Archiv für den Monat: Januar 2023

THE ROUTE OF LA VUELTA 23

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The official presentation of the route of La Vuelta 23 was held at the Palau de la Música Catalana on Tuesday. The Spanish tour’s 78th edition will take off from Barcelona on Saturday, the 26th of August and will conclude in Madrid on the 17th of September. Its 21 stages will include 12 unprecedented departures and eight unprecedented finish-lines, all while visiting nine autonomous communities and three countries: Spain, Andorra and France. The cyclists will face ten high-altitude finales, five of which are new to La Vuelta, two time trials, seven mountains stages, six mid-mountain stages, four flat stages and two flat stages with high-altitude finales.

VE23_Mapa Recorrido 1080x1080px

Unipublic has presented, on Tuesday the 10th of January, the route of La Vuelta 23, that will take place between the 26th of August and the 17th of September. For the second time in its history, the Spanish tour will take off from Barcelona. The city will host an urban team time trial as its first stage and the second stage will depart from Mataró and arrive in Barcelona once again, in front of the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.

Following the two first finish-lines in Barcelona, the peloton will then head to Andorra from Súria in order to experience the race’s first mountain stage. The Principality will host La Vuelta 23’s first unprecedented high-altitude finale with a climb of Arinsal. The riders will sleep in Andorra before heading South from Andorra La Vella towards Tarragona in order to conclude the race’s initial Catalan and Andorran journey.

The Autonomous Community of Valencia will be the star of the next phase of La Vuelta. The riders will ride through the Province of Castellón in a mid-mountain stage between Morella and Burriana. The Castellón locality of La Vall d’Uixó will be the starting point for the next stage, heading to Teruel, with the final climb up to the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre as the day’s main attraction. The race’s first flat stage will take place on the 7th day, with a finale that will benefit the sprinters at Oliva. The peloton will then bid farewell to the Autonomous Community of Valencia with a finale along the Costa Blanca, on a summit that is already well-known to the riders: Xorret de Catí.

As a final challenge to end the week before the rest day, the Region of Murcia will put the riders to the test with a stage beginning in the coast, in Cartagena, heading inland towards the finish-line in Caravaca de la Cruz.

The second week of competing will begin in the Province of Valladolid with a 25-kilometre individual time trial. The peloton will then continue its route towards Castilla y León’s West, in order to visit the Laguna Negra in Vinuesa. Zaragoza will provide sprinters will a final opportunity before heading to the Pyrenees for two challenging mountain stages: Aubisque and Tourmalet first, and Issarbe, Larrau and Larra-Belagua on the second day – two stages that will play a deciding role within the race. Pamplona and Lekunberri will host the stage before the second and final rest day.

The demanding nature of the race will not diminish in the last week of racing as, following the unprecedented high-altitude finale in Bejes, will be La Vuelta’s great colossus: L’Angliru. The Principality of Asturias will, once again, be the judge of the race with its unprecedented high-altitude finale in Cruz de Linares, as was the case in 2022 with the Colláu Fancuaya. The Castilian wind may play an important role on the way to Íscar, giving sprinters their opportunity before arriving in Madrid. The second-last linear stage will be held in the Guadarrama Basin in a “classic” stage format, featuring 10 3rd category climbs that will determine La Vuelta’s final overall winner before the traditional final stage in Madrid.

BARCELONA, A CITY THAT LOVES SPORTS

Barcelona will be an exceptional host for the grand departure of La Vuelta 23. “When we looked at Barcelona, we took into account four essential pillars that define the city and fit in perfectly with La Vuelta’s own philosophy: sports, sustainability, tradition and innovation. As a large cycling event, those four characteristics are extremely important to us,” assured Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta.

LA VUELTA DE LOS COLOSOS
Mountains will play an important role in La Vuelta’s 78th edition. Familiar summits such as Angliru, Xorret de Catí and Javalambre will feature along with unprecedented summits such as Larrau, Larra-Belagua, Cruz de Linares and one of cycling’s most mythical summits: the Tourmalet. “Mountains are a part of La Vuelta’s DNA and will make the 2023 edition very exciting, yet again,” said Guillén. “The Tourmalet will be a landmark in the history of our race and will be this year’s great colossus, along with the Angliru. We continue searching for new summits in order to showcase great cycling and it is in this search that we discovered new finales at Larra-Belagua, Cruz de Linares and Bejes, and such mountain passes as Larrau and Issarbe,” explains the race’s General Director.

