Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. - Dalai Lama
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Upcoming racing:
- Oct 28: Superprestige Ruddervoorde
Latest completed racing:
- Oct 22: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaanse Druivencross
- Oct 12 - 17: Tour of Guangxi
- Oct 15: Japan Cup
- Oct 15: Chrono des Nations
- Oct 15: Veneto Classic
- Oct 11: Giro del Veneto
- Oct 8: Paris-Tours
- Oct 7: Il Lombardia
- Oct 5: Paris-Gien-Bourges
Here’s the team’s news release:
Geraint Thomas, the popular 2018 Tour de France champion and senior INEOS Grenadier, has agreed a two-year contract extension with the team, to the end of the 2025 season.
The new deal will see Thomas’ time at the team span an incredible 16 years, cementing his status as one of cycling’s most respected riders and an icon of British sport.
Geraint Thomas finishes stage 20 of the 2018 Tour de France knowing he's won the Tour. Sirotti photo
Thomas impressed earlier this year in Italy where, despite a disrupted build-up due to injury, he narrowly missed a maiden victory at the Giro d’Italia. He also led the Grenadiers at La Vuelta in September where he suffered several early crashes but still fought all the way to Madrid to complete his second Grand Tour of 2023.
“I am really delighted to extend my time as an INEOS Grenadier. I still just love riding my bike – racing and training with the boys – every single aspect of it,” Thomas said.
“Although you ‘never say never’, in my head this is my last contract - but I know that I still have two more big years in me. And I wouldn’t have continued in a different team.
“This team understands me and, importantly, knows what it takes to achieve success. I have childhood mates here - Luke and Swifty as riders and Stannard now in management, and I’ve known Rod since 2003. This really does feel like home.
“We’re an ambitious group and have some big goals ahead. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in again and want to help the team continue to progress.”
Thomas, who has finished on every step of the podium at the Tour de France, is one of the most experienced riders in the professional peloton. During the course of his career, he has demonstrated his incredible versatility and is a key leader in the Grenadiers.
“I want to continue to be highly competitive in anything really; maybe look at going to the Classics again or ride GC in Grand Tours or help whoever is going to be the next guy coming through, but I just want to have a positive impact on the team.
“I’m at that stage where I’m still hungry to perform but at the same time, I am happy to help the team. I want to try and help us push forward to get back to the very top of the sport.”
The Welshman’s hugely impressive road-racing palmares includes victories at Paris-Nice, Criterium du Dauphine, Tour de Suisse, E3 Harelbeke, Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta, Bayern-Rundfahrt and Commonwealth Games gold.
He is also a double Olympic champion on the track, having won gold medals at the Beijing and London Games.
“The support throughout my career has been amazing, not only from the fans back home but also from America, Australia and all over Europe. That atmosphere on the road is incredible, it’s a huge part of why I love the sport.
“It’s just been an amazing career so far and hopefully it can continue in that way,” said Thomas.
Rod Ellingworth, Deputy Team Principal, said: “We’re thrilled that Geraint’s decided to ride on for another two years as a Grenadier. ‘G’ is such an integral part of our team’s set-up and rider culture. Not only has he won some of the biggest races in the world, but he’s also shown he’s a true champion off the bike, through the crucial role he plays across the wider team and with the younger riders.
“We know that his ambition is to race with the best and we saw this year just how close he came at the Giro d’Italia. He then had some bad luck at La Vuelta which ruled him out of the running but nevertheless fought through to finish with true grit and determination. It was classic G and was still inspiring to watch.
“The team’s ambition is to again stand on the top step of the Tour de France podium and Geraint is going to play an integral part in realising that goal as we bring through a crop of young and exciting talent at the INEOS Grenadiers.”
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The team sent me this news release:
Team Jayco AlUla is pleased to have assisted two great young talents, German all-rounder Felix Engelhardt and Colombian climber Jesus David Peña, to take their first professional victories in 2023, and with this, the Australian outfit is motivated to continue to develop the youngsters with the pair putting pen to paper on new contracts for 2024.
Felix Engelhardt wins stage one of the 2023 Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
Eager Engelhardt
Engelhardt has signed a new two-year deal after a stunning debut season were
he displayed incredible potential and resilience, winning two professional races - Per Sempre Alfredo and a stage of Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. The 23-year-old also got his first Grand Tour under his belt, as he completed a gruelling edition of La Vuelta a España and throughout the season added a string of impressive top-five finishes across various terrains to his growing list of palmares.
Brent Copeland – Team Jayco AlUla General Manager:
“Felix already had a contract for next year, but we have extended it because we can see this kid is talented, he’s got a huge future and a good career ahead of him. He’s a rider that can win and we have already seen that this year. A rider that is able to win in his first year shows that he has the right mindset. It’s going to be nice working on this ‘project’ and seeing how far he can go in the future.”
