Bicycle Racing News and Opinion:
Sunday, June 7, 2015

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Today's Racing

The Tour de Luxembourg is currently running. Sunday is the race's final stage, Mersch - Luxembourg, 156 kilometers.

Sunday the 7th is the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Stage 1 is 131.5 not-terribly-challeging kilometers going from Ugine to Albertville.

Bradley Wiggins Successful World Hour Record Attempt

Update: Bradley Wiggins has unofficially smashed the World Hour Record, going 54.526 kilometers in an hour at sea level, adding an incredible 1.589 kilometers to the record. Wiggins rode smoothly, beautifully the entire time. The air density was higher today, slightly slowing Wiggins, keeping him from his goal of 55 kilometers.

Written before the attempt:

Currently, the World Hour Record is 52.937 kilometers (32.89 miles), set by Alex Dowsett in Manchester, U.K, on May 2, 2015.

Bradley Wiggins will make an attempt on the record Sunday, the 7th of June. There is talk of Wiggins going 55 kilometers. If he does, it will be an astonishing feat and create a record that should stand for a long time.

The attempt is going to be available on YouTube. There is a countdown clock on the Youtube video. You can watch the attempt on our homepage, which has the video (with the clock as I write this) near the top of the page. I think the countdown clock means the attempt will start a little after 10AM Pacific time, Sunday, the 7th.

Bradley Wiggins racing at the 2015 Paris-Roubaix

 

2015 Tour de France

This year's Tour de France, the 102nd edition of the race, starts in less than a month, July 4, to be precise. I've got my 2015 Tour de France page ready. I've posted maps and profiles for every stage, plus each stage has all of its rated climbs listed.

I've got results posted for every Tour de France stage since the first edition of the race in 1903, plus complete final results for every year.There's lots and lots more Tour info on our site. Go here to start digging.

Jacques Anquetil, the first rider to win the Tour five times, leads the peloton up the Col de Tosas in stage 16 of the 1957 Tour, the first Tour Anquetil won.

Linus Gerdemann remains Tour de Luxembourg leader

André Greipel won the stage while Linus Gerdemann finished safely tucked in the peloton.

Cult Energy sent this Luxembourg report:

The main objective during today’s 161.3 kilometer long third stage of Tour of Luxembourg from Eschweiler to Diekirch was to defend the overall lead. In spite of a tenacious effort from solo escapee, Rodolfo Torres, Cult Energy Pro Cycling managed to hold on to the leader's jersey after catching Torres on the finish line.

Seven riders formed the early break but no one was really threatening Linus Gerdemann in the GC. Cult Energy Pro Cycling accepted the responsibility of charging the chase and the escapees were held on a short leash. Entering the local hilly circuit in Diekirch, several teams with different interests joined forced on the front of the field. The increasing pace in both field and breakaway had consequences in both groups and ultimately, only Rodolfo Torres (Colombia) had the stamina to challenge the chasing herd of stampeding field.

But on the very final meters of the stages, the Colombian was swept up and the German super sprinter, André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) took another stage win while Cult Energy Pro Cycling's Christan Mager finished 5th. Linus Gerdemann was well-protected throughout the stage and retains the overall lead before tomorrow's final challenge.

André Greipel wins Tour de Luxembourg stage 3.

DS, Luke Roberts reports: "It was actually a pretty messy start of the stage with narrow roads and lumpy terrain but the boys demonstrated sound judgement of the situation and eventually let seven riders go in a break. I wouldn't call it a day in the office, but the chase never became chaotic. We wanted to hold them close in order to maintain control and the boys worked hard throughout the day on the front to keep the front group in eyesight. Christian Mager did a lot of work in the first part of the stage but still he had enough left in the tank to pick up a nice result for himself. Linus finished safely in the bunch and holds on to the jersey. Tomorrow's stage will be tough in the beginning with several steep climbs but the way the boys are riding and the strength they're showing, we'll have a pretty good chance of putting the overall win in the pocket tomorrow," says Roberts.

Velocio-SRAM will be at Philadelphia Sunday

The team sent this note:

Philadelphia, USA -  6 June, 2015 - The next round of the UCI Women's World Cup is in Philadelphia tomorrow, Sunday 7 June, with the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.

The 115km race is made up of six laps of a 19.2 kilometre circuit and finishes at the top of the famous Manayunk Wall. The finish climb, with grades of up to 17% is likely to create opportunities for splits in the peloton or breakaway moves. Alena Amialisuik, winner of the recent Winston-Salem Cycling Classic expects a tough race. "This year it is a World Cup so the competition of course is going to be harder. Last year I did this race, it also finished on the top of the steep climb, and I was fourth. This team has won the Philadelphia Classic the last three years in a row so I am very excited to be racing Philadelphia on Velocio-SRAM this year!!

Team Director Sportif Beth Duryea says the race will be interesting. "Even with international teams competing in previous editions, when it was the Liberty Classic and a flat finish off Kelly Drive, it still always came down to a bunch kick at the final. In the last two years it has finished on top of Manayunk wall, and although it wasn't a World Cup, it again still came down to a bunch in the final. This year, with a stronger field combined with finishing on top of the climb, we may see a different style of racing. I think it will be great for spectators and it's wonderful it's a World Cup again."

The roster for Velocio-SRAM for the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic will be Alena Amialiusik, Loren Rowney, Karol-Ann Canuel, Tiffany Cromwell, Tayler Wiles and Elise Delzenne.

Alena Amialisuik will be at Philly

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