General News Thread

[Mayomaniac]

Cyclist filed as missing person after failing to line up for Maryland Classic

Security footage captured Samuel Mugisha being collected at the airport by people he knew.

cyclingtips.com

The whole situation is super strange, the team also waited until the 4th (when he had arrived on the 31st and they weren't able to contact him) until the reported him as missing.

 

[SafeBet]

I have no idea if that's the case but he wouldn't be the first athlete from Rwanda vanishing or seeking asylum when travelling abroad.

 

[RedheadDane]

Beloved frame builder Dillen Maurer loses foot in accident | Cycling Weekly

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Germany seems to focus on the Juniors and U23 races in Wollongong.

Juniors: Mauro Brenner (RSG Ansbach), Matteo Groß (Team Auto Eder / RV Conc. Reute), Emil Herzog/ITT (Team Auto Eder / SG Simmerberg 1904), Louis Leidert/ITT (RSV rad-net), Fabian Wünstel (RSV Rheinzabern).

Herzog won GP Rüebliland, Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, Course de la Paix Juniors and Internationale Cottbuser Junioren-Etappenfahrt. That makes him one of the big favourites for the road race. He can time trial as well. However it seems like his team mate Mathieu Kockelmann might be the one to beat against the clock.

U23: Maurice Ballerstedt (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Felix Engelhardt (Tirol KTM), Michel Heßmann/ITT (Jumbo - Visma), Pierre-Pascal Keup (Lotto - Kern Haus), Jannis Peter (P&S Benotti), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Leopard), Hannes Wilksch/ITT (Team DSM Development)

Engelhardt is the current European Champion. He will join Bike Exchange next year. Heßmann got third in this years Avenir and is a great allrounder. He and Hannes Wilksch will also start the ITT. All these riders are able to produce some kind of result.

Elite Women: Ricarda Bauernfeind (CANYON // SRAM Generation), Romy Kasper (Jumbo - Visma), Franziska Koch (Team DSM), Mieke Kröger (Human Powered Health), Liane Lippert (Team DSM), Lea Lin Teutenberg (1999/Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team).

Well...it's a good team, but I'm afraid it's not good enough to contest for the rainbow jersey, once Team Ned will tear this race to pieces. Also Liane Lippert does not seem to be in the great shape she was in during the spring classics.

Elite Men: Nikias Arndt (Team DSM), Nico Denz (Team DSM), Miguel Heidemann (B&B Hotels-KTM), Jonas Koch (Bora - hansgrohe), Jannik Steimle (Quick - Step Alpha Vinyl), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux).

We won't have Lenny Kämna, who was burned out once again by his ego and his team. We won't have Schachmann, who was burned out by Covid and his team. Also no Max Walscheid, who has to race for points with Cofidis. Also no Nils Politt, who seems to end his season after Tour of Britain. Also no Bauhaus, no Ackermann...

All this makes it also very unlikely, that they will defend the mixed relay gold. I guess it would have been mission impossible anyway. Netherlands will enroll MvdP, Mollema, Hoole, van Dijk, van Vleuten & Markus.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Germany seems to focus on the Juniors and U23 races in Wollongong.

Juniors: Mauro Brenner (RSG Ansbach), Matteo Groß (Team Auto Eder / RV Conc. Reute), Emil Herzog/ITT (Team Auto Eder / SG Simmerberg 1904), Louis Leidert/ITT (RSV rad-net), Fabian Wünstel (RSV Rheinzabern).

Herzog won GP Rüebliland, Ain Bugey Valromey Tour, Course de la Paix Juniors and Internationale Cottbuser Junioren-Etappenfahrt. That makes him one of the big favourites for the road race. He can time trial as well. However it seems like his team mate Mathieu Kockelmann might be the one to beat against the clock.

U23: Maurice Ballerstedt (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Felix Engelhardt (Tirol KTM), Michel Heßmann/ITT (Jumbo - Visma), Pierre-Pascal Keup (Lotto - Kern Haus), Jannis Peter (P&S Benotti), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Leopard), Hannes Wilksch/ITT (Team DSM Development)

Engelhardt is the current European Champion. He will join Bike Exchange next year. Heßmann got third in this years Avenir and is a great allrounder. He and Hannes Wilksch will also start the ITT. All these riders are able to produce some kind of result.

Elite Women: Ricarda Bauernfeind (CANYON // SRAM Generation), Romy Kasper (Jumbo - Visma), Franziska Koch (Team DSM), Mieke Kröger (Human Powered Health), Liane Lippert (Team DSM), Lea Lin Teutenberg (1999/Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team).

