Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, January 31, 2021
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2020 Tour de France | 2020 Giro d'Italia
The audiobook version of The Story of the Tour de France, Volume 1 is available.
There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of a comfortable past which, in fact, never existed. - Robert Kennedy
Current racing:
- Jan 31: GP Cycliste la Marseillaise
Upcoming racing:
- Feb 3 - 7: Etoile de Bèsseges
Cancelled & postponed races:
- Jan 24 - 31:
Vuelta a Sasn Juan(cancelled) - Jan 28 - 31:
Challenge Illes Belears(postponed) - Jan 30-Feb 6:
Tour de Langkawi(cancelled) - Jan 31:
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race(cancelled) - Feb 2 - 6:
Herald Sun Tour(cancelled) - Feb 3 - 7:
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana(postponed)
Latest completed racing:
- Jan 21 - 24: Santos Festival of Cycling
- Jan 23: Flandriencross
- Jan 1: GP Sven Nys Cyclocross
- Dec 26: Heusden-Zolder Cyclocross
- Dec 23: Azencross-Herentals
- Dec 20: Namur Cyclocross
- Dec 13: Gavere Cyclocross
Lucinda Brand is World Cyclo-Cross Champion
Here's the race report from the UCI:
The Netherlands dominated the first day of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Ostend, Belgium. Dutch athletes showed their prowess on sand, one of the sport’s most demanding terrains. First Pim Ronhaar in the Men Under 23 category then Lucinda Brand in the Women Elite: both winning races that were decided in the beach section, with its unpredictable and difficult surface that caused much drama.
Lucinda Brand is Champion of the World.
The other protagonist of the women's race was Annemarie Worst, who fell numerous times, but was able to fight with Brand until the last lap (and her last crash). It was a similar fate among the Under 23s for the other Dutch rider, Ryan Kampf, who, after a fall in the early stages, recovered to claim the silver medal.
“For so many years I was so close and now finally after such a great season, to finish it off like this is really cool,” said Brand, who made the podium in the last three editions. “Regarding the crash in the finale, we crossed each other and I just touched her elbow or something. It was the weakest point to touch her so it wasn’t really nice but also not easy to avoid that situation. Unfortunately, it happened”.
“This is an amazing feeling”, said Pim Ronhaar. “At the beginning it was a bit hectic with six or seven riders in front for the first two laps, but I felt really strong and every time on the bridge, I was constantly in place one or two, so that was great. After three laps, I didn’t even attack but just rode my own tempo and got six seconds. On the grass section I was just riding easy, so I had enough power for the sand which paid off in the end.”
Ronhaar tames the sand, Kamp crashes and remounts for silver
A majestic performance from Pim Ronhaar won him the 2021 Men U23 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. From the first lap, the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal rider was the most solid on the demanding beach part and on the second circuit he immediately pulled out a significant advantage over his rivals.
As expected, the tough course led to an elimination race. The first amongst the favourites to lose their chance of winning the rainbow jersey was the Briton Thomas Mein, while climbing the wet steps. On the front, his compatriot Ben Turner was the only non-Belgian or Dutch rider in the nine-strong lead group. Ronhaar showed his form, swapping first position with Belgium’s Niels Vandeputte, only experiencing a little trouble when he briefly slid out on the mud on the wet coastal section.
The second descent off the bridge into the beach was the undoing of the defending champion – and favourite – Ryan Kamp, from the Netherlands, who crashed. Ronhaar took advantage of his technical ability in the sand, gaining four precious seconds from the chasing group which included Belgians Timo Kielich and Toon Vandebosch and the Dutchman Tim Van Dijke.
Kamp rejoined the chasing group while, on the front, Ronhaar was already too far away, with an advantage of 16 seconds to manage on the final lap: he won with 8 seconds in hand over Kamp, who completed an amazing comeback, and 14 seconds ahead of Kielich.
Shoulder-to-shoulder duel for Brand and Worst in the Women’s finale
In the day’s second race, for the Women Elite category, the drama came as early as the first turn, with the crash bringing down both the reigning UCI World Champion, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (the Netherlands) and the Belgian former triple rainbow jersey winner, Sanne Cant.
