Yates finishes runner-up at Volta a Catalunya

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Britain's Adam Yates finishes second behind Colombia's Miguel Angel Lopez at the Volta a Catalunya, with Egan Bernal third.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47766889

Yates retains second place as Matthews wins stage

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Adam Yates stays in second place, 14 seconds behind leader Miguel Angel Lopez, with one stage of the Volta a Catalunya to go.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47761776

Volta a Catalunya: Adam Yates second with two stages left

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Adam Yates stays in second place overall at the Volta a Catalunya with two stages of the race remaining.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47753896

Naesen: In my head I've won Flanders a thousand times

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There's a strand of sports psychology that advocates for visualising yourself in action as a means of preparation for a big event. Pioneered by Richard Suinn in the 1970s, studies have shown the benefits of this 'imagery rehearsal' can even be physical as well as mental. If that's anything to go by, Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) will have something of an advantage when it comes to the Tour of Flanders next Sunday and the other cobbled Classics.

"In my head I've already won Flanders a thousand times,” he says on the eve of his 2019 Classics campaign on home roads, which starts with the E3 BinckBank Classic on Friday.

"It's only in reality that I haven't won it. In my dreams I've won it, and I see scenarios where I will win it, which doesn't mean I'm going to win it, but I know more or less how it will feel. It kind of prepares you for the real-life situation.

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"When you're training on those roads, or riding alone and seeing yourself alone in front, or even when you're just at home sitting on the sofa, you're thinking, 'What will it be like to win the Tour of Flanders?' I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's how it is."

Naesen's dreams are no doubt shared by many young Belgian kids but, in explaining how much Flanders means to him, Naesen shows himself to be a true romantic. He effortlessly conveys the passion for cycling in this part of the world, and the fever that grips it for a couple of weeks each spring. When he speaks with such enthusiasm, you can't help but also feel excited for the races ahead.

"For us, this is what we grew up with. It's the stuff of dreams. Everyone watches it and talks about it. This period of the season controls the life of the average Flemish person, so it's very important. It's almost religious," he says.

Form

Taking on Deceuninck-QuickStep

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/naesen-in-my-head-ive-won-flanders-a-thousand-times

Victor Campenaerts' Ridley Arena TT Hour Record - Gallery

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Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Soudal) has travelled to Mexico ahead of his attempt on the UCI Hour Record, which will take place on the weekend of April 16-17. The Belgian will try to better Bradley Wiggins' distance of 54.526km that was set nearly four years ago in London.

Campenaerts' Hour Record attempt will be on a Ridley Arena track bike - a track-specific version of the brand's Dean Fast time trial road frameset - with a number of customisations specifically for the record.

At the front end of the bike, the custom base handlebars are just 330mm wide for improved aerodynamics. The extreme narrowness shouldn't cause any handling issues as Ridley says the base bar grips are used for only around 15 seconds at the start of the attempt as Campenearts gets up to the 50km/h+ speed necessary to achieve a new record.

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The handlebar extensions have been custom moulded specifically for Campenaerts' forearms to ensure a comfortable and secure fit during the effort, keeping the upper body in the exact aerodynamic position for the whole effort without the risk of moving or slipping.

Ridley says the handlebar extensions were first used by Campenaerts at the world championship elite men's time trial in Innsbruck last year, when he won a bronze medal.

The frame follows Campenaerts' custom geometry of his Ridley Dean Fast time trial model and also features a frame coating dubbed F-Surface Plus, which imitates the surface of a golf ball for improved aerodynamic performance.

Victor Campenaerts' Ridley Arena Hour Record full bike specifications

• Frameset: Custom Ridley Arena track frameset for Victor Campenaerts' 2019 Hour Record

• Front brake: n/a
• Rear brake: n/a
• Brake/shift levers: n/a
• Front derailleur: n/a
• Rear derailleur: n/a
• Cassette: Track sprocket, from 13-18 tooth
• Chain: Campagnolo Record
• Crankset: Campagnolo SRM 11-spd, chainrings from 58-63 tooth
• Bottom bracket: C-Bear

• Wheelset: Campagnolo Ghibli
• Tyres: Vittoria tubular

• Handlebars: Custom made for Campenaerts' Hour Record
• Stem: Integrated
• Pedals: Look Keo Blade Carbon
• Seat post: Ridley Arena

• Bottle cages: n/a
• Computer: n/a
• Other accessories: n/a

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/victor-campenaerts-ridley-arena-tt-hour-record-gallery

Transfer mechanics: Alaphilippe, Quintana and Nibali drive 100-rider market

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Until recently the overriding theme set to dominate the transfer market was Team Sky. Their previously uncertain future was expected to act as the catalyst for significant changes to rival team rosters. However, the announcement of Ineos as owner and title sponsor has taken some wind out of the market.

Transfers are still being agreed and there is a general hunt for ranking points that secure team places in the WorldTour for 2020-2022. Teams must confirm their intent to be in the WorldTour by April 1 and that means the teams towards the bottom echelons of the rankings, and the well-placed Pro Continental squads with expanding budgets, must act if they are to secure enough UCI ranking points and a place in the WorldTour.

The fact that Team Sky riders - for the most part - are not available also means that the prices for riders who are still on the market remain high due the fact that there are fewer options available. 

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The GC contenders

The most high-profile GC riders on the market are Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana. Below these two are a raft of athletes including Daniel Martin, Wout Poels, Ilnur Zakarin, Esteban Chaves, Enric Mas, Davide Formolo, Louis Meintjes, Jakob Fuglsang and Mikel Landa. Each of those come with strengths and weakness, but only two from the entire list above have won Grand Tours.

Cyclingnews understands that Trek-Segafredo, Astana, Bahrain-Merida and UAE Team Emirates are all looking for potential Grand Tour winners. 

