CYCLING IMPRESSIONS: UCI

Showing posts with label UCI. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 February 2019

Cycling Impressions Interviews: Lucinda Brand

We had the great pleasure to interview Lucinda Brand, a road cycling champion and a cyclo-cross legend!
Here is what she told us:

Hi Lucinda and thank you very much, it is a pleasure and a honor to interview you!
Did you start with road cycling, track cycling or cyclocross and which is your favorite?
I started with road cycling.
When I was 14 years old my dad bought a cyclocross bike for me so I could continue riding my bike in the winter.
Actually, I never have been riding on the track. I never really showed any interest in it, so my parents either me, never took the time to travel to the track to try out. Still the track sounds a bit boring to me, but if I once gonna try, then the Madison would be the one I want to learn!
Choosing a favorite out of road or cross is hard for me. I like the games you play with road cycling and I like the quickly changes of the circumstances and technical challenges in cross.

What is your favorite race?
There are two races I’m very disappointed if I cannot race them. Both are in Italy, Strade Bianche and Giro Rosa. It’s nice they are both in a country I love, but that isn’t the only reason.
Of course Strade has a closer link to cyclocross, it’s an heroic race, you need more then ‘just’ able to ride hard. Giro Rosa is the one of the longest stage races we have.
I like stages races, it feels like I’m becoming stronger every day. The giro also have some surprises, a stage can be longer or a short hill becomes a climb. Mostly there will be stages for every kind of rider.
This combination under a bit harder (warmer) weather conditions I really like and it suits me.

I've to say that I agree with you, they are both fantastic races! You have won a lot of races, including two stages at the Giro Rosa, which is you favorite victory and why?
It’s hard to choose one victory. Every victory has its own special feeling. A extreme breakaway, the team effort, the route I had made to reach the goal.

Who is your sport hero?
I’m not a person who has a real hero.

Okay, let's move to the next question. What is your goal for 2019?
One of my goals is already passed as, the first goal was already in the begin of February, to go for the World title cyclocross, unfortunately I didn’t made it. One of the other goals will be in the summer, last year I just missed the podium in the Giro, so this year I will go full to step on the podium.

You have excited us so much during the Cyclocross World Championships that your second place smells like a victory.
Let's change topic: hobbies when you don't cycle?
Since I have a motorcycle that’s one of the things I like to do when I’m free and the weather is good. As I’m a lot on the road, it is nice to be just home some moments and take some easy time with friends.

Thank you very much Lucinda and good luck for all your goals! Cycling Impressions will always support you!!
Thank you!

Thursday, 31 January 2019

2019 UCI Cyclocross World Championships

For a moment I thought about calling this Impression Coppi & Bartali.
I don't think the comparison is too much.
They are the most interesting rivalry in cycling at the moment and the upcoming World Championships will be their true final battle.
They are moving to road cycling and, even if I hope they will battle in the same way on the road, we all know it won't be the same.
They both lost the cyclocross World Cup so they have just one last goal.
I hope and I'm pretty sure it will be an epic final battle in the cold north of Denmark.
It doesn't matter what will happen on Sunday, these two guys will be remembered together.
You won't pronounce Van Der Poel without recalling Van Aert and vice versa, this means being part of cycling history.

Friday, 4 January 2019

Cycling Impressions Interviews: Elena Pirrone

We had the pleasure to interview a World and European Champion: Elena Pirrone.
The talented girl from Bolzano, Italy, is currently riding for Astana Womens Team in the UCI Women's World Tour.
Here is what she told us at the start of 2019 cycling season.

Hi Elena and thank you, I'am excited and a bit nervous. I've never interviewed a World Champion before! I'll try to do my best.
Where does your love for cycling come from?
Hi! It is a pleasure for me too. My passion for cycling comes from my parents.
They are both former riders. When I was younger I loved following my dad at his races to cheer him.

This is nice! When did you jump on a bike for the first time and who put you on it?
To be honest, I can't remember how old I was, probably I was 3 but I'am not sure.
What I remember is that I had a red tricycle which I really loved and with which I always went around.

