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Cheng Ji Makes Tour de France History

Marcel Kittel

Marcel KittelTeam Giant-Shimano has announced the final nine riders who will line-up in Yorkshire on July 5 for the start of the 101st Tour de France. They are: Roy Curvers (NED), John Degenkolb (GER), Dries Devenyns (BEL), Tom Dumoulin (NED), Cheng Ji (CHN), Marcel Kittel (GER), Koen De Kort (NED), Albert Timmer (NED) and Tom Veelers (NED). With their primary aim of winning a stage, Team Giant-Shimano has developed two sprint formations, the first revolving around Marcel Kittel – the ‘Pure Sprint Formation’ – and the second, around John Degenkolb – the ‘Power Sprint Formation.’

 

Cheng Ji will be making history as the first Chinese rider to participate in the Tour de France, with Team Giant-Shimano coach Rudi Kemna commenting: ‘When we started working with him as a young talented rider back in 2008 we made a long-term plan and this has seen him develop into the highest level of the sport and we see him now playing an important factor in the sprint formations. Having Cheng in the team as the first Chinese rider ever to ride the Tour de France will be huge for him and his country and we look forward to seeing the impact this has on the Globalisation of the sport.’

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Trek Announce Tour de France Team

Trek Announce Tour de France Team

Trek Announce Tour de France TeamTrek Factory Racing has announced their nine-man line-up for the Tour de France and stated their objective as finishing in the top-ten in the general classification and taking a stage win along the way. Their 13 rider-long list has now become: Fabian Cancellara, Fränk Schleck, Andy Schleck, Haimar Zubeldia, Jens Voigt, Matthew Busche, Markel Irizar, Gregory Rast, and Danny van Poppel.

 

Andy Schleck and Matthew Busche will be the key support riders for the team’s GC riders in the high mountains, with Trek Factory Racing General Manager Luca Guercilena commenting:  ‘Andy will ride in support of Fränk and Haimar in the climbs. He will not have a personal focus on the GC. It shouldn’t be a surprise that we’re lining him up as a support rider for his brother and for Haimar: Andy may not have won a stage in the Tour de Suisse, but he aggressively raced well. Riders of his stature should have the opportunity to compete in the race that made them great.’

 

American Matthew Busche is the only rider of the nine-man team who has never raced at the TdF, whilst Jens Voigt will be lining up in his 17th.

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Team Sky Catch Tour Fever

Team Sky Tour Fever

Team Sky Tour FeverTeam Sky, set to chase down their third consecutive Tour de France win, are going all out on whipping up a storm of support with their Tour Fever campaign. In addition to a series of short films about how some Team Sky fans are getting ready for the greatest cycling event in the world (see video below), they are encouraging Team Sky fans to share their stories – via email website@teamsky.com – as well as pictures and videos on facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the Tour Fever hashtag #TourFever.

 

Of course there’s a great revenue angle too (has anyone bought the Team Sky Breakfasts yet?) with the launch of the official Tour Fever t-shirts, produced in conjunction with Rapha. The three t-shirts – Union Jack’d, Dossard No. 1 and Va Va Froome – are all available from Rapha and Evans Cycles. Each t-shirt is available in sizes S-XXL, priced at £15, with a kids’ version of the Va Va Froome t-shirt available for £10.

 

Further details on the Team Sky Tour Fever campaign at teamsky.com

 

 

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Useeme Set for Manufacture

Useeme

UseemeAfter three years of research and development the Useeme ‘wearable turn signal’ wristbands are a step closer to general availability with the launch of an IndieGoGo crowd funding campaign looking to raise €25,000 (£20,000).  Invented by Laszlo Nyiradi out of a desire to provide a cycling safety feature for his daughter the Useeme Bicycle Turn Signals are made with layers of flexible, form-hugging plastic, which make them easy to take on and off, with no clasps required. Set for manufacture in a small plant in Hernád, Hungary, they will be available in three different sizes and are designed to fit comfortably over clothing.

 

The first 2,000 pairs of the Useeme wristbands are only available to sponsors of the crowd funding campaign but for those who would like the bands ahead of general release, Useeme is also offering a tester series. There will be 200 test editions (which may differ slightly from the final design) available to those who pledge €33 with a 50% off coupon for the final product given to those who feed back test results to the manufacturers.

 

Further details of Useeme at useeme.eu and for the crowd funding campaign at indiegogo.com

 

Cyclo will be bringing you an early look review in the coming months.

