Daily Cycling Facts 25.09.2013

Rasa and Jolanta Polikevičiūtė

Rasa Polikevičiūtė

Born in Panevėžys, Lithuania on this day in 1970, Rasa and Jolanta Polikevičiūtė are identical twins who established their nation as one of the most respected in women's cycling. They took up the sport at the age of 13; Rasa had won the Gracia Orlova, the Masters Féminin and the Women's Challenge and taken second place at numerous high-profile events including the World Road Race Championships and Jolanta had come fifth in the Road Race and seventh in the Individual Time Trial at the 1996 Olympics by the time they both turned professional with Elby in 1998. That year, Rasa was second at the Tour de l'Aude and Jolanta won the Trophée d'Or.

Jolanta won stages at the Trophée d'Or (and was second overall) and the Women's Challenge in 1999, but neither twin won a race outright; in 2000 Rasa was third at the World ITT Championship and Jolanta won Stage 11 at the Tour de France Féminin. In 2001 Rasa became World Road Race Champion and a year later Jolanta won Stage 1 at the Giro Donne - as did Rasa in 2003, with Jolanta right behind her for second place. They competed together at the 2004 Olympics with Rasa coming 29th in the Road Race and 23rd in the ITT while Jolanta was 31st in the Road Race; then neither won a race until 2008 when Rasa won Stage 5 at the Tour de France Féminin and Jolanta won the Lyon Vaise - with Rasa taking second place.

Jolanta Polikevičiūtė

Rasa and Jolanta spent their entire professional careers riding for the same teams, going to Entente Panevezys-Casteljaloux for a year after Elby, then Acca Due O from 2000 to the end of 2002 when they joined Team 2002 Aurora RSM for a season. In 2004 they signed to USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo and remained for a year before going to Bianchi, then returned to USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo in 2007. Rasa retired in 2008, Jolanta kept going for another year.

Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi, born in Filottrano, Italy on this day in 1979, turned professional with Acqua & Sapone in 2002 and came 18th at the Giro d'Italia, then rode for Domina-Vacanze in 2003 and 2004 - in the first year he was 16th at the Giro and 13th at the Vuelta a Espana, then in the second he was 32nd at the Tour de France. In 2005 he went to Liberty Seguros-Würth and remained with them after the team became Astana in 2006; during that time he came 11th at the Vuelta.

Scarponi at the 2012 Tour de France

During 2006, his name was among those connected to Operacion Puerto but he escaped charges and once again signed to Acqua & Sapone. Then, in 2007, he was once again implicated and was given a provisional suspension; when it ended in August 2008 he was taken on for two seasons at Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli. He won nothing in 2008, then won the General Classification at Tirreno-Adriatico and Stage 18 at the Giro d'Italia in 2009 and was kept on for another year during which he was second at Tirreno-Adriatico and won the General Classification at the Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda and Stage 19 plus fourth place overall at the Giro.

In 2011, Scarponi signed to Lampre-ISD and he remains with them to this day; that year, he won the Points competition at Tirreno-Adriatico and was second in the General Classification and the Points competition at the Giro. In 2012, he was fourth in the General Classification and the Points competition at the Giro and 24th overall at the Tour de France and in 2013 he was fourth overall at the Giro, second at the Italian National Championships and 15th at the Vuelta Espana.


Dainius Kairelis, born in Utena, Lithuania on this day in 1979, won the Baby Giro in 2003 and became National Road Race Champion in 2006.

Sara Symington, who was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela on this day in 1969, is a retired British cyclist who won the 1998 National Circuit Race Championships. Prior to becoming a full-time cyclist, she was a member of the national triathlon team. In 2000 she was 10th in the Road Race at the Olympic and in 2001 she finished the National Road Race Championship in third place; she also won Stage 7 at the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin in 2002 and Stage 4 two years later.

Mike Kluge, born in Berlin on this day in 1962, was World Amateur Cyclo Cross Champion in 1985 and 1987, then World Professional Cyclo Cross Champion in 1992. In 1992 he established Focus Bikes, a manufacturer of high-end road racing and mountain bikes; he became National Champion on a Focus CX machine in 1993 and in 2005 Hanka Kupfernagel rode one to win the World Championships.

Roger Beufrand, who was born in Paris on this day in 1908, won a gold medal in the Team Sprint (then known as the Olympic Sprint) at the Olympics in 1928. From the 21st of April in 2005 until his death on the 14th of March in 2007, he was the oldest surviving Olympic gold medalist in the world.

