Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, October 1, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- Oct 1: Giro dell'Emilia
Upcoming racing:
- Oct 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
Latest completed racing:
- Sept 29: Coppa Agostoni
- Sept 18 - 25: World Road Championships
- Sept 13 - 17: Tour de Luxembourg
- Sept 17: Primus Classic
- Sept 17: Memorial Marco Pantani (cancelled)
- Sept 16: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- Sept 15: Coppa Sabatini
- Sept 14: GP de Wallonie
- Sept 14: Giro della Toscana
Here’s the news from Evenepoel’s Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:
Remco Evenepoel will compete for the first and only time this year in the rainbow jersey at next week’s Binche-Chimay-Binche, one of the most spectacular one-day races of these closing weeks of the season. The combination of hills, cobblestones and narrow roads on the local circuit always spices things up and could see the 198.6km race come to life early, especially as many will try to prevent the sprinters from being in the mix at the end.
We'll see Remco Evenepoel race in his Rainbow Jersey next week. Sirotti photo
“I am really looking forward to riding in my new jersey in front of my home crowd for the first time, but I also can’t wait to race one last time with Iljo [Keisse]. He has been a great influence on my career, he guided me ever since turning pro, and we will miss his presence, his wise words and experience in the peloton next season. But until then, we have one more outing together and we are determined to show the Wolfpack spirit in front of our fans”, said the fourth rider in history to win a Monument, a Grand Tour and the Worlds in the same season.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s squad for Binche-Chimay-Binche will also include French Champion Florian Sénéchal, Stijn Steels, 2014 winner Zdenek Stybar, as well as neo-pros Martin Svrcek and Stan Van Tricht.
“We know the route very well, and the key will be the local laps, but it will all depend on the weather. As things stand at the moment, it’s going to be rainy and windy, and this could change the race. But the riders are motivated, we have several guys who can do something interesting on this course, and we’ll do everything in our power to get a good result”, explained sports director Rik Van Slycke.
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Here’s the race organizer’s announcement:
John Lelangue joins the “Czeslaw Lang Team” Tour de Pologne UCI World Tour. As a General Manager, he will close one decade and open another with a fresh look at the future of the competition.
Already Deputy Competitions Director for many years at ASO – Tour de France, Director of the Doha 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Qatar, and UCI Senior Advisor for the development of races and Urban World Championships in China, John will undoubtedly be a very valuable support for the further development of the Tour de Pologne UCI World Tour, the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix and the Tour de Pologne Juniors, as well as all the other events organised by the Lang Team for years now.
“I felt it was time to return to my roots and I needed a new challenge,” says Lelangue. “The organisation and management of races and events is a world that fascinates me and of which I am a part. It was not an easy decision to leave my role as CEO of the Lotto Soudal World Tour Team but I am really happy to join the Lang team as General Manager,” he explains.
Map of the 2022 Tour of Poland.
Son of art and with cycling in his heart since childhood, John was Head Sports Director of the BMC team from 2008 until 2013 – leading Cadel Evans to the Tour de France victory in 2011 – before joining the Lotto Soudal team in 2019 where he was both CEO and General Manager.
“I want to thank Czeslaw Lang for the trust he has shown me and for the incredible opportunity he is giving me. There are many goals that we have set for ourselves and I will put all my experience, gained over many years in cycling and events, at the disposal of my new team not only for existing events, but also to launch new ones. I am really excited about this new challenge,‘ he concludes.
The Tour de Pologne will celebrate its 80th edition this year, a number that closes one decade and adds another to the long history of a race that has always combined the culture and tradition of a people with its love of cycling. A milestone that certainly looks to the future, also thanks to this important change.
“A new season full of novelties awaits us, and we are ready and really happy to welcome John to the team, who has 10 years of experience in organising the Tour de France and other championship races.” – says Czeslaw Lang, president of Lang Team and Tour de Pologne race director. “He has a lot of experience, more than 30 years in cycling, he used to follow races when his dad managed professional teams. You can see that he belongs to this world. What’s more, he comes from Belgium, a country where cycling is almost a religion. We have a lot in common, but what unites us the most is undoubtedly a passion for cycling and what cycling represents. John will be another person with international experience in the Lang Team. We already have Italians working with us: Isabella Negri who is in charge of the radio tour, Marco Velo who is the race moderator and Austrian Ursula Riha-Kocher is teams coordinator. I am sure that his arrival will bring an additional air of internationality to our race and I look forward to our projects together,’ he concludes.
