Analysis: Why Van Aert and van der Poel will race U23 at worlds.

For the past month, international cyclocross has been dominated by two of the youngest men in the sport. Since the beginning of December, Mathieu van der Poel, 19, and Wout Van Aert — who is just six months older — have combined for nine victories in elite races. Their dominance has been so complete, in fact, that one of the pair has won all but two of the 11 races in which either or both started. Neither has finished worse than fourth in the same period.

Van Aert, the reigning under-23 world champion, has posted wins in non-series races in Mol and Bredene, and bpost Bank Trofee races in Essen, Loenhout, and Baal. Van Aert leads the bpost Bank series overall by a whopping six minutes ahead of runner-up Kevin Pauwels.

Van der Poel, meanwhile, took an impressive win in the nighttime Superprestige race in Diegem, and posted wins in three non-series races, in Leuven, Sint-Niklaas, and Antwerp.

And on Sunday, both men will vie for their respective national titles among the elites, Van Aert in Belgium and van der Poel in the Netherlands.

The Curious Case of Wout van Aert.

Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace rider Wout van Aert has been dominant recently. He has ridden eight elite series crosses, winning an astounding six. (Oudenaarde, Koksijde, Hamme-Zogge, Essen, Loenhout and Baal.) This is a longer list than anyone else, and a win percentage of 75%. This, compared to Kevin Pauwels' five wins, at a percentage of 28%, is absolutely incredible.

However, he is sitting on the fence as to choosing which world championship race he will ride in Tabor.

The UCI WorldTour according to nationality.

In terms of rider numbers the Australian men now rank among the traditional powers at the highest level. A stunning progression considering the small talent base.

Bronzini wins stage 4 of Bay Crits, Chloe Hosking takes overall.

Giorgia Bronzini won the final stage of the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic in Williamstown. The fourth day of racing came down to a bunch sprint contested by less than half the starters. An aggressive, animated race thinned out the field ahead of the finale.

Chloe Hosking brought home the yellow jersey. The stage one winner started the day with a two point lead overall and admitted she was nervous about her slim advantage. Her nerves proved unnecessary as her teammates handily feigned off all threats to the series overall before leaving Hosking to unleash her sprint for third.

Henderson wins final stage of Bay Crits, Ewan takes overall.

Greg Henderson has won stage 4, the final day of the 2015 Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic series. Henderson and four other riders gained and held a 37 second gap over the splintered main field which included Caleb Ewan and Steele von Hoff who couldn’t make any ground.

Henderson won the bunch kick from the breakaway group, coming ahead of Michael Hepburn and Roger Kluge while Caleb Ewan won the sprint from the chase group for sixth by a large margin.

Chad Haga Journal: A busy off-season .

"Suffice it to say that mine was not a well-traveled road to the ProTour, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

A little over four years ago, I was struggling to stay awake through my afternoon classes. It may have been related to the VO2 intervals I did in the three-hour gap between classes and the large bowl of pasta that followed. Certainly my professor’s dry and monotonous lecture failed to stave off the impending hour of head-nodding.

My evenings were spent at the computer lab, typing away at a seemingly endless final report for our senior design project. Nothing kills the joy of writing like a tedious design report."

Mollema: I needed a new challenge.

After rising through the ranks at Rabobank and Belkin, Bauke Mollema has made the boldest and biggest step of his career in moving to Trek Factory Racing. He leaves behind the comfort zone of split leadership and home comforts for the chance to be the sole leader of a WorldTour team at the Tour de France for the first time.

At 28, and with the full backing of his new team, Mollema has set his sights on delivering a top five place in the Tour. It's a lofty ambition for almost any rider but with a favorable parcours, a new-found motivation and the confidence of Trek's Luca Guercilena moving him forward, Mollema believes that he’s made one of the best decisions of his cycling life.

Travis Livermon and Allison Arensman Lead North Carolina Domination at Tennessee’s Kingsport Cyclocross Cup.

While many top races headed to Texas to contest the two-day Resolution Cross Cup this past weekend, on Saturday, Kingsport, Tennessee hosted its annual UCI cyclocross race, the Kingsport Cyclocross Cup.

This year’s race in Tennessee, in terms of the Elite level podiums, was nearly completely dominated by North Carolina racers.

McDonald Goes Two for Two on Resolution CX, Noble Takes Day Two.

Although Ellen Noble was in transit for Day One of the 2015 Resolution Cross Cup Race in Garland, Texas, when she arrived, she made a statement on Day Two by taking a big win seven days before the National Championships. After tallying up five runner-up positions this season, and looking for her first UCI win, Noble broke through at the last ever Baystate UCI race, and has been on a run ever since. Today’s win marks four wins for the U23 JAM Fund rider in the last six races.

Brannan Fix: Childhood dreams.

