General News Thread

[Netserk]

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya has been defined - Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2024

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which will be held from 20 to 26 March 2023, has already its itinerary defined with the official confirmati

www.voltacatalunya.cat

Good order of stages and nice to have Mont Caro/Lo Port back again.

 

[Red Rick]

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya has been defined - Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2024

The 102nd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which will be held from 20 to 26 March 2023, has already its itinerary defined with the official confirmati

www.voltacatalunya.cat

Good order of stages and nice to have Mont Caro/Lo Port back again.

3 MTFs?

Mont Caro is back?

Sign me up

 

[Devil's Elbow]

3 MTFs?

Mont Caro is back?

Sign me up

Well two MTFs, La Molina doesn't count.

Still, Vallter 2000 + Lo Port is as good a combination of MTFs as the Volta is going to do. A TT would have been the cherry on the cake but it's already a lot better than we usually get.

 

[Red Rick]

Well two MTFs, La Molina doesn't count.

Still, Vallter 2000 + Lo Port is as good a combination of MTFs as the Volta is going to do. A TT would have been the cherry on the cake but it's already a lot better than we usually get.

I'm not gonna lie if there's a race I wouldn't mind a straight MTF fest it's probably Catalunya.

 

[Netserk]

La Molina is good. When it was the last mountain stage (2018 and 2019), it was raced well. Most underrated MTF in cycling.

 

[Unchained]

I read a pretty sketchy article about getting into bed with the devil depending on sponsorship money. Even the title is absolutely f--king stupid.
If you are under a rock for multiple decades sure you could write that and be excused for just not having a clue.
If you go top down, with a rider standing next to a bicycle, not including the bike start..
The helmet is made from petroleum products.. Synthetic materials in base layer, jersey, jackets and rain gear, bibs, almost certainly contain synthetic something.. Socks..repeat.. Depending on season leg and arm warmers and forget about shoes..don't see many offerings w natural materials.. Almost all contain some form of plastic..
The bikes.. I really don't need to go into detail that nothing is natural on the bicycle and the tires..again it's a dead horse.. The way you get rubber compounds is not natural.. Tires don't occur organically..
And going to and from races, majority of support in major races use nothing natural.. And it's not looking like renewable anything is part of the bike industry or racing plan.. So putting cash in your account from an oil company is bad? Putting a Shell shell on the sleeve of your jersey is evil?.. Come on.. way way too woke to be written by anyone who knows anything about bike racing at any level..
Love to see the crying while discovering how lycra is made and what of..or what the components are of @95% of bicycle helmets..Bike racing should embrace sponsor loot from hard liquor companies and beef slaughter houses.. anyone and everyone.. Shell Oil included.. without oil companies there would be no bike racing as we know it.. And no pictures from helicopters, cars and motorcycles..

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I read a pretty sketchy article about getting into bed with the devil depending on sponsorship money. Even the title is absolutely f--king stupid.
If you are under a rock for multiple decades sure you could write that and be excused for just not having a clue.
If you go top down, with a rider standing next to a bicycle, not including the bike start..
The helmet is made from petroleum products.. Synthetic materials in base layer, jersey, jackets and rain gear, bibs, almost certainly contain synthetic something.. Socks..repeat.. Depending on season leg and arm warmers and forget about shoes..don't see many offerings w natural materials.. Almost all contain some form of plastic..
The bikes.. I really don't need to go into detail that nothing is natural on the bicycle and the tires..again it's a dead horse.. The way you get rubber compounds is not natural.. Tires don't occur organically..
And going to and from races, majority of support in major races use nothing natural.. And it's not looking like renewable anything is part of the bike industry or racing plan.. So putting cash in your account from an oil company is bad? Putting a Shell shell on the sleeve of your jersey is evil?.. Come on.. way way too woke to be written by anyone who knows anything about bike racing at any level..
Love to see the crying while discovering how lycra is made and what of..or what the components are of @95% of bicycle helmets..Bike racing should embrace sponsor loot from hard liquor companies and beef slaughter houses.. anyone and everyone.. Shell Oil included.. without oil companies there would be no bike racing as we know it.. And no pictures from helicopters, cars and motorcycles..