Felix Engelhardt:
“I really feel at home in the team and enjoy working with everyone, it’s a great atmosphere. It’s been a great season as well, way beyond my expectations, winning two races and being on a general classification podium. I think I still have to learn a lot and work on certain skills, but I also think I have already grown a lot over the year, and I am really excited to hopefully make another step next season. It’s a great confidence boost that the team offered me an early contract extension and it is super motivating to know that I have a great environment and backing for the next years. Especially nowadays where things change so quickly in cycling, this is a great privilege and I really appreciate the faith the team has in me.”
Promising Peña
23-year-old Peña had a slow start in his debut months with the team back in 2022 with niggling injuries, but thanks to his support squad, having managed his injuries well in the latter part of the season and into 2023, the Colombian turned heads with a standout ride at the Tour of Slovenia. Peña took an impressive stage win followed by top three finishes at the Tour of Austria, and after finally being able to unleash his real potential this season, the team is intrigued to see what the Colombian climber can achieve with more support as he signs a new one-year contract.
Copeland:
“Peña has shown this year that he is the rider we thought he was when we signed him up and he’s really shown that in the last few months of this season. We believe if he can stay injury free and keep his mindset on dedicating himself to being a professional cyclist, we can pull out the best of him and get the results he is capable of. He really is a big talent, and we want to work with him to achieve a lot.”
Jesus David Peña:
“I am very happy to continue with the team, they have supported me a lot this season and I was able to take my first win. I have been learning a lot at each race and it was good to finish the season off with eighth place overall in Guangxi, it gives me motivation for 2024. I hope to continue my progression and to have another full season without any injuries and try to take more wins with this team.”
Felix Engelhardt:
Date of birth: 19th August 2000 (23)
Nationality: German
1st Vuelta a Castilla y Leon – stage 1 (2023)
1st Vuelta a Castilla y Leon –Points (2023)
1st Per Sempre Alfredo (2023)
2nd Japan Cup (2023)
2nd Vuelta a Castilla y Leon – Overall (2023)
2nd Vuelta a Castilla y Leon – Stage 2 (2023)
4th Coppi e Bartali – stage 3 (2023)
5th Tour of Australia – stage 1 & 2 (2023)
Jesus David Peña
Date of birth: 8th May 2000 (23)
Nationality: Colombian
1st Tour of Slovenia – stage 4 (2023)
3rd Tour of Austria – stage 3 (2023)
3rd Tour of Austria – overall (2023)
4th Gree Tour of Guangxi – stage 4 (2023)
5th Tour of Slovenia – overall (2023)
8th Gree Tour of Guangxi – overall (2023)
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Here’s the team’s press release:
Kazakh rider Vadim Pronskiy (25) extended his agreement with Astana Qazaqstan Team for another season of 2024.
“The first half of the season turned out to be very difficult and exhausting. Due to sickness, viruses, days and whole weeks of preparation were falling out, so it was impossible to complete a full and good training cycle, to get prepared properly to the races. But it happens, not always everything goes as planned. However, both for the team and for me, the season finale was much more successful: the guys achieved a set of excellent results, while I was able to prove myself and to finish the season quite optimistically. I am very happy to extend my contract with the team, to stay in Astana in 2024, I think this year can be much more successful. Everyone is determined to achieve success, show high results, and I am no exception”, – said Vadim Pronskiy.
Vadim Pronskiy
In 2023 Vadim Pronskiy completed two Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España as well as finished 5th overall in Le Tour de Langkawi.
“Up until this season, Vadim had a smooth good growth both in terms of results and in terms of gaining experience at important races of the WorldTour calendar, including the Grand Tours. But this season due to sickness, the winter and spring training turned out to be blurred, which is why it was not possible to achieve great results. But, in the final, he managed to perform well at Le Tour de Langkawi, and the end of the year turned out to be quite optimistic. We know what we have to work on in the new season, and with the normal development of events 2024 will definitely be a successful and breakthrough year for Vadim. He has everything he needs for this – youth, strength, motivation and experience”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team.
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Bicycle Retailer & Industry News posted this:
Sports United has closed its U.S. offices, which included operations for the Vitus and Nukeproof bike brands and the Hotlines wholesale distribution business, all based in Park City.
Signa, headquartered in Berlin, announced earlier this week that it had lost access to a 150 million euro ($159 million) equity commitment from its parent company. The company has reported serious liquidity challenges and had begun the process of delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. It announced Friday that is preparing to make insolvency filings for its various subsidiaries in the coming days.
Tennis-Point GmbH, a Germany-based e-commerce retailer owned by Signa, already has filed for insolvency in Germany.
Signa owns the Vitus and Nukeproof brands and the CRC/Wiggle cycling e-commerce sites, along with an array of other e-commerce sites in the tennis, camping and team sports markets. Signa's parent company is controlled by René Benko, an Austrian billionaire.
Last year, U.S. industry veteran Hap Seliga opened Signa's U.S. base for cycling in Park City. The company was selling its Vitus bikes direct to consumers and selling Nukeproof products to U.S. IBDs through its Hotlines wholesale distribution business. It had yet to set up a North American-specific general cycling e-commerce site, although some North American consumers ordered from the U.K.-based CRC/Wiggle sites.
On Thursday, Seliga announced on LinkedIn that the Utah offices had closed.
You can read the entire story here.
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