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weshipyourride · 5 years ago

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Spotlight on Ambassadors Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team

Since their 2015 inception, the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team mountain bike team have been a formidable presence on every race course on which their tubeless tires rolled, earning multiple national championships, consistent podiums and even team co-founder Chloe Woodruff representing the U.S. in the 2016 Olympics.

And since 2017, BikeFlights.com has been an integral part of their race day routine.

“BikeFlights.com has completely changed the way to travel and pack for races. We ship all of our bikes domestically,” says Woodruff, who founded the team in 2015 with team mechanic TJ Woodruff.

The four-racer team, consisting of Chloe Woodruff, Rose Grant, Sophia Gomez-Villafañe and Keegan Swenson, expects to compete for the top step at every race at which they show. Allowing focus to remain on performing, and not logistics, is paramount.

“I believe we have the team where we can show up and contest the win at every domestic race we enter. [BikeFlights.com] saves the team a huge amount of travel day stress.“ says Woodruff.

With the calendar just barely crossing into July, Woodruff feels there’s already a lot to celebrate the 2019 season.

“For Sofia, it was her early season podiums at UCI HC races and defending her Argentine National Championship jerseys. Keegan has been undefeated in the U.S. since May and just landed a big result at a World Cup (18th in Andorra). Rose came back from injuries, yet again, to win the Carson City Off-Road. She's the toughest racer out there. And I won the World Cup short track race in Nove Mesto [in the Czech Republic].”

While there’s much for the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team to celebrate, there’s plenty left in the season upon which to remain unyieldingly focused.

“The [Epic Rides] Off-Road Series is very important to us, but also the U.S. National Championship this season. Rose is also training for Leadville which is new territory for us. [Other targets are the] Pan Am Games (Sofia), and of course, the World Championships.”

We wish them luck for the remainder of the season, and look forward to lending our voices to the cheers at USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and the Epic Rides Oz Trails Off-Road!

Follow the Stan’s-Pivot Pro Team members and the rest of their 2019 season on Instagram:

Rose Grant @rosekgrant Keegan Swenson @keegels99 Chloe Woodruff @chloewoodruff Sofia Gomez-Villafañe @sofithevilla

#bikeflights #bikeflights.com #packshipride #shipitandripit #stanspivot #stanspivotproteam #mtb #mtbracing

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ruairidhbrown · 6 years ago

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It’s Been A While.

Hello everyone. It has been a long time since my lazy old Dad has written anything but he said it was something to do with being busy at work. Anyway a lot has happened since the last blog so this is a bit of an update of the last couple of years or so, along with some of the best pictures.

I am still racing with Special Olympics Scotland West but I have also raced in my first UCI sanctioned World Championships and have changed cycling clubs to one in East Kilbride, St Christophers Cycling Club.

So where did I leave off? That’s right, just before the first collarbone break. Yes, the first!

I had started 2016 as part of Scottish Cycling’s iDevelop programme and was enjoying training and racing in the Scottish Cycling Track League each Wednesday night at Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. I had just competed in my first road race of the season in the Velo29 Crits at the Croft motor racing circuit in the north of England, had raced well in the Cat4 race and was looking forward to the next one. I had also taken a couple of wins in the C group at Track League and everything was going well until I hit the deck one Wednesday and broke my right collarbone.

So that was me sidelined for six weeks. It wasn’t all bad as I got to go to work with Dad and did a couple of cool things whilst laid up. It is true what they say – chicks dig scars.

After crashing I was a bit out of sorts and lost a bit of confidence so there wasn’t really much racing for the rest of the year, just a few local road races and time trials. I had a good weekend at the Special Olympics National Competition at Tameside in July, winning three gold medals and recording a personal best time in the 10k Time Trial.

There was no Track League that winter for me. I didn’t feel confident enough but also coming into a new season a year older meant I was no longer a Junior and the cost of entries went up quite a bit. Busy old Dad was away on a lot of Wednsedays as well so getting to and from the Velodrome wasn’t easy.

As 2017 started I knew I would be competing in the Special Olympics GB National Games in Sheffield. This is the big four yearly competition held by SOGB, so from that point of view was important. It would also be a gauge for those athletes who wanted to be selected for the SO World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

There was, however, another opportunity that was coming together. SOSW coach Tom A’Hara and my Dad had been trying to get the UK Sports Association to support an entry into the INAS World Cycling Championships before but in 2017 it was taking place in Assen in Netherlands and Tom knew the people on the organizing committee of the whole event. It was down to Tom therefore that myself and fellow SO athlete Keira Byland were invited to take part as guest riders in what would be my first ever UCI sanctioned World Championships at the end of July, one week before the SO National Games.

It was a great event and I met some of the riders I had raced against at the last SO World Games in Los Angeles. The INAS event is an elite level competition for ID athletes so there was no Divisioning and I was up against former World Champions and some of the best riders in the world at my level.

It was pretty last minute when the invitations came through and I hadn’t really been doing any racing or training in preparation for the event. The first event was a 7.6km Individual Time Trial. I finished eighth, less than a minute from a podium place so I was really happy with that result.

Keira and I then took part in the Team Time Trial, but as a mixed team we wouldn’t be classified, it was really just to allow us to gain some experience. The next day was the main road race, 53.6km of a flat, open, windy course around the village of Gieten near Assen. In the first lap of the circuit I chased a lot and tried to get into a break with a Dutch rider but I really should have saved my energy as on the next lap there was a crash at the back of the field and we lost three or four riders from the race, I got dropped in the cross wind and was struggling to stay in touch. However, I kept chasing and as we came round with one lap to go the bunch had eased off and I managed to get back on.

Lars de Jong from Belgium made a jump as we headed out round the last lap and no one chased. He rode away to win the race and the rainbow jersey of World Champion. I kept going but was completely done by the end, finishing eighth again, 3:51 down on Lars.

The following week I headed to Sheffield with the Scotland West team for the SO National National Games. We raced on a 1km circuit at Forge Valley school. It was similar to Tameside where I have raced before but wasn’t quite as flat. The competition was more or less the same as previous years at Tameside, apart from a couple of new riders, so I knew what to expect. The Time Trial was tough as it was a bit windy on the day but the road races were pretty steady and I was really happy to once again come away with three gold medals.

With the prospect of competing in the INAS World Championships in 2018 I had to start training harder and racing in Track League again to keep progressing over the winter. My Dad contacted Scottish Cycling to ask about some support as UK Sports Association require their athletes to be supported by the Governing Body and part of a performance pathway. This is difficult for me as my disability doesn’t meet any of the current UCI or Paralympic classifications and on the whole the NGB and their funding partners refuse to support me. Scottish Cycling, however, very kindly invited me to be included in the Junior and U23 iDevelop pathway again. I had taken part in this two years ago so I knew what to expect. In the end I didn’t expect things to be exactly the same.

