Chain Links: Cycling News - January 1, 2021
Dutch Mathieu Van Der Poel celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's race of the Bredene cyclocross cycling event in Bredene, race 6 out of 8 in the 'Ethias Cross' trophy, Wednesday 30 December 2020.
TESTA DELLA CORSA
Welcome to my new series here on The Podium Cafe, as I provide a selection of cycling news links from across the internet. I do the work so that you don't have to.
First, a quick introduction, my name is Ken and I'm a long-time cycling fan. I'm also a rider, although I am old, very slow, way too chubby and "Fred" like to call myself a cyclist. I'm a long-time member of Podium Cafe, but I haven't posted in a very long time.
I'm also an Assistant Editor at SBNation's Windy City Gridiron where I (not surprisingly) do the WCG links page 6 days a week. If you visit, look for "The Bear's Den".
I plan to develop this over time and use various sub-sections to split things into categories. For right now I'm starting off simple. I'm not sure at the moment how many days a week I will post, I'm shooting for three to start with, more during the main cycling season.
The main focus of the links will be professional road cycling because I'm a cycling fan and that's what interests me most... and cyclocross when it's that time of year.
Sure, you could search all around the web for all of this stuff, but isn't it better just to have a "that looks interesting!" one stop shop for cycling headlines? Give it a try!
OK? Let's get started!
GROUPO COMPACTO
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Mathieu van der Poel take victories at GP Sven Nys - VeloNews.com - Alpecin-Fenix doubles up at X20 Trofee Baal.
Mathieu van der Poel storms to victory at GP Sven Nys - Cyclingnews - World champion rides away from Van Aert and Pidcock
SD Worx reveal new purple and red jersey - Cyclingnews - Boels-Dolmans officially rebrand to SD Worx through 2024
Jumbo-Visma unveil new kit and Cervélo bikes - Cyclingnews - Marianne Vos and Jip van den Bos debut new women's team jersey
Alpecin-Fenix to ride all three Grand Tours in 2021 - Cyclingnews - Decision means
organisers will have just two wildcards to distribute
Pogacar and Trentin model 2021 UAE Team Emirates kit - Cyclingnews - Refreshed design for Tour de France winner
New jerseys for UAE-Team Emirates, Deceuninck-Quick-Step – VeloNews.com - Tadej Pogačar and Mark Cavendish show off new looks for upcoming seasons.
Mitchelton-Scott becomes BikeExchange in 2021 - Cycling Today - The online sales platform for bicycles BikeExchange will become title sponsor of both GreenEDGE men's and women's teams for this season. The team will be riding Bianchi bikes after racing on Scott since 2012.
CyclingPub.com - Patrick Lefevere on 2021 season: We start with the same enthusiasm, ambition and determination - Cyclingpub.com - Deceuninck-Quick-Step's CEO Patrick Lefevere has shown his optimism for the new year and season.
THE GROUPETTO
Riders to watch in 2021 – Sepp Kuss – Ciclismo Internacional - Stage 5 of the 2017 Tour of California is when I first stumbled across Sepp Kuss. The stage ended with the climb of Mount Baldy, an absolute brut, and he managed to finish in 10th place. It’s no surprise that I wasn’t the only one to sit up and take note.
Riders to watch in 2021 – Thymen Arensman – Ciclismo Internacional - 2020 was meant to be a transitional year for Thymen Arensman. The hugely talented youngster was due to spend the first half of the year riding in the under 23 category, before making his move to Team Sunweb in August. The Corona virus blew those plans apart, meaning he had to miss out on those final u23 races, and jump straight into the world tour.
Riders to watch in 2021 – Alex Kirsch – Ciclismo Internacional - Alex Kirsch is a rider I’ve followed for a number of years. After fours year riding at pro-conti level, he made the step up to world tour in 2019, signing a three-year deal with Trek-Segafredo. In the last two years he’s made significant progress, quickly moving through the ranks and now is one of the team’s trusted lieutenants.
THE BREAKAWAY
Watch: Izagirre brothers and Bilbao show their singing and dancing skills - Cycling Today - The Izagirre brothers, along with former cyclist Joseba Beloki and Pello Bilbao have shown that they can also sing and move to the rhythm of music.
How generation Z are taking over the cycling world - Cycling Weekly - How are fresh-faced riders barely out of their teens managing to win at the highest level? Aspiring pro Joe Laverick has a personal investment in finding out.
Women behind huge increase in running and cycling in 2020 - The Guardian - The fitness app Strava released their global figures for the year and it showed a 108% rise in the median activities of women aged 18 to 29 in Britain.
Which was the best Grand Tour of the 2020 season? - Cycling Weekly - Which of the three was the best in 2020? Well there’ll always be differences of opinion, but some of the Cycling Weekly team give their verdicts on why each of the respective Grand Tours stood above the rest this year.
Slovenians honor Roglic and Pogacar with illuminated bicycles during holidays - Cycling Today - With a top 2 in the Tour and victories in the Vuelta and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Slovenia experienced the best cycling year in its history.