As you may have noticed Cyclo never passes up an opportunity to raise the issue of bike safety and in our opinion that all starts with a good helmet. If in doubt, just ask 17-year-old Evan van der Spuy who was taking a spin across the savannah of the KwaZulu-Natal province when his journey was rather rudely interrupted by an antelope (actually a Red Hartebeest if you’re taking notes). The incredible footage was captured by van der Spuy’s friend Travis Walker – watch and wonder…
After months of speculation (and a Cyclo drum-roll, please) Mark Cavendish has finally announced that he has signed with Team Sky. The decision of his current team, HTC Highroad, to fold at the end of the 2011 season after losing their headline sponsor sparked protracted debate about just where the 26-year-old ‘Manx Missile’ might set his future sights and with such a spectacular year of racing under his wheels – culminating in September with him becoming the first male world road race champion for 46 years – his stock had certainly skyrocketed. Cav’s signing will see him riding alongside fellow Brits Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins in what could prove to be a pivotal year for British cycling.
Commenting on the signing Dave Brailsford, Team Sky Principal, said: “Mark is the greatest sprinter of his generation and is well on his way to becoming the greatest of all time. He is a rider of exceptional talent who has proved his pedigree at the very highest level of our sport…Mark is a born winner and what excites me most is the attitude he brings to all the teams he rides for. We want to inspire more fans to get into cycling and I can think of no one better to help us do that.” Bradley Wiggins added: “I think I speak for everyone in the squad when I say that we’re all delighted to have Cav joining us at Team Sky. He is the best sprinter in the world and has an energy and passion for cycling that is infectious.”
Belgian rider Greg van Avermaet (BMC) has won the Paris-Tours single-day classic in a time of 5:21:43, powering ahead of the breakaway with 20km left to go and ultimately beating Italian Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling) in a sprint finish for what was arguably the win of his career. Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Kasper Klostergaard placed third with +15.
Mark Cavendish’s world champion’s rainbow jersey was not enough to brighten the showery and wind-swept day, which saw him finish in a disappointing 42nd place. The HTC rider subsequently tweeted: Phew, that was a stressful day. A strong wind from the start with small roads. It was a hard race with a worthy winner. Congratulations to Greg Van Avermaet.” The highest placed Brit was Team Sky’s Ian Stannard in fourth.
Image: ©BMC/Tim de Waele
The Inaugural UCI Tour of Beijing has found its first king in the shape of HTC-Highroad’s Tony Martin. The fifth and final stage of the brand new tour was a flat and fast 118km that naturally favored the sprinters and saw Team Katusha’s Russian star Denis Galimzyanov take the win, but Martin who has defended a lead for much of the race since winning the opening time trial was ultimately unbeatable in the overall rankings.
The Tour of Beijing has not been without incident and probably the most bizarre was the injury sustained by Yannick Eijssen of BMC who was forced to withdraw after what was described as a “freak accident” on Friday’s Stage Three. The accident, which happened on a descent in Yanqing county, north of the city centre, came about when a low flying television helicopter dislodged a signage board close to the course, which hit the 22-year-old rider, fracturing a small bone beneath his nose. A press motorcycle was also embroiled in the accident, but no other riders were involved.
How many bicycles did Katie Melua say there were in Beijing? However many it was, this week has seen a few more with the staging of the brand-new Tour of Beijing, a five day event that started on Wednesday with an 11.3km ITT stage and will conclude on Sunday with a run from Tiananmen Square to the iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium. Today’s stage (Friday, October 7), at 162k, was considered by far the toughest, but it also proved itself ideal for those keen to break free of the peleton and with 15km left to go that’s exactly what happened. Ultimately it was Ag2r -La Mondiale’s Nicolas Roche who took the stage win, whilst Tony Martin (of HTC-Highroad) retained his overall lead and now stands a good chance of a Tour win.
Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Nick Nuyens, who finished second in the sprint among the chasers and finished fifth today (and 19th overall) commented “It’s a new and exciting experience to race in China. The roads are wide and good and the organization of the event is rather good considering the fact that the race is new”
The merry-go-round of end of season team signings continues. Firstly the news that Sky has signed all-rounder Kanstantsin Siutsou, winner of the 2008 Tour of Georgia, tenth in this year’s Giro d’Italia (with an impressive six top-10 finishes) and winner of his native Belarus National Time Trial Championships. The 29-year-old makes the move after four years with HTC-Highroad. Dave Brailsford, Team Sky principal, commented: “In Kanstantsin we have signed a versatile and strong rider who will be a fantastic addition to our team. He showed with his top-10 finish in arguably the hardest ever Giro d’Italia last May what an exciting talent he is. His consistency throughout that race was impressive and he showed why he is so highly regarded within the peloton.”
Happier to stay put, Argentine brothers Juan Jose (“JJ”) and Lucas Sebastian Haedo have announced the extension of their contract with Team Saxo Bank-SunGard keeping them there throughout the 2012 season. Team owner Bjarne Riis confirmed the resigning, saying, “We have every reason to believe that the Haedo brothers will add victories to our palmares next year. At the same time both JJ and Lucas are great guys to work with and they fit well on the team.” With a Stage 16 win at this year’s Vuelta a Espana, JJ became the first Argentinean to take a Grand Tour stage.
Retaking the yellow jersey yesterday (Sunday, October 2) on the fourth stage of the Tour de Wallonie Picarde (formerly known as the Circuit Franco Belge)Team RadioShack’s Robbie McEwen secured himself overall victory. The 39-year-old rider readily admitted that the win had been unexpected but ultimately all went his way, commenting, “ This was a hard stage with seven climbs of the Col de la Croix de Jubaru. Despite the heat I felt good today and actually felt better and better as the stage went on…To be honest, this was an easy sprint for me.”
Although this has been a blistering year for the veteran rider – one that has included multiple stage wins as both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia – McEwen doesn’t consider it done and dusted: “Oh, yes, the season is not over yet. I hope I can show the same fast legs in Paris-Tours. That would be nice. I’ve never won that race.” The 105th running of the Paris-Tours takes place on October 9.
It’s that time of year, with the season ending and contracts coming to an end, for the annual game of musical saddles. Hot on the heels of the news that Team BMC Racing have signed Brit Adam Blythe and Belgian Klaas Lodewyck comes the announcement that they have also signed up another British rider in the shape of Steve Cummings, double-runner-up at the Tour of Britain (2008 and 2011.) The 30-year-old all-rounder was part of Great Britain’s world championship winning pursuit team in 2005 and took silver in the same event at the 2004 Olympics.
Commenting on his move away from Team Sky, Cummings said, “They’ve just won the Tour de France, and the riders they’ve signed have the chance to win almost any race. Their entire program really has the whole package…I want to work as hard as possible for the team and make the most of any opportunities that come my way. If I can do that, then I’m happy.”