Part of the plan was to get racing in Track League again. I registered for the 2017/18 series and went along to race on the first week a little nervous but looking forward to it. Racing in the C group again I was two races into the night and feeling much more confident. However, as we went to start the last race of the night I was riding round the apron when someone in their wisdom tried to go onto the racing line by going straight up the banking, only to come straight back down again and cause a pile up, with me at the bottom, with another broken collarbone. This time on the left side so at least I now have a matching pair.

It meant that training and racing over the winter had to stop for a while yet again. I soon got back on the turbo trainer but decided that Track League was not necessarily the best place to race.

I had raced at the first event when the velodrome opened in 2013 and learnt to ride and race with the fantastic input from the youth coaches in the west of Scotland. It therefore really annoys me to see older men thinking that they have nothing to learn, and their lack of skill and experience causing accidents on the track that could easily be avoided.

So, for racing, I ended up doing something I said I would never do again after a cold, hard day at Callendar Park a few years ago and I entered the last three cyclocross races of the season. Whilst they were pretty tough going, in the end I enjoyed them and they fitted in well to my training.

Over the winter I also took the step to join St Chrostopher’s Cycling Club in East Kilbride. I am now racing in their distinctive colours and so far have done a number of cross races, time trials and road races.

At the start of 2018 I had great news. I had been selected again to race for Great Britain at the Special Olympics Games World Games, this time in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Shortly after that news I found out I had also been selected for the Great Britain team to compete in the INAS European Games and cycling World Championships that were to be held in Paris that July.

Scottish Cycling had been a big help again in the winter, including me in the iDevelop performance programme. That gave me a good fitness base ahead of the races in Paris. In the 10km TT I recorded a personal best and finished seventh overall, sixth in the European Games. The road race was much closer however. We raced over a 3.5km circuit in a 60km race. I was a lot more confident this year and was in the front group until just over two laps to go when the eventual winner broke away. The rest of the little bunch I was in started to break up and I couldn’t match the pace in what was the longest race I had ever done to that point. I managed to sprint home in seventh, over a minute behind the winners, and again sixth in the European competition.

August 2018 took us to Stirling and the Special Olympics GB Anniversary Games. This competition was mostly against the same riders I had raced in Sheffield the year before but there was a team from Belgium with a really good rider in my races.

My time trial race was hard as we raced on an athletics running track and the surface was really sticky. In the end my Great Britain team mate Daniel won the gold medal and I won silver for the Scotland West team. I was disappointed not to win the race but I was really happy for Daniel to win the gold medal. The road races were pretty tough and really tactical. The rider from Belgium was always there but really just sitting in and waiting for the sprint and we ended up with a group of four, together till the last lap. In both the 15 and 25km races I made the perfect moves and was really really happy to win gold in both.

Now the focus turns to 2019. I am only six weeks away from going to the SO World Games in Abu Dhabi. I have been training really hard, again with Scottish Cycling, and I can only hope I am as strong as I can be for races so early in the season. I don’t know who I will be competing against but I can only go there and try my hardest. Because I have been to a European and World Games before, and also competing at INAS World Championships, this may well be my last international Special Olympics Games so I am determined to try and win a gold medal.

It is also time to put myself forward for selection for the INAS Global Games and Cycling World Championships that will take place in October this year in Brisbane, Australia. It will have some track cycling so I will need to get some training in at the Velodrome if I am selected, but no Track League. Being at the end of our season at home I should be able to get a full summer of training and racing in to try to improve on my results from the last two years. Like all racing cyclists it is a dream to wear a rainbow jersey so I need to keep working hard.

There has been a lot going on and the one thing that many people don’t realize is that we; Special Olympics Scotland West, my family and friends have to fund raise for all of the costs for these competitions. My Dad worked it out and since the Special Olympics European Games in 2014 when have had to raise around £10,000 just in entry costs for the major Games. That doesn’t include the cost of my bike and kit and racing and training at home. If I race in Australia in 2019, that will be another huge expense. I have to thank everyone who has helped us financially along the way but most of all my mum and dad (you can tell he is writing this for me) who shoulder most of the costs. I have a great collection of medals, many wonderful memories and made so many friends across the world, and yet I still have a lot more I want to achieve.

Old Paw Broon has been told to keep this page up to date now so in the coming months you will be able to watch and read all about the Games in Abu Dhabi and hopefully further competitions later in the year.

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clevelandstate · 7 years ago

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Vikings at the Olympics

Stan Bohonek (pictured above) graduated from Cleveland State University in 1982 with a master’s in biology. Just six years earlier, the Canadian had the distinct honor of representing his country at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

At the time, Bohonek was an accomplished figure skater who had also studied classical ballet. He had been named to Canada’s 1976 Winter Olympics team after winning bronze at the Canadian Championships.

Bohonek placed 14th in the men’s single skating event in Innsbruck. Today he owns a dental practice in Westlake, Ohio, and is one of a handful of CSU alums who have participated in the Olympics.

Here are eight other Vikings who’ve been part of the Summer or Winter Games.

Fenn College graduate and Viking All-American Robert Busboy served as the assistant coach of the 1964 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team in Tokyo.

Viking swimmer Rui Abreu (second from left) competed for Portugal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He just missed a medal, finishing 4th in the 200-meter freestyle in Russia.

Fenn College grad Bill Reith was assistant coach for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Fencing Team. He also coached three Olympians: Steve Trevor (1984 and 1988), John Normile (1992) and Jason Pryor (2016).

A Viking volleyball player and talented cyclist, Bunki Bankaitis-Davis placed 14th in the women’s road race at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Four years later, she won a gold medal in the team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships.

Wrestler Matt Ghaffari is one of the most decorated Greco-Roman wrestlers in the country. The Viking Hall of Famer holds three American records and is the only U.S. Greco-Roman wrestler with a total of four World and Olympic medals. He competed in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and celebrated his biggest achievement when he won the silver medal in the heavyweight division in Atlanta in 1996.

Speed skater Adam Riedy (center) was considered a strong candidate for the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team. When he didn’t make the cut for men’s short-track team due to his battle with multiple sclerosis, the 2010 CSU grad was selected to go to Salt Lake City to help the team as an assistant coach.

Nedim Nišić (right) was an outstanding swimmer for the Vikings and one of the best swimmers in his home country of Bosnia between 2004 and 2008. He was a member of the Bosnian Olympic team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where he competed in the 100-meter butterfly.

