Daily Cycling Facts 04.12.2013

Christa Rothenburger
(image credit: Bundesarchiv CC SA-BY 3.0)

Christa Luding-Rothenburger
Happy birthday Christa Luding-Rothenburger, born on this day in 1959 in  Weißwasser, East Germany. Like many cyclists, she also excelled in speed skating and became known as one of the world's fastest sprinters in the sport. She began cycling to maintain off-season fitness at the suggestion of her coach and later husband, soon realising that she could be successful in both sports. However, the East German sports federation wanted her to concentrate on skating, but eventually gave permission in 1986 and she won a gold medal at the World Track Championships that same year.

Two years later, Rothenburger became the first woman (and third athlete of all time) to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics - she is the only athlete to have done so in the same year (1988).


Rob Harmeling, born in Nijverdal, Netherlands on this day in 1964, won a 100km Amateur Time Trial World Championship in 1986. As a professional, he rode three Tours de France and achieved fame by being Lanterne Rouge in 1991. In 1992, he surprised many by winning Stage 3, then in 1994 he was disqualified when judges spotted him getting towed by a TVM-Bison team car.

Harmeling wins Stage 3, 1992 Tour de France

José Gómez del Moral, born in Cabra de Cordoba, Spain on this day in 1931, won the second Vuelta a Andalucia in 1955 - the first was held in 1925, followed by a 30 year gap - and the Vuelta a Colombia in 1957, thus becoming one of the only three non-Colombian riders to have won the notoriously dangerous race in its 60 year history (the others, incidentally, were José Beyaert of France in 1952 and José Rujano of Venezuela in 2009).

Wayne Stetina, born in the USA on this day in 1953, represented his country at the Olympics in 1972 and 1976 and has a respectable list of cycling accomplishments to his name, but his influence on the cycling world has been far greater. As vice president of Shimano America, he has been instrumental in the development and introduction of some of the most revolutionary new components in cycling history, some of which have transformed the sport. Among them are the first mass-market clipless pedals (LOOK developed theirs first), ramped gear systems (which ensure smoother, more accurate shifting) and what is commonly credited as being the first indexed gear system (though in actual fact, Joannie Panel rode in the 1912 Tour de France on a bike equipped with an indexed gear system of his own invention). As a highly respected rider, it was his use and popularisation of these products that ended Campagnolo's monopolisation of the high quality drive chain market.

Brian Vandborg
(image credit: Coda2 CC BY-SA 2.0)

Brian Vandborg was born in Snejbjerg in Denmark on this day in 1981 and became National Under-23 Time Trial Champion in 2002. He turned professional with CSC in 2004 and won Stage 4 of the Tour of Georgia the following year, only to come up against a serious setback later in the season when he contracted glandular fever (mononucleosis). He won the National Individual Time Trial Championship at Elite level in 2006, then came 4th at the World Time Trial competition, rode with the victorious squad at the National Team Time Trial Championship in 2008, finished Stage 15 in tenth place at the 2010 Tour de France and won the National Individual Time Trial Championship again in 2013.

Happy birthday to Georges Lüchinger, Chief Press Officer at the BMC Racing Team.

Other cyclists born on this day: Fabrice Jeandesboz (France, 1984); Lin Chih-Hsun (Taipei, 1980); Wang Li (China, 1962); Grzegorz Piwowarski (Poland, 1971); Tauno Lindgren (Finland, 1911, died 1991); Philippus Innemee (Netherlands, 1902, died 1963); Matija Kvasina (Croatia, 1981); Eleuterio Mancebo (Spain, 1968); Andrew Martin (Guam, 1961); Adam Ptáčník (Czechoslovakia, 1985); Tilahun Woldesenbet (Ethiopia, 1959); Jackie Martin (South Africa, 1971); Jacques Landry (Canada, 1969); Steve Jones (Great Britain, 1957); Gianpaolo Grisandi (Italy, 1964).

Daily Cycling Facts 04.12.2012

Christa Rothenburger
(image credit: Bundesarchiv CC SA-BY 3.0)

Christa Luding-Rothenburger
Happy birthday Christa Luding-Rothenburger, born on this day in 1959 in  Weißwasser, East Germany. Like many cyclists, she also excelled in speed skating and became known as one of the world's fastest sprinters in the sport. She began cycling to maintain off-season fitness at the suggestion of her coach and later husband, soon realising that she could be successful in both sports. However, the East German sports federation wanted her to concentrate on skating, but eventually gave permission in 1986 and she won a gold medal at the World Track Championships that same year.

Two years later, Rothenburger became the first woman (and third athlete of all time) to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics - she is the only athlete to have done so in the same year (1988).