"Danny Vervecken, brother to three-time world champion Erwin Vervecken, sits in the driver’s seat and I in the passenger seat as we travel through the countless towns in Belgium on the way back to Vorselaar after the GP Sven Nys in Baal.

We recall my race, and discuss how the racing here differs from the US. Here things are more primal, more aggressive. It’s as if there’s a battlefield laid out in front of each rider with no clear enemy besides the person right next to you. The conversation lulls and then picks up steam again as we make comments about the cyclo-cross schedule and the gap of racing between races in the United States starting before Christmas. We continue our journey home from the race as I lazily drift off to sleep in the passenger seat, still thinking of the day’s race."

De Buyst and De Ketele retain lead in Rotterdam.

Jasper de Buyst and Kenny De Ketele are still in the lead after the fourth day of racing at the 33rd Six Days of Rotterdam. The Belgians are one lap ahead of nearest rivals Michael Mørkøv and Alex Rasmussen. Iljo Keisse and Niki Terpstra are also one lap behind in third. However, the defending champions are close to a bonus lap as they only need to score another 10 points to break the 200-point barrier.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Australia Road National Championships - Jan 7-11 (Stages),

Santos Tour Down Under 2015 - Jan 18-25 (Stages),

Dubai Tour 2015 - Feb 4-7 (Stages),

Giro d'Italia 2015 - May 9-31 (Stages),

Tour de France 2015 - July 4-26 (Stages),

UCI Road World Championship 2014 - Sept 20-27 (Results),

Vuelta a España 2014 - Aug 23-Sept 14 (Results),

Tour de France 2014  - July 5-27 (Results),

Giro d'Italia 2014 - May 9 - June 1 (Results),

More ...

 (cyclingnews.com)

Specialized Crux Pro Race UDi2 Reviewed.

Like the Tarmac the Crux handles beautifully, due in part to the tapered, shaped head tube, and in part to an exceptional design that balances the head tube stiffness with the top tube and fork. ‘Cross racing can put serious demands on a bike’s front end stiffness and Specialized nailed it with the Crux.

The bottom bracket drop is 5 mm higher (58cm Frame) than the Tarmac frame and has a slighter longer wheel base, but the Crux still accelerates quickly thanks to a bottom bracket and chain stay molded as a single unit. This aspect is critical for the constant accelerations out of corners in that weekend ‘cross race. Specialized knows that higher volume tires and their CG-R 27.2 seat post deliver massive comfort, so why not make the bike’s power center stiffer than Belgian wind in January?

Analysis: Doping scandals old and new to be part of 2015 season.

The 2015 racing season will see several key issues on the doping front that could have significant impact across the elite peloton.

The introduction of a four-year ban for first-time offenders, coupled with the highly anticipated release of the CIRC report, could send shockwaves across the sport.

UCI officials confirmed to VeloNews on Monday that the final report from the yearlong inquiry under the guise of the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) should be released by late February.

The CIRC project was central to the ambitious platform of UCI president Brian Cookson when he was elected president in late 2013, and all eyes will be on the results of the three-member panel’s review. Officials also confirmed Monday that there will be no interviews or information released to the media before the official document is released.

Kittel calls for more doping controls, backs prison terms.

Eight-time Tour de France stage winner Marcel Kittel has called for an increase in anti-doping testing in cycling, saying that while the sport is already the most scrutinized, that he would endorse more examinations in order to build trust and to weed out cheats.

The Giant-Alpecin rider was commenting in the wake of the Astana situation, which saw the WorldTour team and its feeder squad have a combined total of five positive tests since September.

Taylor Phinney set to miss classics season as injury recovery continues.

The 2014 season was a mixed bag for Taylor Phinney.  Despite superb wins in Dubai, California and the US National Time Trial, his year was ultimately defined by the horrific leg injury sustained in his National Road Race. Phinney crashed into a guard rail while descending at high speed down Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, after trying to avoid a motorcycle marshall. The resulting leg injury was so bad that it had the potential to end his career. Despite this, Phinney remains noticeably upbeat at the BMC winter training camp in Spain, cracking jokes and amusing his fellow teammates during 2015 team photos.

Wiggins signs with Team Sky until Paris-Roubaix.

Bradley Wiggins has signed a contract extension with Team Sky until up to and including this year’s Paris-Roubaix. The move will see him target the one-day Classic in April before he makes the move to the track as he builds towards the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

"Everyone knows what this team means to me so I'm really pleased to extend my contract until the end of April 2015. I've been with Team Sky from the start. I've had some amazing experiences during that time and I hope there are a few more to come. Sky's investment in cycling, and this team in particular, has helped change the cycling landscape in the UK and I'm proud to have played a part in that story,” Wiggins said in a press release.

Nibali’s road back to Tour will detour around Giro.

Vincenzo Nibali will likely not be taking off more than he can chew in 2015, and that means a rumored Giro-Tour double is almost certainly not in the cards.

