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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, November 11, 2021

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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. - Wayne Gretzky


Olympics 50 Craziest Stories

Upcoming racing:

Latest completed racing:


Les Woodland's book The Olympics' 50 Craziest Stories: A Five Ring Circus is available as an audiobook here.

2022 Giro D'Italia Route announced

Here's the link to the 2022 Giro d'Italia page. More info is coming.

2022 Giro d'Italia

2022 Giro d'Italia map

Young Swiss talent Alexandre Balmer enters the WorldTour with Team BikeExchange

The team sent me this announcement:

Former U23 Swiss Time Trial champion Alexandre Balmer will make the step up into the WorldTour peloton next season, signing a two-year neo-pro contract with Team BikeExchange.

The 21-year-old has already shown his talents across various disciplines, winning the gold medal at junior level at the Cross-Country MTB World Championships and the European MTB Championships in 2018. In the same year Balmer also took the silver medal in the Junior European Road Race before narrowly missing out on a medal at the Junior Road Race World Championships, finishing in fourth place.

The Australian outfit is pleased to be able to assist Balmer with this next step in his career and is intrigued to see what the Swiss rider can achieve given his diverse skillset and winning mindset. Balmer is aware of what it takes to make it in the WorldTour peloton having worked with former GreenEDGE rider Michael Albasini at the Swiss Cycling Federation.

Brent Copeland, General Manager on Balmer:
“With Alexandre we believe that we have signed a very talented rider for the future. He is going to be the youngest rider in our men’s roster and the first year will be all about learning how we work at GreenEDGE cycling and what the WorldTour level is all about. Time is his advantage, and we’ll make sure that he has all he needs to improve race by race.”

Alexandre Balmer:
“I have always watched the Tour de Romandie, which passes in front of my house and how my national coach, Michael Albasini, used to win stages of the race regularly. Now I am starting to realise that I will have my place in the big bus that I was fascinated by when I was younger.

"Team BikeExchange was also a part of the integration of a mountain biker (Nino Schurter) into road cycling years ago and I'm proud to be able to do the same, coming from a mountain biking background.

"Our first goal is to continue my development and as soon as possible, to reach the level of the best in the world on the road. I know that the team will be there to support me with road cycling and also on the project of the Olympic Games in the mountain bike discipline.”

Alexandre Balmer
Date of birth: 4th May 2000 (21)
Nationality: Swiss
Joins Team BikeExchange: 2022
New Contract: 2022 & 2023

Top Results:
1st 2021 Alpes Isere Tour – Youth Classification
1st 2020 Switzerland Time Trial Championships – U23
2nd 2021 Ronde de l’Isard stage
3rd 2021 Giro del Belvedere
5th 2019 Switzerland Time Trial Championships – U23
11th 2021 Tour de Vendee
1st 2018 European Championships XCO - Junior
1st 2018 Mountain Bike World Championships - Team Relay Cross Country
1st 2018 Mountain Bike World Championships - Men's Olympic Cross Country - Junior
2nd 2018 UEC Road European Championships - Junior
1st 2018 Switzerland Time Trial Championships - Junior
1st 2018 Switzerland Road Race Championships - Junior
1st 2017 Switzerland Time Trial Championships - Junior

Dorel reports its Sports division saw revenue decline 1% in Q3 ahead of sale to Pon

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:

MONTRÉAL (BRAIN) — Dorel Industries reported sales of $304 million in its Dorel Sports division in its third fiscal quarter this year, a 0.6% decline over sales in the same period last year.

Pon Holdings has agreed to buy Dorel Sports for $810 million; the sale is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Dorel Sports includes Cannondale, GT Bicycles, Schwinn, Mongoose, Caloi and other bike brands.

"Consumer demand for all bicycles remained high, however supply chain disruptions and a shortage of components impacted sales through the quarter," the company said.

For the Sports division, organic revenue (excluding the impact of exchange rates) was down 1.2% in the quarter. Operating profit was $43.1 million, compared to $24.2 million last year. Over the first three quarters of the year, sales were up 14.4% over last year.

Dorel Sports "continues to see strong demand and is navigating the same issues as our other segments. The sale process continues to be on track for closure in the first quarter of 2022. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Sports segment employees for their contributions to Dorel and for their on-going support of the sale process," said Dorel's president and CEO, Martin Schwartz.

You can read the entire story here.

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