Cycling News Roundup - 29 January 2010
Team News: BMC - Frank Crash, Ag2r to Qatar, De Backer Surgery, van Empel to
Telenet Fidea, Ale-Jet Debut in Calabria,
Cominelli ready, Cycling in the News - “The
Culture of the Car Ends Now!”, North American Handmade Bicycle Show and more...
Team BMC Racing Team
Training Camp Crash - Mathias Frank
For Mathias Frank, the training ride on Thursday into the Malibu Hills ended
unexpectedly painfully. A little past the half way mark on the five hour ride
the young Swiss rider crashed and suffered a severe case of road rash on both
legs, his right hand and a laceration on his left elbow.
“I wanted to put on my vest on the descent when a gust of wind blew me
off balance and I crashed. At the moment everything hurts but these things
happen“, Frank summed up after his unfortunate fall.
Lucky escape: Mathias Frank is able to manage a smile after his crash in the
Malibu Hills. Photo by
Georges Luechinger BMC Racing Team)
From a medical point of view one thing is noteworthy according to team doctor
Max Testa: “Even though Mathias wore a Bell helmet, he still hit the ground very
hard. Nevertheless, he was able to remember everything that happened before and
after the crash. This is a very good sign and eliminates the possibility of a
concussion.” Sufficient rest is now the top priority for Mathias Frank. “He will
be under surveillance for the next 24 hours and then we will decide if further
examinations may be necessary”, Testa explained.
Skil Shimano
Bert De Backer to undergo surgery
Skil-Shimano’s Bert De Backer will undergo surgery at the Máxima Medical Centre
in Veldhoven, Netherlands on 22 February. The 25-year-old is suffering from a
twisted artery in his left groin. Team-mate Kenny van Hummel had a similar
operation at the end of 2007.
A twisted groin artery restricts the blood flow to the leg. In the event of
effort, that may result in a lack of oxygen, causing acid to build up in the
muscles faster than usual. De Backer is not expected to be back in racing shape
until the summer.
Best wishes to Bert De Backer for a quick and complete recovery from the Daily
Peloton staff and readers.
Ag2r la Mondiale
Squad named for Tour Tour of Qatar and Oman
Vincent Lavenu has chosen the riders to represent the team at the Tour of Qatar
will be held from 7 to 12 February next followed by the Tour of Oman February 14
to 19.
The composition of the Ag2r la Mondiale for these two tests:
Riders:
• Julien Berard
• Ben Gastauer
• Kristof Goddaert
• Sebastian Hinault
• Lloyd Mondory
Christophe • Riblon
• Nicolas Rousseau
• Gatis Smukulis
Directeur Sportif: Arturas Kasputis
2010 Ag2r
la Mondiale Team Profile
2010 UCI Road
Calendar - ProTour Schedule
2010 ProTour -
UCI Registers 17 ProTour Teams
Lampre-Farnese
Vini
Season Debut in Calabria
Calabria will be the land of the seasonal debut of Lampre-Farnese Vini, that
will take part in Calabria Challenge (30 January-2 February).
Alessandro Pettachi ready for his first race in the blue & fucsia colors of
Lampre
Photo © 2010 Lampre/Farnese Vini
On Saturday start his first race wearing blue-fucsia jersey and it will be
the first time in Saronni's team also for Bernucci, Bole, Hondo and Pietropolli.
Pietropolli will aim to win again the overall standing of the race, already
conquered in 2008. In the team, directed by the duo Bontempi-Vicino, there will
be also Bono, Da Dalto, Lorenzetto, Ponzi and Righi.
In Lampre-Farnese Vini staff there will be mechanics Baron and Biron,
masseurs Bertolone, Capelli and Napolitano and driver Bozzolo.
Sport director Fabrizio Bontempi introduced the race in this way: "Challenge
Calabria will be for our team an interesting starting point that will allow to
our cyclists to begin the season in challenging way. For the first time we'll be
able to appreciate the group of riders that will support Petacchi in the sprints
and we'll observe some athletes such Ponzi and Pietropolli that are already in
excellent condition. A victory will be the best way to start the season".
Team Saxo Bank
Michael Mørkøv And Alex Rasmussen Second In Berlin
Thursday night, Team Saxo Bank's Mørkøv Michael and Alex Rasmussen
took on the 99th edition of the six-day race in Berlin where they are preparing
for next week's six-day race on home ground in Ballerup Super Arena in
Copenhagen which hopefully will be boiling with cheerful supporters.
The first night in Berlin would be a test for Michael Mørkøv who has
struggled with severe pain in his knee since he crashed during the six-day race
in Rotterdam fourteen days ago. However, the knee passed the test and the Team
Saxo Bank couple even took an impressive second place.
