Will Chris Froome’s physiological test results change opinions? What do we think. Two top cross races at the weekend with results and video, add to that a bag full of EUROTRASH with cycling news from: Astana, UCI, Lotto Soudal, Etixx-Quick·Step and Trek. Plus a bit of motivation to get you out on the bike.
TOP STORY: Froome’s Physiological Test Results
With the release of double Tour de France winner, Chris Froome’s physiological tests being made public last week in esquire.co.uk, the predictable reactions were aired in the media. From proving his doping innocence, to not going far enough and everything between, the results have not proven anything or changed peoples’ thoughts on the Kenyan born athlete. One thing is evident, Chris Froome has the engine to win Grand Tours and always did. In the report the comparison between the Froome of 2015 and the Froome of 2007 and main difference is his body weight. In 2007 he weighed 75.6kg with a body fat of 16.9% and by 2015 his test weight had dropped to 69.9kg with a body fat of 9.8%, his 2015 Tour de France weight was 67kg, a good 2.9kg lower than when he was tested. So in 2007 Chris Froome was as strong as he is now, but he was carrying just under four and a half 2 kilo bags of sugar in his jersey pockets, if that was possible. If you have ever carried a 10 kilo (22.lbs) bag of potatoes around for any length of time you will appreciate how much easier life is without that added incumbrance.
So, has Froome helped his cause by releasing the info? Yes a little, and it is something other riders should do, but he has proven nothing, except that he was a bit fat eight years ago. Doubters will always doubt and fans will always believe what they want, up to a point (Lance).
The Froome test:
Vlaamse Druivencross Overijse 2015
World champion Mathieu Van Der Poel showed on Saturday in Essen (see report below) that he was on form and if it wasn’t for a mechanical problem he would have quite likely won, but he made up for the disappointment by taking his first win of the season on Sunday in Overijse, Belgium. The young Dutch rider won on his own ahead of Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) in 2nd and Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) in 3rd.
The two top riders of the cross season so far; Wout Van Aert and Sven Nys were missing from the start line, but as the Druivencross is so hard there was no cheapening of his victory.
Michael Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) was the early leader and had a good gap at the end of the first lap. Meeusen started to chase with Michael Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) on his wheel as Van der Poel tried to work his way to the front after a bad start. Meeusen did all the work with Vanthourenhout following, but on the 4th lap Van der Poel made it to the front with Kevin Pauwels in his wake. With Pauwels in the lead group, his teammate Vanthourenhout started to do the lead work, but Pauwels couldn’t hold on.
On the 5th lap; Van der Poel put the pressure on, Meeusen and Vanthourenhout held on for most of the lap, but in the end they had to let the rainbow jersey go with three laps to go. The World champion lost his chain at this point, and needed a bike change and dropped to 4th place behind Pauwels, Meeusen and Vanthourenhout. It wasn’t long before they were together along with Tim Merlier (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace) and Belgian champion Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) not far behind.
On the 6th lap Van der Poel attacked again in the sixth lap, Meeusen tried to stay with him, but it was too much and was passed by Pauwels before the line as Merlier got the better of Vantornout for 4th as did Gianni Vermeersch (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) who overtook his teammate Vanthourenhout for 6th.
As the World champion, Mathieu Van der Poel, crossed the finish line he pointed to his left knee in the style of 2000 Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Museeuw.
Race winner, Mathieu Van Der Poel (BKCP-Corendon): “Like Museeuw! His injury was worse than mine but I thought about it recently. The recovery process was especially hard on the mental front. It’s fun to come back the way I did. It makes up for the suffering. I’m very glad to have taken the win today.”
3rd, Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea): “I was going much faster through every corner and climb than I thought was possible but still I got dropped. It was the only way to get back on him (Van der Poel). I’d love to have gone with him but was dropped. I received a mental blow after that.”
Vlaamse Druivencross Overijse Result:
1. Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned) BKCP-Corendon in 1:03:01
2. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb Napoleon Games at 0:19
3. Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 0:35
4. Tim Merlier (Bel) Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace at 0:44
5. Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 0:48
6. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 1:15
7. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 1:42
8. Corne Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet-Fidea at 1:51
9. Marcel Meisen (Ger) Corendon-Kwadro at 2:00
10. Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Fidea at 2:08.
