Kristina Vogel: 'I'm in a wheelchair, but it's not the end of my life'

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Double Olympic cycling champion Kristina Vogel speaks to Sir Chris Hoy about life following a high-speed collision during training that left her paralysed.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47407804

Watch: Australia beat GB in thrilling women's team pursuit final

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Great Britain's women take silver as Australia hold on for gold in a thrilling finish to the team pursuit final at the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships in Poland.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47409852

Australia beat GB to gold and set world record in team pursuit final

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Three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy leads Great Britain to silver in the team pursuit as Australia smash the world record to claim gold.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47406824

2019 Track Cycling World Championships: Great Britain take silver as Australia smash team pursuit world record

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Great Britain's men take silver as Australia break their own world record to win gold in the men's team pursuit final at the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships in Poland.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47409849

Matthews: I'm excited to rub shoulders with those guys

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Mount Teide has, in recent years, become cycling's most exclusive shared workspace. In mid-February, for instance, those hotdesking in the Parador Hotel – altitude 2,000 metres – included Vincenzo Nibali, Steven Kruijswijk, Ilnur Zakarin and Tom Dumoulin. Riders came and went all through the month, but few, if any, took up residence quite as long as Michael Matthews, who would spend the bones of three weeks training on the volcano.

While so many of his Classics competitors opted to start their seasons in the southern hemisphere in January, Matthews has stuck to a familiar routine for 2019, his third season at the colours of Sunweb. For the fifth successive year, he has eschewed the Tour Down Under and February stage races, preferring instead to steel himself in relative solitude with a lengthy altitude training camp in Tenerife.

Matthews will make his seasonal debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday against men who have already sought – and received – broad assurances about their condition from their results and performances in January and February. The Australian, by contrast, will set out guided by his training data and his own sensations, but it’s an approach that seems to suit. In 2015 and 2016, after all, he hit the ground running by claiming stage victories at Paris-Nice.

"I feel like when you're doing the races at the start of the season you sort of deviate from your clear goal and you start to think 'Oh, I need to win this bunch sprint in Tour Down Under,'" Matthew tells Cyclingnews. "But it's totally different racing. It's really hot in Australia, the stages are short, so to come back here and ride the Classics is like night and day difference."

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Even so, it still requires a particular brand of discipline to train at a level that will allow him to hit the ground running and compete on more or less equal terms with riders who have already notched up a solid clump of racing miles.

"I just love riding the bike, and I actually really love training, so I love the stepping stones of getting to where I need to be in the season," Matthews says. "If you don't enjoy it, then I don't think you can do the kind of preparation I've done. You have to get up every morning wanting to go and ride your bike and enjoy every second of it. I'm just so thankful that I can ride my bike every single day. It's still surreal for me that I get paid to ride my bike, I'm still a little bit in fantasy land that I have this as a job."

Tom Stamsnijder and Matthews backstage at the Team Sunweb presentation in Berlin (Bettini Photo)

Omloop to BinckBank

Doing it all

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/matthews-im-excited-to-rub-shoulders-with-those-guys

Mike Hall: UK endurance cyclist's death in Australia 'avoidable'

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Mike Hall died almost instantly when he was hit by a car during a race in Australia in 2017.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-47396799

12 riders to watch during Opening Weekend

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After the first bar of racing at the Tour Down Under, the South American notes from Colombia and San Juan, and the underscore of European races, it's time to tune into the cobbled Classics, and the Opening Weekend of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. We've selected 12 riders to watch for across one or both races.

Michael Valgren (Dimension Data)

Spotlight: A win in last year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, coupled with a resilient fourth place in the Tour of Flanders, provided insurmountable proof that Valgren could blend his talents between the cobbles and the Ardennes. He ended the season in the same vein, with a gutsy ride at the World Championships that eventually netted a fine top-ten. An off-season move to Dimension Data followed, with the African team making one of the leading transfers of the year. In theory, at least, everything is now in place for the Danish all-rounder to cement his place as one of the most prolific and exciting one-day specialists of his generation. However, in comparison to some others, Valgren's form has been far from scintillating since the start of the season, but few will fret at this stage. The Dane is a class act, and it's a case of when he'll take another major win, rather than if.

Race programme: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

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Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Spotlight: So what if he's never raced Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and that his best and only performance in Kuurne netted 130th place - Ackermann is a genuine contender for at least the latter of the Opening Weekend's salvos. The form has been impressive, with wins in the Clasica de Almeria, in which he held off a resurgent Marcel Kittel, and the points jersey in the Volta ao Algarve. This is an important season for the German, who has earned a Giro d'Italia spot thanks to a breakthrough 2018 campaign that included wins in several WorldTour stage races. With Peter Sagan training and Sam Bennett heading to Paris-Nice after the UAE Tour, Ackermann has the space to generate growing authority in the team's sprinting hierarchy.

Race programme: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ)

Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb)

Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep)

Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team)

Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott)

Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education First)

Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates)

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)

Niki Terpstra (Direct Energie)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/12-riders-to-watch-during-opening-weekend

Watch: GB's Barker wins 10km scratch gold after huge crash

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Great Britain's Elinor Barker wins the gold medal in the 10km scratch race, following a huge crash and pile-up in the final laps at the 2019 World Track Cycling Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47395500

Track Cycling World Championships 2019: Elinor Barker claims first gold for Great Britain

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Britain's Elinor Barker claimed the first gold medal of the Track Cycling World Championships in the women's scratch race.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47391671

Rally UHC Cycling's Felt FR Disc - Gallery

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Rally UHC Cycling's Krista Doebel-Hickock kicked off her 2019 season in style with a fourth-place general classification finish at the Santos Women's Tour Down Under in January, alongside two top-10 stage finishes.

For 2019, both the Rally UHC Cycling men's and women's teams will race on Felt framesets equipped with SRAM RED eTap drivetrains - 11-speed as opposed to the latest 12-speed eTap AXS groupset for now at least - and wheelsets from HED.

Finishing kit comes predominantly from Easton and while Shimano and Look pedals dominate the WorldTour, Rally UHC Cycling opt for Time Xpro 12 pedals.

