Friday, 31 July 2015

Phinney, Stetina to return to racing in Tour of Utah

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BMC Racing's Peter Stetina and Taylor Phinney will return to racing following lengthy rehabilitation for similar leg injuries at the 2015 Tour of Utah.

Stetina broke his tibia and patella on his right knee when he crashed into an unprotected bollard in the road during the finish of stage 1 of the Vuelta a Pais Vasco on April 6 this year.

In June, Stetina reported a breakthrough in progress after having the wiring that held his kneecap together removed, and he began to aim to return to racing before the season's end.

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Phinney's rehabilitation has taken much longer due to the severity of his injury. He has been out of competition since May, 2014, when a motorcycle stopped in his path on the descent from Lookout Mountain in the USA Cycling Professional National Championships. He suffered a compound fracture of his tibia, a disclocated fibula, shattered his kneecap, and severed his patellar tendon when he crashed into a guard rail.

Initially, Phinney hoped to return at this year's Tour of California, but had to scale back those ambitions when his recovery did not progress as quickly as he would have liked.

BMC general manager Jim Ochowicz told Cyclingnews in May that he wanted Phinney to race this season "just for confidence", with an aim at being full strength for next year's Classics.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Boonen, Gilbert, Van Avermaet certain for Belgian Worlds team

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Belgian national coach Carlo Bomans will not finalise his team for the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond until September 7, but he says that if they are on form, Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet are certain to be in the squad.

Van Avermaet is Belgium's top-ranked rider in the WorldTour rankings in 17th, thanks to his Tour de France stage victory and podium finishes in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Gilbert is only ranked 75th, behind Sep Vanmarcke, Jurgen Roelandts, Tiesj Benoot Jens Debusschere, Jens Keukeliere and Stijn Vandenbergh. Boonen, who was injured during the Classics after crashing in Paris-Nice, has since won a stage in the Tour of Belgium and the Rund um Köln.

The three Classics stars should find the Richmond course well suited to their abilities, with three short, sharp climbs on the 16.1km finishing circuit: the cobbled Libby Hill, the 12% gradient 23rd Street climb, and the 300m-long ascent of Governor Street which is inside the final kilometer.

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"Obviously, the selection will be a function of the course," Bosmans said, according to Sporza. "Boonen, Gilbert and Van Avermaet are certainties if they are healthy and willing to work towards the World Championship."

The final team will be announced on September 7, which Bomans says is earlier than most years. "The majority of the squad will opt for the [two WorldTour races in] Québec and Montréal and they need to know if they have to travel or not."

He expects to have plenty of riders to choose from in the final selection, and will likely disappoint many riders.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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News shorts: Gaviria to debut with Etixx-Quickstep alongside Cavendish in RideLondon

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Gaviria to debut alongside Cavendish at RideLondon, Contreras signed for two years

Etixx-Quickstep today announced the signing of two riders as trainees for the remainder of the season and will then continue as neo-pros for the next two years. Fernando Gaviria, 20, the reigning Omnium world champion and winner of two stages at the Tour de San Luis had already been linked to the team after demonstrating his sprint prowess in the Argentinean race.

The Colombian will make his debut with the team at the Prudential RideLondon Classic alongside Mark Cavendish, who was looking forward to racing in front of home crowds again.

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“It’s always special for me to race back in Britain," Cavendish said. "The home fans, and the noise they make supporting us, makes this race even more enjoyable to ride than a lot of races. It is a truly iconic finish, which the riders, teams and fans love too. For a British rider this is one piece of road that stirs great emotion for sure. Etixx-QuickStep also have an exciting young sprinter Gaviria racing who has a big future in the sport. Keep an eye out for him.”

Cavendish and Gaviria will be joined by Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Mark Renshaw and Fabio Sabatini in London.

Gaviria will then go on to compete in the Czech Cycling Tour and Tour of Britain with Etixx-QuickStep, in addition to racing Tour de l'Avenir with the Colombian national team.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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InCycle video: MTN-Qhubeka inspires riders from Ethiopia

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The Ethiopian Cycling Academy faces major difficulties. “The first big problem is they don’t have bikes,” says manager Jorge Quintana. But motivation for the young Ethiopians is not a problem, and particularly not after visiting this year’s Tour de France.

The Academy is new, and hoping to build up a good program, as has been done in South Africa and Eritrea.

