Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, December 19, 2021
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
Biology is the study of complicated things that have the appearance of having been designed with a purpose. - Richard Dawkins
Bill and Carol McGanns book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1: 1903 - 1975 is available as an audiobook here. For the print or Kindle eBook version just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- Dec 19: Namur Cyclocross
Upcoming racing:
- 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 11: Ethiascross-Essen
- 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
Here’s the report from Pidcock’s INEOS Grenadiers team:
A thrilling final lap saw the Grenadier overhaul his two nearest rivals, taking a first elite World Cup race win for a British male rider. In the process Pidcock also broke an almost eight-year Belgian-Dutch stranglehold on the sport’s premier series.
Tom Pidcock wins a big one. Getty Images
After avoiding a first lap pile-up Pidcock rode well through the field, initially hitting the front on lap four. The fast Dutch course saw a number of contenders battling it out, with Pidcock starting the final lap with a slender deficit to the leading duo.
Hauling back the three-second gap to Michael Vanthourenhout, Pidcock was on the limit in the final metres, forging ahead of Eli Iserbyt over the hurdles before sprinting clear at the line.
“I was losing a lot of time in the corners and I was struggling to keep up. Every lap I was having to chase and Michael and Eli were making it really hard for me. I didn’t give up.
“They were riding super hard. I was just doing everything to try and stay with them. But the last lap I was able to keep concentrating, not make any mistakes and just come back.”
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Here’s the report on the women’s Rucphen race from Vos’ Jumbo-Visma team:
Marianne Vos has won the World Cup race in Rucphen. In an exciting cross, the 34-year-old Vos beat Lucinda Brand in the decisive sprint. The Dutch rider took the victory in Rucphen for the fourth time.
Marianne Vos wins in Rucphen again. Cor Vos photo
Vos had a strong start and immediately took the initiative. Beforehand, Vos had expressed the expectation that it would be a challenge to create a gap. She turned out to be right about that. Six riders stayed together for a long time. In the penultimate lap, Vos attacked, and only Lucinda Brand and Denise Betsema managed to catch on. Brand and Vos were the strongest, and despite a small pedal error in the final, the rider of Team Jumbo-Visma won the final sprint by a large margin.
Vos was content with her victory. "It was a very fast race, and we were playing hardball on the final stretch. It was difficult to pass Lucinda. She put on good pressure in the direction of the sandy strip. When I wanted to pass her after the bars, I lost control. It threw me off my game for a bit; then I gave it my all. Fortunately, I could make up for it and sprint again. It’s nice to win a race in the Netherlands, even though there was no audience."
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Lotto Soudal sent me this press release:
Lotto Soudal has successfully renegotiated the contract of Florian Vermeersch. During the team training camp at the Spanish Costa Blanca, the promising Belgian inked a new two-year agreement. That way, Vermeersch will sport the Belgian WorldTour team jersey at least until the end of 2024. Florian Vermeersch, still only 22 years old, is already a familiar face at Lotto Soudal after he turned pro in mid-2020 from the Development team.
Florian Vermeersch (left) with Victor Verschaeve in 2019
“This contract extension gives me a lot of confidence towards the future”, said Florian Vermeersch. “We share the same vision and it is nice to be part of an ambitious project in which a lot of youngsters can develop within a professional environment. I strongly believe in the quality and the build of a Classics team that can play a role in the most important races. As a 22-year-old in a WorldTour team, you don’t always get the chance to immediately prove yourself. I’m really happy that I can discover my main strengths at Lotto Soudal, where I stepped up from the Development team. Apart from the confidence, it also creates a kind of family feeling. Through the years, you really bond with both the staff and riders, which was also an important factor towards a prolonged stay with the team.”
“Florian will be an important part of our Classics team and that is why we are really happy that he strongly believes in our project”, says Lotto Soudal’s General Manager John Lelangue. “It’s nice to see which path Florian has already taken with the Lotto Soudal Development team and we are looking forward to what the coming years will bring. We will therefore continue to invest in the development of our young talents into the winners of tomorrow.”
“Due to bad luck and crashes, the spring Classics didn’t bring what I expected of them. After a period of rest, things went much better and of course that second place at Paris-Roubaix was the apotheosis of a successful season. Next year, my focus will not only be on the Classics, I also want to improve my time trial skills. I think those two can be perfectly combined. And with a strong sprint, I have an additional weapon for the Classics. First and foremost, I hope to start the Classics next year in good shape and I want to show myself in the final”, the 22-year-old Belgian concludes.
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