Let's move to your first races. Did you start with road cycling or cyclocross and which is your favorite?
I don't like cyclocross. When I was sixteen I did a couple of races just for fun but I prefer road cycling.
Cyclocross is too muddy and cold for me! I like watching it on TV.

Ahaha, I see your point. You have already won a World title and a European title, which is something fantastic, but what is your favorite race?
I love hard races in general.
I like Strade Bianche and the Ronde Van Vlaanderen but, unfortunately, I haven't had the occasion to race them yet.

Last question and thank you again for your time Elena. What do you want to say to boys and girls that would like to try to be pro riders?
All I can say is to always follow your dreams and never give up, because if you really want something it will come true.

Thank you very much Elena and good luck! Cycling Impressions will always be a fan of you!
Thank you!

Friday, 14 December 2018

Rider of the Year 2018

Congrats Peter! You have been elected Cycling Impression's rider of the year!
Someone says that winning a Paris - Roubaix is worth a Word title, but in this case it seems more than just a hyperbole.
Despite Valverde's great victory in Innsbruck, Sagan impressed everybody with his solo attack 50 kilometers away from Roubaix and gained the last encomium of the year.
I think this happened also due to the fact that Paris - Roubaix is the last legendary race. It brings us back to the legendary old cycling, made of gravel roads, punctures and hazard.
Nevertheless, Sagan would be remembered as the last winner of THE Paris - Roubaix because I don't know if we will call the race with its legendary name in the future.
I am talking about the shameful request, made by the Amis de Paris Roubaix, to fill the gaps between the cobbles of the Arenberg Forest with mortar.
They say that, otherwise, the sector is too hard to clean.
I hope they are kidding! We are talking about one of the last legendary cycling places in a cycling world that is moving to new nice places like Oman or Dubai but where history still has to be written.
My final question is: these people, asking to add mortar between the cobbles in the Arenberg Forest, are Friends of Paris Roubaix or Friends of the Sofa?

Monday, 26 November 2018

Winter Cycling Season

We can talk about having a nice ride during winter season, putting on our most expensive and fashioned outfit and go, but the essence of winter is Cyclocross.
I really appreciate Van Der Poel and Van Aert that still fight during winter, choosing to postpone their road careers to honor a discipline that is not so famous around the world nowadays.
They decided to build solid basis on their natural field instead of following the popular way of road cycling.
They are sons of a full season cycling, the pure one, made with strength, balance and bike handling.
The choice to wait is a form of respect to the old concept of cycling. That will help them deeply understand everything they will do among the pro.
It will help them dealing with difficult situation, because it is when you have eaten and breath mud during the winter that you are ready to welcome the summer.
This will make the difference.

Monday, 1 October 2018

Innsbruck 2018 Men Elite Road Race

El Imbatido
I think it is hard to spend few words on what Velverde did in Innsbruck, it has been something cathartic.
He sprinted from the worst position, bringing on his shoulders the responsibility of the strongest, and in the end he won. Pure emotion.

Here you can find my grades to the teams and their tactics from 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good):

SPAIN: 10
Finally they raced as a true team moving together in the same direction.
They ended up with an historical victory with their most representative rider.

Denmark: 9.5
They were not the favorite, they used the perfect strategies with their riders.
They attacked since the beginning and almost won the race with Valgren's perfect attack.

France: 8.5
They controlled the race and prepared brought their two best riders in the best position on the final climb. There could have just been a bit more communication in the team about Alaphilippe feelings.

Canada: 8
They took a great bronze medal with a fantastic race of their captain Woods.

Holland: 6.5
This is the best season of Dumoulin but unfortunately he missed all its goals. Nevertheless, we can't blame him.
He saved the performance of its team that could have started attacking earlier in the race.

Belgium: 5
I expected more from the nation of cycling by definition. Wellens disappeared and Van Avermaet saved the race with an attack made more with pride than with legs.

Italy: 4
They raced in a decent way, trying to move the race and being reactive on the attacks during the first part of the race.
They committed a terrible suicide when they decide to push before the final climb, helping France and Spain and demolishing their entire team but Moscon.

Great Britain: 3.5
They controlled the race all day and disappeared in the final.

Colombia: 3
I'm still wondering if they were in the Peloton.