Some riders such as Zakarin and Meintjes, are unlikely to move but the remaining riders have different factors determining their futures. For example, Quintana's fate will be linked to whether Landa departs. The indications are that the Spaniard has already discussed a move to Astana and that Quintana is being pursued by UAE Team Emirates and CCC Team. Movistar are already preparing for a world without both riders but will have the financial power to match any offers.

Sprinters

All-rounders

Best of the rest

Additional riders out of contract

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/transfer-mechanics-alaphilippe-quintana-and-nibali-drive-100-rider-market

Yates stays second as Lopez takes Volta lead

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Adam Yates finishes fifth in stage four of Volta a Catalunya and remains second overall, 14 seconds behind new overall leader Miguel Angel Lopez.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47739603

What are the National eRacing Championships?

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BBC Sport Wales looks at the first ever British Cycling eRacing Championships and finds out why the format is a "game changer" for the sport

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/wales/47728247

Mark Cavendish: Manx cyclist can break Eddy Merckx's Tour de France record, says Bernie Eisel

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Mark Cavendish's Dimension Data team-mate Bernie Eisel says the Manx cyclist can "definitely" break Eddy Merckx's Tour de France record.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47728221

Why eRacing is a 'game changer' for cycling

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BBC Sport looks at the rise of eRacing in cycling as British Cycling holds its first National Championships

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/47724548

'There's plenty of time to get the overall lead' - Yates second after Volta stage win

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Britain's Adam Yates wins stage three of the Volta a Catalunya and moves to second in the overall standings.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47725177

I didn't take my saddle pain seriously - Paralympic cyclist Hannah Dines

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Paralympic cyclist Hannah Dines says she thought her persistent saddle injury was a "sacrifice" for being an elite athlete.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47718629

Sporting director suspended after assaulting girlfriend

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Former Olympian Jonny Bellis is suspended as sporting director of Drops Cycling Team after being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47718059

Cobbled Classics 2019 - Preview

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We've already had the so-called 'Opening Weekend' of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne at the start of the month but, after the brief switch back to stage racing for Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, and the symbolic change of the seasons at Saturday's Milan-San Remo, the main cobbled Classics period is upon us.

Spanning a three-week stretch that produces enough storylines to rival a Grand Tour, these one-day races in northern Belgium and France consistently produce some of the most exciting racing of the season.

The kasseien (cobblestones) and hellingen (short, steep climbs) are the theatre for the action in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium where cycling is like a religion and the beer flows steadily on race day. This is the ground for the first two weeks, culminating with the big one, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders. From a global perspective, the following Sunday is perhaps even bigger; Paris-Roubaix, with its flat but brutal cobblestone sectors that punch through the bleak countryside of northern France, is a truly unique and iconic spectacle.

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The cobbled Classics are often referred to as 'honest' races, but they can also be dishonest. Only the strongest survive, and anyone who makes it into the final phase of a race is there on merit, but, in the no-tomorrow winner-takes-all format, there are infinite tactical possibilities - not to mention crashes and mechanical problems - that make these events so beautifully unpredictable.

Cyclingnews reporters are currently on their way to Belgium and we'll have in-depth coverage of each and every race. In the meantime, here's our comprehensive preview of the three weeks ahead.

Can anyone beat QuickStep?

THE RACES

Driedaagse De Panne - Wednesday, March 27

E3-BinckBank Classic - Friday, March 29

Gent-Wevelgem - Sunday, March 31

Dwars door Vlaanderen - Wednesday, April 3

Tour of Flanders - Sunday, April 7

Scheldeprijs - Wednesday, April 10

Paris-Roubaix - Sunday, April 14

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cobbled-classics-2019-preview

Volta a Catalunya: Chris Froome falls as Michael Matthews wins second stage

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Britain's Chris Froome suffers a nasty fall as Michael Matthews wins the second stage of the Volta a Catalunya.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47712050

Women's Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/womens-driedaagse-brugge-de-panne-start-list

9 conclusions from Milan-San Remo

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The season's first Monument is in the record books after another dramatic finish played out on the Via Roma at the end of Milan-San Remo, where 26-year-old Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) out-sprinted a handful of top contenders to take his seventh win of 2019. The 110th running of La Primavera crowned another worthy winner after nearly seven hours in the saddle, topped off with an exciting spectacle over the Poggio and continuing into the streets of San Remo. We've put together a list of top conclusions from Saturday's race below.

Alaphilippe stays cool as rivals falter

Milan-San Remo produces arguably the most intense, emotional, adrenaline-filled final few kilometres of any major race, testing riders' strength, speed and especially their ability to make a multitude of split-second tactical decisions.

An attack at the wrong moment, when the odds of success are lower, or a reactionary decision to go on the front and chase a rival, can suddenly end a chance of victory. Just ask Matteo Trentin and Wout van Aert, who were kicking themselves post-race after burning their last matches in an attack and chase with two kilometres to go, when it was almost certain the sprint would decide the winner of this year's Milan-San Remo.

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Peter Sagan was almost embarrassed with the way he rode in the Via Roma sprint. He is considered one of the best tacticians in the peloton but admitted he made a real mess of the finish by being stuck on the front and then focusing on Alejandro Valverde instead of Alaphilippe.

The contrast between those mistakes and Alaphilippe's perfect execution was significant. The Frenchman clearly had confidence in his own ability and form.

