Molard extends lead as Gallopin wins stage seven of the Vuelta

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France's Tony Gallopin wins stage seven of the Vuelta a Espana by five seconds, as compatriot Rudy Molard retains the overall lead.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45374803

Connor Swift's custom-painted Genesis Zero SL – Gallery

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British Continental team Madison-Genesis have paired up with custom painters ColourBurn Studios to create a special paint design for the team's freshly crowned British national road race champion, Connor Swift.

Connor Swift won the national title in June and has since ridden as a stagiaire for Dimension Data at the Arctic Race of Norway. For the Tour of Britain, the Yorkshireman, who is Ben Swift's cousin, will return to Madison-Genesis, albeit still clad in the red, white and blue – or rather white, red and blue – national champion's jersey. 

The frameset features the British colours, with a white base coat covered in a splatter design of red and blue. Three-colour stripes also adorn the fork dropouts, down tube and top tube, which act as a separator between the splatter design and the blank white base coat.

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ColourBurn Studios, who painted the bike, are based in Bristol, UK, and have also custom painted the bikes of Astana's Miguel Angel Lopez and Jakob Fuglsang's Argon 18 bikes.

Swift's nickname, 'Swifty', adorns the top tube, while a roundel and the date of Swift's national road race victory also sit on the top tube near the stem.

Swift pays tribute to a book titled 'The Secret' to his form this season and, as a nod of respect, the book's title features on the underside of the down tube and the phrase 'Believe and you can achieve' decorates the stem.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/connor-swifts-custom-painted-genesis-zero-sl-gallery

Rick Delaney has left the group: The story behind the rise and fall of Aqua Blue

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It's Monday morning and the performance management group at Rick Delaney's Aqua Blue Sport team fires up Skype ahead of their weekly review. On the agenda: race plans, updates on a possible merger with Sniper Cycling, and signings for next season. Few of the individuals on the call know what's coming but, within minutes of hanging up, a press release is dispatched, a Tweet is posted, and news of Aqua Blue's termination is public.

As is always the way in these circumstances, the riders and staff are the last to know. At 10:18 AM, Michel Kreder – one of the 16 Aqua Blue riders under contract – posts the press release in the team's Whatsapp group.

"What's going on?" he asks.

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Within a few seconds, his teammate Adam Blythe responds: "Team's ended mate."

For a moment, there's no response. Just silence. Then a new notification appears: Rick Delaney has left the group.

This is the story of Aqua Blue, and how a team founded on goodwill, hope, and the promise of a new economic model of self-sustainability came crashing down in less than two years.

3T

Sniper

Legal action

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rick-delaney-has-left-the-group-the-story-behind-the-rise-and-fall-of-aqua-blue

France's Bouhanni wins stage six of Vuelta as Molard retains lead

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France's Nacer Bouhanni sprints to victory in stage six of the Vuelta a Espana, as compatriot Rudy Molard retained his overall lead.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45360553

Luke Rowe: Team Sky cyclist ruled out for 2018 with broken wrist

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Team Sky cyclist Luke Rowe will miss the rest of the 2018 season after breaking his wrist.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45352682

UCI Road World Championships: Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome in British contention

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Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome make themselves available for the UCI Road World Championships which begin 23 September.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45353448

Vuelta a Espana: Simon Clarke wins stage five as Rudy Molard takes overall lead

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Australia's Simon Clarke wins stage five of the Vuelta a Espana, as Rudy Molard becomes the new race leader.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45347236

Cavendish to take indefinite break because of illness

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Britain's Mark Cavendish is to take an indefinite period of total rest from cycling because of illness.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45340482

Vuelta's first major summit finish to provide early sort-out – Preview

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After the cols of Andorra in 2017, and the gut-wrenchingly steep Mirador de Ezaro the year before that, the Vuelta a España organisers have once again decided to test the GC favourites' climbing legs early in the first week – this time with a first-time ascent to the Puerto de Alfacar in the sierras of Alfaguara, overlooking the city of Granada, on stage 4 on Tuesday.

Averaging a comparatively benign 5.4 per cent, as climbs go the Alfacar can be summed up in one word: odd. The 12km climb has three markedly different segments, starting out with a tricky series of switchbacks on an A road, then changing to some difficult, technically challenging 'ramps' through the streets of Alfacar and another neighbouring town, Fuente Grande. Part three of the climb is a more straightforward series of medium-difficulty hairpins on a rock-strewn mountainside, on a road that flattens out notably near the summit as it reaches some dense woodland.

While the town of Alfacar is well known in the region for its excellent bread, and Fuente Grande for its natural spring water, these sierras are arguably most famous for a much bleaker reason: this was an area near Granada where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Republican prisoners were summarily executed by General Franco's death squads during the 1936-39 Civil War.

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The Vuelta's route comes within a few kilometres of the main area of mass graves where the bodies of those executed there in August 1936 are buried, including that of Spain's most famous poet, Federico García Lorca. It's just one area of unmarked Civil War graves of the some 120,000 murdered Republicans that remain throughout Spain.
 
On a more cheerful note, the Vuelta's ascent to Alfacar comes at the end of what is unquestionably the second hardest stage of the Vuelta's first week, with more than 3,300 metres of vertical climbing, prior to stage 9's ascent of the Covatilla, which has just over 4,000 metres of uphill.

The first challenge of the stage 4 is the category 1 ascent of La Cabra, which brings the riders inland from the Mediterranean coastline and which – technically – is 17 kilometres of steady uphill. The full ascent, on a narrow but not excessively steep mountain road, however, is much longer: 39 kilometres in total, from the coastal town of Almuñécar, 42 kilometres into the 161.4km-long stage, rising to 1,330 metres above sea level after 81 kilometres covered.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vueltas-first-major-summit-finish-to-provide-early-sort-out-preview

Tour of Britain 2018: Team Wiggins added after Aqua Blue Sport withdraw

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Team Wiggins replace Aqua Blue Sport in the Tour of Britain line-up after the folding Irish outfit pull out of the race.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45333986

Vuelta a Espana: Ben King wins stage four as Simon Yates gains time

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American Benjamin King wins stage four of the Vuelta a Espana as he out-sprints Kazakh Nikita Stalnov on the summit finish.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45335410

Bullet shatters Palestinian cyclist's Asian Games dream

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A Palestinian cyclist was close to his Asian Games dream, but a bullet has left him with one leg.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45263031

Vuelta a Espana: Elia Viviani wins stage three in sprint finish

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Italian champion Elia Viviani wins stage three of the Vuelta a Espana in a sprint finish.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45323672

Valverde wins stage two of Vuelta as Kwiatkowski takes red jersey

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Alejandro Valverde claims victory on stage two of the Vuelta a Espana as Michal Kwiatkowski takes the leader's red jersey.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45316009

Helmets should be 'compulsory' for cyclists - Geraint Thomas

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The Tour de France champion believes there is "no reason" not to wear a helmet while cycling.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45312756

A change in mindset: The evolution of LottoNL-Jumbo

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There was a point, around the summer of 2016, when LottoNL-Jumbo appeared completely lost. Struggling for wins, bereft of ideas, they were simply making up the numbers. The nadir came during the Vuelta a España, when a post-stage press release landed in the Cyclingnews inbox. We’ll spare the gory details but suffice to say the communique made for desperate reading. 'We tried to get in the break, but we failed' seemed to be the gist.

One could almost visualize and certainly empathize with the poor, exasperated directeur sportif as he wiped his tired brow, scooped empty sweet wrappers from the glove compartment of the team car, and rolled off quotes to a desolate faced press officer. The team would eventually win a stage through the veteran exploits of Robert Gesink, but the season as a whole, while not as insipid as 2015, had been a washout. Something, almost everything, had to change.

Two years later and the team are virtually unrecognizable from their 2016 campaign. Yes, they still ride in a yellow and black mesh, and aboard Bianchi celeste bikes that provide a colour palette that shouldn't work - yet does - and the cadre of management remains almost intact, but the culture, ethos and genuine feel about the team is fundamentally different.

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In Primoz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk, George Bennett and a flurry of young talent that includes Dylan Groenewegen, Sepp Kuss and Antwan Tolhoek, the team have a future brighter than almost any WorldTour rival. What’s more LottoNL-Jumbo are exciting to watch. Hell, even their press releases are worthy of reading.

The team's transformation has been steered by Richard Plugge - a onetime press officer for the team - and former editor of the Dutch version of Procycling.

Plugge can appear aloof and distant at times but he is also a strategist and businessman. You will never see him wind down the window of a team car and bellow orders at his riders like a Marc Madiot. He is the very antithesis of Rabobank’s former boss, Jan Raas. And you'll never find him psychobabble his way out of a corner like Dave Brailsford, but what he lacks in race experience he makes up for in other ways. Shrewd, calm and perhaps most importantly a natural survivor, he has turned LottoNL-Jumbo around.

Hitting rock bottom and changing the culture

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-change-in-mindset-the-evolution-of-lottonl-jumbo

Australia's Dennis wins opening stage of Vuelta

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Australia's Rohan Dennis claims the red jersey on the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Malaga.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45310400

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup: Rachel Atherton wins record sixth downhill title

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Rachel Atherton wins the downhill title at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for a record sixth time by claiming the final race in France.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45307654

Last chance saloon: 10 riders who need a result at the Vuelta a Espana

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The Vuelta a España has increasingly become something of a land of second chances. Unlike the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, few riders build their entire seasons around the Spanish Grand Tour, and so it can represent an opportunity to make up for lost time. Cyclingnews picks 10 riders who, for one reason or another, have not enjoyed the 2018 season they, or their teams and teammates, had hoped for, and will be out to make amends between Málaga and Madrid.

Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First-Drapac)

Poor Rigoberto Urán. One minute he's finishing second overall to Chris Froome at the Tour de France, and then the next, a mere 12 months later, he's sprawled on the cobbles of stage 9 at this year's race, his Tour challenge all but over.

"That's bike racing," chirrups everyone, and indeed it is, but now Urán heads to the Vuelta a España to try to make amends.

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It's been a lean season for the EF Education First-Drapac team, with the 31-year-old Urán having taken two of the American outfit's four wins so far in 2018.The Colombian won a stage at the Colombia Oro y Paz in February, and then appeared to be coming to form nicely with a stage victory at the Tour de Slovenie ahead of the Tour de France.

Sixth place at the Clásica San Sebastián in early August indicated that Urán was recovered from the injuries he sustained just 30km from the finish of the cobbled Tour stage to Roubaix - he would lose more time the next day to Le Grand Bornand, and finally quit the race two days later, having been unable to bounce back. But San Sebastián was the last time that he raced, and so he goes to the Vuelta start in Málaga on Saturday as somewhat of an unknown quantity.

The opening-stage individual time trial will be a crucial opportunity for Urán to lay down a marker and show that he's ready to win his first Grand Tour. Handy against the clock, he could do a lot worse than win the stage to help get the EF-Drapac win tally rolling.

Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)

Louis Meintjes (Dimension Data)

Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin)

Nairo Quintana (Movistar)

Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Richie Porte (BMC)

Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates)

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ)

Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/last-chance-saloon-10-riders-who-need-a-result-at-the-vuelta-a-espana

A closer look at Team Sky's Vuelta a Espana team

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With Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas embarking on a homecoming lap around Britain next month, the responsibility for success within Team Sky at the Vuelta a España passes to a new crop of riders, and while a thoroughbred GC option is missing from the roster, the team still boasts a stable of quality for almost all terrains.

In David de la Cruz and Sergio Henao the team have two previous top-10 finishers in Grand Tours, while Michal Kwiatkowski has the natural ability to either target stage wins or a first top-10 GC position of his career. The Polish rider has been racing almost non-stop, with 67 race days already in the tank this year, and a Tour de France and Tour de Pologne in his legs. The question remains as to whether he will use the Vuelta as a testing ground for his GC future or as preparation for the World Championships later in the year.

What’s certain is that Team Sky will not accept riders merely seeing out the season and touring around Spain for three weeks. Sergio Henao has the qualities to contest, either for stage wins or a GC challenge, while Dylan van Baarle will be looking to take his first win in team colours after a slightly slow start to life at Team Sky.

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The team also arrive in Spain with two exciting Grand Tour debutants in Tao Geoghegan Hart and Pavel Sivakov. The Russian may just be 21 years of age but he has moved almost seamlessly into the pro ranks and delivered solid performances throughout the season. Geoghegan Hart – now in his second year with the team – has come on in leaps and bounds with impressive rides at the Tour of California and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Salvatore Puccio and Jonathan Castroviejo make up the rest of the team.

There may not be a pure sprinter within the ranks, nor any of the Grand Tour powerhouses, but Team Sky head to the Vuelta with a powerful selection of riders. What’s more, without the necessity to see a train of riders on the front dictating the pace for hours, we might actually get to see their riders let off the leash and allowed to race.

Team Sky's Vuelta a España team

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Olympic champion Skinner taking a break before Tokyo 2020

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Olympic champion Callum Skinner says he is "taking some time away" from cycling but is still targeting Tokyo 2020.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45302102

Callum Skinner takes time out from cycling to regain motivation

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Olympic gold medallist Callum Skinner hopes to regain his momentum in top-class cycling by taking a rest from the sport.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/45302999

Yates starts Vuelta seeking to end 'twin brother curse'

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How Simon Yates hopes to end a "curse", why Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas are not racing and who might challenge when the Vuelta a Espana starts on Saturday?

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45288759

Harry Tanfield: Young Briton signs for UCI World Tour team Katusha-Alpecin

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Britain's Harry Tanfield is looking forward to riding on cycling's biggest stage after signing with the UCI World Tour team.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45294512

Kwiatkowski: The Vuelta-Worlds experiment

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Competing at the Vuelta a España is something of an experiment for Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski. The Polish rider has been racing nearly non-stop this season with an end goal of securing a second world title in Innsbruck in September. The question is: will the 21 days of racing in Spain put him into a state of exhaustion or will he come out the other end in winning form ahead of the UCI Road World Championships?

Kwiatkowski arrived in Malaga on Wednesday, several days ahead of the opening time trial that kicks off the Vuelta on August 25. After recently winning the overall title at the Tour de Pologne, he spent time in France at a training camp – partly for the training and partly to avoid the realities of being a popular sports figure back home in Poland.

"I could recover a bit more at the camp," Kwiatkowski told Cyclingnews in a phone interview. "I'm looking forward to starting the Vuelta.

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"It's a new thing for me to race for so long, and I'm still finding good shape. So far, I've felt great, even in training after Poland. You can't really predict how your body is going to react or respond to another 21 days of racing, though."

It's even harder to predict how Kwiatkowski will respond to the Vuelta after having already raced at the Tour de France in July where he helped his teammates Geraint Thomas win the overall title and Chris Froome finish on the podium in third.

Before that, he raced the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he won the opening prologue, helped win the team time trial, and went on to support Thomas in winning the overall title. Even further back, he started his season in February at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and then won the overall titles at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico.

Peter Sagan, the Worlds and the rainbow jersey

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kwiatkowski-the-vuelta-worlds-experiment

How to follow the 2018 Vuelta a Espana

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The final Grand Tour of the 2018 season kicks off on Saturday, August 25 with the Vuelta a España's opening stage in Malaga. It is the first individual time trial start for the Spanish race in nine years.

Riders will tackle a flat but technical eight-km circuit along the Costa del Sol, which should not see big gaps in the general classification, but it will establish the first leader of the race. The technically 'flat' second stage has a punchy uphill finish that may not open too many gaps between the overall contenders, but favours the climbers. Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) won here in 2015.

The race hits the mountains in the first week, with the category 1 Puerto del Madrono early on stage 3 serving as a warm-up before the first major summit finish on the Puerto de Alfacar on stage 4 separates the contenders from the pretenders.

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The next three stages are flat, but the sweltering heat and possible crosswinds will make for some uncomfortable days on the bike heading up through Andalucia. The mountains return on stage 9 with a 200km slog through the mountains of Castilla y Leon finishing at the ski station of La Covatilla – the first 'especial' category summit finish of the race, and one that's sure to establish the GC pecking order.

After the first rest day, the peloton must make its way through the rugged hills of Galicia before a triple summit finish stretch – first on stage 13 up the Alto de la Camperona, then the Alto les Praeres, followed by the hors-catégorie Lagos de Covadonga on stage 15. The series of steep summit finales will be a sting in the legs before the well deserved second rest day.

The 32km individual time trial after the rest day in Santander will further widen the GC gaps, setting up the fireworks for the last mountain stages – the explosive Balcón de Bizkaia with its wickedly steep ramps on stage 17 and the lengthy high-altitude Andorran ascent to Coll de la Rabassa on stage 19.

Vuelta preview and stage details

Live coverage

Race reports, news and analysis

Highlights

Podcast

2018 Vuelta a España stages

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Deutschland Tour 2018: Start list

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Aru aims to save his season at the Vuelta a Espana

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On the final stage of the Tour de Pologne, as rain began to teem down on the final, draggy ascent to the ski resort of Bukowina - and while most eyes were on Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) and his surprise attack on race leader Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) - another rider attempted, briefly, to move in on the action.

For a minute, maybe less, the UAE Team Emirates rider Fabio Aru darted away from the group of chasers behind Yates and managed to put a few metres of rain-darkened tarmac between himself and the rest of the field. He then disappeared from view once more, sucked up by the chasers to complete the stage in an anonymous, if respectable, 10th place, and finishing the Tour de Pologne in an equally anonymous, if respectable, 10th overall.

This mini-attack, hovering just ahead of the peloton for long enough to remind us of his presence, before fading back into the general murk again, was a timely reminder that Aru is due to be heading to the 2018 Vuelta a España as one of the top favourites. But its brevity also reminded fans of just how unusual it has been to see Aru in the thick of the action so far this year.

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It’s been all but forgotten that Aru, now 28, was once the coming man in Grand Tour racing. Third at the 2014 Giro d'Italia behind Movistar's Nairo Quintana, then fifth with two gutsy uphill stage wins at the Vuelta a España in the same season, in 2015 Aru then upped his game to place second behind Alberto Contador at the Giro and then poleaxe race leader Tom Dumoulin at a rollercoaster Vuelta.

At that latter topsy-turvy Grand Tour, after Astana teammate and co-leader Vincenzo Nibali had dramatically gone home early for taking a tow from a team car, Aru grabbed the overall lead in Andorra, only to lose it to Joaquim Rodriguez, who was himself out-powered at the top of the GC by Dumoulin. However, Aru, despite having crashed in the final week and casting an utterly miserable figure at the finish in Avila, was finally able to turn the tables 24 hours later on Dumoulin in the last mountain stage for a stunning breakthrough Grand Tour victory, aged only 25.

Three years later, while Dumoulin has steadily moved on to greater things, Aru's career has faltered. In 2016, his Tour de France bid came off the rails completely in the final week because of illness, and a knee injury whilst training in Sierra Nevada then knocked him out of the 2017 Giro d'Italia before it had begun on his home island of Sardinia.

Under pressure to perform

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/aru-aims-to-save-his-season-at-the-vuelta-a-espana

All-in for Richie Porte: A closer look at BMC's Vuelta a Espana team

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As Richie Porte crashed out of the Tour de France on stage 9 for the second year in a row, his – and his BMC team's – thoughts immediately turned to recovering in order to race the Vuelta a España, as well as to mount a serious bid on winning the rainbow jersey at the world championship road race in Innsbruck, Austria, on September 30.

Becoming world champion might arguably be a longer-lasting legacy for the Australian than winning the Vuelta, but both are certainly within the 33-year-old's grasp. Crashing out of the Tour early, while hugely distressing for Porte, his team and his legions of fans, might prove to be a blessing in disguise if he can finish the season as either Vuelta or world champion.

Of course, the small cloud over it all is that Porte is about to leave BMC Racing after three seasons with the squad, which metamorphoses into a CCC-sponsored set-up for 2019.

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Porte will purportedly head to Trek-Segafredo, although no official announcement had yet been made just two days before the start of the Vuelta.

Another rider in the eight-man squad whose days with BMC are about to be up is time trial specialist and future Grand Tour hopeful Rohan Dennis, who will move to Bahrain-Merida next year. Ditto Belgian all-rounder Dylan Teuns, who follows Dennis to the Bahrain-backed team for 2019.

Both riders will look to support Porte in his quest to take the Vuelta crown, but both Dennis and Teuns will have the opportunity to nab stage wins along the way, in the two time trials and on hillier stages, respectively.

BMC Racing's Vuelta a España team

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/all-in-for-richie-porte-a-closer-look-at-bmcs-vuelta-a-espana-team

Para-cycling included at World Cup for first time

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Para-cycling races will be included at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup for the first time in London in December.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/45283686

Deutschland Tour start list

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/deutschland-tour-start-list

Travis McCabe's UnitedHealthcare Orbea Orca Aero - Gallery

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Travis McCabe lined up for UnitedHealthcare at the US nationals back in June, looking to defend his men's elite criterium title, as well as competing in the men's elite road race.

While the 2018 championships didn't see the success of last year, the team will be satisfied with UnitedHealthcare riders finishing in the top ten in the men's elite road race, women's elite road race and women's elite time trial.

For the championships, McCabe lined up on the new Orbea Orca Aero, which has been raced on in numerous WorldTour races this season through French Pro Continental team Vital Concept.

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While Vital Concept have been racing using the Di2 version of the latest Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, UnitedHealthcare runs mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 components.

The Orbea Orca Aero frameset accommodates direct mount brakes, with United Healthcare using Maxxis Velocita Prototype tyres in conjunction with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series wheels.

Finishing kit is a combination of components from FSA and Prologo, while ceramic bearings specialists Kogel provides the team with a low friction bottom bracket.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/travis-mccabes-unitedhealthcare-orbea-orca-aero-gallery

Geoghegan Hart: I'm not just going to the Vuelta a Espana for the experience

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After impressing at the Critérium du Dauphiné and then again at the recent Vuelta a Burgos with fifth overall, Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Sky) will make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España. The 23-year-old is in his second year at Team Sky and, as he tells Cyclingnews Editor Daniel Benson, he isn't just heading to Spain for the experience.

Cyclingnews: You head into your maiden Grand Tour in a few days with the Vuelta a España. How's your form coming into the race?

Tao Geoghegan Hart: I didn't feel super at the Tour of Burgos but the team more or less gave me the choice of programme, which was really nice. So, I decided to get a few extra race days in because I always seem to struggle at the start of races. I don't really know what it is - maybe the different leg speed, the inertia of racing compared to training - but it was important because I could feel big jumps between London, San Sebastián, and then again at Burgos.

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It was hard because I wanted to do well and challenge for the win at Burgos, especially as it's one of the few 1.1 races I get to do in the year. I already had two and half weeks of training after nationals and I ended up overdoing it a bit after the Dauphiné, training too much, which is so easy to do when you're feeling good. I learned some good lessons from that but overall Burgos was good. If I'd been flying there I'd have been stressed out but there were positives and negatives.

Cyclingnews: The Vuelta represents your first Grand Tour but are you going there with the ambition of just gaining experience or are there bigger goals?

Tao Geoghegan Hart: That's still a little bit in discussion. I'm still waiting to hear what the team thinks exactly. Last year I was a bit unlucky, in that I wanted to do the Vuelta and obviously Chris [Froome] was going for it so they went for more experienced guys, which was completely understandable. So in hindsight, it would have been great to do it but there was no rush. I did some really nice races and a really good block. In contrast, this year I've been quite lucky that because of the team success we've had so far this year in Grand Tours, things are perhaps a little more open.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/geoghegan-hart-im-not-just-going-to-the-vuelta-a-espana-for-the-experience

Vuelta a Espana 2018: 5 key stages

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The 2018 Vuelta a Espana gets underway on Saturday, and between Málaga and Madrid there's no shortage of important days in the battle for the red jersey. Cyclingnews takes a look at the five stages that could have the biggest impact on the crowning of the overall winner in just over three weeks' time. 

Stage 9: Talavera de la Reina - La Covatilla, 200.8km

The Vuelta wouldn't be the Vuelta without an abundance of climbs, but while the finish at the Caminito del Rey on stage 2 and the debut summit finish on the Puerto de Alfacar two days later should provide some early excitement, the first major encounter in the battle for the red jersey is reserved for the very end of the first week.

Stage 9, which precedes the first rest day, takes in the first-category Puerto del Pico and two more climbs in the first half of the 200km parcours, but the focus is squarely on the hors-catégorie ascent to the ski station at La Covatilla. The climb has featured five times since making its Vuelta debut in 2002, with its last appearance coming in 2011, when Dan Martin triumphed ahead of Bauke Mollema. Joaquim Rodríguez lost nearly a minute, so Mollema moved into the overall lead, while Juan José Cobo, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins – the final podium – all finished in the top five within a few seconds of each other.

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The climb is 9.8km long with an average gradient of 7 per cent, though gradients of up to 14 per cent are to be found nearer the top. In plotting the Vuelta route, race director Javier Guillén envisaged a "gentler" start and an intense final week. Reaching more than 200 kilometres in distance, almost 2,000 metres of altitude, and more than 3,500 metres of elevation gain, this is the first real showdown of the 2018 Vuelta and should provide an indication of who might – and who won't – be standing on the podium in Madrid two weeks later.

Stage 15: Ribera de Arriba - Lagos de Covadonga, 178.2km

Stage 16: Santillana del Mar - Torrelavega (individual time trial), 32km

Stage 17: Getxo - Monte Oiz/Balcon de Bizkaia, 157km

Stage 20: Escaldes-Engordany - Coll de la Gallina (Andorra), 97.3km

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vuelta-a-espana-2018-5-key-stages

Vuelta a Espana 2018: Team Sky's Tao Geoghegan Hart to make Grand Tour debut

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Great Britain's Tao Geoghegan Hart will make his Grand Tour debut when he rides for Team Sky at the Vuelta a Espana.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45268573

Damiano Cunego's De Rosa Protos - Gallery

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Damiano Cunego (Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini) raced his final WorldTour race at the Tour de Suisse in June, before rounding out his extensive career at the Adriatica Ionica Race and the Italian national road race championships a few weeks later.

The 36-year-old won the 2004 Giro d'Italia, Amstel Gold in 2008, three Il Lombardia titles, and multiple stages at the Vuelta a España and Giro, among other victories.

After three years with Saeco at the beginning of his career, Cunego spent 10 seasons with Lampre before joining Nippo-Vini Fantini for his final four seasons as a professional.

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Racing aboard Cannondale, Wilier and Merida earlier in his career, the Italian raced on a De Rosa during his time with Nippo-Vini Fantini.

For the Tour de Suisse, Cunego raced aboard a De Rosa Protos equipped with a mechanical Campagnolo Super Record groupset. As well as providing the drivetrain, braking and controls for Cunego, Campagnolo also provides the Pro Continental team with Campagnolo Shamal Ultra aluminium tubular wheels.

Having raced on fluoro-orange De Rosa framesets earlier in his time with Nippo-Vini Fantini, Cunego raced on a bare carbon-finished De Rosa for his final WorldTour race, with white De Rosa decals and a team colour-coordinated model name on the seat tube.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/damiano-cunegos-de-rosa-protos-gallery

Vuelta a Espana 2018: 12 riders to watch

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It feels but yesterday that the new season began but the final Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, is already upon us. The youngest of the three Grand Tours, the Spanish race has developed a distinctive personality with its brutally steep climbs and scorching temperatures. This year will be no different with some new ascents scouted out for the occasion.

Chris Froome (Team Sky) won last year's race by more than two minutes over Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), with Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) taking the final place on the rostrum. After already riding the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, Froome will not be back to defend his title, and instead, is set to ride the Tour of Britain.

Though Froome will not be present on the start line in Malaga, Nibali and Zakarin will be. Nibali is making his comeback after breaking a vertebra in a crash on the Alpe d’Huez during the second week of the Tour de France. Zakarin comes to the race hoping to put the Grand Tour train back on the rails after a disappointing showing at the Tour.

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As ever, the line-up at the Vuelta is a mixture of those that have specifically targeted the event and those that - like Zakarin and Nibali - are hoping to make up for a disappointing July. With no clear dominant rider, the fight for the overall title looks to be wide open.

The general classification battle will provide the focal point for the Vuelta's three weeks but there is some intrigue outside it. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) is due to make his return to the race after a lengthy absence as he builds up to the challenge of defending his run of three world titles. Sagan is still recovering from the after-effects of a hefty crash in the final week of the Tour de France and it remains to be seen how he'll do.

Sagan will be up against a slightly smaller sprint field to the one he faced last month, but he will go up against an in-form Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) who is looking to add to his four wins at the Giro d'Italia.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vuelta-a-espana-2018-12-riders-to-watch

Vuelta a Espana 2018: Start list

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Top 5 aero road bikes

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar

Bike makers have done light and stiff to death. They’ve made road bikes squishier and more versatile. They’ve done gravel. And now they’re back to pure speed.

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• Here's Peter Sagan naked in a shower; you're welcome

Gadget-laden aero bikes with discs are the hottest thing in road cycling right now, and here are our top five.

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BMC Timemachine Road 01 One

The BMC Timemachine Road is an aero monster

• Read our first ride review of the BMC Timemachine Road 01 One

• Buy the BMC Timemachine Road 01 now from Evans Cycles

Specialized S-Works Venge

• Read our first ride review of the S-Works Venge

• Buy the Specialized S-Works Venge now from Tredz

Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod

• Read our first ride review of the Cannondale SystemSix

• Buy the Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod now from Tredz

Ridley Noah Fast

• How Ridley's new Noah Fast will live up to its name

Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc

• Read our first ride review of the Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc

• Buy the Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc now from Evans Cycles

The verdict: aero is maturing

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/top-5-aero-road-bikes

Alejandro Valverde's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX — Gallery

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Movistar Team switched from its long-running team colours of navy and green to a lighter blue and white team kit design for the 2018 season. 

• Tour de France 2018 bikes, gear and tech
• Top 5 aero road bikes

The team jerseys’ light blue colour fades to a navy blue on the shorts and Canyon replicated this design on the team-issue framesets.

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Alongside the frameset, LizardSkins provided Movistar with matching handlebar tape, Campagnolo offered special blue wheel decals and Power2Max also provided the team with colour-coordinated power meter hardware on the cranksets.

Colour-coordinated handlebar tape from LizardSkins complements the frameset colour design

 

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/alejandro-valverdes-canyon-ultimate-cf-slx-gallery

Jan Ullrich and the long road home

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Jan Ullrich's former T-Mobile teammate, Rolf Aldag, has a story about the 1997 Tour de France winner that may either inspire hope about Ullrich's current predicament, or more fear, or tell us nothing at all.

Midway through a 1995 neo-pro season that had met no one's expectations, the Telekom team management dispatched Aldag to the Black Forest to ride with Ullrich and apply a gentle tug to the young man's bootstraps.

On the first morning of the impromptu camp, Ullrich called Aldag to ask whether they were still going to train. Aldag was confused. Well, Ullrich said, if he looked out of the window, Aldag would see it was drizzling.

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The tone was set for an exasperating, enlightening couple of days.

On the first and second rides, a pattern was established: Ullrich's wheezing and whining – "I'll never be as fit as you. I'm useless!" – accompanying them on every climb, and Aldag riding out of every junction shaking his head, having had to tell Ullrich whether they were going left or right.

At the end of day two, as they swung down off the final climb and into the valley where Ullrich lived, and his girlfriend Gaby's parents owned a vineyard, Aldag pointed to the unmistakable emerald hump of the Kaiserstuhl, or 'Emperor's Chair' – the hill that dominates the skyline over Freiburg.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jan-ullrich-and-the-long-road-home

Jasper Stuyven’s Trek Madone Disc — Gallery

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

First spotted at the Criterium du Dauphine and released a few weeks later, the updated Trek Madone Disc has since been raced extensively by the American brand’s WorldTour sponsored team, Trek-Segafredo.