Well...it's a good team, but I'm afraid it's not good enough to contest for the rainbow jersey, once Team Ned will tear this race to pieces. Also Liane Lippert does not seem to be in the great shape she was in during the spring classics.

Elite Men: Nikias Arndt (Team DSM), Nico Denz (Team DSM), Miguel Heidemann (B&B Hotels-KTM), Jonas Koch (Bora - hansgrohe), Jannik Steimle (Quick - Step Alpha Vinyl), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux).

We won't have Lenny Kämna, who was burned out once again by his ego and his team. We won't have Schachmann, who was burned out by Covid and his team. Also no Max Walscheid, who has to race for points with Cofidis. Also no Nils Politt, who seems to end his season after Tour of Britain. Also no Bauhaus, no Ackermann...

All this makes it also very unlikely, that they will defend the mixed relay gold. I guess it would have been mission impossible anyway. Netherlands will enroll MvdP, Mollema, Hoole, van Dijk, van Vleuten & Markus.

Lippert looked good in the Tour of Scandinavia, and she tried her best to avoid a bunch sprint during the EC, so I t don't think her shape is that bad. She didn't make the final group in Plouay, but not many riders did that, and DSM had Labous there instead. She's obviously not the biggest favourite, but she has a decent chance of winning a medal.

There is a thread for the WC now: https://forum.cyclingnews.com/threa...september-18th-25th.38230/page-2#post-2759310

 

[Mayomaniac]

About the Italian team for the WC, Cavalli won't be racing after her crash at the Tour. She would have been a top favourite on this route and her + ELB would have been a devastating combination.

On the men's side Bettiol will be the team leader and Trentin will be the road captain. Rota really should be there after his season and looking at the Vuelta Battistella probably deserves a spot. No idea what they'll do with Piccolo, will he ride the Elite or the U23 race. I don't know if the route is too hard for Albanese, but I'd bring him and/or Zana (he did win the NC on a hilly circuit after all).

 

[yaco]

The Italian's always ride well as a team and punch above there weight - Think Zana should be in the team, while Bettiol can have a strong ride.

 

[SafeBet]

About the Italian team for the WC, Cavalli won't be racing after her crash at the Tour. She would have been a top favourite on this route and her + ELB would have been a devastating combination.

On the men's side Bettiol will be the team leader and Trentin will be the road captain. Rota really should be there after his season and looking at the Vuelta Battistella probably deserves a spot. No idea what they'll do with Piccolo, will he ride the Elite or the U23 race. I don't know if the route is too hard for Albanese, but I'd bring him and/or Zana (he did win the NC on a hilly circuit after all).

I'm not sure EF will be ok with Piccolo travelling to Australia.
Bettiol + Trentin + Rota + Battistella should be there. Concur with you on Albanese, not so sure about Zana, who's a bit light for such a route.
Both Covi and Bagioli would be perfect for this route but unfortunately none of them looks in shape.

Ganna / Affini / Sobrero will ride the TT and I guess at least one of them will be in the road team as well.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm not sure EF will be ok with Piccolo travelling to Australia.
Bettiol + Trentin + Rota + Battistella should be there. Concur with you on Albanese, not so sure about Zana, who's a bit light for such a route.
Both Covi and Bagioli would be perfect for this route but unfortunately none of them looks in shape.

Ganna / Affini / Sobrero will ride the TT and I guess at least one of them will be in the road team as well.

Maybe De Marchi as a sort of 2nd road captain, if he shows something durning the rest of the Vuelta?
Of the TTers I'd probably take Sobrero. He's the best of the on steeper hills and nobody expects Italy to keep the breakaway in check with one of the big engines early, so I'd bring him.
Edit: Yeah, EF probably need Piccolo to score some points in the Italian Autumn classics...

 

[BR2]

Maybe this discussion could be done in the WC-thread as there are many posts now, and a mod could transfer the posts?

 

[Netserk]

From twitter, not official yet.

So exactly as previously rumoured:

[Are You Not Entertained?!]

I wonder if this means we won't see the Muro and the northern descent ever again, and if so for how long it will take before they do Sormano from the other side:

If that descent is deemed off limits, it's either the proposed revision, the "old" route of the Bettini editions, or Sormano from the other side.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

If you don't want to descend Sormano, you should not be finishing in Como. In that sense, it might be advantageous in the long run if this year's race is terrible, then again it doesn't seem as if RCS have learned from the castration of Milano-Torino, nor from one of the worst post-dark age Giri, based on what we've heard since...

