<br>
      <br>
      <br>
Doug Report Daily Cycling News Archive

Top 10 conclusions from the road world championships.

Whether you’re a fan of Bradley Wiggins or not, few can argue over the rider’s impressive, almost extraordinary, palmares. A Tour de France; a handful of week-long stage races; world titles and Olympic medals on the road and track: all he needs now is a win in the Classics to complete his set. (cyclingnews.com)

Horner's future with Lampre is fifty-fifty, says Copeland.

Chris Horner’s future with Lampre-Merida hangs in the balance, with the team’s general manager confirming that contract negotiations with the 42-year-old American have yet to be concluded. Brent Copeland said that at this stage, “it’s fifty-fifty at the moment on whether he stays.” (cyclingnews.com)

Inside Line: Tiff Cromwell on the World Championships Road Race.

On Saturday afternoon the elite women's peloton contested the 2014 world championships road race in Ponferrada, Spain. The event was won by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in a reduced bunch sprint, becoming the first Frenchwoman to win the worlds road race since 1995. Tiff Cromwell went into the race as the leader of the Australian team and was there in the deciding sprint. Here's how the race unfolded from her perspective. (cyclingtips.com.au)

Caroline Mani returns to her winning ways.

After struggling to find her groove over the past few years, former French national cyclocross champion Caroline Mani is firing on all cylinders as the 2014-2015 season warms up.
Finishing in the top 10 at every race she’s done this fall, Mani looks to be back on her old form despite suffering a wrist injury in late September. (velonews.com)

Cyclo-cross wrap: Nys and Cant claim Soudal GP Neerpelt.

Powers heads to Valkenburg, Miller looks for forward momentum after CrossVegas win. (cyclingnews.com)

2014 Races & Results.

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

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

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

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

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

More...

Pinot narrowly denied first season win.

Thibaut Pinot came close to his first season victory when he finished second on the second stage of the Tour du Gevaudan. The Frenchman regrets the missed opportunity as he continues to build form for Il Lombardia. "I was not on a great day. The second time up the Jalabert climb I just followed, I did not have the legs to attack." (cyclingquotes.com)

Vincenzo Nibali draws 2014 season to a close.

Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali ended his season in Spain’s wet northwest on Sunday racing the World Championship road race. He will push on to compete one more race in his sponsor’s country, the Tour of Almaty in Kazakhstan, but officially, he considers 2014 over. “My season ends here,” team Astana’s Italian said. “I’ll go to Almaty only because my team asked me to do so.”

Novel Hirobel carbon-friendly repair stand clamp launches on Kickstarter.

Leery of clamping that delicate carbon fiber frame in your repair stand? Well, you should be as carbon frame tubes should never be clamped directly. That said, clamping the seatpost isn't always an option, either, and the folks at upstart company Hirobel have introduced their novel Carbon Frame Clamp adapter to fill the void. (bikeradar.com)

DougReport Format...

As part of Cycling Ireland’s efforts to increase the level of professionalism when national squads gather for major fixtures, it acted on Dan Martin’s suggestion of bringing in a team chef supplied by his squad Garmin-Sharp for last week’s World Championships. (stickybottle.com)

Future-proof hubs: How to buy hubs that will work for years.

You’re reeling, confounded, and exasperated by five years of rapid-fire, near-constant technical innovation in cyclocross equipment.
Join the club. Cyclocross used to be the awkward, dirty child of the cycling family, built from parts and components cobbled together from other disciplines with very few dedicated equipment solutions. Today, ‘cross has become the proving grounds for new technologies, a torture-test that confirms the potential of a concept. (velonews.com)

U.S. encouraged by Bookwalter and Howes as road worlds conclude.

Contador to go to Beijing to try to win the WorldTour.

Veterans to keep Kwiatkowski closely marked.

Worlds: Rodriguez puts past behind him and allies with Valverde.

Worlds: Sinyard toasts Kwiatkowski's bravery.

Alonso teams up with investment group, plans to invest in cycling companies.

Yahoo Finance Canada reported that Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso has partnered with an investment group with an eye toward investing in cycling companies. NOVO Group Holdings, a company founded last year to develop, acquire, and manage assets in sport, announced a partnership with Alonso on Tuesday. (velonews.com)

Nicolas Roche signs for Team Sky, joins Philip Deignan.

Nicolas Roche has ended months of speculation on his future in the pro game, with confirmation this morning that he is to join Team Sky. He leaves Tinkoff-Saxo after two years with that squad and will join up with fellow Irishman Philip Deignan on what is arguably the biggest team in the world. (stickybottle.com)

In the class of 1990, cycling’s future looks bright.

Pole Michal Kwiatkowski led in a wave of young riders at the world championship road race Sunday. Behind the 24-year-old, three others from the class of 1990 finished in the top 15. “I want to stay the same guy,” Kwiatkowski said after his win. “I hope this rainbow jersey does not change my life.” (velonews.com)

Froome: This year has taught me a lot.

With the World Championships done and dusted and the season all but over, Chris Froome can now put a tough 12 months behind him. This year has been far from easy for the Team Sky rider, who has seen crashes, injuries and illness deal a hammer blow to his big ambitions. He hopes, however, that those experiences can help him get back on top in 2015. (cyclingnews.com)

Bannan impressed by Ewan thus far, says Orica GreenEdge excited to help him develop.

Speaking in the wake of Caleb Ewan’s second silver medal in three years at the world road race championship, Shayne Bannan has said that he is convinced the rider has the mental attributes to match his obvious physical talent, and that a big future is ahead. (cyclingtips.com.au)

Chabanov: There Is No Waiting in Cyclocross.

