Daily News Digest

Mark Cavendish wins Dubai Tour opener

Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step) has taken out the first stage of the 2015 Dubai Tour, narrowly winning the bunch sprint ahead of Andrea Guardini (Astana) and Elia Viviani (Sky).

Dubai Tour 2015 - Stage - 1

The stage covered 145 kilometres from Dubai International Marine Club to Union House Flag and featured a five-man breakaway. Vladimir Gusev (Skydive Dubai), Nicolas Lefrançois (Novo Nordisk), Alessandro Bazzana (UnitedHealthCare), Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani) and Rafael Valls (Lampre-Merida) struggled to open up a big enough lead to seriously contend for the win and, sure enough, they were easily hauled back with just over 20 kilometres to go.

From there the Etixx-Quick-Step team manoeuvred Cavendish into position and set him up for win number two of this year.

“I’m super happy with my form and with the cohesion between Etixx–Quick-Step,” Cavendish said, reacting to the win. “We really rode strong as a team in Argentina and we rode really well as a team in Dubai today.

“I knew I was on top of the sprint, but I felt Andrea Guardini coming faster than me. I was happy to just hold on until the line.”

Today’s second stage of the four-stage race covers 187 pan-flat kilometres and is likely to be another bunch sprint.

Stage 1: Dubai > Dubai - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

1.	CAVENDISH Mark Etixx - Quick Step	03:25:00
2.	GUARDINI Andrea Astana Pro Team	-
3.	VIVIANI Elia Team Sky	-

1.	CAVENDISH Mark Etixx - Quick Step	03:24:50
2.	GUARDINI Andrea Astana Pro Team	0:04
3.	VIVIANI Elia Team Sky	0:06

1.	CAVENDISH Mark Etixx - Quick Step	20
2.	GUARDINI Andrea Astana Pro Team	16
3.	VIVIANI Elia Team Sky	12

1.	SIMION Paolo Bardiani - CSF Pro Team	03:25:00
2.	ZABEL Rick BMC Racing Team	-
3.	RUFFONI Nicola Bardiani - CSF Pro Team	-

Click here to read more at CyclingTips.

Will Clarke claims Jayco Herald Sun Tour prologue

Will Clarke (Drapac) has won the prologue time trial at the 2015 Jayco Herald Sun Tour, completing the technical 2.1km course in the heart of Melbourne with a time of 2:35.53 (48.8km/h average).

Clarke, who finished third on a similar course in last year’s Sun Tour prologue, was joined on the podium by Orica-GreenEdge rising star Caleb Ewan (2:36.42, second place) and Clarke’s teammate Brenton Jones (2:36.85, third place).

For Will Clarke, the improvement over last year came at least partially from a better start.

“Last year I nearly crashed in the first corner so that probably cost me half a second or so,” Clarke said. “But this year there weren’t too many errors — maybe one corner I maybe went in a little over-geared, but everything went pretty smooth.”

The win puts Clarke into the overall lead ahead of today’s stage 1, but the Tasmanian breakaway specialist doesn’t harbour ambitions of winning the race overall.

“I’m probably not the GC rider for Drapac but we’ve got some strong climbers and BJ (Brenton Jones) for the sprints,” Clarke said. “Hopefully I can help [Jones] out there in the sprint stages and maybe even look for a breakaway for myself.”

The 2015 Jayco Herald Sun Tour features five days of racing: the prologue time trial and four road stages. Today’s stage 1 takes the riders 156.9km from Mount Macedon to Bendigo with two categorised climbs along the way: Mount Macedon itself, and Mount Alexander.

Prologue: Melbourne > Melbourne - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

1.	CLARKE William Drapac Professional Cycling	00:02:35
2.	EWAN Caleb Orica GreenEDGE	0:01
3.	JONES Brenton Drapac Professional Cycling	-

1.	CLARKE William Drapac Professional Cycling	00:02:35
2.	EWAN Caleb Orica GreenEDGE	0:01
3.	JONES Brenton Drapac Professional Cycling	-

1.	Orica GreenEDGE	00:07:50
2.	Drapac Professional Cycling	0:01
3.	Avanti Racing Team	0:02

Click here to read more at CyclingTips.