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Rally UHC Cycling are another professional team to join the continually growing list of teams committing to racing on disc brakes for 2019, also converging towards the 160mm rotor on the front and 140mm rotor on the rear.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at the Rally UHC Cycling Women's 2019 Felt FR Disc.

Krista Doebel-Hickok's Felt FR full bike specifications

• Frameset: Felt FR Disc

• Front brake: SRAM RED HRD, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: SRAM RED HRD, 140mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: SRAM RED eTap HRD
• Front derailleur: SRAM RED eTap
• Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap
• Cassette: SRAM RED, 11-28
• Crankset: SRAM RED eTap with Quarq power meter, 53/39 chainrings, 170mm cranks

• Wheelset: HED Jet 4 Disc Brake
• Tyres: KENDA SC tubular

• Handlebars: Easton EC90, 400mm
• Stem: Easton EA90, 90mm with out-front computer mount
• Pedals: Time Xpro 12
• Saddle: Bontrager Affinity RXL
• Seat post: Easton

• Bottle cages: Arundel Band

• Rider height: 1.65m
• Saddle height (from bottom bracket): 670mm
• Tip of saddle nose to handlebars (at centre): 495mm
• Total bike weight: 7.50kg

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rally-uhc-cyclings-felt-fr-disc-gallery

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women - Start List

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-women-start-list

Team Sky's Swift discharged from hospital

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Ben Swift is discharged from hospital after being placed in intensive care following a crash on a training ride with Team Sky team-mate Geraint Thomas last week.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47383834

Sir Bradley Wiggins' one-hour record: Victor Campenaerts to challenge Briton's mark

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Sir Bradley Wiggins' one-hour world record will be challenged by Belgium's Victor Campenaerts on 16 or 17 April at altitude in Mexico.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47378748

Jason Kenny says winning, not breaking records, is his motivation

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Six-time Olympic champion Jason Kenny says surpassing Sir Chris Hoy's record number of gold medals is not his motivation ahead of Tokyo 2020.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47378431

'If you look at my hospital discharge sheet I shouldn't even be here'

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British track cyclist Victoria Williamson talks about her battle to compete again at the World Championships, three years after breaking her neck, back and pelvis.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47359093

Williamson set for Worlds return after learning to walk again

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GB cyclist Victoria Williamson says anything she achieves in the sport now "is a bonus" after a horrific crash that meant she had to learn to walk again.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47333184

Andre Greipel's 2019 BH G7 Pro - Gallery

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After 13 seasons at the top tier of the sport, Andre Greipel signed with French Pro Continental squad Team Arkéa Samsic for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The move followed a public contract dispute and departure from Lotto Soudal where the German has spent the past eight seasons.

Greipel got his 2019 season underway at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in January with a first stage victory for his new team to add to his tally of over 150 professional wins.

Team Arkéa Samsic - who were known as Fortuneo-Samsic last season - unusually changed bike provider just days before the 2018 Tour de France, swapping the previous sponsor Look for Spanish brand BH. The team has maintained the relationship with the Basque bike brand for 2019.

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Greipel opted for the more aero-focused BH G7 Pro for the Tour of Oman this week and alongside the new team and new frameset, is also running a Shimano groupset after spending much of his career on Campagnolo-equipped bikes.

Greipel debuted Campagnolo disc brakes for the first time at the Tour de France last year but has opted to stick with direct mount Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 rim brakes for his first races with Arkéa Samsic.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Greipel's 2019 race bike.

Andre Greipel's BH G7 Pro full bike specification

• Frameset: BH G7 Pro

• Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, direct mount
• Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, direct mount
• Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Crankset: FSA PowerBox, Vision chainrings

• Wheelset: FFWD F4 (front), FFWD F6 (rear)
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa, 25mm tubular

• Cockpit: Vision Metron 5D
• Handlebar tape: Prologo
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Prologo
• Seat post: BH G7 Pro

• Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/andre-greipels-2019-bh-g7-pro-gallery

Track World Championships live on the BBC - how to follow and who to watch

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Event schedule, Great Britain's team and live BBC coverage times for the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships in Poland.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47119580

Team Sky's Swift in intensive care after crash on ride with Thomas

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Team Sky's Ben Swift is in intensive care with a ruptured spleen after crashing on a training ride with Geraint Thomas

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47323638

2019 Ruta del Sol start list

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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/2019-ruta-del-sol-start-list

Volta ao Algarve start list

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Bauhaus and Sieberg unite at Bahrain-Merida

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The 2018/19 transfer market saw Bahrain-Merida splash out on both a new sprinter in Phil Bauhaus and a veteran member of Andre Greipel's old lead-out train, Marcel Sieberg.

Both Bauhaus and Sieberg have different points to prove after difficult periods during last season, but at the Tour Down Under in January, Cyclingnews sat down with the two riders to talk about last year, their working relationship, the past, and how they envisage racing together this year on their new team.

Cyclingnews: Phil, can you share some of the details in terms of how you arrived at Bahrain-Merida from Team Sunweb?

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Phil Bauhaus: There was the opportunity to sign me and the team was also looking for a rider who could support me in the finals. They made contact with Marcel, and he was also a situation whereby he didn’t know what was happening with him and Andre [Greipel].

Marcel Sieberg: We have the same manager – Christian Baumer – and he asked me in March about joining Phil at Bahrain. For me, it was too early, after 11 years with Andre, to say yes in March. Andre wasn’t sure what he wanted – if wanted to go or stay at Lotto. Then, at the German national championships, I had another talk with Brent [Copeland, Bahrain manager] on the phone and I said yes. Phil lives two kilometres from my house, and my wife used to train him when he was younger, and it made sense for me to try something new. I made the decision before the Tour de France because I wanted to finalise my future.

CN: Was that a difficult situation with you and Andre, when you had tell him that you were leaving?

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/bauhaus-and-sieberg-unite-at-bahrain-merida

Life at the limits of exhaustion - why cyclists suffer

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Three cyclists discuss their special relationship with suffering. And can science help expand the limits of exhaustion?

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47278392

Daniel Martinez's Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD - Gallery

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Daniel Martinez led EF Education First at his home race last week. The Colombian eventually finished third in the general classification at the Tour Colombia 2.1, alongside an opening team time trial stage victory for the US-registered squad.

