Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do. - Galileo
Current racing:
- September 22: Paris-Camembert
Upcoming racing:
- September 24 - 27: UCI World Road Championships
- Sept 27 - Oct 5: Tour of Portugal
- September 29 - Oct 3: BinckBank Tour
- September 30: La Flèche Wallonne
Latest completed racing:
- August 29 - Sept 20: Tour de France
- September 15 - 19: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 19: Giro dell'Appenino
- September 17: Coppa Sabatini
- September 16: Giro della Toscana
- September 7 - 14: Tirreno-Adriatico
Reports: French police search Nairo Quintana’s room during Tour de France
VeloNews posted this:
Reports in the French media say French police searched the room of Nairo Quintana and key teammates last week during the Tour de France.
As first reported Sunday in the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, and confirmed by L’Equipe, members of an investigative team of the French gendarmes searched the hotel of Arkéa-Samsic on Wednesday in Méribel after the decisive summit finish at Col de la Loze.
Nairo Quintana heads to the start of Tour stage 12. Sirotti photo.
Arkéa-Samsic team manager Emmanuel Hubert confirmed the report, but would not offer further comment to L’Equipe.
According to reports, the police were not searching rooms of the entire French team, but rather targeting team leader Quintana, his brother, Dayer, and teammate Winner Anacona. Rooms of two soigneurs and team cars were also searched. It’s unclear if any suspicious products were found.
You can read the entire story here.
Team Sunweb's upcoming races
The team sent me this schedule:
Paris-Chauny (classique), SEP 27
Bennie Lambregts - Team Sunweb coach:
"Paris-Chauny is a brand new race for us and it looks set to be a tough and action-packed one. Looking at previous results the race can either be decided in a bunch sprint or by an attacking breakaway going on to fight for the win. We arrive with a good mix of riders, and there is a confidence in the team after our recent TTT win in Ronde de l'Isard. We have lots of options to go on the attack, where we will aim to make sure that we have representation in any race winning breakaway. If things come down to a sprint in the end, the guys will work to set up Niklas for the finish."
Line-up:
Leo Hayter (GBR)
Leon Heinschke (GER)
Niklas Märkl (GER)
Marius Mayrhofer (GER)
Tim Naberman (NED)
Vegard Stokke (NOR)
Hannes Wilksch (GER)
BinckBank Tour: SEP 29 - OCT 3
Marc Reef - Team Sunweb coach:
"The BinckBank Tour is a race that is made for good all-round riders, with its tricky parcours. Every day we need to be sharp if we want to get a good GC result as the wind can play a role at any time and with the varied terrain, we normally see lots of attacking racing. The time trial on stage two and the last two days in the hills of Limburg, the home of our Keep Challenging Center, and Flanders will go a long way in deciding who will win the race. We arrive with a strong line up where we look to a good GC result with Jasha and two-time Tour de France stage winner Søren, while Alberto will be our sprinter for the fast finishes. Our line up is completed by Asbjørn, Florian, Max and Nils who will bring the needed support for our leaders in the race."
Soren Kragh Andersen is going straight from riding a superb Tour de France to racing the BinkBank Tour. Sirotti photo
Line-up:
Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Alberto Dainese (ITA)
Nils Eekhoff (NED)
Max Kanter (GER)
Florian Stork (GER)
Jasha Sütterlin (GER)
Xandres Vervloesem and Sylvain Moniquet to join Lotto Soudal
The team sent this:
Team Lotto Soudal recruited two more young talents for their WorldTeam. Belgian riders Xandres Vervloesem (20) and Sylvain Moniquet (22) have signed for the Belgian team on a two-year deal. Both riders did excel in last week's Ronde de l'lsard, a stage race in the French Pyrenees. In yesterday's final stage, race leader Moniquet lost his yellow jersey to his future teammate Xandres Vervloesem. Four years after Bjorg Lambrecht, Lotto Soudal again won the overall in the Tour de l'Isard, as well as all other classifications.
"Honestly, I am pleasantly surprised", explains Xandres Vervloesem. "I knew from my period as a junior that I can climb, but this was just my second race in the real mountains in two years as U23. I've ended the dream of Sylvain Moniquet, but that's sport. For the moment Sylvain is still riding for Groupama-FDJ Continental Team. Henri Vandenabeele and me, we tried to isolate Sylvain in that last stage and we succeeded. Next year, Sylvain and I will work together, but now we don't. To win this prestigious stage race is good for my confidence and a nice thank you towards my future team. They've contracted me, based on my good test results. Even before l'Isard..."
As a junior rider, Vervloesem won the Overall in the Ain Bugey Valromey Tour and finished 4th overall in the Giro della Lunigiana as well as in the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt, where he won the mountains classification as well. In his first year as U23 a kidney infection ruined his season. Corona thwarted 2020 until now.
Also Sylvain Moniquet is a climber. Last week he excelled in the Ronde de l'Isard on Port de Balès, Hospice de France, Col du Chioula, Ax-3-Domaines and Col de Latrape and wore two days the leader's jersey.
"Just a bad day on the last day. I really wanted to win, but that's sport. I can live with Xandres as overall winner. We know each other from the national team", said Sylvain Moniquet.
Earlier this season, Sylvain Moniquet finished 8th overall in the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc. Last year he won the Triptique Ardennais and was 6th overall in the Tour de la Paix.
"After my third year as U23, I had the opportunity to join a UCI ProTeam but I preferred to wait one year longer, hoping that a WorldTeam would have faith in me, which happened. I am ready for this new step in my career and I am really happy to join Lotto Soudal. I know the other young riders, I speak some Dutch and I am prepared to work hard for the big guns of the team. My time will come later. It's an exciting opportunity and one that I feel has come at the right time."
"We plunged into our own market to sign talented young riders", said Lotto Soudal General Manager John Lelangue. "It's a deliberate choice to rejuvenate the team and to focus not only on the classics but on stage races as well. We needed some more climbers. With Harm Vanhoucke, Viktor Verschaeve, Filippo Conca, Sylvain Montiquet and Xandres Vervloesem we aim to get results in the medium term. Earlier we've recruited Sébastien Grignard as well. It's nice to see that the Lotto Soudal Development Team of Kurt Van de Wouwer functions extremely well. Now we savour the fruits of his hard work."
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