Rob Harmeling, born in Nijverdal, Netherlands on this day in 1964, won a 100km Amateur Time Trial World Championship in 1986. As a professional, he rode three Tours de France and achieved fame by being Lanterne Rouge in 1991. In 1992, he surprised many by winning Stage 3, then in 1994 he was disqualified when judges spotted him getting towed by a TVM-Bison team car.

Harmeling wins Stage 3, 1992 Tour de France

José Gómez del Moral, born in Cabra de Cordoba, Spain on this day in 1931, won the second Vuelta a Andalucia in 1955 - the first was held in 1925, followed by a 30 year gap - and the Vuelta a Colombia in 1957, thus becoming one of the only three non-Colombian riders to have won the notoriously dangerous race in its 60 year history (the others, incidentally, were José Beyaert of France in 1952 and José Rujano of Venezuela in 2009).

Wayne Stetina, born in the USA on this day in 1953, represented his country at the Olympics in 1972 and 1976 and has a respectable list of cycling accomplishments to his name, but his influence on the cycling world has been far greater. As vice president of Shimano America, he has been instrumental in the development and introduction of some of the most revolutionary new components in cycling history, some of which have transformed the sport. Among them are the first mass-market clipless pedals (LOOK developed theirs first), ramped gear systems (which ensure smoother, more accurate shifting) and what is commonly credited as being the first indexed gear system (though in actual fact, Joannie Panel rode in the 1912 Tour de France on a bike equipped with an indexed gear system of his own invention). As a highly respected rider, it was his use and popularisation of these products that ended Campagnolo's monoplisation of the high quality drive chain market.

Brian Vandborg
(image credit: Coda2 CC BY-SA 2.0)

Brian Vandborg was born in Snejbjerg in Denmark on this day in 1981 and became National Under-23 Time Trial Champion in 2002. He turned professional with CSC in 2004 and won Stage 4 of the Tour of Georgia the following year, only to come up against a serious setback later in the season when he contracted glandular fever (mononucleosis). He won the National Time Trial Championship at Elite level in 2006, then came 4th at the World Time Trial competition.

Happy birthday to Georges Lüchinger, Chief Press Officer at the BMC Racing Team.

Other cyclists born on this day: Fabrice Jeandesboz (France, 1984); Lin Chih-Hsun (Taipei, 1980); Wang Li (China, 1962); Grzegorz Piwowarski (Poland, 1971); Tauno Lindgren (Finland, 1911, died 1991); Philippus Innemee (Netherlands, 1902, died 1963); Matija Kvasina (Croatia, 1981); Eleuterio Mancebo (Spain, 1968); Andrew Martin (Guam, 1961); Adam Ptáčník (Czechoslovakia, 1985); Tilahun Woldesenbet (Ethiopia, 1959); Jackie Martin (South Africa, 1971); Jacques Landry (Canada, 1969); Steve Jones (Great Britain, 1957); Gianpaolo Grisandi (Italy, 1964).

Cycling Evening News 04.05.12

Tour of the Gila - Stetina hit by car 24 hours before Giro - Italian Fed clarify rule changes - Belgian driver imprisoned after Vanmarcke accident - Exergy Tour poster - Other news - Cycling

Tour of the Gila
For the men, 128.7km Stage 2 both started and finished at Fort Bayard - a historic frontier fort that was once home to the Buffalo Soldiers (for a brief history of them, click here). They then reached the first Cat 3 climb at 16km and climbed to 2,164m, then the second began at 24km and climbed to 2,361m. After crossing the Continental Divide (with an uncategorised climb of, oh, only 2,045m) they headed to a final and very steep Cat 3 at 100km, climbing to 2,070m before the descent and last 16km back to Fort Bayard. The women used a similar parcours but missed the first 25.4km and climb, beginning instead at Pinos Altos. The remainder of the route was identical to the men's.

Courteney Lowe

Janel Holcomb, Carmen Small and Jade Wilcoxson (all Optum Presented By Kelly Benefit Strategies) had formed a break with Kristin Armstrong  (Exergy Twenty 12) just before the 40th kilometre, a situation that looked highly dangerous for Armstrong as it separated her from her own team, and precisely what Optum were aiming for as was revealed by Small after the race. They were joined by Optum's 21-year-old Courteney Lowe, who livened up an already exciting race by taking Robin Farina (Now and Novartis) with her in an attack, a move intended to give Optum chance to recuperate before doubling their efforts against Armstrong - but which also gave Exergy time. In the end, Armstrong's amazing form this season allowed her to lead the women over the line for the second day in a row, though this time around - without the tough climb to the finish that saw her record a time 2'18" ahead of her nearest rival - she was closely trailed by Holcomb, who took the same time. Carmen Small was 26" back.

