Search our site:

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

People think that I must be a very strange person. This is not correct. I have the heart of a small boy. It is in a glass jar on my desk. - Stephen King

Plato's dialogue Phaedo is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross

The team sent me this equipment update:

As of the 2024 season SRAM will officially become the drivetrain partner for BORA - hansgrohe. The riders will race with SRAM RED eTap AXS groupset and Hammerhead head units.

The 2024 Bora-hansgrohe team bike. Bora-hansgrohe photo

“For me, the partnership with SRAM also means a very personal return to the company,” says Ralph Denk, BORA - hansgrohe Team Manager. “In the 90s, SRAM gave me the opportunity to take the very first steps in my professional career. Back then I experienced SRAM as an innovation-driven company with a strong hands-on mentality. Now we’re looking ahead to our partnership with SRAM and after our initial talks, I can already confirm that the mentality and motivation from back then are still there!”

“SRAM, along with our OE partner Specialized, is excited to be racing with BORA - hansgrohe, one of the strongest teams in the WorldTour,” commented SRAM CEO Ken Lousberg. “We look forward to working with Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov, and continuing with Primož Roglič on SRAM, one of the best riders of this generation.”

“I’m super excited to ride on SRAM next year!” says Jai Hindley. “I was already able to test the RED AXS groupset and I’m really happy with it. Particularly the possibility of using a single chainring set-up for some races or stages can be very beneficial in my opinion.”

“This team is exciting to watch; they have all the tools to win the world’s biggest races, and our focus is to help them,” adds Jason Phillips, SRAM Road Racing Director.

“From day one we felt the full commitment of SRAM, which gave us a lot of confidence for the partnership,” stated the team’s Head of Technical Performance Gerd Kodanik. “From the technical side, we have seen huge developments at SRAM over the past years. One thing I really want to point out is the super wide range of gearing options. For every rider and every race we have individual and very specific set-up options. We tested SRAM in many different conditions and environments – from cobbles to rainy and sunny weather. We’re very much looking forward to working together.”

The team will also be equipped with Hammerhead computers. “Hammerhead Karoo 2 is a powerful training tool, and will guide our athletes to a competitive advantage on the race course with each rider’s most relevant real-time data,” says Kodanik.

Here’s the team’s post:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has strengthened its squad for 2024 with talented riders such as Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ben Tulett and Matteo Jorgenson. In addition, Per Strand Hagens, Johannes Staune-Mittet and Loe van Belle have moved from the development team to the WorldTour team. At the team presentation in Amsterdam, the riders explained their choices for Team Visma | Lease a Bike and looked ahead to the upcoming season.

Ben Tulett winning stage 2 of the 2022 Coppi-Bartali race. Sirotti photo.

For 22-year-old Tulett, the first few weeks with Team Visma | Lease a Bike have been positive. "The training camp in Spain was a unique experience. It was nice to get to know my new teammates and the staff. I am looking forward to the start of the new season."

Tulett, who won the last edition of the Tour of Norway, is looking to continue his development. "The team has prepared an excellent race schedule for me. My goal is to help the team leaders as much as I can. At the Tour of Spain, I hope to take further steps in my development as a GC rider."

Jorgenson is also making an ambitious start to the season. "There are many reasons why I chose Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The team's mentality appealed to me. The hard-working staff don't miss a single detail, which I like. Such an approach suits me."

"Last season, I had some good results in the spring", the 24-year-old Californian added. "This year, I will try to help the team achieve its goals in the classics. I will also try to help Jonas Vingegaard win his third Tour. I have a personal goal to one day be part of a team that wins the Tour de France, so I am looking forward to that as well."

The 21-year-old Staune-Mittet is one of three Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development riders. "The first training camp with the WorldTour team went well. Thanks to my time on the development team, it was not my first time riding with them. That made the step less big. I hope to improve even more mentally and physically in 2024. I want to be a better rider in every way", the Norwegian said.

With Uijtdebroeks, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has signed one of the biggest talents on the WorldTour. The 20-year-old Belgian hopes to become a GC rider in the coming years. He finished eighth in the last Vuelta a España. Along with Wout van Aert, Olav Kooij, and the rest of the squad, he will be trying to win as many stages as possible at the 2024 Tour of Italy. "I'm excited to be part of this squad", Uijtdebroeks said. "I want to improve in the grand tours. This is the perfect team and environment for me to accomplish that. A strict team that tries to get the maximum out of every race. That works for me."

"Before the Giro d'Italia, I will race the Tour of Catalonia and Tirreno-Adriatico. I want to do well in those races. Then, I will train at altitude to prepare for the Tour of Italy. I want to win stages there with Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij. As far as the GC is concerned, I will be free to do my thing without too much pressure", Uijtdebroeks said.

Sportive director Merijn Zeeman is pleased with the arrival of the young talents. "They are riders who fit well into this team. They are keen to develop, and we will help them. Cian, for example, is still young, but we see him as a future leader of the team. It is vital that he can continue to improve at his own pace."

Groupama-FDJ men’s team to switch from Lapierre to Wilier bikes. The team had ridden Lapierre bikes for 22 years. The FDZ-Suez women’s team will continue riding Lapierre.

Here’s the 2024 team bike:

The 2024 team bike

The specs:

Frame: Filante SLR - Carbonio Monoscocca HUS Mod + Crystal Liquid Polymer
Fork: Filante SLR - Carbonio Monoscocca HUS Mod + Crystal Liquid Polymer
Handlebar: Zero Bar
Seatpost: Filante SLR Carbon, Wilier Custom Made
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C50
Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace, 54-40  + Shimano Powermeter
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace, 11-34
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT
Saddle: Prologo Scratch M5
Bar Tape: Prologo
Bottle Cage: Elite Vico Carbon
Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary