Track Cycling World Championships: Jason Kenny on Great Britain team sprint silver

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Jason Kenny says it was a shame that Great Britain did not bring home gold after their loss to The Netherlands in the team sprint final at the Track Cycling World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43236413

Jason Kenny helps GB to world team sprint silver

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Jason Kenny returns to a major competition to help Great Britain claim team sprint silver at the World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43233910

Track Cycling World Championships: Great Britain settle for silver in team sprint

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Great Britain and Jason Kenny have to settle for silver as they are beaten by The Netherlands in the team sprint final at the Track Cycling World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43235415

Track Cycling World Championships: Jason Kenny leads Great Britain to team sprint final

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Jason Kenny marks his comeback for Great Britain by leading them to the final of the team sprint with with a victory over New Zealand at the Track Cycling World Championships

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43232559

Track Cycling World Championships: Great Britain qualify for team pursuit final with win over Germany

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Great Britain ease past Germany to make the team pursuit final at the Track Cycling World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43235408

Track Cycling World Championships: Laura Kenny helps GB qualify in team pursuit

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Laura Kenny helps Great Britain qualify second fastest in the team pursuit at the Track Cycling World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43232011

Terpstra wins second Le Samyn title

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Le Samyn was Quick-Step Floor's race to lose, and they didn't. Niki Terpstra jumped and cleared the final three-man breakaway, and muscled his way around the day's gruelling, cobbled circuit before finishing with his second victory in Dour.

It was a case of classic tactics as Quick-Step's Philippe Gilbert, also in the final move, as he backed lone rival Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) into the unfortunate position of having to perform a futile chase only to finish third as Gilbert rode around him on the run-in to the finish line for second place.

"I am very happy, but must say we suffered today with every kilometer, because the cold made use spend a lot of energy," Terpstra said. "It wasn't easy to race in these conditions, but fortunately it worked out well for us at the end of the day. We knew the break was strong and the responsibility was on us, so that's why we attacked in the crosswinds from afar.

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"We went full gas and turned everything into an elimination race, with more and more guys getting tired and dropped. The team rode a textbook race, Philippe was perfect in the finale and we just made use of our numerical advantage, so that I could get away and take this beautiful win."

The peloton had a chance to stretch its legs during Belgium's 'opening weekend' with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, where Quick-Step Floors came up empty-handed. And so, perhaps out of sheer frustration, they came out swinging mid-week for Le Samyn's 200km race between Quaregon and Dour.

The parcours was unforgiving, featuring four bergs in the first half. It was tough enough for an early split with Gaudin, Maxime Daniel (Fortuneo), Tom Devriendt (Wany Groupe-Gobert), Quentin Jauregui (AG2R-La Mondiale), Johan Le Bon (Vital Concept), Casper Pedersen (Aqua Blue), Franklin Six and Alex Kirsch (WB Aqua Sport) clearing the field.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/le-samyn-2018/results

Ensing wins Le Samyn des Dames

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Janneke Ensing (Ale Cipollini) claimed victory at Le Samyn des Dames after breaking away from the peloton as part of a six-rider group. Ensing beat Team Sunweb’s Floortje Mackaij and Lauren Kitchen (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope) to take the title.

"Four victories in less than two months, these are incredible results," said a pleased Fortunato Lacquaniti, manager of Ale Cipollini, regarding the team's recent wins at Santos Women's Tour (stage 4), Cadel Evans Ocean Road Race, Setmana Ciclista Valenciana (stage 2) and now Le Samyn.

"We are competitive on all terrains with the strongest cyclists in the world, this 2018 could not start better than this. I'm very proud of the team, the staff and the management."

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It was a horribly cold day for the riders as they set off from Quaregnon early on Tuesday morning with the mercury dipping as low as -4. On top of the cold, the riders would face a 103km course that included 12 sectors of cobbles over undulating terrain and two local laps before the finish in Dour.

The course was as selective as ever with a group of 30 riders surging clear over the cobbles of the local laps. The group broke up further after several attacks, including one from Mackaij that saw her gain 10 seconds on the chasers, and with just 25 kilometres remaining a more select breakaway began to form. In the end, six riders broke clear and it would prove to be the winning move.

Their lead was never big, growing only to as much at 40 seconds before it began to trickle down again, and over the final cobbled sector it was a measly 15 seconds. Nevertheless, the six riders held firm and it was former speed skater Ensing, who finished ninth in the 2017 edition, who came out on top in the rush for the line.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/le-samyn-des-dames-2018/results

'It's been a fairytale so far' - the GB amateurs ready to take on the world

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British amateur Charlie Tanfield defers his University degree to race for Great Britain at the 2018 World Track Cycling Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43192072

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne: massive tech gallery

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Belgium's 'opening weekend' races of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne are the unofficial official start to the new cycling season. This year's events took place in completely dry, but brutally cold conditions, which rarely rose above 3 or 4 degrees and were combined with a substantial wind chill.

Riders layered up with the latest and greatest their teams' clothing providers offer in an attempt to cope with the freezing temperatures. The latest technical fabrics helped to take some of the edge off the cold, although doubling up on gloves, booties, jackets and neck scarves was still necessary for most of the riders.

Quick-Step Floors' Classics hard men Zdenek Stybar and Niki Terpstra used tricks from a bygone era in conjunction with their modern cycling apparel. To shield his face from the wind chill, Terpstra chose to smother his face with Vaseline to add a veil of extra protection during the races.

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Again to combat the driving wind, and perhaps with an inclination of knowing he would be lighting up the front of the race for most of the day, Stybar used an old piece of cardboard to add an extra insulating layer in between his jersey and jacket, a trick that has been used by seasoned cyclists since the days of Fausto Coppi and before with bits of cardboard and even newspapers.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad changed its course for 2018 to mirror the old finish of the Tour of Flanders. Both races from opening weekend use many of the same Kassien (cobbles) sectors and Hellingen (climbs) as 'De Ronde'. With this in mind, most teams switched to more robust tyre compound than the usual supple rubber used, although the majority stuck with the common 25mm size choice.

Most of the teams lined up on their preferred race bikes although Team Sky raced on their updated endurance frameset, the Pinarello Dogma K10.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-and-kuurne-brussel-kuurne-massive-tech-gallery

Calmejane wins Royal Bernard Drome Classic

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/royal-bernard-drome-classic-2018/results

Barnes wins Setmana Ciclista Valenciana

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Hannah Barnes won finale stage 4 and the overall title at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana on Sunday. The Canyon-SRAM sprinter capped off a successful week, where she also won the opening stage, by winning the breakaway group sprint ahead of Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Cervelo Bigla) and Alicia Gonzalez (Movistar) in Benidorm.

"The last lap was very hard. To have Kasia [Niewiadoma] and Pauline [Ferrand-Prévot] there with me was really great. They were amazing, especially in the final," Barnes said. "The team had a lot of confidence in me which made me believe in myself too. I knew it was going to be a hard day but after all the work the staff and riders have put into this race, and also our recent training camp, I couldn't not give it everything."

The final stage in Benidorm offered three laps of a circuit that includes the climb over Alto Finestrat (7km at 4.7 per cent), for 118km in total. A breakaway of nine riders emerged that gained over two minutes on the main field that contained overnight leader and stage 2 winner Marta Bastianelli (Ale Cipollini).

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The nine riders sprinted to the finishline with Barnes taking the overall win. Given the large time gap to the field, all nine riders featured in the top 10 overall with Moolman-Pasio placing second at 17 seconds back and Gonzalez third at 25 seconds. Bastianelli led in the main field and dropped to 10th overall.

Moolman-Pasio ended the four-day race by winning the mountain classification, Belle De Gast won the sprint classification and Canyon-SRAM won the team classification.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/setmana-ciclista-valenciana-2018/stage-4/results

Van Dijk wins Omloop van het Hageland

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Ellen van Dijk (Sunweb) secured victory at Omloop van het Hageland on Sunday. The time trial specialist attacked in the final kilometres and soloed to the win ahead of a reduced bunch sprint led by Chloe Hosking (Ale Copillini) and Jolien D'hoore (Mitchelton-Scott).

"The team was really incredible today, everyone did their job perfectly. We were constantly attacking all race and it was my job to just stay calm. The girls did a super strong lead-out onto the last climb and nobody could follow us. From then it was all or nothing and I knew I just had to keep riding to the finish and not look back," Van Dijk said.

"There was a really hard crosswind section on the open fields and I realised it would be really hard to stay away by myself, but I just carried on and it paid off. I'm really happy to finish off the team's hard work today with the win."

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Tired legs lined up at the start of UCI 1.1 Omloop van het Hageland on Sunday following the previous day's Classics opener at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The 131km race started in Tielt with one larger 52km loop before reaching the six smaller 13km loops in Aankomstiljn.

A two-rider breakaway formed with Marjolen Van't Geloof and Femke Geeris. The pair gained a maximum of 1:45 on the main field, and although there were several attempted chase groups, none made it across before the breakaway was completely shut down with 35km to go.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/omloop-van-het-hageland-tielt-winge-2018-2018/results

Groenewegen wins Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne

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Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) added another victory to his early-season success after sprinting to win Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday. He led the reduced field sprint across the line ahead of Arnaud Démare (FDJ) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida).

Late-race breakaway riders Julien Duval (AG2R La Mondiale) and Julien Vermote (Dimension Data), joined by Loic Vliegen (BMC Racing) in the final kilometres, where pulled back into the fold by a charging reduced peloton led by Lotto Soudal and LottoNL-Jumbo. Despite spending much of his energy in the breakaway attempt, Vermote hung on for ninth on the day.

Duval had initiated the move on the final lap and was joined by Vermote first and then Vliegen, who had already been on the attack earlier in the race. Vermote looked the strongest of the three as they held a slim advantage over the closing kilometres, but the peloton behind never appeared too troubled with FDJ taking control to set things up for Demare.

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A rider well used to pulling on the front for hours on end, Vermote held out the longest and forged on in the hope that he might be able to pull off an upset, but he had no response when the sprinters began their dive for the line.

Groenewegen struck out first, catching Démare on the hop and putting enough distance between them to stop him from coming back.

Groenewegen was almost not in contention after he missed a big split in the bunch that saw riders such as Jasper Stuyven, Greg Van Avermaet and Matteo Trentin go up the road. Thanks to some solid work from his teammates and some help from Astana, who also missed out, he was given a second chance.

How it happened

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/kuurne-brussel-kuurne-2018/results

Valverde wins Abu Dhabi Tour with final stage victory

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Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) claimed the final stage and with it the overall win at the Abu Dhabi Tour. The Spaniard edged out Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) atop Jabel Hafeet after the pair had dropped their rivals inside the final kilometres. Overnight leader Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) cracked on the climb and conceded 1:42 to Valverde.

Valverde took the overall race from Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) with Lopez rounding out the podium in third.

The race inevitably came down to the final climb with Movistar pushing the pace alongside Astana.

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The day's early break of Lawson Craddock (EF Education First-Drapac), Mathias Brandle (TrekSegafredo), Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), Rudy Barbier (AG2R La Mondiale), Fredrik Frison (Lotto-Soudal), Michael Bresciani (Bardiani CSF), Nicolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo), Nikolay Trusov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) and Joonas Henttala (Novo Nordisk) initially held a lead of over 10 minutes but on the early slopes of the climb their advantage was clipped to within two minutes.

With eight kilometres to go, Astana lined out the peloton with Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) an early casualty due to an untimely mechanical. Craddock and Greipel mustered a brief counter from the remnants of the break as Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) buckled under Astana's pressure.

Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) jumped clear of the Dennis group with seven kilometres to go. The Italian's initial gap sparked Valverde into life, with the Spaniard joining him with an almost effortless attack. The chase from the peloton was too much for Dennis, and with six kilometres remaining the Australian found himself off the back as Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) linked up with Formolo and Valverde and then Lopez. Four became three when Formolo lost contact and Dennis continued to lose time despite being paced by teammate, Damiano Caruso.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/abu-dhabi-tour-2018/stage-5/results

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Podium bikes – Gallery

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For many, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marks the beginning of the European season and with over 12 kilometres of Kassien or Pavé the race is also the first cobbled Classic of the year. With nowhere to hide, the bikes as well as the riders need to arrive well prepared for the first cobbled test of the 2018 season.

Michael Valgren (Astana Pro Team) attacked in the closing kilometres of the 196km test to take the Dane’s biggest victory to date. Riding aboard an Argon 18 Gallium Pro, Valgren was equipped with a mix of Shimano and FSA components, while Corima provides the Kazakh teams with wheels.

Usually racing on Schwalbe tyres, the majority of the Astana team swapped in the legendary, handmade FMB Paris-Roubaix tyres, with Valgren opting for 25mm tubulars for the cobbles of Flanders.

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More surprisingly, however, was that Valgren won the WorldTour race using a Shimano Ultegra cassette, showcasing that perhaps the most expensive components aren’t always the most necessary.

Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education First-Drapac) put in a flurry of attacks throughout the race, eventually settling for third place. Racing on a Cannondale SuperSix Evo, Vanmarcke and Valgren opted to race on all-round race bikes that are as at home in the Alps as on the cobbles, as opposed to a potentially comfier and less fatiguing endurance frame model.

While Valgren chose FMB tubulars, Vanmarcke switched from his regular 25mm Vittoria Corsa tubulars for 28mm Vittoria Corsa Control tubulars, which feature a file tread pattern.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-podium-bikes-gallery

Track Cycling World Championships: BBC TV times and event schedule

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BBC Sport coverage times for the 2018 Track Cycling World Championships featuring the return of Jason and Laura Kenny to global action.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/42283495

Alejandro Valverde secures Abu Dhabi victory

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Spain's Alejandro Valverde wins the Abu Dhabi Tour after victory on the final stage of the five-day race.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43189522

Bardet wins Classic de l'Ardeche

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Roman Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) won the Faun Environnement - Classic de l'Ardeche Rhone Crussol on Saturday in France. He made a final attacked to force other teams to work but then soloed to the victory 47 seconds ahead of Maximilian Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) and 56 seconds ahead of Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie).

"I had a lot of fun, just racing without a second thought, being able to take a risk. After my injury, I did not know where my condition would be," said Bardet, who injured his arm in a domestic accident. He required stitches and a splint to treat a cut and a small muscle injury to his left forearm. He took two weeks off to recover.

Bardet noted that this is his first official start to the season, although he did place 8th behind his winning teammate Alexandre Geniez at the Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise in January.

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"This is my real start to the season. I didn’t plan anything. I simply worked hard this week to make up for not having been at the Ruta del Sol," Bardet said.

"But in any case, it is always good to take a win. I love this type of attacking racing, without scripts. And the team has a great attacking attitude. We were already a strong group last year, and we had a lot of fun. All this creates an enjoyable and a positive climate. Victories follow victories."
 

 

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/faun-environnement-classic-de-lardche-rhne-crussol-2018/results

Setmana Ciclista Valenciana: Steigenga wins stage 3

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/setmana-ciclista-valenciana-2018/stage-3/results

Valgren wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

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Astana might be in trouble behind the scenes, but on the road they have been pitch perfect this month. Michael Valgren added to their February success with victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a late solo attack.

Łukasz Wiśniowski (Team Sky) had been distanced on the Muur van Gerardsbergen but fought back to take second place ahead of Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education First-Drapac).

"After the Muur we got away in a big group," Valgren said. "We had three guys and we needed to do something because we had some fast riders. We had Oscar there and Lutsenko who is also fast, so it was up to me to attack. I counter attacked Sep Vanmarcke and they were looking at each other for just five seconds and I was away.

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"It was bloody hard and I am super happy. I would like to be up there in the big ones like the Tour of Flanders. It’s the only the second time that I've done these races, last year was the first time and I was 11th in the Tour of Flanders. You also need to be lucky about the crashes and these races are stressful and full-gas, but they are a lot of fun."

The finale of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad had been tinkered with to something that mirrored the old finish of the Tour of Flanders, but with plenty of youth in the bunch there were many that hadn’t raced on that parcours.

Most had expected the race to detonate as early as the Mollenberg, but a headwind out on course made it nigh on impossible. It wouldn’t be until the Muur van Gaardsbergen that it really began to take shape.

How it happened

The first exchanges

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-elite-2018/results

Siggaard wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women

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In a huge surprise, Danish rider Christina Siggaard (Team Virtu Cycling) won Saturday's re-vamped Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, sprinting clear of a group of 30 women. The 23-year-old finished ahead of Alexis Ryan (Canyon-SRAM) and Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Valcar-PBM).

"It's a dream come true," Siggaard said. "Sometimes everything just comes together; riders, team and sponsors, that's what makes this great."

Despite their presence in that front group, Siggaard beat favourites the calibre of Chloe Hosking (Alé-Cipollini), Coryn Rivera (Sunweb) and Jolien D'hoore (Mitchelton-Scott) to take undoubtedly the best result of her career.

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Siggaard herself could barely believe her success, and was comforted by other riders after bursting into tears and sobbing just over the finish line in Meerbeke.

She had survived a tough final half of the race, remaining with many of the sport's top names through the new final which included the climbs of Kapelmuur and the Bosberg in the final 20km.

How It Unfolded

The 122.1km race began in Ghent, with both start and finish the same as the men's event, which ran concurrently.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-elite-women-2018/results

Dennis takes Abu Dhabi lead after time trial victory

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Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) surged into the overall lead at the Abu Dhabi Tour after taking victory in the key time trial on stage 4. The Australian completed the 12.6km course in a time of 14:21, some 14 seconds quicker than his closest rival Jonathan Castroviejo (Team Sky), while his teammate Miles Scotson finished third a further two seconds back.

Dennis now leads Castroviejo in the overall standings by the same margin he beat him by in the time trial. World champion Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) was one of the favourites going into the stage but suffered a mechanical, which was fatal to his chances of victory.

After three straight days for the sprinters, the overall classification was game for almost anyone with a decent time trial in their arsenal. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) would roll out last as the race leader, but his advantage over much of the pack was 13 seconds and he would have to pull out the effort of his life to retain the red jersey.

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Team Sunweb set the early benchmark, with Nikias Arndt going around the course in a time of 14:43, beating the likes of Alex Dowsett (Katusha-Alpecin) as he crossed the line. He would enjoy almost half an hour in the hot seat before Scotson came in and booted him off. Dennis set off while Scotson was still out on course and there was little time to get comfortable for the young Australian before he too was bumped down a spot in the standings as Dennis went 16 seconds quicker.

With some strong time triallists still to test their mettle on the sweeping, fast course, a victory was not certain and Dennis would have to sit and wait while many tried and failed to oust him. Spanish champion Castroviejo came close, but still fell 14 seconds short.

Dumoulin looked like the only serious challenger for Dennis and was a second up on the BMC Racing rider at the first intermediate check. But then it all went wrong for the world champion when he had to swap bikes because of a mechanical issue. The frustration was clear as he moved to the left of the road to pick up his new machine and he let out a yell as he threw his arms up. He was quickly back on his bike but, with such short time trial, he was never going to make up the time lost and he was unable to even make the top 10.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/abu-dhabi-tour-2018/stage-4/results

Bastinelli wins stage 2 in Valencia

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Marta Bastianelli (Ale Cipollini) opened her account for the season with a victory on stage 2 of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. The Italian topped race leader Hannah Barnes (Canyon-SRAM) in the bunch sprint. Alicia Gonzalez (Movistar) was third.

"We raced so well," an excited Bastianelli said after her win. "The climb was hard and we have been perfect to stay in the front with the strongest athletes. We did a great job with Ane (Santesteban), and Mayuko (Hagiwara) was in the lead, then Anna (Trevisi) came from behind to help me really well for the sprint. Thanks to the team for this magnificent result".

A crash disrupted the run-in to the finish, with Lotta Lepistö (Cervelo-Bigla) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) among the fallers, but both finished the stage.

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Barnes kept her race lead of five seconds over Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, who was eight on the stage, with Bastianelli remaining third at seven seconds.

The stage started off with a solo attack from Nicole Steigenga (Swapit Agolico), but with one classified climb on the route, she was swept up by an attack from Kathrin Hammes (Trek-Drops) as more riders then bridged across..

There were 15 riders in the leading group by the time they reached the top of the only climb of the day, where Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Cervelo Bigla) took the points ahead of teammate Moolman-Pasio and Niewiadoma.

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/setmana-ciclista-valenciana-2018/stage-2/results

Abu Dhabi Tour: Bauhaus edges out Kittel on stage 3

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Phil Bauhaus (Team Sunweb) took a photo finish win on stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Tour. Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) took second, and Pascal Ackerman (Bora-hansgrohe) repeated his third place of the previous stage.

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) finished fourth on the stage, and retained his overall lead.

"To expect to win is difficult. I knew that I was going well at home and my goal was to take a podium or a win and I am super happy that I was able to do it. It’s really nice. We have a super strong team and I am really happy that it worked out here," Bauhaus said.

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With five riders crossing the finish line almost simultaneously, a photo finish was required, with the decision finally falling in Bauhaus’ favour. It was Team Sunweb’s first win of the season, making them the last WorldTour team to claim a victory.

A four-man group was away for the first half of the stage, but things stayed together after that. The expected wind and echelons made only brief appearances.

"We did a good job again as a team with lead out men Alvaro Hodeg and Fabio Sabatini," Viviani said after the stage. "We came out of the last corner at the front. But in this Abu Dhabi Tour, the win is always a factor. It was another head wind sprint. Bauhaus had the strength to come from the back. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, we have to accept it. However, I'm happy with my team again today.”

How it unfolded

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via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/abu-dhabi-tour-2018/stage-3/results

Vincenzo Nibali’s Merida Scultura – Gallery

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Bahrain-Merida team leader Vincenzo Nibali has a freshly painted bike for the new season. The GC contender will ride the black Merida Scultura frameset for the majority of the 2018 campaign, including the Tour de France.

After illness forced Nibali out of the Vuelta a San Juan, the Italian opted to head to the Middle East for his first races of the 2018 season, opening his account at the Dubai Tour and Tour of Oman before heading back to Europe for training.

Nibali's Merida Scultura is a mix of components, with the majority of the drivetrain consisting of Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series parts, wheels from Italian brand Fulcrum and the finishing kit a mix of more Italian components from FSA, Prologo and Elite.

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The crankset is SRM's Origin Road model paired with 53/39 Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 chainrings.

Along with the predominantly black frameset and components are flashes of gold in the SRM PC-8 head unit and even the brake cable crimps.

Take a closer look at Nibali's 2018 race bike in the gallery above.

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vincenzo-nibalis-merida-scultura-gallery-1

Mitch Docker's Cannondale SuperSix Evo HiMod - Gallery

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

Lead out and Classics specialist Mitch Docker donned the pink-and-lime-green of EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at the Tour Down Under last month. And, with that, his brand-new Cannondale Supersix Evo HiMod race bike on his WorldTour debut with his new team.

Riding a size 54 frame, Docker's fit isn't all that radical like some pro riders. He does have a moderately long 120mm FSA OS-99 stem, but that's hardly out of the ordinary, and with 390mm bars and a 755 saddle height.

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FSA has expanded its sponsorship with the team from last year as they swapped from Mavic to FSA's in-house wheel-brand Vision for 2018 with Docker riding the Meriton 55SL Tubulars. We can't help but wonder if we will see the team testing the new FSA K-Force WE drivetrain later in the season.