Friday, 20 July 2018

Le Tour de Merde

"Ce ci n'est pas une pipe", said Magritte.
I say: "This is not a cycling race".
I don't think this grotesque parade with such a shitty organization deserves any further comment.

Monday, 2 July 2018

The Worst Race in the World

It is hard to understand the decision of the organizers to exclude Froom from le Tour de France.
I know that Froome was born in Africa and French people don't want immigrants but this it too much.
I don't even want to believe that this is due to his Salbutamol case.
It is important to clarify that Froome did not use doping, He was just found an excess of a permitted medicine in his blood and everything has still to be proved.
Froome made history at the Giro d'Italia and he was never found doped during the race, what are we talking about?
Loads of French riders have taken part to the Tour the France with worse doping cases pending on them.
The truth is that French organizers are scared of Froome. Nevertheless, for the love of cycling I've found a solution that will satisfy everybody!
The Tour de France should become the new French National Championship.
In this way, there will be just French riders with 21 French stage winners and the final classification will be won by a French too. The end of the Tour de France will be the new French national day and everybody will be happy.
Who cares about the rest of the world? We are French after all!

Friday, 4 May 2018

The First Pink Jersey

It is something hard to describe.
Wearing the first Pink Jersey can save a career, can save a season, can save a Giro.
Today, in Jerusalem, Duomoulin was simply amazing.
He is stronger than last year and came to Giro 101 for a memorable double.
He introduced himself to his contenders with today's incredible back to back.
I am not a stats maniac but I don't think we can count so many riders that have won the Giro the previous year and have been the first pink jersey a year later.
"Hey guys, allow me to introduce myself: I am the Pink Jersey". This is what Dumoulin said today with his Time Trial.
After the press conference and the time trial,Tom Dumoulin seems to have scored the very first rounds, demolishing Froome with words and facts.
Nevertheless, the Giro is too long to say it's over.
What matters is that Dumoulin may not win the Giro 101, but he is the first pink jersey and that is enough to be remembered in a positive way in the Giro 101.

Monday, 9 April 2018

Paris - Roubaix 2018

How hard is it to be Sagan?
"You are a champion","you are the strongest one","you have to win", "Of course you have won, you were the strongest".
These are the main sentences we hear about Sagan. In addition to this, you have to deal with the fact that what you do will never be enough.
In Sagan's position, once you have won a race, you have just done your job.
In my opinion ,every Sagan's success is fully deserved and is praiseworthy like every other cycling victory.
We often forget that cycling is a sport for losers.
When 200 riders start a race with just one winner, it is easy to understand that 199 will loose and just one will win.
This consideration seems obvious but I invite my 25 readers to think about this sentence and repeat it as a sort of Mantra.
Sagan is accused to be more talkative than active but this is just his way to deal with the enormous pressure that he endures every race.
Imagine being in Sagan's position without laughing about it; it would be a nightmare.
It is already hard to be a cyclist, it is impossible to be a rider that must win every race he starts.
On Sunday, Sagan rode a fantastic race and deserved this incredible victory.
Celebrating his success, he said an incredible truth: you can attack and ride the perfect race but you have to be lucky.
Paris-Roubaix is such an extreme race that sometimes is the best way to normalize situations pumped too much up.
Sagan used the Paris-Roubaix to do this and he did it in the best way.
He didn't tried to arrive alone in the velodrome, starting a battle with his breakaway mate in the last kilometers, he just wanted to win.
Paris-Roubaix is a race that brings everybody back on earth, you can't theorize or preach too much, you have just to ride the most concrete thing on earth: the cobbles.
The riders know this but for people who never tried the cobbles is easy to forget.

***

I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael Goolaerts.

