General News Thread

[Christian]

Teams for Mallorca Challenge (Feb 9-12):

World Tour : Lotto Belisol Team, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Garmin-Sharp, Astana Pro Team, Team Katusha, Team Sky, Orica-GreenEDGE Cycling Team, Lampre-Merida, Team Europcar et Movistar Team.

Continentales Pro et Continentales : Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Cofidis Solutions Crédit, Team Novo Nordisk, MTN-Qhubeka, Team NetApp-Endura, IAM Cycling, Euskadi, Burgos BH, Activejet Team, Team Ecuador et Cyclingteam de Rijke.

http://cyclismactu.net/news-challenge-de-majorque-les-21-equipes-presentes-38040.html

Didn't they cut it down to 3 Trofeosr? Is it now back to 4 again, or did it use to be 5?

 

[roundabout]

It used to be 5, they did cut it to 4. Can't recall if it was ever down to 3.

 

[Christian]

Ah, thanks! No, I just thought it was 4 in the beginning and that it went down to three

 

[Dazed and Confused]

According to procyclingstats the following teams will take part in KBK:

1. AG2R La Mondiale (Appollonio)
2. Belkin Pro Cycling Team (Vanmarcke, Tjallingii)
3. Garmin - Sharp
4. Lotto Belisol Team (Roelandts, Willems)
5. Team Europcar (Coquard, Jerome)
6. Team Katusha (Kristoff)
7. Omega Pharma - Quick-Step (Boonen, Velits)
8. Team Sky (Boasson Hagen, Knees)
9. Equipe Cycliste FDJ.fr (Demare)
10. Team Giant-Shimano (Veelers, Ahlstrand)
11. BMC Racing Team
12. Wanty - Groupe Gobert
13. Bretagne- Séché Environnement
14. IAM Cycling
15. Neri Sottoli - Yellow Fluo
16. CCC Polsat Polkowice
17. Team NetApp – Endura
18. Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise (Theuns)
19. Cofidis Solutions Crédits (Senechal, Verhelst)
20. Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace Continental Team (Ruijgh)
21. Veranclassic - Doltcini
22. An Post - Chainreaction
23. Wallonie - Bruxelles
24. Team3M
25. Roubaix - Lille Métropole

Perhaps an early warning to anybody who wants to do the Classics Game.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Dubai Tour aka Route du Cash Cow. Teams lining up:

LAMPRE – MERIDA: Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (POR), Filippo Pozzato (ITA)
ASTANA PRO TEAM: Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Janez Brajkovic (SLO)
BANCO BIC – CARMIM: Manuel Antunes Amaro (POR), Henrique Casimiro (POR)
BMC RACING TEAM: Thor Hushovd (NOR), Taylor Phinney (USA)
CANNONDALE: Peter Sagan (SVK), Damiano Caruso (ITA)
GARMIN SHARP: Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Tyler Farrar (USA)
MOVISTAR TEAM: Alex Dowsett (GBR), Adriano Malori (ITA)
OMEGA PHARMA – QUICK-STEP: Mark Cavendish (GBR), Tony Martin (GER)
RTS – SANTIC RACING TEAM: Simon Buttner (FRA), Alex Coutts (GBR)
SKYDIVE DUBAI PRO CYCLING TEAM: Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG), Mohammed Al Murawwi (UAE)
TEAM GIANT – SHIMANO: Marcel Kittel (GER), Cheng Ji (CHN)
TEAM KATUSHA: Joaquin Oliver Rodriguez (SPA), Luca Paolini (ITA)
TINKOFF SAXO: Oliver Zaugg (SUI), Matteo Tosatto (ITA)
TREK FACTORY RACING: Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Fumiyuki Beppu (JPN)
UAE NATIONAL TEAM: Majid Albalooshi (UAE), Mohammed Almansuory (UAE)
VINI FANTINI – NIPPO – DE ROSA: Pier Paolo De Negri (ITA), Takashi Miyazawa (JPN)

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...s-confirmed-for-Dubai-Tour.aspx#ixzz2rjSOVJJH

Hesjedal vs Mancebo in the desert if we get lucky.