 

Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale have dumped Fizik for Prologo when it comes to touch points

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Barnes wins opening stage at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana

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Hannah Barnes (Canyon-SRAM) won the opening stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana in Gandia on Thursday. Despite being caught in the final kilometre, breakaway rider Ashliegh Moolman-Pasio (Cervelo Bigla) finished second on the day and Marta Bastianelli (Ale Cipollini) was third.

Canyon-SRAM played their tactics well, keeping Barnes fresh and ready to sprint, while teammate Kasia Niewiadoma played her card on the final climb. Niewiadoma got away with Moolman-Pasio over Alto de Barx but the pair were caught on the run-in to the finish line.

"We were in a small chase group behind Kasia but our team had good numbers. Shara Gillow (FDJ) was trying to go across but we always were able to cover any moves," said Barnes after the stage.

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"As riders from behind caught our group and it swelled in numbers, then there was a more organised chase. Alena (Amialiusik), Pauline (Ferrand-Prévot) and I agreed that if Kasia was caught then we would immediately start to attack."

The opening stage of 118km from Rotova to Gandia was a test for the climbers in the field, for later more decisive hilly stages. There were two intermediate sprints, both won by Tanja Erath (Canyon-SRAM) and there were two climbs in the second half of the stage; Alto de Barxeta (6.2km at 3.1%) and the Alto de Barx (6km at 5.6%).

Moolman-Pasio, in her first race of the season, picked up the first set of points on the Also de Barxeta, perhaps a sign of what was to come on the final ascent.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Abu Dhabi Tour: Viviani wins stage 2 and takes race lead

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Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) won an easy sprint on the second stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour, also taking the race lead. Second on the day went to Danny van Poppel (LottoNL-Jumbo) with Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe) third.

The win moved Viviani to the top of the GC, tied on time with now-second-ranked Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), with Van Poppel in third at four seconds.

"I need to break the ice on the first day of a stage race. Usually, I don't win the first sprint. It's been the case again but I was very confident today. Also in the echelons, I felt strong and I was willing to pull. We had Julian Alaphilippe and Enric Mas in the front group," Viviani said.

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"It was good for our GC but we also wanted to win the stage, so I asked the guys to wait for me and close the gap. When we regrouped with 20km to go, I said we put all our efforts into the last corner. The young Alvaro Hodeg is unbelievable in his preparation for my sprint. Michael Morkov is always in the right place and I trust Fabio Sabatini 100 per cent for the lead out. With such a team, it was easy for me to finish it off.”

A five-man break group dominated the first half of the race, but they were caught again at the feed zone. Movistar and Katusha-Alpecin took advantage of crosswinds to rip the race wide open, dropping not only race leader Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates) but several GC candidates. After a furious chase, the race finally came back together within the final 20 kilometers, leading to the expected mass sprint finish.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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New mother Laura Kenny says Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has been a 'great support'

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Four-time Olympic cycling champion Laura Kenny says she has had advice from Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill about becoming a mother.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43115254

Full stop: road disc brakes take over in 2018

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

To hear SRAM and Shimano tell it, more road disc brakes will sell this year than rim brakes in sales of groups and complete bikes. Bike brands such as Specialized, Trek and Cannondale back this up.

While most brands will continue to support both styles of brakes, Specialized is clearly pointed towards disc-only.

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"We are going to stop selling full rim-brake road bikes, and will only sell them as framesets," says Specialized PR spokesman Sean Estes.

"2018 will be the tipping point for sure"

Shimano does not publicly share sales numbers, but road product manager Dave Lawrence says disc brakes are certainly overtaking rim brakes this year.

"It is across the board, not just high- or low-end bikes or groups," Lawrence says. "It really ramped up in the second half of 2017, both OE [meaning original equipment sold to bike brands] and aftermarket. We have not been able to meet demand for Dura-Ace and Ultegra hydraulics. There is a good chance we will see disc eclipse rim brake in total sales in 2018."

So, are rim brakes dead?

Meanwhile, Trek and Shimano let riders choose

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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women - Start List

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Mark Cavendish crashes out of Abu Dhabi tour before race even starts

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Britain's Mark Cavendish pulls out of the Abu Dhabi Tour following concussion sustained in a crash during the race's first stage.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43146866

Cavendish crashes out of Abu Dhabi Tour on opening stage

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Britain's Mark Cavendish pulls out of the Abu Dhabi Tour after falling on the shoulder he broke during last year's Tour de France.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/43140818

Niewiadoma: I need to be patient

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Katarzyna Niewiadoma, 23, has spent her short but hugely successful professional cycling career under the guidance of Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen, during her tenure with the renowned Dutch team Rabobank. But times are changing for the Polish phenom, who is just days away from toeing the start line with a fresh new look with Canyon-SRAM at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana.

"I've been very excited ever since I signed my contract with Canyon-SRAM," Niewiadoma told Cyclingnews. "I couldn't wait for 2018 to put on my new kit and join the team. It's been great."

In 2013, at just 18 years old, Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling identified Niewiadoma as an up-and-coming talent in women's cycling. She spent the next five years learning from team leaders Vos and Van der Breggen and lived up to all expectations during her time with that programme.

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In her first season, which began as a trainee in August 2013, she won the youth classification and placed 10th overall at the Boels Ladies Tour. During the next four seasons she won overall titles at the Euskal Emakumeed Bira, Giro del Trentino, Festival Elsy Jacobs and OVO Energy Women's Tour, along with numerous other podium placings.

She stayed loyal to Vos' team as it went through sponsorship changes and was renamed WM3 Energie in 2017, which was arguably her most successful season. But instead of renewing with the Dutch team for 2018, which changed title sponsorship again and is now called Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team, she signed a three-year deal with Canyon-SRAM, taking her through 2020.

Vos said Niewiadoma would be tough to replace.