“We want to change their lives,” Quintana said, and to that effect, brought the riders to the Basque Country for three months of European training and racing. The youngsters have had plenty of additional motivation this year. Tsgabu Grmay became the first Ethiopian to appear in a grand tour when he rode the Giro d’Italia for Lampre-Merida.

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And their major highlight was attending the Tour de France and meeting their fellow Africans from MTN-Qhubeka.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Trek covers the bases with 2016 road range

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Trek is one of a number of major manufacturers that hosts its own event to showcase new products. BikeRadar headed over to the MK Arena in Milton Keynes to ogle the latest bikes and kit.

Offically, Trek no longer observes model years, but for the sake of argument we're going to refer to new stuff as 2016. The headline is of course the new aero-everything Madone, which should appear in UK shops next month. We've covered the bike in some detail already, but this was a chance for the UK arm of BikeRadar to fondle it in person. 

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The Trek Madone RSL. So hot right now

For now, the carbon Madone remains a strictly high-end machine, with the cheapest model coming at £4,500 / $6,300 / AU$6,500. The no-holds-barred RSL version is an eye-watering £9,750 / $13,650 / AU$16,000, or you can roll your own with Trek's Project One custom programme.

Elsewhere, there aren't too many radical changes in Trek's bike offering. The new Émonda ALR aluminium bike has replaced the Madone 2 Series completely, while the carbon version is available from £1,100 / $1,650 / AU$2,000 for the S 4, all the way up to £11000 / $15,750 / AU$18,000 for the weight weenie SLR 10 build. All the lineups have undergone spec adjustments and a shuffling of paint jobs.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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Wiggins relishes special road return

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Sir Bradley Wiggins relishes a return to road racing in front of the home crowd at the London-Surrey Classic on Sunday.

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Nibali confirms Vuelta a España participation

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Italian champion Vincenzo Nibali will race in the upcoming Vuelta a España, joining teammates Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa in the Spanish Grand Tour. The 2010 winner of the race announced on twitter this Friday that he would be taking to the start line in Puerto Banus on August 22.

“Alla #Vuelta ci sarò anch'io con @FabioAru1 #Landa e tutto il @AstanaTeam che spettacolo per i nostri fans Tutti uniti per un solo obiettivo,” he wrote. “The #Vuelta I’ll be there with @FabioAru1 #Landa and all @AstanaTeam what entertainment for our fans all united for one goal.”

It’s unclear who will lead the team, although his palmarès would suggest that it will be Nibali. The Italian lost the defence of his Tour de France title this July, after a tough opening two weeks. Nibali came good though in the final few days, scoring a stage victory to La Toussuire – a result that helped him clamour back up the standings to fourth overall. Aru finished second at the Giro d'Italia in May this year, with Landa taking third. Neither have ridden since completing the Italian Grand Tour, with Aru set to make his racing return at the Tour de Pologne this weekend while Landa is down to race at San Sebastián.

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The Astana captain is not the only Tour contender to confirm for the Vuelta - Tejay van Garderen (BMC), who abandoned the Tour with illness while sitting third overall, chose the Vuelta over defending his USA Pro Challenge title. Tour winner Chris Froome (Sky) is also considering tackling the Vuelta but has not yet confirmed.

Nairo Quintana is also still undecided on the Vuelta, but Movistar will be represented by Alejandro Valverde, who took third in the Tour behind his teammate.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Porte and Kwiatkowski set to move as transfer season opens

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August 1 ushers in the official start to the cycling transfer window with teams officially allowed to announce new signings for the 2016 season.

A number of marquee signings, such as Richie Porte from Team Sky to BMC and Michał Kwiatkowski from Etixx QuickStep to Team Sky are yet to be confirmed but it appears only a matter of time before press releases from their respective new teams will be issued. Porte has reportedly signed a one-year deal with the American team, while Kwiatkowski is set to bring current national teammate Michał Gołaś along with him to Team Sky.

The market is also affected by the possible UCI reforms that will see rosters reduced in 2017, and the uncertain future hanging over Europcar, with the French team without a sponsor for next year.

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With the majority of Grand Tour leaders already with contracts for next season, the next tier down is where the majority of activity is taking place. Rigoberto Urán is still negotiating with a number of teams including Movistar, Colombia and his current team, Etixx.

