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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia

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Story of the Giro d'Italia, volume 1

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 1: 1909 - 1970 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

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The teams preview Wednesday's Dwars Door Vlaanderen race

Here's the update from Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:

The record for most victories in Dwars door Vlaanderen is shared by 13 riders, one of whom is our very own Yves Lampaert. The Belgian was triumphant in 2017 and 2018, writing history as the only rider to take back-to-back wins, each time with a cunning attack in the closing kilometers that caught his opponents off-guard.

Yves Lampaert wins in 2018. Sirotti photo

The 30-year-old, who put in a solid display last Sunday at Gent-Wevelgem, will be at the start of the 74th edition, the last race before Ronde van Vlaanderen, which takes place between Roeselare and Waregem, over a 183.7km course different from what the riders had been used to in recent years.

Dwars door Vlaanderen will also mark the comeback of one of the team’s key players, Tim Declercq. “El Tractor” is ready to make his long-awaited return with the Wolfpack, more than a month since his last appearance at the Volta ao Algarve, where health issues forced him to abandon the race.

Fabio Jakobsen – a winner of six races this year, including Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne – Stijn Steels, Jannik Steimle, Zdenek Stybar and Bert Van Lerberghe will complete the team for Dwars door Vlaanderen, which will feature a total of 13 hills, including the Knokteberg-Trieu, Hotond, Berg Ten Houte and Kanarieberg.

“The course has completely changed, and it will be a hectic one, with a lot of climbing and narrow roads. We could still have a big group going to the finish line, but we are also sure that attacks will happen. We are happy to have Tim back after his illness, he trained hard and we can’t wait to see him in the race again. Also Yves is on an upward trajectory, he showed that last Sunday, so overall we are confident we can do a good race”, said Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sports director Tom Steels.

Team Jumbo-Visma posted this preview:

With Wednesday morning's start at Dwars door Vlaanderen, riders are halfway through Belgium's ten-day, holy week of cycling. This year's race has a lot of new things in store.

After the E3 Saxo Bank Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, the next race is on the schedule of both Team Jumbo-Visma World Tour teams. The semi-classic starts in Roeselare. It includes thirteen hills and traditionally finishes in Waregem. For this edition, the course was thoroughly redrawn. The women will face 10 climbs and 5 cobbled sections in 120 kilometres. For the men, 180 kilometres is on the programme with the same 5 cobbled sections and 13 slopes.

Famous hills like Kluisberg and Taaienberg were removed and the riders will not be tackling the Stationsberg cobblestones either. Instead, they will be presented with lesser-known slopes such as Zeelstraat, Stooktestraat and Ladeuze. However, tough climbs such as the Nieuwe Kwaremont, Knokteberg-Trieu, Hotond, Kanarieberg and Kortekeer return as usual. The number of cobbled sections has also been increased, from three to five, and many of these sections are in the final.

Tiesj Benoot (shown racing earlier this year at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad) is scheduled to start Dwars Door Vlaanderen.

Men’s edition:
Besides Tiesj Benoot, David Dekker, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Timo Roosen, Olav Kooij and Mike Teunissen, Mick van Dijke will also be at the start. He made the switch from the Development team in September last year. "For me, this obviously is a level higher", Van Dijke says. "There are outstanding riders at the start. With Benoot and Teunissen, we hope to play a big role in the final. They have done very well in the past classics and we will fully support them in getting the maximum result. I hope I can make it to the final. There are lesser-known hills in this year's race. Slopes that I haven't ridden yet, but I have researched how steep and long they are. My season has gone well so far. In the Friesland Elfsteden Race I was able to sprint for victory and in Drenthe I was in the final. I am confident and I am proud to be part of this team."

Women’s edition:
"We are also looking forward to this race", adds Lieselot Decroix, race coach at Team Jumbo-Visma Women. "With Teuntje Beekhuis, Karlijn Swinkels, Anouska Koster, Linda Riedmann, Aafke Soet and Noemi Ruegg, we are going to this race with a different team than in Gent-Wevelgem or the Tour of Flanders. That also means fewer set roles this time, but everyone can go for their chance. With 120 kilometres, it's a short but tough race with lots of altimetres, vicious climbs and a cobblestone strip at the end. It's an ideal race for our young riders to develop themselves further. We will leave for the race without pressure but with the desire to perform well."
The women's start is Wednesday at 11:30 am, the men's start is at 12:45 pm. From 2:30 p.m. the race can be seen live at Sporza op Eén.

On Saturday, April 2, the Volta Limburg Classic will be held. Koen Bouwman, David Dekker, Tom Dumoulin, Loe Van Belle, Lars Boven, Archie Ryan and Rick Pluimers will ride this race on behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma. This race on Limburg roads starts at noon and is 195 kilometres long.

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Here's the update from Team Lotto Soudal:

Four days before the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Lotto Soudal will take on the 76th edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen. Although the one-day WorldTour event is 90 kilometres shorter than the Ronde, with thirteen hills and five cobbled sections in the Flemish Ardennes, the renewed course includes enough difficulties to make for an exciting race.

Lotto Soudal rider Victor Campenaerts has made Dwars door Vlaanderen one of his goals for the spring season and will be at the start in Roeselare with a healthy portion of ambition.

Victor Campanaerts after winning stage 15 of the 2021 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo

“It is no secret that I have marked Dwars door Vlaanderen red in my spring schedule for a long time now”, says Victor Campenaerts. “I did a recon of the course for like five times, but it’s not that special since I live nearby. Of course I really want to win Dwars door Vlaanderen. And I am convinced that I can do it. Being at the start without any ambition would be a pity. But I have to be realistic as well, normally I won’t be riding away from riders like Tadej Pogačar en Mathieu Van der Poel. That is why we need to ride tactically and that way turn the race to our favour. Also the presence of Tim Wellens could be an extra asset for us.”