A more relaxed start

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Maurits Lammertink's Canyon Ultimate CF Evo - Gallery

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

Dutch rider Maurits Lammertink is back with Katusha-Alpecin in 2018, and is once again aboard a bright red Canyon Ultimate.

Riding a size XS frame (529mm top tube), Lammertink's bike has some war wounds with scratches on the derailleur and shifters, so it would appear the team used last year's bikes for the Tour Down Under.

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As the only SRAM sponsored team on the WorldTour, Lammertink's bike is clad with the brand's wireless Red eTap drivetrain, Quarq power meter and Zipp wheels.

At the front, Lammertink is riding 53/39t chainrings, short 170mm cranks and Quarq's new DZero power meter. Moving to the back, an eTap rear derailleur looks after the shifting with a Force PG-1170 cassette.

 

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Australia names 36-rider squad for 2018 Commonwealth Games

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Australia will field a 36-rider squad at April's Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast to compete across road, track and mountain bike disciplines.

The men's road team features 2006 champion Mathew Hayman, alongside Mitchelton-Scott teammates Alexander Edmondson and Cameron Meyer. Mitch Docker, Steele von Hoff and Callum Scotson, who skips the track events, will complete the squad. Meyer will also compete on the track along with fulfilling his road duties.

For national road race champion Edmondson, the race is his first on the road at the Commonwealth Games having won gold and silver medals four years ago on the track in Glasgow.

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"I have very fond memories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games from Glasgow, so I am really excited about lining up in the road race in 2018," said Edmondson. "Of course being a home games there's a bit of added pressure, but we are going to have a home crowd cheering us on which is going to be huge."

The women's road team also features six riders with Tiffany Cromwell, Gracie Elvin, Katrin Garfoot, Chloe Hosking, Shannon Malseed, and Sarah Roy all earning selection. Hosking has earned her third straight selection for the Commonwealth Games and will be a key rider for the road race.

"It's a bit of a pinch yourself moment," said Hosking who won bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. "To think I represented Australia at 20 in Delhi and I'm still racing and still getting stronger and still pulling on the green and gold. I never would have dreamt this growing up."

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Edmondson looking forward to cobbled classics campaign

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The 2018 season started in surprising fashion for Alex Edmondson. The 24-year-old won the national Australian title on the hilly Buninyong circuit arguably unsuited to his characteristics. But in doing so, he also continued the recent trend of track riders taming the famed mountain and opened his win account on the road.

The national title also started a full summer of racing with Mitchelton-Scott, minus the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with Edmondson turning helper, despite the new stripes, to help teammates Daryl Impey at Tour Down Under, and Esteban Chaves at the Herald Sun Tour, to overall wins.

"To be able to tick off my first professional win, even though it was just the nationals, it wasn't a WorldTour race or the like but for me it is super special. I will be able to have green and gold on my sleeves," Edmondson recently told Cyclingnews.

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Across the summer, Edmondson still managed to snare three top-ten results and with plenty of kilometres spent on the front of the peloton, his new jersey was far from anonymous in the peloton. At the Tour Down Under, Edmondson also showed off the national jersey in Stirling, the Adelaide Hills town where he grew up, and enjoyed a week of racing on home roads. It wasn't all easy going though with Edmondson on lead out duty for Caleb Ewan. While Edmondson isn't Ewan's usual last man, the duo have known each other since junior track days and are working on developing their relationship at WorldTour level.

"For me, it is doing the best that I can, I am the first to admit that I lack a bit of experience and I haven't been doing it for too long. It is about learning how to do it but also jumping into the deep end and doing my absolute best," Edmondson told Cyclingnews. "I know if I can get a bit of open road, I have the speed behind me and the power. It is all about self-belief but also learning. The team is very understanding knowing that I haven't had the experience and I am here to gain experience but also do a job.

"It is always good when you can work with Caleb. I have grown up with him since I was probably 15. We get on really well. At the same time as doing lead-outs, I still want to have the opportunity to go for some of the races in the classics for example. At the end of the day, I am happy to do whatever the team needs."

Classics focus

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Matthews confirmed for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

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Team Sunweb has confirmed Michael Matthews will make his 2018 season debut Saturday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Australian has only ridden the opening race of the classics season once before in 2013 when he recorded a DNF.

In 2018, Matthews is focused on a full classics campaign from the cobbles through to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad though is Matthews' first race since the Tour of Guangxi in October last year and not his biggest goal of the autumn. However, he enters the race off the back of a training camp and has the backing of the team for a result. Søren Kragh Andersen and Edward Theuns also provide firepower for Sunweb in the final as the team chases its first win of the 2018 season.

"We want to ride aggressively at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and show ourselves in the break of the day," coach Arthur van Dongen said. "Our goal is to have Edward, Michael and Søren positioned well going into the final. For Michael, Omloop will be his first race of the season following a very good training block with several team training camps, including one at altitude."

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The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad finale has been adjusted from 2018 with the addition of the Muur van Geraardsbergen 15.8km from the finish and the Bosberg 12km from the line. Both climbs ensuring the finale is now identical to that of the Tour of Flanders. With the changes, van Dongen expects the race to play out differently compared to previous editions but is confident of the team's ability to deliver a result.

"With a few additions to the final we expect the race to be harder and aim to play a role with these three puncheurs," he added.
"We have a really strong team to support our ambitions with Jai, Tom, Martijn and road captain Roy fresh out of other races in a good shape to help us achieve our goal."

Australian neo-pro Jai Hindley lines out for his first one-day race for Sunweb after making his debut last week at the Volta ao Algarve. The team is completed by the trio of Roy Curvers, Tom Stamsnijder, and Martijn Tusveld who all raced the Tour of Oman last week. 

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Movistar to debut at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana - Women's News Shorts

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The new Movistar women's team will debut at the UCI 2.2 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana from February 22 to 25 in Spain.

Jorge Sanz will direct the all-Spanish line-up that includes Mavi García, Lourdes Oyarbide, Lorena Llamas, Eider Merino, Alicia González and local Alba Teruel.

