:
Hooglede-Gits, 30 November 2021 – Deceuninck proudly announces that it has struck a four year sponsorship deal with the Alpecin – Fenix cycling team starting from 2022. With this new engagement Deceuninck confirms its strong belief in the power of cycling. Next to becoming co-sponsor of the men’s pro cycling team, Deceuninck will also sponsor the team’s mountainbike, cyclocross and women’s elite cycling team. Supporting the women’s cycling sport and female athletes to further develop their professional careers perfectly fits with the Deceuninck core values of diversity and gender equality.
Team Alpecin-Fenix is presented before the second stage of the 2021 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
Starting from January 2022 onwards Deceuninck teams up with the Alpecin – Fenix team run by Philip and Christoph Roodhooft. Headed by Mathieu van der Poel, the team primarily focuses on success in the spring classics. Yet, with sprinters as Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier, the team also aspires stage wins in the Grand Tours. They will also bring high valued exposure via cyclocross and moutainbike disciplines. Until the end of 2021 Deceuninck remains main sponsor of the Wolfpack. Deceuninck would like to thank the Wolfpack for their inspiring spirit and incredible moments during the past 3 years.
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Francis Van Eeckhout, CEO Deceuninck Group, responds: "I’m very delighted to communicate this partnership with Alpecin – Fenix. Supporting both young talent and enforce female cycling are two values which we both hold in very high esteem. Personally, I look forward to the spring classics and especially the Tour of Flanders. We believe that, in close collaboration with the Alpecin – Fenix team, our brand will stand out all season long."
Philip Roodhooft, on behalf of the Alpecin-Fenix Team Management: "We’re delighted to partner up with Deceuninck. We have known an explosive growth over the past few years but we’re far from being at the end of this journey. Getting Deceuninck on board, alongside our current partners, will give us the means to confirm our current level and, at the same time, further develop and materialize our future ambitions. As a Belgian multinational they understand our continuous pursuit of perfection and ambition. So, I’m sure that this sponsor match we will excel together."
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Bicycle Retailer & Industry News posted this:
BAYFIELD, Colo. (BRAIN) — Tailwind Nutrition unveiled a re-branding this fall as the nine-year-old company see continued growth beyond the ultra-endurance athletes that helped it get its start.
Founders Jeff and Jenny Vierling began making their own hydration mix with a KitchenAid mixer after Jeff had some bad experiences during long mountain bike events.
"At first I was just making it for myself because I wanted to solve my own problems. It didn't have a name, but I shared it with some friends around the area, and pretty soon I was meeting people in parking lots and handing out baggies with white powder," Jeff, the company's CEO, told BRAIN.
Eventually the couple went commercial with the product. The KitchenAid was replaced with an $800 mixer that could process 100 pounds of mix at time. "I saved money and got the mixer without a motor, so I had to hand crank it," he recalled.
Now Tailwind has about 20 employees and has outgrown its current 10,000 square foot facility in Bayfield, a small town about 20 miles east of Durango (a slightly bigger small town with a long mountain bike history).
Tailwind products are now sold in 37 countries. In the U.S. Tailwind sells consumer direct on its website and distributes to independent retailers via BTI, Hans Johnsen, Downeast Bicycle Specialists, JBI and Liberty Mountain. Tailwind also sells through Amazon and maintains a MAP program to protect its pricing.
Its product line includes several flavors of hydration mix (and an unflavored "Naked" mix), and a protein recovery drink mix.
The rebranding was at least a year-long process, Vierling said. Tailwind consulted with a Boulder, Colorado, company on brand exploration, and hired an Austin, Texas, company to complete the design.
Besides modernizing the aesthetics, the goal was to make Tailwind products more attractive to a wider audience.
You can read the entire story here.
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