Swimmer Ian Murray (center) was a four-year letterwinner at CSU from 1997 to 2000. Two years ago, he made it to the Olympics in Rio as coach for Seychelles swimmer Lexi Laird, who finished 27th in the 100-meter backstroke.

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grantmgardner · 4 years ago

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Which Bike Wins When It Counts?

Is it really all about the bike?

You would think a rider like Peter Sagan could win on anything with two wheels. Does it really matter that the frame behind some of his biggest wins is a Specialized? In a sport where Monuments are won by inches and Grand Tour winners can be determined by seconds, weight and aerodynamics matter. Bike manufacturers like to brag that they have the lightest disc frame in the peloton or the most aerodynamic time trial bike, but that’s on paper. Which bike actually wins when it counts?

To calculate the data for this report, I counted the number of wins each bike manufacturer had from 2010-2019 during all three Grand Tours and all five Monuments. With 21 stages per Grand Tour and five one-day Monuments, that is 68 race days per year over 10 years for a total of 680 race days. This includes time trials, team time trials, and mass-start stages. Wins were calculated by the frame the rider, or team, was riding when they won the stage or one-day race.

My goal in gathering this data was two-fold. I wanted to see what the “best bike” was over the last decade, but mainly I wanted to determine which bike manufacturer received the greatest brand exposure due to its success in competition.

In order to best judge brand exposure, these are original winners, not retroactive winners determined by UCI bans. I chose to use just the Grand Tours and Monuments as my sample, because these are the most important race days on the calendar. Generally, all top-level trade teams are present and these races are held every year.

WHAT DO RIDERS THINK?

Determining what bike is the best is a bit of a “chicken or the egg” dilemma. Do the best teams ride superior bikes, or do the teams that win the most just happen to ride the bikes that they do?

There is a case to be made that certain bikes are superior – just ask the pro peloton. Towards the end of his tenure at Dimension Data, Mark Cavendish complained about the aerodynamics of his Cervelo S5. After Stage 2 of the 2018 Dubai Tour, Cavendish said, “I think we're always at a disadvantage with the aerodynamic differences between our bicycles. We've got a five-year old bike and I know how fast that [Specialized] Venge goes. But that's not what won it. I should always be able to make up that advantage because I've got more watts. But today I was just beaten. That's it.” Mercurial as always, Cavendish clearly blamed his bike sponsor for the loss, despite backpedaling his comments.

Another famous example of a rider showing outright disdain for their sponsored kit is Rohan Dennis at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. A few months earlier at the Tour de France, Dennis had abandoned his team, Bahrain-Merida, a day before the individual time trial. Rumors swirled that he was unhappy with his time trial kit. At the World Championships, he showed up to the ITT with a blacked-out BMC bike and Kask helmet (opposed to his sponsor correct Merida bike and Rudy Project helmet). Dennis stormed to victory, successfully defending his rainbow jersey by 68 seconds.

Ironically, Mark Cavendish now rides for Bahrain-McLaren, which uses the Merida bikes that Dennis so openly detested. Dennis has moved on as well, now with Team Ineos, which uses Pinarello bikes.

THE DATA

From 2010-2019, there were 677 winners over 680 race days (three Grand Tour stages were canceled). Out of these 677 possible wins, a rider or team on a Specialized bike accounted for 158 wins. That’s 23.3% of races won on a Specialized bike. The next closest bike manufacturer is Pinarello with 59 wins, or 8.7%. It seems that the Specialized Venge (as well as the Tarmac) that Cavendish referred to in his comments was quite dominant over the last decade. The only years Specialized did not have the most wins were in 2010 and 2012, when Scott and Pinarello, respectively, led the pack.

It should also be considered that some manufacturers sponsor more than one team in the WorldTour and Continental divisions. The more widely your frame is used, the better chance you have at victory. Looking at the WorldTour since 2010, Canyon, Pinarello, Scott, Specialized and Trek have all had seasons where they sponsored two or more teams. The most widely used bike was Specialized. From 2010-2016, three WorldTour teams each year used Specialized bikes. From 2017-2019, Quick-Step and Bora-Hansgrohe both used Specialized bikes. Canyon is the second most widely used, with Movistar and Katusha-Alpecin both using Canyon bikes from 2014-2019.

Let’s look at the last three seasons where both Canyon and Specialized sponsored two teams in the WorldTour. From 2017-2019, Specialized sponsored Deceuninck - Quick-Step and Bora-Hansgrohe, while Canyon sponsored Movistar and Katusha-Alpecin. Over this timeframe, Specialized led the pack each season (see chart below).

Over this span, sponsoring two teams did not lead to a significant advantage for Canyon in terms of results in Grand Tours and Monuments. Specialized was by far the leader each season, with the majority of the wins coming from Patrick Lefevere’s Quick-Step squads. Canyon did not even crack the top three in 2017 and 2018.

SPECIALIZED WINS THE BRAND BATTLE

While this makes for an interesting study of brand exposure, it is difficult to make any definitive deductions about which bike frame is the best from a performance perspective. Clearly, Specialized has the most wins, and by a large margin, but it would be disingenuous to attribute that solely to Specialized being the superior bike. You have to factor in who is riding the bike and how many riders lined up for races with a Specialized bike.

Analyzing this data purely from a branding perspective, you can safely claim that Specialized has won the battle for brand superiority. Specialized bikes have been on a lot of podiums. The company has hitched its wagon to some great teams over the last decade including Astana, Bora-Hansgrohe, HTC, Quick-Step, and Tinkoff. Following Peter Sagan from Tinkoff to Bora-Hansgrohe was a great move and sticking with Quick-Step over the last eight-and-half seasons has proved to be an invaluable marketing investment.

As for which bike manufacturer is superior in terms of pure performance, that will have to remain fodder for post-ride café conversations.

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lowbicycles · 7 years ago

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While we're talking about her, I may as well introduce @picklejuicecyclingteam member Anita Yvonne Stenberg. While proving to be an incredibly strong professional road racer, Anita is a very accomplished elite level track cyclist as a member of the Norwegian National Track Team. For starters she is the current Norwegian National Track Champion in 9 different categories, and has won 38 national champion titles in her cycling career . She has 7 top ten finishes in the European Championships, 2016 World Cycling League Champion/MVP, and 9 UCI podium finishes last year alone. With all that under her belt, it's no wonder she's already dominating the east coast road racing circuit. We here at Low Bicycles are so proud to be supporting her and her teammates as the official bike sponsor of The Pickle Juice Pro Cycling Team. #thismachinekillscarbon #picklepower

#thismachinekillscarbon #picklepower

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apisonadora60 · 8 years ago

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Rohan Dennis gets areo at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (Getty)

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gearandgrit · 4 years ago

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Zwift Academy is back and looking for riders for Alpecin-Fenix and CANYON//SRAM

Zwift just announced the return of Zwift Academy the virtual talent search program which gives anyone with a Zwift account the chance at a pro cycling contract. The program started in 2016 and has awarded seven professional contracts since.