Wednesday, 4 April 2018

Quick-Step Floors' Domination

Quick-Step Floors is dominating the 2018 seasons but who is really happy with this?
I think that the only people happy with Quick-Step Floors' domination are Lefevere and his staff.
In particular, in Belgium, this is a huge problem to deal with.
Their most representative team is dominating but the Belgian riders in the team are not winning any significant race, with the little exception of Lampaert's Dwars Door Vlaanderen.
Is this enough for a nation in which cycling is like a religion? I don't think so.
Also Gilbert said, with a bit of regret, that when you ride for Quick-Step Floors you can never consider yourself as The captain and you have to accept it.
My question is: if you are a champion, can you accept to have, potentially forever, a secondary role?
What would do Terpstra as the only captain of a team? He would be controlled as all the others I think.
Terpstra is a solid cobbles rider and deserved his victory but would have been the same if Van Avermaet or Sagan would have attacked?
Quick-Step Floors' strategies are the best in the world and we are witnessing an incredible phenomenon in cycling, that we have never faced before.
For the first time in cycling history, the team is the hero to admire more than its riders.
We will remember Quick-Step Floors more than its riders I think.
This phenomenon is more common in other sports such as Football or Basketball but I've never seen this happening in cycling.
Enjoy Quick-Step Floors' last miracle.

Sunday, 18 March 2018

A Poet In Sanremo

Giovanni Pascoli (1855 - 1912), an Italian poet, talked about the Poetica del fanciullino (Poetics of the child) which he described as the unceasing capability to get stunned by the world, typical of childhood.
Pascoli opposed both the renunciation of self-analysis and the abandonment of the self-centered point of view, in favor of a semi-irrational comfort which the poet gives himself through poetry.
What Nibali did yesterday on the Poggio was exactly the same, he applied the Poetics of the child to cycling.
In these days, dominated by Watts, computers, data analysis and science, Nibali abandoned both a strict data analysis and a self-centered point of view, attacking with an irrational comfort, just based on his own sensation powered by the magic climb on which he was, the Poggio.
The moment Nibali crossed the finish line, every single witness of this incredible feat started crying, the child inside us had been woken up by this incredible champion that showed the world that, sometimes, a poet can still beat science.
Chapeau Nibali and thank you for waking up our inner fanciullino.

Sunday, 4 March 2018

Strade Bianche 2018

The title does not need any addition.
The 2018 edition of this race is already a piece of Cycling History.
First of all, I have to admit that Belgian riders promptly answered to my last post, Proficiat!!
Secondly, I choose this picture because I think that each of this riders deserves a special mention.
Benoot took the first victory of his career. The fact is that winning the 2018 edition of Strade Bianche is worth a career.
Nevertheless, what impressed me has been the way he won the race. He just never stop attacking, choosing a spectacular sector to launch his final attack.
He rode like a champion in a legendary edition of this race.
In one day and with his first victory, he is already part of the cycling history. The hero of the mud.
Bardet proved the world that he is not just one of the many French riders focused just on the Tour de France and pushed by the French cycling environment just to reach this goal.
He proved the world and most of all his nation that he is a true rider and a tough one.
Van Aert seemed arrived straight outta the good old days of cycling, without radio and without so many team tactics. He attacked all the time during the race and fainted on the finish line. Welcome to road cycling Wout!
Every single rider that finished the race would deserve a special mention but I only write emotional impressions, so, in conclusion, I think that every single rider that finished the 2018 Strade Bianche could add a kind of victory on his personal Palmarès.

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

2018 Best Cycling Kit

What a start of the season for Trek-Segafredo!!!
Degenkolb has been elected rider of the month in the previous survey and their kit has just been voted as the best of the Peloton.
Trek-Segafredo riders seem to be in a really good shape and, with the spring classics approaching, the only limit to this great team in 2018 is the sky! Maybe...

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Rider of the Month: January

Congratulations Dege, you made it!!
After a troubled couple of years, the cycling phoenix comes back with a wonderful double at the beginning of the 2018 season.
He has already won two races in a row and he is heading to Dubai Tour with great expectations.
The great winner of Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix 2015 is finally back in full shape and we are more than happy to celebrate this wonderful return crowning him "January Rider of the Month".

