Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
James Joyce was a synthesizer, trying to bring in as much as he could. I am an analyzer, trying to leave out as much as I can. - Samuel Beckett
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.
Current racing:
- July 27 - August 4: Olympic cycling
Upcoming racing:
- August 4 - 8: Arctic Race of Norway
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 10: Clasica San Sebastian
- August 11: La Polynormande
- August 12 - 18: Tour of Poland
- August 13 - 16: Tour du Limousin
- August 14 - 18: PostNord Denmark Rundt
- August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- July 22 - 26: Tour de Wallonie
- July 23: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- June 29 - July 21: Tour de France
- June 9 - 26: Many National Championships
- June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
- June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
- June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
The team sent me this announcement:
Dstny will stop being the main sponsor of Lotto Dstny at the end of this season. After two and a half years in the peloton, the paths of the name sponsors will go their separate ways. Lotto, however, remains a well-established presence in the peloton and continues to build towards a bright future.
The team at the start of this year's Trofeo Laiguelgia. Sirotti photo
Lotto and Dstny have written a beautiful story together. The team became Belgian champions, recently won a stage in the Tour de France and with the Lotto Dstny Development Team, we took the Giro Next Gen. Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Dstny: "We have secured all our talents for the future, which was our top priority. Youthful enthusiasm, attractive racing, and being the challenger to the big teams will thus remain part of the team's DNA in the coming seasons. Additionally, I want to emphasize that behind the scenes, there has been excellent cooperation over the past two and a half years to bring all this success to realization. Crucial decisions were always made by the Board of Directors in mutual consultation and with mutual trust. The team could always count on them."
Karel Van Eetvelt, President of Lotto Dstny: “The departure of Dstny is not a cause for concern. Various discussions are taking place to secure the future of our team, and hard work is being done. The National Lottery remains our main partner, having supported us previously during challenging times. We are determined to continue building on the solid foundations that we have today. As the oldest team in the peloton, with 40 years of rich history, we've seen partners come and go. That's part of cycling. With Orbea, we have secured a long-term international agreement and our other partners, listed at the bottom of this statement, believe in the strength of the team and ensure that our foundations remain strong."
We want to sincerely thank Dstny for their support and trust in the team over the past two and a half years.
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Here’s the report from Pidcock’s Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Tom Pidcock rode to a spectacular victory in the Paris Mountain Bike race to defend his title and claim his second Gold medal in the event.
After a conservative start, Tom wove his way forward, completing the first of eight laps in fourth overall. Maintaining his high pace, he was quickly into third, before a fierce acceleration on lap three saw the Yorkshireman go clear with Victor Koretzky of France.
As Tom continued to put the pressure on at the front of the pack, disaster struck. A front-wheel puncture threatened to end his race. Fortunately, it happened within metres of the pits, and Tom was quickly in, and - with bike swaps not allowed - getting a wheel change.
Tom Pidcock on his way to winning another Olympic Gold Medal. Getty Images.
Pidcock would leave the pits some 35 seconds down on the now-solo Koretzky and start the chase back on. Initially, the gap remained steady, but the World Champion judged his effort to perfection, catching the Frenchman on the final lap.
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The Yorkshireman attempted to shake his opponent on the main climb of the course, but was unable to do so. Then, Koretzky countered into the descent, putting distance between the pair. A mistake on the twisting descent would see Tom catch back up, and a sprint finish looked likely.
That was until Pidcock took an alternative line through a tree-lined, root-filled section of the course. The move put him shoulder to shoulder with the Frenchman, but Tom came out on top. Koretzky lost his momentum, and the World Champion would cross the line solo, winning the Gold medal by nine seconds.
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The team sent me this announcement:
With Giovanni Aleotti, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has tied another talent to the team for the coming seasons. The 25-year-old started his professional career in the German UCI WorldTeam and feels particularly at home when the elevation gain increases. He recently proved this by winning the Tour of Slovenia.
Giovanni Aleotti
Giovanni Aleotti is having a strong season. At the Giro d'Italia he helped Dani Martínez onto the podium, and at the Tour of Slovenia he rode as a leader himself. On the undulating terrain of stage 3, he took advantage of a descent just before the finish to break away, riding solo to the line and taking the leader's jersey. He confidently defended it on the queen's stage and celebrated the biggest success of his career to date.
Giovanni Aleotti:
“I'm more than happy with my contract extension at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. Since I turned pro with the team in 2021, I've always felt at home here. I really think this is the best place to take the next step in my development and I would like to thank our Team Manager Ralph Denk for his trust.”
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