Ellen van Dijk takes stage 2 of the Ladies Tour of Qatar

Ellen van Dijk (Boels-Dolmans) has won a wind-affected second stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar, moving into the overall race lead in the process.

Ladies Tour of Qatar 2015 stage - 2

Van Dijk was part of a 16-rider lead group that split off from the peloton in the crosswinds in the opening 10km of the stage. Overnight leader Annalisa Cucinotta (Ale Cipollini) missed the split and ended up finishing more than 16 minutes behind.

In the second of four finishing circuits it was van Dijk that precipiated a further split in the lead group, the Dutchwoman using the crosswinds to her advantage. Only six riders made it into that final selection: van Dijk, her teammate Lizzie Armitstead, Chloe Hosking and Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle Honda), Trixi Worrack (Velocio-SRAM) and Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS). The six opened up a stage-winning advantage.

Van Dijk started her sprint from 400m out but no-one was able to catch her, the 2011 winner of this race finishing three seconds clear of Worrack and Armitstead.

Two stages remain in the windswept race with van Dijk holding a four-second lead overall ahead of Armitstead and Worrack (seven seconds behind).

Stage 2: Al Zubarah Fort > Madinat Al Shamal - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

1.	VAN DIJK Ellen Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	02:39:21
2.	WORRACK Trixi Velocio- SRAM	0:03
3.	ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	-

1.	VAN DIJK Ellen Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	05:07:47
2.	ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	0:04
3.	WORRACK Trixi Velocio- SRAM	0:07

1.	WORRACK Trixi Velocio- SRAM	17
2.	VAN DIJK Ellen Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	15
3.	CUCINOTTA Annalisa Alé Cipollini	15

1.	BARTELLONI Beatrice Alé Cipollini	05:10:13
2.	DUVAL Eugénie Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86	8:53
3.	DIDERIKSEN Amalie Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	-

1.	Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling	15:26:00
2.	Orica - AIS	1:56
3.	Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team	9:03

Click here to read more at Cyclingnews.

Sharon Laws out of the Ladies Tour of Qatar with collarbone fracture

Sharon Laws (Bigla) abandoned the Ladies Tour of Qatar before yesterday’s second stage after breaking her collarbone in the opening stage of the race.

The British rider, who was riding in support of team leader Shelley Olds, got back on her bike after the crash and went on to finish the stage.

“I said, ‘No, get in the car.’ But she insisted,” Bigla sports director Manel Lacambra said afterwards.

It’s a far-from-ideal start to the year for the 40-year-old who was in her first race for Bigla after moving from UnitedHealthcare at the end of 2014.

Click here to read more at Cycling Weekly.

2015 Tour of the Mediterranean cancelled

The 2015 edition of the Tour of the Mediterranean has been cancelled following an ongoing financial dispute between race organisers and the French National Cycling League.

AFP reports that the issue stems from unpaid prize money from last year’s race. The race, which was scheduled to be held from February 12-15, will reportedly return to the calendar in 2016 if prize money is paid by June.

Last year’s edition of the five-stage race was won by Stephen Cummings.

Click here to read more via AFP/VeloNews.

Korean brand Youngone acquires Scott

Korean sports equipment manufacturer Youngone Corporation has increased its stake in the Scott Corporation from 20% to 50.01% for the sum of KRW 108,530,000,000 (AUD$128 million).

The investment is believed to be part of a plan for Youngone to grow its overseas business, with a statement from the company saying “the main reason to invest in overseas companies is … that the domestic market has reached a saturation point and it must try to find new markets.”

Click here to read more at Bike-eu.

