Foldable Bikes Party: October 2017

Tuesday 31 October 2017

Commonwealth Games Federation had '170 queries' over Birmingham's 2022 bid

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The Commonwealth Games Federation raised "170 detailed queries" when deeming Birmingham's bid for the 2022 event non-compliant.

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Manon Carpenter: Ex-world champion happy with retirement decision

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Ex-world champion Manon Carpenter enjoying mountain biking again after her shock retirement from downhill racing.

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U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Announces Four 2017 Inductees

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Tour of Hainan: Hat-trick for Mareczko

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Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) again used his low sprinting style to win a third consecutive win at the Tour of Hainan.

The Italian beat Martin Laas (Delko Marseille Provence) and Australia's Anthony Giacoppo (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) as the whole peloton arrived packed together at the finish in Danzhou.

Thanks to time bonuses, Mareczko extended his race lead to 20 seconds on Laas.

Full report and photos to follow.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Tour of Hainan: Mareczko strikes again to win stage 3

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Jakub Mareczko of Wilier Triestina took his second stage victory at the Tour of Hainan and extended his lead in the overall classification on Jon Aberasturi (Ukyo) to 11 seconds, while Australian team IsoWhey Sports-Swisswellness made the podium again, this time with Anthony Giacoppo. It was Italian sprinter's second consecutive stage win.

"We're only one third into the Tour of Hainan but I feel that we've already used up a lot of energy," Mareczko said after his win in Chengmai.

"It wasn't a very easy stage. It took us less than three and half hours to cover 155km. There was a lot of wind and the course was always up and down."

Races are often shaped by a breakaway before a chase and the final bunch sprint but the Wilier Triestina team faced a series of attacks during the stage.

Sergey Grechyn (Hainan Jilun), Stefan Bakker (Monkey Town), Ma Guangtong (Hengxiang) and Alexis Cartier (H&R Block) made the first move but it was caught after 18 kilometres. Steven Cuesta (Hainan) and Liu Jiangpeng (Hengxiang) went clear before the first intermediate sprint at km 31, where Marco Zanotti (Monkey Town) gave a strong indication that he was racing for the overall classification rather than stages victories this time.

Liu moved into the lead of the Best Asian rider classification as he won that sprint.

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Bahrain-Merida add neo-pro Mark Padun - News shorts

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Bahrain-Merida add neo-pro Mark Padun

Bahrain-Merida have signed a two-year deal with 21-year-old Ukrainian Mark Padun, who ride for feeder squad Colpack in 2017. Padun rode with the WorldTour team as a stagiaire stating in August, competing in a series of one-day races and winning the Gran Prix Capodarco Comunita Di Capodarco.

With Colpak this year, Padun won the Trofeo Piva, took a stage and finished fifth overall at the Baby Giro and was second at Flèche du Sud.

"Mark is a very talented young man and he has also confirmed us when he has rode the Agostoni Cup with us," said Bahrain-Merida's General Manager Brent Copeland. "We are very pleased to have signed a contract with him, and we believe that he'll continue to show his true value in the professional category."

Padun was obviously pleased to sign with a WorldTour team.

"A year ago I dreamed of this step," he said. "Two years ago I could not even imagine it. Moving to Italy and Team Colpack has been a decisive step to achieve this dream. I am very happy, and my whole family is proud of me."

Madison Genesis announce 2018 roster

Great Britain's 'cross team for European championships

2018 Team EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale kit to be launched Friday

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Timing right for Oliver's Real Food Racing Continental expansion

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In 2018, Oliver's Real Food racing will make the jump into the Continental ranks. Founded in 2010 by Sam Layzell, the Australian team has previously complemented its National Road Series (NRS) programme with UCI races in Oceania and Asia.

While the team had toyed with the prospect of taking out a Continental license, its most successful season to date and increased financial backing from Oliver's convinced Layzell the time was right.

"It's a commercial decision as much as it's a team decision. It is win-win for both us and our sponsor," Layzell explained to Cyclingnews of the decision to take out the Continental license from 2018.

Another reason for the application is the "potential to do the Herald Sun Tour" with race director John Trevorrow regularly rewarding Australian Continental teams with a place at the 2.1 race. With eight Australian teams applying for a Continental license in 2018, a start at the race though is not a certainty.

"It is not any one thing, it is a combination of things," he added. "You don't get the additional budget without the results. Another determining factor was Oliver's becoming a publicly listed company. It was always an end goal and something we wanted to do with the team and this is the right time for a couple of reasons."

In recent months, South African Brendon Davids, a former mountain biker, has taken the team to another level. At the NRS Battle Recharge stage race, Davids took a maiden stage win for the team and then finished off the job by sealing the overall. He and Oliver's then headed to Asia for the Jelajah Malaysia, repeating the stage win and GC double. Davids' results, in particular, were added incentive to make the jump into Continental life.

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Garfoot to step away from racing in Europe

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Katrin Garfoot has told News Corp that she won't return to racing in Europe with Orica-Scott next season, choosing instead to stay home in Australia to focus on family and winning gold in the time trial at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast of Australia where she lives.

"I decided in May that I did not want to race in Europe next season and that was before all that happened with Cycling Australia and Orica," she told News Corp.

"There's just more to life [than pro cycling] and I'm married. My first plan was just to do it until the [Rio] Olympics but I wasn't going that well that year so I thought Comm Games," she said.

"Chris [Garfoot's husband, ed.] is here by himself and I'm in Europe, and that's not very ideal. I could still race another four years, but I do value family because that's actually what lasts past racing, I want to maintain that. You've just got to make decisions in life, and I do love time trialling, but road racing is more a love/hate relationship, and one part of that is I have to stay in Europe away from family.

"There are a lot of different plans floating around in my head, but I haven't had time to sit down and figure those out because there is so much else that's more urgent."

Garfoot appears to be in the form of her life after finishing second to Chantal Black in the UCI Road World Championships last month in Bergen, where she finished third in the time trial behind Dutch riders Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen. She is the reigning Australian time trial and road race champion after changing citizenship from German to Australian in 2014.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Wiggle High5 sign Austrian champion Ritter - Women's news shorts

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Austrian road and time trial champion Martina Ritter will join Wiggle High5 in 2018, according to a team press release.

The 35-year-old, ninth overall at the Amgen Women's Race in June, spent the 2017 season with Drops Cycling.

"I'm very excited to welcome Martina to Wiggle High5," said team manager Rochelle Gilmore. "It's a super exciting signing for our team. Wiggle High5 has been searching a strong, reliable and experienced rider to support our General Classification ambitions.

"Martina has a reputation for being very consistent and committed to her roles within a team, she's a rider we really needed to compliment our already strong line-up."

The veteran will look to put her all-rounder skillset to work across the spectrum of racing next season.

"I'm a good climber and time triallist and love stage races," Ritter said. "My favourite races are the Ardennes Classics and hilly stage races as the Giro d'Italia or Tour of California. I want to help our leaders to achieve big results because there is nothing better than winning as a team. One big goal will also be the World Championship in my home country."

Schweizer renews with Virtu Cycling

Orica-Scott Women celebrate 'most successful season yet'

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Chad Haga: It was a perfect year

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Chad Haga's off-season got off to a rough start. The 29-year-old American, who just renewed for years five and six with Team Sunweb, underwent septoplasty and turbunate reduction surgery that he had been putting off since recovering from injuries suffered in training before the 2016 season.

After last season, Haga got married and went on his honeymoon. This year, he's laid up at home fighting cabin fever and limiting his exercise to "searching for my phone amongst the blankets." It doesn't sound fun, but it's part of a year Haga said he'd repeat again in a heartbeat.

"If I could ever repeat this year again, I would sign up for that immediately," Haga told Cyclingnews by phone from Fort Collins, Colorado, where he is recovering by binge-watching movies and TV series that he’s missed while on the road.

"It was a perfect year," Haga added, emphasizing his point.