Alaphilippe carefully followed Matej Mohoric in the left and right turns in the final kilometre and then made sure he was well placed going into Via Roma sprint. He was watching Sagan on his right but stayed well placed; then when Mohoric surged up his left and started the sprint, Alaphilippe knew it was the lead-out that would take him to victory. He was not afraid to then accelerate himself and even celebrate victory with his arms in the air. (SF)

A new March super specialisation

Sagan's run continues

Matthews on the rise

Novo Nordisk and knowing your limitations

Katusha-Alpecin's woes continue

Mechanical and the drive for technology

Mohoric and Van Aert lead a new wave

Deceuninck-QuickStep's domination

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/9-conclusions-from-milan-san-remo

Form ranking: Tour de France 2019 favourites

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The Tour de France is still more than 100 days away but, with all of the favourites having opened their racing accounts for the season, Cyclingnews takes a look at the contenders and ranks them according to their early form.

1. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana)

Overview: The Dane might not be up there on most people's predictions for Tour de France victory, but he's flying higher than all the other bigger names at the moment.

Fuglsang, who won the Critérium du Dauphiné two years ago and finished 12th at the Tour last year, started his season with sixth overall at the Vuelta a Murcia. He then won the Ruta del Sol with second on the punchy opening stage and second in the stage 3 time trial. Switching to Italy, he finished second at Strade Bianche behind Julian Alaphilippe - the stand-out rider of the season so far - and then made the final podium at Tirreno-Adriatico after a storming stage win in Recanati.

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Riders like Chris Froome may have no concerns about performing at this juncture in the season, but for Fuglsang, you sense it's important that the confidence is fully flowing.

Highlight: Putting the Tirreno field to the sword on the repeated climbs in Recanati on stage 5. He attacked some 24km out and Adam Yates and Primoz Roglic were the only riders who could finish within a minute.

Lowlight: "Another second place…" Fuglsang complained after Strade Bianche, his third runner-up berth of the season. If that's your biggest complaint, things aren't going so badly.

2. Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)

3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ)

4. Nairo Quintana (Movistar)

5. Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb)

6. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)

7. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma)

8. Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates)

9. Enric Mas (Deceuninck-QuickStep)

10. Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo)

11. Chris Froome (Team Sky)

12. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida)

13. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)

14. Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First)

15. Mikel Landa (Movistar)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/form-ranking-tour-de-france-2019-favourites

Milan-San Remo 2013: When snow almost stopped La Primavera – Gallery

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This year's Milan-San Remo is expected to be raced in mild, sunny weather, but La Primavera doesn't always enjoy such spring-like conditions.

In 2013, the race became a battle for survival after the riders were enveloped in a snowstorm for the opening 100km. Riders were covered in snow and ice, and frozen to the bone in scenes that recalled the 1988 Giro d'Italia and the legendary stage over the Passo del Gavia. For a moment, winter snow almost stopped Milan-San Remo.
 
Six years on, riders still recall how cold they felt that day, how much they suffered and how crazy a day it turned out to be.
 
"The only thing I remember is that it was cold! It wasn't heroic – we suffered a hell of a lot," Bora-Hansgrohe's Peter Sagan told Cyclingnews ahead of this Saturday's race.
 
"I was on form and my legs felt good, but the 100km in the snow were tough and affected the whole race."
 
Sagan finished second to MTN-Qhubeka's Gerald Ciolek that day in a hectic small-group sprint after the riders had been bused over the Turchino and eventually started racing again on the Mediterranean coast. Before the restart, riders took warm showers, changed every item of clothing they could and cranked the heating up to maximum in their team vehicles.  
 
Only 135 riders finished the race, with Vladimir Isaychev (Katusha) last over the line. The likes of Tom Boonen and Niki Terpstra defied QuickStep team orders and climbed off after the bus transfer, deciding they’d had enough.
 
Vincenzo Nibali – then of Astana, and later the winner of the race, in 2018 – had wanted to join them after the cold froze his skinny Grand Tour physique. He joined the others under the petrol station canopy for the second start, but soon threw in the towel.   
 
"I wanted to climb, and I eventually did climb off," Nibali told Cyclingnews. "It was a really difficult day. It was extreme weather, and extremely cold because we rolled along under the snow for 100km. How can you race on a two-centimetre carpet of snow? It was impossible."

Britain's Ian Stannard often revels in cold conditions, and raced all the way to San Remo – even joining a strong attack group after the Cipressa. They were joined by Sagan, Ciolek, Fabian Cancellara and a few others, and held off the rest of the peloton. Stannard finished a cold but proud sixth.   
 
"It was pretty horrific," the Team Sky rider recalled to Cyclingnews. "I can remember getting on the team bus after 100km in the snow and feeling so, so cold. I was frozen solid. It was weird to be up there in the finale, but nice, too.

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"Geraint Thomas had crashed, and Eddy Boasson Hagen didn't feel great, so I just went for it. It was nice to have a big day out on a legendary day."
 
Click or swipe through our special gallery of photos from the snow-affected 2013 edition of Milan-San Remo.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/milan-san-remo-2013-when-snow-almost-stopped-la-primavera-gallery

Peter Sagan's Specialized S-Works Venge for Milan-San Remo

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Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) was on hand to help present the latest edition of the Sagan Collection by bike brand Specialized in Milan on Friday, showing off the bike he'll ride in Saturday’s Milan-San Remo.

The Specialized S-Works Venge is the model Sagan used in 2018, but the third edition of the Sagan Collection has new colour schemes, apparently inspired by his ‘Overexposed’ public personality in white and also his 'Underexposed' dark side.

Called Chasing Rainbows, the collection follows on from the first Sagan collection launched just before the Tour of Flanders in March 2018 and the second collection that arrived at the start of last year's Tour de France. The collection includes frames, tyres, shoes, helmets and also smaller accessories such as socks for those who want a taste of the collection but cannot afford the S-Works frames.

