General News Thread

[May0maniac]

In 2 days the Giro del Trentino route will be unveiled in Milano (last year RCS started promoting the race, that's probably the reason for haiving the presentation there).
A few months ago I heard the rumour that they want to use the finishing circuit of the WC RR, or at least the climbs, in a stage.
They probably want to use the WC to get a few big names that usually ride Romandie, guys like Froome, Quintana, Porte and maybe Dumoulin.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Bjarne Vanacker, a west-flemish climbing talent, died today.
He finished 15th in the Picolo Giro di Lombardia this year.
He was found dead in his bed this morning, circumstances are still unknown.

https://www.hln.be/sport/wielrennen/beloftevolle-wielrenner-20-uit-west-vlaanderen-plots-overleden~a13b8da2/

 

[RedheadDane]

It's just... heartbreaking!

Seriously, if I could have one wish - just one wish - for the 2018 season, it would be no tragedies. Just one year with nobody dying.

 

[May0maniac]

Ok, the route of the Giro del Trentino has been published:
1) Arco - Folgaria 134,6 km 2530 m of altitude gain ***
2) Lavarone - Fiemme / Alpe di Pampeago 145,5 km 2900 m of altitude gain****
3) Ora / Auer - Merano 138,3 km 2600 m of altitude gain **
4) Chiusa /Klausen - Lienz 134,3 km 2300 m of altitude gain***
5) Rattenberg - Innsbruck 161,6 km 2770 m of altitude gain***

The profiles:

https://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/races/view/2018/66

They use the Innsbruck circuit, probably because they want to attract guys like Froome, Quintana and Porte who usually ride the Tour de Romandie when they ride the Tour.

 

[Ricco']

Ffs, even Giro delle Valle d'Aosta had two stages with more than 170 km.

This trend is getting annoying. One short stage now and then is fine but a pro race with 3 stages below 140 km and 4 below 150km?

 

[May0maniac]

Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of short stages, but it's prep race for the Giro with nothing but mountains, I can understand why they went for short stages, even if it's a bit extreme.

 

[yaco]

The Alps is only a mountain race - Doubt you need 200+km stages.

 

[Gigs_98]

Yeah the stages are a bit short but still I really like this route.

 

[Breh]

Scheldeprijs will now start in Terneuzen, Netherlands. Finish will stay in Schoten. I suppose they will go through Zeeland and enter Belgium to the north of Antwerp.

New course should increase the chance for echelons.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Armée de Terre stops. No more money from the ministry of defence.

https://www.directvelo.com/actualite/62603/l-equipe-de-l-armee-de-terre-s-arrete

 

[Alexandre B.]

Next edition of Tour La Provence will feature a prologue on a Formula One circuit and a double ascent of Col de l'Espigoulier (11,3k at 5,2%)

Jeudi 8 février : Prologue sur le circuit Paul Ricard, 5,8km
Vendredi 9 février : 1e étape, Aubagne > Istres, 184km
Samedi 10 février : La Ciotat > Col de l’Espigoulier (Gemenos), 153km
Dimanche 11 février : Aix-en-Provence > Marseille, 167km

 

[Breh]

Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont are no longer part of Dwars Door Vlaanderen. Instead of 200km, it's now 180km.

Trieu/Knokte and Kluisberg are back in.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont are no longer part of Dwars Door Vlaanderen. Instead of 200km, it's now 180km.

Trieu/Knokte and Kluisberg are back in.

I like that. Kwaremont and Paterberg are overused anyway.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re:

Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont are no longer part of Dwars Door Vlaanderen. Instead of 200km, it's now 180km.

Trieu/Knokte and Kluisberg are back in.

Only 180km for a World Tour race?

 

[tristecsinamigos]

Róbinson López (2017 u23 Colombian champion) positive for doping. He says a "friend" (not from the team) gave him some "vitamines" and that he didn't know it was a prohibited substance.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Het nieuwsblad reported on the felt-bikes from wout van aert today.