Haga's fourth year with Team Sunweb included his best-ever result on the WorldTour and a spot on the Giro d'Italia roster that helped Tom Dumoulin take the overall win. The celebration in Milan must have seemed surreal to Haga, who admitted that three years previously, when he was suffering in his first Giro and second Grand Tour, he never would have imagined sharing the final podium with a teammate in the maglia rosa.

"The 2015 Giro was the hardest bike race I've ever done, and to think just a couple years on I'd be helping Tom win that race is pretty crazy," he said.

Coming close in France

More Grand Tours in the future

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Cavendish accepts defeat at Six Day London

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Mark Cavendish and Pete Kennaugh sportingly accepted defeat to Australia's Cameron Meyer and Callum Scotson at the Six Day London, with Cavendish describing Meyer as "the best track rider on the planet and the best track rider of our generation."

Cavendish will now head to Japan to ride the ASO Tour de France Saitama criterium on Saturday, November 4.

Cavendish and Kennaugh ended Sunday's sixth day of racing 94 more points ahead but a lap down on the Australian pair, while Belgians Kenny de Ketele and Moreno de Pauw were just 38 points down on the Manxmen and completed the final podium.

"We've got to be happy with that [second place]. We really didn't expect to be on the podium," Cavendish said, considering that Kennaugh was riding a Six Day event for the first time in his career.

"We went for two laps really early on but we got chased. Then I took a really long lap and it killed me by half way. But we had to keep going and going. On another day we could be chased down, go out the back and lose a lap."

Cavendish explained that he and Kennaugh saved their strength for one final attack. They opened a 100-metre lead as the laps counted down but Meyer and Scotson were able to do enough to stop them catching the tail of the group and pulling back that decisive lap.

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Haussler's dedication nets new Bahrain-Merida contract

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Heinrich Haussler has been rewarded with a one-year contract extension at Bahrain-Merida after proving his health and fitness in the final months of the season.

The Australian suffered throughout most of 2017 with a serious knee injury. He raced only six days in the first six months of the year but came back strongly in the second half of the year with a run of one-day performances.

The 33-year-old’s career was at one point hanging by a thread but Bahrain-Merida team manager Brent Copeland was so impressed with the Australian's determination that he has extended the rider's contract for a further twelve months. Haussler will now concentrate on another spring Classics campaign.

"Haussler is staying on board. We're keeping him for another year," Copeland told Cyclingnews.

"We saw how much he was working with gym work and swimming. He was doing everything possible to keep his body in good shape when he was off the bike. We saw that dedication and that's why we decided to give him another year. We need someone for the Classics but we saw all the hard work he was willing to put in. His knee is much better, and we could see that at the Worlds. We definitely need him for next year."

Stability and experience

The Bahrain-Merida project began this year and most of the debutant riders were offered two-year contracts. That meant that Copeland could only make a finite amount of adjustments and changes in the transfer market for 2018.

Janez Brajkovic has left, along with Ondrej Cinq and Tsgabu Grmay. Copeland has brought in a few new faces but is also hoping that a number of the 2017 squad can recapture their best health. Ramunas Navardauskas is recovering from a minor heart operation, while Kanstantin Siutsou and Ion Izagirre are slowly coming back from serious injuries.

"A lot of people were saying that Visconti wasn't staying with us but he signed a two-year deal last year. Then we've signed Matej Mohoric, Kristijan Koren, Gorka Izagirre and we're waiting on Ramunas Navardauskas' medical reports but things look promising. Then we have Hermann Pernsteiner, who comes from mountain biking, and of course Domenico Pozzovivo coming to us," Copeland explained.

Nibali to target the Giro or the Tour

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Time runs out to save An Post-Chain Reaction

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An Post-Chain Reaction founders Sean Kelly and Kurt Bogaerts have confirmed that the team will not compete in 2018 after failing to find a title sponsor. However they hope to return in 2019 if a new backer can be found before next summer.

An Post confirmed it would end its long-time sponsorship earlier this year but Kelly and Bogaerts were hopeful of finding new backers for the Irish Continental team. Kelly and Bogaerts have admitted that Brexit and the political situation in Catalunya had impacted the decisions of interested sponsors.

"Unfortunately, time has worked against us to secure a sponsorship agreement before the October 31st deadline to compete in 2018. However, we continue to look towards 2019 and the goal of advancing to the Pro Continental level with enthusiasm," Kelly and Bogaerts wrote in a statement.

"Considering the team's strong links to Spain and the United Kingdom, the implications of Brexit and the political scenario in Catalunya impacted the decisions of interested parties but we remain undeterred. Our next objective is to secure a collaboration with a suitable sponsor by July of next year with the hope of returning to the International peloton with a strong and dedicated roster of talented riders."

Thanks for unrelenting encouragement and good will

Kelly used his famous name and success during his career to help promote the team and help riders, while Bogaerts acted as team manager, attending many races with directeur sportif Niko Eeckhout and Neil Martin. The two thanked An Post and the other team sponsor for their support and highlighted the names of some the riders, including several from Ireland, who have gone on to have success in WorldTour and Professional Continental ranks.

"It has been our pleasure to work with talented riders and to see them succeed and develop. We created an environment which nurtured honest hard work combined with determination," Kelly and Bogaerts wrote.

"This facilitated the progression of Irish riders like Sam Bennett, Ryan Mullen, Conor Dunne and Matt Brammeier, each of whom made the transition to the top levels of our sport, along with riders from other nations such as Gediminas Bagdonas, Aaron Gate, Shane Archbold and our most recent success story Przemek Kasperkiewicz."

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Vinokourov to seek damages from Aru after move to UAE Team Emirates

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Astana team manager Alexander Vinokourov has told the Vesti.kz website in Kazakhstan that he intends to take legal action and pursue damages from former team leader Fabio Aru after the Italian confirmed his decision to quit Astana and sign a three-year contract with UAE Team Emirates.

At the recent Tour de France presentation in Paris, Vinokourov feigned surprise that Aru had decided to leave, suggesting it left the Astana unable to sign an alternative team leader. Now he seems ready to go a step further and seek damages.

"We are going to demand some compensation from him for the damage caused because we were left without a top rider. We are grateful for him having spent so many years in our team so it's unpleasant but he chose this way," the Vesti.kz website report Vinokourov as saying. The news was picked up by the Sardegna Sport website, who closely follow Aru's career after he grew up on the island.

UAE Team Emirates confirmed Aru's three-year contract in a brief statement on October 18. The Italian national champion will join fellow new signings Dan Martin and Alexander Kristoff on an overhauled UAE Team Emirates roster for 2018.

Astana had hoped to keep Aru due to an extension clause in his contract but he always seemed keen to change teams.

Aru was apparently obliged to stay with Astana if the Kazakhstani team matched an offer from a rival squad. There were also reports that he was under pressure to pay a get-out clause to end his time at Astana. It is unclear what happened behind the scenes but Aru's decision to sign with UAE Team Emirates means Astana have to rely on Jakob Fuglsang and Miguel Angel Lopez as team leaders for 2018.

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Kelderman: I'd like to try for Giro d’Italia GC

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Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) has voiced his desire to race the Giro d'Italia as a GC rider in 2018, before supporting teammate Tom Dumoulin at the Tour de France.

Kelderman crashed out of the Giro d'Italia in 2017 before Dumoulin went on to take his maiden Grand Tour victory. Kelderman bounced back to secure a fine fourth place finish at the Vuelta a Espana in his first season with Sunweb.

Speaking exclusively to Cyclingnews, Kelderman hinted that Dumoulin could target the Tour de France in 2018, with Kelderman riding as a support rider in July. Both riders, and Team Sunweb, have yet to announce their Grand Tour plans for 2018, insisting that no decisions will be made until all three Grand Tours have presented their routes for next year. So far only the Tour de France has unveiled its parcours, with the Giro d'Italia set to follow suit in late November.

"We've still not talked about the programme but for sure I've talked to Tom. I'd really like to ride with him and I think we're a good combination," Kelderman told Cyclingnews.