The team are currently training at a seven-day camp in Alicante in preparation for their debut. The camp ends on Wednesday and the riders will line up on the start line in Gandia the following day.

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The Setmana Ciclista Valenciana will feature plenty of climbing from start to end, with the category 3 Barxeta and category 2 Barx in the first stage. They riders will also climb the category 1  Desierto de las Palmas on route to Villarreal on stage 2, the category 2 Oronet near Valencia's finish on stage 3, and a tough circuit with three trips up the category 2 Alto de Finestrat on stage 4.

Sopela Women's Team to Valenciana

Sopela Women's Team is ready to start their season at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. It is the second edition of the stage race and is expected to host many of the top women's teams in the world.

The four-day stage race will start in Rotova and end in Gandia. The 118km opener will feature Alto de Barxeta (6.2km to 3.1%) and the Alto de Barx (6km 5.6%). Stage 2 will start in Castello and finish in Vila-Real, and climb the Desert of Les Palmes (7.5km to 5.1%). Stage 3, from Sagunt to Valencia, will be 137km with a climb to L'Oronet (5.5km to 5%). The final stage in Benidorm will offer three laps of a circuit that includes the climb over Alto Finestrat (7 km to 4.7%), for 118km in total.

Recycling programme extends sponsorship of Trek-Drops

Canada's Genest to replace Cochrane at Commonwealth Games

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Pinot surprised by good form in 2018 debut

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As he sets out on a slightly unusual 2018 campaign, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) was perfectly satisfied with his opening pedal strokes as he finished fifth overall at the Tour du Haut Var at the weekend. 

The Frenchman's racing load has been scaled back as he looks to maintain freshness in riding both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this year. 

Having traditionally kicked off his seasons at the GP La Marseillaise at the end of January, this year he has waited a little longer. The two-day Tour du Haut Var provided two intermediate hilly stages and he finished in the front group on both occasions, though he lacked the zip of Direct Energie's Jonathan Hivert, who won both stages and the overall. 

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"My assessment of my return over the course of these two days is pretty good," Pinot told L'Equipe. 

"I felt a lot better on Sunday than Saturday. I think the parcours wasn't hard enough for me to expect for a really selective race. It's not really the type of hills that favour me. And on top of that it has to be said that Hivert was really strong."

Pinot has been set a maximum of 35 race days ahead of the Tour de France, 21 of which will be taken up by the Giro d'Italia in May. He will not race again until the Volta a Catalunya in a month's time, and his only other outing ahead of the Giro will be the five-day Tour of the Alps in late April.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Van Avermaet: Gilbert can win Paris-Roubaix

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Greg Van Avermaet believes that his former BMC Racing teammate Philippe Gilbert can win Paris-Roubaix. Gilbert has won three of cycling's five Monuments, after adding the Tour of Flanders to his tally last year, and has set his sights on completing the set.

Gilbert skipped Paris-Roubaix last season as he looked to save energy for the Ardennes Classics, but his "#StriveforFive" will see him return to the Hell of the North for the first time 2007, where he finished 52nd.

"I think that he is capable of doing it. He's already won three Monuments and he's got a good technique," said Van Avermaet, who won Roubaix for the first time last season. "He's a little bit lighter than some of the other Classics guys on the cobbles but I think that he is able to do it. If you see how his career went then he really went for Lombardia and Liège. Now, he has turned into a guy that is more of a strong rider. That's what you need on the cobbles, power."

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Van Avermaet pinpoints experience as a key factor and, while Gilbert has only ridden Paris-Roubaix once before, he says that his compatriot's strength and experience in other races will pay dividends. The key thing for the 35-year-old, says Van Avermaet, is to become acquainted with the specific sectors.

"It's such a hard race it kills you slowly. Other races are punchier and are more explosive, but Roubaix is more of a steady pace," explained Van Avermaet. "I think experience is something. I couldn't have won Roubaix when I was 24. I think age is something. If you look at the past winners, most of them are over 30. You need the engine, and you need to build it up over the years.

"To succeed in Roubaix you need this and experience certainly helps. Phil has experience because he has won many races already so for him it will be a little bit less different. He just needs to know the cobbles and the sectors, that's the most important."

Building and holding form

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24 hours in Oman with Rally Cycling - Gallery

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Having spent the previous 11 years on the Continental circuit, where they made a name for themselves in the US but remained relatively unknown internationally, the Rally Cycling team have their eyes set on further fields, joining the Professional Continental ranks this year.

They set tongues wagging after a superb Dubai Tour, where 19-year-old Brandon McNulty took on the WorldTour teams with a nail-biting effort alongside teammate Robin Carpenter, only to fall 50 metres short of victory.

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Their next stop was the Tour of Oman, where Pete Goding spent a day photographing the team in uncharted territory for the US squad with sights set on big things for the future.

Click or swipe through the gallery above for the full selection of photos.

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Aru confirms Giro d'Italia participation

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Fabio Aru has officially confirmed that he will ride the Giro d'Italia in May, announcing his decision on Monday after "careful consideration of many variables".

While the likes of Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome had already set out their intentions to target the Corsa Rosa, and others the Tour de France, Aru had remained coy about his own plans. 

It was reported in December that he would head back to the Giro after doing the Tour de France in the last two seasons, but it was also suggested that UAE Team Emirates wanted their new signing and star rider at the biggest event of the year and that he might line up at the Tour alongside Dan Martin and Alexander Kristoff. 

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On Monday, the decision to go to the Giro was announced at an event at the headquarters of Emirates ahead of the Abu Dhabi Tour.

"I really wanted to mull over this important decision, and I've had many constructive conversations with the team," said Aru 

"The decision to participate in the Giro d'Italia was made with conviction, after careful consideration of many variables."

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De Plus: Mental damage has been greater than the physical

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Laurens De Plus has opened up about his second serious crash and injury in the space of a few months, saying the psychological impact has been greater than the physical in an interview with Belgian broadcaster Sporza.