• Top 5 custom bikes at the Tour de France
• Tour de Suisse massive race tech gallery
• Criterium du Dauphine massive tech gallery

On Thursday, Jasper Stuyven took victory on the new Trek Madone Disc at stage 4 of the BinckBank Tour in Belgium.

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Photographed here at the Tour de Suisse, Jasper Stuyven's Trek Madone Disc is in the traditional Trek-Segafredo team colours of red and white.

For the Tour de France, the squad were each given Trek’s special ICON paint scheme, although the team’s sole stage victory came aboard a Trek Domane in the same colours as Stuyven’s bike here during stage 9 of the race.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/jasper-stuyvens-trek-madone-disc-gallery

A touch of the Classics for BinckBank Tour finale – Preview

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The margins are tight as the BinckBank Tour reaches its decisive concluding stages, but it remains to be seen whether Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) can be divested of the green leader's jersey as the race winds its way through Limburg and the Flemish Ardennes this weekend.

Mohoric moved into the overall lead after he was part of the winning break that surprisingly remained clear on the finishing circuit in Antwerp on stage 3, and the Slovenian has avoided all pitfalls since to maintain a lead of three seconds over Sean De Bie (Veranda’s Willems Crelan) and 22 over Stefan Küng (BMC Racing Team).

The Sunweb pairing of Michael Matthews (fifth at 30 seconds) and Søren Kragh Andersen (eighth at 37 seconds) remain an obvious threat, while a number of lofty names – including Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), Niki Terpstra, Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) – are all still within a minute of Mohoric and just about in contention.

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The opening phase of the BinckBank Tour was about producing a solid time trial on stage 2 and then staying out of trouble in the days that followed – a formula neatly summarised by Matthews: "It's been a hectic week so far. Not very much has happened but there's been a lot of stress in the peloton."

Saturday and Sunday, by contrast, should inspire greater aggression among the overall contenders, although it is not clear if stage 6, through the hills of Limburg, will be difficult enough to provoke real differences at the top end of the standings. Wellens has been among the riders to decry the absence of a stage in the Ardennes of the kind he won in Houffalize in 2015 and 2017.

While stage 6 to Sittard-Geleen has been advertised as an Amstel Gold Race-style stage, BMC directeur sportif Valerio Piva – a resident of the start town of Riemst – suspects that its billing has been a little exaggerated. Although there are some 20 climbs on the parcours, the race shies away from the toughest ascents of Amstel Gold.

Flemish finale

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-touch-of-the-classics-for-binckbank-tour-finale-preview

Cervélo updates its P, C and R series for 2019

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Cervélo might still have three major announcements waiting in the wings, but there's plenty to like in its 2019 range. With some great, more affordable additions to the P, C and R series bikes and some serious bling too, so there's more than enough to keep us going for now.

• Tour de France bikes: Mark Cavendish's custom-painted Cervelo S5 gallery
• Julien Vermote's Cervelo R5 gallery

Cervélo C series

The C series, with its highly compliant frame and all-road potential was — along with GT’s Grade — a little ahead of the gravel curve. The downside to the C series, however, was that both the C3 and C5 were expensive.

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Well, for 2019 Cervélo has introduced the C2, priced at £2,399.

It shares the same frame design as the more expensive 3 Series, but comes with new Shimano 105 (7020 series) and RS170 disc wheels. Meanwhile, Continental 28mm tyres and Easton EA50 components finish what looks like a well-priced package. 

Cervélo R series

Cervélo P series

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cervlo-updates-its-p-c-and-r-series-for-2019

Welsh velodrome renamed after Tour winner Thomas

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Wales' National Velodrome will become the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45222785

Colorado Classic 2018 start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/colorado-classic-2018-start-list

Tour de France bikes: Roglic and Groenewegen's Bianchi Oltre XR4s

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Three stage victories and two riders in the top-five on general classification capped off a successful Tour de France for the Dutch-registered LottoNL-Jumbo team.

• Tour de France tech: the new bikes, tech and trends from this year's race
• Top 5 custom road shoes at the Tour de France

The team's stage victories came courtesy of Dylan Groenewegen and Primož Roglič, who were both presented with custom-painted framesets from Bianchi ahead of the race.

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Dutchman Groenewegen, who won back-to-back stages during the race, celebrated his nationality and hometown with the Dutch Lion, Dutch orange and Dutch flag all represented on his frameset's design. Three 'X's on the top tube also depicted his hometown of Amsterdam.

The frameset features a depiction of the Dutch Lion, as well as three Xs representing Groenewegen's hometown of Amsterdam

Roglič threatened the podium for much of the second half of the race and eventually finished fourth overall on GC by the time the race reached Paris. The Slovenian won stage 19 on his way to Paris, doubling up on his stage victory from the 2017 edition of the Tour de France.

• Top five custom Tour de France 2018 bikes
• Tour de France 2018: massive race tech gallery

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-bikes-roglic-and-groenewegens-bianchi-oltre-xr4s

Ladies Tour of Norway 2018 start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/ladies-tour-of-norway-2018-start-list

Arctic Race of Norway 2018 start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/arctic-race-of-norway-2018-start-list

The Specialized Allez Sprint goes disc for 2019

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Hot on the heels of Trek's Emonda ALR Disc announcement, Specialized has updated its race-focused aluminium Allez Sprint with discs for 2019, and added some eye-catching paint options too. The brand has also announced its 2019 CruX ‘cross range.

• Hagens Berman Axeon's Specialized Allez Sprint Comp gallery
• The 2019 Specialized Venge Pro is an S-Works in disguise
• Trek’s new Emonda ALR Disc is lighter than its SL carbon counterpart

Allez, allez, alloy!

