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Friday, June 28, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
We don't laugh because we're happy - we're happy because we laugh. - William James
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- June 29 - July 21: Tour de France
- July 27 - August 11: Olympic cycling
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- June 2 - 9: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 5 - 9: ZLM Tour
- June 7: GP Canton Aargau
- June 2: Brussels Cycling Classic
The team sent me this news:
A new name, eye-catching outfits, helmets designed to fit the Red Bull athletes' look, bikes with a shiny metallic white silver design. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has arrived in the world of cycling, bringing a fresh style to the peloton. The new look makes it clear that today is a milestone for the team, a departure for big goals. Nothing less than to become the most attractive brand in cycling.
The vision of developing Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe into the most attractive brand is a long-term one. The team will benefit from the success of other sports and the unique performance expertise of its new partner, Red Bull. In addition to strengthening the WorldTeam, global scouting will be expanded for the new season and a U23 team will close the gap between the team's own juniors and the WorldTeam. Finding talented riders and developing them into future Grand Tour stars and iconic riders - this is the beginning of a new era for manager Ralph Denk and the team.
The new Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe kit
Ralph Denk, CEO Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe: "Today we open a new chapter in our team's history as Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. I would even go so far as to say that this is a milestone for cycling as a whole. Our project has always been ambitious, but now we clearly have our sights set on the top, we want to shape our sport and become the most attractive brand."
Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Red Bull Corporate Projects and Investments: "Today is a special day and we are looking forward to finally getting started. We are very ambitious, we want to continuously develop and take the next steps to win grand tours and the biggest races in cycling. Red Bull has shown in many sports how these goals can be achieved with a clear vision, the development of talent, professionalism, and innovation in sport. We are proud that our long-standing partners BORA, hansgrohe and Specialized remain with our team and are starting a new era together with us. I would like to express my sincere thanks to them."
The ambitious project starts on Saturday. With the commencement of the Tour de France, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will make an impression.
Strong team in the fight for yellow
With the new setup, the team is ready to fight for yellow in the biggest race of the year. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe relies on a strong team surrounding leader Primož Roglič.
On the climbs, the leader relies on climbing specialists Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley. Both have only one Tour de France under their belts - but they were spectacular firsts for both. Vlasov finished the 2022 Tour in the top 5, while Hindley's day in the yellow jersey last year was a highlight in the team's history. The team's top-class support in the high mountains recently proved its strength with the overall victory at the Dauphiné. Just as there, debutant Matteo Sobrero will provide mountain support at the Tour de France as well.
The physical strength and presence of Danny van Poppel, Marco Haller, and Nico Denz will provide concentrated power on the flats. The trio has the experience of 29 Grand Tours and will give the climbers plenty of reassurance. Veteran and Tour de France stage winner Bob Jungels will take on the role of road captain.
New style - new partner: BOSS becomes fashion partner
In addition to Red Bull, BOSS is another new brand to appear on the jerseys. The core brand of the global fashion and lifestyle company HUGO BOSS has a long tradition in sports sponsorships. As a partner of the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team, BOSS is immersing itself in professional cycling at the highest level. Just in time for the Tour de France, the "Official Partner for Fashion Apparel" is outfitting the team's athletes and staff with new casual and athleisure styles.
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The team posted this:
Only two more nights sleep and it's finally here: it's time for the Tour de France. Tour fever is rising and Maxim Van Gils (24) feels it too. "The first weekend is definitely something for me," he looks ahead.
Maxim Van Gils at this year's Ruta del Sol.
"We're starting with a really great team. Arnaud De Lie is on cloud nine after his Belgian title. This is his first Tour, so it's his first chance to really compete in those mass sprints against the very best, and we're all curious to see how that will go", Maxim tells. "And then you have Victor Campenaerts, who always brings out the best in himself in a Tour de France. The atmosphere is already very good. You can feel that everyone, including the staff, is excited. The Tour is a bit like the World Cup for cycling. It's the biggest event in the world for us. Everyone brings their best."
Maxim Van Gils finished second in stage 13 of last year's Tour after an impressive stage ending atop the Grand Colombier. "The Tour is the highest level. You don't just win here. When I finished second last year, it was a close call. Of course, I was happy. It was my first Tour and I finished second in such a stage. But afterwards came the disappointment. Winning is much more satisfying, especially in the Tour where the difference between first and second is enormous. But it's incredibly difficult."