Sunday, 7 January 2018

Peloton 2018 - Rider Transfers

How will be the 2018 Peloton?
Here is a summary of the most important transfers:

AG2R La Mondiale
In: Benoit Cosnefroy (Neo-Pro), Clément Venturini (Cofidis), Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal),
Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team), Aurélien Paret Peintre
Out: Christophe Riblon (Retires), Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida),
Sondre Holst Enger (Israel Cycling Academy), Hugo Houle (Astana)

Extended: Romain Bardet, Oliver Naesen, Pierre Latour, Ben Gastauer, Axel Domont,

François Bidard, Alexis Vuillermoz, Mikaël Chérel, Gediminas Bagdonas, Nico Denz,

Julien Duval

Astana Pro Team
In: Omar Fraile (Dimension Data), Magnus Cort (Orica-Scott), Davide Villella
(Cannondale-Drapac), Jan Hirt (CCC Sprandi Polkowice),
Hugo Houle (AG2R La Mondiale),
Yevgeniy Gidich (Vino-Astana Motors)
Out: Paolo Tiralongo (Retires), Michele Scarponi, Matti Breschel (Cannondale-Drapac),
Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates), Arman Kamyshev
Extended: Jakob Fuglsang, Dario Cataldo, Luis Leon Sanchez, Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev,
Dmitriy Gruzdev, Ruslan Tleubayev, Pello Bilbao, Daniil Fominykh,
Artyom Zakharov and Andrei Grivko.

Bahrain-Merida
In: Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Matej Mohorič (UAE Team Emirates),
Kristijan Koren (Cannondale-Drapac), Hermann Pernsteiner (Amplatz-BMC),
Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale), Mark Padun (Team Colpack)
Out: Javier Moreno (Delko Marseille Provence KTM),
Tsgabu Grmay (Trek-Segafredo),
Ondřej Cink (PMRA Racing Team), Jon Ander Insausti (Fundación Euskadi),
Janez Brajkovic
Extended: Sonny Colbrelli, Franco Pellizotti, Heinrich Haussler

BMC Racing Team
In: Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC Development), Alberto Bettiol (Cannondale-Drapac),
Jürgen Roelandts (Lotto Soudal), Simon Gerrans (Orica-Scott),
Paddy Bevin (Cannondale-Drapac)
Out: Manuel Quinziato (Retires), Daniel Oss (Bora-Hansgrohe),
Amaël Moinard (Team Fortuneo-Oscaro), Manuel Senni (Bardiani-CSF),
Silvan Dillier (AG2R La Mondiale),
Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy), Sammy Sanchez (Fired), Martin Elmiger (Retires), Floris Gerts
Extended: Richie Porte, Michael Schär, Brent Bookwalter, Alessandro De Marchi,
Danilo Wyss, Damiano Caruso, Jempy Drucker, Joey Rosskopf, Fran Ventoso,
ohan Dennis, Stefan Kung, Tejay van Garderen, Tom Bohli

Bora-Hansgrohe
In: Daniel Oss (BMC Racing), Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky), Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Drapac), Felix Großschartner (CCC Sprandi Polkowice)
Out: Shane Archbold (Aqua Blue Sports), Jan Barta (Elkov - Author),
Silvio Herklotz and Jose Mendes (Burgos-BH)
Extended: Sam Bennett, Michael Schwarzmann, Christoph Pfingsten, Rudi Selig

Cannondale-Drapac
In: Logan Owen (Axeon Hagen Bermans), Sacha Modolo (UAE Team Emirates),
Dan McLay (Team Fortuneo - Oscaro), Mitch Docker (Orica-Scott), Matti Breschel (Astana),
Kim Magnusson (Tre Berg-Postnord), Daniel Felipe Martinez (Wilier Triestina - Selle Italia),
Daniel Moreno (Movistar)
Out: Alberto Bettiol (BMC Racing), Kristijan Koren (Bahrain-Merida),
Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe), Davide Villella (Astana Pro Team), Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data), Andrew Talansky (Retires), Ryan Mullen (Trek-Segafredo),
Wouter Wippert (Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij), Dylan van Baarle (Team Sky),
Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo), Paddy Bevin (BMC)
Extended: Rigoberto Uran, Michael Woods, Simon Clarke, Alex Howes,
Lawson Craddock, Will Clarke, Tom Van Asbroeck, Nathan Brown