"We've a good climbers group and I want to do it [ed. the Giro] again. We'll see if it's the Tour or the Giro but I think for Tom it will be the Tour. Maybe I do the Giro and then the Tour but I don't know yet. We've talked a bit with the coaches but I'd like to do the Giro again for GC."

A new start and back to basics

Kelderman joined Sunweb last winter after spending the first part of his career at the Rabobank – which later formed into Belkin, Blanco and then LottoNL Jumbo. After an impressive start to his pro career Kelderman - still only 26 - went off the boil in 2015 and 2016, and struggled to match results from earlier seasons. According to the rider he needed a change of scene, so when Sunweb approached him with the offer of a three-year contract and a fresh start, he jumped at the chance.

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Monday 30 October 2017

Six Day London: Cavendish & Kennaugh finish second

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Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh finished runner-up despite a audacious attack in Six Days London's final event.

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Meyer and Scotson win 2017 Six Day London

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Noble wins Harbin Park International

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Third to Kaitlin Keough at Saturday's Devou Park, Ellen Noble took revenge at the Harbin Park International. Noble beat Emma White by five seconds with Keough third at six seconds.

"I tried to race patiently, because there was a lot of wind on the course, and a lot of long pedaling sections. So, to race tactically was important today," said Noble after her third ProCX win of the season. "I started to sense some fatigue coming on in the group. And I was also getting a little worried that the end of the race was coming around soon and we still had four people in the front group. I really wanted to have that podium solidified. So I put some pressure on, going over the logs, and I was able to get away. I just had to go all in to keep from there."

The US 'cross season continues next weekend with the Derby City Cup and the Pan-American Continental Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Hyde wins Harbin Park International

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US champion Stephen Hyde continued his winning run Sunday at the Harbin Park International, beating Gage Hecht and Curtis White.

"This course was drastically different than the other (on Saturday). It was much less technical, but very difficult to pedal on. It was slick," said Hyde. "It was a big group race. It was hard. I just waited for it all to happen."

Hanging with Hyde for eight laps, Hecht couldn't handle the pace in the finale but was able to finish strongly and secure his first podium of the season.

"I tried not to present the fact that I was really in the box the entire race, keep him from attacking me earlier," said 19-year-old Hecht. "It was a good day. I was super happy about how it went."

From the chase group behind, White was able to hold off Kerry Werner and James Driscoll for the final podium position.

The US 'cross season continues next weekend with the Derby City Cup and the Pan-American Continental Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Samantha Runnels wins HPCX 2

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National Trophy Series: Abergavenny victory for Bethany Crumpton

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National Trophy Series: Pidcock wins in Abergavenny

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Scott Smith wins HPCX 2

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Van der Poel untouchable in Ruddervoorde

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Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Correndon) swept to his third Superprestige victory of the season at Ruddervoorde, beating arch-rival Wout van Aert (Crelan-Charles) by 10 seconds. Lars van der Haar (Telenet-Fidea Lions) finished third, a distant 50 seconds back.

After a thrilling, back-and-forth women's race which was closely contested until the very end, the men delivered a markedly different race. It was, as has been the case with so many races in recent times, an exhibition by Dutch champion Van der Poel.

He had signalled his intentions from the very start, leading the field away on lap one. Quinten Hermans (Telenet-Fidea Lions) and Van Aert were up there with him, but their brief time at the head of the race would be the closest either got to challenging for the win.

Riding through the sand section of that opening lap, Van der Poel jumped from Hermans' wheel to take a different line and eased past into the lead. Turning on the power, he led Van Aert by and handful of seconds going into lap two. A lap later the gap would be up to 12 and the win decided.

Van Aert managed to hang in there for the remainder of the race, holding the gap at around the same margin until the finish. The rain that came midway through might have provided some hope, but changed nothing.

For Van der Poel, there was almost no trouble. The only worry was when he was accidentally hit by a spectator waving at the television cameras, but today nothing could affect his dominant ride.

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Sunday 29 October 2017

Adam Hansen to end consecutive Grand Tour streak in 2018

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In August 2011, Adam Hansen lined out for the eighth Grand Tour of his career at the Vuelta a España. Little did the Australian know the Grand Tour would the be first in his current streak of 19 consecutive three-week races.

During his record-breaking feat, Hansen has been a key rider for Lotto Soudal in a domestique role. He also has managed to enjoy personal success with stage wins at the 2013 Giro and 2014 Vuelta.

Hansen has hinted at ending his Grand Tour streak in the past season and was originally left off the Lotto Soudal team for the 2017 Vuelta. A broken hip for teammate Rafa Valls in a training ride crash opened the door for Hansen and extended his run.

Down to ride the 2018 Giro in May, Hansen confirmed to Cyclingnews at the Tour of Guangxi that his Grand Tour run will end at either the Tour de France or Vuelta.

"I think I'll do the Giro next year for sure and then I might skip the Tour. Or do the Tour and not do the Vuelta. I'll have to speak to the sports directors first to see that they want and hopefully work out a good plan," Hansen said.

A mountain biker before joining the pro road ranks, Hansen is a two-time Crocodile Trophy winner, the 36-year-old made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro in 2007 and through to the 2011 Vuelta, enjoyed a variety of racing programmes. The 2008 national time trial title was Hansen's first success on the road. He then took his first stage race win two year's later at the Ster Elektrotoer.

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Meyer and Scotson hold off Cavendish and Kennaugh for Six Day London victory

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A world champion, Commonwealth Games gold medallist and national champion on the track, Cam Meyer can now add the first six day win of career to his palmares. Third at last year's Six Day London, Meyer and Australian teammate Callum Scotson returned in 2017 to snatch the victory ahead of Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh in a thrilling final night of racing.

"I've achieved some good things, some rainbow bands but this is an honourable event to put on the palmares," Meyer said after confirming the win with Scotson.

The duo started the final day of racing leading the Belgian duo of Kenny De Ketele and Moreno De Pauw with Cavendish and Kennaugh in third place. An early exit from the elimination race put the pressure on the Australians, compounded by their last-place finish in the Madison time trial. The results ensured it would come down to the Madison Chase finale.

In the hour-long event, the early laps saw multiple overall lead changes with teams chasing points and laps to improve their overall standing. With 20 minutes left in the race, Meyer and Scotson retook the lead and looked likely to hold on for the win. Cavendish and Kennaugh then went for broke to chase the lap required for victory as the duo were ahead on points. However, Meyer and Scotson remained calm to hold off the challenge and secure overall victory.

"I'm loving my track cycling again, I've got some big targets over the next three years and I'm sure I'll meet these guys again," said Meyer, who is planning on multiple gold medals at April's Commonwealth Games. "Possibly at an Olympic Games now that the Madison is back in, so it's going to be big three years and I can't wait for what's ahead."

For Scotson, who was part of Australia's team pursuit silver medal winning team at last year's Olympic Games, the depth of field in London was daunting but explained after last year's close call, it was a sweet victory.

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AG2R La Mondiale claims 100 million Euro benefit from sponsoring team

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AG2R La Mondiale, the French insurance and investment firm that sponsors the eponymous WorldTour squad of Tour de France podium finisher Romain Bardet, reported this week that the company received a benefit valued at an estimated €100 million of publicity from the team.

"Our cycling team, of which we are very proud, is today one of the most successful of the UCI WorldTour because in all areas, it works tirelessly, with professionalism and rigour," said Yvon Breton, AG2R's director of sponsorship.

"Our riders and their coaches are fully aware that to achieve the highest level in cycling, every detail counts and the precision of every move is essential. This incredible adventure that they have brought us this season is the result of impressive teamwork.

"During this year, which marks the 20th anniversary of our partnership with Vincent Lavenu's cycling team, they thrilled us and filled the hearts of the French (with passion) during the Tour de France, especially Romain Bardet whose exceptional performances allowed him to get on the podium for the second year in a row."

The study of the media impact of the team between January and September this year, performed by Kantar TNS, said that in the French media alone there were 17,500 mentions, which had an advertising equivalent of €100 million - excluding advertising buys - a figure up 30 per cent from 2016. More than half of the value came from the Tour de France, valued at €55 million, up 69 per cent from last year.