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The collection includes the overexposed white and the darker black. Rainbow colours are subtle in the shade but stand out in the sunlight. The rainbow pearl pigment is applied to a light (white/silver) base, for Overexposed, and to a dark (black/charcoal) base for the Underexposed pieces.

Sagan has used disc brakes since the 2018 season and is apparently set to use disc brakes even in this year in Paris-Roubaix. Sagan’s number 1 bike for Milan-San Remo has black Supacaz bar tape, while his second bike has silver tape.

Sagan's Venge uses a full Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 groupset. The remainder of the components come from Specialized or Specialized's wheel brand, Roval.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/peter-sagans-specialized-s-works-venge-for-milan-san-remo

10 riders to watch at the 2019 Milan-San Remo

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This year's Milan-San Remo appears to be more open than ever, with various non-sprinters challenging the fast finishers, with dreams of escaping their clutches at the finish on the Via Roma, just as Bahrain-Merida's Vincenzo Nibali and Team Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski have done in the past two editions.

If, as a sprinter, you want to be able to unleash your speed in the dash for the line, then you have to be able to get over the climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio within touching distance of the front of the race, and then have teammates – or, failing that, do the work yourself – to chase and neutralise any infidels who won't accept that this is traditionally a race for the sprinters.

Do that, and you'll get your shot at attaining eternal glory as a winner of La Primavera. Fail, and watch the race slip away, safe in the knowledge that your strong finishing kick is of little use.

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Here, then, is our pick of some of the men most likely to feature at the finish in San Remo on Saturday.

Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-QuickStep)

Elia Viviani or Julian Alaphilippe? That might be the question on everyone's lips right now, and even more so if the two Deceuninck-QuickStep riders are still in the mix when the race crests the Poggio and begins its downhill run to the finish on San Remo's Via Roma.

In that situation, Alaphilippe would surely be the rider attempting to escape the clutches of the peloton in much the same way that last year's winner, Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), successfully did, with Viviani then primed to blow the competition away if things are still together for a bunch sprint. However, Alaphilippe very much put the chat among the pigeons at last week's Tirreno-Adriatico when he – and not Viviani, who finished third – suddenly became the team's designated sprinter and won stage 6 in a bunch sprint.

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep)

Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates)

Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma)

Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)

Giacomo Nizzolo (Dimension Data)

Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team)

Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal)

Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/10-riders-to-watch-at-the-2019-milan-san-remo

Tour de Yorkshire chief quits after expenses investigation

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Welcome to Yorkshire said chief executive Sir Gary Verity was leaving on "health grounds".

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47672013

Geraint Thomas' Pinarello Dogma F10 - Gallery

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Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) has been given a custom-finished Pinarello Dogma F10 to race on in 2019, celebrating his Tour de France victory last season.

The otherwise raw carbon finish has a Welsh dragon on the fork shoulders and a message from Pinarello on the top tube. White Pinarello decals, surrounded by a dark blue shadow to match the team's jerseys, contrast against the raw carbon finish.

Thomas' Pinarello frameset is paired with a full Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 groupset, with the Welshman opting for 53/39 chainrings and an 11-30 cassette with his usual 175mm cranks.

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Shimano also provides the British team with Dura-Ace R9100-P power meters and Dura-Ace R9100 wheels, which are paired with Continental Competition ALX 25mm tubular tyres.

Pinarello's component brand Most provide Thomas with an integrated aero carbon cockpit and Elite and Fizik provides the bottle cages and saddle, respectively.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Geraint Thomas' Pinarello Dogma F10.

Geraint Thomas' Pinarello Dogma F10 full bike specifications

• Frameset: Pinarello Dogma F10 in custom finish for Geraint Thomas

• 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: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100-P, 53/39 chainrings, 175mm cranks

• Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Tyres: Continental Competition ALX, 25mm tubular

• Handlebars/stem: Most Talon Aero X Light Ti Di2, 420mm wide and 130mm stem
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Fizik Arione
• Seat post: Pinarello Dogma F10

• Bottle cages: Elite Vico Carbon
• Computer: Garmin Edge 820

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/geraint-thomas-pinarello-dogma-f10-gallery-1

Aggregation of Marginal Doubts weighs on Team Sky's legacy

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So farewell then, Team Sky. The various incarnations of that elegant jersey will shortly be destined for the great wardrobe in the heavens along with other iconic designs like ONCE, La Vie Claire, Peugeot, TI-Raleigh, and so on back through Molteni and Faema. Whichever side of the 'Marmite Team' divide you inhabit, that jersey will, in my view, remain one of the most distinctive designs of the last 20 years. Remember 'the line'? Love the idea or feel a little churn in the stomach, no one else had dreamed up that one.

There is more to a cycling team's legacy than its jersey. Team Sky will go down in British sporting history as the first UK professional cycling team to achieve sustained success on the European stage, and the first to win the Tour de France. In cycling terms, you can hardly argue with six Tour de France wins in seven years, or the 'Grand Tour Slam' achieved by Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas with the Tour-Vuelta-Giro-Tour wins of 2017-2018.

Traditionalists – I am proud to be one – might carp about a relatively limited all-round record across one-day races. Liège-Bastogne-Liège with Wout Poels and Milan-San Remo with Michal Kwiatkowski is a meagre Monument haul for a team packing Sky's budget, but all WorldTour team managers would give their eyeteeth for a single Tour win. Merely winning a Tour stage justifies a budget for some.

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Team Sky, built on Dave Brailsford's so-called 'aggregation of marginal gains', had a mission, and they have become extraordinarily good at it. Six Tour de France wins in seven years stands alongside the best: the teams run by Cyrille Guimard who took the Tour seven times between 1976 and 1984 with Van Impe, Hinault and Fignon.