Other cyclists born on this day: Amousse Tessema (Ethiopia, 1931); Anton Gödrich (Germany, 1859, died 1942); Giorgi Nadiradze (Georgia, 1987); William Harvell (Great Britain, 1907, died 1985); Kyle Bennett (USA, 1979); Ramiro Martins (Portugal, 1941); Ricardo Vázquez (Uruguay, 1932); Erica Green (South Africa, 1970); Stanisław Szozda (Poland, 1950); Anatoly Olizarenko (USSR, 1936); Sergio Mantecón (Spain, 1984); Gábor Szűcs (Hungary, 1956).

Daily Cycling Facts 25.09.12

Rasa and Jolanta Polikevičiūtė

Rasa Polikevičiūtė

Born in Panevėžys, Lithuania on this day in 1970, Rasa and Jolanta Polikevičiūtė are identical twins who established their nation as one of the most respected in women's cycling. They took up the sport at the age of 13; Rasa had won the Gracia Orlova, the Masters Féminin and the Women's Challenge and taken second place at numerous high-profile events including the World Road Race Championships and Jolanta had come fifth in the Road Race and seventh in the Individual Time Trial at the 1996 Olympics by the time they both turned professional with Elby in 1998. That year, Rasa was second at the Tour de l'Aude and Jolanta won the Trophée d'Or.

Jolanta won stages at the Trophée d'Or (and was second overall) and the Women's Challenge in 1999, but neither twin won a race outright; in 2000 Rasa was third at the World ITT Championship and Jolanta won Stage 11 at the Tour de France Féminin. In 2001 Rasa became World Road Race Champion and a year later Jolanta won Stage 1 at the Giro Donne - as did Rasa in 2003, with Jolanta right behind her for second place. They competed together at the 2004 Olympics with Rasa coming 29th in the Road Race and 23rd in the ITT while Jolanta was 31st in the Road Race; then neither won a race until 2008 when Rasa won Stage 5 at the Tour de France Féminin and Jolanta won the Lyon Vaise - with Rasa taking second place.

Jolanta Polikevičiūtė

Rasa and Jolanta spent their entire professional careers riding for the same teams, going to Entente Panevezys-Casteljaloux for a year after Elby, then Acca Due O from 2000 to the end of 2002 when they joined Team 2002 Aurora RSM for a season. In 2004 they signed to USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo and remained for a year before going to Bianchi, then returned to USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo in 2007. Rasa retired in 2008, Jolanta kept going for another year.

Michele Scarponi
Michele Scarponi, born in Filottrano, Italy on this day in 1979, turned professional with Acqua & Sapone in 2002 and came 18th at the Giro d'Italia, then rode for Domina-Vacanze in 2003 and 2004 - in the first year he was 16th at the Giro and 13th at the Vuelta a Espana, then in the second he was 32nd at the Tour de France. In 2005 he went to Liberty Seguros-Würth and remained with them after the team became Astana in 2006; during that time he came 11th at the Vuelta.

Scarponi at the 2012 Tour de France

During 2006, his name was among those connected to Operacion Puerto but he escaped charges and once again signed to Acqua & Sapone. Then, in 2007, he was once again implicated and was given a provisional suspension; when it ended in August 2008 he was taken on for two seasons at Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli. He won nothing in 2008, then won the General Classification at Tirreno-Adriatico and Stage 18 at the Giro d'Italia in 2009 and was kept on for another year during which he was second at Tirreno-Adriatico and won the General Classification at the Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda and Stage 19 plus fourth place overall at the Giro.

In 2011, riding with Lampre-ISD, he won the Points competition at Tirreno-Adriatico and was second in the General Classification and the Points competition at the Giro. In 2012, still with Lampre, he was fourth in the General Classification and the Points competition at the Giro and 24th overall at the Tour de France.


Dainius Kairelis, born in Utena, Lithuania on this day in 1979, won the Baby Giro in 2003 and became National Road Race Champion in 2006.

Sara Symington, who was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela on this day in 1969, is a retired British cyclist who won the 1998 National Circuit Race Championships. Prior to becoming a full-time cyclist, she was a member of the national triathlon team. In 2000 she was 10th in the Road Race at the Olympic and in 2001 she finished the National Road Race Championship in third place; she also won Stage 7 at the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin in 2002 and Stage 4 two years later.

Mike Kluge, born in Berlin on this day in 1962, was World Amateur Cyclo Cross Champion in 1985 and 1987, then World Professional Cyclo Cross Champion in 1992. In 1992 he established Focus Bikes, a manufacturer of high-end road racing and mountain bikes; he became National Champion on a Focus CX machine in 1993 and in 2005 Hanka Kupfernagel rode one to win the World Championships.

Roger Beufrand, who was born in Paris on this day in 1908, won a gold medal in the Team Sprint (then known as the Olympic Sprint) at the Olympics in 1928. From the 21st of April in 2005 until his death on the 14th of March in 2007, he was the oldest surviving Olympic gold medalist in the world.