The study ranked AG2R La Mondiale as the country's favourite cycling team for the third year running, and is the most notable sponsor of cycling in the Tour de France. Nearly half of French citizens polled knew that the company sponsored a professional cycling team.

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D'hoore changes plans to make track return at Poland World Cup

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Itchy feet have got the better of Jolien D'hoore, and the Belgian has decided to get back into competition a week earlier than she had previously planned. D'hoore, will make her first appearance on the boards this season as she races for Belgium at next weekend's opening round of the UCI Track World Cup in Poland.

"Change of plans! I couldn't wait any longer...I will start my track season 1 week earlier. So see you in Poland next week! #showyourstripes," D'hoore wrote on Twitter on Sunday afternoon.

D'hoore, who missed last week's Track European Championships, enjoyed a successful track campaign last season with bronze in the Omnium at the Olympic Games and a European title in the Madison with teammate Lotte Kopecky. She crowned the season with a Madison world title with Kopecky in Hong Kong in April, her first rainbow jersey on the track or road.

The 27-year-old last raced at the Road World Championships in Bergen at the end of September. She went in as a dark horse but failed to finish the race. It was a disappointing end to what was a hugely successful year for D'hoore that saw her finish the year with more wins than any other with 12.

Among D'hoore's wins were six at WorldTour level, including victories at the Madrid Challenge, the Giro Rosa, Women's Tour, Chongming Island the Ladies Tour of Norway. The Madrid Challenge was D'hoore's last in Wiggle-High5 colours with the Belgian set to ride for Orica-Scott in 2018.

The 2017-2018 Track World Cup takes place over five rounds, beginning with Pruszków, Poland next weekend and finishing in January in Minsk, Belarus.

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Kaptheijns wins in Ruddervoorde despite cutting knee on disc brake

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Maud Kaptheijns managed two emphatic wins this weekend, despite paying a visit to hospital after cutting her knee open on her own disc brake. Kaptheijns had blood pouring down her left leg as she raced to victory at De Grote Prijs van Brabant, an injury reportedly caused by her disc brake rotor, according to news agency ANP.

Disc brakes have been a controversial sticking point in road racing since their trial introduction at the end of the 2015 season. Some riders have claimed to be injured by disc brakes, including Francisco Ventoso at the 2016 Paris-Roubaix. Owain Doull also claimed that damage to his shoe in a crash at the Abu Dhabi Tour in February was caused by a disc brake, although this was disputed by the industry.

The road disc brake trial was only meant to last a season, but it is set to continue during the 2018 season, its fourth year. Disc brakes have been in common usage in mountain biking for some time and over the past few years have become the predominant braking system in cyclo-cross without much debate over their safety. Injuries like Kaptheijns' are rarely mentioned.

Kaptheijns pushed through the pain after she crashed while in the lead of Saturday's De Grote Prijs van Brabant. Adrenaline doing its job, she remounted and went on to beat the chasing Loes Sels by 11 seconds. She managed to stand for the podium ceremony but looked to be in a lot of pain and was soon taken off in a wheelchair, her podium flowers still in hand, to the hospital.

The 23-year-old Dutch rider required stitches to close the wound but promised to be back on the start line at the fourth round of the Superprestige in Ruddervoorde.

Despite the injury, Kaptheijns held onto repeated attacks and then pushed clear on the final lap to seal her fourth straight win in the competition and extend her overall lead.

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Aberasturi returning to Pro Continental racing after near-retirement

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With eight victories this year in category 1 and HC races, Jon Aberasturi (Team Ukyo) is Spain's second biggest winner in the 2017 season behind Alejandro Valverde, who collected eleven. Being Mikel Landa's training partner, he's plenty ready to return to Europe with Euskadi Basque Country-Murias after two years of successfully racing in Asia.

Aberasturi says there is no real comparison between himself and Valverde, but his hit rate this season has boosted his confidence levels.

"We can't compare Valverde and myself," Aberasturi told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 2 in the Tour of Hainan in Wanning. "He won eleven races although he rode only half of a season. He was winning everything [from the Vuelta a Murcia to Liège-Bastogne-Liège before crashing in the opening time trial of the Tour de France -ed], he was having his best year ever. I have eight wins. I also have 30 podiums, I'm the second Spaniard behind Alberto Contador who's got 32. At the end, those are just numbers, but they give me the confidence I didn't have before."

Is the Asia Tour the way for lost WorldTour riders to bounce back? While his Australian teammate Nathan Earle, formerly with Team Sky, has inked a deal with Giro d'Italia wild-card applicants Israel Cycling Academy, the ex-Euskaltel rider will race for Euskadi Basque Country-Murias with the hope of a Vuelta a España start for next year. The 28-year-old has won stages in the Tour of Thailand, the Tour of Japan, the Tour of Korea, the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the Tour of Taihu Lake and the Tour of Hainan.

Aberasturi's world collapsed when the Euskaltel team folded at the end of 2013. "I had dedicated my life to being a Euskaltel rider, having raced for two years in their amateur team Naturgas and three years in their continental team Orbea," he recalled. "I was on a two-year contract with the WorldTour team when we were told in the middle of 2013 that it would be hard for the team to continue. For the 35-year-olds in the team, it was regrettable, but for us who hoped to have a future on the team, it was terrible.

"I've considered quitting cycling," he continued. "I went to Mexico. I got an offer from the 7-Eleven team from the Philippines, but the conditions weren't good. I've trained without racing for a year and I eventually got an opportunity with Ukyo in Japan. Honestly, I didn't know who Ukyo Katayama was [a Japanese Formula 1 driver from 1992 to 1997 turned into cyclist and cycling team owner -ed]. I hope he'll manage to build the first Japanese Pro Continental team within two years as he wishes. He also runs a Formula GT300 car racing team. He can't come to all the races we do but he was our sports director at the Tour of Lombok [won by Earle in Indonesia]. He brings us his humility."

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Contador takes his final bow in Shanghai

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Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) had already said his goodbyes more than a month ago, but another full stop was added to the Spaniard’s illustrious and complicated career at the Shanghai Criterium on Sunday as he pinned on a race number for the final time.

In a sporting sense at least, it all came to an end at the Vuelta a España with victory on atop the Alto de l'Angliru and a hero's welcome into Madrid the following day. However, he has since made appearances at the Japan Cup Criterium two weekends ago, and now at the Shanghai Criterium laid on by the organisers of the Tour de France.

For all the specious proclamations from the organisers that Contador was somehow 'coming out of retirement', they were, of course, largely ceremonial appearances, though going through all the race rituals one final time nevertheless had its significance.

"For me it's a special day. I consider it as something symbolic. My last day with a professional licence," Contador told reporters in Shanghai. "I have to say that the Vuelta was my final bow, but it's true that it's nice to have the chance to say goodbye here, alongside some of the biggest names in the peloton, and in a different cultural environment."

Despite only finishing ninth at the Tour de France in July, Contador was paraded in Shanghai alongside winner Chris Froome, king of the mountains Warren Barguil, and five-time stage winner Marcel Kittel as one of the star attractions at the event, which seeks to export a flavour of the Tour to an Asian audience.

He posed for countless selfies with fans before taking to the race and breaking free from the peloton for a final display of his attacking style that was as well-scripted as Froome's victory on a short flat course in a field that contained Marcel Kittel.

Froome rivalry

Retirement

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Kaptheijns continues winning ways at Ruddervoorde

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Maud Kaptheijns (Crelan-Charles) made it four wins from four rounds at the Superprestige Ladies Trophy in Ruddervoorde. Lucinda Brand (Sunweb) finished second, one second back in the sprint finish, while Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) was three seconds down in third.

The race saw a return to the grass and mud of the last round in Boom, and a return to the familiar sight of Kaptheijns leading the way at the start. The Dutchwoman had suffered a cut to her left knee on Saturday, caused by her rear disc brake, but looked keen to prove it wasn’t affecting her.