"It was a huge relief for me to be able to get through the first night of the
race. To be honest, I was a bit nervous tonight, because I was not quite sure if
my knee would stand the pressure. The knee has been aching for the last two
weeks and mentally is has been frustrating period. But we were flying tonight
and took second place overall, "says a relieved Michael Mørkøv who praised his
partner, Alex Rasmussen.
"Alex is really strong and has obviously gained a lot of strength on the
training camp at Playitas with Team Saxo Bank. He has great stamina and is fast
by nature. Now, I will spend the first days in Berlin to get started but as last
night progressed, I think that we are in the race for more than just having to
follow through.”
Telenet Fidea
Micki Van Empel Transfer
SP Ruddervoorde winner and 6th placed UCI racer Micki van Empel from Holland
will be racing for Telenet Fidea Cycling team next season. The under 23
cyclocrossracer has made an agreement with his current team ZZPR Destil Prolease
Merida.
Micki Van Empel
Van Empel currently in Tabor for the WC with the Dutch National Team is
very motivated, says his manager Jeroen van
Dinther. The young ace hopes to develop the following 2 years at Telenet Fidea
to become one the leading Dutch cyclocross elites.
TX Active-Bianchi
Cristian Cominelli ready to face the Worlds in Tabor
Italian Cristian Cominelli will represent TX Active-Bianchi team at the UCI
Cyclo-cross Under 23 World Championship in Tabor - Czech Republic, on Saturday
January 30.
Following the Italian national title and outstanding results in the UCI World
Cup series, Cominelli is ready to face the most important event in his winter
racing-schedule. TX Active-Bianchi rider, who finished fourth at the 2009 World
Championships, is aware his condition is good and he is really looking forward
to the race with faith.
The talented rider, who will ride his special Bianchi D2 Cross Carbon Concept
in Tabor, showed he was on form at the recent World Cup in Hoogerheide (Ned) and
will be at his best for the tough World Championship cross race on Saturday.
“We completely rely on Cristian – Team Manager Massimo Ghirotto said, and he
knows he can do well. The support from the whole team, the sponsors and
Italcementi will give him extra motivation. With some luck, he will make it hard
for the other competitors”.
Cycling in the News
Steve Bauer launches Canadian cycling team; aims
to compete against world?s best
Canadian cycling legend Steve Bauer is confident that a predominantly home-grown
team he helped found will one day compete at the Tour de France, but cautioned
it will take time, effort and more money to grow his vision into a reality. A
group of 15 riders was unveiled as part of a gala ceremony Thursday at the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto. The team, comprised of 13 Canadians, an American and
one rider from Mexico, will compete across North America and in Europe this
year.
"We're going to grow this team into the future with a vision that we believe
that we can take it to the top," Bauer said. "And there's no reason why we
shouldn't stand here all together and think we should go halfway. We should aim
for the Tour de France. We should aim for the top."
It will not be cheap. With travel expenses, salaries and support staff, Bauer
said it could cost as much as $10-million annually to move in the circles of
other elite teams at the Tour de France.
Bauer raced at the Tour de France 11 times, and wore the fabled Yellow
Jersey, given to the race leader at the end of a stage, 14 times. He said his
team will have to grow its budget to have similar success.
"We have to be realistic - not all of these athletes on the stage today will
make it to the big leagues, or go to the Tour de France," Bauer said. "But I
believe, within their midst, there are athletes on our team that have the
opportunity, given the opportunity to grow their talents."
More here.
Collegiate Cycling - Club hosts criterium
The UA Cycling Club is hosting New Mexico, NAU and ASU this Saturday at the
fourth annual UA Criterium, which is sponsored by Fair Wheel Bikes. It is the
first cycling race of the season.
Last year, the UA Cycling Club won the Southwest Collegiate Cycling
Conference and placed fourth overall at the Collegiate Road Nationals, finishing
the cycling season ranked ninth in the nation for all cycling fields, which
included road, mountain and cyclo-cross. This year’s team is looking to build
upon last year’s success and to gain visibility.
“We have one of the best collegiate teams in the country,” said sophomore
public health major Chloe Forsman, a three-time collegiate mountain bike
national winner. “We are the most competitive team in our conference and are one
of the most competitive teams nationwide. A lot of the motivation for the (UA
Criterium) is to give the club visibility and the sport visibility in Tucson.”
Over 200 participants, both collegiate and non-collegiate, are expected to
race. “There will be a lot of action,” said sophomore engineering major
Jack Andrews, who will be racing for the first time as a member of the UA
Cycling Club. “I want to do well. I’ve put in about 3,000 miles in the past four
months.”