Zwift Academy winners have gone on to win pro races, podium in Elite National Championships and represent their countries at the UCI Road Cycling World…

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#Mathieu van der Poel #SRAM #Tour Down Under #UCI #Watopia #World Championships #Zwift

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hydroponicebbandflow · 6 years ago

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2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide (CHE) / Men’s DH Watch the best moments from the Men's DH race in Lenzerheide at the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships presented by Mercedes-Benz. Follow us @UCI_MTB and #Lenzerheide2018 source

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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Who is Michael Woods? Canadian cyclist making Tour de France debut revealed

In the same month that Milos Raonic and Felix Auger-Aliassime want to raise Canadian tennis to new heights an Ottawa resident will ride over France Michael Woods is 32 and has been a professional cyclist since 2013. This month he will ride his first Tour de France .

Although his late start in sport is unusual but very impressive, the road here is even more astonishing: it is a journey full of sporting highs, crushing lows and unspeakable tragedies.

<img id = "i-4caa1011ba3c0891" src = "https://ift.tt/2XrSAw3 -4_1562170585964.jpg "height =" 421 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-4caa1011ba3c0891" src = "https://ift.tt/2XI7PjQ 17 / 15594678-7210141-image-a-4_1562170585964.jpg "height =" 421 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-4caa1011ba3c0891" src = "https://ift.tt/2NyDsEw /1s/2019/07/03/17/15594678-7210141-image-a-4_1562170585964.jpg "height =" 421 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-4caa1011ba3c0891" src = "https: //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/03/17/15594678-7210141-image-a-4_1562170585964.jpg "height =" 421 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = " i-4caa1011ba3c0891 "src =" https://ift.tt/2XnvPcJ "height =" 421 "width =" 634 "alt =" VuelaMichael Woods completing stage 17 of the 2018 "class =" blkBorder img-share "(19459011)

Run before you can ride a bike

Canadian professional cyclist Michae l Woods completes stage 17 of the 2018 Return to Spain

It all started with the national sport ice

It all started with the national sport ice hockey. Growing up in Canada, where the mercury can drop to -40 in the winter, Woods' original sporting dream was to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So Woods exchanged the job for the job and not only became one of Canada's most popular athletic prospects, but ended up being ranked in the world's top 50 1500m runners by the age of 19.

<img id = "i-661b96a2ad4dc88" src = "https://ift.tt/2Jn2dCv .jpg "height =" 586 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-661b96a2ad4dc88" src = "https://ift.tt/2XmZqhz 15638784-7210141-Woods_s_path_to_professional_cycling_is_as_winding_as_the_most_d-a-11_1562257628614.jpg "height =" 586 "width =" 634 "alt =" Forest is a road to professional cycling is the turn of the most difficult Tour de France stage Tour de France stage [194590] ]

Forest of the professional cycling stage meanders as the most difficult stage of the Tour de France

He broke the record in the U-20 Mile and 3000m and won the Pan America Jr Games 1500m race. From 2019, Woods is still the fastest Canadian to run a mile on Canadian soil (3.57.48). However, since Woods is fast himself, his promising athletic career was aborted due to & # 39; poor guidance, nutrition and overtraining & # 39 ;.

In an interview with Bicycling Woods revealed how these factors led to his fall in his career. set high expectations for myself. Many people would tell me: "You are going to make the Olympics."

In 2011, after another foot break, the then girlfriend of Woods and now a wife, Elly suggested cycling professionally. At that time, Woods was wounded on the edge for almost four years and the bike became an outlet for energy and stress as it was for fitness purposes.

<img id = "i-32dd2240af5247c3" src = "https://ift.tt/2XrR1y5 -7210141-Woods_swapped_the_rink_for_the_track_becoming_one_of_Canada_s_ho-a-10_1562257615519.jpg "height =" 722 "width =" 634 "alt =" Woods swapped the ice rink for the track and became one of Canada's most popular athletic prospects, one of Canada's most popular athletic prospects Becoming Canada "

Woods swapped the ice rink for the track and became one of Canada's most popular athletic prospects

& I miss the top of being pain-free for so long. When I got on the bike, I got that height again and I had no pain in my foot.

He had said that he was destined for Olympic glory to work in a loop shop and to live back in his parents' house in Ottawa.

& # 39; I was like the character of Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, living in the past and talking about how far I could throw a football & # 39 ;, he told Rapha earlier in the year.

Could cycling offer something more to Woods than just conditioning? Would it be his ride away from the fear of being an athletic manque?

It is just like cycling

Woods' friend was when it came to the transition from running to cycling. He was 25 years old and was about to become a professional in one of the toughest sports in the world

<img id = "i-5f973f41821998b8" src = "https: // i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/04/17/15638774-7210141-In_2011_following_a_foot_break_Woods_s_then_girlfriend_and_now_w-a-9_1562257588256.jpg "height =" 628 "width =" 634 "alt =" In 2011, after the break, Woods & # 39; s then girlfriend, and now wife, Elly suggested cycling professionally "

<img id =" i-5f973f41821998b8 "src =" https://ift.tt/2NyDsEw 1s / 2019/07/04/17 / 15638774-7210141-In_2011_following_a_foot_break_Woods_s_then_girlfriend_and_now_w-a-9_1562257588256.jpg "height =" 628 "width =" 634 "alt =" In 2011, after a break, Woods & girlfriend and # 39; then now wife, Elly suggested

In 2011, after the foot break, then girlfriend of Woods, and now wife, Elly suggested cycling professionally

& # 39 We were both completely naive and ignorant of how difficult it would be to become a world-class cyclist. I just assumed that, because I had been a world-class athlete at one point, I would be super-fast to become a world-class cyclist, & he said last month BBC

] Early in his burgeoning cycling career, Woods credits his incredible engine for dragging him in front of races, saying in front where he is able to understand the most important rules and behaviors of cycling the fastest.

& # 39; I didn't commit any faux until I don't know how to do it. I came in … my bike handling took a long time to develop and I got pretty impressive scars, & he said in the BBC interview.