Dan Martin, Lampre and Team Sky

Dan Martin’s future has yet to be decided. The Irishman has had a disappointing season thus far but has an impressive palmarès. He has an offer on the table from Cannondale-Garmin but Trek Factory Racing, Etixx-Quickstep and Team Sky have all been linked with the former Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Report: Padova investigation to close without sanctions

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After eight months, the Italian Padova investigation into Michele Ferrari and his supposed clients is set to come to a close without any further action. According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the 550-page Padova document is to be filed away without any court referrals.

"My wrongdoing was decided by only the cycling federation with an internal measure. In November, after years, the Regional Tribunal in Lazio discussed my appeal. I have also asked for compensation,” said Ferrari.

The Padova investigation came to light towards the end of last season and linked as many as 38 current and former riders to the doctor. It also looked into how riders were using image rights contracts to avoid paying tax. The evidence produced in the document came from a series of bank accounts, wire taps and house searches. Former rider Danilo di Luca also provided information regarding the system of using image rights contracts to avoid paying tax.

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T&P Sport Management in Monaco was named as the key component to this. It was estimated by the Padova files that by avoiding tax, the group generated a turnover of almost €30 million between 2010 and 2011.

Ferrari is banned from practicing and any cyclist using the Italian doctor can be handed bans – Michele Scarponi was handed a three-month ban in 2012 for using Ferrari. Scarponi’s name was one of those released by Gazzetta dello Sport late last season. Other riders named were Alexandre Vinokourov, Roman Kreuziger, di Luca, Giovanni Visconti, Filippo Pozzato, Marco Marcato, Jose Joaquin Rojas and Borut Bozic, among others.

Several names linked with the Astana team, including Vincenzo Nibali’s coach Paolo Slongo, were on the list, which came as the UCI licence commission were set to decide on whether or not to award the Kazakh team a WorldTour licence for 2015. The commission decided that the information had come too late and awarded the team a licence but looked into it once again. However, nothing came of it and the team were allowed to continue to race for the remainder of this season.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Milltag teams with Iris Slappendel on clothing line

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British company Milltag has released a new range of women’s road cycling clothing, designed and developed in collaboration with pro cyclist Iris Slappendel.

When the UCI ran a competition last year to design podium jerseys for the Women’s World Cup, they probably didn’t expect one of the professionals racing the events to win it. Slappendel, however, is no stranger to the creative process.

The Bigla Pro Cycling team-member has her own product design business, but she thought cycling kit would be "something cool to try". Her bright, distinctive jerseys got "super nice feedback" from her fellow riders; she even ended up wearing one of them herself when she won the sprint category.

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Now Slappendel has collaborated with British-based Milltag on its first full women’s collection. As a young company, Milltag pulled off a coup by winning the contract to supply podium jerseys for the Tour de Yorkshire this year. The kit was well liked by the pros, and the company is now in talks with ASO, organisers of La Course and the Tour de France, about supplying other races.

Slappendel jumped at the opportunity to work with Milltag, saying: "It was great to have all the freedom to design a kit I would really love to wear myself on the bike [without having to worry about colours or placement of sponsor logos]."

Slappendel wanted to design something "edgy and a little crazy", in keeping with her own style on and off the bike, should fit well and should be flattering. Enter the Iris Jersey and matching cap.

Milltag women’s road cycling clothing range

  • Jersey: £70
  • Bib shorts: £70
  • Cap: £15

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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Chris Froome's Tour-winning bike tech

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Team Sky is famous for its marginal gains mantra and there’s no better example of the team’s pursuit of fractional advantages than in the kit used by Chris Froome over three weeks of racing.

Here’s a look at the bikes, kit and extra tech used by the Brit to get a leg-up to the podium’s top step.

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Chris Froome’s Pinarello Dogma F8 is the workhorse he used throughout the Tour, with the exception of the time trial and cobbles stages.

An aero road bike with Pinarello’s truncated FlatBack tube shapes, the curvaceous frame is certainly fast with such a big engine atop it, but has also proved peerless in the mountains. In fact, there’s probably a marginal gain to be had in the versatility of the Dogma F8, with no time spent stressing about mid-stage bike changes like some other teams.