The collegiate racing begins at 2 p.m., but the non-collegiate racing starts
at 9 a.m. The course, over a mile in length, includes a false flat and six
turns. The start/finish line is located at the Warren Avenue and First Street
intersection of the UA campus.
Read the complete article By Jaime Valenzuela in the
Arizona Wildcat.
First Nations cyclist carries Olympic torch to set
an example
Sport has always been a major part of Elijah Buffalo's life, so when he got the
chance to run with the Olympic torch, he leaped at it. But if he had his
druthers, the university graduate from Nanaimo, B.C., would have been doing
wheelies on his bicycle.
The 26-year-old, who has grown up both in Nanaimo and as part of the Samson
Cree Nation in Hobbema, Alta., has a dream of setting up a First Nations cycling
team for two reasons.
Firstly, he wants to help First Nations youth. Secondly, there is quite
simply almost nothing he would rather do than cycle. Now living in Nanaimo, he
collects bicycles. He likes to fix them. He likes speeding on them. He pretty
much likes everything about them.
"I like endurance sports, seeing how far I can go, seeing the land in a
personal way by touring the countryside," said the shy athlete before picking up
the torch. "I like the race."
He was running partly to expiate the ghosts of his First Nations past. He
said there have been various issues in his life because of the effects of
residential schools and colonization. Buffalo doesn't want to go into those
issues. He has worked hard to train as an athlete, to succeed in school and to
set an example. He wants other First Nations youth to do the same.
He feels that initiatives such as cycling teams would cut down on rampant
rates of diabetes among First Nations people and encourage them to live a
healthier lifestyle
Read the article in the
Ottawa Citizen
Los Angeles Councilman Rosendahl: “The Culture of
the Car Ends Now!”
Declaring "The culture of the car ends now!" City Councilman Bill Rosendahl
invoked the Cyclists' Bill of Rights
and took a giant leap at pursuing a city ordinance that would prohibit the
harassment of cyclists. He drew applause from council chambers as he articulated
several examples of the behavior that he wants to forbid on the streets of Los
Angeles.
1. Knowingly throwing a projectile or discharge at or in the direction of any
person riding a bicycle:
2. Threatening any person riding a bicycle verbally or by use of his/her vehicle
for the purpose of injuring, frightening or disturbing the person riding the
bicycle;
3. Knowingly placing his/her vehicle within 3’ of a bicyclist while passing or
following;
4. Making physical contact with a bicyclist from a moving vehicle or the roadway
either by physical person or use of an implement;
5. Knowingly placing a person riding a bicycle in concern of immediate physical
injury;
6. Knowingly engaging in conduct that creates a risk of physical injury or death
to the person riding a bicycle.
As cyclists offered testimony of their experience riding the streets of Los
Angeles, they were echoed in their concerns by members of the City Council who
agreed that the City needs to do more to support the cycling community.
Councilman Ed Reyes recounted his experience as a child getting hit by a
motorist as he rode his bike.
Councilman Rosendahl reminded the council of the Mandeville Canyon Road-Rage
incident that brought the issue of harassment of cyclists to the forefront.
Councilman Paul Koretz stood in support and declared "We need to send a clear
message."
Read the article by Stephen Box on
City Watch
Brisbane, Australia - New Cycling Bridge Completed
Once opened, the would give cyclists a direct link from the Rocks Riverside Park
at Sinnamon Park, along Kooringal Drive to Mt Ommaney Drive, which ran around
the river to Westlake. The bridge spans a road reserve which was never built and
in the early days of the suburb near a popular swimming spot for children.
Mothers Andrea Rogers and Sarah Piper said it would be advantage for their
children, who would be able to ride to school across the bridge without using
the main road to Jindalee State School. The bridge, part of a $4 million bikeway
project equally funded by the State Government and Brisbane City Council, will
be opened in late February.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the project was part of $100 million he
planned to spend on improvements to Brisbane's bikeways during this Council
term. "Brisbane now has over 900 kilometres of bikeways and it's my plan to use
this money to expand the network even further, as well as filling in the missing
links like this one," he said. Before this four-year term, Brisbane City Council
spent $25 million on bikeways over four years.
Read the article in the
Brisbane Times.
NAHBS Headed for High Exhibitor Turn-Out at
Richmond, Va. Show
Custom bike builders active in slow economy
The world's number one custom bicycles show, the North American Handmade
Bicycle Show (NAHBS), looks set to surpass 2009 exhibitor attendance against an
economic backdrop in which mass market cycling industry sales are tending to be
down by 10-20%. 109 exhibitors had signed up for the Richmond, Virginia, show by
1/13/2010, and with several late entries expected, the final figure is expected
to top 120, while there were 113 at Indianapolis last year.