Etappen der VUELTA 23:
1. Etappe, 26. August: Barcelona – Barcelona, 14,6 km, MZF
2. Etappe, 27. August: Mataró – Barcelona, 181,3 km
3. Etappe, 28. August: Súria – Arinsal/Andorra, 158,5 km
4. Etappe, 29. August: Andorra – Tarragona, 183,4 km
5. Etappe: 30. August: Morella – Burriana, 185,7 km
6. Etappe, 31. August: La Vall d’Uixó – Observatorio Astrofisico de Javalambre, 181,3 km
7. Etappe, 1. September: Utiel – Oliva, 188.8 km
8. Etappe, 2. September: Dénia – Xorret de Cati, 164,8 km
9. Etappe, 3. September: Cartagena – Caravaca de la Cruz, 180,9 km

1. Ruhetag, 4. September

10. Etappe, 5. September: Valladolid – Valladolid, 25 km, EZF
11. Etappe, 6. September: Lerma – La Lagruna Negra, 163,2 km
12. Etappe, 7. September: Ólvega – Zaragoza, 165,4 km
13. Etappe, 8. September: Formigal – Col du Tourmalet, 134,7 km
14. Etappe, 9. September: Sauveterre-de-Béarn – Larra-Belagua, 161,7 km
15. Etappe, 10. September: Pamplona – Lekunberri, 156,5 km

2. Ruhetag, 11. September

16. Etappe, 13. September: Liencres Playa – Bejes, 119,7 km
17. Etappe, 14. September: Ribadesella – Alto de L’Angliru, 122,6 km
18. Etappe, 15. September: Pola de Allande – La Cruz de Linares, 178,9 km
19. Etappe, 16. September: La Baneza – Iscar, 177 km
20. Etappe, 16. September: Manzanares El Real – Guadarrama, 208,4 km
21. Etappe, 17. September: Hippodromo de la Zarzuela – Madrid, 101 km

Saudi Tour 2023

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Key points:
• The third edition of the Saudi Tour, a 2.1 stage race on the UCI calendar sanctioned by the Saudi Arabia Cycling Federation, will feature five stages, suitable for sprinters, explosive riders and climbers, from January 30 to February 3rd.
• The route, located in the north-west of the country around the wonders of AlUla, returns to the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid and showcases other World Heritage Sites recently designated by UNESCO.

For the second year running, the Saudi Tour, of which this is the third edition after a successful launch in 2020, is concentrated in the region of AlUla, an increasingly popular tourist destination in Saudi Arabia strongly linked to cycling. In 2022, the peloton rode through Hegra – the first place in Saudi Arabia designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (in 2008) – on a 7.5km stretch of an eight meters wide graveled road, just before Caleb Ewan’s win at Winter Park.

Early season races in the Middle East (since the turn of the 21st century) have built a reputation for themselves as a sprinter’s paradise. In fact, Dylan Groenewegen won the other two flat stages last year, but the Saudi Tour showed that in five days, all types of cyclists could find a way to express themselves. The event therefore returns to the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, where Maxim Van Gils had sealed his final victory. The final consists of a 2,8km long ascent at 12% with a section at 22% preceding 7km on a plateau offering a lunar landscape. This steep route led to a wonderful fight where the 2022 Giro stage Winner, Santiago Buitrago was beautifully trapped by the young Belgian.

At the end of stage 3, the 2023 Saudi Tour also returns to Abu Rakah where the Colombian from Bahrain Victorious had preceded Andrea Bagioli. “But it is not the same finale, the approach to this one is less steep”, warns technical director Jean-Marc Marino. The new course features a 1.5km slope at an average of 8.5% followed by a flat kilometer to finish. It’s a puncher’s affair.

Once the difficulties on the route were established, the course designers could then focus on showcasing the local sceneries: “the general desire is to highlight all the sites of the AlUla region designated by UNESCO”, Marino informs. It is also an archaeological site that has been inhabited for over 200,000 years. Listed as a World Heritage Site since the end of 2022, it features rock formations resembling kites.

The old Al Manshiyah train station, refurbished and recently reopened to the public, also listed as “Heritage Site”, will host the start of stage 3 while Maraya, on the program for the last two days, represents the other novelty of the route. Its concert hall, a masterpiece of engineering amidst sandstone cliffs, is recognized as the world’s largest building covered with mirrors. It will mark the finishing point of this third Saudi Tour, on a newly asphalted road with the last 500 meters at an average gradient of 6%. After the sprinters, the punchy climbers, the climbers and possibly the echelons’ experts (if the wind is part of the game), a punchy sprinter should have the last word on this final stage.

