Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
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2020 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
The audiobook version of The Story of the Tour de France, Volume 1 is available.
Neither can the wave that has passed by be recalled, nor the hour which has passed return again. - Ovid
Current racing:
- June 26 - July 18: Tour de France
Cancelled & postponed races:
- May 21 - 24:
Tour of Norway - May 22:
Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic - June 6:
Rund um Köln - June 16:
Halle-Ingooigem - June 16 - July 1:
Tour of Austria/Osterreich Rundfahrt
Latest completed racing:
- July 27: GP di Lugano
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- National time trial and road race championships
- June 15: Paris- Camembert
- June 6 - 13: Tour de Suisse
- June 9 - 13: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 10 - 13: La Route d'Occitanie
- May 30 - June 6: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 4: GP Kanton Aargau
- May 8 - 30: Giro d'Italia
Peter Sagan undergoes successful knee surgery
Sagan’s Bora-hansgrohe team sent me this news:
After his withdrawal from the Tour de France Peter Sagan underwent a small surgery at home in Monaco. The three-times World Champion is feeling well and will be able to be back on his bike soon.
Peter Sagan finishing stage three, after his crash. Sirotti photo
“First of all, I'd like to thank the BORA-hansgrohe management, the team's doctors, and in particular our Head Doctor, Christopher Edler, for their support and guidance since my crash on stage 3. Secondly, I'm so grateful for all the get-well messages that I received from my teammates, friends, and fans from all over the world. They are greatly appreciated. On stage 3, the chainring hit my knee and entered the skin above the patella, leaving a deep wound. We cleaned the wound as much as possible to prevent infection because of the dirt from the chain oil. However, after a few days, an inflammation developed in the bursa on top of the patella, and, unfortunately, I had to abandon the Tour. Also, I'd like to thank the doctors and medical staff at IM2S clinic in Monaco for performing an excellent surgery on such short notice and for their great cooperation with the team's medical staff. I already feel a lot better and everything looks good so far.” – Peter Sagan
“We did everything possible on site at the Tour but even antibiotic treatment couldn’t prevent an infection. The only option was to stop racing and get the bursa surgically removed. Luckily it was only superficial infection, and the knee joint is not involved in this at all. The surgery went well, and I think Peter will be able to start with light training again in a couple of days.” – Christopher Edler, Head of Medical
Team DSM's upcoming racing
The team sent me this schedule:
Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc: JUL 16-18
Bennie Lambregts - Team DSM coach
"This year's edition of Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc takes place over three very challenging and difficult stages in the mountains. With two extremely hard mountain top finishes and a descent to the line in the opening day, it will be a real test for the peloton. We line up with a strong team and it will be a good experience for our Development program to race on tough terrain. It will help their general development, but also their race craft in terms of how to race in the mountains, as we look to protect Henri who will be our designated finisher, as we aim for a good GC result in the race."
Line-up
Gianmarco Garofoli (ITA)
Leo Hayter (GBR)
Oscar Onley (GBR)
Pepijn Reinderink (NED)
Henri Vandenabeele (BEL)
Volta Limburg Classic: JUL 18
Roy Curvers - Team DSM coach
“Volta Limburg Classic is a race on 'home roads' as the parcours is close to where our Development program lives, at the Keep Challenging Center in Sittard, so all of our riders are familiar with the surrounding area. With the route taking place on the small and winding roads, we hope that this will be a big advantage for us. This year the start list is of a really high quality with a lot of World Tour and Professional teams participating, so we expect a tough race. Our goal for the day will be to ride an attentive race and be present in any dangerous moves that go clear, while in the final we will aim to set up Leon and Marius who are in their natural habitat on these punchy hills."
Line-up
Leon Heinschke (GER)
Enzo Leijnse (NED)
Marius Mayrhofer (GER)
Tim Naberman (NED)
Martin Salmon (GER)
Vegard Stokke (NOR)
Hannes Wilksch (GER)
Deceuninck-Quick Step to become Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team in 2022
Here’s the team’s announcement:
Quick-Step, the reference in laminate, wood and vinyl floors, follows up on the announcement of an extended partnership with Patrick Lefevere’s team with some exciting news. Next season, the team’s name will officially be Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team.
Deceuninck-Quick step (shown at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier this year) is getting a name change for 2022. Sirotti photo
After recently extending its partnership with Belgium’s top cycling team for another six years – until 2027 – long-time sponsor Quick-Step has exciting news to add. “We’re very pleased to continue our decades-long sponsorship of the Wolfpack, and also very excited to link our Alpha Vinyl flooring product range to the team through a new name”, asserts Ruben Desmet, President of Unilin Flooring, the company behind the Quick-Step brand.
“The Quick-Step brand is, of course, linked to laminate flooring solutions, but we offer much more – including high-quality vinyl flooring”, Desmet continues. “Market demand is booming for vinyl, and Quick-Step wants to dominate this market, like we do for laminate flooring."
Texas-based group acquires majority share in parent company of Cinelli, Columbus
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:
MILAN, Italy (BRAIN) — Asobi Ventures Inc. acquired a majority share of Gruppo Srl, the parent company of bike brand Cinelli and tube manufacturer Columbus. The companies did not disclose transaction terms.
In partnership with Asobi Ventures, Cinelli and Columbus plan to expand their presence with the bike dealers globally while building on foundations established in accessories and apparel, they said.
Cino Cinelli in what I believe is a pre-war photo.
Asobi Ventures is run by the family of Victor Luis and based in Austin, Texas. Luis has led the development of several luxury and premium brands globally across Asia, North America and Europe. He served as CEO and is on the board of directors of Tapestry Inc. — formerly known as Coach Inc. — from 2014 to 2019, where he led the company’s transformation into a New York-based house of brands including Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman.
“It’s hard and challenging to hand over 100 years of legacy and of great satisfaction,” said Gruppo owner and president Antonio Colombo. “I did so when I recognized in Victor Luis the perfect understanding of my vision of merging cycling with art, design, culture, technology, and competition, combined with an undisputed and proven managerial and organizational ability.”
Gruppo Srl dates to 1919, with the founding of Columbus tubing — formerly A.L. Colombo — also a producer of steel tubes for aviation and modern furniture. Cinelli was founded in 1947 by former Italian professional racer and champion Cino Cinelli, and the Cinelli Supercorsa is the oldest bike model still in production in the world.
You can read the entire story here.
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