Another Netherlands favourite, Lucinda Brand, took the lead immediately on the way to the beach, where almost all the riders had to dismount and continue on foot. While the Belgian Alicia Franck rolled over, Dutch rider Denise Betsema attacked, proving to be one of the best sand specialists, no doubt thanks to her regular training ground on the island where she lives, in the north of the Netherlands. Betsema started the second lap with a small advantage over the remounting Brand and their compatriot Annemarie Worst, while Alvarado took fourth position, with a great comeback after her early crash. By the second lap, the Women Elite race of the UCI World Championships race had become a purely Dutch affair.
The second part of the race was a roller-coaster for Worst: along with Brand she caught Betsema before the end of the second lap, but crashed shortly afterwards, leaving the duo up ahead. But the 2017 Women U23 UCI World Champion was able to push hard on the following sand section, eventually taking the lead just before crashing and remounting once again.
And then, in the exciting shoulder-to-shoulder finale, Worst suffered a final, and this time decisive, crash: and after the UCI World Cup, Lucinda Brand triumphed in the UCI World Championships. Third position went to Betsema and fourth to the American Clara Honsinger ahead of another Dutch rider, Yara Kastelijn.
Philippe Gilbert kicks off 19th season as pro at GP La Marseillaise
Gilbert’s Lotto-Soudal team posted this
On Sunday 31 January, Lotto Soudal will start the new cycling season with the 42nd edition of the Grand Prix La Marseillaise. This French one-day race – with both start and finish near Marseille – is due to its hilly course most of all suited to the punchers of the peloton. Philippe Gilbert – who became father this week – is part of a strong seven-rider Lotto Soudal squad and is getting ready for his 19th season as a pro. The 38-year-old Belgian had his share of bad luck last year and is cautious about his personal ambitions for the coming races.
Philippe Gilbert racing in the 2019 Paris-Roubaix. Sirotti photo
Philippe Gilbert: “Of course, it would be nice to immediately obtain a decent result, but at the moment it is still too early to talk about this. I was able to resume training much later than we had planned and I had to work really hard to reach the level I am currently at. The main goal is to retrieve the good sensations and to further build the shape.”
“I had a really good time at Lotto Soudal training camp in Spain and I worked hard towards the coming season together with the ‘Classic riders’ bubble’. I am now preparing for a French triptych of races with the Grand Prix La Marseillaise, Etoile de Bessèges and Tour de la Provence. I am really happy to start the season in these three hard races with a nice course. Furthermore, the quality of the riders at the start is – partly due to the number of cancellations of other races – really high. I am really looking forward to starting my 19th season as a pro rider and let’s hope the French races can go on as planned”, concludes Gilbert.
Line-up Lotto Soudal GP La Marseillaise: John Degenkolb, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron, Stefano Oldani, Gerben Thijssen, Brent Van Moer and Tim Wellens.
EF Pro Cycling reveals new team kit
Here’s the team’s announcement:
From the low-profile blackout kit we debuted at the 2019 Tour Down Under to the standout switch out that shook up last year’s Giro, Rapha and EF have always designed to disrupt. Pulling on our kit should always mean pushing the envelope and committing to driving the sport forwards.
But even as the team who brought the pro peloton its first duck-inspired kit, we don’t want to ruffle too many feathers. After getting into hot water last season, we’ve decided to create a compliant kit for 2021. In fact, we’ve tried to create the world’s most compliant cycling kit.
EF Pro Cycling's 2021 kit
Though we’ve earned a reputation as rule breakers, our design for this season centres around the rulemakers’ regulations.
To ensure we comply with every rule and regulation no matter how seemingly insignificant, the designers have shown their working. For correct positioning and spacing of sponsor logos, they’ve left their meticulous measurements marked up while subtle annotations are a nod to their creative approach to compliance.
These finer details won’t be seen from the helicopter shots but for those who wear our kit, riders and supporters alike, they will serve as a reminder of our team’s desire to move the dial and change the sport. For fans following the team on TV or from the roadside, their favourite riders will still stand out in the team’s traditional hi-vis pink.
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