Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Important upcoming racing, according to UCI revised calendar:
- August 1: Strade Bianche
- August 5-9: Tour of Poland
- August 8: Milano-San Remo
- August 12-16: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 1-3:
Vuelta Asturias - May 1:
Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt - April 22-26: Digital Swiss 5
Niki Terpstra out of hospital after high-speed motor-pacing crash
Here's the update from Cycling Weekly:
Niki Terpstra is out of hospital after a high-speed motor-pacing crash.
The 36-year-old was training behind a scooter in the Netherlands last week when geese walked in front of him, causing a crash.
Terpstra was left in intensive care with a collapsed lung, a concussion, broken ribs and a broken collarbone.
Niki Terpstra before the crash, surging in the 2020 Het Nieuwsblad. Sirotti photo
But the Total Direct Energie rider has been released from hospital sooner than expected. His wife Ramona told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “The recovery is going better than expected.”
Last week, Ramona explained how the crash happened: “In an effort to avoid the crash he dived at high speed, went off the road and flew into a deep ditch through the embankment where he landed with his chest against a boulder.”
Terpstra was taken to hospital by air ambulance after he crashed on the embankment between Lelystad and Enkhuizen.
His Total Direct Energie team said on Twitter: “After a heavy fall in training today, our leader Niki Terpstra was rushed to the hospital.
“Despite severe injuries, he is conscious and out of danger. The whole team wishes to support him. Courage Niki, we are thinking of you.”
It’s still too early to say when Terpstra will be back to racing, but he had been targeting the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix on October 19 and 25.
SEG Cycling said on Twitter: “Good news on father’s day – Niki Terpstra leaves hospital today and can start recovery at home. We kindly ask everyone to give our champ and his family all the rest and privacy they need in the coming period.”
Terpstra has suffered a number of nasty crashes over last two seasons, having suffered a severe concussion in the 2019 Tour of Flanders and then being forced to skip Paris-Roubaix.
You can read the entire story here.
Bike market skyrockets, with sales up 75% in April
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News sent me this:
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (BRAIN) — U.S. cycling sales through all retail channels grew 75% in April to a total of about $1 billion in retail sales for the month, according to The NPD Group. NPD said April was the first month since NPD began tracking the cycling market that sales have reached $1 billion in a single month. Typically, April sales fall between $550 and $575 million.
The company said bikes for family use, and neighborhood riding and lower price-points showed the strongest year-over-year sales gains. Lifestyle/leisure bikes grew by 203%; front suspension mountain bikes were up by more than 150%, and children's bikes increased by 107% for the month. Accessories sales also grew, including helmets (up 49%), water bottle cages ( up 60%), and bike baskets ( up 85%).
"For far too long the cycling industry has been solely focused on the pinnacle athlete, but these results show that a broader, family and beginner focus can reap gains. This is a silver lining, and one of the important sports retail lessons to come out of the pandemic," said Matt Powell, NPD's sports industry advisor.
You can read the entire story here.
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