Druivencross finalé:
Bpost Bank Trofee – Essen 2015
Wout Van Aert (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace) was again unstoppably in Saturday’s BPost Bank Trofee race in Essen, but with just over a lap to go it looked like World champion, Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Powerplus), had the race in his hands, but a gear problem robbed him of his first win of the 2015/16 season. Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) was a strong second with Michael Vanthourenhout (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) was third.
Sven Nys had a very good start and took the 15 bonus seconds at the sprint on the second lap ahead of Van Aert with Van der Poel third from the chasers. The three top riders moved off the front. Van der Poel was showing his form and put the others in trouble, Nys and Van Aert managed to hold him, but on the 6th lap he dropped the others and seemed to sail away through the mud as Nys and Van Aert could only watch. With over a lap to go, Nys was holding Van der Poel at 5 seconds when the Dutchman’s rear derailleur broke off his bike and he had to run to the next pit area losing seven places.
Van Aert and Nys took the lead with Kevin Pauwels and Michael Vanthourenhout (both Sunweb-Napoleon Games) chasing behind. On the last lap Van Aert kept Nys on his wheel with a fast turn of speed. On the final ride through the mud, Van Aert took the lead and held it to the road finish for a 7 second win. Vanthourenhout was third as Pauwels crashed. Vermeersch fifth, Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) sixth Laurens Sweeck (Era Real Estate-Murprotec) seventh and a very disappointed Van der Poel in eighth.
Former World champion Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quick·Step) rode his only cross race of the season to 20th place without taking any chances. But he was given a very warm applause from what has become his home fans.
Van Aert now leads the BPost Bank Trofee by 3:19 from Kevin Pauwels.
Race winner, Wout Van Aert (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace): “For a long time I wasn’t in a position to win the race. I didn’t feel good and mentally switched to defend my classification. Luckily for us Mathieu had a mechanical which turned the race upside down. I wanted to be ahead of him (Nys) at the barriers where he jumped them. I didn’t want to risk losing 10 meters. In the forest there was no space to pass. In the final muddy section I made good choices in terms of tyre pressure and profile.”
2nd, Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink): “During the race I noticed that some riders were able to pass me on the inside through that section. I played my cards but I came out empty-handed. I lost all speed.”
A disappointed Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Powerplus): “It was very disappointing, especially in that position. It was a situation in which you just want to break everything apart. I still had a fast final lap in my legs. I’ve never encountered this. I rode through that power section instead of running because it’s good enough not to get off your bike. Suddenly I felt no resistance. The derailleur is probably still laying in the mud.”
Bpost Bank Trofee – Essen Result:
1. Wout Van Aert (Bel) Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace in 1:00:12
2. Sven Nys (Bel) Crelan-AA Drink at 0:07
3. Michael Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 0:29
4. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 0:35
5. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Sunweb-Napoleon Games at 0:46
6. Tom Meeusen (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 0:48
7. Laurens Sweeck (Bel) Era Real Estate-Murprotec at 0:58
8. Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned) BKCP-Powerplus at 1:11
9. Tim Merlier (Bel) Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace at 1:15
10. Corne Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet-Fidea at 1:32.
Bpost Bank Trofee – Essen full race:
Broken leg for Vanotti
In a training crash on Saturday at the Astana training camp in Calpe (Spain), Alessandro Vanotti has a suspected fractured tibia plateau. The crash happened early in the ride when Fabio Aru hit a trafic cone at road works and caused Vanotti to hit the ground. The local hospital in Denia diagnosed the break of the tibia plateau, which is at the top tibia at the base of the knee. An MRI scan will on Monday will confirm the original diagnosis and doctors will be able to decide if surgery will be needed. A team spokesman said they would have to wait to for the medical report before any decisions could be made.
2013 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali and Alessandro Vanotti:
Last Four ProConti Teams Approved
Bardiani-CSF and Southeast (Tharcor), CCC Sprandi Polkowice and Europcar (Direct Energie) have all been given their ProContinental licenses for 2016. This brings the second devision of professional cycling to 23 teams.