All of which totally overlooks the conduct of the KSA in the realm of human rights and foreign affairs. Forum rules prohibit me from saying more, but please do not be so naive as to assume that the discomfort about this arrangement is principally an anti-oil industry matter.

@Red Rick or any other Admin: Unchained's comment and my reply probably belong in the Movistar thread rather than here.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Velo d’Or has been split into separate categories for the first time ever, and I can’t find a link specifically talking about it but it’s all over twitter. Finally an ok decision by the organizers of that award.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Velo d’Or has been split into separate categories for the first time ever, and I can’t find a link specifically talking about it but it’s all over twitter. Finally an ok decision by the organizers of that award.

One for the front wheel
and one for the back?

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

One for the front wheel
and one for the back?

I assume this is a joke, but separated into mens and womens.

 

[Red Rick]

Velo d’Or has been split into separate categories for the first time ever, and I can’t find a link specifically talking about it but it’s all over twitter. Finally an ok decision by the organizers of that award.

Ridiculous lengths the Evenepoel cult goes to to fix awards for him.

 

[tobydawq]

Ridiculous lengths the Evenepoel cult goes to to fix awards for him.

Lol.

 

[Extinction]

I read a pretty sketchy article about getting into bed with the devil depending on sponsorship money. Even the title is absolutely f--king stupid.
If you are under a rock for multiple decades sure you could write that and be excused for just not having a clue.
If you go top down, with a rider standing next to a bicycle, not including the bike start..
The helmet is made from petroleum products.. Synthetic materials in base layer, jersey, jackets and rain gear, bibs, almost certainly contain synthetic something.. Socks..repeat.. Depending on season leg and arm warmers and forget about shoes..don't see many offerings w natural materials.. Almost all contain some form of plastic..
The bikes.. I really don't need to go into detail that nothing is natural on the bicycle and the tires..again it's a dead horse.. The way you get rubber compounds is not natural.. Tires don't occur organically..
And going to and from races, majority of support in major races use nothing natural.. And it's not looking like renewable anything is part of the bike industry or racing plan.. So putting cash in your account from an oil company is bad? Putting a Shell shell on the sleeve of your jersey is evil?.. Come on.. way way too woke to be written by anyone who knows anything about bike racing at any level..
Love to see the crying while discovering how lycra is made and what of..or what the components are of @95% of bicycle helmets..Bike racing should embrace sponsor loot from hard liquor companies and beef slaughter houses.. anyone and everyone.. Shell Oil included.. without oil companies there would be no bike racing as we know it.. And no pictures from helicopters, cars and motorcycles..

Yea, but it isn't about eliminating a virtuous use of petrol biproducts, but taking a stand against ruining the planet.

 

[Unchained]

Yea, but it isn't about eliminating a virtuous use of petrol biproducts, but taking a stand against ruining the planet.

It's always going to be self feeding.. the3rd world, developing countries aspire for the things of the West.. Bigger modern homes, cars,trucks, motorcycles, if vast increases in participation in this part of development, the economy more fossil fuel use..and just a single event.. Let's say Tour D,France.. hundreds of official vehicles, motorcycles, support, tractor trailers putting up and tearing down all the apparatus and going on to the next stage.. and air travel.. Helicopters every day.. and sometimes riders and staff have to fly between stages..this is the footprint of cycling.. In the US for example we have NBA,NFL,NHL,MLB,monster trucks, motocross and dozens of others completely dependent on fossil fuels for the business model for years to come.. And as I said before.. not much press on Cycling News and other sites about negating plastic and fossil fuels from cycling.. Don't hear widespread conversation about the use of drones vs helicopters.. Don't know about your part of the world.. But in mine ( a world leader I will add) non fossil fuel vehicles are unavailable.. No current 18 wheelers ,no motorcycles, and no pickup trucks or vans available.. No aircraft.. So do I 1000% agree, yes, but wherever you look ,the wholesale abandonment is nowhere close.. If you come here you would think that every @10th car is a Tesla or Prius . And cycling has gone completely180..the ability to recycle a bicycle was relatively simple before E bike explosion.. such growth, that in the SW United States.. E bike shops that don't carry human powered bicycles are popping up all over.. Even if you and I don't like it.. Agreed we don't.. Combustion engine vehicles and petro chemical everything are part of the future for years to come.. China, India.. in no position for wholesale adoption of non fossil fuel economy.. US nowhere close.. Just ordered bibs and winter jerseys, shoe covers.. all made from a process involving petro chemical engineering

