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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, December 31, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare. - Sun Tzu

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross
• Nov 5: European Cyclocross Championships
• Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
• Oct 28: Superprestige Ruddervoorde
• Oct 22: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaanse Druivencross
• Oct 12 - 17: Tour of Guangxi
• Oct 15: Japan Cup
• Oct 15: Veneto Classic

Here's the report from fourth-place Fem van Empel’s Team Jumbo-Visma:

Fem van Empel has not been able to secure victory in the final cyclo-cross race of 2023. In Hulst, the Netherlands, the world champion had to chase for the entire race. The victory went to Puck Pieterse.

Puck Pieterse wins in Hulst. UCI photo

Van Empel chased Lucinda Brand and Ceylin Alvarado for most of the race. After Van Empel's victory in Gavere, she had to settle for fourth place. Van Empel fought back to the front in the closing stages but could not take her 13th win of the year. In a thrilling duel for bronze, Brand proved to be slightly quicker.

"I slipped off my pedal at the start”, Van Empel said. "I lost a few places and had to chase immediately. I was able to make up a few places, but I couldn't get back to the front. I don't want to use it as an excuse, but my body still feels far from optimal due to various ailments. It's a combination of a knee injury and recovering from a cold. At this level, you have to be one hundred percent to fight for victory. The competition is in good shape, so that you can't get far at half-strength. But I can only praise my mental resilience because I didn't let my head down and kept fighting.”

On New Year's Day, Van Empel will race in Baal.

Mathieu van der Poel takes yet another win. UCI photo.

Brief results:

Men:

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 59min 52sec
2. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 12sec
3. Lars Van Der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 20sec
4. Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 30sec
5. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) @ 43sec

Women:

1. Puck Pieterse (Fenix Deceuninck) 51min 5sec
2. Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) @ 6sec
3. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 12sec
4. Fem Van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) @ 6sec
5. Sara Casasola (FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti) @ 1min 58sec

Here’s the team’s news:

The new design blends elements of the last two annual designs for the program’s first year as a standalone Women’s World Tour team.

The 2024 race kit. Photo: Team Human Powered Health

The Circuit Sport-designed, Pactimo-made Flyte jersey, black Flyte bib shorts, and Flyte one-piece suit will debut in competition at the Santos Tour Down Under on January 12. 

A side-by-side implementation of the Human Powered Health mark anchors the chest above Thorne which steps into a more marquee placement for 2024. A larger version of the Human Powered Health logo is used on the back of the jersey, helping fans pick out the athletes from an overhead shot. And in a new touch for 2024, a subtle pattern of “wavelengths” adorns the pockets.

We wanted a full spectrum of color from every viewing angle. Logos across the kit receive more prominence. Partners Factor Bikes, Black Inc, Wahoo Fitness, Goodyear Bicycle Tires and Zwift feature as “part of the design”, according to Chief Creative Officer Sam Wiebe.

“Our art director Emily [Saint.Onge] and I have designed kits together for a long time, and we have developed a great process together,” said Wiebe. “This year, the logos themselves being very forward, feeling like part of the design, was something we focused on. As well as tweaking our trademark gradient to feel more vibrant and balanced.”

The rich, sweeping warm-to-cool color gradient, meant to represent Human Powered Health’s Pillars of Performance, is maintained on the new kit with some subtle changes.

Here’s the report from Merlier’s Team Soudal-Quick-Step:

Tim Merlier added another national title to his palmares: after becoming Belgian Road Race Champion on two occasions, the 31-year-old won the Belgian Beach Race Championships, held on the penultimate day of the year over a relentless 52km course in Bredene.

Tim Merlier on his way to winning another championship. Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Images

One of the best sprinters in the world, with more than 30 victories under his belt since turning pro, Tim showed that he came at the start meaning business and attacked just minutes into the race, forcing a selection. Only a handful of riders could follow the furious tempo pushed by Merlier, who continued to make the difference on the dunes with each kilometer ticked off.

In the end, it came down to a battle between Tim and Soudal Quick-Step teammates Jordi Warlop and Bert Van Lerberghe, and the multiple Grand Tour stage winner prevailed thanks to an impressive burst of speed in the final meters to take the gold medal. Another Soudal Quick-Step rider, Tim Declercq, came home in seventh place, making it a truly memorable Saturday for our squad.

“The start was hard, but I felt good and tried something from the beginning. The peloton got whittled down on the demanding circuit, and on the penultimate lap it was just three riders in front: myself, Jordi and Bert. We could keep our positions and fight for the medals, and I’m happy with taking the top spot after a fantastic day of racing. It feels good to end the year like this and to be joined on the podium by two great teammates”, a clearly delighted Tim said.

Here’s the team’s update:

Gijs Van Hoecke will bring his experience to team Intermarché-Wanty for at least the next two seasons. The 32 year old Belgian rider completes the World Team for 2024, in which he will start his thirteenth season as a professional rider.
Formed on the track, Gijs Van Hoecke became madison world champion in Melbourne in 2012, at the age of twenty. In the same year he participated to the Olympic Games in London.

Gijs Van Hoecke racing at the 2019 Tour of California. Photo: Ray Rogers

The rider born in Ghent progressively turned his focus to road cycling, until stepping up to the World Tour with LottoNL-Jumbo. As part of the sprint train of Dylan Groenewegen, he launched his Dutch teammate almost ten times to the victory.

As a classics specialist he participated in eighteen Monuments, among which a 21st place in Paris-Roubaix 2016. He is also very appreciated for his role as a loyal teammate, for example alongside Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet in Team CCC and AG2R-Citroën.

"I knew the functioning of the structure of Intermarche-Wanty thanks to my good contact with the riders and I knew it was the perfect environment for me. There's a perfect balance between the continuous search for performance-oriented investments and maintaining a friendly atmosphere. I attach a lot of importance to these principles. I have a lot to offer to this World Team and I'm very happy to receive the opportunity to show it. This is a new step forward in my career. After my years with LottoNL-Jumbo, where I raced alongside finishers as Dylan Groenewegen or Danny van Poppel, I'm very much looking forward to play again a role in a the lead out of talented sprinters. I'm also pleased to contribute to the classics team. I participated to the first winter training camp of Intermarché-Wanty in December. I want to become a smooth link of their chain as soon as possible by acquiring the automatisms of their sprint trains and organisation. From then on I can share my experience with the young talents. I want to experience as many unforgettable moments as possible with the Intermarché-Wanty family!" - Gijs Van Hoecke

"Gijs Van Hoecke has the profile we were looking for to reinforce our team for 2024. He has a solid experience in the classics and the sprint trains and is also known as a model teammate. With his professional approach and his positive and serious attitude, he will add value and experience to our group of young talents. His arrival enables us to evenly spread our experimented riders across our sprint trains and parallel competition programmes. The past couple of months, we've been working hard to reach a perfect balance between experience and youth in our trains, and I'm delighted that a rider of Gijs Van Hoecke's calibre will complete our puzzle." - Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager)

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