By the end of the opening lap an unfamiliar name had taken the lead. Brand, riding her first Superpres-tige race of the season, had gained a small gap on the chasing Cant.

And so emerged the themes of the day - the small time gaps, with nobody able to build a commanding lead, and the two riders who would battle out front for much of the race.

The nature of the technical course lent itself to close racing, with 40 corners, a mostly muddy surface and a sandy section all contributing to breaking any sustained momentum from an attacker.

On lap three it looked as though World Champion Cant had taken control. The Belgian led the chase group of Brand, Kaptheijns and Annemarie Worst (Era-Circus) by seven seconds at the end of it, and looked in good shape to extend that lead.

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Kamp tops Junior race in Ruddervoorde

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Dekker takes U23 race in Ruddervoorde

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Keough continues winning streak in Devou Park

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Kaitlin Keough continued her domination of the US 'cross circuit, taking her sixth victory of the season in the Cincy CX in Devou Park. Keough was part of a group that established a lead on the second lap, then charged away to win over Carolina Mani (Van Dessel) and Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing).

Keough rode smoothly through off-camber sections and the climbs to put on a clinic. The 30-second gap she gained over Mani turned into almost a full minute by the time she reached the finish line. It would be the French woman's fourth podium finish this year in ProCX races.

"I rode my own race. It was really hard out there, the course is heavy. It was technical with the mud," Keough said about the water-logged track. "I am strong running in the mud, so that's good. I just tried to focus and be smooth where I had to be to make minimal mistakes, then go fast where I could pedal. I made a few mistakes, but I feel like that is expected because it is our first muddy race of the season. I was strong today and I'm really happy about it."

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Hyde dominates in Devou Park

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US champion Stephen Hyde took out his third victory of the season in the Cincy CX in Devou Park on Saturday, topping Aspire Racing teammates Spencer Petrov and Jeremy Powers by more than a minute in the wet, cold conditions.

"I was super pumped today. We've all been waiting for weather like this," said Hyde

Midway through the seven-lap race, Gage Hecht (Alpha Bicycle Company-Groove) and Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) slipped out of the front five. Hyde would put in a 30-second lead over Petrov, with another 30 seconds back to Powers, with Hecht and White trailing. With three laps to go, Hyde gained more time, while Powers began working his way back closer to his teammate.

"This course is great. It's fantastic," Hyde said after the race. "There is a lot of elevation, and it's a real cyclo-cross course. There's a lot of really good sections to it. On the back side, I really like the big run back there."

Hecht finished 2:48 back in fourth, and White was three minutes down for fifth. ProCX leader Ortenblad was not a factor in the race and finished 14th.

The ProCX competitions moves north of the Ohio River on Sunday for Cincy CX. UCI Category 2 races for Junior 17-18 Men, Elite Women and Elite Men will be held at T. William Harbin Park, in Fairfield, Ohio. Points will be awarded for both ProCX and the Sho-Air US Cup-CX Series.

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Kisseberth claims HPCX day 1

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Runnels wins HPCX day 1

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Tour of Hainan: Mareczko claims stage 2 victory

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Beaten by Jon Aberasturi in the first sprint finish at the Tour of Hainan, Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) got everything right on day two as he out-sprinted the rest of the field at the end of the longest stage in the 12th edition of China’s tropical island’s event. Martin Laas (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) took second with Switzerland’s Dylan Page rounding out the podium.

Mareczko’s victory was enough to put him into the race lead, ahead of Aberasturi who finished 21st on the day.

“Today we’ve felt the heat and the length of the stage,” Mareczko reacted. “We wanted to control the race, so we put Luca Raggio at the front of the peloton. In the finale, all my teammates worked hard to catch the breakaway. It hasn’t been easy, and we arrived a bit cooked. Luckily [Eugert] Zhupa took me to the front at the right moment. I launched my sprint from far out because I didn’t want to risk to getting stuck in the traffic. I’m happy with the win and the yellow jersey but let’s hope it’s only the first victory at the Tour of Hainan.”

Mareczko came third in the day’s first intermediate sprint, behind Ukraine’s Mikhaylo Kononenko (Kolss) and Estonia’s Martin Laas who positioned himself as Delko Marseille’s sprinter for the day as the French team has another option with Latvia’s Emil Liepins. After 42km of racing, a breakaway finally took shape with King of the Mountains Vitaly Buts (Kolss), Benjamin Hill (Attaque Team Gusto), Ivar Slik (Monkey Town), Ma Guangtong (Hengxiang) and Lukas Meiler (Vorarlberg). A lone chaser for a while, Alexis Cartier (H&R Block) was unable to bridge the gap. The maximum lead of the quintet was 6:20 at kilometre 108.

“Some of the riders in the front group stopped their effort after the intermediate sprint,” Meiler explained. “I’m happy because all I could get from this breakaway is the most combative rider prize and I got it.” He forged on with Slik, but the duo was reeled in with 84km to go.

Some 75km before the end, another group, comprising Rick Van Breda (Monkey Town), Jordan Cheyne (Jelly Belly) and Fabian Lienhard (Vorarlberg), rode away. They built a maximum gap of 3:30 with 39km to go. Van Breda was first to be swallowed by the peloton led by riders from Wilier Triestina, Kolss and IsoWhey Sports-Swisswellness. Cheyne insisted on his own in the last 10 kilometres but was caught under the flamme rouge.

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Froome wins inaugural Shanghai Criterium

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Chris Froome (Team Sky) claimed victory in the inaugural Shanghai Criterium, seeing off Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) and Warren Barguil (Sunweb) in a three-up sprint.

"It wasn’t easy, there were a lot of great sprinters here so the only option was to attack," said Froome. "We had great support from the public here in Shanghai. It’s a great way to end the season."

The largely ceremonial race was set up this year by Tour de France organisers ASO to run ahead of the existing Saitama Criterium, which has seen a flavour of the Tour de France exported to Asia for the past five years.

More a chance to show off the stars and colours of the Tour than showcase serious racing, Froome, wearing the yellow jersey of Tour de France winner, triumphed on the flat course – made up of 20 laps of a three-kilometre circuit – in a field that included sprinter Marcel Kittel, who won five stages at this year’s Tour.

There were numerous breakaway fluctuations, with Alberto Contador staying true to type in his final racing outing with some time out in front, but in the latter stages a group containing the leading rider of each pro team went clear. From there, polka-dot jersey wearer Barguil attacked and soon it was just him, Froome, and Uran, who was runner-up in July.

Barguil attacked under the flamme rouge but Froome pulled it back before holding off Uran in the sprint while the Frenchman sat up.

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Six Day London: Britain's Katie Archibald leads going into final day

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Defending champion Katie Archibald leads going into the final day of Six Day London following victory in the omnium.

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Meyer/Scotson surge on penultimate day of Six Day London

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Van den Ham wins Canadian 'cross championships

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Ferrier Bruneau wins Candian 'cross championships

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Auclair tops U23 men's podium in Canadian 'cross nationals

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West wins U23 women Canadian 'cross title

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Clark claims Canadian junior 'cross title

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Van der Poel nabs another win on home soil

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Kaptheijns continues winning streak in GP Brabant

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Jon Aberasturi wins Tour of Hainan opener

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Spain’s Jon Aberasturi of Japanese outfit Ukyo claimed his eighth victory of the year, all of which have come in Asia at six different races, as he outsprinted Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) at the end of stage 1 on the Tour of Hainan. Australia’s Michael Freiberg (Isowheysports-Swisswellness) rounded out the podium.

Aberasturi has already scored wins earlier this year at the Tour of Thailand, the Tour of Japan, the Tour of Korea, the Tour of Qinghai Lake and the Tour of Taihu Lake.

“I didn’t feel good during the race but the legs were normal again for sprinting at the end,” the Basque rider told Cyclingnews at the finish. “This is my eighth win of the year. It makes me very happy. I won stage 1 in three races: Tour of Korea, Tour of Qinghai Lake and here. It’s important. To beat a rider like Mareczko from time to time helps for the confidence, knowing that he has beaten some of the world’s best sprinters before.”

