Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, January 5, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. - Stephen Covey
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
Plapp’s Team Jayco AlUla sent me this:
2024 new recruit Luke Plapp made it a dream start to life in Team Jayco AlUla colours as he claimed the Australian Time Trial Championship for the second time ahead of teammates Chris Harper and Michael Hepburn.
Luke Plapp winning the 2023 Australian road championships. Ineos photo
The 23-year-old was a red hot favourite for the title in Ballarat and he demonstrated why, as he powered around the 37.5km course in a time of 46:19:54 to take the victory by 32 seconds over Harper.
It was a memorable day and start to the 2024 season for Team Jayco AlUla as they made it a clean sweep of the podium placings with Harper taking the silver medal, while former champion Hepburn took home the bronze. Kell O’Brien made it four Team Jayco AlUla riders in the top four.
Over in the women's race, Georgie Howe fought to third place for Liv AlUla Jayco to cap off a stunning day for the Australian squad.
Attention now turns to tomorrow’s criterium championships where defending champions Amber Pate and O'Brien will be in action, lining-up alongside Caleb Ewan with the team eager to defend the title on Sturt Street.
Luke Plapp - Winner:
"It's special, I feel like I'm back home being in Team Jayco AlUla and I'm back in the green and gold stripes in the TT, I really missed these stripes since 2021.
It's amazing being back in them, the team has been amazing in the build up to the race and to have all four of us as the top four is very, very exciting going into Sunday and hopefully the boys can pull off another win in the crit tomorrow night."
2024 Australian Time Trial Championships:
1. Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) 46:19:54
2. Chris Harper (Team Jayco AlUla) +00:32.71
3. Michael Hepburn (Team Jayco AlUla) +00:55.01
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Here’s the report from van Empel’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Fem van Empel has impressed at the X2O Trophy in Koksijde. The rider from Visma | Lease a Bike rode solo from the first lap and rewarded herself with another win.
Her flying start soon put Van Empel in the lead from the first sand and mud sections. She crashed on the third lap but could continue her solo ride. Van Empel gradually built up her lead and eventually crossed the line first at the Koksijde military base.
Fem van Empel wins again. Jumbo|Lease a Bike photo
"I am thrilled to have won this beautiful race", Van Empel said. "The main thing was to be able to ride my own lines on this course. The fact that I was able to do that gave me a bit more confidence. That's why I started fast. After that, I was able to ride at my own pace."
Van Empel, who won her fourteenth race of the season in Koksijde, will soon leave with the team for a training camp in Spain. She will skip the Zonhoven Cross and the Dutch championships cyclocross. The world champion will be back for the start of the World Cup in Benidorm. "It has been a busy but wonderful time. Now it is time to take some time off to recover and build up for what is to come."
Here's Mathieu van der Poel winning the men's race. Photo: TFoto
Women's race results:
- Fem van Empel (Jumbo | Lease a Bike) 52min 14sec
- Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 39sec
- Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) s.t.
- Laura Verdonschot (De Ceuster-Bonache) @ 1min 19sec
- Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) @ 3min 15sec
Men's race results:
- Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 59min 21sec
- Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 1min 20sec
- Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) @ 1min 43sec
- Lars Van Der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 1min 53sec
- Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) @ 2min 12sec
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The team sent me this:
We got our first look at our new kit and bikes at the recent team camp in Girona, as EF Education-Cannondale and EF Education-EasyPost came together for eight days of training, meetings, meals and even some karaoke (expect a RaceTV exclusive soon).
The new EF Education kits and bikes. Photo: Jered Gruber & Ashley Gruber
It was a chance to test our equipment, meet new teammates and staff members, and kick off a new chapter in EF Pro Cycling’s history, as we build one team racing across the world. The camp was the largest in team history and laid the foundation for an organization intent on racing and winning with character.
“When I looked out at all the faces at one of the big team dinners, it was really emotional to see how far this team has come,” said EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “It’s a special time to be part of this team.”
Our signature Rapha kit has been updated with homages to life on the road with our teammates and our European home base (look closely!) and our new Cannondale race rigs are fresh and ready to roll in a brilliant new colorway. And with our new look comes the first glimpse of a new team, too: The EF Education-Cannondale squad is officially ready to race.
Rapha designed our new kit with rider collaboration, as yellow graphic accents punch up our trademark pink. Road racing phrases such as "UP UP UP" are joined by other hidden gems, adding a playful touch that captures the character of our team. Combining personality with race-winning technology, Rapha’s engineering is executed with trademark innovation and a big splash of panache.
The team is ready to race the new looks on the road and forge a new path.
“The plan is to have one organization. One team. That’s what we’re setting up at the moment here in Girona — it’s less incorporating one team into another — it’s about building up and expanding the EF Pro Cycling organization,” said Esra Tromp, the EF Education-Cannondale general manager.
We’re embarking on our biggest adventure yet in 2024. We hope you’ll join us.
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The team sent me this:
The brand and the team share a history of ties to cycling, rooted in referential territories and social commitment; the union pursues excellence through continuous improvement.
There are stories destined to unfold and paths designed to meet thanks to shared values. We are delighted to announce that Lotto Dstny and Orbea have sealed a partnership agreement, a union stemming from the deep convictions of both the brand and the team and materialized in an ambition to reach new goals in both sport and business.
In its 38 year-long history, the team has become a benchmark in the peloton, and Lotto maintains the longest-standing cycling sponsorship in the sport. Meanwhile, Orbea has 183 years of experience and racing DNA, and constantly pursues excellence through improvement, the only way to guarantee long-term success.
Both the team and Orbea have origins in passionate territories with long-standing cycling heritage. Belgium, Euskadi and the fans in both places live and breathe cycling through and through, upholding the responsibility and honor that comes with it. Orbea works hard every day with enthusiasm to consolidate the positions they have achieved, to continue generating wealth and sharing it with society.
"Like Lotto Dstny, we are a brand with a strong global presence. Through this collaboration, we aspire to broaden our impact and strengthen our recognition worldwide", says Ander Olariaga, Orbea's Brand and Communications Director.
Beyond these fundamental values, both parties also have the conviction that only adopting excellence, commitment and perseverance in day-to-day work, will allow them to make their way towards extraordinary achievements.
"Lotto Dstny finds in Orbea an ideal ally to continue improving the performance of our entire structure. The adaptation to the new bikes has been quick and the willingness to continue working on their development is always there. Together, I am certain we can achieve great things", says Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Dstny.
This cycling project goes beyond names or people. Lotto Dstny and Orbea join forces to start a new era in which they want to inspire passionate cyclists all over the world to dream big.
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