<img id = "i-88867ec05d084a27" src = "https://ift.tt/2JnJsyz image-a-12_1562257646557.jpg "height =" 578 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-88867ec05d084a27" src = "https://ift.tt/305gPND /04/17/15638772-7210141-image-a-12_1562257646557.jpg "height =" 578 "width =" 634 "alt =" After becoming a professional cyclist in 2013, Woods made his debut in Canada during Rio 2016

After becoming a professional cyclist in 2013, Woods made his debut in Canada during Rio 2016.

Scars that no doubt cured more for a while than Woods' doubts about his last sporting career. For the first few years, Woods was not convinced that he had made the right decision when he decided to sit on the saddle.

& # 39; When I was 27, there was one point when I was in Italy, Bicycling.com

However, I persisted and was signed in 2016 by Cannondale Pro Cycling Team, race his first World Tour event that year in the Tour Down Under, where he finished 5th overall.

The heads were turned the following year when Woods rode his first Grand Tour, the 2017 Giro d & # 39; Italia and finished in 38th overall.

Tragedy and breakthrough

After a strong 2017, 2018. was Woods' breakthrough year. He finished 2nd in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège race and third in the UCI Road World Championships road race, and became Canada's first male cyclist to reach the podium during a 34-year World Race road race.

On September 12, 2018, Woods became the second Canadian to win a stage in the Vuelta a España.

<img id = "i-844cc1a8cb52cdc4" src = "https://ift.tt/2XpXTfF image-a-7_1562256851479.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" On September 12, 2018, Woods became the second Canadian to win a stage in Vuelta a España "

On September 12, 2018 Woods just became the second Canadian who won a stage at Vuelta a España "

On Sept 12, 2018, Woods just became the second Canadian who won a stage at Vuelta a España

difficult stage 17 was 157 km and ended with a tough climb, Woods looked like he was completely exhausted, less cycled and more willing to go up and down with one foot.

In addition to the physical conditions, Woods also suffered Earlier that year, his wife, Elly, was the person who had encouraged Woods to pursue a career in professional cycling and asked him during the difficult he years of assisting, 37 weeks pregnant when their son, Hunter, died tragically. The couple discovered the heartbreaking news at the last check.

A month before the race, Woods revealed that Ellie also lost her father. These tragic moments remained with Woods throughout the race.

& # 39; It is a special moment for me. I was very touched at the finish, & he said after his victory. & # 39; My coach was in the car and in the last 500 meters he told me on the radio to think about my family. & # 39;

<img id = "i-8605ca731403f136" src = "https://ift.tt/2JpgyOM -8_1562256870182.jpg "height =" 484 "width =" 634 "alt =" Woods won the stage just after his unborn Hunter, tragically died at 37 weeks of age "

<img id =" i-8605ca731403f136 " src = "https://ift.tt/2XrSEfh" height = "484" width = "634" alt = " Woods won the podium just after his unborn son, Hunter, tragically died at 37 weeks of age "

At that time.

At that time. , it was almost impossible to see the riders through the fog. Woods threatened to follow Dylan Teuns and David de la Cruz.

The words of Woods & coach came exactly as Teuns tried to break off the other two riders and came to the direct line.

The timing could not have been better. Woods, somehow from somewhere, called in a last bit of force to counterattack and be the first to cross the finish line. He finished five seconds before Teuns; ten seconds behind the cross.

& # 39; It was a very difficult year. I was cracked at the finish line. I tried to stay calm, I tried to think of my family and thought of my little hunter as an inspiration, & Woods added, dedicating his victory to his unborn son.

He told the BBC in June: & # 39 I am not a man, but he is a man. I am still improving, I am still learning. And I still challenge myself daily. "

He will be in his first Tour this month de France and although Rigoberto Uran is the most important man in his team, Woods is considered by many to be a promising candidate.

In just six years, Woods has moved from cycling to going in with the chance to become only the second Canadian to win a Grand Tour. , the pattern emerges: the man overcomes and evolves.

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#Who is Michael Woods? Canadian cyclist making Tour de France debut revealed"

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gyrlversion · 6 years ago

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Para-cyclist reveals she had VULVA surgery after years on the saddle

A Paralympic cyclist has revealed she needed two rounds of surgery on her vulva because it had become so damaged by saddles.

Hannah Dines, 25, said the constant pressure of leaning forward on a saddle led to ‘huge swelling’ on one side of her genitals which she couldn’t get rid of.

After years of suffering, which have seen her progress to be the fourth best trike racer in the world, she says women in cycling have drawn the short end of the straw.

Ms Dines said women are left ‘sitting right on the money’ when men can move their genitals out of the way.

Her experience will no doubt be familiar to others – figures have shown rising demand for drastic surgery to remove parts of the vagina to make cycling more comfortable.

Hannah Dines, 25, revealed she has had to have surgery to remove a lipoma – a tumour of fat cells – from her vulva after repeated pressure from a bike saddle caused the growth to become ‘hard and massive’

Ms Dines, who was born with cerebral palsy, is a Para-cyclist who has represented Team GB and came fourth in the world championships in 2015

Writing in a piece for The Guardian’s G2 magazine, Ms Dines revealed her surgeon likened the ‘long-term trauma’ to her vulva to what he had seen in patients who ‘compulsively rub up against bedposts’.

Ms Dines, born in Glasgow, has cerebral palsy and originally competed as a runner before switching to three-wheeled cycling in 2013.

She ranked fourth in the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in 2015, and came fifth in her category at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 riding for Team GB.

But the success has taken its toll on her body, leading to infections, saddle sores, ingrown hairs, open wounds and blisters – all on her genitals.

‘While valuable parts of the male genitalia can be moved out of the way, female cyclists sit right on the money,’ she wrote.

And part of the problem, Ms Dines said, lies in many saddles being designed for men and later adapted for women.

Alongside this, she said the female side of the sport isn’t taken as seriously – there is no equivalent Tour de France for women, for example, and not much research into conditions like hers, which mean treatments aren’t as good.

Ms Dines, pictured with para-cyclist Elizabeth Saul, said: ‘Having a vagina means having pain so maybe being a cyclist with a vagina means pain with a bit more pain added on top’

‘Having a vagina means having pain,’ Ms Dines (pictured at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards last year) said. She revealed the lipoma on one side of her vulva, which caused ‘huge swelling’, lasted for five years before she had it removed

HAS THERE BEEN A RISE IN DEMAND FOR FEMALE ‘SADDLE SURGERY’?

A rising number of women are having parts of their genitals removed to make cycling more comfortable, according to a Harley Street surgeon.

Surgeon Angelica Kavoumi told FEMAIL in 2016 the number of women asking for the ‘saddle surgery’ had risen from nine per week from three per week the year before.