Dimension Data
In: Nicholas Dlamini (Dimension Data Continental), Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates), Julien Vermote (Quick-Step Floors), Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Drapac), Scott Davies (Team Wiggins), Amanuel Gebreigzabhier (Dimension Data for Qhubeka)
Out: Omar Fraile (Astana), Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin), Kristian Sbaragli (Israel Cycling Academy), Daniel Teklehaimanot, Youcef Reguigui (Natura4Ever-Sovac), Adrien Niyonshuti
Extended: Steve Cummings, Jay Thomson, Jaco Venter, Johann van Zyl, Jacques Janse van Rensburg,
Igor Anton, Mekseb Debesay

FDJ
In: Ramon Sinkeldam (Team Sunweb), Georg Preidler (Team Sunweb),
Valentin Madouas (Neo-Pro), Romain Seigle (Neo-Pro), Bruno Armirail (Neo-Pro)
Out: Odd Christian Eiking (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Arnaud Courteille, Kevin Reza,
Lorrenzo Manzin, Johan Le Bon and Marc Fournier (Vital Concept), Cedric Pineau (Retires),
Jérémy Maison (Team Fortuneo - Oscaro), Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie)
Extended: Benoît Vaugrenard, Mickael Delage, Ignatas Konovalovas, Matthieu Ladagnous, Daniel Hoelgaard

Katusha-Alpecin
In: Nathan Haas (Dimension Data), Ian Boswell (Katusha-Alpecin), Matteo Fabbro (Friuli Cycling Team), Marcel Kittel (QuickStep-Floors), Alex Dowsett (Movistar),
Stef Crass (BMC Development), Willie Smit
Out: Angel Vicioso Arcos (Retires), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates),
Rein Taaramäe (Direct Energie), Michael Morkov (QuickStep-Floors),
Sven Erik Bystrøm (UAE Team Emirates), Matvey Mamkin (Burgos-BH)
Extended: Ilnur Zakarin, Simon Spilak, Tiago Machado, José Gonçalves, Reto Hollenstein, Jhonatan Restrepo, Pavel Kochetkov, Maxim Belkov

Lotto Soudal
In: Victor Campenaerts (Team LottoNL-Jumbo), Lawrence Naesen (WB Veranclassic Aquality Protect),
Jens Keukeleire (Orica-Scott),
Bjorg Lambrecht and Harm Van Houcke (Lotto Soudal U23)
Out: Tony Gallopin (AG2R-La Mondiale), Jürgen Roelandts (BMC Racing), Kris Boeckmans (Vital Concepts), Louis Vervaeke (Team Sunweb), Sean De Bie (Veranda's Willems - Crelan), Rafael Valls (Movistar), Bart De Clercq (Wanty-Groupe Gobert)
Extended: Jelle Wallays, Jasper De Buyst, Maxime Monfort, Jelle Vanendert, Frederik Frison, Tomasz Marczynski, Sander Armee

Movistar Team
In: Eduardo Sepulveda (Fortuneo-Oscaro), Jamie Roson (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Mikel Landa (Team Sky), Jaime Castrillo (Neo-Pro). Rafael Valls (Lotto Soudal)
Out: Adriano Malori (Retires), Gorka Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida), Jonathan Castroviejo (Team Sky), Rory Sutherland (UAE Team Emirates), Alex Dowsett (Katusha-Alpecin),
Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Jose Herrada (Cofidis), Dani Moreno (Cannondale-Drapac)
Extended: Nelson Oliveira, Jorge Arcas, Antonio Pedrero, Winner Anacona, Carlos Betancur, Dayer Quintana

Orica-Scott
In: Mikel Nieve (Team Sky), Cameron Meyer, Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors),
Jack Bauer (Quick-Step Floors), Lucas Hamilton (Mitchelton-Scott)
Out: Magnus Cort (Astana), Ruben Plaza (Israel Cycling Academy), Simon Gerrans (BMC Racing), Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal), Mitch Docker (Cannondale-Drapac)
Extended: Svein Tuft, May Hayman, Chris Juul Jensen, Michael Hepburn, Sam Bewley, Jack Haig,
Michael Albasini, Luka Mezgec

