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Doug Report Daily Cycling News Archive

Chris Horner signs with Airgas-Safeway.

After an autumn of uncertainty, Vuelta a España champion Chris Horner has signed with the Airgas-Safeway team for 2015.
“I am very excited to be joining Airgas-Safeway for 2015,” said Horner. “I have achieved a huge amount of success in my career and I’m incredibly proud of that. For me, the next chapter isn’t just about what I can do as an individual, but what I can give back to cycling as a sport. I had a number of options for this year and what really struck me about Airgas-Safeway was their utter commitment to giving the next generation of young riders the opportunity for success.” (velonews.com)

Compton, Wildhaber Win Milton Keynes Sunday C2 Race.

Yesterday, the grand celebration of Milton Keynes was followed up by the National Trophy Series #4, a C2 race taking place at the same venue. Marcel Wildhaber, a 29-year-old from Switzerland, took first in the Men’s Elite Race, beating David van der Poel at the line.
Katie Compton lost Saturday’s World Cup at the line against Sanne Cant, but she was motivated for a follow up win on Sunday: she beat the rest of the field by well over a minute at Milton Keynes. (cxmagazine.com)

Uran: “It's time to win something big.”

Rigoberto Uran has been near the very top of pro cycling for several years, and in 2015 he wants to take the final step, telling elcolombiano.com, “It’s time to win something big in these important tests.”
The Colombian, who moved to Omega Pharma – QuickStep this year, has finished second at the Giro d’Italia for the last two years, and was also second in the 2012 London Olympics road race. He won the mountain time trial at this years Giro, and wore the leader’s jersey for four stages. (cyclingnews.com)

Bradley Wiggins to ride the Giro d’Italia?

Bradley Wiggins could race his last Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia in May as he prepares for the Hour record, according to Team Sky’s bike sponsor Fausto Pinarello
“I would not exclude Wiggins from the Giro. It’s useless to hide it, the Treviso/Valdobbiadene stage is our goal. We want to win it. And on this course, he’s untouchable,” Pinarello told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
“In June, Wiggins will attempt the Hour record. I know that the team is evaluating the idea of being at the Giro because it would be a perfect base preparation and the time trial is the best test [for the hour record].” (cyclingweekly.co.uk)

2014-15 Races & Results.

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 ...

2014 Report Card: Orica-GreenEdge.

Orica-GreenEdge's third season as a WorldTour team was undoubtedly another successful year but one punctuated by a disappointing Tour de France. The opening stage crash that brought down Simon Gerrans in Harrogate left the team on its back foot for the remaining three weeks, and while Simon Clarke picked up a most combative prize award, it was far removed from the stage wins and yellow jerseys of 2013. Losing Michael Matthews to a training accident before the race even began was another disappointment, but across the season, the team showed its depth and character with a spread of winners once again. (cyclingnews.com)

Nobeyama Cyclocross Day 2 Results & Video: Italians Dominate Again, Zach McDonald Second.

On Day 2 of the 2014 Nobeyama Cyclocross race, the sun came out and dried up some of the soup from Day 1. The giant puddles and streams were gone, but there was still plenty of mud. Only today it was a lot stickier.
Sticky or not, it didn’t matter. The two Italian Cyclocross National Champions Alice Maria Arzuffi and Gioele Bertolini reigned supreme in the Far East again at Day 2 of the UCI C2 race weekend. (cxmagazine.com)

Swiss Side Gotthard road wheelset.

BikeRadar verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. "Swiss Side comes tantalisingly close to making good on its claim of offering the same quality wheels as the big brands at half the cost." (bikeradar.com)

May the FORCE CX1 Be With You.

"The single track has been broken up by hooves and loose, softball size sandstone rocks are everywhere. I’m riding hard, letting the bars dance in my hands as the front tire thumps through the rocks, not really choosing a line, just using the wheels and speed to suck up the impacts. It suddenly occurs to me I can hear the front wheel, the tire itself, hitting the stones. I can hear the rubber of the rear as it hooks up, fighting for traction. That’s weird. My bike is making no noise. That’s the magic of SRAM’s new CX1 Force." (pelotonmagazine.com)

Van Aert sprints to victory in Flandriencross Hamme.

Cant wins Flandriencross.

Kerry Werner, Ellen Noble close out Baystate CX with muddy wins.

Kerry Werner and Ellen Noble took muddy wins in Sterling, Massachusetts, for day two of Baystate Cyclocross Weekend, which doubled as Round 6 of the Verge New England Cyclocross Series (NECXS) presented by Stan’s NoTubes and Cycle-Smart.
Conditions were perfect for a legendary sendoff for the Baystate event with melting snow, slush, and mud covering the tricky course. (It was announced Sunday that the Sterling event will not be returning in 2015.). (velonews.com)

Tinkoff-Saxo reveals ‘innovative’ new camouflage training kit.