 

[pastronef]

Dubai Tour aka Route du Cash Cow. Teams lining up:

GARMIN SHARP: Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Tyler Farrar (USA)

Read more: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...s-confirmed-for-Dubai-Tour.aspx#ixzz2rjSOVJJH

finally Ryder is back after months of silence and Maui training

 

[search]

Hesjedal vs Mancebo in the desert if we get lucky.

uhh, don't know if that's some kind insider joke, but regarding the profile it looks more like a battle of the time trialists

 

[Dazed and Confused]

uhh, don't know if that's some kind insider joke, but regarding the profile it looks more like a battle of the time trialists

It was a joke.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Teams for Strade Bianche (March 8), via procyclingstats:

1. Astana Pro Team (Kessiakoff)
2. BMC Racing Team (Van Avermaet, Evans)
3. Cannondale (Sagan, Moser)
4. Lampre - Merida (Pozzato, Niemiec)
5. Movistar Team (Valverde, Amador)
6. Omega Pharma - Quick-Step (Uran)
7. Team Giant-Shimano (Barguil, Ludvigsson)
8. Team Katusha (Caruso)
9. Team Sky
10. Tinkoff-Saxo (Kreuziger, Roche)
11. Trek Factory Racing (Cancellara, Felline)
12. Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela (Hoogerland)
13. Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
14. Team Colombia
15. IAM Cycling (Brandle, Löfkvist)
16. Team MTN Qhubeka
17. UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis
18. Neri Sottoli - Yellow Fluo

 

[Gloin22]

Not realated to road, but Stybar has just won Cross World Champs Without even riding much, looks like he'll be bossing classics this season, Boonen move aside

 

[LaFlorecita]

Not realated to road, but Stybar has just won Cross World Champs Without even riding much, looks like he'll be bossing classics this season, Boonen move aside

Gotta love it

 

[Afrank]

Stybar for Ronde-Roubaix double.

 

[Lupetto]

Porto candidates as host for the start of Vuelta 2015.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Porto candidates as host for the start of Vuelta 2015.

This makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Tour of Britain bumped up in category to 2.HC from 2.1

(twitter and ToB website)

 

[Parrulo]

Porto candidates as host for the start of Vuelta 2015.

That would be awesome as i study in Porto

The vuelta clearly loves me

 

[will10]

Tour of Britain bumped up in category to 2.HC from 2.1

(twitter and ToB website)

Can someone remind me of the restrictions to team invites now that it's 2.HC? Got a feeling there's a limit to no. of Conti teams now compared with 2.1 but can't seem to find the info anywhere...

 

[roundabout]

Only conti teams from Britain (host country) now allowed

 

[Catwhoorg]

Max of 70% World Tour teams (up from 50%).

National and Conti teams only from the host country

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_race_classifications

Is the best single table summary I know of, much less hassle to read than the official UCI one

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That would be awesome as i study in Porto

The vuelta clearly loves me

1 stage in Porto, 1 stage in Minho, then the rest of week 1 in Galicia before the second weekend in Asturias with brutal MTFs would be my guess, if that were to happen.

And I so want the Alto da Torre

 

[Christian]

What about Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro? Does the Volta ever go there? It's pretty hilly though, right? Would it be possible to do some nice stages there? How is it in general for cyclo-tourism? I looked up a while ago whether there were any companies offering tours (just to have a look at possible routes, read descriptions) but I didn't find any. All you will find is Algarve

 

[trevim]

What about Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro? Does the Volta ever go there? It's pretty hilly though, right? Would it be possible to do some nice stages there? How is it in general for cyclo-tourism? I looked up a while ago whether there were any companies offering tours (just to have a look at possible routes, read descriptions) but I didn't find any. All you will find is Algarve

It's a great place, nice roads, low traffic, very nice food, etc. It's a shame the Volta never goes there, a medium mountain stage could be very well done there.

 

[trevim]

1 stage in Porto, 1 stage in Minho, then the rest of week 1 in Galicia before the second weekend in Asturias with brutal MTFs would be my guess, if that were to happen.

And I so want the Alto da Torre

Why Alto da Torre? It gets used every year in the Volta, what impact could it make in the Vuelta that a lot of other great spanish climbs can't?

 

[Parrulo]

They should do an ITT/TTT coming from the Marginal and climbing from the Ribeira to the Aliados.

It should be done so it starts during the afternoon and ends at nightfall.

The marginal is on the river side so the view would be awesome

Link because the pic is kind of big:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4x0Vpfmhv2M/T4HelRuy_VI/AAAAAAAAbzY/LHsuLP2DAKE/s1600/FOL_4128.jpg

Then they would arrive at Ribeira:

Ribeira with the d. luis bridge at nightfall.

View from the bridge during day time (another big pic)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FKDP-SeCb04/T-eaE3qO5pI/AAAAAAAAFH4/8K-2H-NMwBY/s1600/Ribeira+Porto+I.JPG

And climb up to estação de são bento:

And then finish on the Avenida dos Aliados:

 

[BigMac]

Parrulo once desgined a stage in that area that looked very nice. Iirc it had a MTF on a wind farm.

It is somwhere in the Race Design thread.