Once in yellow, Froome’s Dogma F8 got a fresh paint-job complete with the ‘Froomey’ nickname and a charging rhino to highlight Froome’s ambassadorship of Unite for Wildlife – a charity that raises awareness of poaching.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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New anti-creak BB options from Enduro and Wheels Manufacturing

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How ironic it is that the best solution thus far to persistent creaking in press-fit bottom bracket shells is – drum roll, please – threads! Specifically, sandwiching press-fit shells in between two precision-machined aluminum cups that thread tightly into each other has proven to be quite effective, and both Enduro and Wheels Manufacturing have now released more sizes and fitments to help keep more rides blissfully silent.

Related: The Complete Guide to Bottom Brackets

As the name suggests, Enduro’s new TorqTite PF30 Wide is designed to adapt long-spindle 30mm cranksets (such as BB386EVO, Rotor’s UBB, and some newer SRAM models) into frames that use a narrower PF30 or Specialized OSBB shell.  

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Enduro's new TorqTite PF30 Wide bottom bracket adapts wide-format 30mm cranksets into PF30 shells, firmly mounting the bearings and pushing them far outboard

Enduro will offer the PF30 Wide bottom bracket in black or red anodized finishes, both with angular contact bearings exclusively. The stainless steel version will cost US$199 / £128 / €180 / AU$272 while the ultra-durable (and very smooth running) XD-15 edition will cost US$289.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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11spd: This week's best new bike gear

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Congratulations — you have made it through another week. We're here to help you celebrate with not 10 but 11 of the best new products. This week we have six road and five mountain bike bits. Here's to the weekend!

New road gear

These are the shoes Chris Froome used to secure his second Tour de France victory. Sidi’s Wire Carbon Air Vernice shoes cram in all the technology and expertise of the Italian firm, which has been producing cycling shoes since the 1970s.

Sidi’s Techno-3 dial ratchet system offers precise wire-closure fitting. Each dial has a grippy lever that pops up at a jab of the central button. There are also two easy-access buttons next to each dial. Press one to release one click’s worth of tension in the wire; hold both to release and pull the shoe off.

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Sidi’s rigid heel cup is enhanced by adjustable arms. The upper is perforated for plenty of ventilation while the sole’s air channels add to the cooling effect. The carbon sole is designed for maximum stiffness where needed, but allows a bit of flex in the toes.

£300 / $499

www.sidisport.com

  • Jersey: $199 / £139
  • Bibs: $249 / £119

New mountain biking gear

  • Juliana Enduro Jersey: $60
  • Juliana Trail Jersey: $50
  • Voodoo Maji: £899.99
  • Voodoo Soukri: £499.99

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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Prior team want second-tier licence

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One Pro - the team founded by former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior - applies for a second-tier Pro-Continental licence.

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Swift hoping for successful return to racing at RideLondon

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Ben Swift (Team Sky) hasn’t raced for three months, but he’s not letting that dampen his ambition of tasting victory at the RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday.

Though he won a stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in March, the British rider’s season was derailed when he pulled out of the Vuelta al País Vasco due to fatigue and then crashed out on the opening day of the Tour de Yorkshire - a race based in his home region. That crash left him needing shoulder surgery but the recovery has gone smoothly and he is now looking to make up for the disappointment of last year’s RideLondon, where he was narrowly edged out in the sprint by Adam Blythe.

"It’s always disappointing to be beaten by such a thin margin, but if there was anyone I’d have taken to be beaten by last year, it would have been Adam because he’s a really good friend. I’d love to put that right this time around, but we’ll just have to see what happens. There are a lot of variables this year, and one-day racing is always hard to predict, but we’ll give it a good go," Swift told the Team Sky website.

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"I’ll follow whatever the team instructions are for me, and we’ll discuss those between now and the start of the race. We’ve got a very strong team – one which is very sprint focused with CJ [Sutton], Elia [Viviani] and Andy [Fenn] all there with me – but I’ll certainly be looking to ride an aggressive race, and if the opportunity arises, I’ll obviously try and take it.

"I’m excited to get stuck in, and to see how I feel in that race environment after such a long spell on the sidelines. That’s always so hard to predict and I’m looking forward to seeing what the sensations are."

Swift’s fall at the Tour de Yorkshire was the latest in a string of shoulder injuries that have beset the 27-year-old’s career in recent years. He damaged his right shoulder at the 2012 Giro d’Italia and after surgery in the winter he re-injured it early in 2013, which forced him to cut short his season. This latest blow is the third time in a few years that he has gone under the knife on that shoulder.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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Westfalia bike rack for Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/8

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The Citroen C1 and its two sister cars – Toyota’s Aygo and the Peugeot 107/8 – are an increasingly frequent sight on Britain’s roads.