The painful but ‘straightforward’ procedure involves cutting off part of the inner labia to stop them from rubbing or being pinched against the seat of a bicycle.

Ms Kavoumi said: ‘The procedure has become very popular over the last six years.

‘For most women, it is an issue of comfort,’ she explained. ‘It’s not about body image; it has more to do with sport and quality of life.’

When exposed to friction any protruding skin, she explained, can cause the tissue to become rough and bleed, and even lead to infections.

Women can choose between general and local anaesthetic, and the procedure requires an ‘initial recovery’ period of 10-14 days while the swelling and bleeding goes down.

‘In four to six weeks you can gradually reintroduce activities,’ Angelica said. ‘It will be up to eight weeks before it’s fully comfortable again.’

Also in 2016 the American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed demand for labiaplasty had spiked 40 per cent, with members performing 12,000 of the operations – but it could not put a number on how many were linked to cycling.

Ms Dines developed a lipoma, a tumour made of fatty tissue, on one side of her vulva.

Lipomas are not cancerous but do grow over time and can become uncomfortable or get in the way.

Although the cause of them is not fully understood, scientists believe they could form as a reaction to blunt physical trauma if fat cells leak through damaged tissue.

Ms Dines, who trains six days per week, explained hers developed as a result of repeated pressure on her groin from the saddle.

It persisted for five years and, by 2018, had become ‘hard’ and ‘massive’ and wouldn’t go away.

She has had two operations to remove the growth in February this year, and had cancer tests to check it wasn’t dangerous.

‘The problem is,’ she said, ‘vaginas are already so associated with pain – there’s periods, penetrative sex when you aren’t ready, penetrative sex when you are ready and the mother of them all: labour.

‘Having a vagina means having pain so maybe being a cyclist with a vagina means pain with a bit more pain added on top.’

Increasing numbers of female cyclists are experiencing groin problems inflicted by their hobby, research has shown in recent years.

A surgeon on Harley Street in London, Angelica Kavoumi, revealed in 2016 she was seeing rising numbers of women asking for ‘saddle surgery’.

This painful procedure, which can cost around £4,000-a-time, involves cutting off part of the inner labia to stop them rubbing and being pinched against the seat of their bicycles.

In the same year the American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed demand for labiaplasty had spiked 40 per cent, with members performing 12,000 of the operations – but it could not put a number on how many were linked to cycling.

Some women’s bike saddles are developed to have a gap in the middle to divert pressure to areas around the vulva and reduce discomfort, but Ms Dines said leaning forward in a racing pose makes it difficult to avoid increasing pressure on the genitals

Ms Kavoumi said three years ago she noticed around nine women per week were asking for the ‘straightforward’ op, up from three per week a year earlier.

At the time she told FEMAIL: ‘For most women, it is an issue of comfort. It’s not about body image; it has more to do with sport and quality of life.’

‘When it comes to the inner labia, there isn’t a norm,’ she explained. ‘They can vary so much in terms of size and shape. Extra tissue can hang down unprotected, sometimes up to 3 or 4cm.’

When this skin is exposed to friction, Ms Kavoumi said, it can cause the tissue to become rough and bleed, and even lead to infections.

A study by scientists at Yale University in the same year found cycling more than 100 miles per week – not a lot for a professional cyclist – could damage the genitals.

Researchers found this level of exercise led to an increase in pain and numbness, and generalised ‘sexual dysfunction’ for some.

They also saw a lot of cycling could lead to recurrent thrush or urinary tract infections – their research was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Another study published in the same journal found that 60 per cent of competitive women cyclists suffer genital pain.

This may be because, according to Cycling UK, a woman’s vulva can bear as much as 40 per cent of their body weight when they’re cycling.

A blog post on Cycling UK states genital pain is ‘obviously’ more of a problem for pro cyclists because they spend more time in the saddle.

However, it said the problem does exist for some women even after ‘relatively short rides’.

And British Cycling says on its website: ‘Trauma and inflammation of the labial tissues is a fairly common issue in female riders.’

TIPS FOR FEMALE CYCLISTS TO LOOK AFTER THEIR INTIMATE PARTS

If you’re an avid cyclist suffering discomfort but don’t want to go under the knife, there are less drastic measures you can take.

In his book, Bike Fit, Phil Burt, head of physio at British Cycling, says investing in a decent padded cycle seats and padded shorts could help reduce the damage in the long-run.

It was once thought women need a wider saddle than men because their child-bearing able hips are further apart.

But a saddle can be too wide, causing chaffing on the inner thighs after a long ride, he explained.

Women often prefer cutaway or anatomic saddles with a hole carved out of the middle which aim to relieve pressure on their neither region.

But he said this can redistribute the pressure to the sides and make the pain there even worse, causing numbness.

He also said getting the saddle of your angle right is key – tip it slightly downwards if it doesn’t feel right after a good few miles.

Making sure your bike fits you properly and keep clean by making sure you wash your shorts after every ride is important too.

And invest in some friction reducing cream: Mr Burt says emollients are better than basic petroleum jelly.

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bittenpath-blog · 6 years ago

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48cm:Fantic USA Launches Squadra Fantic, an EMTB Racer Rewards Program

SAUSALITO, Calif. – March 14, 2019 – Fantic USA, maker of award-winning Italian electric bicycles, today launched its 2019 EMTB Racer Rewards Program, Squadra Fantic. Under the program, men and women can earn equal payouts from Fantic on top of race winnings in four electric mountain bike races and race series across the United States and Canada, including the UCI World Championships. Fantic has committed over $25,000 for the inaugural year.

“This is a contingency program, like the ones I enjoyed in motocross racing,” explained Stefy Bau, the CEO of Fantic USA. “It’s designed to give something back to racers, as well as our dealers. We plan to support the people who are riding and selling Fantic bicycles.”

Bau, a 3-time professional motocross world champion who has led Fantic in the U.S. since its 2016 debut, believes this could be the first program of its type in the young and growing sport of electric mountain bike racing.

The Squadra Fantic program includes a free jersey and allows people racing Fantic bikes at designated events to earn rewards for finishing in the top three podium spots in designated professional, amateur, masters, and youth classes. Notably, the payouts for men and women are equal.

To be eligible for the program, racers must own and race an eligible Fantic bicycle, register for the program at www.fanticracing.com, and adhere to all program rules. Program winnings, called Fantic Bucks, are redeemable at any Fantic dealer in North America.

The first opportunity to earn rewards is March 16, 2019 at the opening event of the Grand National Cross Country EMTB Series in Washington, Ga. In addition to all eight rounds of the GNCC EMTB Series, the Fantic Racer Rewards Program includes four of the California Enduro Series races, all amateur and professional Sea Otter Classic EMTB races, and the UCI World Championship EMTB race.