Martinez raced the week aboard a Cannondale SuperSix EVO, complete with a fresh new 'oil stain' paint design for the 2019 season. EF Education First presented their pink and blue fade team kit at the Tour Down Under and have replicated the design onto their Cannondale framesets through a wrap, which is then overlaid with a clear lacquer for a smooth finish.

The team pair the bikes with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series drivetrains and braking, while cranksets are a combination of Cannondale's proprietary SiSL cranks, FSA chainrings and Power2Max power meters.

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FSA also provides the majority of the finishing kit for the team, alongside saddles from Prologo.

Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at Daniel Martinez's 2019 Cannondale SuperSix.

Daniel Martinez's Cannondale SuperSix full bike specifications

• Frameset: Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD, size 50

• Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 11-30
• Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Crankset: Cannondale SiSL with 53/38 FSA chainrings and Power2Max power meter

• Wheelset: Vision Metron 55
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa, 25mm tubular

• Handlebars: FSA Energy Compact, 400mm
• Stem: FSA OS-99, 110mm
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Prologo Nago Evo
• Seat post: FSA K-Force Light

• Bottle cages: Tacx Ciro
• Computer: Garmin Edge 520
• Other accessories: K3 number plate mount

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/daniel-martinezs-cannondale-supersix-evo-hi-mod-gallery

UCI Track Cycling World Championships: Katie Archibald targets right level of nerves

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GB's Katie Archibald aims to be "nervous enough" but not "right over the edge" at next week's UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47296027

Women's Tour: Suffolk to host start for next two years

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Suffolk will host of the opening stage of the Women's Tour for the next two years.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47285578

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

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Connor Swift (Madison Genesis) has been presented with a custom-painted Genesis Zero SL Disc for the 2019 season to celebrate his British national road race championships title from last summer.

The 23-year-old was presented with a different rim brake version of the bike ahead of the Tour of Britain last season. Both bikes are one-off, custom-painted by British studio ColourBurn Studios, which are based in Bristol and have also produced special framesets for Jakob Fuglsang and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team).

Title sponsor of the team - Madison - distribute Genesis bikes within the United Kingdom, alongside components and accessories from Shimano, K-Edge and Garmin, all of which also feature on Swift's build.

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The custom-painted rim brake version of the bike will still be available for Swift to use this season alongside this disc brake-equipped bike.

The new design has a 'snow camo' design, alongside bold red, white and blue geometric patterns across the frameset. The date of the national road race victory adorns the top tube of the frame and a Yorkshire Rose - the symbol of Swift's home county - decorates the bottom of the down tube.

In a press release from distributor Madison, Swift said: "With Madison being the awesome company they are, I have the privilege of having a second custom national champs bike - with disc brakes!

Connor Swift's Genesis Zero full bike specifications

• Frameset: Genesis Zero SL Disc custom-painted for British national road race champion

• Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 140mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170
• Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100-P, 53/39

• Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Tyres: Maxxis High Road tubular

• Handlebars: Pro Vibe
• Stem: Pro Vibe
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Pro
• Seat post: Pro

• Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus
• Computer: Garmin
• Other accessories: K-Edge chain catcher and out-front computer mount

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-disc-gallery

Second chance for Howes after extended period off the bike

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Fresh starts are always a good thing, but after eight years plying his trade as a professional bike racer for Jonathan Vaughters’ Slipstream-run teams, it took a serious illness to slow Alex Howes down and force a protracted time off the bike, his first extended break since he took up racing as a junior in Colorado.  

Now 31 and starting his eighth season in the WorldTour peloton, a hyperthyroid condition that was diagnosed last autumn meant Howes didn’t touch his bike for most of August, September and October. It was just the break he needed to recover his health and refresh his morale going into another professional season.  

"It was the longest time off the bike, and I think that really helped, honestly," Howes told Cyclingnews this week in Colombia, where he was racing the Tour Colombia 2.1 in support of Dani Martinez and Rigoberto Uran.  

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"This is my eighth year in the WorldTour, and before that I wasn’t WorldTour, but it was pretty full on. I needed some time to step away from it and really not think about racing at all," he said. "It was pretty productive for me. Coming back I feel pretty hungry. Eight years in and this is my neo-pro season again. I’m pretty motivated."

Howes was diagnosed with the hereditary condition last fall after he abandoned the Tour of Utah before the start of the final stage. The rider known for rarely quitting a race had to drop out because he simply lacked energy to ride. The condition had robbed him of the power he had been building since adolescence.  

"On the bike, in particular, I really couldn’t go,” he said. "I just couldn’t push. I was kind of anxious off the bike. I had a lot going on day to day. But I had anxiety, which I never really had before. On the bike, it was really noticeable. I could eat as much as I wanted, I could train as much as I wanted, but I just couldn’t go.  

Making a return in Colombia  

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/second-chance-for-howes-after-extended-period-off-the-bike

Nathan Haas' Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9 SL Disc - Gallery

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Katusha-Alpecin were the only WorldTour representation for SRAM for a couple of seasons until they were joined this year by Trek-Segafredo.

Since the Tour Down Under in January, the two teams have been racing with SRAM's brand new RED eTap AXS HRD groupsets and have also fully committed to racing and training on disc brakes for the entirety of the 2019 season.

Nathan Haas raced the Tour Down Under aboard a Katusha-Alpecin issue Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9 SL Disc - one of many high-end bikes equipped with the new groupset from SRAM available to purchase commercially.

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Alongside the Canyon frameset and SRAM drivetrain and brakes, Katusha-Alpecin run Zipp Firecrest 454 NSW Disc wheels paired with Continental tubulars, while finishing kit is a combination of Canyon's proprietary equipment alongside components from Selle Italia and Look.

Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at Nathan Haas' Canyon Aeroad.

Nathan Haas' Canyon Aeroad full bike specifications

Frameset: Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9 SL Disc

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/nathan-haas-canyon-aeroad-cf-slx-9-sl-disc-gallery

Jaime Roson banned for four years over 'adverse analytical finding'

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Spain's Jaime Roson is banned for four years and sacked by Movistar because of an "adverse analytical finding" in his biological passport.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47257373

Julian Alaphilippe to race custom-painted S-Works Tarmac for 2019

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Deceuninck-QuickStep's Julian Alaphilippe has been given a specially designed Specialized S-Works Tarmac. The Frenchman raced the bike for the first time at the Vuelta a San Juan and will use it for the whole of the 2019 season.

