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Nibali Wins the Tour de France 2014

CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE 2007Vincenzo Nibali has won the 101st edition of the Tour de France, making him only the sixth man to win all three Grand Tours – the TdF, the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana – and with a winning margin (7minutes, 52 seconds over Jean-Christophe Peraud) that is the biggest since 1997. Marcel Kittel was first across the line on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on the final stage, Nibali’s victory already secured and with time in hand to enjoy champagne en route.

Team Sky’s Richie Porte was responsible for the final day’s biggest break, racing clear on the Champs-Elysees, but ultimately being caught with 7.5km still to run, the end of a fairly forgettable TdF for both Porte and Sky, despite Bernhard Eisel taking 6th place in Paris. Commenting on the race, Porte said, ‘I had the chance of a lifetime to lead the team after Chris crashed out but got sick and things didn’t work out, but it’s nice to get into Paris and get this Tour done, and I’m looking forward to next year now.’

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Want Dinner with Chris Boardman?

Action Medical Research

Action Medical ResearchThe children’s charity Action Medical Research has a passion for all things cycling and to celebrate yet another successful season in the saddle, it will be hosting the fifth annual Champions of CycleSport Dinner with cycling legend Chris Boardman MBE as Ambassador. The event will be held on the  November 27 at the Battersea Evolution and is sponsored this year by both Broadstone and BDO LLP. Guests can dine with some of the world’s greatest cyclists at this unique sell out event, raising funds for sick and vulnerable babies and children. Attendees can rub shoulders with Olympic Gold medallists and a whole host of exceptional champion cyclists at the star-studded dinner – the ultimate cycling night out.Sir Dave Brailsford, Martyn Ashton, Ian Wilkinson, Yanto Barker and Jody Cundy MBE are already on the list to attend.

 

Boardman comments, ‘I’m very proud to be an Ambassador for the Champions of CycleSport Dinner. It’s a fantastic event and it’s a fantastic charity, which I know firsthand as my son George was born prematurely and benefited from the work which charities like Action do.’

 

The event will be supported by Media Partner Rouleur for the third year running and the partnership will mean some fabulous offers and prizes will be available for guests.

 

There will be a live demo on the night from world record BMX Flatlander, Matti Hemmings and music until 2am, as well as a live and silent auction. Prizes include money can’t buy ride outs with some of the world’s greatest cyclists, signed memorabilia, tickets to VIP hospitality at the 2015 Tour De France, a day in the team cars and much more.
For further details see action.org.uk

 

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The Comprehensive Guide to the Bicycle

The Comprehensive Guide to the Bicycle

The Comprehensive Guide to the BicycleWyatt9, a Nottingham-based bicycle design duo, have launched a new Kickstarter project. The Comprehensive Guide to the Bicycle is the young company’s most ambitious work to date, a digital illustrated print that tells the story of the bicycle from its humblest origins, right through to present day.  Having spent many hours illustrating each of the bikes in the print, Andy and Felicity, the couple behind Wyatt 9, felt the funding they could get through Kickstarter was the best way to launch the print, and reach the goal to make the minimum print run. Those who contribute to the project, or backers are being offered the chance to own a copy of the new print in addition to a whole host of other options, from owning a T Shirt of the final design, to helping decide which bikes have, so-far, been missed off the print.

 

Wyatt9 founder and owner, Andy Scullion says, ‘I’m hugely excited for this new project, especially because of the success we enjoyed with our last one. We wanted to tell the story of the bicycle from when it all began to now and show the amazing changes that have taken place. The funding we could get through Kickstarter allowed us to take the risk, and really put the time in to researching the bicycles history, and ensuring the illustration of each of the bikes featured is incredibly detailed and unique.’

 

Details of the The Comprehensive Guide to the Bicycle can be found on Kickstarter and details of more from Wyatt9 here.

 

 

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Tiernan-Locke Sacked by Team Sky

Tiernan-Locke

Tiernan-LockeTeam Sky’s Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has received a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation. The International Cycling Union (UCI) imposed the ban on the 29-year-old, who joined Team Sky in 2012, after finding discrepancies in his biological passport; Tiernan-Locke is also stripped of his 2.012 Tour of Britain title and sacked from Sky.

 

Team Principal of Team Sky, Dave Brailsford, said: ‘Jonathan’s contract has been terminated today. Whilst there have been no doubts about his time with us, his doping violation – from readings taken before he joined this team – means there’s no place for him in Team Sky. We’ve a well-known stance on anti-doping and our action is the inevitable outcome of a violation. This is a team that trains, races and wins clean.’

 

The discrepancies in his biological passport were taken in September 2012, shortly before he signed his two-year contract with Team Sky and three months before his first race with the team.