After fracturing his knee in a dramatic crash at Il Lombardia in October, the 22-year-old broke his pelvis last month when he and Quick-Step Floors teammate Petr Vakoc were hit by a truck while training in South Africa in preparation for the 2018 season.

On both occasions, the crashes could potentially have had much more severe consequences, which, combined with their proximity, has taken its toll psychologically. 

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"The mental damage was certainly great in the first weeks. I had the feeling that everything was lost," De Plus told Sporza.

"It can be over from one day to the next, and you realise that. Vakoc and I were in the hospital together. You can raise your thumb for an Instagram photo, but I do not want anyone to see what we experienced there.

"There have been very very difficult moments, which I sometimes still have, especially when I consider that it could have been even worse. I had just had my crash in Lombardy, and then this happened. The mental damage has perhaps been even greater than the physical."

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Viviani leads Quick-Step Floors at Abu Dhabi Tour

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With victories in his first two stage races with Quick-Step Floors, Elia Viviani is aiming to continue his winning streak this week at the Abu Dhabi Tour.

The Italian, who joined the Belgian squad from Team Sky, won a stage at the Tour Down Under in January before winning two stages and the overall at the Dubai Tour earlier this month.

The Abu Dhabi Tour, the second event on the 2018 WorldTour calendar, features three sprint opportunities for Viviani on the opening three days. A first time trial in the race's short history, combined with the Jebel Hafeet summit finish on the final day, mean the overall title will be out of his reach but Julian Alaphilippe and Enric Mas will be on hand to lead Quick-Step's GC aspirations.

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"After the Dubai Tour I spent a nice week at home, recovered, and continued with my training," said Viviani. "I came out of that race in a good shape, with confidence and a super feeling with my teammates, and now I'll look to take all these factors into the Abu Dhabi Tour.

"Unlike Dubai, I'll not race for the GC, but the goal is to fight for a stage win and help the climbers on our team as much as I can on the final day."

The Abu Dhabi Tour is Alaphilippe's first WorldTour race of the season and first outing since the recent Colombia Oro y Paz, where he won a stage and finished seventh overall. With the inclusion of the time trial, he is playing down his chances for victory but not completely writing them off.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Soler rides onto Ruta del Sol podium in final-day time trial

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Through Alejandro Valverde, Movistar have dominated the Ruta del Sol in recent years, with the Spaniard winning five of the six previous editions of the race. With the 37-year-old skipping the race this season, the door opened for his younger teammate Marc Soler to take up the mantle, and he rose to the challenge via a strong final-day time trial ride to replace teammate Mikel Landa on the final overall podium.

Soler, a former Tour de l'Avenir winner, was sixth on the challenging summit finish at La Guardia de Jaén and was sitting in the same overall position ahead of the final-day time trial.

The 24-year-old hadn't raced against the clock since the 2017 Vuelta a España, and in the 2017 Ruta del Sol time trial he had placed 19th. His fifth place in Sunday's 14-kilometre time trial was an upset of sorts as he also did enough to lift himself into third place overall.

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"I'm really happy. This was my first stage race after coming back from the Tour Down Under in Australia, and I'm really satisfied with the result," Soler said.

"I knew I was in good form, really willing to do well, but I'm still a bit surprised that I could beat all of my rivals for the GC podium. I've worked hard to improve on time trials, changing some minor details, and it seems like I'm on the right path. TT's have always suited my conditions; I'm a tall guy with good power for such efforts, even though I'm still lacking some raw technique that I hope to progress on in order to make this a strong part of my abilities."

Soler enjoyed a breakthrough third place overall at the Volta a Catalunya last year behind compatriots Alberto Contador and Valverde. A debut Grand Tour, the Vuelta, then followed later in the year, with Soler finishing in 48th place overall. In 2018, he is aiming to improve on last season's results and performances and had high praise for his Ruta del Sol teammates for helping him to his third career podium result to lay the foundations for a successful year.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Rui Costa's Colnago C64 – Gallery

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Rui Costa lined up for stage 1 of the Tour of Oman this week aboard the latest model from the iconic Italian frame builder Colnago.

An update to the popular C60 model and the latest in a long line of C-model framesets, the C64 retains the carbon-lugged design that has become synonymous with the brand.

A slightly wider fork on the C64, combined with direct-mount brakes front and rear allow for tyre clearances of 28mm on Costa's new bike, and while the former world champion ran 25mm Vittoria Corsa tubular tyres at the Tour of Oman, it is likely his UAE Team Emirates teammates will utilise the wider tyre clearances during the cobbled spring Classics.

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The lugs around the seat cluster have been integrated into the seat tube for the new C64, resulting in a unique seat tube for each size variant of the model. Colnago's C60 ran the lugs separately from the seat tube, but Colnago claims the updated design reduces weight and improves stiffness.

The C64 was also launched with a proprietary stem, a trend which has become more popular in the high-end race bike category, however Costa opts to run a Deda Superleggero stem and pairs it with Deda Superzero aero alloy handlebars.

Another update to the new model is a D-profile seat post, which is the same component used in the aerodynamic Concept model frameset from Colnago.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rui-costas-colnago-c64-gallery

Top 5 pro road shoes of 2018

http://ift.tt/2BEwTwH

This article originally appeared on BikeRadar. 

Ah, shoes. Perhaps nothing stirs the blood of a performance minded road cyclist more than their footwear.

There's even an Instagram account dedicated to bicycle-based shoe fetishisation.

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And 2018 looks to be a bumper year in the shoe world, with some key brands releasing updated versions of their top spec models. 

So we spent some time staring at professional cyclists' feet at the Tour Down Under to see what's hot and what's not.

1. Specialized S-Works 7

Peter Sagan will be riding in Specialized S-Works 7s this season

2. DMT D1

3. Fizik infinito R1

4. Giant

5. Giro Prolight Techlace

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/top-5-pro-road-shoes-of-2018