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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, June 4, 2020

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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. - Thomas Merton

Plato's Phaedo

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Team Sunweb sign talented German youngster Marco Brenner

Here's the team's news release:

Talented youngster and multi-discipline German champion Marco Brenner will join Team Sunweb in 2021, signing a four year deal to the team’s Men’s program until the end of 2024.

Marco Brenner

Marco Brenner

In 2019 Brenner exploded onto the scene, both in the German domestic races and in international Nations Cup races. Ending the year with a phenomenal tally of 20 wins plus several other jersey titles, Brenner marked his name as one of the riders to watch for the future. As German time trial and road champion, Brenner is a versatile rider and he’s taken GC victories at difficult races such as Oberösterreich Juniorenrundfahrt and Tour du Pays de Vaud. Brenner is not only a capable racer on the road but he’s also current German cyclocross champion, with excellent skills and technique on the bike. Brenner is keen to continue his development and progress with the team.

“Team Sunweb has a great track record of helping young talents to progress and I like that the team will give me time to develop and that we share the same goals for the future,” said Brenner. “The main goal is to make consistent steps and continually learn from everyone around me – this is the perfect environment for me to be able to do so. The team’s approach to 100 percent top sports is something that really appeals to me and I fully want to commit to it. I look forward to working with the experts from the team to become the best bike rider I can possibly be at Team Sunweb.”

Team Sunweb head coach Rudi Kemna added:“Marco really impressed us at our Deutsche Talent-Tage, performing excellently in our tests and standing out in workshops. In 2019 he showed that he can transfer those test results into superb race results and we see him as one of the biggest young talents in the peloton. Marco’s also very ambitious and driven, which fits well with the team’s environment. With his young age in mind, we will gradually work on his development together, constantly monitoring the process with a well-balanced racing program. We are confident that with our experts and Marco’s natural talent, that this is the best environment for him to take the next step in his development.”

Bicycle retailers deal with looting in aftermath of George Floyd protests

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News posted this:

LOS ANGELES (BRAIN) — Some bicycle shops nationwide suffered theft and damage over the weekend in the wake of the George Floyd protests that flared into riots in some cities.

One retailer, Jay Wolff, who owns five shops in the greater L.A. area, lost about 40% of his overall inventory over the weekend from the I. Martin Bicycles location on Beverly Boulevard.

"Most of the stores were hit around I. Martin," Wolff said. "There wasn't a store that really wasn't touched. And the graffiti ... It's horrible. It looks like a war zone."

I. Martin suffered "north" of $130,000 in inventory loss, including several e-mountain bikes ranging in price from $10,000-$12,000. "Obviously, inventory was a little low because we've been partially open because of COVID and staffing," he said. "They were taking anything they could get their hands on."

Wolff said there were thousands of protesters along a mile stretch of Beverly Boulevard. The store has roll-down gates but some don't go all the way down and were vulnerable to entry. He said one of the front doors was broken before he and others boarded it and left for his Helen's Cycles Santa Monica, California, location.

"We were watching the protesters go by, and then an hour or two after dark — I guess they went in right after dusk — because I'm getting multiple alarms (notifications), so we left Santa Monica to go protect it. We jumped out of the car and people were taking stuff out. And we stopped the bleeding. And then the cops arrived. It was crazy."

That experience taught Wolff an important lesson.

"Don't wait. Be prepared to protect your store and protect your people."

On Sunday night, he and others in the neighborhood, including armed guards, converged on the Santa Monica location.

"They (looters) were circling us," Wolff said. "We were only blocks away from (the main unrest in Santa Monica). The looters were literally not even 200 yards away. We had a lot of support from our neighborhood, our community. We were on the roof and at the front door and at the back. If we didn't have the show of protection last night at Santa Monica, we would've had some damage and looting big time."

Wolff said he's had break-ins before at the Helen's Cycles' Marina del Rey, California, location, but this weekend's experience was like none other.

"This is probably the most upsetting and challenging thing," he said. "We're on Beverly Boulevard, and all along Beverly to Fairfax (Avenue) were thousands of people. A mile stretch of Beverly and there were thousands and thousands, and cars on fire."

Floyd, 46, died in police custody a week ago after being arrested. While handcuffed, he was pinned on the ground by three white officers with another placing a knee on his neck. Floyd was black.

You can read the entire story here.

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