 

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Cancellara Quits the Tour

Fabian Cancellara

Fabian CancellaraTrek Factory Racing have announced that Fabian Cancellara will not take the start in stage 11 of the Tour de France on Wednesday and has withdrawn from the race. Cancellara came close to victory and his 29th yellow jersey with a late attack in Stage 1, finished fifth in stage 5 in Arenberg, defended his fifth place in the overall until an untimely puncture in the final of Stage 7 and sprinted to second place in stage 9 to Mulhouse.

 

Cancellara appears to have withdrawn purely to save himself for bigger – or at least more personal – goals later in the season. He comments: ‘I will travel home now and take a little break. The season has been long for me, starting back in Dubai. I have done 59 days of competition this season so far and I have another big goal at the end of this season: the World Championships. It’s not a secret that I’d like to be in my best shape there, so it’s important that I take some rest… It’s been good to be back in the Tour. We lost Andy (Schleck) and Danny (Van Poppel) early on, but the team is strong and will keep on looking for opportunities.’

 

Trek General Manager Luca Guercilena adds: ‘We brought Fabian to the Tour to be a factor where his skills allowed it and he didn’t disappoint. He’s a rider that always comes to a race to give everything – if you just look at how he was working for Fränk (Schleck) yesterday at 20 km from the finish in a mountain stage. Now he gets a short break and then we will build up his condition again to be at his best in Ponferrada (the World Championships).’

 

More on Trek Factory Racing at trekfactoryracing.com and on the Tour de France at letour.com

 

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Alberto Contador Retires on Stage 10

Contador

ContadorThe departure of Tinkoff Saxo rider Alberto Contador from the Tour de France sees yet another race favourite out of the 101st edition of the event. Following the exit of Team Sky’s Chris Froome last Wednesday, Contador was forced to withdraw after crashing heavily on Stage 10 – which he had begun in ninth place – at around the 65km mark between the Petit Ballon climb and the Col du Platzerwasel. With knee bandaged and a change of bike the Spanish star rode on for a further 15km, clearly in some distress, before stopping and entering the team car. A subsequent x-ray revealed a fracture to his right tibia just below the knee.

 

Despite initial reports that Contador had suffered a frame failure, Team Manager Bjarne Riis believes the crash was ‘…probably because of a bump or hole in the road.’

 

In a statement Riis said: ‘We will naturally have to look ahead. But right now it’s to early to say anything about the possibility of Alberto riding Vuelta a Espana. It depends on his recovery and on how fast he can get back on the bike and start training again.’

 

Today, July 15, is a rest day for the Tour de France with action continuing tomorrow with Stage 11, 187.5km Besançon to Oyonnax. Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali, who won another stage yesterday, is now looking favourite to win the 2014 TdF.

 

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Chris Froome out of the Tour de France

Chris Froome

Chris FroomeChris Froome is out of the Tour de France. The Team Sky defending TdF champion has withdrawn after multiple crashes during horrendous weather conditions on Stage 5, 152.5km Ypres to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. On his third fall of the day, still short of the much feared first cobbled sections, the clearly brutalised Froome, already with braced wrists from a fall on Stage 4, could clearly take no more; climbing in tears into the team car. Although it wasn’t the cobbles that finished his race directly, the sheer pace in wet conditions set by the teams to reach them in quick order clearly played a part. Following Mark Cavedish’s failure to start Stage 2 after dislocating his shoulder in a fall on day 1, there now remains only two British riders in the 2014 Tour de France: Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates of ORICA-GreenEDGE.

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Greig Leach Book de Tour

Book de Tour

Book de TourOfficial Richmond World Championship artist in residence, Greig Leach is once more recording this year’s Tour de France as the action unfolds each day. Over the last few years Cyclo has had the pleasure in featuring his work on numerous occasions (see here) and this year you can again see his TdF project take shape at theartofcycling.blogspot.com.

 

This year Greig is also turning his fascinating post-card sized, watercolor and ink annotated drawings into a bound print volume as the Book de Tour in collaboration with Richmond specialist art printer Dementi Publishing. To fund the project and produce an affordable, limited addition book, he is raising funds on Kickstarter with an array of tempting rewards for backers, including original artworks and an artist-signed copy of the finished book.

 

Commenting on the Book de Tour he comments: ‘This book unites my twin passions of cycling and painting. But I can’t take any credit. It stems from my wife’s idea back in 2012 to capture that year’s Tour de France in an affordable way and offer, lasting original mementos to cycling’s growing fan base. Several years, several Grand Tours and key WorldTour races later, the time is now right to produce a book based on this year’s Tour de France.’

 

Further details on the Book de Tour at Kickstarter