In landing Ineos as a replacement, Brailsford has achieved something many team bosses fail to do; finding new sponsors is a far bigger test for most team heads than actually winning bike races. Eventually Guimard fell at this hurdle, as did other hugely successful managers such as Giancarlo Ferretti – of Ariostea, MG-GB and Fassa Bortolo – and Bob Stapleton. The latter's struggles to get a new name on the jersey of cycling's most prolific winner of the 21st century, Mark Cavendish, were painful to behold.

Brailsford's detractors may choke on their coffee, but to first snag a backer that remained in place for 10 seasons – Sky – and then replace said backer with another extremely rich company, Ineos, is a triumph. In sport, doing something once is the simpler part; doing it again is tough.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/aggregation-of-marginal-doubts-weighs-on-team-skys-legacy

'I asked my mum to stop sending me clippings': Archibald still dejected by Worlds performance

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Katie Archibald had to ask her mum to stop sending her newspaper cuttings about her underwhelming Track Cycling World Championships performance.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47656520

2019 Nokere Koerse start list

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/2019-nokere-koerse-start-list

Ineos arrival casts environmental cloud over Team Sky

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In the new Alan Partridge series, Steve Coogan's comedy creation takes aim at the use of public relations campaigns by controversial companies, neatly lampooning both the perpetrators and consumers of this 'reputation laundering' in one fell swoop. "Good for them," he says when he learns that oil company Shell had sponsored the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. "They get a lot of stick for the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but then they sponsor a prize for animal photos and you think, maybe it's time to take a fresh look at Shell."

We were invited to take a fresh look at Team Sky eight months ago, when they turned up to the Tour de France with orca whales on the backs of their jerseys in support of Sky's Ocean Rescue, a campaign aiming to help tackle the global plastic pollution crisis. It was impossible to question the cause, but not the intentions. With the team mired in the controversy surrounding Chris Froome's salbutamol case, the cynical eye saw it as a page ripped directly out of the Alastair Campbell playbook.

Eight months on, that cynicism would seem well placed, as Dave Brailsford unveils Ineos, one of the world's biggest producers of non-degradable plastics, as the new sponsor of his team. Where that leaves the team's commitment to removing all single-use plastics from their business operations by 2020 is anyone's guess. They have not yet responded to a request for comment.

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Ineos, headed by Britain's richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, has faced fierce criticism from environmental campaigners for a number of years now, many of whom reacted with dismay to Tuesday's announcement.

Ineos is a petrochemical company with a wide range of businesses. In plastics, it claims to be Europe's third largest producer of polyethylene and polypropylene, the two most common plastic compounds, which are widely used in packaging and construction. Plastic is also at the heart of perhaps the most controversial aspect of Ineos: its quest to see fracking rolled out in the UK. Fracking is the process by which water, sand, and chemicals are pumped underground to trigger disruptions in rock formations that release shale gas, which is an energy source and also feedstock for ethylene, the raw material for the aforementioned plastics.

Ineos, which currently imports shale gas from the USA to Europe in specifically-developed cryogenic shipping vessels, claim fracking would revitalise Britain's languishing manufacturing sector. Green groups, however, warn of dangers to the environment - through climate change, water and air pollution, and even earthquakes - and also to public health. There have been numerous protests, to which Ineos has responded by taking out an injunction that could see anti-fracking campaigners jailed if they interfere with operations.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/ineos-arrival-casts-environmental-cloud-over-team-sky

Anti-fracking campaigners warn of protests against Team Ineos at Tour de Yorkshire

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Anti-fracking campaigners say there will be protests against chemicals firm Ineos' takeover of Team Sky at this year's Tour de Yorkshire.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47644246

'Will impenetrable wall of money at Team Ineos put fans off?'

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The lucrative deal turning Team Sky into Team Ineos could do long-term damage to cycling, says pro team manager Jonathan Vaughters.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47633074

A brief history of Team Sky

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Following its success in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, British Cycling unveiled plans to expand into the highest level of professional cycling, announcing the formation of Team Sky in early 2009. 

Setting out the ambitious goal of winning the Tour de France within five years, the project set itself apart from other similarly lofty launches, scoring a strong crew of starters - including Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas - and operating under an improbable 'zero tolerance' anti-doping policy.

The team set out for their first season in 2010, with Greg Henderson securing their first victory in the Tour Down Under criterium. Wiggins then went on to win the prologue in the Giro d'Italia, and although the team's early Grand Tour GC performances were not stunning, the organisation showed promise.

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• February 26, 2009 - Britons announce professional road squad
• September 9, 2009 - Team Sky unveils first six riders
• September 18, 2009 - Sky awarded four-year ProTour license
• November 21, 2009 - Team Sky reveals recruiting, management methods
• November 23, 2009 - Brailsford confident Team Sky can win clean
• December 10, 2009 - Bradley Wiggins signs with Team Sky
• December 15, 2009 - Team Sky announce two additional sponsors
• January 4, 2010 - Team Sky launched in London
• January 17, 2010 - Greg Henderson takes Sky's first win
• May 8, 2010 - Wiggins wins Giro d'Italia prologue

Edvald Boasson Hagen won the team's first Tour de France stage in 2011, and by the Vuelta a España, both Wiggins and Froome stood on the final podium, albeit behind overall winner Jose Cobo.

• February 15, 2011 - Brailsford analyses Sky's "zero tolerance" policy
• July 7, 2011 - Boasson Hagen wins team's first Tour de France stage
• November 11, 2011 - Froome, Wiggins podium in Vuelta a Espana

By 2012, Team Sky was flying, and Wiggins made the impossible dream of a Tour de France victory within five years come true in the squad's third season. He went on to win the Olympic gold medal in the individual time trial.

