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Doug Report Daily Cycling News Archive

Compton satisfied with podium finish after asthma issues at Namur.

American cyclocross champion Katie Compton said she was content with her third-place finish at Sunday’s World Cup race in Namur, Belgium, after breathing issues nearly ended her race early.

The threat of an asthma attack, combined with a missed pedal at the start, forced Compton to stay within herself over the muddy, hilly course at Namur. The Trek Factory Racing rider, who has been crowned World Cup series champion the past two seasons, never saw the front of the race, where world champion Marianne Vos and Katerina Nash battled for the victory.

Pauwels wins World Cup in Namur.

The challenging course had turned to thick, nearly unrideable mud in some sections by the time the elite men started the final race of the day in Namur.

Tom Meeusen led the race up the opening climb, a challenging and muddy ascent that forced riders off their bikes from the start. The German rider Sascha Weber was followed by Swiss rider Marcel Wildhaber, along with Rob Peeters, Pauwels, Walsleben, van der Haar, and Francis Mourey, Corné Van Kessel and Fabien Canal.

Pauwels rode flawlessly along the thick mud stretch and gained the few seconds that he needed to take the win ahead of van der Haar, who was left behind and forced to settle for second place.

Nash claims convincing win at Namur World Cup.

Vos takes second on return to cyclo-cross action.

Nash fell behind on the early laps of the race but recovered to catch and pass Vos. The Czech went on to win by 34 seconds, while Vos, in her first outing of the cyclo-cross season, took second place.

Katie Compton finished in third place, while Sanne Cant’s sixth place finish was enough for her to retain the overall lead in the World Cup standings, although her advantage has been slashed to just a single point. Compton lies in second place, while Ellen Van Loy is in third, 32 points off Cant.

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 ...

 (cyclingnews.com)

Sven Nys withdraws from Sunday's Namur World Cup.

GP Rouwmoer Essen... LIVE.

Andy Schleck: Yes I miss cycling.

Talks ongoing for 2016 Tour of Ireland return.

Jens Voigt: Last Action Hero.

North American Woman of the Year: Katie Compton.

Katie Compton has been winning international cyclocross races so consistently, and for so long, it’s sometimes easy to overlook her world-class caliber.

It’s not accurate to say that Compton is without peer — Marianne Vos has proven a formidable opponent, particularly at the world championships — but in the context of an award that acknowledges consistent performances across the calendar, Compton has proven to be the most dominant rider in women’s cyclocross, and the most impressive North American woman in pro cycling across all disciplines.

Sanchez not willing to sign at any price.

After 13 years at Euskaltel-Euskadi, Sanchez signed with the BMC team for 2014 but the parties failed to reach an agreement to renew the contract despite the desire from both to continue the collaboration.

LCManagement, the agency that is led by Michel Gros and Joona Laukka, told L'Equipe about the current situation for Sanchez. "Samuel has always been willing to make financial sacrifices. But he was not willing to sign at any price," they said about the offer from BMC. "The chances are dwindling and his future in the bunch is uncertain."

Meanwhile, Sanchez is registered to compete today in the Memorial Justo Rebollar-Ismael Parajón, a ciclocross race in Vega de Sariego which is part of the Copa de Asturias. He already did his first cyclocross race on December 1.

Caleb Fairly.

Judged on the results he achieved at the end of 2010, it looked as if 27 year-old Texan, Caleb Fairly was headed straight for the top. Riding for Holowesko Partners/Felt, the Garmin U23 ‘feeder’ team, at the start of the year Fairly won the Tour of the Bahamas, the Tour of the Battenkill and then rode a strong Tour de Beauce. The previous year had seen him in the US U23 team and a strong showing in the super fast Olympia Tour in The Netherlands had marked him down as ‘one to watch.’ Moving up to the Garmin Pro Tour team as a stagiaire at the end of the 2010 season, his debut was straight from the top drawer.

He took 12th in his first race, the Memorial Pantani and followed that up with third in the Giro della Toscana. It was expected that Fairly would join Garmin for 2011.

Focus Izalco Max 5.0.

BikeRadar verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars. "A phenomenal lightweight frame, excellent components and a rich riding experience make this as good as any race rig we’re tried."

12 Day of Dig: Day 8.

"If you follow our Instagram feed you know we have a hard time sticking to just bike stuff, but some of the more off-beat posts are the music updates of our Creative Director as he works his magic during the final lay-out of the magazine. Ranging from folky to ear-bleeding metal the notes that keep his creative muse happy are eclectic to say the least. During our ‘East’ themed issue in 2014 he discovered some Asian rock that has become classic ‘Dig’."

PEZ: Daily Distractions.

(pezcyclingnews.com)

Op-Ed: Cycling’s review commission is a step forward, but it isn’t enough.

Brian Cookson, president of cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, deserves commendation for following through on his 2013 pre-election manifesto to convene an “independent commission” to investigate pro cycling. From all appearances, this Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) will be overseen by a very strong and experienced staff, and will operate independently of the UCI, as it looks into the history of doping and corruption in the sport.

As stated in its “Terms of Reference,” or charter, dated February 11, 2014, the CIRC proclaims that its priorities will be focused on “understanding and learning from the past to improve the future of the sport by eliminating undesirable practices and procedures as well as understanding the roots and mechanisms of the endemic problem of doping in cycling.”

Strong line-up for Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

Six of the world’s top ProTour teams are confirmed, with IAM Cycling, Trek Factory Racing, Etixx – Quick-Step and Team Katusha joining BMC Racing Team and Orica GreenEDGE in the race, promising a thrilling weekend for cycling fans.

“I am delighted with the news that some of the world’s best cycling teams are set to ride in the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race,” said Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events,  John Eren.

“These teams are the cream of the crop, competing in prestigious events such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix. It will be a great honor to see them ride against Australia’s best in our own beautiful backyard – Geelong and the Surf Coast region.”

Jonathan Vaughters reveals how close Garmin-Sharp came to folding.

“I don’t think either us or Cannodale would have been able to run a WorldTour team if there hadn’t been a deal,” Vaughter said.

“We, us and Cannondale I mean, basically became friends because we were discussing how hard it had become to run teams in this environment. People might not realize this but when we got our UCI report back a couple of weeks ago – and our budget is a little under 20 million USD – the report showed us where we were on the spectrum and we were way below average, which is around 26 to 27 million USD. That reality is hard to sustain and so as we got talking Cannondale, they told us that they’d tried to do a couple of deals, one with Tinkoff, but each time they were afraid of losing control of the brand image and not having input into the team.”

It was a tough deal to make, but Cannondale became part of the Garmin team, brining over their green livery, their bikes and eight of their riders.

Rides to Remember.

"As the year draws to a close, it’s fun to look back at the memorable rides we’ve done this year. And what a year it’s been! We’ve discovered new roads and enjoyed new adventures. The links in the text lead to posts that talk more about individual rides.

And just when it seemed like the cycling season was finally over, a sudden snowfall provided a unique opportunity to test a bike with a 2-day bikepacking trip to the Olympic Mountains. Who could stay home when roads like these beckoned?

Looking back over all these wonderful memories, I am glad that bicycles are able to provide us with these incredible experiences. What were your favorite rides this year?"

Cookson 'still determined to act' on Astana WorldTour license.

BMC: We wanted to keep Sanchez.

Santambrogio receives support from new team.

Top Rides: Paris?

12 Days of Dig: Day 7.

Brailsford starting over again with Sky in 2015.