Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
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2022 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. - Samuel Johnson
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2019: A Year of New Faces is available in both Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- January - June 26: National Championships
Upcoming racing:
- July 1 - 24: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- June 11 - 18: Tour de Suisse
- June 14 - 18: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 15 - 18: Route d'Occitanie
- 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
Uno-X sent me this news:
The team for the Tour de France 2023 has been announced. First things first – there is still 10 days until the circus starts. Much can still happen in terms of illness and injuries. But for now, this is our lineup:
Tour de France 2023
- Alexander Kristoff (NOR)
- Jonas Gregaard W. (DEN)
- Rasmus F. Tiller (NOR)
- Tobias H. Johannessen (NOR)
- Torstein Træen (NOR)
- Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR)
- Anthon Charmig (DEN)
- Søren Wærenskjold (NOR)
Reserves
- Anders H. Johannessen (NOR)
- Erik N. Resell (NOR)
- Martin Urianstad Bugge (NOR)
This team will travel to Bilbao with the goal of representing Norwegian and Danish cycling in an offensive, wholehearted, and very positive way. Uno-X will chase stage victories. That is our big dream for 2023. The team is primarily divided into two groups. We have a "classics group" that will ensure good opportunities for Alex on pure sprint days, while also having strong breakaway riders in this group. The same goes for the mountains, especially with Torstein and Tobias. Gregaard and Charmig also bring an X-factor that can pay off on breakaway stages.
Alexander Kristoff before the start of stage four of the 2022 Tour de France. He will be there again this year riding for Uno-X. Sirotti photo
Was it easy? Not at all. It was very tight for the final spots. Abra has earned his place through impressive performances in May/June. His 9th place on Saturday in the Belgium Tour and his role in the lead-out for Alex may have been decisive. Resell has had a very, very solid season. He is extremely loyal and a fantastic support rider in the classics group. The exact same thing can be said for Bugge.
Charmig didn't have an exceptionally strong Critérium du Dauphiné. But he wasn't supposed to. The training and plan have been focused on the Tour de France, not the Dauphiné. At the same time, Anders H. Johannessen is on the rise. He performed well in the Tour of Norway and the Dauphiné. But the season has also been demanding for him. The training foundation one has to "live with" in the Tour de France over three weeks is something special.
For Uno-X, it would have been disappointing if there wasn't competition for the team spots. Some will be disappointed, some may be a little surprised to be seen, and some will be happy. We wanted to avoid an element of "guarantees" regarding who would go to the Tour de France, while also knowing that the quality of development work increases if some of the riders have security and predictability. Therefore, we had to find a balance.
In such processes, not everyone agrees. There are many tough discussions. But there is a leadership team that is proud of the group. Proud of those going to the Tour and proud of the overall development we have in the team. We have no plans to look back.
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The team sent me this:
Ben Healy is one of the most exciting cyclists of his generation. A breakaway artist, known for his long-range solo attacks, he won the hearts of cycling fans around the world with his gritty, courageous riding during the Ardennes classics. Then he went and won a stage at the Giro d'Italia with a 50-km solo attack and backed it up with a courageous ride to second place on stage 15. A few weeks after finishing his debut grand tour, Ben has affirmed that he is going to keep lighting up races for EF Education-EasyPost. Ben has signed a new multi-year contract with our squad. He was determined to stay with the team where he started his career and is free to rip up bike-racing scripts.
“I am super happy to announce that I have signed a new contract with the team and that I am going to be continuing to race in pink,” Ben says.
Ben Healy wins 2023 Giro d'Italia stage eight. EF Procycling photo
Ben is a genuine student of the sport who never wants to just stick to the status quo. His first love was mountain biking, so he has always raced beyond road cycling’s codes. Ben is always thinking: How can he get faster? How can he be even more aero? How can he outwit his rivals? He is constantly coming up with brave, creative ideas that will push our organization forwards, especially as he takes on more of a leadership role with his teammates, who respect his talent and his heart.
“This team is just a nice environment to be in," Ben says. "It gives me a lot of opportunities to race the way that I want to race. It is just a happy team to be a part of.”
EF Education-EasyPost CEO Jonathan Vaughters is excited to keep working with Ben.
“We’re very proud that Ben will stay with us and we can continue the journey together,” Vaughters says. “It’s always extra special when a talent that comes to you in the beginning of their pro career achieves something special and that you’re able to keep him on the team. He’s a truly nice person. He lends a helping hand in so many ways. I loved watching him do that feed at Roubaix. He’s a genuine, kind soul who’s a killer in the races but a selfless person in his day-to-day life.”
Ben is a racer born and bred. That’s why we love having him on our team.
Let’s go rip up some more bike-racing scripts, Ben!
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The team sent me this schedule:
National Championships
Czech Republic: Pavel Bittner (TT & RR), Milan Kadlec (TT & RR), Adam Seeman (TT & RR)
France: Léa Curinier (TT & RR), Juliette Labous (RR), Eglantine Rayer (RR)
Germany: Marco Brenner (TT & RR), John Degenkolb (RR), Leon Heinschke (RR), Niklas Märkl (RR), Florian Stork (RR), Franziska Koch (TT & RR), Mauro Brenner (TT & RR), Moritz Kärsten (TT & RR)
Great Britain: Sean Flynn (RR), Pfeiffer Georgi (TT & RR), Dylan Hicks (TT & RR)
Italy: Alberto Dainese (RR), Lorenzo Milesi (TT & RR), Francesca Barale (RR), Eleonora Ciabocco (RR), Lorenzo Ursella (RR)
Netherlands: Nils Eekhoff (RR), Tim Naberman (RR), Daniek Hengeveld (TT & RR), Esmée Peperkamp (TT & RR), Elise Uijen (TT & RR), Anna van der Meiden (TT & RR), Nienke Vinke (RR), Joost Brinkman (RR), Enzo Leijnse (TT & RR), Max van der Meulen (RR)
Norway: Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (RR), Andreas Leknessund (TT & RR)
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Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:
Waterford Precision Cycles is planning a farewell ride next weekend and will be auctioning production equipment and other tools online starting June 24.
The company, founded by Richard Schwinn and Marc Muller more than 30 years ago, announced last month that it would shut down; Schwinn plans to retire this year. Schwinn told BRAIN that the company has already sold its building.
"It's been 30 years since Waterford took over Schwinn's Paramount facility," Schwinn said in an email to customers last month. "In these three decades we have built and nurtured relationships with thousands of fine bike dealers and tens of thousands of cycling enthusiasts. We can proudly say that we've spent the past three decades building the world's finest bicycles."
The rides will start at the factory at 8:45 Saturday June 24. There will be several planned rides of varying distances and an open house with brats from noon to 2 p.m. More information and registration: waterfordbikes.com/fv/factory-ride.
You can read the entire story here.
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