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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it. - Steve Prefontaine

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross
• Nov 5: European Cyclocross Championships
• Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
• Oct 28: Superprestige Ruddervoorde
• Oct 22: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaanse Druivencross
• Oct 12 - 17: Tour of Guangxi
• Oct 15: Japan Cup
• Oct 15: Veneto Classic

We posted the the organizer's reports with the race results.

Here's the report from van Empel's Tram Visma-Lease a Bike team:

Fem van Empel has given Tram Visma | Lease a Bike Women its first victory of 2024. She beat Lucinda Brand in a thrilling duel at the traditional X2O Trophy in Baal on New Year's Day.

A muddy Fem van Empel wins again. Photo: Belga

Heavy rain had turned the course on and around the Balenberg into a giant puddle of mud with many slippery passages. Van Empel and Brand opened up a gap in the first minute and never looked back. They subsequently exchanged the lead throughout the race.

On the final lap, Van Empel made a considerable effort to create an unbridgeable gap. In the final muddy sections, the young Dutchwoman’s victory was never in doubt.

"It is nice to start the new year with a victory. It was a very challenging course, but we knew it would be. Lucinda put me under a lot of pressure on the descents. It seems like my technique has let me down a bit lately, but maybe it's something psychological. Anyway, it's nice to win here", said Van Empel, who landed on her right knee during one of the runs. The wound required stitched immediately after the race.

The win in Baal is Van Empel's 13th of the season.

The team posted this:

“Every new year brings a new beginning and perhaps never more so as now, as we embark on our 22nd consecutive season. Last season, we were once again one of the best teams in the world, as evidenced by our more than 50 victories. It was a performance that made us incredibly happy, because it showed not just quantity but also quality – a Monument, half a dozen Grand Tour stages, the ITT World Championships and plenty of other prestigious races.

Team Soudal Quick-Step is presented before the start of the 2023 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo

"It was a strong year not just for Soudal Quick-Step, but also for our women’s team – who displayed the Wolfpack mentality in every single race they did last season and got a well-deserved promotion to the World Tour – and our devo team, which showed a lot of depth as they captured almost 30 wins.

"After a turbulent autumn, there have been some changes within the team, with a turnover of staff and riders that is part of the cycle of any professional cycling team. The appointment of Jurgen Foré as our Chief Operating Officer has caught many an eye, and I am looking forward to working with Jurgen on building structures and processes that will keep us fighting to be one of the best cycling teams in the world for many years to come.

"On the bike we will have a fresh feel too, with ten new riders joining us. They range from the experience of Mikel Landa and Gianni Moscon, who will bolster our Grand Tour and Classics squads respectively, to the six neo-pros that will give us a youthful feel. We are particularly proud of the four young riders who have been promoted from our Devo Team.

"We can all be proud, from riders and staff to sponsors and fans, of the incredible season we had last year, and we want to remain there at the top and keep winning, even though we know it won’t be easy. We are determined to work hard and write history on the road while bringing moments of joy to everyone supporting the team in particular and to cycling fans in general.

"On behalf of everyone at Soudal Quick-Step, I want to wish you a Happy New Year and all the best to you and your families!”

The team sent me this:

It's 2024 and we are starting off with a bang

New year means a new look as we burst onto the scene with a vibrant, fresh new style.

The 2024 Team Jayco kits. Team Jayco photo

With a dash of blue tones inspired from the Australian ocean, the Jayco blue jay bird and Giant Bicycles, to the red hot desert sands of the outback mixed in with hints of deep aubergine found in the AlUla night sky and Liv Cycling
One thing is for sure, we won't be missed this season!

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