 

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Tinkoff-Saxo Sign Beer Partner

32 Via dei Birrai

32 Via dei BirraiAs unlikely as it sounds Tinkoff-Saxo have signed a sponsorship deal with Italian gourmet brewery 32 Via dei Birrai, which the team are quick to point out is just as much for the hard working staff as it is for the riders who they otherwise describe as ‘the monks of the sporting world’. Loreno Michielin, Manager at the brewery – the first Italian artisan microbrewery – commented: ‘There has to be room for pleasure once in a while, also on a WorldTour team. That’s why we wanted to support Tinkoff-Saxo. Our brewery is situated in the heart of Italian cycling-country and we follow the sport closely…’

 

Given the gruelling schedule for both riders and support staff alike, perhaps we shouldn’t begrudge them the odd drink (the early Grand Tours were renowned for their vino filled bidons after all.) Tinkoff-Saxo’s Team Chef Hannah Grant certainly seems to appreciate to: ‘You recognize good quality when you taste it. Italy is known for its wine, but 32 Via dei Birrai definitely puts Italy on the beer-map. During the Giro and Dauphiné we’ve found out that sharing a bottle of 32 Via dei Birrai became some kind of a rallying point for the staff in the late hours after finishing the preparations ahead of the next day’s stage.’

 

More on Tinkoff-Saxo at tinkoffsaxo.com

 

Perhaps more importantly more on 32 Via dei Birrai at 32viadeibirrai.it

 

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Fancy a Team Sky Breakfast?

Team Sky Breakfast

Team Sky BreakfastTeam Sky have joined forces with nutrition brand CNP to launch their first range of nutritious, high protein breakfast products. The Team Sky High Protein Porridge and Team Sky High Protein Smoothies, which have been jointly developed with CNP’s nutrition experts, will initially be available in selected Tesco Superstores and from the CNP website.

 

Each serving of the High Protein Porridge – which comes in Fig & Honey and Super Fruits flavours – contains 12g of quality protein and includes fibre in the oats that contribute towards natural maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. The High Protein Smoothies, which are packed with 26g of high quality dairy protein and flavoured with fruit juice, come in Pineapple & Coconut and Orange & Mango flavours. The High Protein Porridge retails at £3 and the Smoothies at £2.50.

 

Team Sky’s Head of Nutrition Nigel Mitchell said: ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this innovative range of great-tasting, convenient and widely available products is very exciting. Both the Team Sky Porridge and Smoothies contain a rich source of high quality protein, complex carbohydrates and fibre that will help provide a slow release of energy to keep you energised and feeling fuller for longer.’

 

Online purchase at cnpprofessional.co.uk

 

Read Cyclo’s Nutrition Talk feature with Team Sky’s Nigel Mitchell here.

 

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Rodriguez Looks Forward to Tour de France

Joaquim Rodriguez

Joaquim RodriguezKatusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez has confirmed he will ride the Tour de France despite the fact it had not originally been scheduled as part of his season. Rodriguez, who finished third at last year’s TdF, has not had a good year so far having been one of the victims of the infamous Stage 6 at the Giro d’Italia, abandoning after his crash with fractures of a rib and thumb. Commenting on his recovery the Spaniard said: ‘My rib still hurts a bit, but already there is much less pain than in the beginning. It gets better every day and we still have three more weeks until the Tour.’

 

In a statement from Katusha Rodriguez continued: ‘I really wanted to perform well in the first part of the season. I had big ambitions but my crashes in the Amstel Gold Race and the Giro ruined my chances for the classics as well as for the first Grand Tour of the season. The other goal I put in place at the beginning of the season, the Tour of Spain, is still there. The course suits me and I want to win that race. This does not mean that I go to the Tour de France as preparation for the Vuelta. I have Tour ambitions too, though not for the GC. The third week looks nice and I want to win one or more stages. I have that goal and in the mean time I will enjoy my bike. Otherwise it would be hard to watch TV without being there. It hurt during the Giro and it would hurt in the Tour, too. Those races are ‘my’ races. It’s only when I watch races like Paris-Roubaix on TV that I don’t have the feeling that I’m missing something.’

 

The full Team Katusha roster for the Tour de France is not yet finalised.

 

Full details of Team Katusha and Joaquim Rodriguez at katushateam.com and of the Tour de France at letour.com

 

Want to know how the Tour de France all began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France here.

 

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Tour Makers Prepare for Grand Départ

Tour Makers Prepare for Grand DépartWith the Grand Départ of the Tour de France less than a month away thousands of Tour Makers are being kitted out with special uniforms and taking part in role training; the army of volunteers has been recruited to help the millions of visitors who will watch the biggest annual sporting event in the world when in starts in Yorkshire on July 5 and winds its way through the UK to London before its return to France.

 

The Tour Makers are attending training sessions in Leeds at Elland Road Stadium and collecting their uniforms, designed by Yorkshire-based supermarket Asda, who have backed the project by helping to recruit and clothe the volunteers who have been allocated roles such as Route Marshal, Flag Marshal, Wayfinders, Crossing Marshals and Supervisors.

 

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency who led the winning bid to bring the Tour de France Grand Départ to Yorkshire and came up with the Tour Maker idea, said: ‘We’ve been blown away by the passion and dedication the Tour Makers have shown already. Now, there’s a real sense of excitement building among them as they complete their training, get their uniforms and prepare for an experience they’ll never forget.’

 

Tour Makers are being managed by the TdFHUB2014Ltd, the not-for-profit company set up by UK Sport to co-ordinate planning for the opening three stages in the UK.

 

For more on Yorkshire’s Grand Départ see letouryorkshire.com