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He doesn't want to get ahead of himself. But dreaming is always allowed, Van Gils believes. "I think that at a Grand Départ, you should always have the ambition to win a stage. I think the entire peloton has that. The first stage, from Florence to Rimini, features a course that suits me well. Many riders will have marked that stage. It's somewhat like the Ardennes. The San Marino climb isn't too steep and normally it goes downhill to the finish after that. The climb before that is quite challenging. Sprinting with a small group would be ideal. The second stage is also something for me. It includes a steep climb of 1.9 kilometers at just over 10 percent on average, which we have to tackle twice. I don't like loops much, so I hope we get over it quickly the first time. But I see opportunities there too."
"My season was already successful after the spring, with a win in Frankfurt and third places in the Strade Bianche and the Flèche Wallonne, among others. It couldn't have gone much better. That's why I start this Tour with a very good feeling, I really want to enjoy it. I feel good. Winning a yellow jersey in the first weekend would be fantastic, then my career would be just perfect (laughs). Ah well, we'll see. I hope to score on Saturday or Sunday."
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Here’s the team’s release:
Ahead of the 2024 Tour de France, Team Jayco AlUla has proudly unveiled a striking, newly designed racing kit, inspired by its second naming rights partner, AlUla,the ancient oasis city located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia – renowned as one of the premier cycling destinations in the middle east region.
The kit design represents a drastic departure to the team’s usual colour palette and branding, with dark green derived from the verdant green oasis of AlUla taking centre stage, while the vibrant golden orange draws on the stunning desert colours and landscape of the destination.
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Amidst the lively green and orange, a bold graphic pattern can be found throughout the jersey, derived from the architecture of Design Space AlUla. The eye-catching pattern is representative of many traditional architectural designs that can be found across the AlUla region.
Upon looking closely at the front of the jersey, various symbolic elements can be seen in the lower half. Each of these elements references unique landmarks in and around AlUla, celebrating the location’s vast natural beauty where heritage, art and culture converge.
From left to right, the first element reflects the design of Hegra’s tombs. Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, features spectacular tombs and carvings date back to the 1st century AD exist from the Nabataean civilisation that once thrived in the area.
Next, a symbol displaying the striking Maraya can be found. Maraya is a multipurpose entertainment venue and the world’s biggest building covered in mirrored glass. It is a marvel in the heart of Ashar Valley in AlUla that welcomes world renowned artists and thousands of visitors year-round.
The third symbol signifies AlUla’s abundance of wondrous historical archaeological sites, where intriguing inscriptions and rock carvings dating back thousands of years can be found.
Finally, the distinctive landmark of Elephant Rock is visible, one of AlUla’s standout rock formations that stretches up 52 metres into the sky. This remarkable formation, with warm-hued sandstone shaped by wind and water erosion over millions of years, is reflected in the jersey’s orange tones.
With a high attention to detail, a subtle graphic can be found on the bottom left side of the jersey displaying the coordinates of AlUla in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the new racing kit’s reveal, Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer at Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: “As we roll into our third Tour de France with Team Jayco AlUla we have much to celebrate and be proud of; the success of The AlUla Tour in January, the progress of the Saudi team and the advancement of Saudi women into cycling to name a few.”
Jones continued: “We commenced this partnership at a time when very few people had heard of AlUla. We have a vision for developing AlUla as the leading cycling destination in the broader GCC region and we knew that if we could engage and educate the passionate, curious and intrepid cycling community globally, these cycling enthusiasts would be among the first to visit and see first-hand what they see in our content. I love this new kit and its representation of all that AlUla offers from nature to art, heritage and culture. Thanks to the whole team at GreenEDGE Cycling.”
Brent Copeland, Team Jayco AlUla’s General Manager is delighted to have this new look as a way of showcasing the team’s important partner on the world’s biggest stage, “The kit design is truly special and really stands out compared to the kit designs that we have had in the past. With great thought gone into every detail of this design, we will wear it with pride during the Tour de France, demonstrating our continued effort to communicate to the world the extraordinary heritage and cultural significance of AlUla. It really is a remarkable place with so many natural wonders waiting to be explored. We hope to achieve the best possible results in this new kit design as a way of showing gratitude to our loyal partner AlUla and Team Owner Gerry Ryan and Jayco.”
Unlike any previous kit design used by GreenEDGE Cycling, the squad is set to stand out as it embarks on its 13th appearance at the Tour de France, starting on Saturday, 29th June. The team aims for the highest results whilst simultaneously telling the story of AlUla during their special journey from Florence to Nice.
In August, Liv AlUla Jayco will also be seen wearing the new kit design during the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
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