Top Ten
  1.  Kristin Armstrong Exergy Twenty12 3h38'23
  2.  Janel Holcomb Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  3.  Carmen Small Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +26"
  4.  Alison Powers Now and Novartis for MS ST
  5.  Emily Kachorek Primal/MapMyRide +28"
  6.  Jade Wilcoxson Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +1'29"
  7.  Jasmin Glaisser Colavita-espnW +1'36"
  8.  Beth Newell Now and Novartis for MS ST
  9.  Olivia Dillon Now and Novartis for MS ST
  10.  Calle Williams Colombia NT ST
(Full results and GC)


Whilst the fastest women came across in small groups, the majority of the men finished in a large bunch sprint followed by two smaller groups at +16" and +20". Numerous attempted breaks tried their luck early on and never got anywhere until , Javier Megias (Type 1),  Chris Parrish (Optum), James Stemper (Kenda 5 Hour) and Thomas Rabou (Competitive Cyclist) got away and gained a 55" lead, later bridged by Carlos Lopez (Mexico NT) and Evan Huffman (Giant). However, when  they were caught at 107km a bunch sprint  immediately looked inevitable.

Top Ten
  1.  Eric Young Bissel Pro 3h04'25"
  2.  Francisco Mancebo Competitive Cyclist ST
  3.  Chad Beyer Competitive Cyclist ST
  4.  Anibal Andres Borrajo Jamis-Sutter Home ST
  5.  Hector Rangel ST
  6.  Marc De Maar UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis ST
  7.  Jesse Goodrich ST
  8.  Fred Rodriguez Exergy ST
  9.  Georg Preidler Team Type 1-Sanofi ST
  10.  Rory Sutherland UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis ST
(Full results and GC)

The Stage 3 individual time trials take place on a 26.6km parcours with two testing climbs - the first, a Cat 4 beginning 2km into the race, involves around 600m of climbing to a summit 1,949, above sea level, though the maximum gradient is not especially challenging. The second is the same mountain, approached from the opposite side on the return journey - and it's much steeper from this angle, rating Cat 3. The start and finish line is located in Tyrone, a community built for the then huge sum of $1 million in 1915 and designed to resemble the grand cities of Europe. In 1921, when copper prices worldwide dropped and the local mines closed, the town was deserted and what wasn't later destroyed by an open cast mine in the 1960s has remained a ghost town ever since.

Peter Stetina

Stetina hit by car 24 hours before Giro
Only hours after Sky's Ben Swift announced that he would have to miss the Giro d'Italia, Peter Stetina looked disaster in the face when he was the victim of a hit-and-run in the Danish city Herning - where the race will start on Saturday.

Whilst his bike was reportedly damaged badly in the accident, Stetina is said to have been able to get up and walk around immediately; making it look likely that provided tests reveal no cause for concern he will still be able to compete. The car's registrattion plate was noted and reported to police. Sporten TV2 have video of the incident.

Italian Fed clarify rule changes
After yesterday's news that the Federazione Ciclistica Italiana was to abandon its rule blocking riders who have served a suspension of six months or more from the National Team, the organisation used the Gazzetta dello Sport to clarify that the new policy applies only to the National Championships - riders previously ineligible to represent the country in international competitions, including the Olympics, will remain subject to the ban.

The British Olympic Association had previously operated a similar ban, overturned this week by the Court for Arbitration in Sport after the World Anti-Doping Agency contested an appeal to keep it in place. It's not yet known if WADA will also order the FCI to abandon the rule. (For more details, see Cycling News)

Belgian driver fined and imprisoned for three months after Vanmarcke accident

Sep Vanmarcke, now with
Garmin-Barracuda

A Belgian named only as Francois D. has been fined 550 euros and sentenced to three months in prison after a court in Oudenaarde heard how he had become enraged when Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Barracuda) and his older brother Ken ran a red light and pulled into the road in front of him on the 27th of July last year. According to the brothers, the driver then drove at slow speed in front of them to block their path, then when Ken tried to overtake he accelerated, swerved suddenly and braked - knocking him and his bike off the road. ""Had I not have been so alert, I might now be in a wheelchair," claimed Ken, who works as a postman.

"The court apparently completely forgot that the brothers blazed straight through a red light," Francois D.'s lawyer said. "We will definitely appeal."

"Whatever anyone's personal opinion, the court has spoken," Sep said via his Twitter feed on Friday morning. "We are pleased with the verdict and can finally close this chapter." ("Gister uitspraak van de rechter over de aanrijding. In de media staat het verhaal naar ons inziens niet juist verwoord. Wat ieder zijn mening ook is de rechter heeft gesproken. Wij zijn blij met de uitspraak en kunnen eindelijk dit hoofdstuk sluiten.")