It took 30 kilometres for a breakaway to develop in the 88km-long opening stage of the 12th edition of the Tour of Hainan. Four riders made it: Enrico Barbin (Bardiani CSF), Joe Cooper (Isowheysports-Swisswellness), Vitaly Buts (Kolss) and Joab Schneiter (Switzerland).

“We were on a short leash,” New Zealand national champion Cooper explained. “Out of four breakaway riders, two of us wanted to push on, the two others just wanted to cruise along. We never had full cooperation out there. I think the biggest gap we got was 39 seconds. It was never really enough.”

Buts was brave enough to fend off the peloton in the only categorised climb of the day with 14.6km to go while Benjamin Hill (Attaque Team Gusto) was second at the top of the hill right behind him. “We’ve suffered a lot to stay away until the KOM point but at the end, luckily, I got it”, the former Ukrainian rider from Lampre commented. “I’m happy. It has not been a breakaway for nothing. I hope to retain this jersey till the end. It becomes my goal now.”

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Saturday 28 October 2017

Landa: I would have liked a different welcome from Quintana

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Mikel Landa spent the past four years being overshadowed by other Grand Tour leaders on his teams, first with Astana while working for Fabio Aru, and this year with Team Sky when he finished the Tour de France a single second off the podium while working for Chris Froome. Next season he heads to Movistar and has already been faced with comments from Nairo Quintana who earlier this week declared himself as sole leader of the team for the Tour de France.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Landa explained that his 'free Landa' quip at the UCI gala was not a reaction to Quintana's comments, and said he expected Movistar's manager Eusebio Unzue to get the best out of both of them.

"I was there with all my teammates and it has been something that has always been taken in a good way, nobody took it badly," Landa explained of his exclamation to Mundo Deportivo.

"They asked if I would dare to say it on the last day with them and we had a good laugh."

Quintana told El Pais on Tuesday, "I am the leader of the team and I am the leader for the Tour", but added "If Alejandro [Valverde] comes to support me, it would be a blessing, and if Landa comes, the same. That would be a great team to take on strong teams like Sky."

Landa said that he had not yet read Quintana's comments before the UCI gala, and that the joke was not a reaction to his new teammate's statement, but said, "Obviously, I would have liked to get a different welcome, but I'm going to his house, and from what I can see, it looks like he doesn't like it."

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Kristoff: I have no regrets about World Championships

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Alexander Kristoff came painfully close to winning the world road race title on home soil only to be pipped by two-time defending champion Peter Sagan. A month on, Kristoff has replayed the day a thousand times in his head but says that he has no regrets about his ride in Bergen.

Though, it is still clear how bitter a bitter a blow it was to miss out on that fabled rainbow jersey, which would have no doubt been the biggest victory of his career.

"It was a matter of a few inches," Kristoff explained in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “I've been thinking a thousand times, but I have nothing to regret. I do not think I made any mistakes. I did not miss anything, but Sagan beat me. But he has won the World Championships three times [in a row], which has never happened to anyone, meaning he is the strongest in the world. A few inches ... I wanted that jersey.”

There is little time to dwell on the season past with a new season with a new squad on the horizon. Good first impressions are a must and Kristoff is eyeing a return to the Classics top step as begins his new career with UAE Team Emirates next season. The Norwegian, who will begin his season at the Dubai Tour in February, also hopes to retain the European title he won in Herning earlier this year.

Kristoff is one of only five current riders to have victories in two different Monuments after winning Milan-San Remo in 2014 and the Tour of Flanders the following year. Since winning Flanders, Kristoff has not been back on the podium at any of cycling’s biggest one-day races. With his new team, the Monuments will once again form the crux of his season.

“San Remo will be the first major goal of 2018. I should debut in Dubai, then in March I will be in Paris-Nice,” said Kristoff. "My dream is to win Roubaix, but I'm aware that I've never made the most of this race [his best result was ninth in 2013 –ed]. After San Remo I will go to Flanders. I think that the victory at Flanders was the strongest day of my life. Then I would like to defend the European champion jersey. The World Championship, however, is too hard, impossible. "

New motivations

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Froome: Dumoulin will really push me

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Chris Froome versus Tom Dumoulin: it’s a rivalry everyone’s getting excited about, including Froome himself. The Tour de France champion said on Saturday that, whether it’s at next year’s Tour or further down the line, he’s looking forward to a first proper face-off with the Dutchman.

Dumoulin, a natural time triallist, emerged as a possible Grand Tour winner at the 2015 Vuelta a España and he provided emphatic confirmation this year with overall victory at the Giro d’Italia. Froome collected a fourth Tour de France title in July with a minimum of fuss, but Dumoulin may well have positioned himself as the greatest threat to the Sky rider’s hegemony.

“He’s definitely part of the new generation of GC riders. He’s someone who I haven’t gone head-to-head with properly in the GC sense, so I definitely look forward to that challenge,” said Froome, speaking in Shanghai ahead of the China Criterium. “It’s good for me to have someone to really push me like that as well.

“It certainly wasn’t a surprise to me when he won the Giro. Before the race I actually had a bet with some of my friends that he would win, and he proved me right. I saw that coming. It’s been coming for some time now.”

Dumoulin would certainly bring a fresh challenge to Froome. After blowing the competition away on summit finishes en route to victory in 2013 and 2015, Froome has made precious few gains in the mountains in the last two years, instead using the time trials to comfortably pull away from competitors such as Romain Bardet.

Against the world time trial champion, however, that would no longer seem to be a viable approach, and with Dumoulin there’s the added complication – as he proved at the Giro against the likes of Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali – of him being a tough nut to crack on even the biggest mountains.

Giro d’Italia

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Froome and Kittel arm wrestle - Video

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Marcel Kittel and Chris Froome may often race in the same peloton, but the sprinter and the general classification rider never find themselves going head to head in a race.

With the relaxed atmosphere of the season closing Criteriums in the Far East, the pair has taken the opportunity to duke it out in an unexpected format, arm wrestling. In front of their fellow riders, they sought out to find who was the strongest.

It hardly seemed a fair match-up from the start. The 6 ft 2 (1.88m) Kittel weighs in at anywhere over 85 kilos while the one inch shorter Froome gives away around 15 kilos to the German.

Froome gave a good fight, and tried to get an early advantage on his opponent, even taunting him with a jovial “come on man.” But it was clear Froome was feeling the strain and it was little surprise that Kittel came out on top in this particular duel.

Kittel and Froome will be on more familiar ground on Sunday when they race around the streets of Shanghai for the criterium.

Le duel le plus inattendu : @chrisfroome vs @marcelkittel / The most (un)-expected fight: @chrisfroome vs @marcelkittel #ShanghaiCriterium http://pic.twitter.com/S9HZC57AYz
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) October 28, 2017

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Tai Chi and lion dancing: The Tour peloton descends on Shanghai - Gallery

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It’s that time of the year when we get to see the stars of the Tour de France in Asia being placed into a range of incongruous situations.

In recent years the Saitama Criterium in Japan has represented a chance for the vastly western peloton to meet the Far East and its cultures, and this year organisers ASO – who run the Tour – have added the ‘China Criterium’ in Shanghai, where a media day was held on Saturday ahead of the race on Sunday.

While the Saitama media days have seen pro riders try their hand at sumo wrestling and Japanese archery, Saturday’s event in Shanghai had them decked out in robes for Tai Chi and lion dancing.

Chris Froome wore yellow as the Tour de France champion, and he was joined by king of the mountains Warren Barguil in red and white, and by Marcel Kittel in green, the German having worn the points jersey up until his abandon late in the race. Alberto Contador was also front row as the 25 or so riders who will line up in Sunday’s criterium were taken through three basic moves of Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art which is said to have numerous health benefits.

After some spirited attempts, and some not so spirited, the riders left the stage, while Froome, Kittel, and Barguil remained for the lion dancing, an ancient tradition in which performers dress in elaborate lion costumes and dance to a drum beat. Thankfully the riders were mere onlookers as the two-man lions carried out a range of acrobatic moves.

