Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, December 10, 2021
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on. - Samuel Butler
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the great unwashed created the Tour de France is available as an audiobook here.
Upcoming racing:
- 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:
- Dec 5:
Scheldecross Antwerp- Cancelled because of Covid-19 - 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
Here’s the team’s announcement:
Ahead of the 2022 campaign Team DSM gathered together in the Netherlands for their Team Launch, with fans, media and partners joining from all over the globe, tuning in to follow the live virtual show, as the team prepared for their second season with Royal DSM as their title partner.
With all three of the team’s programs in attendance under one roof, the team cast their eyes forward to what lies ahead in 2022, outlining their ambitions for the new season and beyond.
Reflecting on the 2021 season
Building on an existing innovation partnership that had grown over the past half decade, Team DSM took their distinctive two-striped design emblazoned with Royal DSM’s bright blue to 20 countries throughout the world in 2021; claiming 34 wins, 70 other podium finishes and a further 165 top tens across their three programs.
Team DSM CEO Iwan Spekenbrink said: “This year with DSM we really stepped things up. DSM are a global company and to have their innovation power at the disposal of the team – with their scientists working day and night to come up with new developments in health and nutrition – is something we are really proud of and is truly inspiring to us all. Our specialists and colleagues back at our HQ are absolutely in their element and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute working in this way with DSM. We’re looking forward to what the future brings us, as we continue to push and drive each other to bigger and better things.”
DSM co-CEO Dimitri de Vreeze continued: “We’ve really enjoyed our first year with Team DSM. This is a fantastic, passionate group of people who share similar values to us as an organisation, and it’s great to work with them in this way. Cycling is a demanding sport and, through science and technology, we at DSM can help the team’s riders stay healthier, recover faster and perform better. The team has been such an inspiration for us and others already – they’ve encouraged our employees, customers and the general public to get on their bikes and think about our own health and nutrition that little bit more – something we think is really important and one of the motivations for our partnership.”
Looking ahead, the team will operate under a Dutch license in 2022 and look to build on these foundations as they continue to make their mark within the incredibly challenging and competitive sporting environment of cycling.
Sporting goals:
Ahead of the new season, Team DSM head coach Rudi Kemna outlined the team’s goals: “Moving into 2022 the Men’s program continues their focus on two strong key pillars: developing our sprint train and our GC group on the longer term. We have also added a selection of talents to the sprint train with the aim of developing it to the highest level to go for it in the WorldTour stage races, and we have the team’s selection of promising GC potentials who will also continue to support the more experienced riders in that discipline. Away from those two pillars, the team will race the classics with varied tactics in the finale, while we will split and approach the three Grand Tours with the following team goals; one for GC ambitions, one for offensive racing and sprints, and one focusing on the development of our GC and sprint talents.
“After a brilliant 2021, the Women’s program aim to continue their trajectory and become a consistent and ever-present force at the very top of the women’s peloton in the classics and sprints, while also continuing with the development of our upcoming GC riders.
“With 12 riders now promoted to the WorldTour, the Development program will continue to bring the best young talents through to the highest echelon of the sport with our Men’s program, putting those all-important foundations in place for young riders in their early and formative years.”Pushing for performance and breaking the mould – Team DSM and Nalini accelerate development of protective race wear with strategic partnership
Last year the team stepped away from a traditional commercial partnership for their race wear and started to produce their own; to faster integrate new innovations and materials into their race wear, such as Dyneema®, all of which contribute to better performance and safety.
Working closely together, the new and exciting collaboration will see Team DSM and Nalini further intensify the development of the high-performance race wear concept in 2022, with Nalini’s state-of-the-art MOA Lab the new home to the project. Inspired by the team’s development of high-performance fabrics with integrated protective materials, Nalini take the project to the next level. Team DSM and Nalini aim to make these new technologies available at a larger scale for cycling enthusiasts across the globe.
A new year and exciting new partnerships:
It was recently announced that LV Logistics will become the team’s logistics partner and a today a further raft of exciting new partnerships for Team DSM in 2022 were revealed.
Large telecoms company, Youfone, which operates in the Netherlands and Belgium, and whom provide subscriptions for mobile telephones, TV and internet comes on board with a big partnership with the team and will be proudly and impactfully shown on the team’s kit. Aqua-Step, a rapidly growing company that produces an extensive collection of SPC-based floors and walls also partners with the team.
While today during the Team Launch, it was announced that major European optician chains Eyes+More and Hans Anders, who have great fresh and modern formulas which you’ll see pop up in more and more shopping streets across Europe, and who are part of the Hans Anders Group, the market leader with over 600 stores in their realms, are also announced as a new partner.
Additional independent anti-doping efforts continue:
The team has worked to the intensified ethical standards of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) since 2007. DSM mirror those values, continuing to further invest into the additional independent anti-doping program that has been in place for the team since 2018, which saw an intensifying and increase in testing for all the Men’s, Women’s and Development program athletes. Team DSM continue to operate with these additional independent tests in 2022, as DSM further commit to clean sport and fairer governance. As in previous years, the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) of the Netherlands, the Doping Authority Netherlands or “Dopingautoriteit”, will increase the frequency of its WADA-standard testing of the team’s athletes; with the results added to the riders’ biological passport. All of which is above and beyond anything currently required by cycling authorities.
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Here’s the report the BBC posted:
Team Qhubeka NextHash, Africa's top cycling team, has had its application for a WorldTour spot in 2022 rejected by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
The world governing body's licence commission refused to register the team, but did not give reasons for its decision.
The South Africa-based team missed a deadline to apply for a licence in October having struggled to find sponsors, and had not been able to be registered directly by the UCI.
Seven weeks ago team principal Doug Ryder told BBC Sport Africa it was "absolutely possible" the team would fold if it could not secure funding.
Established in 2007, the team rides to raise awareness and funds for Qhubeka, a charity which raises money to provide bicycles for young people across southern Africa.
Team Qhubeka takes part in the 2021 Giro d'Italia team presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo
And here's Team Qhubeka NextHash's Facebook post on the subject:
We have noted the UCI's press release today in which we have been refused the registration of a WorldTour licence for 2022.
We remain committed to our purpose of changing lives through bicycles. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and words of encouragement!
We will be making no further comment at this stage.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Tension is building ahead of the 2022 racing season. But first, the most hotly-anticipated off-season activity in the cycling world – new kit day! For the first time ever, Trek-Segafredo’s male and female riders will share a look. Not exactly the same kit, but we’ll be rocking complementary colors for the 2022 season, all hand-made in Italy by our long-time partner Santini.
The new racing kits
Whilst we may not be reinventing the wheel, we think we’ve created two elegant yet striking kits which are unmistakably Trek. Our classic design is reminiscent of previous iterations of our racing kits, now with a fresh update for the future. The men’s and women’s kits retain their trademark red and light blue colors, respectively, which accent the jersey, bib shorts and socks. Bright Pirelli logos on the arms and back of the shorts completes the look.
Once again, we are proud that our Santini jerseys will make use of discarded and recycled fibres, without using any polluting chemicals. Furthermore, all team apparel will be delivered in compostable bags to reduce plastic waste. Santini is providing us a complete wardrobe fit for all seasons and climates – from the cold rain of the Classics to the searing sun at the Tour de France.
Additionally, at home our riders will ride in a bold, new training kit. Following Trek’s Train Loud and Race Proud motif, you’ll see us training in a bold new Radioactive Coral outfit.
Trek Segafredo training kit
Finally, Santini will continue to serve as our off-bike clothing supplier, outfitting us in premium lifestyle apparel that keeps us looking as good as we feel.
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