High Performance program cut is a symptom of a bigger problem

When news came out a few weeks back that Cycling Australia was cutting its European development program for female road cyclists, the general reaction was one of frustration and disappointment. In an article for Ella CyclingTips, CT’s women’s site, Tom Palmer writes that the decision to scrap the program shouldn’t be seen in isolation. Rather, it’s a symptom of a larger problem.

Here’s an excerpt:

“

The women’s European development program was not necessarily dead weight but it was undeniably dead in the water. Everyone wanted it and no one could pay its bills and that was that. But no one seems to recognise how urgently we need to fix ‘that’.

Our industry has the resources to support various development pathways for men, and can’t afford just this one for women. That’s a failure. Addressing gender discrimination in Australian elite cycling is evidently not enough of a determining factor in governing bodies mainstream decision-making. That’s a problem.

Click here to read the full article at Ella CyclingTips.

Rohan Dennis reveals his bike for the hour record attempt

Rohan Dennis (BMC) has posted a photo on Instagram showing the bike he’ll attempt the world hour record on this Sunday.

Repost from @meesterknecht Black on Black #stealth @bmcproteam #BMC #bikes #bikeporn #trackbikes #fixedgear #fixie #hourrecord #challenges #fasterthanyoucrew #fasterthroughaerodynamics #aero #rohandennis #velodrome #carbon #bmcracing #oakleygoggles

A photo posted by Rohan Dennis (@rohandennis) on Feb 3, 2015 at 1:01am PST

So, can Rohan Dennis succeed where Jack Bobridge couldn’t? Can he beat Matthias Brändle’s current record of 51.852km?

How the Race Was Won: women’s cyclocross world championship

In the latest “How The Race Was Won”, Cosmo Catalano takes a look at the elite Women’s Cyclocross World Championships, contested this past weekend in Tabor, Czech Republic.

Flying Bicycle

Here’s some more gold from British Pathe: a clip from 1962 showing a man-powered plane built by Southampton University students for a competition.

What You Missed

And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed at CyclingTips in the past few days:

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Today’s feature image comes from Cor Vos and was shot at the Ladies Tour of Qatar.

jules

every year I lose my KOM on southhbank
MJ

Why is Rohan wearing Ski googles? Is he that fast on that thing?
Ralph

liking that BMC frame finish
Michele

Enjoyed the edition of how the race was won …

Here’s challenge for Cosmo … If Rohan breaks the Hour Record; I want him to do a 4 minute video explaining / covering the feat.
Paolo

Nice win by Cav. Will be interesting to see if he will achieve one thing this year that he’s never done before. Beat Kittel in a sprint for the win, when they both contest the sprint.
- Gaz
  
  Lets hope that both last a few stages in the TDF before injury so we can actually watch them compete against each other. Wouldn’t it be great if the top sprinters actually raced each other regularly. We could see tactics develop and change as the season progressed.
velocite

A question from the armchair, Stage 20 of last year’s TdF was a 54 km time trial, won by Tony Martin at an average speed of 48.8 kph - not that far off the hour record. But I don’t recall Martin or any of the others suffering the way Jack Bobridge appeared to after his attempt on the hour last Saturday night. What makes the hour so hard?
- jules
  
  the additional 3km/h? being on the rivet for a long time can leave you very sore, as you don’t have the opportunity to shift your body weight around and relieve stresses and pressures. also a road TT involves cornering and out of the saddle efforts which help with that. Bobridge mentioned this in an interview (on CT?) - it’s not just the effort of the pedal strokes.
  - velocite
    
    It would be interesting I think to compare Martin’s average power over the 1:06:21 it took him with Jack’s for the hour. But being locked in that position on a track bike for an hour does look like a cruel and unusual punishment. Critcism of Jack has been that he went out too hard, but maybe there’s an opportunity to mix it up. Throw in more out of the saddle efforts, schedule a mix of faster and slower laps.
    - jules
      
      i’m really surprised they deliberately ride at an uneven pace. simple science would suggest holding even power/speed would yield the best result for a given amount of work (power input over the hour).
      - donncha
        
        I’m really surprised he didn’t ride at an even pace. If anyone could lock into a required pace on a track bike, you’d think it would be the guy who spent his entire teenage years on one very successfully!
  - Dave
    
    The losses due to aerodynamics are usually proportional to the square of the speed, so that 6.2% increase in speed from 48.8 (Martin road TT) to 51.85 (Brändle Hour Record) works out to a 12.9% increase.
    