But the sport's foundations were about to undergo an upheaval when in October USADA published its Reasoned Decision, banning Lance Armstrong, and handing suspensions to six riders including ex-Team Sky rider Michael Barry, who had retired before the verdict could be announced.

• July 22, 2012 - Wiggins wins Team Sky's first Grand Tour
• August 1, 2012 - Wiggins wins Olympic gold
• October 9, 2012 - Leinders not renewed after Team Sky investigation
• October 12, 2012 - Newly retired Team Sky rider Michael Barry confesses to doping at US Postal
• October 17, 2012 - Team Sky asks riders and staff to sign anti-doping declaration

• May 17, 2013 - Wiggins pulls out of Giro d'Italia
• July 21, 2013 - Chris Froome wins Tour de France
• December 17, 2013 - UCI opens biological passport case against Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

• June 3, 2014 - Split racing schedules for Froome and Wiggins ahead of Tour de France
• June 6, 2014 - Wiggins left out of Team Sky's Tour de France team
• June 10, 2014 - Froome surprised at controversy over in-race inhaler use
• June 15, 2014 - Report: UCI fast-tracked Froome's TUE request at Tour de Romandie
• July 9, 2014 - Froome abandons Tour de France
• September 24, 2014 - Wiggins wins time trial world championship

• July 20, 2015 - Froome wins 2015 Tour de France
• July 20, 2015 - Froome ready to reveal Tour de France data but questions intense scrutiny
• July 24, 2015 - Sky's release of Froome's Tour de France data fails to clear the air
• December 3, 2015 - Chris Froome's physiological test data released

• March 13, 2016 - Geraint Thomas wins Paris-Nice
• April 24, 2016 - Wout Poels wins Team Sky's first Monument
• May 17, 2016 - Henao opens up about biological passport ordeal
• July 24, 2016 - Chris Froome wins 2016 Tour de France
• September 15, 2016 - Tour de France winners Froome and Wiggins named in confirmed 'Fancy Bear' WADA hack
• September 23, 2016 - Kiryienka wins time trial world title
• UKAD Timeline - Timeline
• October 7, 2016 - Wiggins and Team Sky under fresh scrutiny over medical package delivery

• March 16, 2017 - Former Team Sky rider admits violating no-needle rule
• April 29, 2017 - Moscon racially abuses Reza at Tour de Romandie
• June 6, 2017 - British Cycling asks Team Sky to leave offices at Manchester Velodrome
• June 6, 2017 - Exclusive: Team Sky riders consider asking Brailsford to resign
• July 23, 2017 - Chris Froome wins 2017 Tour de France
• September 10, 2017 - Chris Froome wins 2017 Vuelta a Espana
• September 28, 2017 - Team Sky report budget of £31 million in 2016
• November 15, 2017 - No doping charges for Wiggins, Team Sky and British Cycling over mystery package
• Froome Salbutamol Timeline - Timeline
• December 13, 2017 - Chris Froome returns adverse analytical finding for salbutamol

• April 11, 2018 - Lappartient says Chris Froome's case will not be resolved before the Giro d'Italia
• May 25, 2018 - Froome solos to victory on stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia to take race lead
• May 27, 2018 - Chris Froome wins 2018 Giro d'Italia
• June 28, 2018 - Chris Froome: I have every right to race the Tour de France
• July 2, 2018 - UCI closes salbutamol case against Chris Froome
• July 22, 2018 - Gianni Moscon disqualified from Tour de France
• July 29, 2018 - Geraint Thomas wins 2018 Tour de France
• December 12, 2018 - Sky announces it will end sponsorship after 2019

• February 14, 2019 - Ecopetrol linked with taking over Team Sky sponsorship
• February 19, 2019 - New Colombia-backed Team Sky very unlikely, says Dave Brailsford
• March 14, 2019 - Team Sky expected to become Team Ineos
• March 19, 2019 - Team Sky to become Team Ineos from May 1

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-brief-history-of-team-sky

Yates misses out on Tirreno-Adriatico title by one second

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Britain's Adam Yates misses out on the Tirreno-Adriatico title by one second as Primoz Roglic claims the overall win.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47632565

Tirreno-Adriatico: Stage 7 time trial start times

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You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tirreno-adriatico-stage-7-time-trial-start-times-2

Tom Dumoulin's 2019 Cervelo P5 – Gallery

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Team Sunweb and former time trial world champion Tom Dumoulin lined up at Tirreno-Adriatico's opening stage last week aboard the newly released Cervélo P5 Disc time trial bike.

Team Sunweb signed a contract with the Canadian brand in the off-season to replace Giant, who have moved to CCC Team.

The new time trial frameset follows recent aero-specific trends in being disc-brake-only, alongside a number of improved aerodynamics and stiffness claims, and the German-registered squad managed a third-place finish on the new bike at the Tirreno-Adriatico team time trial in Lido di Camaiore.

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When sponsored by Giant, Team Sunweb paired their Giant Trinity time trial bikes with wheels from Shimano's sister brand, Pro. However, Pro's time trial wheels are not currently available as a disc-brake specification and the team appeared to be using an unbranded rear wheel with a Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Disc, 60mm front wheel. Cyclingnews has contacted Shimano for comment.

The bike features a full Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 groupset, including a power-meter-equipped Shimano Dura-Ace R9100-P crankset.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Tom Dumoulin's Cervélo P5.

Tom Dumoulin's Cervélo P5 full bike specifications

• Frameset: Cervélo P5, size 56

• Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 160mm rotor
• Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 140mm rotor
• Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9180
• 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, 175mm cranks
• Bottom bracket: PressFit4624

• Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, C60 (front)
• Tyres: Continental Podium TT, 25mm tubular

• Handlebars: Cervélo HB11 Basebar and EX11 30-degree Aerobar
• Stem: Integrated
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Seat post: Cervélo P5 seat post with Ritchey seat clamp

• Computer: Sigma Sport Rox 12.0
   

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tom-dumoulins-2019-cervelo-p5-gallery

Sportful Spring/Summer 2019 – range overview

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Sportful has had a presence at the top of the sport since its first entry into cycling nearly 40 years ago.