Quick-Step Floors
In: Jhonatan Narvaez (Axeon Hagen Bermans), Florian Sénéchal (Cofidis), Elia Viviani (Team Sky),
Fabio Jakobsen (SEG Racing), Michael Morkov (Katusha-Alpecin), James Knox (Team Wiggins), Alvaro Hodeg (Coldeportes - Claro)
Out: Matteo Trentin (Orica-Scott), Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin), David de la Cruz (Team Sky),
Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates), Julien Vermote (Dimension Data), Jack Bauer (Orica-Scott),
Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo), Martin Velits (Retires)
Extended: Bob Jungels, Julian Alaphilippe, Fernando Gaviria, Max Richeze, Philippe Gilbert,
Pieter Serry, Iljo Keisse, Niki Terpstra, Fabio Sabatini, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Enric Mas, Zdenek Stybar, Davide Martinelli, Eros Capecchi

Team LottoNL-Jumbo
In: Pascal Eenkhoorn (BMC Development Team), Neilson Powless (Axeon Hagens Berman), Sepp Kuss (Rally), Danny van Poppel (Team Sky)
Out: Jurgen Van den Broeck (Retires), Steven Lammertink (Vital Concept), Twan Castelijns, Alexey Vermeulen, Martijn Keizer, Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal), JJ Lobato (Fired)
Extended: Paul Martens, Koen Bouwman, Primoz Roglic, Tom Leezer, Bert-Jan Lindeman,
Bram Tankink

Team Sky
In: Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar), David de la Cruz (QuickStep-Floors),
Egan Bernal (Androni Giocattoli), Pavel Sivakov (BMC Development Team),
Kristoffer Halvorsen (Team Joker Icopal), Chris Lawless (Axeon Hagens Berman), Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac),
Leonardo Basso (Neo-Pro)
Out: Peter Kennaugh (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mikel Nieve (Orica-Scott), Ian Boswell (Katusha-Alpecin), Mikel Landa (Movistar), Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors), Danny van Poppel (Team LottoNL-Jumbo)
Extended: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Michal Kwiatkowski, Christian Knees, Ian Stannard, Michal Golas, Beñat Intxausti, Gianni Moscon, Philip Deignan, Vasil Kiryienka, David López, Sebastián Henao

Team Sunweb
In: Martijn Tusveld (Roompot–Nederlandse Loterij), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo),
Louis Vervaeke (Lotto Soudal), Jai Hindley (Mitchelton Scott), Michael Storer (Mitchelton Scott)
Out: Ramon Sinkeldam (FDJ), Georg Preidler (FDJ), Warren Barguil (Fortuneo-Oscaro),
Bert de Backer (Vital Concept), Zico Waeytens (Veranda's Willems - Crelan), Sindre Lunke (Fortuneo-Oscaro)
Extended: Tom Dumoulin, Laurens ten Dam,Søren Kragh Andersen, Sam Oomen,
Nikias Arndt, Max Walscheid, Johannes Fröhlinger, Chad Haga, Roy Curvers

Trek-Segafredo
In: Ryan Mullen (Cannondale-Drapac), Alex Frame (JLT Condor), Gianluca Brambilla (QuickStep-Floors), Niklas Eg (Team Veloconcept),
Tsgabu Grmay (Bahrain-Merida), Nicola Conci (Neo-Pro)
Out: Haimar Zubeldia (Retires), Alberto Contador (Retires),
Jesús Hernández (Retires), Edward Theuns (Team Sunweb), Marco Coledan (Trek-Segafredo)
Extended: Fabio Felline, Julien Bernard, Kiel Reijnen, Michael Gogl

UAE Team Emirates
In: Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin), Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors), Rory Sutherland (Movistar),
Sven Erik Bystrøm (Katusha-Alpecin), Alexandr Riabushenko (Neo-Pro),
Fabio Aru (Astana Pro Team)
Out: Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Merida), Louis Meintjes (Dimension Data), Andrea Guardini (Bardiani CSF), Marko Kump (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), Federico Zurlo
Extended: Matteo Bono, Kristijan Durasek, Roberto Ferrari, Simone Petilli,
Simone Consonni, Valerio Conti, Marco Marcato (all through end of 2019), Przemyslaw Niemiec

CYCLING IMPRESSIONS