The S-Works Tarmac has a matte carbon finish with a blue design overlaid on the lower section of the bike. The Belgian WorldTour team - as well as Specialized's other sponsored team Bora-hansgrohe - have both committed to racing on disc brakes for the entirety of the 2019 season.

Deceuninck-QuickStep pair their Specialized framesets with full Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series groupsets, alongside finishing kit from Pro, Specialized and wheels from Roval.

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• Peter Sagan to debut alloy frame and tubeless tyres in Down Under Classic - Gallery
• Specialized founder Mike Sinyard on the power of the bicycle

In an email to Cyclingnews, Specialized explained the design: "Working with the team on the design elements for Alaphilippe's custom paint, the designer developed a spectral blue colour to represent his dynamic riding style.

"It displays a range of blue hues from punchy bright tones to dark and moody. He also added a camouflage-style pattern blended into a satin black fade for a fashionable yet premium effect reminiscent. Overall the effect is strong and aggressive with enough flare to match Julian's cool and unique personality on and off the bike."

The design will be sold by Specialized exclusively in France.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/julian-alaphilippe-to-race-custom-painted-s-works-tarmac-for-2019

Track Cycling World Championships: GB name squad as Williamson returns

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Vicky Williamson is named in the Great Britain squad for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, which start this month.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47209391

Alaphilippe: I want to be at 100 per cent in March

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Julian Alaphilippe will lead the Deceuninck-QuickStep team at this week's Tour Colombia 2.1 stage race as he continues his South American early-season race programme in the hope he'll be at his very best in March for a block of major goals that spans from trying for victory on the dirt roads of Strade Bianche to a first one-day Monument win at Milan-San Remo.

The Frenchman's unique climbing ability, his natural aggression and his acute tactical skill helped Alaphilippe win Flèche Wallonne, two Tour de France mountain stages and the polka-dot climber's jersey in 2018. He has set his sights even higher for 2019, hoping to win big for Deceuninck-QuickStep in March before the team's cobbled Classics riders take over in early April. Alaphilippe will then return for the Ardennes Classics to complete a significant block of spring racing.

"There are a lot of big goals in that block, and so I'm going have to stay focused – but it's exciting, too. I'll try to do my best and we'll see what happens," Alaphilippe tells Cyclingnews with his typical nonchalance and natural enthusiasm that seemingly helps him enjoy every moment of his career.

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Alaphilippe won two stages at the Vuelta a San Juan, showing some impressive early-season form. He only missed out on overall victory when he and young teammate Remco Evenepoel were outfoxed and out-powered by Movistar and Winner Anacona on the 'queen stage' to the Alto Colorado mountain finish.

Alaphilippe travelled to Colombia directly from San Juan. He won a stage at the Colombian stage race in 2018, and returns with Bob Jungels and sprinter Alvaro Hodeg to chase more success.

"I think a block of racing in the warmth of South America is good for me before my first European races," Alaphilippe explains.

Racing defeat makes you stronger

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/alaphilippe-i-want-to-be-at-100-per-cent-in-march

Richard Freeman: Ex-Team Sky and British Cycling doctor's tribunal could be delayed for several months

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The medical tribunal of former chief Team Sky and British Cycling doctor Richard Freeman is at serious risk of being delayed for several months.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47204410

3T launches full bike range equipped with SRAM 12-speed

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar

The news has broken and details have been released about the new 12-speed SRAM Red eTap AXS groupsets, and boundary-pushing bike manufacturer 3T has announced all three of its frame models are available with the new groupset.

The 3T Strada, Strada Due and Exploro are now all available to purchase as full builds with the SRAM Red eTap AXS HRD and all priced at £8,990.

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3T has made headlines with its bikes since the inception of its framesets. The first frameset from the brand was the gravel-focused Exploro, which addressed stiffness, weight, comfort and aerodynamics in a discipline where some aspects are overlooked.

Next came the 1X-only, disc brake-only, road-focused 3T Strada, which caused controversy in professional cycling with a string of stories arising through Aqua Blue Sport’s adoption of the bike for the 2018 season, which was ultimately the team’s last.

In July last year, the team announced it was breaking tradition with the Strada Due; a front derailleur-equipped version of the original road bike that completes the current 3T line-up.

3T Strada, Strada Due and Exploro 2019 specs

3T Strada Team SRAM RED eTap AXS

• Frameset: 3T Strada Team
• Front brake: SRAM Red Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: SRAM Red Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Front derailleur: N/A
• Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Cassette: SRAM XDR Driver Body, SRAM XG-1290 D1 10-33T 12-speed
• Chain: SRAM Red D1 12-speed
• Crankset: SRAM RED eTap D1 Dub, 46t chainring
• Bottom bracket: SRAM Dub BB386
• Wheelset: 3T Discus
• Tyres: Pirelli P-Zero
• Cockpit: 3T Apto Team Stealth stem, 3T Superergo Team Stealth handlebars
• Pedals: N/A
• Saddle: Selle San Marco Aspide 2
• Seatpost: 3T Strada
• Accessories: 3T bottle cage, SRAM eTap battery charger
• Sizes available: XSmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge
• £8,990 from Saddleback

3T Strada Team Due Team Stealth SRAM RED eTap AXS

• Frameset: 3T Strada Due Team Stealth
• Front brake: SRAM RED Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: SRAM RED Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Front derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1 braze-on
• Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Cassette: SRAM XDR Driver Body, SRAM XG-1290 D1 10-28T 12-speed
• Chain: SRAM RED D1 12-speed
• Crankset: SRAM RED eTap D1 Dub, 48/35t chainrings
• Bottom bracket: SRAM Dub BB386
• Wheelset: 3T Discus
• Tyres: Pirelli P-Zero
• Cockpit: 3T Apto Team Stealth stem, 3T Superergo Team Stealth handlebars
• Pedals: N/A
• Saddle: Selle San Marco Aspide 2
• Seatpost: 3T Strada
• Accessories: 3T bottle cage, SRAM eTap battery charger
• Sizes available: XSmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge
• £8,990 from Saddleback

