Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, December 8, 2022
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Upcoming racing
- Dec 10: Exact Cross Essen
- Dec 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- Dec 27: Heusden-Zolder Cyclocross
- Dec 29: Diegem Cyclocross
- Dec 30: Azencross-Loenhout
- Jan 1: GP Sven Nys Cyclocross
- Jan 14 - 22: Schwalbe Classic & Tour Down Under
- Jan 22 - 29: Vuelta a San Juan
- Jan 25 - 29: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
- Jan 28 & 29: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Latest completed racing:
- Dec 4: Scheldecross Antwerp
- Nov 20: Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Overijse Cross
- Nov 5 & 6: European Cyclocross Championships
- Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- Oct 29: Superprestige Ruddervoorde Cyclocross
- Oct 11 - 18: Tour de Langkawi
Here is a machine-translation of the story in the French newspaper Le Télégramme:
Less than a week after releasing the riders from B&B Hotels, Jérôme Pineau told them that the team's situation was still at a standstill. Barring a miracle...
Bad news, one more... After putting a cross on his women's team project on Tuesday evening, Jérôme Pineau announced to his riders that the situation of the men's team had not changed. During a videoconference that lasted two hours, the Nantes manager told them that the team would not return to the second division (the International Cycling Union's deadline for filing a file has passed) and that Barring a miracle, there would be no team at all.
Team B&B Hotels is presented before the start of the 2022 Paris-Roubaix. Sadly, it looks like the team will not be around for the start of the 2023 season. Sirotti photo
“Yes, the situation is serious”
In recent days, Jérôme Pineau, who had set up his structure from scratch in 2018, still hoped to maintain it with the status of a continental team, in other words, of the third division, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
“I never told my riders that the team was going to disappear", Jérôme Pineau confided to us, at the start of the afternoon. "Yes, the situation is serious, yes it would now take a miracle for us to continue, but I did not say it was over. I told them that at the moment, I could not offer them a racing contract but B&B Hotels has not yet lowered the curtain", clarified the Nantes manager. Clearly, the team's stop is not yet official but...
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Here's the team's news release:
Team DSM is pleased to confirm the final names to their 2023 roster with today's announcement. Mauro Brenner and Dylan Hicks are recruited to their Development program, while Enzo Leijnse continues his journey with Development Team DSM; and Becky Storrie joins the Women's program.
Brenner will wear the team's colours until at least the end of 2024, while Hicks, Leijnse and Storrie have contracts through the 2023 season with the respective programs.
Mauro Brenner (GER)
Into his second year in the junior category, Brenner has progressed season-on-season with the team that was set up by his older brother and current Team DSM rider, Marco. 2021 saw Brenner perform solidly throughout the year with his highlight moment being the victory at RiderMan Juniors. This season has seen Brenner continue his development and he started 2022 with a bang, taking wins at Schwarzbräu-Straßenpreis Juniors and Rund um Schönaich alongside four other top ten results in his first six races. More recently, he impressed by winning the sprint, points and mountain jerseys at LVM Saarland Trofeo Juniors in June, before a strong 12th on GC at GP Rüebliland Juniors in September and helping his German teammate to the world title.
Dylan Hicks (GBR)
Combining track and road racing throughout his time as a junior, Dylan Hicks is currently part of the GB Junior Academy while also riding for Backstedt Bike Performance JRT on the road. His 2021 saw Hicks race mostly on the British domestic circuit with some good performances at the Junior Tour of Yorkshire and Junior Tour of Wales. This year has seen Hicks continue his combination of track and road, claiming bronze medals in both the madison and team pursuit at the junior European championships. Taking those fast legs and punchy attributes to the road, Hicks has showed he can handle the cobbles well with second places at Willy Schroeder Memorial and Trofee van Vlaanderen Juniors, plus a brilliant win at the Junior CiCLE Classic. An unfortunate period of illness and injury blighted the rest of Hicks’ final junior season, but that has only made him more motivated as he makes the step up to the U23 ranks in 2023.
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Enzo Leijnse (NED)
Having spent three seasons with Development Team DSM, Leijnse has made steps each year with the team. 2020 saw him learn his trade from those around him, picking up an impressive seventh place at the European championships time trial as a first year U23 and he was an important cog in the team’s, team time trial win at Ronde de l’Isard. A strong engine, Leijnse’s ability to put down the power is one of his biggest strengths and he’s continued to pick up strong results against the clock with fifth in the Dutch national championships in 2021 which he followed up with third place this year. Someone that is willing to go all in for others, Leijnse is an important member of the Development program and now heading into his fourth year; will look to share that experience with the newer crop of riders.
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Becky Storrie (GBR)
Hailing from the Isle of Man, Storrie is a former triathlete who had a sporting scholarship at the University of Stirling but unfortunately, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue in 2019. On her way to recovery, she made the switch full time to cycling – taking part in her first proper road race that year. Since then, she has risen through the British domestic scene, winning the Scottish road race championships in 2021 and has combined her riding on the road with Esports too. Continuing that progression in 2022, Storrie took an impressive two stage wins, the overall title and one second place, behind her teammate, at the challenging The Peaks 2 Day national race in the United Kingdom, which she followed up with a win at the notorious Lincoln International GP in May. 2022 has also seen Storrie hone her race craft with the opportunity to race in the European peloton, where she took a promising eighth on GC at the Vuelta a Andalucia, finished 15th overall at the Women’s Tour and claimed an impressive sixth place in the Commonwealth Games time trial against some established opposition.
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