Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
A problem well stated is a problem half-solved. - Charles Kettering
Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- December 27: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- January 18 - 26: Tour Down Under
Latest completed racing:
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 27: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 15 - 20: Tour of Guangxi
- October 20: Japan Cup Road Race
- October 20: Veneto Classic
Hamilton’s Team dsm-firmenich PostNL posted this bad news:
During a training ride on the team’s final day at GC and Sprint camp on Sunday 22nd of December, Chris Hamilton, Oscar Onley and Tim Naberman were unfortunately involved in a crash on their approach back to the hotel. Chris was most heavily impacted, and a broken collarbone was immediately suspected and later confirmed by local medical services. He returned home immediately that afternoon and will undergo surgery on the collarbone today.
Chris Hamilton
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL doctor Camiel Aldershof explained: “Unfortunately Chris sustained a crash in training and has fractured his left collarbone. The fracture will require surgery which is planned for today. With the break, it will likely be around four weeks until he can return to racing, which means that his preparation for the Tour Down Under is impacted and there is a chance that he doesn’t take part in the race. These things are really on a case-by-case basis so we will continue to assess Chris during the recovery process so that he can return to training and racing in a good way. Oscar and Tim also both came down during the crash, but both appear to be ok today.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna continued: “It’s of course very disappointing for Chris to have this injury happen at this time of year. We were coming to the end of a nice GC camp in Spain, where Chris was showing off his qualities on and off the bike as a road captain. Alongside that, he was performing really well on the bike and at a high level already with a view to the upcoming races in Australia in January. Unfortunately, this injury means that Chris’s participation for the Tour Down Under, where he was set to play a crucial role in supporting Oscar as our finisher in the deep finals of the harder climbing stages, is in the balance with a decision on his participation made closer to the event. We hope that Chris’ recovery goes smoothly, and we look forward to welcoming him back to training and racing when it is clear for him to do so.”
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Vos’ Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this news:
This month, Marianne Vos will make her return to cyclocross. Last season, the multiple world champion had to sit out due to surgery, but this year, she is back with ambition, ready to tackle some races: "I’m looking forward to the first race."
Vos is looking forward to returning to cyclocross. “It’s a wonderful discipline that I still enjoy doing. I’m looking forward to the first race,” she says. After a season away, the Dutch rider approaches her cyclocross winter with a healthy dose of anticipation: “It’s naturally extra exciting to line up for a cross race again after being absent for a season. But I’m ready. The training, the build-up, and the preparations have gone well.”
Marianne Vos winning the 2021 Rucphen cross.
This season, Vos has consciously chosen a limited number of races, allowing her to maintain focus on optimal preparation for the road season. “Together with the team, I’ve looked at what fits best within my road program. The goal is to get through the winter well and start the road season in good form.” Sports director Jan Boven has incorporated the lessons from last season into this plan. “For a successful road season, good training blocks, sufficient volume, and extended periods in the sun are crucial. That’s why we’ve tailored Marianne’s cyclocross program to align perfectly with her road preparations, without compromising her ambitions in cyclocross,” adds Boven.
Additionally, the races Vos will participate in have been carefully selected. “The cyclocross races on my calendar combine well with my road training. I’ve also chosen races that I particularly enjoy,” she explains. “It’s important that the races not only fit within my program, but also give me the opportunity to perform and have fun. This way, I can continue to challenge myself while ensuring proper recovery between races.”
Cyclocross calendar Marianne Vos:
World Cup Besançon, December 29 2024
National Championships Cyclocross in Oisterwijk, January 12 2025
World Cup Benidorm, January 19 2025
World Cup Hoogerheide, January 26 2025
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Here's the team's update:
Liv AlUla Jayco is pleased to confirm its final line-up for the 2025 season, which aims to build on the strong foundations set in 2024. After a year of big change and growth, the Australian squad has solidified its roster with some important additions that will help the team in targeting both one-day events and stage races.
Liv AlUla Jayco riders in their 2025 kit.
Climbing power
The three Grand Tours will be a big focus for the squad in 2025 with experienced racer Mavi García heading up the team’s crop of climbers. She will have some very promising young talent beside her in Silke Smulders and Ella Wyllie, who both showed their class and developing talents with wins in their debut season with Liv AlUla Jayco. Monica Trinca Colonel will bring some Italian flare in the climbing group for next season after joining the squad for 2025 following an impressive breakthrough campaign in 2024.