The Allez Sprint Comp Disc gets 105 hydraulic components, Praxis cranks and DT wheels

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The Allez Sprint is a super-stiff alloy machine that’s pitched as an affordable alternative to the Tarmac for racers on a budget.

Originally launched back in 2015 as a 1×-only crit special, the Allez Sprint’s aluminium frame is unique in its appearance thanks to the use of what Specialized calls D’Aluisio Smartweld Sprint Technology, which relocates the welds that hold it together away from the usual tube junctions, and hence away from the areas of greatest stress. This is claimed to allow a better balance of strength, rigidity and weight compared to conventional alloy construction.

The current Allez Sprint range all take a front derailleur and the disc version gets thru-axles too. If you’re after a complete bike, the Allez Sprint Comp Disc gets a Shimano 105 R7000 disc groupset with Praxis Zayante cranks and DT R470 Disc wheels. The disc frameset option comes in a stunning green-on-black splash paintjob.

2019 Specialized CruX

Specialized Allez Sprint and CruX 2019 pricing and availability

• Allez Sprint Comp Disc — £1,800
• Allez Sprint Comp — £1,600 / €1,799
•  Allez Sprint Disc frameset  — £1,300 / €1,199
• Allez Sprint rim brake frameset — £1,300 / €999
• CruX E5 Sport — £1,700 / €1,799
• CruX Elite — £2,800 / €3,099
• CruX Expert — £4,000 / €4,599
• S-Works CruX — £8,000 / €8,999
• S-Works CruX frameset — £2,500 / €2,799

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-specialized-allez-sprint-goes-disc-for-2019

Postnord Vargarda West Sweden start list

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/postnord-vargarda-west-sweden-start-list

Mixed reactions over 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games road race routes

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After the UCI published the road race routes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on Thursday, the glaring differences between the men's and women's parcours left the cycling community with mixed reactions on social media channels, and a lot of questions.

At first glance, the differences are startling. The men race 234km with 4,865 metres of elevation gain, including part of the iconic Mount Fuji. The women race 137km, with 2,692 metres of elevation gain over two climbs. But in comparison with other races on the women's calendar, the Tokyo course ranks as one of the hardest.

Both courses will start in Musashino no Mori Park on the outskirts of Tokyo and follow the same route southwest towards the Fuji International Speedway, tackling the Donushi Road and Kagosaka Pass where, at the 96km mark, the two routes diverge. The women head down from the Kagosaka Pass to do 1.5 laps of a rolling circuit finishing on the Fuji International Speedway.

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The men turn onto the Mount Fuji Circuit - a 50km loop that brings them over the Fuji Sanroku ascent - then they complete a smaller loop that includes Mikuni Pass and the Kagosaka Pass for a second time and, after 212km, descend onto the finishing circuits on the Fuji International Speedway.

UCI says women's course is among the hardest on the calendar

Gender equality push will go on

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/mixed-reactions-over-2020-tokyo-olympic-games-road-race-routes

Both Yates twins will now race in Vuelta a Espana

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British twin brothers Adam and Simon Yates will race together at the Vuelta a Espana for Australian team Mitchelton-Scott.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45172785

Lizzie Deignan feared career was over before signing for Trek

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Pregnant Lizzie Deignan was concerned about her future in cycling before she signed for Trek, who named her lead rider.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45161070

UEC Road European Championships men's road race - Start list

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European Championships 2018: Kyle Evans and Kye Whyte secure BMX one-two for Britain

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Britain's Kyle Evans and Kye Whyte win gold and silver in the men's BMX final at the European Championships

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45156148

European Championships 2018: Kyle Evans and Kye Whyte win BMX gold and silver

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Great Britain's Kyle Evans storms to BMX gold as team-mate Kye Whyte claims silver on the line at the European Championships in Glasgow.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45156168

A new challenge: Rohan Dennis on his move to Bahrain-Merida - Q&A

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As he waited for the final stage of the Tour de Pologne on Friday morning, Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) discussed going for gold this September in the Worlds, the opening time trial of the Vuelta a España, and his switch to Bahrain-Merida for 2019.

Cyclingnews: On stage 6 we saw you open up the throttle on the final climbs, and it felt a bit like this was the curtain rising on your second half of the season. What was the goal there?

Rohan Dennis: It was purely for Dylan [Teuns, 2nd on GC behind Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) – ed.] We were sitting there behind Sky and it was getting quite frustrating to be honest on that steep, narrow climb, it was blocked every lap. I was thinking, ‘Ach, I’m doing 300 Watts at 40kph here,’ I was literally not pedalling, we needed to do something, they [Sky] are controlling it too much.

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Max [Sciandri, directeur sportif – ed.] was holding it off and I don’t think he wanted me to do it so early, but if we did it like that, we’d just be doing the work for Sky. So I thought, ‘If someone’s going to do it, why not me?’ You can’t really sit in on that climb, and if you’re setting the pace, it’s more like you’re hurting someone else, and not having someone else hurting you. And that’s a nicer feeling, knowing you’re doing the damage.

So in a way it was a double-headed thing, it was good to do it for Dylan but also good training for me. For me this race [Pologne] isn’t a goal, but it is for him. My goals are more the TTs in the Vuelta and preparing for the Worlds.

CN: So you’re doing the Vuelta, but not for GC?

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-new-challenge-rohan-dennis-on-his-move-to-bahrain-merida-q-and-a