Low running costs and quirky detailing have cemented them as a favourite among young people and that means plenty of riders now own these cars too.The compact dimensions of the cars make for a surprisingly spacious experience for passengers but anyone who’s ever shopped with ones of them will realise storage space is limited.

A dismantled bike will fit into the C1, but you'd better be travelling alone as you’ll need to fold the rear seats for starters – and most likely the passenger seat will have to move forward to leg-crushing extremes also.The lightweight, one-piece tailgate of the C1/Aygo/107/8 is a clever design but it also means a regular strap on style rack won’t fit this car, or at least it isn’t recommended.

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The peaky three-cylinder petrol powerplants fitted to these vehicles aren’t exactly ideal for towing use and so it’s hardly a surprise that towbars aren’t readily available. You can get roof-mounted cycle carriers, but lifting and securing a bike onto the roof of a vehicle at the end of a big ride isn’t too much fun – particularly a downhill bike. So basically, those who want to travel with a bike in one of these cars are going to face difficulty, particularly if they want to do so with friends.

Thankfully Westfalia, the company that devised the original towball type towbar, has produced its own bike carrying solution for the C1/Aygo/107/8. Bolting to the underside of the car's chassis, the Westfalia kit leaves two semi-permanent fixings below the number plate into which two removable arms are then inserted; these join together to form a sturdy A-frame structure at the rear end of the car.

The great thing about this rack is that it folds away into the car’s boot space when not in use. Once practiced a few times you’ll be able to have your car bike ready in just a couple of minutes; it’s all very neat.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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Trek Emonda ALR6

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Make no mistake, Trek’s alloy version of its top race bike is one classy looking steed. The first thing that strikes you about the Émonda ALR is its mightily impressive hydroformed frame construction, with the outer ribs of the top tube flowing into an equivalent raised shape on the head tube.

The hydroformed main tubes swap orientations, taper and flatten along their length, and the welding is very smooth. The down tube is ovalised across the very wide BB86.5 bottom bracket, making the slim, round seat tube look tiny by comparison.

  • High: Ride quality, comfort, weight
  • Lows: Tyres could be wider and grippier
  • Buy If: You want a cultured aluminium frameset with near carbon performance at a sensible price

The rear dropouts are cowled and so organic-looking that it’s hard to believe they aren’t formed from carbon. They look to be curvy castings with hollow ends, imperceptibly welded to the stays over a thick internal alloy tube, creating a solid bond. Trek calls this Invisible Weld Technology, and says it increases strength and requires less material at each join, which is certainly borne out at the dropouts.

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The chainstays are asymmetric, clearly wider on the non-driveside, and incorporating a DuoTrap S speed and cadence sensor that's compatible with any ANT+ or Bluetooth receiving device. There’s no bridge behind the bottom bracket, leaving lots of space that would probably accept up to 28mm rubber, brake calipers permitting, instead of the 23mm fitted. All external cabling simplifies maintenance, lowers construction costs, and keeps water out of the frame.

The immediate riding sensation is, well, immediate. The Émonda ALR has a wonderfully smooth feel, and from the first out of the saddle effort, we knew it was going to be a quick ride.

For those of a bendy, racy persuasion, the position on the tops and hoods could be a little limiting. It’s not excessively tall, but Trek’s H2 head tube fit is deliberately more relaxed to reduce potential neck and back strain. On our 56cm model it measured 170mm, and for an equivalent frame size, is 15mm taller than the BMC Teammachine ALR01 we tested alongside it.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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Quintana undecided on Vuelta a Espana participation

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Nairo Quintana and his Movistar team are still to decide whether or not the Colombian will ride the Vuelta a España next month. At the end of last season Quintana indicated his intentions to ride the Vuelta, along with teammate Alejandro Valverde, but following a tough Tour de France his participation is not certain.

“We are deciding if it if possible to do the Vuelta or not and a little later we will take the decision. For now, I will rest and disconnect and wait for Eusebio (Unzué) to decide,” Quintana said, according to Biciciclismo. “I am not taking a break as such, due to team commitments, for many things and I’m with my family.”