According to Astana team officials, it would be “difficult” for Nibali to race the Giro d’Italia before returning to the Tour de France to defend his yellow jersey.

In an e-mail over the weekend, Astana officials confirmed Nibali’s 2015 schedule. The Giro is not part of the plan.

Here is what is confirmed now: Nibali will make his season debut at the Dubai Tour on February 4, followed by the Tour of Oman in mid-February. His European debut will come on home roads, with a return to Tirreno-Adriatico after racing Paris-Nice last year, followed by Milano-Sanremo in March. After that, he will return to the Ardennes, with starts at Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Evans plays down fairytale finish to career.

Cadel Evans would love a big result on Sunday at the Mars Cycling Australia Road National championships, but is realistic about his chances.

Evans starts his cycling farewell tour knowing rivals will jump on every tactical move he makes.

He will be one of the favourites on Sunday at the elite men's road race, the main event at the Australian road championships.

It is the first of three big races that will mark the end of Evans' unparalleled career in Australian cycling.

News shorts: Neri Sottoli scales back YellowFluo sponsorship.

Sicilian forest rangers respond to Nibali polemic. Uphill finish on second day of Challenge Mallorca. Le Mével to become rider agent.

Cannondale-Garmin to broadcast team launch live.

Live from New York, it’s the launch of the 2015 Cannondale-Garmin team. The squad will broadcast live on Wednesday night as it unveils its program for the new season.

The team — born out of a merger between Cannondale and Garmin-Sharp — will bring six riders to the event, to be held at the IAC building in New York City.

The live webcast begins at 8:35 p.m. EST on January 7 at cannondale.com and also on VeloNews.

AIGCP managing director Eisenga says 2017 UCI WorldTour reform deadline ‘a challenge’.

The UCI has been working for several years to try to reform the sport of professional cycling, with new team structures and smaller WorldTour rosters two of the changes previously specified as likely by the governing body.

This would coincide with a reworked professional calendar and possible adjustments to the length of Grand Tours and other races to avoid overlap.

However, the managing director of the professional teams’ organization AIGCP, Luuc Eisenga, has said that he believes the projected 2017 date for the new system is now unlikely to be met.

Eisenga explained that he felt the ongoing negotiations between the UCI and teams were not sufficiently advanced to meet that deadline.

Interview: Rebecca Rusch.

"During the last BUI podcast, I mentioned that Rebecca Rusch was part of my “top 4 people in the cycling industry.”  Not long after that, Rebecca reached out to DC about doing an interview with us.  We agreed to a two-parter, the first is the print interview below.  The second part will be a more in depth interview on a upcoming BUI podcast (feel free to leave any questions or topics you would be interested in us covering for the follow up interview). 

Rebecca recently authored Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled.  The book follows Rebecca’s life from cross country running in high school, the upper echelon of adventure racing, and her present endeavors a professional mountain bike racer and cycling advocate.  The book is a great read and has my (meaningless) stamp of approval."

Garmin introduces new wearables at CES show.

The new products include the Fenix 3 training watch, which has GPS and features for advanced fitness training, cross-country and alpine skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing and trail running. It’s compatible with the Garmin's Connect IQ store, which will allow the use of third party apps.

The Fenix 3 comes in three variations: Silver, Gray, and the premium Sapphire, which features a scratch-resistant sapphire lens. The Fēnix 3 will be available to purchase in the first quarter this year. The Fēnix 3 Gray and Silver will have a suggested retail price of $499.99, or $549.99 with a heart rate monitor running bundle. The Fēnix 3 Sapphire will have a suggested retail price of $599.99.

Cycling in the EPO era: 65 per cent ‘juiced’ … and probably more.

Valverde: "I want to go for the Tour de France podium until I retire."

PEZ: Daily Distractions.

(pezcyclingnews.com)

BikeSnobNYC: This Is Going To Be The Best 2015 Ever!

Happy New WADA Code.

A new year and it’s straight into the heavy stuff with the revised WADA Code for 2015. It brings stronger anti-doping rules, like a four year ban, and is now in effect.

WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency, the international body created to harmonize anti-doping rules across a range of sports in 1999. “The Code” is WADA’s terms for all the rules that relate to anti-doping in sport and WADA sets the rules which others, like cycling’s governing body the UCI, sign up to. The 2015 WADA Code replaces the 2009 Code. You can download the full Code from their website.

25 Tour de France Winners Weigh In On Armstrong’s Wins.

The topic of Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France wins has been a much debated issue. Some say he earned them, some say he didn’t. But what do his peers, the other winners of the Tour, think?

Dutch journalist Raymond Kerckhoffs, a writer for De Telegraaf, asked the 25 surviving winners of the Tour de France what should happen to Armstrong’s wins. Surprisingly, 12 of them believe that they should be reinstated.