Complete program details and the schedule of eligible races are available at www.fanticracing.com.

# # #

About Fantic USA

Fantic USA, established in 2016 in Sausalito, Calif., is the wholly owned subsidiary of Fantic Motor Srl of Italy, a legendary motorcycle brand founded in 1968 that is known for its lightweight enduro machines. Over the last 50 years, Fantic-sponsored riders have won multiple professional world championships in enduro and trials, and in 2015, Fantic Motor Srl expanded into e-mobility by applying its expertise to a line of electric bicycles for city, mountain, and road. Award-winning Fantic electric bicycles are built in the company’s factory in northern Italy and engineered for the highest performance. More information is available at www.fanticbicycles.com.

#48cm road bike #Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

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walkerwander-blog · 6 years ago

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50cm:Woods renews with EF Education First

Michael Woods, runner-up at the 2018 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, has signed a "multi-year" contract renewal with EF Education First, the team announced today.

Woods, 32, has scored three UCI wins with the team since signing in 2016, including a stage at the Vuelta a Espana last year along with stage wins at the Tour of Utah and the Herald Sun Tour. The former collegiate runner was also third at the UCI Road World Championships Road Race in Innsbruck last September.

"The direction of the team, the idea of exploring the world – it all really meshes with what I believe in," said Woods. "I feel very fortunate to be on a team that values what I naturally value – education, exploration, community."

Woods started his cycling career relatively late. He played hockey growing up before finding success in running. He set the Canadian junior record in the mile (3:57:48) and the 3km (7:58:55). Both records still stand today. Woods earned a track scholarship to the University of Michigan and competed for the Canadian national team, harbouring ambitions of becoming one of the best milers until overtraining injuries derailed his career. He signed his first contract with a Continental team in 2013 before moving up to Jonathan Vaughters' Slipstream program.

"I came to the team not knowing who I was as a cyclist and what I was capable of," Woods said. "I didn't fit the typical neo-pro role. I'm lucky to have had the directors and team managers believe in me. I had no experience in the WorldTour when I joined the team, but JV said I could win an Ardennes Classic.

"Knowing what I know now, that was a bold prediction for him to make about me at the time. I had not shown anything that truly indicated I could win a Classic – but he was right. I haven't won one yet, but with the results I got last year, these are races we know I can win."

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

#50cm road bike #Cyclingnews Latest News

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ukresinboundsurfacing · 6 years ago

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Cycling in the face of adversity: Liz's story

Ahead of her biggest challenge yet, world ranked Para-cyclist and Hand cycling Triathlete Liz McTernan tells her inspiring story of how she's facing adversity head on through cycling, following a life-threatening spinal cord injury.

Like most people, I learnt to ride a bike as a child, but being one of five children, and being very petite, my older brothers’ hand-me-down bikes were never suitable for me to ride, being ten-speed with drop handlebars and a horizontal crossbar and impossible for my short legs. It was not until adulthood that I actually owned my first bike, and that was sadly short-lived. My reliable Raleigh was stolen after I left it at Reading station one day, having been offered a lift to work from a passing colleague. My daily commute from Chilworth, outside Guildford, to Reading College then involved speed walking in order to catch my train on time, as I couldn’t afford to replace it and I didn’t want a daily commute by car.

On June 19th, 2005, six months after my 40th birthday and less than a year after buying a new home in Lincolnshire, I had a very traumatic accident which very nearly cost me my life and left me a C7/T9 incomplete paraplegic.

I spent four months in hospital, missing my daughter’s 10th birthday and my son starting at Secondary School. I came home to my inaccessible house in a wheelchair and thought my life as I knew it was over.

If someone had told me then, that within five years I would be representing Great Britain internationally in sport, I would never have believed them.

How bikes came back into my life

After sustaining a life changing spinal cord injury (SCI), bikes eventually came back into my life in 2011, but not in any shape or form that I was familiar with. In fact, my first handcycle was secondhand from America and arrived in a box, looking like a mechano kit. As I had no idea how to put it back together, I took it along to my local bike shop and they commented that it was ‘upside down and back to front’ which referred to the way the drivetrain is set up.

On a hand bike, the derailleur is on the front drive wheel, with the front mechanism for the chain rings under the hand pedals. Pedalling is done symmetrically, which allows the rider to steer and pedal at the same time and put more power into the revolutions.

The first time I ventured outdoors on my hand bike, I asked my daughter, then aged 14, to accompany me. I’d made sure that despite being a single parent, they always had bikes of their own, even if they were secondhand. We lived in rural Lincolnshire and having bikes meant they were able to cycle to see school friends who didn’t live in our village, avoiding me having to be a constant car taxi service. Despite choosing what I considered an easy route, I barely managed 3km that first day, which was a frustrating start to what I hoped would be a new sporting lifestyle to enable me to lose weight, get fit and get outdoors.

I’d bought the hand bike to compete in Para-Triathlon, where the use of a recumbent hand bike is mandatory in my classification category. A few months later, I added another set of wheels to my collection in the shape of a racing wheelchair, kindly part sponsored by the sci charity Aspire. Much to my amazement, six months after starting the sport, I beat the current World Champion in both the swim and the bike sections at my first European Championships and my second ever Para-Triathlon race.

Representing Great Britain

After two years of representing GBR at International level and winning medals, I was itching to tackle the Holy Grail of triathlon, a full Ironman, but it would be five years later that I actually started training and racing the full distance. In the meantime, I’d switched to Para-Cycling, as my Para-Triathlon category was not chosen to make its debut at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. I became European Champion in 2015 and won double bronze medals at a UCI World Cup in Bilbao in 2016, as well as numerous Podiums at International races round the world.

In 2017 I qualified for and raced at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I had been confident that my training had been good enough to tackle the arduous 112 mile bike course, but I sadly missed the combined swim/bike cut off by only 1:51 minutes and was not allowed to continue the race. Absolutely gutted, I immediately signed up for Ironman Cozumel six weeks later and smashed out a world record time for a female handcyclist of 13:01:16hrs. But of course this wasn’t enough for me, there was still Kona to conquer, the mecca of triathletes.

This year, I had to go through the qualification process again, and I am due to fly out to Hawaii at the end of September to race the biggest race of my life on October 13th. I’m training hard to be the best I can be, putting in the miles on the hand bike on the roads of Lincolnshire and on the indoor trainer. Tackling 112 miles on any bike is hard, and the course in Kona is hilly, hot and humid, but I’m feeling more confident in my abilities to tackle the race again this year.