 

[Extinction]

It's always going to be self feeding.. the3rd world, developing countries aspire for the things of the West.. Bigger modern homes, cars,trucks, motorcycles, if vast increases in participation in this part of development, the economy more fossil fuel use..and just a single event.. Let's say Tour D,France.. hundreds of official vehicles, motorcycles, support, tractor trailers putting up and tearing down all the apparatus and going on to the next stage.. and air travel.. Helicopters every day.. and sometimes riders and staff have to fly between stages..this is the footprint of cycling.. In the US for example we have NBA,NFL,NHL,MLB,monster trucks, motocross and dozens of others completely dependent on fossil fuels for the business model for years to come.. And as I said before.. not much press on Cycling News and other sites about negating plastic and fossil fuels from cycling.. Don't hear widespread conversation about the use of drones vs helicopters.. Don't know about your part of the world.. But in mine ( a world leader I will add) non fossil fuel vehicles are unavailable.. No current 18 wheelers ,no motorcycles, and no pickup trucks or vans available.. No aircraft.. So do I 1000% agree, yes, but wherever you look ,the wholesale abandonment is nowhere close.. If you come here you would think that every @10th car is a Tesla or Prius . And cycling has gone completely180..the ability to recycle a bicycle was relatively simple before E bike explosion.. such growth, that in the SW United States.. E bike shops that don't carry human powered bicycles are popping up all over.. Even if you and I don't like it.. Agreed we don't.. Combustion engine vehicles and petro chemical everything are part of the future for years to come.. China, India.. in no position for wholesale adoption of non fossil fuel economy.. US nowhere close.. Just ordered bibs and winter jerseys, shoe covers.. all made from a process involving petro chemical engineering

Right, but that has nothing to do with taking a position, however futile. At least we die with a clean conscience.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It's always going to be self feeding.. the3rd world, developing countries aspire for the things of the West.. Bigger modern homes, cars,trucks, motorcycles, if vast increases in participation in this part of development, the economy more fossil fuel use..and just a single event.. Let's say Tour D,France.. hundreds of official vehicles, motorcycles, support, tractor trailers putting up and tearing down all the apparatus and going on to the next stage.. and air travel.. Helicopters every day.. and sometimes riders and staff have to fly between stages..this is the footprint of cycling.. In the US for example we have NBA,NFL,NHL,MLB,monster trucks, motocross and dozens of others completely dependent on fossil fuels for the business model for years to come.. And as I said before.. not much press on Cycling News and other sites about negating plastic and fossil fuels from cycling.. Don't hear widespread conversation about the use of drones vs helicopters.. Don't know about your part of the world.. But in mine ( a world leader I will add) non fossil fuel vehicles are unavailable.. No current 18 wheelers ,no motorcycles, and no pickup trucks or vans available.. No aircraft.. So do I 1000% agree, yes, but wherever you look ,the wholesale abandonment is nowhere close.. If you come here you would think that every @10th car is a Tesla or Prius . And cycling has gone completely180..the ability to recycle a bicycle was relatively simple before E bike explosion.. such growth, that in the SW United States.. E bike shops that don't carry human powered bicycles are popping up all over.. Even if you and I don't like it.. Agreed we don't.. Combustion engine vehicles and petro chemical everything are part of the future for years to come.. China, India.. in no position for wholesale adoption of non fossil fuel economy.. US nowhere close.. Just ordered bibs and winter jerseys, shoe covers.. all made from a process involving petro chemical engineering

Still turning a deaf ear to the whole issue of KSA and human rights/military policies.