Today, the brand sponsors Bora-Hansgrohe, Bahrain-Merida and Team Virtu Cycling, as well as offering this pro-level kit to consumers.

For the 2019 season, the brand has added a new race suit developed closely with Peter Sagan and worn to victory at last year's Paris-Roubaix, added new products to their popular Fiandre line and added a brand-new range for fast-paced gravel racing.

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Here we take a look at Sportful's 2019 Spring/Summer range.

Bomber 111 one-piece race suit

Sportful's new one-piece race suit – the Bomber 111 – pays a direct tribute to their biggest star in Peter Sagan. Sagan wore the number 11 during his win at Gent-Wevelgem, 111 at his famous Paris-Roubaix victory and, of course, was first across the line at three consecutive world championships.

Initially used exclusively in time trials, many professionals now choose to race in one-piece race suits for the majority of their racing. The Sportful Bomber 111 will be used by the brand's two WorldTour teams (Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida) in 2019 – and is available commercially – after Sagan and teammate Sam Bennett raced in concept versions of the suit last season.

Bodyfit Pro 2.0 Men's and Women's

Mint Men's and Women's

Heritage

Fiandre Men's and Women's

Giara and Super Giara Men's and Women's

• Sportful adds racing pedigree to gravel-specific range

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/sportful-spring-summer-2019-range-overview

Team Sky become Team Ineos as new sponsor owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe is confirmed

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Team Sky change their name to Team Ineos as they announce a new sponsor - a company owned by Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47629760

Idealism is more important than all-out success, says Sunweb doctor

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The last few weeks have highlighted two key moments in the ongoing anti-doping fight. Firstly, the UCI has taken the initiative and banned the powerful and controversial painkiller tramadol, with the first batch of tests taken during Paris-Nice. While these measures have been widely applauded by riders and teams, the damaging revelations of a doping ring in Austria, with two rider confessions and the possibility of more to follow, have stripped bare the notion that cycling's dark arts have been eradicated entirely.

The ban on tramadol, which carries its own rules on suspensions separate to those typically associated with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), came after almost half a decade of lobbying from bodies and agencies such as the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC).

This collection of teams from the WorldTour and below has, at times, faced criticism, but their core intention has always been centred around 'doing better' and looking to improve the culture within the sport. Team Sunweb were one of the founding members of the movement and their doctor, Anko Boelens, was one of the leading voices calling for the sanctions over tramadol.

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"I know that the cycling world isn't completely clean yet," Boelens tells Cyclingnews.

"Almost everyone that works in cycling will have to acknowledge that, but we also have become cleaner, and we've created a mentality that's a lot better than a few years ago."

Boelens heralds the tramadol ban as a 'welcome' advancement but adds that Sunweb have banned the substance internally for a number of years. In fact, if riders on the squad break rank and use tramadol, either in training or racing, they risk having their contracts dissolved. Sunweb, according to Boelens, are likely to treat the use of tramadol like any other major doping violation.

The Biological passport

Grey areas and a level field

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/idealism-is-more-important-than-all-out-success-says-sunweb-doctor

Yates retains lead of Tirreno-Adriatico but faces final-day test

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Britain's Adam Yates retains his lead of the Tirreno-Adriatico going into the final day as Julian Alaphilippe wins the sixth stage.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47617026

Team Sky set to name new sponsor as Ineois, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe

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Team Sky are set to announce a new sponsor - owned by Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47608625

Tirreno-Adriatico: Adam Yates adds to lead as Jakob Fuglsang wins fifth stage

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Britain's Adam Yates stretches his Tirreno-Adriatico lead as Jakob Fuglsang claims victory on the fifth stage in Italy.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47605528

GB win silvers on day four at Para-cycling worlds

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Great Britain win mixed team sprint silver and William Bjergfelt takes second in the MC5 scratch race at the Para-cycling Track World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47605417

Para-cycling Track World Championships: Sarah Storey regains WC5 3km title

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Fourteen-time Paralympic champion Sarah Storey regains the WC5 3km individual pursuit title at the Para-cycling Track World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47597246

Thomas withdraws from Tirreno-Adriatico with 'stomach issues'

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Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas withdraws from the Tirreno-Adriatico during Saturday's fourth stage with "stomach issues".

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47597266

Para-cycling Track Worlds: Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall win pursuit bronze

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GB tandem pair Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall win bronze in the 3km pursuit at the Para-cycling Track World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47590285

Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox on love of baking and cycling return

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Two-time Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox talks to BBC Sport about her passion for baking and return to international cycling.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/disability-sport/47581647

Yates retains Tirreno-Adriatico lead as Viviani wins stage

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Britain's Adam Yates retains the overall lead at Tirreno-Adriatico after stage three, which was won by Italy's Elia Viviani in a sprint finish.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47589483

Para-cycling Track Worlds: Jody Cundy, Kadeena Cox & Katie Toft lead GB gold rush

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Jody Cundy, Kadeena Cox and Katie Toft all win gold for Great Britain on day one of the Para-cycling Track World Championships.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47576688

Varnish to appeal against tribunal ruling

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Former Great Britain cyclist Jess Varnish is appealing against a ruling that saw her lose a landmark employment tribunal.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47576513

Simon Yates wins Paris-Nice time trial while twin Adam moves into Tirreno-Adriatico lead

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Britain's Simon Yates wins his first ever time trial on stage five of Paris-Nice moments after twin brother Adam moves into the race lead of Tirreno-Adriatico.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47574903

Beth Shriever: BMX rider turns to crowdfunding in 2020 Olympics bid

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BMX rider Beth Shriever says it is "worrying" she needs to crowdfund £50,000 in a bid to compete at the 2020 Olympics.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47569674

Can UAE Team Emirates rebuild Fabio Aru?

