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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, December 7, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put. - Winston Churchill

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2021: The Little Cannibal Dominates is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

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

• Nov 5: European Cyclocross Championships
• Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
• Oct 28: Superprestige Ruddervoorde
• Oct 22: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaanse Druivencross
• Oct 12 - 17: Tour of Guangxi
• Oct 15: Japan Cup
• Oct 15: Veneto Classic

Here’s the team’s announcement:

Israel – Premier Tech is pleased to welcome three new additions to the management and performance teams with Tim Elverson appointed as Manager of Israel – Premier Tech Academy, and Daryl Impey and Patrick McCarty taking on sports director roles at IPT.

New sports director Daryl Impey after winning stage four of the 2022 Tour of Switzerland. Sirotti photo

Kjell Carlström, IPT’s General Manager, praised the new arrivals, saying: “We are excited to welcome Tim Elverson, Patrick McCarty, and Daryl Impey to our management and performance teams. All three bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the team and will be instrumental in the development of our young riders and achieving our performance goals in 2024.”

Having been the man behind Britain’s leading UCI Continental Team for four years running, Elverson will bring his expertise to the IPT Academy in 2024.

The 50-year-old has been appointed as the team’s new manager, a role to which he will bring his knowledge of developing emerging talent and a proven race-winning acumen.

Elverson was previously the manager and owner of the WiV – SunGod team, and successfully managed to help numerous riders move up to UCI WorldTeam and ProTeam squads during their existence.

The synergies between Elverson’s former role and his new position are clear. Three young riders from the Israel Cycling Academy – Oded Kogut, Riley Pickrell, and Nadav Raisberg – will progress to IPT for 2024, a year after another trio (Marco Frigo, Mason Hollyman, and Derek Gee) also made the step up.

“I’m looking forward to working with the riders, helping them to be the best they can be, and ultimately seeing if they can continue that line of progression into IPT’s ranks,” Elverson says. “Having that direct pathway gives both me and the riders a clear goal to work towards, which makes this opportunity really exciting.

“I’ll be linked closely with the professional team, so there will always be a two-way dialogue about the riders and seeing how we can work together. I’ll run the team in a similar way to the pro team, so those who go on to make the next step are already used to the expectations and the standards required.”

Impey, 39, called time on his career in September, having been a trailblazer during 16 much-respected years in the peloton. He became the first African rider to wear the maillot jaune at the Tour de France in 2013, before winning a stage in the sport’s biggest race six years later. Impey joined IPT in 2021 and went on to win a stage of the Tour de Suisse the following season. Given his knowledge of racing and tactical IQ gained over years of being both a team leader and road captain, Impey making the transition to a sports director role was a no-brainer for both him and IPT.

“I’m glad the team has given me the opportunity to pass on my knowledge and experience,” he says. “After 16 years in the peloton, it’s nice to be able to put something back into the sport.

“I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer and it’s nice to be on the other side of the fence. I know I’ll enjoy doing this role. I’m going to be going to races I really enjoy going to, the first of those being the Tour Down Under, a race I have good memories of winning twice. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running there.”

Texas-born McCarty raced as a professional between 2004 and 2013, before moving into a sports director role for the last 10 years. McCarty is looking forward to continuing his development and contributing to the team’s objectives in 2024.

McCarty, 41, says: “I am excited and motivated to be joining Israel – Premier Tech for the 2024 season. After over 20 years in the sport as a professional rider and director, I am happy to join a growing, talented, and passionate organization that has big goals and high expectations laid out for the future. This will be a refreshing challenge for me and an opportunity to hone my skills and, I hope, give everything I can to achieve a successful season.”

Israel – Premier Tech Sports Directors: René Andrle (CZE), Steve Bauer (CAN), Sam Bewley (NZL), Oscar Guerrero Celaya (ESP), Daryl Impey (RSA), René Mandri (EST), Pat McCarty (USA), Dror Pekatch (ISR), Sep Vanmarcke (BEL), Rik Verbrugghe (BEL).

IPT Academy Sports Directors: Tim Elverson (GBR), Ruben Plaza Molina (ESP).

The team posted this:

Today, UAE Team Emirates’ CEO and Team Principal, Mauro Gianetti, was invited to present at COP28 and used the platform to announce the team’s ambitious goal of reaching net-zero by 2030.

The announcement, which underscored the team’s dedication to leading the way in sustainable sports and contributing to a more environmentally conscious future, also highlighted its position as the first Professional Cycling Team to achieve Carbon Neutrality, an accomplishment achieved at the end of the 2023 season.

UAE Team Emirates before the start of 2023 Giro d'Italia stage 8. Sirotti photo

Gianetti, who was speaking on a panel at the FAB Pavilion said: “Since day one, our team’s mission has been about more than just winning bike races; we were created to become a vehicle for change. Along with the support from our partners, we have committed to driving positive social impact.

