Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. - Alexander the Great
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Upcoming racing:
- January 17 - 26: Tour Down Under
- January 25 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
- January 25: Ruta de la Cerámica - Gran Premio Castellón
- January 26: Classica Comunitat a Valenciana 1969
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
Latest completed racing:
- January 3: X20 Trofee Koksijde-Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Cross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- December 27: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
Here’s the team’s news:
Team Picnic PostNL are pleased to reveal that Melvin Rulliere will join their coaching staff for next season. A former rider on the competitive French domestic club racing scene and at the Continental level, Rulliere has recently been plying his trade as a coach with the successful CC Étupes team. Making the step over to Team Picnic PostNL, he will work closely with the Men’s program and is looking forward to the challenge.
The team in its 2025 racing kit.
Rulliere expressed: “I’ve learned a lot from my time as a rider and in my different coaching roles and I’m looking forward to this new challenge. In my most recent role with CC Étupes there was a lot of focus on development and bringing the younger guys up in level; both on and off the bike. That’s something that is very similar here at Team Picnic PostNL and it gives me a lot of energy. I think I will bring a lot of enthusiasm to the coaching group and I’m excited to learn from my more experienced colleagues and the team in general. I’ve met most of the group already and things have gone well, so I’m excited to properly get underway for the 2025 season.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Melvin is a very energetic and enthusiastic person. He has shown so far that he is very keen to listen and learn from everyone around him but also share his knowledge too. Melvin brings some good experience with him after working with younger riders at his previous teams, so he will work more closely with the younger guys in our Men’s program; where we aim to continue to make steps with the group that we have.”
Continuing about the coaching structure in general Kemna added: “With Melvin joining, we’re happy to confirm that our coaching line-up for the 2025 season is complete. We have a good core group of coaches that have been together for some time and the new guys that have come on board recently have brought their own attributes and qualities. I believe each of the coaches brings the rest of the group to a higher level and all our qualities complement each other. We’ll continue to function together in our current structure across our three programs, focusing on different riders’ specialisms, as we look to make the next steps as a team.”
“We also want to thank Kelvin Dekker and Luke Roberts for their time, efforts and energy throughout their tenure with the team; and wish them the best of luck with their next adventures.”
The team’s coaching line-up is as follows:
Asbjørn Kragh Andersen
Roy Curvers
Callum Ferguson
Christian Guiberteau
Rudi Kemna
Bennie Lambregts
Pim Ligthart
Melvin Rulliere
Joey van Rhee
Albert Timmer
Phil West
Matt Winston
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There the report from their Arkea B&B Hotels team:
The eagerly-awaited 2025 French Cyclo-cross Championships lived up to their promise. Amandine Fouquenet and Clément Venturini won on the Coët-Roz circuit in Ponchâteau.
Amandine Fouquenet:
"When I was crowned champion here in 2021, I wasn't expected to win at all. It was a bit of a surprise, whereas this year, like my competitors, I had the status of favourite. I had to accept that, and that makes me happy to win. The last lap was quite close and hard-fought. I managed to open up a gap, but my rivals managed to come back on me in the final. I believed in myself, but during the sprint I started to have doubts. But as I went into the sprint in the lead, I had no choice but to go for it. That was the right strategy.
Amandine Fouquenet wins the French cross champs. Photo: Pastrick Pichon/FFC
"I'm delighted with this win, it's a great victory. I was under pressure to get a result, but I was able to handle it and come out on top. I'm over the moon. I had my doubts in the sprint against Célia Géry because I know she's fast. The French Championships were a physical and psychological battle. I was there physically. After that, tactics at a National Championship are always different from other events. Maybe I attacked too hard from the start. I needed a breather. Hélène Clauzel attacked, and at one point I kept a bit more under the pedal. That enabled me to finish well on the last lap, and bring home victory for the Arkea B&B Hotels team.
Clément Venturini:
This 7th success in a French Cyclo-cross Championship, paradoxical though it may seem given the number I've already won, is a great relief. In 2024, I joined the Arkea B&B Hotels team, and the title was contested on Breton soil, which is also that of Emmanuel Hubert's team. I was under a lot of pressure there. This year I haven't had the results I'd hoped for in the last few cyclo-crosses, and it's been far from easy. Arkea B&B Hotels puts a lot of faith in the cyclo-cross discipline. This success is a just reward for our partners and Emmanuel Hubert. Pontchâteau means a lot to me, I have great memories here. I wanted to do my race. My heart was in my throat at the start. I thought about my wife and my soon-to-be-born son, and the last few laps were a bit for her and for him.
Emmanuel Hubert, General Manager:
Cyclo-cross is a discipline that offers a great media showcase during the winter period for a professional cycling team, and when the French Championships come around, it gives the Arkea B&B Hotels team the opportunity to aim for the best performances in the elite women's and men's events, with Clément Venturini and Amandine Fouquenet. Pontchâteau 2025 and this magnificent French Championship has fulfilled our wildest dreams with two titles for our partners, Arkea and B&B Hotels. This is a very happy moment for all of us and it also allows us to start the 2025 season under the best possible auspices for both men and women. The cyclo-crossmen and our cyclo-crosswoman have opened the 2025 season in the best possible way, now it's up to the road racers to take over.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Team Bahrain Victorious is delighted to announce the establishment of its official Under-23 (U23) Development Team, marking a key milestone in the team’s commitment to developing young talent in cycling and setting them up for success as they look to enter the WorldTour.
Since 2022, Team Bahrain Victorious has partnered with Cycling Team Friuli (CTF) U23 to support rider development, achieving great success in identifying and developing promising young talents such as Jonathan Milan, Fran Miholjević, Žak Eržen and Nicolò Buratti, to name a few. Starting in 2025, the CTF U23 structure will fully integrate into Team Bahrain Victorious and operate as the Bahrain Victorious Development Team, officially serving as the primary development pathway for emerging talents aiming to progress to the UCI WorldTour (WT) team.
This change will provide young riders with enhanced opportunities to grow within the professional cycling ecosystem. The Bahrain Victorious Development Team will work closely with the WT team, enabling riders to train, race, and learn alongside seasoned professionals. This includes participation in select non-WorldTour classified races, creating an integrated and immersive development experience.
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Vladimir Miholjević, Team Bahrain Victorious Performance Director, emphasised the importance of the initiative:
“This transition is an important step in how we support young riders on their journey to becoming professional athletes. By integrating the U23 team into the Bahrain Victorious structure, we can offer these young talents access to advanced performance infrastructure and valuable racing experience. This setup helps them develop their skills while building a stronger connection with our WorldTour team. We believe this initiative will provide a solid platform for young riders to grow and prepare for the demands of top-level cycling.”
While the CTF U23 team transitions to its new role, Cycling Team Friuli will continue its grassroots efforts in the Friuli region, focusing on the other youth categories, as well as the Masters and amateur categories.
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