The 2009 show in Indianapolis enjoyed a large crowd turnoutThe high water
mark for exhibitors was 154 at Portland, Oregon, in 2008. Anything in excess of
113 exhibitors would be the second largest turnout in the show's history.
According to NAHBS founder and director, Don Walker, "The overall picture
says a few things. First, it's not all doom and gloom for the handmade industry,
our sector of the market is alive and well. Sure, it's not an easy economy
overall, but a lot of the builders now know that active promotion in a down
economy is the strongest sign that their business is solid and here to stay.
Which brings me to the third point: NAHBS is THE place to be. It continues to be
the show where our exhibitors know they will get the most media exposure in the
highest-profile publications, and the greatest number of consumer interactions
that lead to sales."
Visits to the NAHBS website are showing healthy pre-show signs, with January
figures about 100% up over December 2009. Web site visitors from 69 countries
have checked to see the lineup of builders exhibiting. Average visit duration is
an impressive five minutes with seven page views.
Nine countries are represented at this international show, including:
Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, United
kingdom, and of course USA. See related item in newsletter #4
"With the international builders comes international media coverage, and so
goes the profile of the show," said Don Walker. He added, "With 45 daysElegant
lines by Italian builder, Tiziano Zullo. remaining until the doors open to the
greatest show of handmade bicycles on planet Earth, one thing is for certain:
Richmond, Virginia will be rockin' and rollin' with the best bikes anywhere.
As noted in an earlier press release, new builders will be offered a table at
this year's NAHBS. Of the 15 tables offered to new builders, seven remain
available. Interested builders should contact Don Walker donwalkercycles@aol.com
to apply.
Tickets to the show may be purchased online at
www.handmadebicycleshow.com and
cost $15 in advance, compared to $20 at the door. multi-day tickets carry even
greater savings. And $12 tickets are available to groups of 40 and up. Tickets
to the renowned NAHBS seminars - the greatest information exchange anywhere
about custom bicycle building - cost $150 and include a three-day pass to the
show and a NAHBS T-shirt. A separate Business of Frame building seminar costs
$85 and covers all the Do's and Don'ts for new and established builders.
Shimano Signs as NAHBS Title Sponsor
Leader bicycle components maker positions itself at forefront of Handmade Market
The North American Handmade Bicycle Show Inc., owner of the world's
leading custom bicycles show, has signed a one-year title sponsorship deal with
Shimano American Corporation., the world's leading bicycle components
manufacturer. The correct title of the event is now: Shimano North American
Handmade Bicycle Show.
NAHBS founder and show director, Don Walker, said, "Shimano has long been an
industry leader, and I am thrilled to have them come on board as the title
sponsor of NAHBS! Shimano's involvement with NAHBS started at our San Jose show
in 2006, and they are one of two major players that have been with us
consistently since then. Their dedication to innovation and their support of the
independent framebuilder is second to none. I couldn't be happier that they
wanted to step up their involvement. I hope this relationship will continue to
blossom for years to come!"
Having been involved either as an exhibitor and lower-level sponsor of NAHBS
for many years, Shimano recognizes the value in supporting the steadily growing
handmade community through this show. NAHBS has served as a contact point for
input and feeback from the myriad framebuilders - both commercial and hobbyists
- who attend the show. Shimano welcomed the opportunity to step up to the role
of leading sponsor.
Shimano's brand manager Dustin Brady, said, "We are excited to once again be
a supporter of NAHBS and see what gems these talented framebuilders have
created. The show provides a grand stage for some of the world's greatest
framebuilders to showcase their unique works of art, and our commitment to this
event helps support our customers in their creative endeavors. NAHBS also allows
us to interact with the public and demo our advanced component systems like Dura-Ace
Di2 and Ultegra, which customers can of course equip on their bikes."
The Shimano sponsorship includes the Shimano Bike of the Day story for the
NAHBS blog during the show, which will put the spotlight on innovative or
stylish use of Shimano products in show bicycles.
About NAHBS - The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is the world's number
one custom bicycles show, and moves from city to city each year. It is scheduled
for February 26 -28, 2010, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The show
is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art
form is the bicycle. It aims to be a meeting point-online and in person-for
frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of
ideas, and the promotion of a special industry with a rich history dating back
to 1819. Since its first year in 2005, NAHBS has grown from a show with 23
exhibitors and 700 attendees, to 150 exhibitors and 7200 attendees. For more
information, see
www.handmadebicycleshow.com
About Shimano - Headquartered in Irvine, California, Shimano American
Corporation is a member of global Team Shimano and along with its world-renowned
subsidiaries, offers the consumer outstanding sport-related products and
apparel. Shimano is proud of its staff; diverse in talent, interests and
backgrounds. Shimano is an ISO14001 certified business where environmental
compliance and continual improvements are part of daily business philosophy and
operations.
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