We’ve already realised this through a number of health and wellness initiatives that encourage, enable and advocate for cycling and now we will extend our remit by supporting the nation’s decarbonisation ambitions and implementing a comprehensive sustainability program aimed at achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by the end of 2030.”

The goal of UAE Team Emirates, to achieve net-zero, will see it reduce its greenhouse gas emissions year on year in an effort to help curb global climate change. The strategic plan involves a drastic reduction of CO2 across its entire value chain.

By integrating eco-friendly practices into its operations, such as optimising travel logistics, minimising waste, and adopting new energy efficient technologies, the organisation has committed to mitigating its environmental impact as well as actively engage in community initiatives promoting environmental awareness among fans of the team and sport.

The team has also appointed a Sustainability Manager, Valerio Accardo, to guide the project from inside the team and to oversee compliance with the targets set.

Valerio Accardo (Sustainability Manager): “In addition to the team’s long-term ambitions, we also commissioned a third-party audit to better understand our current carbon footprint. Adopting the Financial Control Approach, the team was able to calculate both its Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the entire 2022 season, which totalled 224,980 CO2 TON.

"Since identifying its annual carbon footprint, the team has taken steps to retrospectively mitigate these emissions by investing in a series of carbon neutral activations, partnerships and programs that are helping to avoid, reduce or remove GHGs from our atmosphere. Five international projects are underway, enabling UAE Team Emirates to obtain certification as a Carbon Neutral Company.”

Bike maker Wilier Triestana posted this announcement:

Introducing a new World Tour partnership: Wilier Triestina is the new Official Partner of Groupama – FDJ Cycling Team.

Andrea Gastaldello, Executive Chairman of Wilier Triestina, together with his brothers and shareholders Enrico and Michele, announces the finalisation of a technical sponsorship agreement between the Rossano Veneto-based company and the French Groupama – FDJ Cycling Team.

David Gaudu with a Lapierre bike at the 2023 Tour de France teams presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo

“We are delighted to announce the start of a new era for Wilier Triestina. As from 1 January 2024, Groupama – FDJ Cycling Team will be racing on our bikes as part of a new multi-year technical sponsorship agreement. This marks an important new beginning, which comes in the wake of our other World Tour commitment with Astana Qazaqstan since 2020.

"Needless to say, in addition to being a source of great satisfaction and pride, we are fully aware of the technical, logistical and financial commitment that this dual World Tour sponsorship will require. However, our company structure has grown and will surely be able to meet all the challenges that this choice is going to entail right from the start.

"We would like to point out that the main reason for this investment is the belief that a full immersion into the highest levels of cycling will allow us to boost our technical expertise yet further. This is a decisive step towards implementing the decision taken in 2020 to raise the bar in the racing field alongside professionals of the highest levels.  And, in fact, the bar keeps rising, season after season, for the athletes of our teams and for all those who choose our brand to practice their passion for cycling.

"With its promising young cyclists and established names, the team's sporting projects have been extremely exciting to us right from the start, reflecting the vision we seek in collaborations of this kind: an international project that invests in young talents to accompany them, in time, from youth categories to the highest levels. 

The Wilier 0 SLR bike ridden by Astana. Wilier photo.

"The organisation and the staff also deserve a mention. This is a company of more than 100 people, many young and all highly qualified, boasting an in-house R&D department worthy of major technology companies and driven by an unswerving passion for cycling. Last but not least, the understanding with Marc Madiot was extraordinary right from the start.”

Marc Madiot, General Manager Groupama - FDJ Cycling Team: “I am delighted and honoured to announce today that Wilier Triestina has joined the Groupama-FDJ cycling Team family as an Official Partner. This is the start of a great adventure with a renowned Italian company that has left its mark on the History of cycling. Their enthusiasm and the quality of their technical and engineering teams immediately echoed the standards and attention we pay every day to the quest for the highest performance. The spirit of all our technical partnerships is to develop together and use our respective expertise to move up the range, and that's what appealed to us about Wilier Triestina's approach. Together, we're going to write a new page in the History of Groupama-FDJ cycling Team and showcase these new machines on the road from the very first day of the 2024 season”. 

In terms of materials, the team athletes will be riding on a Filante SLR with a special, dedicated livery. The time trial bike will be the Turbine SLR. Next stop, 1st of January, when we will be raising the curtain on the new liveries for the Groupama – FDJ Cycling Team. Let the new season begin!

ABOUT GROUPAMA – FDJ CYCLING TEAM
At the beginning of the 1997’s season, thanks to the freshly retired cyclists Marc and Yvon Madiot’s passion, the Équipe cycliste Française des Jeux was born. The year 2018 was a turning point in the team’s history with the arrival of Groupama as new title sponsor. The association of these two major actors of French sports gave birth to the Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ. Increased resources and increased ambitions for the formation who also retains its strong family values and spirit. In 26 years, the formation won more than 500 victories in which 14 French national champion jerseys, 3 Monuments of cycling and 38 Grand Tour stages.

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