The stages of the 2023 Saudi Tour:
Stage 1, Monday, January 30th: AlUla International Airport – Khaybar, 180,5km
Stage 2, Tuesday, January 31st: Winter Park – Shalal Sijlyat Rocks, 184 km
Stage 3, Wednesday, February 1st: Al Manshiyah Train Station – Abu Rakah, 159,2 km
Stage 4, Thursday, February 2nd: Maraya – Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, 163,4 km
Stage 5, Friday, February 3rd: AlUla Old Town – Maraya, 142,9 km

The 16 teams selected

7 UCI WorldTeams
Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
Cofidis (Fra)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
Team DSM (Ned)
UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

6 UCI ProTeams
Bingoal WB (Bel)
Euskaltel – Euskadi (Esp)
Human Powered Health (Usa)
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (Sui)
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)
Team Corratec (Ita)

With these 13 teams, 3 more are selected
Saudi Arabian Cycling Federation (Sau)
Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (Mas)
JCL Team Ukyo (Jap)

Heizomat Radteam – DM Cross Vorschau

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Das Baiersdorfer Heizomat Radteam p/b Kloster Kitchen befindet sich derzeit in den letzten Vorbereitungen zur Deutschen Meisterschaft am 14./15. Januar im Münchner Olympiapark. Die Mannschaft aus Franken möchte auf der legendären Anlage, die 1985 und 1997 bereits als Austragungsort für die Weltmeisterschaft diente, ebenfalls Cyclocross-Geschichte schreiben. Nach zwei Titelgewinnen im Vorjahr sollen nun mindestens drei Deutsche Meister aus den eigenen Reihen kommen. In den Altersklassen U19 setzt man dabei auf den Hamburger Max Oertzen, bei den Frauen auf die amtierende U23 Meisterin Judith Krahl aus Brandenburg und im U23 Feld schickt man mit dem Bayern Fabian Eder den Gesamtzweiten der Bundesliga ins Titelrennen.


Foto Plomi

Ganz besonders stolz macht die fränkische Truppe, dass sie sich bei ihrem beinahe-Heimspiel den vielen bayrischen Sponsoren präsentieren können, die der Mannschaft den Rücken stärken. Kaum ein Sponsor hat mehr als zwei Stunden Anreise, die meisten haben sich daher bereits zur Unterstützung und lautstarken Anfeuerung angekündigt und lassen auf eine große Fangemeinde hoffen.

Den letzten Schliff holte sich die Mannschaft in den vergangenen zwei Wochen in Belgien, der Hochburg des Cyclocross. Die dort absolvierten Trainings und Rennen brachten bereits im vorigen Jahr die nötige Form und Rennhärte in die Beine der jungen Athleten.

Mit besten Grüßen,

Lukas Hoch
PR-Manager | Social Media

Heizomat Radteam p/b Kloster Kitchen
Industriestr. 44
91038 Baiersdorf

E-Mail: presse@heizomat-radteam.de

Homepage: https://www.heizomat.de/heizomat-radteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heizomat_kloster_kitchen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heizomat.kloster.kitchen

TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 : THE 22 TEAMS

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Key points:
 The peloton of the 110th edition of the Tour de France will include 22 teams at the start in the Basque country on 1st July 2023.
 18 UCI WorldTeams and 4 UCI ProTeams, with one unprecedented participation.
Details of the selection:

18 teams UCI WorldTeams:

• AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)
• Alpecin Deceuninck (Bel)
• Astana QazaQstan Team (Kaz)
• Bora-Hansgrohe (Deu)
• EF Education-Easypost (Usa)
• Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
• Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
• Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (Bel)
• Jumbo-Visma (Ned)
• Movistar Team (Esp)
• Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
• Team Arkea-Samsic (Fra)
• Team Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
• Team Cofidis (Fra)
• Team DSM (Ned)
• Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
• Trek-Segafredo (Usa)
• UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

4 teams UCI Proteams:

The two teams qualified by right:
• Lotto dstny (Bel)
• TotalEnergies (Fra)

The two teams invited by the organiser:
• Israel-Premier Tech (Isr)
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)

©A.S.O.

PARIS-NICE 2023: A BALANCED MENU FOR A 90TH ANNIVERSARY

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Key points:

 For the 14th consecutive year, Paris-Nice will start from the Yvelines department. La Verrière takes over from Mantes-la-Ville where the race started last year.
 A team time trial (32.2 km in Dampierre-en-Burly) is on the race menu for the first time in 30 years.
 Paris-Nice returns to its highest summit, the Col de la Couillole (1,678m), six years after Richie Porte won the stage there in 2017 while Sergio Henao seized the overall lead.
 The 6.7km, 7.1% climb to La Loge des Gardes in the Allier region, the closest winter sports resort to Paris, is unprecedented.
For twenty-three years now, nearly a quarter of its existence, François Lemarchand – with the helping hand of Yannick Talabardon – has designed the race signalling the return of spring – Paris-Nice. He certainly put his stamp on the first major stage race of the cycling calendar. And this personal touch is obviously to be found in the course of this special edition as Paris-Nice celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. It can be summed up in two words: variety and balance. “In the twenty years since I took over the management of Paris-Nice from Laurent Fignon, the sporting level has risen considerably. We had to find suitable playing fields for a new generation of riders,” the race director said.