However, many of the former winners who believe that Armstrong should maintain credit for his victories also have doping allegations and convictions in their pasts: Bjarne Riis, for example, who confessed to doping during his 1996 Tour win but avoided prosecution due to the expired statute of limitations, as well as admitted doper Jan Ullrich.

Team Optum: A model for the future?

Several pro cycling teams have generated considerable buzz over the past few years by cracking down on doping, boasting new internal testing requirements and protocols, and promoting themselves as “the clean team” to potential sponsors. But few if any other teams have developed the stellar and consistent record of Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies and its predecessor teams — going on almost 20 years now without a single positive test.

While many teams over the years have boasted to be clean, “we actually are the clean team,” says team owner and managing director Charles Aaron.

In American cycling, Aaron may be one of the most influential people that you’ve never heard of. However, his teams employ more North American athletes, both men and women, than any other team, and he has sent numerous riders to the WorldTour.

Kreuziger provisionally set to race Tour of Oman.

Tinkoff-Saxo has confirmed that Roman Kreuziger could make his 2015 race debut at the Tour of Oman despite a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing hanging over his head. Kreuziger was cleared to race by the Czech Olympic Committee in September of last year after the UCI had handed him a temporary suspension for a biological passport violation.

Kreuziger has been embroiled in a long-running case against the UCI over his blood parameters in 2011 and 2012, when he was with Astana. He was notified by the UCI in May that a case was being opened against him, but despite a near eight-month lapse, no binding decision has been reached on the matter.

Bridie O'Donnell: Arrested Development.

"Not that long ago, only a decade in fact, the number 1 ranked woman cyclist in the world was Canberra rider, Oenone Wood, and she raced as a member of the Australian National Team.

So why now, with more female Cycling Australia memberships than ever before, is the combination of increased available talent, greater interest in the sport, yet the same coaching staff now deemed unworthy of funding?"

Best of Pez: Giro di PEZ 2014 Stage 3: Thank You Ireland!

"The 2014 Giro d’Italia’s Irish sojourn has come to an end with Marcel Kittel being the sorriest rider to leave after two awesome sprint victories. After crossing from the north into the land of bilingual roadsigns, Euros, and kilometers not miles, we’ll also be sorry to see the Giro return home.

For fans from Ireland, the chance to see a Grand Tour without having to go to an airport and leave the country is incredible. Top class riders, great scenery, challenging routes and first-rate fan turnout, especially in the north."

Neil van der Ploeg seeking to build on 2014 season.

Neil van der Ploeg's first year with the Continental Avanti Racing Team provided enough evidence for the 27-year-old to see that he is on track for bigger and better things. Van der Ploeg started off the season with 20th place at the Australian national championships to earn selection for the Tour Down Under, his first appearance at a WorldTour event.

Fifth overall at the 2.1 Jayco Herald Sun Tour was followed by stage wins in the National Road Series (NRS) before a stint of racing in Asia with third overall at the 2.1 Tour of China, capping off his longest season yet as a professional.

Like Water For Metaphor.

Posted by Bike Snob NYC: "It is traditional for cyclists to partake in a New Year’s Day ride, which is precisely why I leave the roads to the wobbly legions making good on their resolutions and sweating out their hangovers.

Instead, I skip the ride and take a walk on the beach, where I ask mighty Neptune to provide me with a sign of what to expect in the coming year.  Last year his portent came in the form of hot dogs, while this year he presented me with a disembodied fish head.

Peering into those vacant eye sockets I attempted to divine some sort of message from this omen, and ultimately decided that artisanal fish head saddlebags will be the hot new trend in 2015.

You read it here first."

TPI and Tire Performance.

Tires with supple casings are faster, more comfortable and simply more fun to ride. Most cyclists know this, but how do you measure “suppleness”?

A measure that often is used to describe the quality of tires is “threads per inch” (TPI). The idea is that tires with higher thread counts usually have finer weaves that make these tires more supple.

The reality is more complex, and TPI is of limited use when comparing tires.

Selle San Marco restricts sales to authorized dealers.

Selle San Marco is restricting sales of its 2015 model year saddles to authorized dealers. Tom Petrie, the brand's North American operating manager, said the intention is to limit sales to dealers who comply with San Marco's minimum advertised price  policy. The policy took effect Jan. 1.

Authorized dealers will be shown on the Selle San Marco store locator on the brand's website.

Zipp revamps Service Course components.

2015 may be only a few days old, but it seems that the people at Zipp are already hard at work with the announcement of redesigned stems and seatposts for the Service Course and Service Course SL ranges.

The Service Course and Service Course SL lines have built a reputation for delivering top performance in a reasonably lightweight package, and have acquired a large following among the pro peloton, including a certain Mark Cavendish at last year’s Tour de France.

Steve Tilford: Weird Day/Stressful Driving.