Kinda like they hope will be the result of them sponsoring some cycling teams and races to get people to think of them more fondly. Hook, line and sinker.

 

[fmk_RoI]

The Saudis have gone past sportwashing and are involved in the grown-ups game of soft power, same way the UK pours money into buying bangles and baubles. Article.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

British Cycling: Brian Facer leaves as chief executive after recent controversies

British Cycling chief executive Brian Facer leaves the role, weeks after the governing body was criticised for a partnership with oil giant Shell.

www.bbc.com

 

[Earns1985]

The route for 2023 Eschborn Frankfurt has been announced today:

Next year they will climb the Feldberg in the middle of the race for a second time. From km 90 to 120 they will climb the Mammolshain twice and then the more difficult site from the Feldberg. Fabian Wegmann said, that they want create more tension with that. I think this will definitely change the charakteristic of the race. From the last passage of the Mammolshain it´s also "only" 36 km to the finish line and not 41 km like this year.

 

[RedheadDane]

The route for 2023 Eschborn Frankfurt has been announced today:

Next year they will climb the Feldberg in the middle of the race for a second time. From km 90 to 120 they will climb the Mammolshain twice and then the more difficult site from the Feldberg. Fabian Wegmann said, that they want create more tension with that. I think this will definitely change the charakteristic of the race. From the last passage of the Mammolshain it´s also "only" 36 km to the finish line and not 41 km like this year.

That's a profile straight for the "Worst Profiles" thread! Before you look at the numbers, you'd be inclined to think they're climbing some giant mountain.

 

[tobydawq]

That's a profile straight for the "Worst Profiles" thread! Before you look at the numbers, you'd be inclined to think they're climbing some giant mountain.

Well, it's not that insignificant a hill...

More than 10 kms at approximately 7% average.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Well, it's not that insignificant a hill...

More than 10 kms at approximately 7% average.

Sure, but it looks a lot worse than Col de la Loze for example..

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

New Eschborn route is definitely better than the previous one but the final stretch after Mammolshain is still too long. 41km or 36km barely matters, <15km and we have a deal. But I know, they won't finish that far out due to sponsoring reasons.
Still, it's an improvement and will be interesting to see which sprinter will be able to get over Felderberg twice.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1588512385735987200

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1588512385735987200/photo/1

Way better route than last year.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Ok, the route of the Tour of the Alpes has been unveiled and this time it's a really hard one.

lunedì 17 aprile - 1a tappa - Rottenberg-Alpbach km 127,5 - dislivello 2.470 m - ***
martedì 18 aprile - 2a tappa - Reith im Alpbachtal-Renon km 165,2 - dislivello 2.860 m - **
mercoledì 19 aprile - 3a tappa - Renon-Brentonico San Valentino km 162,5 - dislivello 2.940 m - ***
giovedì 20 aprile - 4a tappa - Rovereto-Predazzo km 152,9 -dislivello 3.610 m - ****
venerdì 21 aprile - 5a tappa - Cavalese-Brunico km 144,4 - dislivello 2.910 m - ***

Stage 1 features the Kerschbaumer Sattel before the final short climb to Alpbach, 5km at 10.7%.

Stage 2 is a MTF on the Ritten via Barbian, with the finish inside the Reith Arena, the famous speedskating arena/ice stadium that all speedskating fans (mainly the Dutch) know.
The climb is irregular and the short descents are technical

Stage 3 is a hard MTF on Passo San Valentino (1.kms at 7.5%) after Lago di Cei.

On the last stage you have this as the final climb after a short climb up to Pfalzen before the final downhill finish in Bruneck:

Yeah, that climb is just steep and nasty, followed by 7kms of rolling terrain before the actual descent starts, that one is also steep and shouldn't be underestimated. As you can see the final climb is waaay harder than the official profile suggests.