Click or swipe through the gallery for a full feast of photos of the activities and the media day as a whole. The race takes place on Sunday before the riders travel to Japan for the Saitama Criterium, where live eel catching and Taté sword combat will be on the agenda.

— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) October 28, 2017

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Shane Sutton takes up role with Chinese track team

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Former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton has signed a contract to work with the Chinese national squad. According to a report in the Daily Mail, Sutton will be part of the Chinese team next month when the track World Cup visits Manchester after signing the deal on Friday.

China won their first gold medal on the track at Rio last year with Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi’s victory in the team sprint.

Sutton had been linked with a number of national squads, including his native Australia, but that was taken by British coach Simon Jones. He was part of the British Cycling set-up from 2002 – where he stepped up to technical director in 2014 – before he resigned early last year amidst accusations of bullying and sexism.

In April last year, sprinter Jess Varnish alleged that Sutton had made sexist comments towards her, telling her to “move on and go and have a baby” when he dropped her from the Olympic programme after the World Championships. It was later alleged by former Paralympic gold medallist Darren Kenny that Sutton had referred to Paralympic athletes as Gimps.

Argonaut's new Disc Road redefines the superbike

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This article was originally published on BikeRadar

There are superbikes, and then there are superbikes. The difference here is the former are mass produced, albeit in small quantities, in a stock size run. The latter, the true superbikes, are completely custom, one-off, purpose-built machines with no detail too small to be considered or too expensive to be left out. Argonaut's latest Disc Road bike claims to be "the best possible bike that could be built."

Ben Farver is the man behind Argonaut. It wasn't always about carbon, and he started building steel frames in Portland, Oregon, in 2007. In 2011, Farver jumped into custom carbon fibre frames made by hand in the USA.

Argonaut Disc Road bike specs

Molded carbon dropouts with Mavic Speed Release rear thru-axle
Direct mount rear derailleur hanger
T47 bottom bracket and Chris King T47 24x or 30i threaded bottom bracket
Clearance for 32mm wide tire
ENVE Road Disc Fork, flat mount disc caliper and Mavic Speed Release front axle
Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain and discs
Full internal brake hose and Di2 wiring with internal handlebar Di2 junction box
ENVE 3.4 disc wheels with Schwalbe Pro One 25c tubeless tires
ENVE stem and seatpost
PRO Carbon handlebar with Di2 wiring integration
Claimed bike weight: 15.7lbs with pedals and bottle cages (size 54)
Price: £11,667 / $15,300 / AU$ TBD

Why's it unique?

First off, each Argonaut road frame is completely unique. Every frame is built by hand in Bend, Oregon, from US-sourced carbon that's laid up specifically to address the individual rider's needs and wants.

Even the aluminium moulds in which the carbon is laid are built by Argonaut.

Both the front and rear thru-axles use Mavic's Speed Release set-up to enable quick wheel changes. The system is composed of a standard threaded dropout on one side but an open dropout on the opposite side. This means that the thru-axle itself does not need to be removed entirely from the wheel and bike frame, rather once it's unscrewed, the wheel (with the axle still slipped through the hub) can slide out of the frame or fork.

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Six Day London: De Ketele and De Pauw retake lead on Day 4

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Day 4 Results

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Friday 27 October 2017

Vuelta a Espana could visit France in 2019 - News shorts

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The 2019 Vuelta a España could visit France for an individual time trial in Pau, potentially during the final week of the race, according to a report on Ciclo21.

The website reports that Josy Poueyto, deputy of the Pyrenees Atlantiques region, told the Sud Ouest newspaper the he obtained a commitment on the part of Vuelta director Javier Guillén that the 2019 Vuelta will include an individual time trial with the start and finish in Pau. Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the small city sits just over an hour from the Spanish border by car.

If the race holds to tradition, that time trial would take place in the final week.

FedUni signs on as title sponsor for Australian road championships

Federation University Australia (FedUni) has signed on as title sponsor for Cycling Australia's Road National Championships in Ballarat from 2018-2020, the governing body announced this week.

“I’m delighted to be announcing such a terrific partnership,” said Steve Bracks, Cycling Australia chairman and a FedUni alumnus. “The Cycling Australia Road National Championships is one of the premier events on the cycling calendar, and it takes place right on the doorstep of FedUni’s Mt Helen Campus at Ballarat.

“It makes sense for us to work together, not just for the university’s proximity to the famous Mt Buninyong circuit, but also because of FedUni’s renowned Sports Science program and excellent sports training facilities, which provide all sorts of opportunities during the event.”

Canada announces team for UCI Track Wold Cup opener

Froome, Uran and Contador head to China for Tour de France Criterium

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Lensworld-Kuota set to fold in 2018

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UCI Women's Team Lensworld-Kuota is set to fold after losing a title sponsor. According to a team press release, Lensworld was recently taken over by LensOnline, which decided not to continue the arrangement. Contracts with riders had already been signed for the coming season.

"Without Lensworld, it's not possible to work further in a professional way," said team manager Heidi Van De Vijver via the release. "Even though there is still hope for a solution, the short time is the main obstacle to find a new main sponsor and I can not ask the riders to wait until the very last moment."

The Belgian-based squad, founded in 2013, had counted on Lensworld as a title sponsor since 2015. Italians Tatiana Guderzo and Maria Giulia Confalonieri delivered the squad's most notable results this season. Guderzo recently claimed the women's Giro dell'Emilia.

"Belgium is big in cycling organizations and there are also many men's and women's teams at various levels, but in this small country it is not obvious to find a main sponsor so fast," Van De Vijver said. "By 2019 yes, but most companies had already spent their advertising budget for the coming year. This year we ended up with the smallest budget as the best Belgian team, we were able to compete at the highest level and after all these years we became a highly appreciated team. We already had a beautiful race team for 2018, so this is incredibly bad for all those involved.

"Obviously, I'm very grateful to Lensworld that we have been able to count on them for the past five years and that we have come such a long way with all the other partners. It's the timing that was unfortunate."

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Caja Rural trainee suspended for testosterone positive

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Caja Rural-Seguros RGA trainee Manuel Sola has been suspended after testing positive for testosterone in an anti-doping control taken at May's Tour of Navarre, where he finished fifth.

Ciclo21 reported that Sola, 25, was provisionally suspended on October 5 by the Spanish cycling federation and has forfeited a 2018 contract with Radio Popular Boavista, a Portuguese Continental team. He has requested testing of his B sample. Sola rode with Caja Rural's development squad for most of 2017.

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, which claims to be the only Spanish team that conducts internal blood tests, said they missed the alleged testosterone use because the hormone only shows up in urine tests. Team manager Juanma Hernandez vowed to tighten the internal controls next season.

Sola rode for Keith Mobel-Partizan in 2014 and then moved to Burgos-BH in 2016. This year with Caja's development team he placed sixth at the Classica da Arrabida - Cylin'Portugal and sixth on stage 2 at the Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho. Sola was called up to the Pro Continental team as a trainee in August. His best result at the Tour of Utah was 22nd on stage 2 to Snowbasin. He finished the 2.HC race 29th overall. In the Colorado Classic with Caja Rural, Sola placed 40th on stage 1 and finished 46th overall.

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Mareczko extends with Wilier Triestina ahead of Tour of Hainan season finale

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Fresh from winning five stages and the GC at the Tour of Taihu Lake, Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) has returned to China to contest the Tour of Hainan, where he claimed his first pro victory two years ago. In the 2015 edition of the race, the 23-year-old Polish-born Italian sprinted to victory on stage 6 in Sanya on the south of the tropical island.

"I'll finish my season here, after which I'll be off for the rest of November before preparing for the next season with the same main goal as this year: the Giro d'Italia," he told Cyclingnews in Wanning.

