Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- Oct 4: Tre Valli Varesine
- Oct 4: Binche-Chimay-Binche
Upcoming racing:
- Oct 6: Gran Piemonte
- Oct 6: Paris-Bourges
- Oct 8: Il Lombardia
- Oct 9: Paris-Tours
Latest completed racing:
- Oct 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
- Oct 3: Coppa Bernocchi
- Oct 1: Giro dell'Emilia
- 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
The team sent me their schedule:
Gran Piemonte: OCT 06
Pim Ligthart - Team DSM coach
"The second race of our Italian triple header, we're looking forward to taking on Gran Piemonte. It looks to be an interesting parcours and with a difficult climb in the last 60 kilometres, it can go two ways: either a reduced bunch sprint or a strong group drifts away. We will be prepared for both scenarios. Marius will be our finisher if it comes to a sprint while guys like Andreas and Chris can opt for an offensive final."
Andreas Leknessund (shown at this year's Arctic Race of Norway) will race the Gran Piemonte. Sirotti photo
Line-up:
Romain Combaud (FRA)
Mark Donovan (GBR)
Chris Hamilton (AUS)
Andreas Leknessund (NOR)
Marius Mayrhofer (GER)
Martijn Tusveld (NED)
Henri Vandenabeele (BEL)
Tour de Romandie Féminin: OCT 07-09
Albert Timmer - Team DSM coach
"The Tour de Romandie will be the last race for the Women's program in 2022. The peloton will face a hilly first stage with around 2000 altitude metres, a mountain top finish on stage two, and a flat third stage, which offers some options too. We could see an attacking race or a sprint of a bigger group that day. We have a strong team, with Liane and Juliette as our cards in the fight for a nice GC result, and we aim to finish the season well."
Line-up:
Francesca Barale (ITA)
Juliette Labous (FRA)
Liane Lippert (GER)
Floortje Mackaij (NED)
Elise Uijen (NED)
Il Lombardia: OCT 08
Pim Ligthart - Team DSM coach
"We're looking forward to taking on the final Monument of the season at Il Lombardia. This season the race will go from Bergamo to Como with a very demanding first 120 kilometres and a brutal final 60 kilometres, which makes this year's edition of Il Lombardia a very difficult one. We enter the race with a full squad that is ready and motivated to give it their all in their last race of the year. We will look to race aggressively towards the final and will leave everything out on the road."
Line-up:
Thymen Arensman (NED)
Romain Bardet (FRA)
Marco Brenner (GER)
Mark Donovan (GBR)
Chris Hamilton (AUS)
Andreas Leknessund (NOR)
Henri Vandenabeele (BEL)
Paris-Tours Espoirs: OCT 09
Bennie Lambregts - Team DSM coach
"Paris Tours U23 is a great race to conclude the season for our Development program. We have had some strong results in the past at the race and are aiming to be in the mix again this season. It will once again be a tough day in the saddle with a tricky parcours that includes some hills and gravel. We are going to approach the race offensively and we have a nice line-up at the start, who can perform this style of racing well."
Line-up:
Tobias Lund Andresen (DEN)
Enzo Leijnse (NED)
Lorenzo Milesi (ITA)
Oscar Onley (GBR)
Max Poole (GBR)
Paris-Tours Elite: OCT 09
Wilbert Broekhuizen - Team DSM coach
"We are looking forward to the last race of the season at Paris-Tours. It is always a nice race to finish the year with some climbing parts scattered throughout while in the final there are several off-road sections on the menu too which will split the race up. We go there to race aggressively as a team, with several cards to play depending on how the race unfolds, and hope to end our 2022 campaign on a high note."
Line-up:
Pavel Bittner (CZE)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Nils Eekhoff (NED)
Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (DEN)
Niklas Märkl (GER)
Marius Mayrhofer (GER)
Casper van Uden (NED)
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We posted the report from winner Olav Kooij's Team Jumbo-Visma with the results.
Here's the Bora-hansgrohe report:
A mostly flat racing course and a starting list with many big names – several experts described this year’s edition of the Münsterland Giro as the unofficial world championship of the sprinters. But that’s not the only reason why BORA – hansgrohe started with high ambitions into the one-day race around the German town Münster: The half-classic also marked the end of the season on home soil for the squad from Raubling, that’s why a strong result was the big goal of the day.
The 206-kilometres-long course was mostly dominated by a breakaway of four riders, which could build up a maximum lead of three minutes. However, the escapees were caught with 20 kilometres to go, thanks to the work of the sprinter teams. Hereafter, BORA – hansgrohe prepared the finale for Sam Bennett, who entered the home straight in a good position. Unfortunately, the sprint was very hectic and Sam couldn't push with full power since he had to avoid a crash. In the end, he finished 5th, a few metres behind the Dutch winner Olav Kooij.
Olav Kooij wins the race
From the finish line:
“We were hoping for bad weather and strong winds since those conditions usually create a very difficult race here at the Münsterland Giro. Unfortunately, there was no wind at all, so it was pretty clear from the beginning that the race would end in a bunch sprint of a big peloton. Accordingly, the finale was very chaotic. We have nevertheless given our best and tried to bring Sam in a good position onto the home straight, but he was sandwiched between two riders and couldn’t sprint with full power. Luck was not on our side today.” – Rolf Aldag, Sports Director
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We posted the report from winner Davide Ballerini's Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl with the results.
Here's the report from fourth-place Matteo Trentin's UAE Team Emirates:
Matteo Trentin was just off the podium in 4th spot in the mass sprint at the Coppa Bernocchi in Italy today.
The 191km based in and around Legnano was won by Davide Ballerini (Quickstep- Alpha Vinyl) in a sprint finish.
UAE Team Emirates were ever-present in the attacks with Alessandro Covi and Marc Hirschi making-up an elite seven man breakaway which held a slender lead over the peloton right up until the final 10km. This group would come back together on the flat run-in to the line with Trentin just off the podium in the final gallop.
Davide Ballerini wins the race. Matteo Trentin is on the left. Getty Sport photo
The action continues in Italy tomorrow with the 101st edition of the Tre Valli Varesine (196km).
Trentin: “We had a very strong team and attacked the race in the final. We were very active getting in all the moves on the circuits but it all came back together in the end. It wasn’t the sprint I wanted but the team worked well and the legs are good for the next races.”
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Bicycle Retailer & Industry News posted this:
SEATTLE (BRAIN) — Rad Power Bikes has issued two safety notices instructing bike owners to stop riding some of its RadWagon 4 e-bikes because of a misaligned rim strip and a tire quality issue.
The first of two notes dated Aug. 31 detailed the rim strip issue that could lead to the tube blowing out, damaging the tire, and creating a fall hazard.
Rad Power Bikes then followed up with another notice dated Sept. 9 that identified a tire issue on some RadWagon 4 e-bikes that might lead to an increased risk of flats. Depending on the results of the inspection the company is asking owners to conduct, their RadWagon 4 might require replacement parts before it is safe to ride again:
- If the tire has a "smooth" sidewall, it's not affected by the notice.
- If the tire has a "ribbed" sidewall, Rad Power Bikes advises to stop riding immediately. The company will provide parts and service at no cost. If your tires are replaced, it also will inspect and, if necessary, replace the rim strip.
You can read the entire story here.
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