3T Exploro LTD RED eTap AXS

• Frameset: 3T Exploro LTD
• Front brake: SRAM RED Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: SRAM RED Flat Mount Hydraulic Disc, 160mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Front derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS D1
• Cassette: SRAM XDR Driver Body, SRAM XG-1290 D1 10-28t 12-speed
• Chain: SRAM RED D1 12-speed
• Crankset: SRAM RED eTap D1 Dub, 46/33T chainring
• Bottom bracket: SRAM Dub BB386
• Wheelset: 3T Discus
• Tyres: WTB Riddler 700x37C
• Cockpit: 3T Apto Team Stealth stem, 3T Superergo Team Stealth handlebars
• Pedals: N/A
• Saddle: Selle San Marco Aspide 2
• Seatpost: 3T Exploro

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/3t-launches-full-bike-range-equipped-with-sram-12-speed

Tour of Valencia: Adam Yates wins stage four as Spain's Ion Izagiree closes on overall victory

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Britain's Adam Yates holds off Spain's Alejandro Valverde to win stage four of the Tour of Valencia on Saturday.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47187553

Aldag on rebuilding a struggling Dimension Data

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After a year that yielded just seven wins and saw their leaders underperform on nearly every front, changes were needed at Dimension Data. Step forward Rolf Aldag, who alongside Douglas Ryder, were the men with the plan to kickstart a struggling team that had fallen to the lower echelons of the WorldTour.

The challenges facing Aldag and the rest of the management at Dimension Data were huge. For one, they had endured a season in which their frontline of Mark Cavendish, Louis Meintjes, Steve Cummings and Edvald Boasson Hagen had failed to produce a single WorldTour win between them.

A drop in performance from their leaders only highlighted the lack of depth within the rest of the team, and without the two stage wins at the Vuelta a España, courtesy of Ben King, the team would have gone an entire season without tasting WorldTour success. Throw into the mix a lack of fit and experienced captains, riders calling out the team's equipment in public, a star sprinter out of contract, and a responsibility to support African talent, and Dimension Data’s task looked insurmountable.

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"Most of all we needed stability in our racing," Aldag told Cyclingnews during a series of conversations during the off-season that started in September and ran until late November.

"So last year we'd have maybe Edvald in a race, but the rest of the guys were a bit more random. We needed to get to a point where we had five or six stable guys. If you have some jokers, that's fine, but you need to be able to predict the results from your riders more."

At times, Dimension Data appeared to be racing with one hand tied behind their back in 2018. With Cavendish on the tarmac more than on the podium, Eisel out injured and Cummings pushed and pulled from race to race, the team was stretched too thinly. The first task was to solidify their core in the transfer market.

The balance between points and the development of African talent

Securing a future with Cavendish and Eisel

A new dawn in 2019

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/aldag-on-rebuilding-a-struggling-dimension-data

Sportful adds racing pedigree to gravel-specific range

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This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

Sportful's debut gravel-specific line 'Giara' was first introduced two years ago, and after including the range in every season's collection since, the Italian clothing brand has now updated the line and launched its Super Giara range.

• Gravel-specific clothing is now a thing, thanks to Sportful
• Sportful Autumn/Winter 2018 range overview
• Specialized S-Works Venge for the Sagan Fondo in California

Sportful Super Giara continues the gravel trend from earlier Giara pieces and combines the gravel-specific features with the brand's WorldTour-proven technical racing design — think gravel races such as Dirty Kanza.

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The Sportful Super Giara range also has a toned-down aesthetic, which the brand says follows market trends for more subtle designs.

Sportful Super Giara jersey

Earlier versions of the Sportful Giara jersey focused on comfort and a relaxed fit, but the Sportful Super Giara turns its back on this initial ethos, with the brand opting to take advantage of its race pedigree — Sportful provides clothing for Peter Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe and Vincenzo Nibali's Bahrain-Merida teams — with the jersey sharing several design features with its race-specific clothing.

• Available in grey/white, black/grey or green/orange.
• £90 / $109.99 / €99.90

Sportful Super Giara bib shorts

• Available in black/black and black/orange.
• £115 / $149.99 / €139.90

Sportful Giara 18 socks

• £23 / $29.99 / €27.90

Sportful Giara

Sportful Giara pricing

• Giara jersey: £75 / $89.99 / €84.90
• Giara tee: £70 / $89.99 / €79.90
• Giara overshort: £70 / $89.99 / €79.90
• Giara vest: £90 / $89.99 / €89.90
• Giara bib short: £80 / $99.99 / €89.90
• Giara Women's jersey: £75 / $89.99 / €84.90
• Giara Women's shorts: £70 / $89.99 / €79.90
• Giara Women's top: £55 / $74.99 / €64.90
• Giara Women's overshort: £70 / $89.99 / €79.90

Sportful Super Giara initial impressions

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/sportful-adds-racing-pedigree-to-gravel-specific-range

Glasgow to host inaugural combined Cycling World Championships

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Glasgow will host the new combined Cycling World Championships for its inaugural staging in 2023.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45321242

Kenny to race at inaugural Six Day Series in Manchester

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Olympic champion Laura Kenny will ride in the inaugural Six Day Series Manchester at the National Cycling Centre in March.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47170507

The highs and lows of EF Education First's Australian adventure

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"Like the boys are saying, it's like doing a Grand Tour in January," says EF Education First directeur sportif Tom Southam of the team's month spent in Australia, where the WorldTour team took on the Tour Down Under, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the Herald Sun Tour, and came away with mixed results.

"We've all been away from home for over a month, and, if things go badly, and the wheels start falling off, then this week here at the Sun Tour at the end is just a really bad idea," Southam tells Cyclingnews ahead of the final stage of the race, on the team's last day of racing before heading back to Europe.

"But if things go well, it's completely different," he continues. "We put a lot of effort into ensuring that we came into this race mentally fresh this week, and up for racing.

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"If you come in with a different attitude and start getting a bit annoyed about this or that, then it's just going to be a shit week. You want to finish on a high note, and I think we have," he says of team leader Michael Woods' third place overall and his win on stage 2 – the day after the team's sprinter, Dan McLay, had won the opening stage.

