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Doug Report Daily Cycling News Archive

No details yet from UCI on sweeping reform.

Some were expecting to see a roadmap, but the UCI has yet to reveal specifics about sweeping reforms poised to be introduced as soon as 2017.

It appears there is not yet consensus among the major players as teams, race organizations, and the UCI continue to try to reach a common ground on what elite men’s road racing will look like in the near future.

Following a two-day conference at the end of last week, the UCI came out with a press release that was long on breezy comments and very short on details about restructuring efforts that could greatly reshape team structures, race calendars, and how the racing season looks and feels.

Taylor Phinney Interview Part 2.

After recovering from a broken leg in a season-ending crash at the USA Professional Road Race Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee in May, Taylor Phinney will be aiming to get back to his best in 2015, in what will be his fifth year as a professional on the WorldTour with BMC Racing.

In the second part of a two-part interview, Phinney relives the penultimate stage 6 of the 2013 Tirreno-Adriatico. The 206km stage from Porto Sant'Elpidio back to Porto Sant'Elpidio was held on a parcours known as one of the toughest in the history of the sport, and it was made even more difficult because of treacherous weather conditions.

Jelly Belly continues sponsorship, prepares for 2015.

Jelly Belly, the longest-running pro cycling team in the American peloton, will return for its 16th season, having re-signed with its title sponsor for 2015.

Former U.S. national champion Freddie Rodriguez will conclude his career with Jelly Belly in 2015, while the team will add a number of new, young riders to its roster as well.

Rolland to skip Giro and focus on Tour de France in 2015.

Pierre Rolland has confirmed that he will focus on the Tour de France in 2015 and skip the Giro d’Italia, where he finished fourth overall this season.

The Frenchman went on to finish 11th overall at the Tour and felt that his exertions in Italy had extracted a significant toll and compromised his performance in July. With the route of the 2015 Tour weighted heavily in favor of climbers, Rolland has decided to concentrate exclusively on La Grande Boucle.

2016 Rio Olympics road cycling courses confirmed.

The UCI and Rio 2016 organizing committee confirmed the 2016 Olympic road race and time trial courses on Tuesday. The men’s road race will be 256.4km long, and the women will race 130.3km, on August 6 and 7, 2016, respectively.

“The road race mixes some of Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic backdrops such as Copacabana and Ipanema with some really testing sections such as the Grumari Circuit and the climb up to Canoas/Vista Chinesa,” said UCI president Brian Cookson at an IOC meeting in Monaco. While the time trial course also includes the challenging topography of the area. The steep climb up Grumari Road is sure to provide a unique test for time trial riders.”

Agony and Ecstasy at Spyclocross Series Finals, Probert-Turner and Gritters Take Series Wins.

Racing has its ups and downs. That tireless proverb/cliche was elegantly illustrated the first weekend of December at Hart Memorial Park near Bakersfield, Calif., during the SPYclocross Series finals. This new six-event, USA Cycling-sanctioned, SPY Optic-backed series concluded on arguably the most challenging course on the SoCal cyclocross circuit. The highs and lows of the layout, along with a 1.5 point factor awarded on the final day, brought out the highs and lows of the human race experience.

The weather and course conditions could not have been better, following several showers during the week preceding the event. But that did little to tame the numerous steep pitches that force even the strongest to shoulder their bikes and grunt up the sod staircases.

Singapore non-sanctioned crit organizers arrested.

News came in today that two guys have been arrested for organizing a night race, known as HolyCrit.

The Straits Times reports that the two men, “aged 28 and 39, for their suspected involvement in promoting and organizing the illegal racing event under Section 116 of the Road Traffic Act, Chapter 276.

“If convicted, the two men would be liable to a mandatory jail term of up to six months and a fine of between $1,000 and $2,000. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, they could be jailed up to 12 months and fined between $2,000 and $3,000. The vehicles used in the illegal race would also be forfeited.”

Greipel to skip Tour Down Under in 2015.

André Greipel won't be adding to his record number of stage wins at the Tour Down Under in 2015. The Lotto-Belisol rider will skip his traditional season opener in favor of something closer to home. He will begin his year with the Mallorca Challenge, as he looks to ensure his form for the Classics in March and April.

"I've decided together with the team, my race schedule switch and enter something later in the season," Greipel wrote on his personal website. "The planned start of the season for me is currently the Mallorca Challenge."

Mancebo to stay in Dubai.

Francisco Mancebo will continue to ride for the SkyDive Dubai Pro Cycling Team in 2015. A source close to the continental team from the United Arab Amirates has told Biciciclismo that the Spaniard has signed a contract for another season. For 38-year-old Mancebo, it will be his 18th season in the professional peloton after he turned pro in 1998 with Banesto.

Reviewed: The best 3-way wrenches.