Other cyclists born on this day: Amousse Tessema (Ethiopia, 1931); Anton Gödrich (Germany, 1859, died 1942); Giorgi Nadiradze (Georgia, 1987); William Harvell (Great Britain, 1907, died 1985); Kyle Bennett (USA, 1979); Ramiro Martins (Portugal, 1941); Ricardo Vázquez (Uruguay, 1932); Erica Green (South Africa, 1970); Stanisław Szozda (Poland, 1950); Anatoly Olizarenko (USSR, 1936); Sergio Mantecón (Spain, 1984); Gábor Szűcs (Hungary, 1956).

Cycling Evening News 02.05.12

Truck that killed Korean cyclists "apparently speeding" as driver watched TV; riders named - RCS likely to share TV rights with Giro teams - Tony Martin, true professional - Riders to receive 2010/2011 Grand Tour jerseys - Cofidis Tour pre-selection - Movistar change Giro line-up - Introducing... Team Colavita - Tandem paracycling  in 2014 Commonwealth Games - Mark Colbourne revved up for London 2012 glory - Vaughters: "Cycling's image has bigger issues" - Mark Cavendish: Every rider of the Olympic road race should get a medal - British Cycling extend sponsorship deal with Sky until 2016 - Goss key to Olympic success - Geraint Thomas blasts Olympic rule changes - Contador impressed by Boonen - Crash at Rock Tour - Drafting like a boss - Cycling Newswire - Tweets

Racing
Truck that killed S. Korean cyclists "apparently speeding" as driver watched TV; riders named
The driver of a 25-tonne truck that first hit a van and then ploughed into a women's professional cycling team in South Korea, killing three riders and seriously injuring four others, may have been speeding; according to reports. The team's coach, who was travelling in the van, escaped with minor injuries.

"The accident took place in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, 334 kilometers southeast of Seoul at around 9:50 a.m," says the Korea Herald.

The three riders killed have been named as Jeong Soo Jeong (19), Lee Min Jeong (24) and Park Eun Mi (25). The most seriously injured women are Jang Jin Ha (19), Kim Seon Young (20) and Jeong Eun Song (23).

"The driver said he was watching the television and only after hearing a loud noise while colliding with the van did he realize he had caused an accident," local police informed the Korea Times. "He steered left immediately and braked but it was too late. We presume he was driving at around 70 kilometers per hour. It might be that Baek stepped on the accelerator by mistake instead of the brake as he was engrossed in the drama. It seems he wasn't aware of what had happened for a while after the initial crash." Investigators have said that there were no skid marks for 100m after the point where the truck hit the cyclists, suggesting that driver was unaware he had hit them until he also hit the van.

RCS likely to share TV rights with teams

RCS Sport - organiser of the Giro d'Italia - is said to be on the verge of signing a deal with the UCI Pro Teams that would see television rights to events shared between them, rather than all rights belonging to race organisers as has previously been the tradition. The company also organises the Milan-San Remo and Giro di Lombardia Monuments as well as Tirreno-Adriatico.

Several teams have said over the the last couple of years that they believe a share of TV rights would be a useful alternative source of income, leaving them less reliant on sponsorship. Organisers - who in the case of major races earn vast sums selling the rights globally - have been less keen. So what changed RCS' mind? Presumably, the fact that paying a share of the money to the teams would give them certain leverage in controlling which riders are sent to a race - if an organiser can influence a team to send its most popular riders, viewing figures, sales and advertising revenue will increase.

What will be really interesting is how the ASO react. As organisers of the Tour de France and numerous other high-profile races including the Tour of Qatar, Paris-Roubaix, the Critérium du Dauphiné, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Vuelta a Espana (shared with Unipublic) and fourteen other world-famous events, the organisation rakes in a vast sum from rights each year; giving it both the wealth and powerbase to make it a credible opponent even to the UCI - as has been proven on occasions, such as in 2008 when seventeen teams declared that they would take part in the Tour de France and not apply for ProTour licences the following year after an ASO/UCI row over the ProTour series. Whether they will be willing to give up a share on income that must surely amount to many millions - possibly even billions - of euros per year and cede a large chunk of its power remains to be seen.

Tour of the Gila
The Tour of the Gila starts today in New Mexico with a tough 151.3km men's parcours ending in a tough climb - as steep as 19% at one point - to the ancient Native American pueblo villages in the Mogollon Mountains. The women's parcours is reduced to 117.6km in length by the omission of two laps around Gila but ends with the same climb, reaching 2,071m. (Map and profile)

Tony Martin, true professional

It's still only been three weeks since World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin was hit by a car during a training ride near his home and left with breaks to his eye socket, jaw and cheekbone, yet he competed in the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt yesterday and came fourth despite pain. "Fortunately, energy bars soften in the sun - because I still have trouble eating," he said.

