Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, January 16, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
A well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. - Alexander Hamilton
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.
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
This bad news is from Hamilton’s Team Picnic-PostNL:
After crashing on the final day of team camp in December, Chris Hamilton underwent swift surgery on his collarbone. After initially progressing in a positive direction, unfortunately in the last few days, Chris has suffered a setback in his recovery, and he is unable to start in his home race at Tour Down Under. Gijs Leemreize will replace Chris.
Chris Hamilton
Team Picnic PostNL doctor Camiel Aldershof provides an update: “Chris’ recovery was going well; he has been back outside on the bike for a couple of weeks, and we were quite positive that he could start next week at the Tour Down Under. Unfortunately, over the last few days he has suffered a set-back and is now in quite some discomfort. We will conduct further assessments on him, and there is a chance that he requires a re-operation on the collarbone.”
Team Picnic PostNL Tour Down Under coach Matt Winston said: “We are really disappointed to not have Chris on our line-up, as is Chris himself. As an Australian this race means a lot to him personally, and he is a guy who would have really brought value to our GC goals here in the race. We know that both our medical team and Chris have done all they could to try to get him to the start line but with the pain that he is in, it’s important that Chris takes a step back to recover and refocus on his next key block. With Gijs as our replacement, we still aim to take on the GC with Oscar as our finisher and go for it in the sprints with Tobias. Obviously, Gijs’ preparation for the race in terms of heat acclimatization and jet lag has not been as optimal as we would have liked, but he is fresh out of a successful training block in Calpe with the team and we are confident that once he has settled in, he will be of great value to our goals here in Australia.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
The image of Stevie Williams raising his arms in the air on the Mount Lofty summit finish, in the leader’s ochre jersey, to secure the stage win and overall 2024 Santos Tour Down Under victory won’t be forgotten easily. Not only did it signal the start of Williams’ breakthrough year, it was his and IPT’s first WorldTour stage race win.
Stevie Williams winning stage 6 of the 2024 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
Fast forward one year and Williams is back and more motivated than ever to join IPT Sports Director Daryl Impey as a back-to-back winner. Touching down today in Adelaide after a training block in New Zealand, Williams takes confidence from his stellar 2024 season with all eyes on the first race of the season.
“I’m very much looking forward to returning to the Santos Tour Down Under for the second time after a successful race for our team in 2024,” says Williams. “I come back now with extra motivation and, hopefully, we can have a similar outcome to last year. Obviously, that would be perfect.
“Bike racing is tough though and there’s a quality field here, so I’m expecting a tough six days in Adelaide. The course seems to have gone back to a more traditional route this year, without Mount Lofty, but it’s definitely hard enough to be good for our team.”
While Williams will enjoy the support of his six teammates, IPT goes into the race with multiple options. Canadian champion Mike Woods returns to the race for the fourth time, having previously finished twice in the top-ten, and will be joined by countryman and debutant Pier-André Côté.
New Zealander Corbin Strong will be targeting the sprint finishes following narrow misses in his first two participations while George Bennett adds depth and experience to the roster, alongside home soil heroes Simon Clarke and Nick Schultz.
“We’re excited to be back here at the Santos Tour Down Under, even more so as the defending winners,” explains Head Sports Director Sam Bewley. “The race organization has done a great job designing a really dynamic route this year that we believe suits the team we have brought here. Of course, we plan to try to win the race again with Stevie Williams but with the depth we have in our team, there are possibilities and opportunities for us throughout the week. We want to kick off 2025 with success here in Australia so we’re looking forward to getting started.”
IPT at the Santos Tour Down Under (January 21 – 26)
Rider roster: George Bennett (NZL), Simon Clarke (AUS), Pier-André Côté (CAN), Nick Schultz (AUS), Corbin Strong (NZL), Stevie Williams (GBR), Mike Woods (CAN)
Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (NZL), Daryl Impey (RSA)
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Here’s the team’s news:
The Frenchman will start his season in February.
Valentin Paret-Peintre has always been someone who admired our team, even before joining the Soudal Quick-Step ahead of this season. The 24-year-old from Annemasse, a small town in the Haute-Savoie department, grew up watching Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert write history on the cobbles, and even though he isn’t a rider made for the northern classics, this hasn’t stopped him from dreaming that he would one day ride for our team – in his own words, “one of the legendary squads in the history of the sport”.
Valentin Paret-Peintre wins stage 5 of the 2024 Tour of the Alps.
This dream finally became reality, but Valentin will have to wait a few more weeks before pinning on a number in a race, as he is scheduled to get his campaign underway at the Muscat Classic, the one-day race that precedes the Tour of Oman. After his outing in the Middle East, the Frenchman will return home to continue the preparation for his European debut, which is set to take place on home soil, at the Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic, the two hilly races scheduled on back-to-back days.
“I look forward to this new season. I had a great welcome from all the guys in the team, and after just a few weeks, I feel the atmosphere of a family and I am happy to be part of it. I’m just a couple of weeks away from my first race of the year and can’t wait to get things started.”
“It will be my first time in Oman and I think the route it’s quite good for me and the team to do something nice there. Ardèche and Drôme are the other races where I will go for the first time. It’s always nice to ride in your home country and I think it will be a good test before the first big goals of March. I hope to be in good shape, I am motivated and excited to have a solid start with Soudal Quick-Step”, said Valentin, who is currently in Calpe, for the team’s second training camp of the winter.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Intermarché-Wanty is pleased to announce a new partnership with CEMA Bearings, a leading manufacturer of high-quality ceramic bearings for the cycling industry.
This collaboration will provide the Cube bikes and Shimano bottom brackets of the World Team and Continental Development Team Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz with CEMA’s premium bearings, with the aim of optimising performance and reliability throughout the season. In addition, the team’s mechanics will also use CEMA’s specialised tools.
CEMA Bearings has a proven track record of delivering exceptional products, with a focus on precision engineering and high-quality materials. Their commitment to innovation and quality aligns perfectly with Intermarché-Wanty’s pursuit of continuous optimisation of the riders’ equipment. CEMA Bearings’ product line is increasingly used by professional cycling teams and has already contributed to victories in prestigious races, further strengthening their reputation for excellence.
"We spent months intensively testing various bearings, but it wasn't until we came across CEMA Bearings that we were convinced of the superior quality. In addition to the quality of the ceramic bearings themselves, the excellent sealing also stands out. The ease of installation, thanks to the screw system that can be tightened properly, and the reliable, creak-free performance are exactly what we were looking for. We are therefore very enthusiastic about this new collaboration." - Mikey van Kruiningen (Head of Equipment)
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