It lives in your pocket, in a shop apron, or lies in wait on the top of the workbench, never squirreled away in a drawer. Save for the floor pump, the 3-way (4, 5, and 6mm) Allen wrench is the most used tool in a mechanic’s arsenal. Brands don’t even bother marketing their respective 3-way wrenches. They’re too simple. Yet every pro mechanic has his favorite. Like pro riders, many pro wrenches aren’t given a choice, due to sponsor obligations. Other mechanics are outspoken about which is best.

Here, I break down five 3-way wrenches I’ve been using over recent months and years. Price, weight, feel, and function are the variables. Of course, like anything, people will be drawn to one more than others. All five here have proven to have tough bits, so no tool here is a bad choice.

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 ...

Steve Johnson to step down as CEO of USA Cycling.

Steve Johnson will step down as CEO of USA Cycling following the World Championships in Richmond next year, the organization announced today.

A statement released by USA Cycling on Tuesday afternoon said that Johnson had decided “to pursue new challenges and opportunities.” Johnson has held the position of CEO and president since 2006, having first joined USA Cycling as high performance consultant in 1999.

Cookson confirms latest allegations against Astana received by UCI, license decision imminent.

Speaking after reports in recent days stating that a number of Astana riders have been linked to the banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari as well as claims that he attended a team training camp in Italy in November of last year, UCI president Brian Cookson has confirmed that these new factors will also be taken into consideration.

The UCI’s License Commission is currently studying the Astana team’s candidature for a WorldTour place in 2015. Cookson said that the decision about the team would arrive “today or tomorrow.”

Astana do not exist in a bubble – this is evidence that ZILCH has changed.

"I remember watching Nibali win the Tour and thinking ‘man, please be clean’. and now you tell me how we are supposed to believe not the wild notion that he is above suspicion but that he shouldn’t be – and deserves not to be – questioned about what is going on?

The Italian media broke the story that Astana met Ferrari then went on to categorically state that their Tour winner was not implicated in doping and that indeed he never met the Doc, a claim Nibali has stated more than once in the past, but this whole palava brought back the memory to me of this article on the venerable Cycling Weekly, which said that Nibali did in fact meet Ferrari, and trained with him, wearing all black kit."

Kessiakoff announces retirement from cycling.

Former Swedish mountain bike champion Fredrik Kessiakoff has announced his retirement from cycling after failing to secure a new contract for next season. The 34-year-old also cited health problems as a contributory factor in his decision.

“It is today with no regrets that I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling,” he wrote on his personal website. “After two years filled with injuries and health problems I have failed to find a team for 2015 on a level that I find inspiring and I therefore think it is the right time for me to move on.

Book Review: 101 Damnations.

The Tour de France is more than a bike race. It’s a theater with many plays, plots and stories. Spectators enjoy the countryside, business deals are done and a lot of people work hard to make the show happen. British broadcaster Ned Boulting is among the workers as he travels around France to put the race on television. In the wake of Leeds grand départ Boulting has written up his experiences of this year’s Tour along with other anecdotes and more.

Boulting seems to play the outsider role in broadcasts and writing, he’s the non-cyclist dispatched to cover the Tour de France and this status places him onside with much of the audience who need gentle education to explain the overall classification or the points competition.

Wankmiester: There is no greater fear than the Fear of Getting Dropped.

"I used to think it was a function of cowardice, because everyone gets dropped, and people who avoid rides because they’re afraid of droppage, well, come on. Eddy got dropped. Lance got dropped. The fastest guy on your group ride got dropped. And of course you got dropped — repeatedly. It’s the nature of the beast.

Since droppage is inherent in cycling, i.e. there is always a point where, when people are going hard enough, you will get shelled, I’ve never understood why people avoid hard rides or hilly races because of their FOG’d. On reflection, though, it’s not about cowardice."

Could Bikes Save the Economy?

We’ve always known that cycling is a popular part of European culture, but a new study suggests that it’s also a major part of the economy. In fact, cycling in Europe creates more jobs than the American automotive industry.

In a recent study on the benefits of cycling in the European Union, commissioned by the European Cyclists’ Federation, researchers concluded that not only is cycling good for a population’s health, it’s good for its wallets as well.

At the time of the study, 655,000 people were employed in some aspect of the cycling industry, from retail to tourism to manufacturing.

Samuel Sanchez close to retirement but considering one offer.

Several weeks after the BMC Racing Team confirmed that Samuel Sanchez wouldn’t be with the team in 2015, the former Olympic champion is hovering on the brink of retirement.

The rider, who will turn 37 years of age in February, has one possibility to continue, but is uncertain if he will take up that option.

“I’m wondering whether or not I continue one more season,” he told El Comercio. “I’m thinking. “I don’t know. I have an offer, but I do not know. To continue it needs to be a motivating project.”

Easton EC90 Aero 55 tubular wheelset.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Fast, light, and versatile but with unproven hub longevity and irritating internal spoke nipples "

Geraint Thomas voted Welsh Sports Personality of the Year.