"I have a pretty biased opinion about New England’s “Holy Week.” I’m convinced that it’s the best racing on this side of the Atlantic.
Just take a peek at the result sheet from this weekend at Gloucester and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone in the top 20 that hasn’t stood on a UCI podium. The fields are basically nationals without ten really fast west coast guys but with a bunch of fast Canadians, a Belgian, and a Swiss dude thrown in." (pelotonmagazine.com)

Q&A with Cycling Australia chief executive Nick Green.

New chief executive of Cycling Australia (CA), Nick Green rowed in the Australian coxless four that won the 1992 and 1996 Olympic gold medals. Known as the 'Oarsome Foursome', the crew earned household status in Australia for their starring roles in the Goulburn Valley fruit ads. (cyclingnews.com)

Giro Savant road helmet.

BikeRadar verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. "Well-fitted, stylish lid that’s less than half the price of the range-topping models." (bikeradar.com)

Mavic CXR Ultimate aero road shoes.

Mavic bills the CXR Ultimate shoes as saving watts without reducing comfort thanks to the shoes’ aeroflap – a zipped fabric layer that seamlessly integrates with the bonded upper, hiding the Ergo Dial ratcheted retention system from the wind. Mavic also claims the Ultimates are highly ventilated and suitable for everyday riding. (bikeradar.com)

Compass Centerpull Brakes.

For a bike with wide tires, centerpull brakes with brazed-on pivots are the best brake option. With pivots on the fork blades, there is little flex compared to a sidepull (or dual pivot) brake that reaches all the way around the tire. And since the pivots are close to the fork crown, they don’t twist like those of cantilever brakes. As a result, centerpull brakes offer more brake power and better modulation than other rim brakes. (janheine.wordpress.com)

Germany considering jail terms for sportspeople and others involved in doping.

BikeSnobNYC: They put their pants on one leg at a time just like you, only they pay $80 a leg for the privilege.

In new filing, glimpses at Armstrong defense.

You should have known, and you got way more than you paid for. Those, essentially, are two of the defenses it appears the Lance Armstrong camp will unveil if needed in its contest with the U.S. Department of Justice and Floyd Landis.
The False Claims Act dispute between Armstrong and the DOJ is ongoing, and new court papers provide a deeper look into the defense Armstrong and his attorneys may provide: that the government should have known cheating was occurring on the U.S. Postal teams, and that the government benefitted hugely from its years-long sponsorship, more so than it paid for. (velonews.com)

Monday Shorts.

Fernando Alonso’s plans for a pro cycling team continue but just. A press release from a Dubai firm called Novo says Alonso and his manager Luis Garcia Abad are working with Novo to build the team. The 550 word press release from Novo seems to say nothing more than there’s been a deal between Novo and Alonso’s entourage. Reading between the lines it seems Novo will try to find some wealthy backers and the implication is that if the project’s alive, the only thing they’ve got to announce is a deal with a sports investment company nobody has heard of. (inrng.com)

In the News: Olympic cycling champion Sara Carrigan being sued over bunch ride accident.

The Courier Mail reports that Olympic champion Sara Carrigan is being sued $750,000 over a cycling accident that happened on a “bunch” ride at her Mermaid Waters-based cycling school in Australia.
Bernie Elsey Jr., the son of property developer Bernie Elsey, has lodged a claim for personal injury damages against Sara Carrigan Cycling and another cyclist Stephen John Milligan, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports. (velonews.com)

Compton targets World Cup series and World Championships.

US cyclo-cross champion Katie Compton heads into the 2014-15 season with a primary goal of defending her UCI World Cup series title and winning the rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic on January 31 to February 1, 2015. (cyclingnews.com)

A lot of Lotto in the 2015 WorldTour.

Yesterday, Belkin Pro Cycling announced that it will continue into next season, after finding a new title sponsor to replace the worldwide electronics brand. Nothing untoward about that, you say? Except that the new title sponsor is De Lotto, the Dutch lottery, and the long-running outfit will be known as TeamLottoNL as of January 1. For those of you not aware of international cycling teams from 1985 until the present day, there is already a WorldTour team with a similar name: Lotto-Belisol. (cyclingweekly.co.uk)

The science behind Specialized Body Geometry.

"We recently met with the doctors and experts behind Specialized’s Body Geometry Fit – arguably the industry’s most loudly marketed fitting solution. Specialized may cop plenty of flak on social media – and, when it comes to the bike behemoth's fitting services, some argue they're just another a platform to sell products from. But whether you're a believer or a critic, the fact remains that few have done more for modern bike fit than the people behind the Body Geometry products." (bikeradar.com)

Interbike 2014: Ale Bike Wear, Elite Trainers, Easton Wheels.

"With the World’s dust settling after days of rain in Spain, it time to crack open the tech vault once again with lots more from the floor in Vegas. Here’s a closer look at Ale Bike Wear’s top kits, Elite’s new Real Turbo Muin trainer, and Easton’s latest E100 carbon tubular wheels." (pezcyclingnews.com)

Reviewed: Challenge Chicane is not your average file tread.

"I glued these Challenge Chicane tubular tires to the wrong wheelset. In the August heat, as I looked ahead to cyclocross season, I assumed that I wouldn’t like these file tread tires enough to have them on my nicest, carbon fiber-est wheels. I was wrong. Other file treads I’ve ridden in years past have been squirrelly. In Colorado, files are scary, especially when you’re racing on dusty, loose, even gravel-strewn tracks in the early season (or sometimes all season). However, the Chicanes offer meaty side knobs that allow them to punch above their weight when you lean into corners." (velonews.com)

PEZ: World Road Race EuroTrash!

Kwiatkowski Makes a Name for Himself.