The Race to the Sun, once seen as a preparation race for classics of Grand Tours, has become a major objective crowning versatile riders, as was the case for Primoz Roglic last year. “My objective is to design an all-round course for an all-round rider,” François Lemarchand explained. As a result, the contenders to take over from Primoz Roglic – who is expected to leave his team leader spot on this Paris-Nice to last year’s Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard – have much to look forward to. There will be something for everyone from the start in La Verrière on Sunday 5 March to the finish on the Promenade des Anglais a week later.

The big novelty of this edition is the return of a team time trial, thirty years after an ONCE team victory in 1993 in Roanne. The decision was imposed by the terrain in Dampierre-en-Burly, which was perfectly suited for such an effort, but also by the desire to do something different: instead of being taken on the third or fourth finishing rider, the times in this TTT will be registered on the first rider of each team across the line. This should force each team to adopt the best strategy to lead out their leader in the final stretch, which is not unlike team sprint events on the track. The innovation should also stop a whole team sweeping the top GC standings, while the hierarchy is likely to be reshuffled the next day, when the peloton will change gear to tackle a new climb.

La Loge des Gardes, in the Allier department, is probably the closest winter sports resort to Paris (390 km) and the climb leading to it is certainly the hardest within this radius around the French capital. With its 6,7 km length and its 7,1% average slope, this very promising climb should sort out the general classification ahead of the weekend’s showdown.

The main course of this 81st Race to the Sun will be on Saturday’s menu with Col de la Couillole, at the top of which Richie Porte won in 2017 while Sergio Henao took the leader’s jersey. At an altitude of 1,678 m, the pass is still the highest one ever climbed in Paris-Nice and it could once again crown the future winner, unless the Sunday finale on the heights of Nice, via Col d’Eze, offers once again a breathtaking suspense, forcing the leaders to rely on their best support to triumph on the Promenade des Anglais.

Sprinters and aggressive finishers have not been forgotten. Depending on the race conditions, the first could find suitable terrain – unless there are echelons – in the first two stages finishing in La Verrière and Fontainebleau, but also in stage 5, which ends in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. Breakaway specialists, who can set their sights on the Loge des Gardes, will be particularly spoiled on Friday between Tourves and La Colle-sur-Loup, a stage with no lull and an elevation of 2,750 m, a perfect foretaste of the weekend ahead.

 Paris-Nice 2023 stages

Sunday, March 5th, stage 1: La Verrière > La Verrière, 169,4 km
Monday, March 6th, stage 2: Bazainville > Fontainebleau, 163,7 km
Tuesday, March 7th, stage 3: Dampierre-en-Burly > Dampierre-en-Burly (T.T.T), 32,2 km
Wednesday, March 8th, stage 4: Saint-Amand-Montrond > La Loge des Gardes, 164,7 km
Thursday, March 9th, stage 5: Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise > Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, 212,4 km
Friday, March 10th, stage 6: Tourves > La-Colle-sur-Loup, 197,4 km
Saturday, March 11st, stage 7: Nice > Col de la Couillole, 142,9 km
Sunday, March 12nd, stage 8: Nice > Nice, 118,4 km

 22 teams selected

In accordance with Union Cycliste Internationale rules, the following eighteen UCI WorldTeams are automatically invited to the race:

AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)
Alpecin-Deceuninck (Bel)
Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
Bora – Hansgrohe (Ger)
Cofidis (Fra)
EF Education – Easypost (Usa)
Groupama – FDJ (Fra)
INEOS Grenadiers (Gbr)
Intermarché – Circus – Wanty (Bel)
Jumbo-Visma (Ned)
Movistar Team (Esp)
Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
Team Arkea – Samsic (Fra)
Team DSM (Ned)
Trek – Segafredo (Usa)
UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

Furthermore, the first two teams in the 2022 classification of UCI ProTeams will take part by right in Paris-Nice 2023.
Lotto Dstny (Bel)
TotalEnergies (Fra)

The organisers have invited the following teams:
Israel – Premier Tech (Isr)
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)