UCI ProContinental Teams for 2016:
Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
Bardiani-CSF
Bora-Argon 18
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
Cofidis, Solutions Credits
Cult Energy-Stölting Group
Delko-Marseille Provence-KTM
Direct Energie
Drapac Professional Cycling
Fortuneo-Vital Concept
Funvic Soul Cycles-Carrefour
Nippo-Vini Fantini
One Pro Cycling
Roompot Oranje Peloton
Roth-Skoda
RusVelo
Team Novo Nordisk
Tharcor
Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
Verva Activejet Pro Cycling Team
Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
Wanty-Groupe Gobert mixing it with the WorldTour teams in the ENECO Tour 2015:
Presentation of newcomer Tomasz Marczynski
Last week we introduced Jelle Wallays, the first new arrival for 2016. Today, it’s up to the 31-year-old Tomasz Marczynski. It’s been a while since Lotto Soudal could welcome a Polish rider; with Marczynski, a four-time national champion will join the team. Last season, Tomasz was part of the Turkish team Torku Sekerspor. Apart from the national championships, he won the Tour of Morocco and the Tour of the Black Sea. How Marczynski made it through the youth categories, what his connection with Italy is and why a Polish rider joins a Belgian team; you can read below.
Traveling youth champion
“When I was twelve years old, I started to mountain bike during my free time. There aren’t any athletes in our family, so it took a while before I came in contact with competition sports. After my thirteenth birthday, I switched to road cycling and began to ride local races. In my first year, I already won two races; when I was fifteen, I became Polish champion for the first time. You can say that I could stand up for myself right from the beginning. After the U19 category, I had to search a good team. Given that there weren’t any Polish U23 teams, you had to go abroad. If you stayed in Poland, you could better stop racing because the level of racing in Poland was very low back then. I moved to Italy when I was nineteen and stayed there from February till October. Only for the Polish national championships I went home for a couple of weeks. Luckily, I’m someone who likes to travel. For example, I don’t have any problems living abroad; I think that’s because I adjust myself quickly, I like to meet new people, learn new languages and I’m open to new experiences.”
Italy
“During the first two years as an U23 rider, I rode for Italian teams. In my first year, I won a big pro race: Firenze-Modena. That day, I beat Grivko and Ricco; that was a strong start and a very important victory for my further career. The second year as U23 rider went pretty good, but I couldn’t win. During that year, I rode 32 races; of which I finished 28 times on the podium and only four time outside the top ten. That regularity made sure that I could sign my first professional contract as a 21-year-old with the Italian team Ceramica Flaminia; my first experience with the pro circuit. It was a big difference, but after a couple of weeks it went better. In my first professional year, I finished a few times in the top ten and became second at the national championships. The Italian races helped me grow as a rider and made me better during the hilly races.”
Polish championships
“When I attended the Polish championships in the pro category for the second time, I won. Also in 2011 I became national champion; both in the road race and time trial. I’m up to a total of four Polish titles with the pros; three times in the road race, one time in time trial. Every year I try to be in a top shape when the championships approach. The type of course doesn’t matter; one time I won solo, the other time I was the best in a sprint of forty riders and the last time I won a sprint of five. It’s always a hard race with guys like Kwiatkowski and Golas. Last season, I won the title so I can start my first year with Lotto Soudal in the Polish national jersey; that makes it extra special.”
Stage races
“In 2012, I already was part of a WorldTour team; Vacansoleil-DCM. I look back on that period with mixed feelings; it was a very nice and enjoyable time with a good team, but due to injuries I couldn’t prove myself. In my first Grand Tour, the Vuelta, I became thirteenth. I love the heat, I rather ride in 40 degrees than in the rain and the cold. For some people it’s hard to understand because I’m Polish and in our country it can be really cold during wintertime. Because of this, I live in the South of Spain; the weather is perfect and I can train in the mountains whenever I like. My second year with Vacansoleil was a bummer due to two surgeries. That year, I only rode four races and they weren’t good enough. Hopefully the bad luck stays away next year so I can fully concentrate on performing. With my 69 kilogram, I’m a bit too heavy to climb with the best; but when I’m in good shape I can follow them. Also my time trial isn’t bad and when the race ends with a sprint with a smaller group, I’m pretty fast. For next year, I’m really motivated to work with this top team and nice people. Marc Sergeant gave me the opportunity to join the team and showed his confidence, I’m very thankful for that. This is my second chance on the WorldTour level and I will do everything I can to do my job and help the team as good as possible.”