Should he race the Vuelta, he will face the likes of Fabio Aru, Tejay van Garderen, Joaquin Rodríguez and Valverde in the battle for the overall classification. Chris Froome is also considering riding the Spanish Grand Tour. Quintana looked on course to win last year’s Vuelta a España but suffered a crashes during the mountain time trial and the following stage, which forced him to withdraw. It is not clear whether Quintana will race elsewhere or if he will call an end to his season if he and the team decide not to enter him in the Vuelta a España.

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Alberto Contador was due to end his season at San Sebastian this weekend but a fever forced him to pull out early. Contador had a busy start to the season though, as he attempted to do the Giro-Tour double. Quintana, in contrast, spent much of the early season training in Colombia and has currently only completed 55 race days – although that is slightly more than the 48 that Tour de France winner Froome has done thus far.

Quintana finished second to Froome at the Tour de France, 1:12 behind the Team Sky rider, backing up his performance in his debut in 2013. “The truth is that it was spectacular and great to return to the Tour de France after two years and repeat the second place. It is the confirmation that we are well, we continue on track and that the maturation continues,” he said.

“And the additional podiums of best young rider, the team classification and second in the mountains confirm what I did in 2013. “

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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VIDEO: RideLondon training tips from Ameachi

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Former NBA basketball player John Ameachi describes his training routine as he prepares to take part in the RideLondon-Surrey 100 event.

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RideLondon: Inspirational stories

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A selection of inspiring people, and their stories, taking part in the RideLondon-Surrey 100 cycling event on Sunday.

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VIDEO: RideLondon training tips from Ameachi

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Former NBA basketball player John Ameachi describes his training routine as he prepares to take part in the RideLondon-Surrey 100 event.

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Thursday, 30 July 2015

News shorts: Stybar, Urán lead Etixx-Quickstep in Clasica San Sebastian

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Uran, Stybar lead Etixx-Quickstep at Clasica San Sebastian

Fresh off his Tour de France stage victory, Zdenek Stybar will head up the Etixx-Quickstep roster for the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday together with Rigoberto Uran. Stybar finished 10th last year in the WorldTour race.

The team will also have Julian Alaphilippe, second in both Flèche Wallonne and Liège - Bastogne - Liège in its midst as they tackle the 219km event.

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"We have a nice team at the start of this race," Sport Director Tom Steels said. "At the start will be riders like Uran and Stybar, that come from the Tour de France and can be protagonists in a race with this kind of profile. With them we can also count on riders like Pietery Serry, who showed his condition in Tour de Wallonie, and a fresh rider like Julian Alaphilippe who comes back into competition after a few weeks off. We will see how far he can go. The rest of the team is strong and compact, and will be able to play a role. Our goal is to be there in the final with as many riders as we can, and try to go for a good result."

Etixx-Quickstep for Clasica San Sebastian: Zdenek Stybar, Julian Alaphilippe, Pieter Serry, Matteo Trentin, Rigoberto Uran, Stijn Vandenbergh, Julien Vermote, and Martin Velits.

Bos back in action at Prudential RideLondon

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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News shorts: Kiserlovski and Poljanski lead Tinkoff in Poland

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No Majka for Tinkoff-Saxo in Poland

Tinkoff-Saxo will head to the Tour de Pologne without defending champion Rafal Majka, who became the first Polish rider to win since it has been registered as a professional race. Instead it will be Robert Kiserlovski and home rider Pawel Poljanski that lead the team in the seven-day race. Tinkoff-Saxo will have a second Polish rider in the line-up with Maciej Bodnar making his return to racing following a crash at the Tour of California in May.

“Tour de Pologne is an unpredictable race, however we have to play our cards in the second part, where the road kicks up again and again,” said Tinkoff-Saxo directeur sportif Bruno Cenghialta.

“It’s a good possibility for the guys to claim results, especially on stage 4, 5 and 6 after three days that will suit the sprinters. These stages feature many climbs of around five kilometres each, but if you add them up, we actually face 15-20 kilometres of climbing over the course of a short distance. We line up with Kiserlovski as our team captain flanked by Poljanski and also Jesper Hansen, who is very strong at the moment. We believe that it’s possible for them to do a good GC result.”

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The Tour de Pologne begins in Warsaw on August 2.

Tinkoff-Saxo for the Tour de Pologne: Robert Kiserlovski, Pawel Poljanski, Jesper Hansen, Chris Anker Sørensen, Ivan Rovny, Evgeny Petrov and Maciej Bodnar.

Arthur Vichot (FDJ) and Robert Kišerlovski (Tinkoff-Saxo)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



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