Here are some shocking facts:

Riders started complaining about the bikes even before they had raced, the frames were to stiff.
Nuyens (I could tell you a lot about him) said they just weren't motivated enough.
The team rode "de Omloop het Nieuwsblad" on cross frames.
During the Tour of Belgium four riders rode frames used by skil-shimano between 2011-2013. Thimoty Dupont rode one who was 2 seizes to big but still preferred it to the current one. The other riders were Dries de Bondt, WvA and Huub Duijn.
Gaetan Bille bought himself the latest model of Felt Bikes but Nuyens didn't allow him to race on it. After that Bille raced the bar minimum, once every five weeks.
Only in August did some riders get a new bike.
Because of the situation many riders don't want to continue with the team (Dupont) or are sacked by Nuyens (Bille, Cordeel, Vergaerde...)

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Het nieuwsblad reported on the felt-bikes from wout van aert today.

Here are some shocking facts:

Riders started complaining about the bikes even before they had raced, the frames were to stiff.
Nuyens (I could tell you a lot about him) said they just weren't motivated enough.
The team rode "de Omloop het Nieuwsblad" on cross frames.
During the Tour of Belgium four riders rode frames used by skil-shimano between 2011-2013. Thimoty Dupont rode one who was 2 seizes to big but still preferred it to the current one. The other riders were Dries de Bondt, WvA and Huub Duijn.
Gaetan Bille bought himself the latest model of Felt Bikes but Nuyens didn't allow him to race on it. After that Bille raced the bar minimum, once every five weeks.
Only in August did some riders get a new bike.
Because of the situation many riders don't want to continue with the team (Dupont) or are sacked by Nuyens (Bille, Cordeel, Vergaerde...)

many riders notb wanting to continue means the FELT deal with the team lasta a few year from 2017 om. you know for how long?
thanks

speaking about team bikes, it looks like Orbea changed French team, from Cofidis (Kuota from 2018) they will partner with Vital-Concept (Coquard and co)

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

Het nieuwsblad reported on the felt-bikes from wout van aert today.

Here are some shocking facts:

Riders started complaining about the bikes even before they had raced, the frames were to stiff.
Nuyens (I could tell you a lot about him) said they just weren't motivated enough.
The team rode "de Omloop het Nieuwsblad" on cross frames.
During the Tour of Belgium four riders rode frames used by skil-shimano between 2011-2013. Thimoty Dupont rode one who was 2 seizes to big but still preferred it to the current one. The other riders were Dries de Bondt, WvA and Huub Duijn.
Gaetan Bille bought himself the latest model of Felt Bikes but Nuyens didn't allow him to race on it. After that Bille raced the bar minimum, once every five weeks.
Only in August did some riders get a new bike.
Because of the situation many riders don't want to continue with the team (Dupont) or are sacked by Nuyens (Bille, Cordeel, Vergaerde...)

That's a really weird mess. I can't work out from Google Translate if the riders had problems with cross bikes too or only with the road frames?

It's been quite a while since I can recall open strife in a team about equipment. Usually if there's a problem, some quiet substitutions and rebadgings are carried out and complaints about a sponsor's products are kept out of the press.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

WvA isn't happy about his cross bike either, the frame (top tube) is apparently pretty weak and for a rider like WvA who uses his power to keep up with riders like MvP who have more technical skills it's a concern.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will change its finale to the old Ronde finale with the Muur, the Bosberg and finish in Meerbeke.

http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/1.3011529

While I really like the old finale of the RVV and dislike the new route, completely changing another race which was a great race in its own right is really not the right solution for me.

Omloop had a unique dynamic with flat cobbles after the hill section, that will now be lost.

This is really a new race now.

 

[Alexandre B.]

FDJ becomes Groupama-FDJ and its budget will be 30% higher than it is today (~16-20M€)

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will change its finale to the old Ronde finale with the Muur, the Bosberg and finish in Meerbeke.

http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/1.3011529

While I really like the old finale of the RVV and dislike the new route, completely changing another race which was a great race in its own right is really not the right solution for me.

Omloop had a unique dynamic with flat cobbles after the hill section, that will now be lost.

This is really a new race now.

I saw this on Twitter yesterday and was surprised about the changes.

Then I saw your post and was more surprised about the quotations :lol:

I must be getting old.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Tour de l'Ain 2018 (May 18-20)

 

[roundabout]

3 stages

 

[pastronef]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcclhHxnLg9/?taken-by=brentbookwalter

full BMC pro team with disc brakes at the Denia training camp.
it has begun
Uci and Shimano (and Sram) have chosen.