2023 will be a special year for the Tour de Pologne, with a new chapter starting. Lelangue will surely bring to the Lang Team a genuine added value to the Polish team’s already long experience in organising international events.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
The 22-year-old German has signed a professional contract with the German WorldTeam after his debut as a stagiaire.
"I am very happy that I will be able to take to the start line in the jersey of BORA - hansgrohe next year. As a stagiaire, I already received several positive insights into the team. This motivates me even more to use this opportunity to develop as a rider and support my future team in the best possible way. In any event, I’m really looking forward to the new 2023 season with Team BORA - hansgrohe." - Florian Lipowitz
"Florian has a big engine and we already became aware of him last year, but wanted to give him more time to really find his feet in cycling. With our development partner team Tirol KTM Cycling he had a very good race programme. However, Florian had a difficult season this year with some health problems. Nevertheless, we gave him a chance as a stagiaire and he was able to perform convincingly in the races for us. The potential is certainly there, it is now up to us to fully develop it." - Ralph Denk, Team Manager
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The team sent me this:
Team BikeExchange-Jayco women head to Italy tomorrow for one-day racing action with two short events, Giro dell’Emilia on Saturday and Tre Valli Varesine on Tuesday, led by a strong climbing duo of Amanda Spratt and Urška Zigart.
Returning to Europe following the recent UCI Road World Championship in Australia, the pair will be hoping to carry good form and will be joined by local Italian rider Arianna Fidanza, who gives a strong option should either races come down to a fast finish. Australian rider Jess Allen will line-up in the first event, Giro dell’Emilia before Ane Santesteban comes in for Tre Valli Varesine, giving the team another option for the hilly but short event. Dutch domestique Nina Kessler rounds out the team, lining-up for the two races.
Amanda Spratt at the 2020 Tour Down Under.
At just 89km in length, both events are expected to be explosive and raced aggressively, with Giro dell’Emilia a flat route but with a very tough final two kilometre finish heading up to the San Luca sanctuary in Bologna. The latter race, Tre Valli Varesine, is only in its second edition for the women’s peloton and is a testing hilly course suited to the climbers, which should benefit the Australian outfit’s characteristics.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Line-Up:
Jessica Allen (AUS) *Giro dell’Emilia only
Arianna Fidanza (ITA)
Nina Kessler (NED)
Ane Santesteban (ESP) *Tre Valli Varesine only
Amanda Spratt (AUS)
Chelsie Tan Wei Shi (SGP)
Urska Zigart (SLO)
Amanda Spratt:
“I’ve raced Emilia before but Tre Valli Varesine will be a new race for me. My main personal goal will be to have fun and really enjoy my final one-day races with this team. I know it’s pretty crazy to race Emilia two days after arriving back from Australia, so it will be a total lottery how the legs are there and I will see how the body feels. It usually always comes down to the final tough climb so the legs won’t lie there and we will fight all the way to the line and see what the outcome is.
"Tre Valli will feel like racing on home roads and I know the final circuit very well after living so many years there and with our team base being nearby. I think there will be good opportunities there for the whole team and a harder race should suit us well. Both races are very short for us (less than 90kms) so we will need to make the most of every opportunity.”
Andrew Smith – Sport Director:
“Giro dell’Emilia is a short, fast and potentially aggressive race with a real sting in the final. We will approach the race with an open and adaptable plan, mainly looking to give either Spratty or Urška an opportunity in the final. We have a strong team and remain open for others to take their chances under the right circumstances.
"The short, hilly nature of the Tre Valli Varesine course gives us an opportunity to use the versatility of our team to give us options. We aim to give Ane Santesteban some freedom, whilst supporting Arianna Fidanza in a situation where there is a bunch finish.”
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