MID-WEEK REPORT: THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS AND EVENTS
Welcome to the March 17th, Mid-Week Report!
Welcome to the March 17th, Mid-Week Report!
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: ROGLIC GOES DOWN
Despite a dislocated shoulder and no shortage of road rash, Jumbo-Visma’s star rider Primoz Roglic lost what was a certain win at Paris-Nice on the final stage after crashing twice. It almost felt cruel to watch Roglic working so hard to try and pace himself back to the peloton, but onward he pedaled passing and dropping riders at will in the vain attempt to take a title that everyone thought was his to enjoy. Bike racing – it ain’t over ’til it’s over!
Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Primoz still took the time to congratulate the man who took his win.
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FIRST RIDE: WAHOO X SPEEDPLAY
In case you missed the memo and thought that Speedplay had just disappeared from the market you wouldn’t be alone. Wahoo purchased Speedplay near the end of 2019 and that is when things pretty much went radio silent. We weren’t sure if this was a buy to kill or buy to improve, but knowing how many people love their lollipop pedals we hoped it was for the best.
Then in August of 2020 we got word that there was a redesigned pedal launching at the end of September. We got some very early samples and started riding them. The launch got pushed and pushed as Wahoo looked to refine the entire lineup rather than just launch the improved version. On acquisition of Speedplay there was a lot of SKU’s and options between colors, styles, cleats, axel lengths and all the small parts. This is not the Wahoo way so they have cleaned house, a deep clean.
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FIRST LOOK: PIRELLI P ZERO
Italian tire brand Pirelli released an updated series of clincher road tires, that will replace their current designs. Available in four sizes the P Zero series has expanded to incorporate the latest in tire tech.
Press release:
It is called P Zero and comes in the form of P Zero Race, the product designed for pure performance, and P Zero Road, the alternative for those looking for an all-round clincher. The new tires have the task of taking over from a true best seller: P Zero Velo, the progenitor of the range, launched in June 2017.
Today, Pirelli’s range of road clincher tires has been renewed with the aim of offering even more grip, more smoothness and even more comfort. In addition, it has been brought into line with the new standards in the sector.
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CAV HITS THE DECK
Ai! Nokere Koerse is voorbij voor Cavendish na val op 6km van het einde pic.twitter.com/kMHCNQVqv9
— Sporza ???? (@sporza_koers) March 17, 2021
Mark Cavendish toed the line for the fourth time this season at the cobbled Belgian road race Nokere Koerse. Cold, soggy conditions blanketed the 121 miles of tight winding Flemish farm roads. On the final circuit with less than 5 miles to-go the Manx Missile hit the deck on a slick cobbled sector ending his chances at a results. Cavendish climbed onto the podium in his last outing at GP Jean Pierre Moserre 10 days ago. Ludovic Robeet of Pro Team Bingoal Wallonie Bruxelles won the race out of the breakaway.
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BIKE OF THE WEEK: SALSA STORMCHASER
The Stormchaser is equipped for long rides and races with three bottle mounts in the main triangle on size 56–61 cm frames and two on 49–54.5 cm frames. An accessory mount on the underside of the down tube as well as a top tube mount for direct mount top tube bag. The frame can be set up with a derailleur hanger for gears or the dropouts can be switched and converted to single-speed. The Stormchaser currently comes as a frameset that delivers with both single-speed and derailleur dropouts or a complete built as a single-speed.
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WIGGINS CALLS FOR FRESH DOPING PROBE
Former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has called for a fresh probe into the scandal involving former British Cycling doctor Richard Freeman, saying he does not believe the banned testosterone the medic ordered was to dope a rider. A long-running medical tribunal ruled on Friday that Freeman, who also worked for Team Sky, had ordered Testogel knowing or believing it was to be given to an unnamed cyclist for the purposes of doping. The tribunal resumes in Manchester on Wednesday. Freeman, 61, could be judged unfit to practise medicine.
The doctor claimed he ordered the Testogel in 2011 for former performance director Shane Sutton but that was dismissed by the tribunal, leading to a frenzy of questions about who the drug was intended for and who else might have known about it. He was also at the center of controversies surrounding Wiggins’ use of the drug triamcinolone during his career and a mystery package delivered to the Criterium du Dauphine race in 2011.
Freeman, in an interview with Britain’s Mail on Sunday, spoke of his shock at the verdict, saying he had “never doped a rider in (his) life”.
Wiggins, speaking on his Eurosport podcast, questioned the tribunal’s ruling and called for a fresh probe.
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TOP 2021 E-ROAD BIKES
If ever there was a category of road bikes that exemplify a then-and-now existence, it would be the ever-expanding market of e-road bikes. During its more formative years (starting about eight years ago), the bike industry was giving its full attention to developing both commuter and mountain bikes.
However, during the more recent crush of worldwide acceptance of the pedal-assist breed, the continued evolution of battery and motor technology has combined with e-specific frame designs so that e-road has finally begun making headway into a growing number of catalogs.
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ALL-NEW MONTANA GRAVEL RACE
Cyclists Jess Cerra and Sam Boardman launch “The Last Best Ride,” a new gravel race set for August 22, 2021, in stunning Whitefish, Montana.
Montana native, Jess Cerra, and her partner, Sam Boardman, announce “The Last Best Ride,” a new gravel race that will showcase some of the state’s most spectacular outdoor offerings. Set for August 22, 2021, The Last Best Ride will explore Whitefish, views of Glacier National Park, and beyond over a short and long course. Routes will be announced later in the spring. Registration is open and will be $175.00 for the long course event and $145.00 for the short course, with discounted entries for collegiate riders.
In the spirit of Montana’s unofficial moniker, “The Last Best Place,” which stems from the 1988 bestselling book of the same name by Annick Smith and William Kittredge, Cerra and Boardman hope to capture the essence of Whitefish as an adventurer’s destination through a race experience. “After exploring the gravel roads of Whitefish all summer, we thought, ‘wow, this would seriously be one of the most beautiful gravel venues in the entire country,’” Boardman says. Racers can expect stunning mountain views, unique terrain, and test-your-mettle climbs throughout the course.
For more information, visit thelastbestridemt.com, check out @thelastbestride on Instagram.
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