Schleck looked as though he might win the 2010 Tour -
until his chain came off

Riders to receive Grand Tour jerseys
Andy Schleck will be officially honoured as the winner of the 2010 Tour de France one day before he begins the Tour of Luxembourg. The rider, then aged 25, finish the Tour in second place behind Alberto Contador, who has since been found guilty of doping and stripped of the title. He will be presented with the maillot jaune in his hometown Mondorf-les-Bains.

Meanwhile, Michele Scarponi is to be awarded the 2011 Giro d'Italia maglia rosa tomorrow (3rd of May) in Herning, two days before the 2012 edition begins. Schleck had previously expressed disappointment at the Court for Arbitration in Sport's decision to uphold the Contador ban and even indicated that he might not accept the title (his sponsors had other ideas), but Scarponi is less reluctant: "It will be a welcome reward, a prize for a very good performance in last year's Giro," he told reporters. (AFP)

Cofidis Tour de France pre-selection
Cofidis has realeased a lost of fifteen names from which its nine-man Tour de France team will be selected. On the list are Yohann Bagot, Remy di Gregorio, Samuel Dumolin, Leonardo Duque, Julien Fouchard, Egoitz Garcia, Jan Ghyselinck, Arnaud Labbe, Luis Ángel Maté, David Moncoutié, Damien Monier, Rein Taaramäe, Tristan Valentin, Nicolas Vogondy and Romain Zingle.

Movistar drops Quintana for Bruseghin

Marzi Bruseghin, now with Movistar

Movistar have deselected 22-year-old Colombian climber Nairo Quintana from their Giro d'Italia squad, with manager Eusebio Unzué saying he is concerned that the mountains in the third week - which include the notorious Passo dello Stelvio -  could prove too much for him. However, since the team is already well-equipped with climbers (Sergio Pardilla, Andrey Amador) and his replacement is Marzio Bruseghin, a time trial specialist, the truth may be that the team wishes to strengthen its abilities away from the climbs.

Other News
"Introducing... Team Colavita" (Kathryn Bertine, ESPNW)


Tandem paracycling to be included in 2014 Commonwealth Games (UKPA)

"Mark Colbourne: After an emotional gold at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships I'm revved up for London 2012 glory" (Inside World Parasport)


"Vaughters to Roche: Cycling's image has bigger issues" Garmin-Barracuda boss on UCI over-regulation (Cycling News)

"Mark Cavendish: Every rider of the Olympic road race should get a medal" (Metro)

"British Cycling extend sponsorship deal with Sky until 2016" (Daily Telegraph)

"Goss the key to Olympic cycling success" (Sky News Australia)

"Geraint Thomas blasts Olympic rule changes" (WalesOnline)

"I've enjoyed watching Boonen" Contador impressed by Tommeke (Het Nieuwesblad)

"Tremendous scare in the Rock Tour Lititz mass when a fall occurs in the bunch" (Diario Vasco)

"USA Pro Cycling Challenge becomes presenting partner of the Colorado Mini Classic" (Glenwood Springs Post Independent)

"Cycling competition concludes at 2012 Warrior Games" (USAF)

"New Zealander Torckler emerged as the Tour of Borneo's first overall winner" (New Straits Times)

"Appalachian's cycling team was named Atlantic Coast Conference Cycling Division I road champions for the second year in a row" (Watauga Democrat)

Cycling
Drafting like a boss (or a buffoon)

Newswire
Britain
"Data mapping specialists ITO World highlight Central London's decade long cycling boom" (road.cc)

"Tower Bridge Road junction safety improvements start this week" (LondonSE1)


"The widow of a cyclist killed in a road accident has been awarded more than £200,000 in compensation" (This Is Leicestershire)

"Team USA cycling star Janel Holcomb has given her support to the Cycle SMART campaign, which was launched by Surrey County Council and Surrey Police to encourage cyclists and motorists to share the road safely" (Elmbridge Today)

Worldwide
"A second man has been charged over the hit-and-run death of a 26-year-old cyclist in Perth" (9News, Australia)

"Gilad Shalit to lead Cycling for Peace outing" (YNet, Israel)

"Thousand cyclists participated in May Day parade through Riga" (Baltic Course)

"Omaha cyclist: Must it be bikers vs. drivers?" (Livewell Nebraska)

Tweets

Helen Wyman ‏ @CXHelen
I realise this statement may sound a little big headed however my risotto is to die for and would even make gregs eyes go wobbly #masterchef