Like Southam says, things could have gone either way, and there was perhaps a little of both – especially following the final stage of the Tour Down Under, where Woods had gone into the final stage to Willunga Hill on the same time overall as pre-race favourite Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), only for the race to play out in an almost carbon copy of the previous year's stage.

Porte put his rivals to the sword to win the stage – his sixth straight victory on Willunga Hill – while defending champion Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) did enough to retain the advantage he had over the climbers going into the stage and took a second overall win in a row.

Woods turns things around

'Yesterday was yesterday'

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-highs-and-lows-of-ef-education-firsts-australian-adventure

Richie Porte's Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc eTap - Gallery

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Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) began his 2019 season with a new team, a new bike and an unreleased groupset.

SRAM's new 12-speed RED eTap AXS groupset was still unreleased at the race - where the Tazmanian finished second on general classification and won the final stage - but was being used by the entire Trek-Segafredo and Katusha-Alpecin squads, as well as Trek-Segafredo and CCC Team in the Santos Women's Tour Down Under.

• SRAM 12-speed RED eTap AXS HRD Review
• Trek-Segafredo announce SRAM partnership

The new groupset opens up new gearing combinations as the extra cog allows for a 10-tooth option on the cassette, as well as a larger bottom gear. Porte opted for the 50/37 chainring option combined with a 10-28t cassette, a similar combination to traditional racing gearing of 53/39x11-25.

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Trek-Segafredo are one of a number of teams in the WorldTour to also commit to disc brakes for the entire season and the pro peloton is converging towards the 160mm front/140mm rear disc rotor setup. As most teams opt for this combination, neutral service should be easier with wheel changes.

Campagnolo was the first groupset manufacturer to introduce a 12-speed groupset option and with SRAM now also on 12-speed, it is surely only a matter of time until Shimano turns up to the party.

As well as the aero-specific Trek Madone frameset (photographed) Porte has been riding, Trek-Segafredo riders also have the choice of riding Émonda and Domane frames.

Richie Porte's Trek Madone full bike specifications

• Frameset: Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc, 50cm

• Front brake: SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD, 160mm SRAM CentreLine rotor
• Rear brake: SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD, 140mm SRAM CentreLine rotor
• Brake/shift levers: SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD
• Front derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD
• Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS HRD
• Cassette: SRAM RED XG-1290, 10-28t
• Chain: SRAM RED 12-speed
• Crankset: SRAM RED eTap AXS Power Meter, 170mm cranks, 50-37 chainrings
• Bottom bracket: Trek BB90 SRAM

• Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa, 25mm tubular

• Cockpit: Trek Madone SLR
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Bontrager Montrose Pro
• Seat post: Trek Madone SLR

• Bottle cages: Bontrager XXX
• Computer: Bontrager Garmin Edge 1030

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/richie-portes-trek-madone-slr-9-disc-etap-gallery

Kristina Vogel: Sport will always be a part of me

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The life of two-time Olympic champion and 11-time world champion Kristina Vogel changed irrevocably in June 2018 when she suffered spinal injuries in a crash while training on the Cottbus velodrome in Germany. It would be months before the cycling world would learn the extent of her injuries when, in September, Vogel went public with her new reality: she was paralysed from the chest down.

Three months later, in what was both a testament to her resilience and a need to be back among her track community, Vogel attended the Berlin World Cup, where she received a thunderous ovation from more than 2,000 athletes and fans who were in attendance.

Vogel was back in the velodrome, once again, at the recent Six Day Berlin, held from January 24-29 at the Velodrom Berlin. A year ago, she had won the women’s sprint competition at the event in convincing fashion. This time, she was firing the starting gun.

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Cyclingnews met with Vogel to talk about her new challenges, sport, politics and what it means to be an inspiration.

Vogel was training on a concrete track in Cottbus with Pauline Grabosch when she collided with another rider at 60 kph. She was airlifted to a hospital and placed in a medically induced coma and underwent several operations. However, during the accident, her spinal cord was severed at the seventh thoracic vertebra. She has full control of her arms, hands, and head, but she has been forced to come to terms with life as a person with paraplegia.

Vogel went public with her condition in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel in September. She was released from hospital in December, but she still faces a long rehabilitation. She acknowledged that adapting to life without the use of her legs is about more than just physical therapy and training.

Making a difference

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kristina-vogel-sport-will-always-be-a-part-of-me

Morkov and Sabatini: The art of the lead out

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Fabio Sabatini and Michael Mørkøv are both experienced riders when it comes to perfecting a lead out. They are currently the final two men in the train for Deceuninck-QuickStep's Elia Viviani, one of the best sprinters on the planet.

Sabatini has ridden as a lead-out man for many successful sprinters such as Erik Zabel and Alessandro Pettachi, while Mørkøv comes from a track background after winning silver in the Team Pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. They are experience personified, having competed in a combined number of 29 Grand Tours, and they are two of the most seasoned riders in the peloton.

In a traditional lead out for Viviani, Sabatini is sheltered by Mørkøv until the final 400-500m before he's handed the reins for the final burst before Viviani is left on his own to finish the job. Last season, Viviani picked up 18 victories during the road season with the help of Sabatini and Mørkøv, and during January's Tour Down Under, the pair took the time to give Cyclingnews an insight into what makes the perfect lead out.

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Cyclingnews: Fabio, when you started your career was it always with the intention of becoming a lead-out rider?

Fabio Sabatini: I started with Alessandro Petacchi and Erik Zabel at Milram in 2006, where the training was really different because the team was completely for Petacchi so my work and that of my teammates was all about working towards the lead-out. Like I said, we had Zabel but also riders like Fabio Sacchi, so I learned a lot from them, and of course from Alessandro.

CN: Michael, who did you learn from the early years of your career because you came through the ranks with a slightly different set-up?

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/morkov-and-sabatini-the-art-of-the-lead-out

Thomas rules out Giro bid to 'be in best shape possible' for Tour defence

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Geraint Thomas will miss May's Giro d'Italia to be "in the best shape possible" to defend his Tour de France crown in July.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47145018

Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2019 start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/volta-a-la-comunitat-valenciana-2019-start-list

Stakes high for Team Sky and British Cycling as Freeman prepares to face medical tribunal

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The sense of controversy surrounding Team Sky and British Cycling has calmed somewhat in the past 10 months, following the conclusion of separate investigations by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) and the UK Parliament’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). Yet things are set to flare up again this week, as Dr. Richard Freeman faces a medical tribunal that could see him stripped of his right to practise.

