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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, December 18, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. - Victor Hugo

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

• 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:

• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross
• 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

We posted the UCI’s Women’s Namur report with the results.

Here’s the UCI’s report:

The 8th round of the Men's Elite Cyclocross World Cup in Namur brought not only the usual spectacle but also the much-discussed debut of Tom Pidcock. With eager anticipation, all eyes were on how the British rider would make his mark on this prestigious race.

Tom Pidcock is first across the line. UCI photo

Start: Kevin Kuhn and Gerben Kuypers led the pack into the field, with Kuypers taking the lead in the first lap. Attention was on Pidcock, who maneuvered himself to the 6th position midway through the round. Joris Nieuwenhuis seized the lead at the end of lap 1, while leader Kuypers faced chain problems.

Leading Group: Nieuwenhuis pushed hard on the first climb, while Lars van der Haar and Cameron Mason missed their start. Pidcock joined the leaders, forming a leading group of four, later expanded to five with the arrival of Iserbyt. However, bike issues set Pidcock back on the off-camber section.

Changes at the Top: In the third lap, Baloise Trek Lions Nieuwenhuis and Ronhaar broke away, with Iserbyt chasing and Pidcock as the first pursuer after Iserbyt's fall. An impressive off-camber section brought Pidcock closer to the leaders, resulting in a provisional top 3 of Ronhaar, Nieuwenhuis, and Pidcock.

Final Stretch: Ronhaar separated from his teammate Nieuwenhuis in the closing stages, while Pidcock almost caught up. Ronhaar maintained his lead, and Pidcock moved up to the second position. Approaching the off-camber section, Pidcock pressured Nieuwenhuis, but the Dutch rider resisted strongly.

Thrilling Finish: Pidcock reduced his gap to 6 seconds at the start of the fifth lap. Ronhaar kept his lead, while Pidcock impressed during the descent. Iserbyt moved up to fourth place in an exciting battle.

Pidcock's Triumph: Pidcock took the lead for the first time in the seventh lap and steadily built his advantage. Despite a rear puncture, Pidcock remained flawless, securing the victory after an impressive duel with Pim Ronhaar. Joris Nieuwenhuis secured a commendable third place.

The 8th round in Namur will be remembered as a breathtaking battle among some of the best cyclocross riders, with Tom Pidcock making a notable entrance and immediately leaving his mark on the global cyclocross stage.

Complete results are here.

Here’s the team’s post:

Astana Qazaqstan Team is proudly presenting its new 2024 cycling kit by the famous Italian brand Biemme.

From January 1st, 2024, the riders of Astana Qazaqstan Team will be wearing the new Biemme kit, those graphics combines the classic and very familiar colors of the project and already loved by fans pattern similar to the veins of mineral stones, comes from the color affinity with the blue of the sky and the gold of the sun, as well as with elements of the flag of Kazakhstan.

Mark Cavendish models the 2024 jersey. Photo: Sprint Cycling

“In the new season Astana Qazaqstan will be wearing Biemme and this is a cool news for us as we are really happy with this partnership. Biemme is a well-known Italian brand with a long history in cycling and together with them we elaborated a very nice design of the jersey for the upcoming season. It looks classic but at the same time fresh. Our riders already love it, and we hope our fans will like it as well. Fresh jersey for the riders and fresh start for the team. For me personally it is a special moment as my first win I got in Biemme jersey. So, I hope, this new jersey will bring a lot of victories to our team”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team.

The team sent me this:

Five Australians, one Brit and one New Zealander will make up Team Jayco AlUla’s stellar team line-up for the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under, with two new faces in the shape of Caleb Ewan and Luke Plapp ready to make their appearance for the team.

2020 Tour Down Under stage four: Caleb Ewan does what he does best, go fast. Sirotti photo

As a nine-time Santos Tour Down Under stage winner and 11-time Grand Tour stage winner, Ewan is thrilled to be heading back to his ‘home’ race with the Australian outfit full of intentions of taking his stage win tally at the event into double figures.

Alongside Ewan, set to make a grand entrance in Team Jayco AlUla colours in January will be back-to-back Australian champion Luke Plapp, regarded as one of the hottest young talents in the WorldTour peloton.

After claiming victory on the final stage of this year’s edition and concluding in second place overall, 2018 La Vuelta a España champion Simon Yates will be back for more, with local Adelaide rider Chris Harper, his trusted domestique, lining up alongside him.

Olympic track medallists Michael Hepburn, Kelland O’Brien and Campbell Stewart provide the team with raw horsepower, creating a well-balanced line-up that has all eyes on winning.

Team Jayco AlUla line-up 2024 Santos Tour Down Under:
Caleb Ewan (AUS)
Chris Harper (AUS)
Michael Hepburn (AUS)
Kelland O’Brien (AUS)
Luke Plapp (AUS)
Campbell Stewart (NZL)
Simon Yates (GBR)

Luke Plapp:
“As an Australian the Santos Tour Down Under is such an important and special race. Racing for Team Jayco AlUla, the race is even more important as it is an Australian team, I am so motivated and excited for the race, we really want to win and start the season off on a high.

"For me personally, I want to perform at my best, it will be my first UCI WorldTour race with Team Jayco AlUla, so I want to work well with my teammates. We have an incredibly strong team with Simon Yates, so we are aiming for stage wins with Caleb Ewan, and a strong overall result.”

Mat Hayman – Sport Director:
“As always, we are very motivated to return to the Santos Tour Down Under, it is one of the most important races on the calendar for us as a team and for 2024, we are lining up with a very strong group and the riders we have can really tackle each stage.

"Having Plapp and Ewan join us will be a huge boost and with Yates returning after he enjoyed a stage win and second place finish overall in this year’s edition, we are coming in with high ambitions to win. It’s a dynamic course and we want to put on a great show for the Australian fans who only get to see us race once a year in January. Hopefully 2024 will be a memorable one.”

Stuart O’Grady OAM – Santos Tour Down Under Race Director:
“Team Jayco AlUla always come to the Santos Tour Down Under with high expectations and this line-up shows it is a key contender for another big overall result at its ‘home’ race. The likes of Plapp, Ewan and Yates will be ones to watch in what is always a fierce battle amongst the other 19 teams at the Santos Tour Down Under for stage wins and the Ochre Jersey.”

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