It’s been quite a journey from my first tentative 3km ride, to completing my first Ironman, and competing in Hawaii, but wheels really can take you on the best adventures.

Hear other inspiring stories like Liz's at our Cycling to overcome adversity: an evening of inspiring talks with Sustrans event in London on Thursday 27 September 2018.

Cycling

Lifestyle

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8239590 https://www.sustrans.org.uk/blog/cycling-face-adversity-lizs-story via IFTTT

#resin bound flooring #resin surfacing #resin driveway flooring #resin bound gravel

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years ago

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Simon Yates: British cyclist wins first Grand Tour at Vuelta a Espana

It’s been an unbelievable day – Simon Yates on Vuelta a Espana win

Simon Yates won the Vuelta a Espana to complete a clean sweep of British victories in this year’s Grand Tours.

The 26-year-old Michelton-Scott rider crossed the line safely in Madrid on Sunday to secure his first Grand Tour, with Spain’s Enric Mas second and Colombia’s Miguel Angel Lopez third.

Britons Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France respectively this year.

Elia Viviani claimed the 100km final stage of the Vuelta in a bunch sprint.

In a chaotic run-in, the Italian edged out world champion Peter Sagan and Giacomo Nizzolo for his third stage win of the race.

British riders have now won nine of the past 20 Grand Tours, a run that started when Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win a Grand Tour with victory in the 2012 Tour de France.

Only twice before have riders from the same country won all three races in the same season, but this is the first time it has been done by different cyclists.

And Yates’ victory will be the fifth Grand Tour triumph in a row for Britain, with Froome having also won last year’s Tour and Vuelta.

“It’s astonishing really,” Yates said. “Growing up I was so accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way, so for myself, Chris and Geraint to all win a Grand Tour in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in this country.

“It’s been an unbelievable day. I really just enjoyed the moment, I don’t know what else you can do in those situations.

“When I turned professional I signed with the team and we had a really big ambition to win a Grand Tour and now we��ve achieved that. I put the hard work in, I persisted with the training and everything else that goes with it and now we’re here.”

Froome said it was the “perfect year for British riders”. He added: “Simon has looked so strong over the last three weeks and it’s great to see him take home the maillot rojo.”

How Yates won the Vuelta

After a solid opening time trial, so often his Achilles heel in stage races, Yates showed his intent on stage four – the first in the mountains. He had lost a few seconds on stage two but got them back and more by finishing eighth at the top of the Puerto de Alfacar to climb to third overall.

He took control of the red jersey in rather fortuitous fashion on stage nine. He had slipped 14 seconds behind Alejandro Valverde after the 38-year-old Spaniard won stage eight. But Yates finished ninth on a day when Ben King won out of the breakaway to move ahead of Valverde by one second and take the lead.

Yates, who was joined on the podium by Enric Mas and Miguel Angel Lopez, is the fourth British man to win a Grand Tour

The jersey was lost on stage 12 in what appeared to be a planned move, with Yates saying his Mitchelton-Scott team “decided not to really chase anyone”.

He reclaimed it with victory on the climb of La Camperona on stage 14. Though the margin was only a couple of seconds, with bonuses applied he opened up a lead of 20 seconds over Valverde and 25 on the Spaniard’s Movistar team-mate Nairo Quintana.

The time trial on stage 16 threatened to be a stumbling block but Yates was the quickest of all the general classification contenders, taking another seven seconds out of Valverde.

His 25-second lead over the 2009 Vuelta champion may have looked in threat but fears of a Giro-style meltdown were quashed on stage 19 when he attacked on the final climb to beat Valverde by more than a minute.

And he increased his place at the top of the standings with another assured ride on Saturday’s final mountain stage, finishing third as his nearest challengers cracked on the final climb.

Unprecedented success, backdrop of controversies

This has been an unprecedented period of success for British riders, but it has also come against a backdrop of controversies and suspicion.

Yates served a four-month ban in 2016 for failing a drugs test at Paris-Nice, which his then team Orica-GreenEdge put down to an “administrative error”. It later transpired a doctor had failed to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for an asthma inhaler.

Yates said at the time: “Unfortunately, as a result of an honest mistake of my team doctor, whom I trusted wholeheartedly, there will now be a doubt cast over my name, my previous results and any future glories.”

Froome, meanwhile, had been under investigation after more than the allowed level of legal asthma drug salbutamol was found in his urine.

The case was dropped in July by cycling’s world governing body the UCI, with the World Anti-Doping Agency accepting there was no breach.

That came four months after a report by MPs said Wiggins and Team Sky had “crossed an ethical line” by using drugs that are allowed under anti-doping rules to enhance performance instead of just for medical purposes.

Rainbow stripes next for Yates?

Yates’ next major race is at the Road World Championships, which take place in Innsbruck, Austria, from 23-30 September.

The men’s road race – on Sunday, 30 September – is on one of the toughest ever courses – 265km with more than 5,000m of climbing at gradients up to 25%

Yates and twin brother Adam will compete for Great Britain in an eight-strong team.

Lizzie Deignan, in 2015, was the last Briton to pull on the famous rainbow jersey at a Road World Championships, with Mark Cavendish, in 2011, the last man to win the title.

BBC Sport will be covering the championships live on BBC TV, red button and online.

Stage 21 result:

1. Elia Viviani (Ita/Quick-Step Floors) 2hrs 21mins 28secs

2. Peter Sagan (Svk/Bora-Hansgrohe) Same time

3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita/Trek-Segafredo)

4. Danny Van Poppel (Ned/Team Lotto NL-Jumbo)

5. Marc Sarreau (Fra/Groupama-Fdj)

6. Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa/Euskadi Basque Country-Murias)

7. Simone Consonni (Ita/UAE Team Emirates)

8. Matteo Trentin (Ita/Mitchelton-Scott)

9. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel/Team EF Education First-Drapac P/B Cannondale)

10. Ryan Gibbons (SA/Team Dimension Data)

Final classification:

1. Simon Yates (GB/Mitchelton-Scott) 82hrs 05mins 58secs

2. Enric Mas (Spa/Quick-Step Floors) +1min 46secs

3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Astana Pro Team) +2mins 4secs

4. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/LottoNL-Jumbo) +2mins 54secs

5. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar Team) +4mins 28secs

6. Thibaut Pinot (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +5mins 57secs

7. Rigoberto Uran (Col/EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) +6mins 7secs

8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar Team) +6mins 51secs

9. Ion Izaguirre (Spa/Bahrain-Merida) +11mins 9secs

10. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Team Sunweb) +11mins 11secs

BBC Sport – Cycling ultras_FC_Barcelona

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#Barcelona

#cycling

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