Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, November 17, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles. - George Eliot
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Current racing:
- November 17: Flandriencross
Upcoming racing:
- December 15: Namur Cyclocroos-Citadelcross
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- October 16: Giro del Veneto
- October 13: Chrono des Nations
Here’s the Team Arkea-B&B Hotels' update:
Clément Venturini will be competing in most of the rounds of the Cyclo-cross World Cup, with a view to the World Championship in Liévin in early February.
Arkea-B&B Hotels: Clément, what's your cyclo-cross programme this winter?
Clément Venturini: "My cyclo-cross season kicks off on 17 November, with a regional cyclo-cross at Anse, in the Beaujolais region. It's organised by former professional Hubert Dupont, who was my training partner for many years. I'll then follow that up with the French Cup rounds in Troyes, and an international programme with most of the World Cup rounds, from Dublin (1 December) to Hooghereide (26 January)."
Clément Venturini
And what are your objectives for the winter season?
"My priority will be to retain my French Championship title on the Coët Roz circuit in Pontchâteau on 12 January. I also hope to finish on the podium in a World Cup round. There will also be the World Championships in France, at Liévin (February 2nd). It's a Championship, a one-day race with all that that entails, and the terrain can also be different depending on the weather conditions, so we'll see on the day if I'm called up by the national coach to compete in this World Championship. A good result in Liévin would only be a bonus, but if I do the whole international season, it's in the hope of performing well at the next Cyclo-cross World Championships, which will be held in France, in a region that also loves our sport’."
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What does the Arkea-B&B Hotels team offer you in terms of cyclo-cross, Clément?
"A 100% professional structure, support from A to Z, and that's also why I want to do another winter season. Without the Arkea-B&B Hotels team around me, I'd never have done it, so I realise how lucky we cyclo-cross riders are in the team to be able to benefit from this kind of support, with a staff and people who are 100% dedicated and professional, just like on the road. These are excellent conditions in which to ride cyclo-cross, and they are bound to push us to the top."
Clément Venturini - My race schedule:
- November 23rd & 24th: Troyes (French Cup)
- December 1st: Dublin (World Cup)
- December 15th: Namur (World Cup)
- December 21st: Hulst (World Cup)
- December 22nd: Zonhoven (World Cup)
- December 29th: Besançon (World Cup)
- January 5th: Dendermonde (World Cup)
- January 12th: Pontchâteau (World Cup)
- January 19th: Benidorm (World Cup)
- January 25th: Maasmechelen (World Cup)
- January 26th: Hoogerheide (World Cup)
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The team posted this:
Behind every strong rider stands an equally strong team. In our series "Staff Stories," we introduce you to the people who ensure that Lotto Dstny runs like a well-oiled machine every day. Today: soigneur Filip De Keyser.
“I started giving massages as I was an amateur cyclist myself. I followed a massage course and quickly had some riders who came to my house. The team ‘Jonge Renners Roeselare’ asked me to go with the young riders to the Tour of Limburg. The same day I sent an email to six professional teams with the question if I could go to the races as a soigneur. At that point I was delivering spices to butchers for 20 years already.”
Filip De Keyser at work. Photo: Brecht Steenhouwer
“I got a phone call from Hilaire Van der Schueren to go to the Tour of the Basque Country with Wanty. I accepted that offer and during that tour I got a call from Mario Aerts and from that point I rolled into the Lotto Team as well. I combined work in both teams, but I immediately felt home at Lotto and in 2014 I got a full time job to work in the men’s and ladies team.”
“From all the work you do as a soigneur, only 2 hours a day is really giving massages. The job is much more, it starts with the breakfast for the riders, washing their clothes, making sure the cars are clean, making bottles and doing bottle and musette points. All these different parts make it a very interesting job. I am away 200 days per year, you miss a lot at home, but you do it because you love to do it. I have a daughter, I know I don’t have the ideal dad profile, but on the other hand when I’m at home for one week I can plan in a lot of things with my daughter.”
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“During the past 10 years I made a lot of friends in the team. I have a special bond with Campi (Victor Campenaerts). When Victor came into the team, he wanted to go to Sierra Nevada for one month to train. He made a wish list to the soigneurs of what he expected on the time trial day, everyone thought that list was crazy. They asked me to go with him and so I did. I took my bike to that training camp and also sometimes biked together with him, we spoke a lot and immediately had a bond. I also like that Campi is so strict, it’s easy to work with him.”
“The race I looked forward to the most was the Tour de France. As a rider you want to do it once, but also as a staff member. This year the Belgian Champion jersey of Arnaud (De Lie) was very beautiful. Last year I did the Tour and two days later I went to watch the time trial in the Tour de Wallonie. I just love watching cycling, it’s my passion. Now in the off season I go one month to Calpe to bike myself and I give massages to some riders at home.”
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