On the seventh floor of the St James’s Buildings in central Manchester on Wednesday, Freeman, who worked for both organisations between 2009 and 2015, will take a seat in front of a panel of independent arbitrators from the Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service (MPTS) to answer to a misconduct case brought by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Over the course of the next month, he will be grilled over the testosterone gels that were delivered to British Cycling and Team Sky HQ in 2011, along with a number of other issues, including his approach to prescription medication, his private treatment of colleagues, and his record keeping.

The tribunal has the potential to inflict further harm on the reputations of both British Cycling and Team Sky, after a string of controversies that includes Bradley Wiggins’ use of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) and the notorious ‘jiffy bag’ saga.

The main area of inquiry at the tribunal concerns the package containing 30 sachets of Testogel delivered to the Manchester Velodrome – home to British Cycling and Team Sky – on May 16, 2011. “It is alleged that his motive for placing the order was to obtain Testogel to administer to an athlete to improve their athletic performance,” reads the MPTS’ case summary, setting out the most explosive charge against Freeman.

Testosterone is banned both in and out of competition under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules. If it were found that the gel – which is applied to the skin - was administered to one or more athlete, the athlete(s) in question would face a lengthy doping ban, and it would deal a huge blow to the integrity of multi Olympic medal-winning British Cycling and six-time Tour de France winners Team Sky.

UKAD, whose investigation was frustrated by a lack of medical information and was closed in November 2017, told Cyclingnews it will be following the tribunal closely. It was UKAD who passed on information to the GMC and, should the medical body be able to exercise greater might in substantiating the allegations, it is poised to spring into action again.

“We will be closely following the tribunal, and if any new information were to come to light we will certainly look into that,” said a UKAD spokesperson.

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The allegations

The tribunal will look into Freeman’s previous explanations for the Testogel delivery. In March 2017, Dr Steve Peters, former head of medicine at both British Cycling and Team Sky, told the Sunday Times that he was immediately made aware of the delivery and that Freeman told him he had not placed the order and so it must have been sent in error. Peters requested Freeman return the package and obtain written confirmation of receipt from the supplier, and said this had been done, though the BBC revealed last month that email confirmation from the supplier only arrived in October, five months after the delivery.

According to the MPTS, it is alleged Freeman lied when he denied making the order, and lied separately when he told UKAD, in February 2017, that Testogel had in fact been ordered, for a non-athlete member of staff. It is also alleged that Freeman contacted Fit4Sport in October 2011, five months after the delivery, and obtained email confirmation that the Testogel had been returned and destroyed, despite knowing this had not happened.

“It is further alleged Dr Freeman’s motive for his actions, in respect of the untrue statements and communications with Fit4Sport Limited, were to conceal his motive for placing the order,” states the MPTS case summary.

The tribunal will also examine allegations that Freeman “inappropriately” provided treatment to non-athlete members of staff, that his management of prescription-only medication was “inappropriate”, and that he “failed to inform three patients’ GPs of medication prescribed and reasons for prescribing”. Dave Brailsford, the Team Sky boss and former British Cycling performance director, has admitted that Freeman injected him with triamcinolone, the corticosteroid used controversially by Wiggins under TUEs.

The tribunal process

Freeman

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/stakes-high-for-team-sky-and-british-cycling-as-freeman-prepares-to-face-medical-tribunal

Nairo Quintana still dreaming of Tour de France success

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Nairo Quintana celebrated his 29th birthday in San Juan on Monday, perhaps taking a moment to reflect on his life and career and realise that he is entering his most important season.

Despite a recent lack of success in Grand Tours, and the emergence of other Colombian Grand Tour contenders such as Rigoberto Uran, Esteban Chaves, Miguel Angel Lopez and, especially, Egan Bernal, Quintana is still an idol in Colombia, a team leader at Movistar and he is recognised as one of the best climbers in the peloton.

He won the Giro d’Italia in 2014, the Vuelta a Espana in 2016 and has finished on the podium three times at the Tour de France. Quintana seemed on the cusp of becoming the first Colombian rider to win the Tour de France, but in recent years he has struggled against the dominance and efficiency of Team Sky and has suffered with internal rivalry at Movistar that was perhaps created to inspire him to victory in France.

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Last year Quintana finished 10th overall at the Tour de France behind winner Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) after Movistar opted to go with three leaders: Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa. Valverde finished 14th and Landa a slightly better seventh, but a lack of clear leadership backfired and left Quintana questioning if Movistar remain the best team for him to try to win the Tour de France in the final years of his career.

Quintana’s contract with Movistar ends this year, and there has been little talk of a new offer for 2020. The summer, and particularly the Tour de France, will mark a crossroads in Quintana's career. If he can get back to his best, when his searing attacks in the mountains made everyone suffer and he was able to open decisive time gaps, then he will remain Colombia’s best Grand Tour contender. Otherwise, he may have to move aside and accept his best years are behind him.

“Another year comes and goes and I’m not a young guy anymore, but I’m not past it either. My numbers are still good, and I’m not tired. I’m not going to retire any time soon,” Quintana responds during a relaxed and intimate interview with the media present at San Juan, including Cyclingnews.

Keeping the Tour de France dream alive

Landa and the future

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/nairo-quintana-still-dreaming-of-tour-de-france-success

Geraint Thomas 'back to the day job' after Tour de France celebrations

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BBC Sport Wales catches up with 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas ahead of his first race of the 2019 season.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/47139103

Freeman's medical tribunal set to start

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A medical tribunal for the former chief doctor at British Cycling and Team Sky begins in Manchester on Wednesday.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47137475

Vincenzo Nibali's Merida Reacto Disc - Gallery

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Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) begins his 2019 season at the UAE Tour later this month, and like all of his Bahrain-Merida teammates, will likely race on a disc-equipped Merida Reacto or Scultura.