2012 Exergy Tour poster unveiled
The race will take place between the 24th and 28th of May with a prize fund of $100,000 - believed to be the largest in the history of women's professional cycling.

Other News
"The Giro d'Italia will be the first time Australians Matt Goss and Mark Renshaw, and British rider Mark Cavendish, have ridden in the same Grand Tour since last year's Tour de France" (Wide World of Sports)

"CCA unveils list of track cyclists eligible for Olympic team‎" (TSN)

Cycling
Newswire
Britain
"Two in three commuters believe Britain's roads unfit for cycling, according to Brake survey" (road.cc)

"We are shocked driver won’t face court, says family of dead cyclist" (Evening Standard)

"Cycling Expo to take place on Olympic Road Race weekend" (BikeBiz)

"A teenager was attacked by a group of men and had his mountain bike stolen" (Redditch Standard)

Worldwide
"Almost half of the serious injuries caused in Sweden’s traffic accidents involve cyclists" (The Local)

Daily Cycling Facts 04.12.11

Christa Rothenburger
(image credit: Bundesarchiv CC SA-BY 3.0)

Christa Luding-Rothenburger
Happy birthday Christa Luding-Rothenburger, born on this day in 1959 in  Weißwasser, East Germany. Like many cyclists, she also excelled in speed skating and became known as one of the world's fastest sprinters in the sport. She began cycling to maintain off-season fitness at the suggestion of her coach and later husband, soon realising that she could be successful in both sports. However, the East German sports federation wanted her to concentrate on skating, but eventually gave permission in 1986 and she won a gold medal at the World Track Championships that same year.

Two years later, Rothenburger became the first woman (and third athlete of all time) to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics and the only athlete to have done so in the same year (1988).


Rob Harmeling, born in Nijverdal, Netherlands on this day in 1964, won a 100km Amateur Time Trial World Championship in 1986. As a professional, he rode three Tours de France and achieved fame by being Lanterne Rouge in 1991. In 1992, he surprised many by winning Stage 3, then in 1994 he was disqualified when judges spotted him getting towed by a TVM-Bison team car.

Harmeling wins Stage 3, 1992 Tour de France

José Gómez del Moral, born in Cabra de Cordoba, Spain on this day in 1931, won the second Vuelta a Andalucia in 1955 - the first was held in 1925, followed by a 30 year gap - and the Vuelta a Colombia in 1957, thus becoming one of the only three non-Colombian riders to have won the notoriously dangerous race in its 60 year history (the others, incidentally, were José Beyaert of France in 1952 and José Rujano of Venezuela in 2009).

Wayne Stetina, born in the USA on this day in 1953, represented his country at the Olympics in 1972 and 1976 and has a respectable list of cycling accomplishments to his name, but his influence on the cycling world has been far greater. As vice president of Shimano America, he has been instrumental in the development and introduction of some of the most revolutionary new components in cycling history, some of which have transformed the sport. Among them are the first mass-market clipless pedals (LOOK developed theirs first), ramped gear systems (which ensure smoother, more accurate shifting) and what is commonly credited as being the first indexed gear system (though in actual fact, Joannie Panel rode in the 1912 Tour de France on a bike equipped with an indexed gear system of his own invention). As a highly respected rider, it was his use and popularisation of these products that ended Campagnolo's monoplisation of the high quality drive chain market.

Brian Vandborg
(image credit: Coda2 CC BY-SA 2.0)

Brian Vandborg was born in Snejbjerg in Denmark on this day in 1981 and became National Under-23 Time Trial Champion in 2002. He turned professional with CSC in 2004 and won Stage 4 of the Tour of Georgia the following year, only to come up against a serious setback later in the season when he contracted glandular fever (mononucleosis). He won the National Time Trial Championship at Elite level in 2006, then came 4th at the World Time Trial competition.

Happy birthday to Georges Lüchinger, Chief Press Officer at the BMC Racing Team.

Other births: Fabrice Jeandesboz (France, 1984); Lin Chih-Hsun (Taipei, 1980); Wang Li (China, 1962); Grzegorz Piwowarski (Poland, 1971); Tauno Lindgren (Finland, 1911, died 1991); Philippus Innemee (Netherlands, 1902, died 1963); Matija Kvasina (Croatia, 1981); Eleuterio Mancebo (Spain, 1968); Andrew Martin (Guam, 1961); Adam Ptáčník (Czechoslovakia, 1985); Tilahun Woldesenbet (Ethiopia, 1959); Jackie Martin (South Africa, 1971); Jacques Landry (Canada, 1969); Steve Jones (Great Britain, 1957); Gianpaolo Grisandi (Italy, 1964).