"If we were slightly too scathing about the Tinkoff-Saxo flourescent 2014 Tour de France kit last week when the team partially revealed its new racing kit, then apologies.
Because the WorldTour team have managed to top it – it’s maybe even topped the new MTN-Qhubeka kit – as Tinkoff-Saxo has revealed its new ‘innovative training kit’ (as the team and Sportful put it)…and it’s camouflage." (cyclingweekly.co.uk)

10 Roadside Repairs.

It’s a big week for pro cycling with the exposition of sweeping reforms by the UCI expected in the coming days. We will see what emerges but there’s talk of redesigning the calendar and revising the league system of the World Tour. If half of this appears it could amount to the most significant changes for a quarter of a century.
But ahead of radical reform, what about some quick fixes, administrative equivalents of a roadside repair? Here are ten tidy tips that could be done in days. (inrng.com)

Adam Myerson's Inside Dirt: Youth and tactics in Hamme.

"With sprint finishes in both of the European races last weekend there was no lack of drama for ‘cross fans, even if the two races couldn’t have been more different in style and tactics. The first ever World Cup in the UK, in Milton Keynes on Saturday, was everything it promised.
UK fans continued to impress the world as they did for the Tour and the Olympics, showing up in huge numbers to watch a heavy, hilly, off-camber race that was an instant classic. Sunday’s BPost Bank Trofee in Hamme was more like a criterium in contrast; just wet enough to pack the track down and provide a little extra grip, with almost 20 riders still connected to the front group as late as 1 lap to go." (cyclingnews.com)

Greg van Avermaet: Not nice to hear that Gilbert is targeting cobbled Classics.

Greg van Avermaet has said that it is “not nice to hear” that Philippe Gilbert is aiming for victory in the cobbled Classics in 2015, with the former world champion having declared in November that he has unfinished business with the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Gilbert said that he would be looking to kick-off the classics season with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, a race in which van Avermaet narrowly missed out on victory to Ian Stannard in 2014. (cyclingweekly.co.uk)

Savio praises Pellizotti.

"And I begin with Franco Pellizotti, our captain, a great example of professionalism, a rider who played his role to perfection and who has managed to get on podiums throughout the season." (cyclingquotes.com)

A tour of the Castelli-Sportful factory.

Manifattura Valcismon might not be a name you're familiar with. The two cycling clothing brands that are owned and operated by this company, however, might a little more familiar. Castelli and Sportful both sit under this parent company and both share the same large industrial building in the town of Fonzaso in the Italian region of Veneto. (cyclingtips.com.au)

Vitus Razor VR.

The Razor might not make you ride like Sean Kelly*, Vitus poster-boy and Irish winner of the Vuelta and numerous Classics in the 80s – mainly on Vitus bikes – but it definitely represents good value for money.
    Highs: Kit, handling and versatility
    Lows: The ride is slightly on the firm side
The Sora kit and double-butted 6061 alloy frame are pretty much the equal of pricier bikes than Vitus’s entry-level offering, and its 9.5kg weight also compares pretty well. (bikeradar.com)

PEZ: EuroTrash Andy Monday!

New book debunks suggestions that Pantani was murdered.

A new book by Italian journalist Andrea Rossini has debunked theories that Marco Pantani could have been murdered.
Following a private investigation funded by Marco Pantani's family and a consequent decision by Italian police to reopen the investigation into his death, the Italian media, and especially Gazzetta dello Sport, has published a long series of speculative articles, suggesting that Pantani was somehow murdered by being forced to ingest a large quantity of cocaine. (cyclingnews.com)

Helen Wyman: Milton Keynes!

"Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Christmas. If you don't know me then imagine a small child, who still believes in Santa, on Christmas eve, trying to get to sleep but cant because it's just too damn exciting. It has to be the best time of year with lots of sparkly things and twinkly lights and shininess. Now imagine that level of child's giddiness and that is exactly how excited I am to race the first EVER world cup in my own country in Milton Keynes. (Yes that's MK not London #justsaying)." (cyclingnews.com)

Cavendish sharpens up ahead of San Luis season opener.

By any measure except against his own Mark Cavendish has had a great season, but the career standard is set so highly for the Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider that anything less than a July victory in Paris is seen as a let down.
Though nobbled by injury mid-year Cavendish managed to notch up 12 victories in 2014, a result that would make any sprinter, with the exception of Giant-Shimano nemesis Marcel Kittel, look back on the season with immense satisfaction. (sbs.com.au)

Bouhanni criticizes former team manager.

After a turbulent season where he fought just as much against teammate Arnaud Demare as he did against his rivals, Nacer Bouhanni has left FDJ to join Cofidis. The Frenchman criticizes former manager Marc Madiot who didn't bring much clarity to his race schedule.
At Cofidis, Nacer Bouhanni has found what he wanted for the next three years. It was during the Giro d'Italia - where he won three stages and won the red points jersey - that he decided to join the French team by accepting their offer. "[Cofidis manager] Yvon Sanquer's proposal convinced me from the beginning because they have the desire to build something new at Cofidis." (cyclingquotes.com)

News shorts: Steegmans mulling over 2015 options.

Belletti to Neri Sottoli, Brown returns home to Australia. (cyclingnews.com)

Video: 2014 Nobeyama Cyclocross – (A Very Muddy) Day 1.

News Shorts: Ullrich on the difference between doping and cheating.

Kelderman: Top 10 in the grand tours and podiums in shorter races.

Steegmans has offers from Wanty and Trek.

2014 Report Card: Trek Factory Racing.