 

[Netserk]

If you don't want to descend Sormano, you should not be finishing in Como. In that sense, it might be advantageous in the long run if this year's race is terrible, then again it doesn't seem as if RCS have learned from the castration of Milano-Torino, nor from one of the worst post-dark age Giri, based on what we've heard since...

As long as you don't do the hardest side of Civiglio, you don't have to descend that side of Sormano to make it work.

Here is another option that only uses roads previously used in Lombardia: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40919860

Completely skipping Sormano, you could do a loop with Pian Rancio first and then Ghisallo afterwards.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

As long as you don't do the hardest side of Civiglio, you don't have to descend that side of Sormano to make it work.

Lombardia is supposed to be the climbers' monument, the last edition with a Ghisallo - easy side of Civiglio - San Fermo finale was won by Gilbert with 15 riders finishing within 15 seconds. Clearly didn't work anymore by that point, just like 2014 bringing back the early 2000s-style Bergamo route didn't work anymore by that point either. You simply need another climb to chain with Ghisallo or Sormano-west to make it work and that climb just doesn't exist.

 

[Netserk]

Lombardia is supposed to be the climbers' monument, the last edition with a Ghisallo - easy side of Civiglio - San Fermo finale was won by Gilbert with 15 riders finishing within 15 seconds. Clearly didn't work anymore by that point, just like 2014 bringing back the early 2000s-style Bergamo route didn't work anymore by that point either. You simply need another climb to chain with Ghisallo or Sormano-west to make it work and that climb just doesn't exist.

Just like 2014 was a failure, 2016 showed that it was not about the last 35 km.

And if you fear that San Fermo is still too attractive to wait for, you can use the final kms of 2018 instead.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Will San Fermo even be usable after the recent landslide on the road?

 

[Netserk]

Lombardia is supposed to be the climbers' monument, the last edition with a Ghisallo - easy side of Civiglio - San Fermo finale was won by Gilbert with 15 riders finishing within 15 seconds. Clearly didn't work anymore by that point, just like 2014 bringing back the early 2000s-style Bergamo route didn't work anymore by that point either. You simply need another climb to chain with Ghisallo or Sormano-west to make it work and that climb just doesn't exist.

As an illustrative example, this is what I would consider a maximalist Ghisallo route:

Bergamo > Como, Giro del Lombardia

244.0 km, +5453 m. Bike ride in Seriate, LOM

ridewithgps.com

Hmm, or maybe that would be with a Ghisallo loop and then without Dossena, but you get the gist of it.

 

[Valv.Piti]

This peaks my interest, allthough Im still at a loss as to why they can't descend Colma di Sormano after climbing Muro? As I said previously in this thread, I literally went over that pass each day (and descended it as well), so whats wrong? I don't get it.

Could be interesting though to see a route with Colma de Sormano, 13 km at 7%, but its harder than that I can assure you given it has one km or so of 0%. A very hard cat 1 climb, and then you can probably still finish off in Como although you have a decent amount of false flat before the two last climbs.

 

[tobydawq]

This peaks my interest, allthough Im still at a loss as to why they can't descend Colma di Sormano after climbing Muro? As I said previously in this thread, I literally went over that pass each day (and descended it as well), so whats wrong? I don't get it.

Could be interesting though to see a route with Colma de Sormano, 13 km at 7%, but its harder than that I can assure you given it has one km or so of 0%. A very hard cat 1 climb, and then you can probably still finish off in Como although you have a decent amount of false flat before the two last climbs.

Such a hard mountain should not be in a monument.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I'd say Ghisallo + Muro di Sormano is still harder, even though you obviously have around 5 km or so descending from Ghisallo down to Sormano climb start. So why not?

 

[Netserk]

Such a hard mountain should not be in a monument.

So most of the Lombardia routes in the past decade had too hard climbs?

 

[tobydawq]

So most of the Lombardia routes in the past decade had too hard climbs?

When did they have a 13 km climb?

 

[Valv.Piti]

When did they have a 13 km climb?

Never, but as I said, I'd argue Ghisallo + Muro di Sormano should be at least as selective as Colma di Sormano from the other side.

 

[roundabout]

When did they have a 13 km climb?

Valcava from the hard side while not 13km is 900 meters ascent and it was raced 3 or 4 times I think between 2011 and 2016

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'd definitely say based on profiles that Valcava is tougher.