Geraint Thomas was voted BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year last night, becoming the first cyclist to win the award since Nicole Cooke in 2003.

The rider was presented the award by Bradley Wiggins at the Team Sky training camp in Mallorca after a year in which he won gold and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

Thomas also had a standout year at the cobbled classics, finishing seventh and eighth in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders respectively, as well as a third-place finish at E3 Harelbeke.

“I don’t know what to say,” Thomas said after receiving his award.

BikeSnobNYC: The Waffle Defense.

DOJ after Ferrari, Weisel emails in Armstrong case.

The Department of Justice leaned hard on Lance Armstrong’s attorneys during the latest round in court, asking for email correspondences between Lance Armstrong and previous associates, such as investment banker and USPS team backer Thom Weisel and former coach Michele Ferrari.

As reported by USA Today, the two sides are now quarreling over what documents are relevant and how best to sift through the correspondences.

Astana Timeline: Eight years of shadows.

As the UCI License Commission considers Astana’s future in the WorldTour, it is not entirely clear whether its focus will be solely on the recent spate of positive tests on the team or whether its deliberations will cover the team’s entire eight and a half year history.

Certainly, the events of the here and now alone make a compelling argument for Astana’s exclusion from the 2015 WorldTour. Forget the semantics: the WorldTour and Continental teams are part of the same entity, and five positive tests in three months would be more than enough, one imagines, for most other WorldTour sponsors to pull the plug on their commitment.

Tour of Utah announces 2015 route, expanded women’s event.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced its 2015 route on Tuesday, one that will include five new host cities. The race will run August 3-9, exclusively in the northern half of Utah. For the first time, the event will also include a two-day competition for women.

Logan will host the overall start for the weeklong competition, in the northernmost section of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Tremonton and Bountiful join Logan as first-time host cities for the tour. Two additional inaugural stops are state parks — Antelope Island State Park in Davis County and Soldier Hollow, which is part of Wasatch Mountain State Park in the Heber Valley.

Mark McConnell.

"Beards are the fashion statement of the moment in the Pro peloton, but the first big beard in cyclo-cross was spotted by Ed Hood on a recent visit to Belgium. The facial plumage belonged to Canadian Mark McConnell, so Ed had to find out all about the cross man with the beard.

“Who’s the dude with the Grizzly Adams beard?” we said to ourselves at the Koksijde ‘cross. Mark McConnell our one Euro start sheet told us – we just had to have a word."

No cyclo-cross at Winter Olympics.

The cyclo-cross rider will have to shelve their dreams about attending the Winter Olympics. At the meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Monte-Carlo yesterday, it was decided not to change the rule that the Games are only for sports that take place on either ice or snow.

Alex Dowsett and Sarah Storey to tackle Hour Record in London?

There could be an Hour Record bonanza at February’s Revolution Series round in London, as Alex Dowsett and Sarah Storey are reportedly both planning attempts at the meeting.

Dowsett has made no secret of his desire to tackle the Hour, and has been riding the Full Gas Winter League at the Lee Valley Velodrome (where the Revolution meeting will take place on February 27-28) in preparation for his attempt.

Storey looks set to become the first woman to attempt to break Leontien van Moorsel’s 11-year-old benchmark of 46.065km since the UCI modified the Record’s rules.

2016 Tour de France to start at Mont-Saint-Michel.

The 2016 Tour de France will start at the foot of the spectacular Mont-Saint-Michel monastery in Normandy on the northern coast of France.

Race organizer ASO announced that Mont-Saint-Michel and the surrounding Manche department will host the Grand Départ of the 103rd edition of the Tour de France during a press conference in Mont-Saint-Michel attended by race director Christian Prudhomme.

The opening stage will be held on Saturday July 2. There will be no prologue time time. The 2016 Tour de France begins with be a 188km road race stage that follows the Normandy coast and finishes on Utah Beach in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, the site of the D-Day landings of World War II.

Black Series wheels.

"Black Series is a new range of high-end bike components designed for a balance of low weight, durability, quality and price, to offer cyclists the “ultimate” upgrade range.

Produced by some of the world’s leading component manufacturers such as Xentis and Tune, Black Series' wheels are hand built in Germany. Black Series claims its wheel designs have been proven at World Championship, World Cup and Olympic events."

Technical FAQ: Tire sealant questions.

“Inflate and repair cartridges commonly contain liquid sealant and propane (or methane-propane mixes), a gas that turns to liquid at lower pressures (5 bar @ 0°C) compared to CO2 (around 35 bar @ 0°C). That’s why inflate and repair cartridges come in aluminum cans and CO2 comes in little steel cylinders; the internal stress the container has to endure is much less for propane. That’s also the reason why you get more inflating power from a small 16g CO2 cartridge than from a big 75ml inflate and repair cartridge, but I digress."