Unlike Nibali's teammates, however, the Italian - along with Bahrain-Merida leaders Domenico Pozzovivo, Rohan Dennis and Damiano Caruso - has the option to opt out of racing discs for specific races. The remainder of the squad will race with disc brakes throughout, joining the likes of Trek-Segafredo, Katusha-Alpecin, Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-QuickStep who have all committed to racing on discs for the entire season.

Nibali has a reputation for a racing style from a bygone era, attacking on impulse and feeling as opposed to the more calculated approaches focusing on watts seen in recent years. During Nibali's foray into the cobbled Classics early last season - and again during the Roubaix stage of the Tour de France - Nibali opted for mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 gearing on his bikes, likely preferring the mechanical feedback when changing gears on the rough cobbles.

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• What groupsets, tyres and pedals do WorldTour teams use?
• WorldTour team bike guide 2019

Seen here, Nibali's Merida Reacto is running a Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 groupset and paired with an SRM Origin crankset.

FSA provides the cockpit components for Bahrain-Merida, while Prologo provides the contact points of handlebar tape and a Bahrain-Merida team-issue saddle.

Just how often - and for what types of races - we will see Nibali use his team privilege to opt for rim brakes over discs when racing remains to be seen.

• Frameset: Merida Reacto Disc
• Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 140mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170
• Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 11-30
• Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Crankset: SRM Origin with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 chainrings, 172.5mm cranks

• Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing 55T
• Tyres: Continental Competition ALX, 25mm tubular

• Stem: FSA OS-99, 125mm
• Handlebars: FSA K-Force Light, 420mm
• Tape/grips: Prologo
• Saddle: Prologo Zero Nack Team Issue
• Seat post: Merida Reacto Carbon

• Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus
• Computer: SRM PC-8

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Sagan and Gaviria: Good friends and sprint rivals

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Peter Sagan and Fernando Gaviria are rivals in the sprints but they are also good friends off the bike. They go shoulder-to-shoulder at 70 kph but they also train together and hang out when they're both in Monte Carlo. Their friendship and mutual respect are only put aside when the finish line approaches.

"In the races, you compete against everyone but in normal life, things should be different, right?" Sagan suggested at the Vuelta a San Juan after finishing second to Gaviria on stage 4, and before the final sprint stages of the race on Saturday and Sunday.

"For sure we're friends. I first started to speak to Fernando two years ago, and we became friends; when we're in the cycling world but also outside of cycling. We both live in Monaco and it's always a pleasure when we can meet for dinner or some drinks together."

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Gaviria helped arrange a holiday for Sagan and his friends in November and they both work with rider agent Giovanni Lombardi.

Sprinters are not often friends; their competitive spirit and adrenaline-fuelled aggression in sprints can lead to conflicts and falls outs. Sagan and Gaviria are perhaps not as highly strung as some of their rivals, and so are able to be competitors on the bike but friends out of the saddle. They are unlikely to be overly aggressive against each other in the sprints and they share tactical information when it can be mutually beneficial.

Sagan revealed how their friendship turned into a champagne challenge at the Tour de France.

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Kenny Elissonde steps up

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Basking in the sunshine outside his team's camper van ahead of stage 2 of the 2019 Herald Sun Tour, Kenny Elissonde is happy.

"I love it here in Australia," the Team Sky rider tells Cyclingnews. "I love the heat, and there's a great atmosphere. It's serious racing, but at the same time it's a little more relaxed than racing in Europe, so it's lovely."

The 27-year-old Frenchman has been ever-present this year at the front of the Tour Down Under, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and now at the Herald Sun Tour, whenever the roads have pointed upwards. He may not yet have been able to translate that good form into a win – although that could change on Saturday's penultimate stage, with its multiple climbs of Arthurs Seat on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula – but Elissonde is happy, both with the weather and his form.

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"It's always good to start the season off on the right foot, and we've had a great start with Wout Poels taking third overall at the Tour Down Under," Elissonde says, downplaying his contribution, when he attacked on both ascents of Willunga Hill on the race's last stage, dragging his team leader clear on both occasions, only for Trek-Segafredo's Richie Porte to sweep by to take the stage win.

"The team's been working really well together, and we want to keep that going as long as we can. It's always important to start well, and good for your confidence to go back to Europe with some good sensations and feelings. Back in Europe, I'll have a little break, and then start training again," he says, although he's unsure of his race programme once his Australian trip is over.

'I love attacking'

On the offensive

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Seeing cycling through different eyes: Mohoric takes aim at cobbled Classics

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There are many ways of passing a compliment in the professional cycling, though some are more backhanded then others. When Matej Mohoric successfully defended his overall lead in Sittard on the penultimate day of the BinckBank Tour last August, there were dark mutterings from some of his Belgian colleagues about his supposed habit of taking undue risks in the peloton. One rider even suggested that there might be a loose coalition against the Slovenian on the race’s final stage.

It was hardly coincidental that the final leg was a cobbled stage over the Muur and Bosberg to Geraardsbergen. It may have been Mohoric’s first ever race on the pavé, but since seizing the overall lead in Antwerp, he had shown himself to be the strongest rider in the race. In its own inimitable way, the Flemish contingent was acknowledging Mohoric as a threat.

One was put in mind of Eric Vanderaerden’s emergence as a force in the 1980s when senior figures in the Belgian peloton – including honorary Flandrian Sean Kelly – made little secret of their attempts to bar or at least delay the youngster’s accession into the elite caste of Classics winners.

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Mohoric dealt confidently with the flurry of attacks on his jersey on the breathless finishing circuit in the Flemish Ardennes, successfully defending his overall lead to claim the biggest stage race victory of his career. In his press conference in Geraardsbergen’s town hall afterwards, meanwhile, he gently deflated the polemic over his riding style. Months on, the Bahrain-Merida rider is bemused by the brief furore.

“I think those were stories based more on fiction than fact, but maybe there were some guys who weren’t happy to see a rookie win,” Mohoric tells Cyclingnews. “I don’t feel I ride any more aggressively than any of the other guys in the bunch but I am very self-confident: I take my positon and I don’t give it up even though I’m new.

“I will continue to stand up for myself. In the past, the guys with more experience and results had more respect in the bunch, but now everybody’s on the same level, and nobody’s going to give you any space even if your name is Peter Sagan or Greg Van Avermaet. That’s just the way it is.”

Development

2019

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