The Sprint Quiz:
Favorite color: all the colors, I don’t have a favorite.
Favorite music: Reggaeton
Favorite movie: Seven Pounds
Favorite food: Italian
Early bird or night owl: night owl
Movie or book: movie
Brunette or blond: brunette, blond, black,… Everything
Pizza or French fries: Pizza
Citytrip in Barcelona or relaxing at the Caribbean Islands: Citytrip
Winning the sprint of a small group or finishing solo: “Winning solo gives you more time to enjoy the victory.”
Uphill or downhill: I enjoy both
Cold or warm: warm!
Time trial or a race of 280 km: 280 kilometers
Double national champion or a stage win in a Grand Tour: Stage win. I already became double national champion, but I never won a stage in a Grand Tour before.
Greatest victory: Tough choice, but I choose my national title of 2015; that was an important victory for my career.
With which ex-professional would you like to go for a ride: Marco Pantani
If you could do one wish for next season, what would you wish for? Riding the Tour de France
Tomasz Marczynski wins the 2015 Polish National championships:
Etixx – Quick·Step Reveals 2016 Jersey
Etixx – Quick-Step has revealed its new jersey for the 2016 season, designed once again by Vermarc who made sure of creating a jersey which will stand out in the peloton. The light blue of last year is replaced by a darker shade of blue which is predominant on the jersey, except for a white horizontal line, framed by two black ones. Black will be noticeable also on the sleeves and in the lower half, thanks to the addition of some vertical stripes. The shorts will undergo a major change from last year, becoming blue as well, which will be the main color of next season, thus making sure the outfit will be easier to get recognized in the races.
Once again, the sponsors of the team will have top visibility, with Etixx resting on the center chest of the jersey, right above Quick-Step, just as in the past season, which proved to be a very successful one for the team, with 54 victories. Latexco, Etixx – Quick-Step’s most loyal sponsor, moves to the upper chest, on the neckband and on the back, while Lidl – who is new to the sponsors present on the 2016 kit – will have its place on the sleeves and on the rear of the pants. Also on the sleeves, below Lidl, on a white background, there’s Janom, while on the upper back there’s the car company Peugeot, with Specialized, the major bicycle brand, making its way on the lower half.
“It’s an elegant and modern jersey, which will be easy to spot in the pack. I like it a lot, because it’s very classy and it makes me proud to wear it. Vermarc did a great job designing this jersey and for my part I hope to honor it during the races and take it to the top spot of the podium”, said Marcel Kittel, one of the eight new riders who signed with Etixx – Quick-Step ahead of the new season.
Team CEO Patrick Lefevere also had words of praise for the new kit, which will make its debut in a race on the 17th of January 2016, at the People’s Choice Classic, in Adelaide: “The launch of the new jersey is a kind of ritual that we renew with huge delight every year. For us, as a cycling team, it’s a great moment, because this is our uniform, the jersey that will accompany us throughout the season. In cycling we say that a winning jersey is the most beautiful jersey you can have, but I must say that I already like it a lot, even before seeing it in a race. I hope that our fans will appreciate it as much as we do.”
Mapei Sport joins forces with Trek Factory Racing
Mapei Sport, the famed sports science and research center from Milan (Italy) is partnering with Trek Factory Racing, marking the return of an illustrious name to the WorldTour ranks after an absence of 14 years.
For Trek Factory Racing the partnership with Mapei Sport signifies the completion of the team’s sports science component, a project started with the inception of the team in 2014. Josu Larrazabal, Head of Performance at Trek Factory Racing, will count on the infrastructure and expertise of Mapei Sport to put the finishing touches to the team’s coaching structure.
Larrazabal: “Having Mapei Sport partner with us was the missing piece to having a fully operational performance task force. We now have a solid structure to support the riders to reach their maximum performance.”
