Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, December 29, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - Calvin Coolidge
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- January 18 - 26: Tour Down Under
Latest completed racing:
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- December 27: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
- 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
The team posted this lovely news:
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, team Intermarché-Wanty set up a fundraising campaign during the Tour de France to support the Restos du Coeur [French charity that distributes food packages and hot meals to those in need]. On Friday 27th of December 2024, Intermarché-Wanty received Patrick Banneux, Chairman, Zohra Zarouri, Director, and several volunteers from the 59A Association Départementale of the Restos du Coeur to present them the cheque from the hands of Jean-François Bourlart, General Manager of the Intermarché-Wanty team.
Nice work!
The presentation of this cheque for €10,085 to the Association Départementale 59A of the Restos du Coeur concludes a series of actions that have helped to put the Restos du Coeur in the spotlight, and to give many young beneficiaries of Restos du Coeur a glimpse behind the scenes of the Belgian World Team during the rest days of the Tour de France 2024. Thanks to the generosity of over 400 donors, the fundraising target of €10,000 has been reached!
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"We are proud to conclude 2024 by presenting this cheque for over €10,000 to Restos du Coeur. As a cycling team, we feel the duty to make a commitment to associations that are meaningful to the community as a whole. And of course, we're already thinking about the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Lille next July, so we can envisage other solidarity support operations to help the most disadvantaged." - Jean-François Bourlart (General Manager Intermarché-Wanty)
"We are delighted to receive this cheque from team Intermarché-Wanty. It's the first time that a sports team has given financial support to our association, and we're particularly proud of it given the impact of their latest Tour de France. More than ever, we have two priorities: to help single-parent families and to develop early childhood initiatives by creating friendly places where children can find the means to blossom and escape the isolation caused by poverty." - Patrick Banneucx (Chairman AD Restos du Coeur 59A)
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Here’s the team’s post:
Liv AlUla Jayco will kick-off their 2025 season on home soil as they head to Adelaide for the first UCI women’s WorldTour race of the new season, the Santos Tour Down Under.
2024 Australian road race champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon will be in action as she continues her hunt for a stage victory at the TDU following a standout year that saw the 26-year-old grab her first WorldTour win.
New Zealand champion Ella Wyllie will don the silver fern jersey one last time before her nationals title defence in February, and the Kiwi lines up in Australia looking to improve on her top-10 finish overall in 2024.
The team will be racing in their new kit.
There will be a new face on the start line in Liv AlUla Jayco colours as Josie Talbot makes her full debut alongside fellow Aussies Georgia Baker and Amber Pate. It won’t be a completely Antipodean affair for the Australian squad as Dutch all-rounder Silke Smulders completes the punchy six-rider line-up.
Liv AlUla Jayco at TDU:
Georgia Baker (AUS)
Amber Pate (AUS)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Silke Smulders (NED)
Josie Talbot (AUS)
Ella Wyllie (NZL)
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Ruby Roseman-Gannon:
“A highlight of the season is always the Australian summer of racing and especially Tour Down Under. Home crowds and lots of family and friends make it particularly special for us.
"The stages this year look similar to last year but with some added climbs, so I think we can expect more attritional racing and some exciting finales. I think we will have a strong team for the race and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Gene Bates (Head Sport Director and Team Manager)
“We’re really excited about the Tour Down Under this year, as we are every year being an Australian team. For me personally, it’s a home race, I come from Adelaide, so it’s extra special.
"I think we’re coming into the race with a competitive team, and we’ve got someone for each of the roles were looking for. We’re aiming for stage success and also overall success, we have riders capable of doing both over a challenging and dynamic course. The race is only three days long, but each stage is difficult in its own right.
"We will take it stage by stage and really take the approach of three one-day races and try and get the best result each day, and the overall will take care of itself. We’ve got high ambitions with a great team coming together for this one, and we’re excited and motivated to hit the streets of Adelaide!”
Women’s Santos Tour Down Under – Race Details:
Friday 17th – Sunday 19th January, 2025
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