BORA – hansgrohe präsentiert Online-Shop und teameigene Freizeitkollektion

Teamnews,

BORA – hansgrohe freut sich, bekannt zu geben, dass der neue Online-Shop des Teams jetzt eröffnet ist. Der Store bietet Anhängern des Teams eine große Auswahl an hochwertiger Renn- und Freizeitkleidung sowie einen weltweiten Versand. Neben der Original-Rennbekleidung der Profis sind im Online-Shop auch Accessoires wie Mützen, Sonnenbrillen, Socken und Rucksäcke erhältlich. Im Zuge der Eröffnung des Online-Shops erfolgt auch die Einführung der teameigenen Freizeitkollektion „Band of Brothers“. Das Label umfasst hochwertige Kleidung wie Hoodies, Trainingshosen, Hemden, Mützen und Caps.

„Wir möchten auch unseren Fans die aktuelle Kollektion der BORA – hansgrohe Profis zugänglich machen und haben mit unserem Shop ein zentrales Angebot geschaffen. Besonders wichtig dabei ist mir, dass wir Ware auf höchstem Qualitätsniveau anbieten. Unser Online-Shop Portfolio ist 100% identisch mit der Ausstattung des Teams. Zusätzlich zur Radbekleidung von Le Col launchen wir unsere eigene Off-Bike Kollektion unter dem Label „Band of Brothers“ – aus hochwertigsten Materialien und mit einer Funktionalität, die Fahrer und Staff über 200 Reisetage im Jahr begleitet. Hinzu kommen Special Editions unserer Sponsoren im Team-Design u. a. von 100%, Roeckl und Evoc. Ich wünsche unseren Fans viel Freude mit unseren Premium-Produkten.“ – Ralph Denk, Team Manager

Den offiziellen Online-Shop von BORA – hansgrohe finden sie hier: http://shop.bora-hansgrohe.com

Laura Stigger mit Bora-Youngsters auf Langlaufskiern

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Im Zuge der Tourismuskooperation des Radteams BORA – hansgrohe mit Ötztal Tourismus schlugen vergangene Woche die Nachwuchsfahrer des deutschen Spitzenteams die Trainingszelte in Niederthai auf. Dabei wurden sie auch von der MTB- und Straßen-Weltmeisterin Laura Stigger auf den Langlaufskiern begleitet.

Das Team Auto Eder ist offiziell das U19-Nachwuchsteam des UCI WorldTeams BORA – hansgrohe. „Seit der Gründung im Jahr 2007 ist es unser Anliegen, junge und ambitionierte Rennfahrer bestmöglich zu unterstützen, und ihnen das Umfeld bieten, sich ohne Druck, aber dennoch zielgerichtet zu entwickeln – und langfristig den Anschluss an den Profiradsport zu finden. Bekannte Profis, wie Michael Schwarzmann oder Georg Zimmermann, haben bereites unsere Nachwuchsschule absolviert und zeigen uns, dass es ein Erfolgsmodell ist“, betont Teamchef Ralph Denk. Die Youngsters erhalten professionelle Betreuung, Top-Material und jetzt kamen die acht Nachwuchsfahrer aus Deutschland, Belgien, Ungarn, der Schweiz, Dänemark, Estland und Tschechien auch in den Genuss eines Trainingscamps im Ötztal.

Laura Stigger mit BORA-Nachwuchs auf der Loipe

Female Juniors World Champion Road and MTB 2018 Laura Stigger (Austria) takes a bath in the crowd during the Elite Men's Race on Sunday.
Foto Plomi

Das Ötztal ist nicht nur ein Eldorado für Skifahrer, Bergfreaks, Radsportler oder Mountainbiker. Es gibt im längsten Tal Tirols nicht weniger als 25 Lanlaufloipen und darunter das große Langlaufzentrum in Niederthai mit perfekten Schneebedingungen. Und genau dort trainierten die Nachwuchsfahrer von BORA – hansgrohe vergangene Woche. Als prominente Trainingskollegin schnallte sich auch Laura Stigger ihrer Langlaufskier an. „Es hat großen Spaß gemacht und die Jungs sind richtig gut drauf. Wir haben einen Tag in Niederthai verbracht und spulten einige Kilometer ab. Für mich als Ötztalerin sind das Langlaufen oder Skitourengehen im Winter die perfekte Vorbereitung für eine harte und lange Saison. Und das kann ich direkt vor meiner Haustüre machen. Nach dem ersten Trainingscamp geht es im Jänner nach Südafrika weiter. Ich kann den Start der neuen Saison kaum erwarten, aber es wartet noch viel Arbeit um für 2023 fit zu sein“, sagt Laura.