“Mapei Sport needs no introduction. They have gained massive expertise in sports science, not just in cycling, for decades now,” says Larrazabal. “We are scientists, so we like numbers. However, what Mapei brings to the table is hard to measure, there’s no doubt about that. Together, we will be more competitive. That’s what we’re going for. Nothing is simply a detail if you’re ambitious.”
Mapei Sport Head of Cycling and Head Coach Andrea Morelli: “It’s a great pleasure for me to work again with Luca Guercilena and the Trek Factory Racing Team. In the first place, the team riders will have access to our facility to monitor their physiological parameters but we will give also our scientific support to help the team to improve the training plan and recovery strategy. We will provide performance testing opportunities throughout the season, and assist the team’s performance staff, notably Josu Larrazabal (Head of Performance) and Daniel Green (team sports scientist), to enhance the performance of each rider.”
General Manager Luca Guercilena is no stranger to Mapei Sport. Back in 1997 he joined the Mapei team, which was composed of professional and U23 riders. It was the team that Fabian Cancellara would join as a stagiaire in 2000.
Guercilena: “I’m very happy with this partnership. Mapei Sport is one of the best sports science centers in the world, so this is a great opportunity for everyone involved. They are a leader in research, just like Trek, and research is the way to go. I’m a strong believer in improvement and I know Mapei Sport likes to look at the future and study how things can be done better. I’m convinced that our philosophies will match.”
Dr. Giorgio Squinzi, CEO of Mapei SpA. and founder of Mapei Sport, echoes Guercilena’s words: “I’m very excited that Mapei Sport reappears in the world of professional cycling thanks to Luca Guercilena, who is arguably the best Team Manager you can wish for thanks to his background as a sports scientist. I’m also very glad to pick up my friendship with Fabian Cancellara. Fabian made his first steps in pro cycling in our team. He’s an exceptional athlete and it’s like a dream to work closely together again.”
The glory of Mapei:
G&V Energy Group and Lotto Soudal extend partnership
In 2012, G&V Energy Group, number one on the market of independent petroleum companies in Belgium, started a partnership with the Lotto Soudal team. This collaboration is now extended till 2020.
G&V Energy Group is especially active in the exploitation of petrol stations in Belgium, with stations mainly located in West and East Flanders, Brussels and Hainaut. The group exploits around 170 stations, of which a hundred by the name of Esso and the others by the own name G&V. Next to the exploitation of petrol stations, the CAPS Fuelcard is the second main pillar of the group. With this card, users can go to more than thousand petrol stations in the Benelux; not only the own stations, but also those from the partner networks.
The logo of G&V Energy Group is already displayed on the riders’ shirts; next year the logo of the CAPS Fuelcard will be visible on the right shoulder.
Xavier Dewulf, CEO and co-owner of G&V Energy Group: “The CAPS Fuelcard is a multi-brand card, this means that it’s accepted in petrol stations of different brands in the Benelux. Next to the petrol stations of the G&V Energy Group and the ones of our partner Esso in the Benelux, you can use the card in the stations of our partners: Texaco BeLux, Desimpel, Maes, Heite, Van Raak and Bruno. This results in a total of over thousand locations. For the moment, it’s the biggest Belgian network for a multi-brand card that can be used in the Benelux. There’s also an App available, the CAPS Fuelfinder, with which the cardholders can search the nearest petrol stations where they can use the CAPS Fuelcard. With this card, we aim for self-employees, SME’s and bigger companies.”
“Our partnership with Lotto Soudal runs till 2020. As a Belgian company, we are very delighted that we’re working together with a team from our own country; that’s where our priorities are situated. We know it needs some time to acquire brand awareness as a cosponsor, meanwhile we found our place in the Lotto Soudal story. To promote the CAPS Fuelcard as well, we chose to renew the partnership for another five years. Through cycling, we don’t only acquire brand awareness but it also gives the opportunity to network. That happens on events and openings of petrol stations. The Lotto Soudal team bus is often used on those occasions.”
In 2013 G&V Energy Group gave the team a brand-new bus, they will supply the team with another one by the end of 2016.
Motivation!
If the cold and/or bad weather is stopping you from going out on the bike, here is some motivation to get out there… or there is always the indoor trainer.
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