Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
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2022 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas A. Edison
Les Woodland's book Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years is available in the print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 11 - 18: Tour de Suisse
- June 14 - 18: Baloise Belgium Tour
Upcoming racing:
- June 15 - 18: Route d'Occitanie
- June 19 - 16: National Championships
- July 1 - 24: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- June 4 - 11: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 7 - 11: ZLM Tour
- June 4: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 2: Giro dell'Appennino
- May 26 - 29: Tour of Norway
- May 6 - 29: Giro d'Italia
- May 16 - 21: 4 Jours du Dunkerque
- May 21: Rund um Köln
- May 20: Veenendaal - Veenendaal Classic
- May 7: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 6: GP du Morbihan
- May 1: Eschborn-Frankfurt
It is my sad duty to report that legendary framebuilder and good friend Antonio Mondonico passed away Friday, June 9, in Como, Italy.
Like his father and grandfather, Antonio pursued the craft of hand-building steel bicycle frames. Antonio's frames were works of art that had a ride and feel that made riding them a joy. Antonio was more than a gifted artist, he was a kind and gentle man.
Here are two of the great ones at the 1991 Milan bike show. On the left is Antonio Mondonico and on the right is Faliero Masi.
Our friend Larry Theobald posted a lovely tribute here.
Here's the notice from the Italian site TuttoBiciWeb.
We have two sets of Mondonico photos. Here are old photos of his father's shop in the 1930s.
Here are pictures I took in the early 1990s of Antonio buidling frames.
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We posted the report from third-place Wout van Aert's Team Jumbo-Visma with the results.
Here's the report from winner Mattias Skjelmose's Team Trek-Segafredo:
Mattias Skjelmose’s star shone through the grey skies and wet weather as he took an impressive first WorldTour victory on the first summit finish on Tour de Suisse stage 3.
Mattias Skjelmose wins Tour of Switzerland stage three. Sirotti photo
The young Dane proved just what great shape he is on the slopes of the final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon dropping all of his General Classification to take a solo victory.
How it happened:
Trek-Segafredo started the day with one clear goal: setting Skjelmose up for the final climb.
And… they absolutely delivered!
The Team rallied around Skjelmose all day, keeping him well-protected in the bunch right from the start of the stage and making sure that before the descent of the first climb, he was in the right position, ready for the final showdown.
Skjelmose reacted quickly, and with what looked like relative ease, after an attack from the Rainbow Jersey, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick-Step) with the pair also joined by Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën Team) going into the final five kilometers.
A move from Gall saw the World Champion put under pressure but Skjelmose’s grit and determination (not mention talent!) saw him push on to catch the leader before eventually making his own impressive attack to ride into the home stretch solo and punch the air with delight as he crossed the line.
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Here's the Swiss Tour report from third-place Juan Ayuso's UAE Team Emirates:
Juan Ayuso put in a gutsy display to take third place on stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse which continued in Switzerland today from Tafers to Villars-sur-Ollon (143.8km).
Juan Ayuso finishes the third stge. Sirotti photo
The 20 year old judged his effort well to take back time after the initial attack by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) send alarm bells in the reduced group.
Ayuso fought back to catch and drop Evenepoel, finishing 12 seconds down on the fast finishing Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo).
Ayuso now sits third overall behind new race leader Skjelmose.
Ayuso: “I suffered at the beginning of the final climb but I started getting into a good rhythm as the climb went on. I think if the climb had been a bit longer it would have been even better as I was feeling stronger as each kilometre went by. We have to be happy with the result though because we’re still in the fight for the GC which is the main goal.”
Tomorrow the Tour de Suisse continues with Stage 4 from Monthey to Leukerbad (152.5km).
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The team sent me this:
In 2014, the team of Ralph Denk competed in the world's biggest cycling race for the first time. Unforgettable moments, drama and several successes were among the countless stories that have since been written by the riders. Ten years of the Tour de France is a reason to celebrate. And BORA - hansgrohe is celebrating with a special jersey design for the 2023 Tour de France, designed to shine the spotlight on the riders who made history with Ralph Denk.
The special 2023 TDF jersey
"Time goes by incredibly fast and this year we are competing in the Tour de France for the tenth time. But the stories we have written over the years remain unforgettable. Taking seventh overall with Leo König in our first appearance. The first stage win with Peter Sagan in 2017, followed shortly by the low point, Peter's disqualification. Two green jerseys. Fourth place overall with Emanuel Buchmann in 2019. The list is long and the memories are incredibly beautiful. Through this jersey, I would like to thank all the riders who wrote these stories with us. Without them, none of this would have been possible. But my thanks also go to ASO. They gave us a wildcard three times in a row as a second division team and thereby contributed significantly to our development. Just like our loyal sponsors who have accompanied us along the way. I definitely hope that we can continue to create special moments at the world's biggest cycling race this year, and in the future, and that we inspire fans with our passion." - Ralph Denk, Team Manager
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