    There would of course be a few gains to mitigate the increase in losses - such as a track bike having cleaner aero without brakes, derailleur etc - but holding a higher power output in the order of 10-13% more for a whole hour without having even a single bidon to rehydrate and refuel just a little bit is very significant.
    
    ——-
    
    Of course, the losses due to having 19 stages of a Grand Tour under the belt might be even worse than the 13%. That could explain why he covered that ITT at a pedestrian 48.8 where the big East German powerhouse had smashed out the 2013 World ITT Championship win at 52.95 km/h.
    
    Rohan Dennis did that one at 50.5 km/h, by the way.
    - Sean
      
      Excellent summary Dave, apologies for not being able to pick any holes in it.
      - Dave
        
        I’ll try to provide you with a free hit later today when the next Rocacorba Daily goes online.
  - Sean
    
    3kph is less than walking speed, how hard can it be? I’m joking btw.
    - Dave
      
      So if you walk laps for an hour at 6 km/h (a moderately energetic pace to keep up for a whole hour) while the Panzerwagen rides around the velodrome, together you and Tony could smash the record and share the spoils.
- Bex
  
  Fixed gear wouldn’t make things any easier, no chance to spin the legs for a bit, or turn a bigger cog for a change. allaying that would be the fixed gear keeping helping the legs turn i guess.
  - Dave
    
    Or get out of the saddle and ride up the bergs or take a swig from his roadie biddon, or get some food from the team car or have someone slower in front of him that he can catch. It’s apples and oranges. More to the point, cricket takes more wicked skils than AFL, don’t ya fink brah?
  - Stevie
    
    Tony will most likely use a 70/9 chain ring setup. We all know he loves a big gear
    - velocite
      
      For 52 kph that implies a cadence of 53. Is that just Tony Martin, or do trackies pedal slower?
- Leroy
  
  An old stat I remember from car mags (not sure if it applies to bikes) is that it takes 8x as much power to go 2x fast.. also what were the conditions in the time trial, was there a tailwind at all?
  - velocite
    
    You remember correctly, Leroy. What we’re talking about is air resistance, which increases with the square of the speed. Double the speed and you get 4 times the air resistance. Power = force x velocity, and velocity is double, so you have force x 4 x velocity x 2 = power x 8. So that’s why Jules is correct in saying that keeping speed constant will minimize the total energy requirement: the cost of above average speed is greater than the savings of below average speed. However, I’m suspecting that the problem with the hour is the constant position, so variation could be worth investigation.

Thursday February 5, 2015

by Matt de Neef - February 5, 2015

Mark Cavendish wins Dubai Tour opener

Stage 1: Dubai > Dubai - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

Will Clarke claims Jayco Herald Sun Tour prologue

Prologue: Melbourne > Melbourne - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

Ellen van Dijk takes stage 2 of the Ladies Tour of Qatar

Stage 2: Al Zubarah Fort > Madinat Al Shamal - Stage Result

Wednesday 4th February 2015

Sharon Laws out of the Ladies Tour of Qatar with collarbone fracture

2015 Tour of the Mediterranean cancelled

Korean brand Youngone acquires Scott

High Performance program cut is a symptom of a bigger problem

Rohan Dennis reveals his bike for the hour record attempt

How the Race Was Won: women’s cyclocross world championship

Flying Bicycle

What You Missed