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After a disastrous 2018 in which he faltered at virtually every turn, Fabio Aru is quietly attempting to put his career back on track. Earlier this month, at a wind tunnel testing facility at Silverstone, the UAE Team Emirates rider sat down with Cyclingnews to talk about last year, if lessons were learned, and where he hopes to be when this year's Giro d'Italia swings into range.

Aru has just wrapped up a batch of aerodynamic tests on his time trial back when he walks down the hallway of the Formula 1 facility.

As his teammate Dan Martin limbers up and steps into the tunnel, Aru, accompanied by his press officer, takes a seat. Relaxed and personable, he's even willing – at times – to show off some of the English which he's been brushing up on over the winter.

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"My winter went well," Aru says, ending his statement with an inflection that suggests he's asking if his English is up to scratch.

"I trained well and never really lost any time. My problem was last season; I finished the year very tired and so I needed some time to recover and bounce back. But so far, all my numbers, they are looking good and improving. But last season was difficult and so I'm not at 100 per cent right now."

Describing 2018 as difficult is an understatement when it comes to Aru's first season post-Astana and under the banner of UAE Team Emirates. Last year the 28-year-old had ambitions of competing at the Giro d'Italia but he was a shadow of himself, ghosting through the first two weeks before a brief resurrection in the Rovereto time trial – where he was also penalised 20 seconds for drafting – paved the way for a complete capitulation and a DNF during the mountain stages that followed.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/can-uae-team-emirates-rebuild-fabio-aru

Jody Cundy criticises UCI over failure to live stream Para-cycling Track Worlds

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Paralympic champion Jody Cundy criticises the failure of the UCI to live stream the Para-cycling Track Worlds.

via BBC Sport - Cycling http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/47553716

Rigoberto Uran's 2019 Cannondale SystemSix - Gallery

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After kicking off his season with a stage victory at his home race in Colombia, Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) had less luck in Paris-Nice, crashing out on stage 2 and breaking his collarbone in the process.

The Giro d'Italia and Tour de France podium finisher competed at the Tour Colombia 2.1 race with the aerodynamic Cannondale SuperSix Disc, as well as opting for the Cannondale SuperSix Evo climbing bike – equipped with rim brakes – for the more climbing-focused stages of the race.

The EF Education First bikes have received an eye-catching 'oil stain' finish for the 2019 season to match their pink and blue fade team jerseys from Rapha. Cannondale have also opted for contrasting, white retro decals on the down tube.

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Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series components provide the shifting and braking for Uran, with EF Education First opting for cranksets consisting of FSA chainrings, Power2Max power meters and Cannondale SiSL cranks.

Vision provides Uran with more aero gains through carbon wheels and their Metron 5D integrated carbon cockpit.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Rigoberto Uran's 2019 Cannondale SystemSix.

Rigoberto Uran's Cannondale SystemSix full bike specifications

• Frameset: Cannondale SystemSix

• 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: Cannondale SiSL 170mm cranks, FSA 53/39 chainrings, Power2Max power meter

• Wheelset: Vision Metron
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa, 26mm tubular

• Handlebars/stem: Vision Metron 5D integrated cockpit, 400mm wide, 110mm stem
• Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
• Saddle: Prologo
• Seat post: Cannondale SystemSix

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

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/rigoberto-urans-2019-cannondale-systemsix-gallery

Dutch Dominance: What makes the Netherlands so successful?

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Isabel Best is the author of 'Queens of Pain: Legends and Rebels of Cycling', and has contributed to Cyclingnews with feature stories 'Vital Statistics', 'Can women race a three-week Grand Tour?' and 'International Women's Day: 7 remarkable women who made their mark on cycling's history'. You can follow more of Best's historical writing on Cyclingnews during the 2019 season.

The colour à la mode of spring/summer 2018 was orange. Seen everywhere that mattered, it continued into autumn/winter, and looks set to remain on trend through 2019.

Last year, Dutch riders and/or Dutch sponsored teams won two thirds of all Women's WorldTour races. They dominated the World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, with a clean sweep of the podium in the individual time trial and a crushing victory in the road race. If that wasn’t enough, they also took the junior ITT.

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Throughout the season, the battle for WorldTour points was a purely Dutch affair, with Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen taking the top three spots, while Dutch teams took first and third place in the team classification. Mitchelton-Scott, the Australian team in second place, were there largely thanks to Van Vleuten’s efforts.

Dutch women took the most prestigious races on the calendar, from spring Classics like Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (all of which fell to Van der Breggen) to the high-summer specials of the Giro Rosa and La Course (which went to Van Vleuten). And they did it with such panache. Who can forget Van Vleuten’s dogged pursuit of Van der Breggen in the final 14km of La Course, finally overtaking her by barely a second on the finish line? Or Van der Breggen’s invincible strength, riding the last 39km of the Worlds road race on her own to win with a jaw-dropping margin of 3:42? Or Van Vleuten’s utter grit in the same race, riding through the pain of a broken kneecap to finish in seventh place?

Anna van der Breggen on her winning ride in Innsbruck

A cycling nation

Club culture

Investing in children

Infrastructure for developing talent

The importance of rivalry

Role models

Professionalism and culture

Why don't other countries succeed? 

Is there a Dutch racing style?

Conclusion

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/dutch-dominance-what-makes-the-netherlands-so-successful