Mareczko was a runner-up to Fernando Gaviria on two occasions this year, in stage 5 to Messina and stage 12 to Reggio Emilia. "For me it was a positive Giro although the team was hoping for a victory more than second places," Mareczko said. "I also prefer to be first than second but we can't only see this kind of results as failures. People tend to forget that one year ago, I was competing in the U23 category at the World Championships [third behind Norway's Kristoffer Halvorsen and Germany's Pascal Ackermann]. I'm still young but I'm improving my cycling surely. One year ago, I got dropped in the hard stage at the Tour of Taihu Lake, but this year with the help of my team-mates, I overcame the climb for finish in a front group of 30 riders."

Mareczko has extended his contract for a third season with Wilier Triestina. "This team has always believed in me and they believe in me again for next year," he added. "They have a nice project to develop a group of young riders. I've liked the idea. [Team manager] Angelo Citracca has insisted a lot for me to stay. I had a few opportunities to join a WorldTour team, but I've preferred to remain at Pro Continental level for one more season. I need to continue my improvement. It's difficult for a pure sprinter to get used to a full program of WorldTour races. There are certainly not many flat races."

The Tour of Hainan can be an opportunity for the Italian to step up. He's expected to shine in the sprints, starting with a short inaugural stage in Wanning-Xinglong on Saturday but he'll also test his legs in the queen stage from Sanya to Wuzhishan on day 7.

Two years ago, Sacha Modolo limited the losses in a similar finale to secure the overall victory throughout the time bonuses. "Like at the Tour of Taihu Lake, the bonifications are very important in Hainan," Mareczko noted.

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Israel Cycling Academy renew with Boivin, Dempster and Van Winden

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Israel Cycling Academy announced on Friday that Guillaume Boivin, Zak Dempster and Dennis van Winden have renewed with the squad for 2018.

“Their roles will be to help out some of the fast men in the team to arrive at the sprint in perfect condition," said team director Kjell Carlström. “In races where we haven’t got a sprinter, they can also help out our climber or GC hope. On some occasions, they can also take their chances by going into the break or even sprinting from a reduced peloton.”

The trio of veterans join eight new riders previously announced and 12 returning riders. New riders include general classification hopeful Ben Hermans from BMC Racing and Ruben Plaza from Orica-Scott. The team also signed Colombian fast man Edwin Avila from Team Illuminate.

Boivin, a 28-year-old Canadian who is in his second year with the team in 2017, most recently won the prologue at the Tour of Taihu Lake and led the 2.1 race for three days, eventually finishing second overall. Boivin was also second overall at the Tour de Saguenay in Canada and second at the one-day Coppa Bernochi.

“The last two months of the season as a whole have been very good for me,” Boivin said. “I’ve gained confidence in myself and hope to carry it into the 2018 season.

“I’m looking forward to showing the world what I’m capable of on the biggest scene,” he said. “Whether it is to help a teammate win or get a chance [myself] at some point, I want to fly the ICA flag to the top.”

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Can you complete the 2017 podiums? – Quiz

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The winners of the biggest races of the year such as the Tour de France and Il Lombardia tend to stick in the memory for a while, if not a lifetime. However, the names of those who finish in second and third place are a more difficult proposition to remember.

In this latest Cyclingnews quiz take a look back at some of the biggest races of the 2017 racing season, and ask you to match the race with the riders who were on the bottom steps of the podium.

As always, good luck and let us know how you get on the comments below.

Note that the rider names are not necessarily in order, nor are all the images from the said race.

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Giro d'Italia 2018: Zoncolan and final Rome TT likely as route details emerge

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Pope Francis has been invited to the start of the 2018 Giro d’Italia in Israel with the Italian Grand Tour now almost certain to finish in Rome, possibly with an individual time trial.

The official presentation of the route is due to be held on November 29 in Milan but details of the 21 days of racing have already emerged via local media in Italy, with a possible map indicating three stages in Sicily before the race heads north to climb the Zoncolan and a time trial near Trento. The final mountain stages are likely to be in the Alps near Turin including the dirt road Colle delle Finestre and mountain finish at Cervinia. The riders will then travel to Rome from Turin for the final stage.

The 2018 Giro d’Italia will have religious connotations but will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great War. RCS Sport is close to securing a reported two million Euro of state funding to help the Giro d’Italia promote Italian culture and tourism.

The Grande Partenza in Israel was confirmed in September, with the race starting with a 10.1km individual time trial in Jerusalem on Friday, May 4 with two road stages to Tel Aviv and Eilat. According to a detailed report in the La Stampa newspaper the riders will fly to Catania in Sicily after the stages in Israel, enjoying an early and extra rest day on Monday May 7 as race vehicles sale from Israel.

The riders face three stages in Sicily to Caltagirone, Santa Ninfa and a mountain finish on the slopes of the Mount Etna volcano. Other key stages as the route heads north should include a mountain finish at Montevergine di Mercogliano near Naples, where Alex Zuelle, Damiano Cunego and Danilo Di Luca have all won in the past.

The Giro d’Italia will pass through the central Apennines, with a finish at Campo Imperatore near the Gran Sasso and possibly start in Filottrano – the hometown of Michele Scarponi, who was killed while training this spring.

Pope Francis invited to Israel start

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Vasseur ready to shake up Cofidis and get the best from Bouhanni

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After turning down offers from BMC and Quickstep in the past, Cedric Vasseur has finally taken the plunge and moved into team management, replacing Yvon Sanquer at Cofidis. Once a rider for the struggling French team, Vasseur is hoping to bring a new way of thinking to the squad, with a more aggressive style of racing, greater focus on professionalism and hope of getting the best out of Nacer Bouhanni on his list of priorites.

Top of Vassuer’s to-do list will be to install a new mentality within the French team. Their last Tour de France stage win came almost a decade ago and since then Cofidis lacked both organisation, star-quality, and the necessary approach to win consistently on the biggest stage.

In recent years the team has put their efforts into supporting Nacer Bouhanni, and while the sprinter has won the lion's share of their victories since moving from FDJ, the team have failed to provide a suitable back up plan and an alternative. Cofidis finished second in the UCI Europe Tour rankings and Bouhanni topped the Europe Tour ranking but only five other Cofidis riders tasted victory in 2017, and other than Bouhanni, only Anthony Perez won more than once.

“The challenge, and it’s the same for every team, is to create the right spirit,” Vasseur told Cyclingnews.

“If you have the right spirit then you have the base to win races. It’s true that the team lacked an image in terms of victories and I think the sponsors were expecting a few better results. When you’ve got one of the best sprinters in the world in Nacer Bouhanni then you should expect victories at the highest level but they weren’t really coming. Professionalism is also going to be really important because I feel like we’re bringing in a new project.”

“What I want, and what I’m waiting for is for the team to win both with and without Nacer. It’s not all about Nacer but in the last few years it’s all been centred on him and it’s meant that other riders have lost their winning instinct. If you’re working for just one rider then you’re never going to be in a break, and that has to change. I want to see a team that’s more aggressive. I want to see the Cofidis jersey in breaks and this will help take the pressure off Nacer. He’s a great rider, and he’s the leader of the team but by putting all the pressure on his shoulders the team lost a lot of races.”

Tuesday 31 October 2017

Bahrain-Merida add neo-pro Mark Padun

Madison Genesis announce 2018 roster

Great Britain's 'cross team for European championships

2018 Team EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale kit to be launched Friday

Schweizer renews with Virtu Cycling

Orica-Scott Women celebrate 'most successful season yet'

Coming close in France

More Grand Tours in the future

Stability and experience

Nibali to target the Giro or the Tour

Thanks for unrelenting encouragement and good will

A new start and back to basics

Monday 30 October 2017

Sunday 29 October 2017

Froome rivalry

Retirement

Saturday 28 October 2017

New motivations

Giro d’Italia

Argonaut Disc Road bike specs

Why's it unique?

Want to try one first?

Day 4 Results

Friday 27 October 2017

FedUni signs on as title sponsor for Australian road championships

Canada announces team for UCI Track Wold Cup opener

Froome, Uran and Contador head to China for Tour de France Criterium

Pope Francis invited to Israel start

Taking the pressure of Bouhanni

Being ahead of the curve