Head Sport Director and Liv AlUla Jayco Team Manager Gene Bates stated:
“With our climbing group we’ll really be targeting the three main Grand Tours, the Vuelta Femenina, Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France Femmes. We’ve got some great opportunities there and there were some real standout performances in 2024 from the likes of Silke. We know the class of Mavi, and I know she’s very motivated for the 2025 season. It will be great to see Ella back to her best again and the signing of Monica Trinca Colonel is something we’re all really excited about. Even though she has a lack of background in the sport, the results she’s been able to achieve is something we’re looking forward to leveraging during the season.”
Classics strength
Sprint finishes and the one-day Classics remain another major aim for the team after some big progression in that area over the last year. Letizia Paternoster mixed it with the best throughout the spring Classics in 2024 before taking her first win in team colours later in the season. Despite an injury that disrupted the opening months of the year in Europe, Australian champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon hit her stride in the summer with her first WorldTour win at the Tour of Britain plus a gold medal (mixed TTT) and sixth place in the road world championships.
Meanwhile, Georgia Baker showed off her development as a sprinter with some impressive performances, including close podium finishes on stages of the Vuelta Femenina and Tour of Britain despite balancing a busy track and road programme. All three will be aiming to build on those performances and take another big step up in 2025.
“We have a lot of strength across the board. There were some big and inspiring performances in 2024 in our Classics groups and I’m excited to see where that can go in 2025. Letizia’s results last year were very promising, as is the ability that Ruby is showing, and I think the world championships highlighted that. Then there’s Georgia, who will have her full focus on the road, and she’s going to be exciting in some of those flatter classics.” – Bates continued.
Safe hands
Completing the team is a strong core of support riders that are adaptable to all kinds of terrains. Dutch rider Jeanne Korevaar has shown herself to be a hugely reliable road captain, while Swede Caroline Andersson is a key addition to the climbing group. Australian Amber Pate, Dutchwoman Quinty Ton and Italian Anna Trevisi add all-round strength to the team, particularly on the flat and rolling roads. Rounding out the roster are two new additions in Australian Josie Talbot and Dutch rider Amber van der Hulst.
“We’ve got a great department of leaders and some very quality support riders, so we are in a safe set of hands when we go into these bigger races. I’m excited, I think everyone else is too and hopefully we can come up with some great results that will do the talent we have in the team justice.” – Bates
Liv AlUla Jayco 2025 roster (14)
Caroline Andersson (SWE)
Georgia Baker (AUS)
Mavi García (ESP)
Jeanne Korevaar (NED)
Amber Pate (AUS)
Letizia Paternoster (ITA)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Silke Smulders (NED)
Josie Talbot (AUS) *New rider
Quinty Ton (NED)
Anna Trevisi (ITA)
Monica Trinca Colonel (ITA) *New rider
Amber van der Hulst (NED) *New rider
Ella Wyllie (NZL)
Liv AlUla Jayco stats
No. of riders: 14
No. of Australians: 4
No. of internationals: 10 (4x NED, 3x ITA, 1x SWE, 1x NZL, 1x ESP)
Youngest rider: Ella Wyllie (22)
Oldest rider: Mavi García (40)
Average age: 27
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Bicycle Retailer & Industry News posted this:
Selle Italia has acquired a fellow Italian cycling brand with a long history: Vittoria Cycling Shoes.
Vittoria — which is unrelated to the Vittoria tire brand — dates to the 1976, when it was founded by former pro racer Celestino Vercelli. The brand has supplied many major professional road racers and teams over the years, including Stephen Roche and Marco Pantani. Vercelli died in 2020.
1999. Vittoria shoes founder Celestino Vercelli with Marco Pantani.
Giuseppe Bigolin, the president of Selle Italia, compared the purchase to his company's acquisition of Selle San Marco in 2016.
"As we did in 2016 with Selle San Marco, we are gearing up to expand our range of performance cycling products with a company that has always believed in technological development, in style and in the Made in Italy brand. Just like us," he said.
The Vittoria shoe collection includes modern shoes for road, triathlon, mountain bike and gravel, as well as a collection for vintage cycling fans. The company said it would apply its idmatch fitting technology to develop future shoe models.
For the North American market, Vittoria will be incorporated into Selle Italia North America (SINA) portfolio of brands, managed by Mastoic Consulting in Boise, Idaho.
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