“At Gent-Wevelgem, we already rode an offensive race but we lacked a good result in the end. It did give me the necessary confidence for Dwars door Vlaanderen however, a race which is 70 kilometres shorter.”

This week it was decided in consultation with the team, that Tim Wellens would add Dwars door Vlaanderen to his race schedule. After his DNS at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the 30-year-old Belgian is looking forward to racing the Flemish hills and cobblestones.

“During Tirreno-Adriatico I never felt great, actually. I felt a bit sick and that is why I decided to leave the race during the penultimate stage. It turned out to be the right choice because the days after Tirreno the illness didn’t get worse”, explains Tim Wellens. “But I had to recover for quite some time and I couldn’t train for a while. After a week of rest, I resumed training and opted for a stay in Maastricht to do a recon of the Walloon Classics and of course the Amstel Gold Race. I felt better day by day and that is why I proposed the team to take advantage of that good feeling, so I will be at the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.”

“Training and racing is still something else, so we need to wait and see how it’ll go. But I hope to play a role in the finale. During the spring Classics, I saw a strong Lotto Soudal team. Youngster Arnaud De Lie is in a good flow and Victor Campenaerts has made Dwars door Vlaanderen his goal for quite some time. That is only good for us, the more assets we have, the bigger the chance of a top result in Waregem.”

Line-up Lotto Soudal Dwars door Vlaanderen: Cedric Beullens, Victor Campenaerts, Arnaud De Lie, Frederik Frison, Brent Van Moer, Florian Vermeersch and Tim Wellens.


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UAE Team Emirates posted this:

UAE Team Emirates will continue their northern classics campaign beginning with Dwars door Vlaanderen (30 March) before taking on the second monument of the year the Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour of Flanders (3 April).

The team will be overseen by Sports Directors Fabio Baldato (Ita), Aart Vierhouten (Ned) and Marco Marcato (Ita).

The experienced campaigner Matteo Trentin will serve as road captain for an exciting squad which includes Tadej Pogačar who comes into the classics group for the first time this year.

Tadej Pogacar's winning attack at this year's Strade Bianche race. Sirotti photo

Tadej Pogačar: “I’ve really been looking forward to coming to Flanders.
The history and passion for cycling in Belgium is unique and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

"What do I expect?

"The shape is good and hopefully we can be near the front, but I’m under no illusions about the cobbles: I know this is a different kind of racing than normal.But I’ll try to soak it all in and enjoy as much as possible.

"My teammate Matteo Trentin knows these classic races as well as anyone, so we’ll look to his experience in the team for sure.It’s a bit of a step into the unknown but one I’m very excited for.”

Matteo Trentin: “I’m still coming back to top shape after the crash but I’m optimistic for Flanders. I know the race well and that counts for a lot in the classics.

"I think Tadej can also perform well here, it’s a different style of racing but he can adapt well. It’s a pleasure to ride with him and I have no doubt he’ll be strong. I believe we have a group that’s capable of doing good things. Hopefully we can get as many of our guys as possible deep into the final, then anything is possible.”

Dwars door Vlaanderen – A travers la Flandre [1.UWT] – 30-Mar-2022
Alexys Brunel (Fra)
Mikkel Bjerg (Dan)
Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor)
Rui Oliveira (Por)
Matteo Trentin (Ita)
Oliviero Troia (Ita)

Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres [1.UWT] – 03-Apr-2022
Mikkel Bjerg (Dan)
Alexys Brunel (Fra)
Matteo Trentin (Ita)
Rui Oliveira (Por)
Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor)
Oliviero Troia (Ita)


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Industry Patent Watch: Tektro pursues electronic shifting

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:

By Alan Coté

Recently published U.S. patent applications show that Tektro – a brand known mainly for its brakes – has been working on electronic derailleurs and shifters. The Taiwan-based company has submitted over 65 U.S. patent applications in the last 10 years, and at least two dozen of the most recent filings relate to derailleurs and shifting. Could Tektro be poised to offer a major new drivetrain?

Tektro has several patent applications and recently issued patents with descriptions and claims of mechanical rear derailleurs, as well as cable-type shift levers  – though the latter are seemingly for flat bars only, not drop bars. No filings from Tektro were found relating to cable-actuated front derailleurs — either because they aren’t yet published, or because the company is embracing 1x setups for mechanical shifting.

Other patent applications suggest the company has been working on much more than cable-style shifting. Legal documents describe what appears to be a complete array of electronic shifting technology, including front and rear derailleurs with integrated batteries, shift levers with wireless transmitters, as well as related electronic control systems. Tektro’s earliest patent application that concerns electronic shifting was filed back in March 2015 – meaning the company has been working on the technology for some time now. But there’s been a blizzard of recent activity, including 13 applications published already in 2022, compared to 8 total in 2021 (patent applications typically publish 18 months after they’re filed). Eight of the applications published in 2022 relate to electronic shifting, with the remaining four pertaining to brake technology.

I’ve combed through the company’s patent documents to give a snapshot of some of the intellectual property the company is looking to protect related to electronic shifting. Please keep in mind that patent drawings simply need to support the description and claims in a patent application, and may bear little resemblance to what a finished product looks like. Tektro’s U.S. office declined to comment on the company’s patent filings, as is common practice across the industry.

You can read the entire story here.

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