by Chris Maher | Jun 14, 2016
All images ©Copyright www.chrismaher.co.uk | CyclingShorts.cc
The Aviva Women’s Tour 2016 is a UCI Women’s World Tour event. Starting in Southwold on June 15th and finishing in Kettering on June 19th. Covering a total distance of six-hundred-and-twenty-one kilometers in total is the longest distance covered so far in this third edition of the Women’s Tour. With an increase to under seven-thousand-four-hundred meters of ascending, this is by-far the toughest Tour to date.
The five day stage race’s longest individual stage is stage two from Atherstone to Stratford-upon-Avon at a distance of one-hundred-and-forty kilometers. This years Tour will visit seven counties; five, new to the Tour.
Marianne Vos makes a welcome return to the Tour this time around after missing most of last seasons racing. Vos won the inaugural Women’s Tour back in 2014 riding with Rabo Liv and returns again with her Rabo Liv team-mates to reclaim her crown winning races already this year in Europe Vos will still be a force to recon with this Tour.
Defending champion Lisa Brennauer returns to the Women’s Tour in the re-jigged Canyon-SRAM team along with the winner of the final stage from last year in Hemel Hemstead, Hannah Barnes. Hannah was back in America last weekend riding the Philadelphia Classic, the last round of the UCI Women’s World Tour where American National Champion Megan Guarnier, Boels Dolmans took the victory.
The Aviva Women’s Tour is the second longest event in the UCI Women’s World Tour calendar in 2016. The longest being Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile starting on July 01st and ending on July 10th.
Listen to the Pre Tour Press Conference below with Marianne Vos, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson & Lisa Brennauer.
With less than 24 hours to the start of the 2016 Aviva Women’s Tour CyclingShorts.cc brings you the pre race press launch with Marianne Vos, Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson & Lisa Brennauer.
Pre Race Press
Mick Bennett: He can’t remember having such a line up! Defending Champion Lisa Brennauer, World’s number one Emma Johansson, Olympic Champion Marianne Vos and the World Champion Lizzie Armitstead.
Press: Aims for the week?
Lizzie: Finishing my first ever Women’s Tour, with a chuckle! I’ve managed to do that. Lizzie went on to say that she just wanted to enjoy being the (World) Champion and having a good race. She wants to come out of this weeks Tour feeling stronger than she has coming into it.
The girls are all eager to get a good GC contention for themselves or one of their team mates, Emma had said that should they get a good first result, they would fight all the way to Sunday.
Press: Women’s Cycling has grown significantly over the past few years. How important is the Tour in the Women’s Calendar?
Lizzie: Races like these are the blueprint of how they should be put on. In 2016, this is how it should be done. The Women’s Tour is leading the way. She went on to say that the UK has the most prestigious stage race in Women’s Cycling. In terms of professionalism and race organization the Tour leads the way.
They all agree that the Tour has a really good feel to it and that the crowds that line the roads are the best in Women’s Cycling too. They love the school children on the roadside and the enthusiasm.
Mick Bennett hinted that it’s Sweetspot’s intention to make it a seven day stage race next year, and the possibility of a time-trial or team-time-trial too! The Women’s Tour has a very, very good future with stars like this here year-on-year!
UCI Women’s World Tour Ranking after the Philadelphia Classic
Words by Chris Maher
by Chris Maher | Jun 8, 2016
Results
1 Claire Rose – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:12.821
2 Nikki Juniper – Team Ford Ecoboost 0:44:24.718
3 Alice Barnes – Drops Cycling Team 0:44:24.750
4 Grace Garner – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:24.946
5 Annie Simpson – Drops Cycling Team 0:44:26.913
6 Hayley Jones – Team Breeze 0:44:27.955
7 Dame Sarah Storey – Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 0:44:47.236
8 Charlotte Broughton – Team Ford Ecoboost 0:45:49.677
9 Charlotte Alston – Team 22 0:45:49.745
10 Lydia Moylan – Team WNT 0:45:49.843
Team Results on the Night
1 Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 103
2 Drops Cycling Team 81
3 Team Ford Ecoboost 74
4 Team WNT 62
5 Team Breeze 59
6 Boot Out Breast Cancer Cycling Club 39
7 Sunsport Velo 27
8 Velo Schils – Interbike RT 23
9 Aprire HSS Hire 18
10 Team Jadan-Weldtite 10
11 Team Footon Velosport 6
by Fred Bamforth | Jun 5, 2016
In our new series we look at our writers and friends favourite rides and routes around the UK and worldwide, first up is Fred Bamforth.
Oldham-Mottram-Glossop-Snake Pass- Strines-Holmfirth-Saddleworth Moor-Oldham
The Maxim ‘Quality not Quantity’ is often over used, but in cycling terms a good ride in hilly terrain can very quickly prove it….
Oldham is set within the foothills of the Pennines and over the years has been an amazing base for rides in the Saddleworth area, a hidden gem with a myriad of routes and styles of climbs that means you can never get bored.
In the modern era of cycling numbers matter so long climbs that offer ‘meters gained’ appeal to the climbers out there. One of my fave rides delivers in this respect, with long climbs, steep climbs and some amazing scenery.
Heading South-east from Oldham gentle undulations give way to the day’s first long climb from Stalybridge to Mottram Cutting, providing a great warm up for what is to come later. Within the cutting is a retaining wall where a ‘fossilised frog’ was found and is marked, so as you begin the gentle descent to Mottram village try to spot it on your left!
The road here goes downhill for a few miles, but in traffic, this means that once you’ve got towards Glossop following the A57 on the flat valley road the glory of hitting the base of the Snake pass is all the better. One of the classic northern climbs and a staple of the legendary old Tour of the Peak race the Snake delivers the challenge that its reputation has built over the decades.
What goes up must come down, and how! The twists and turns as you cross from Derbyshire into Yorkshire are what cyclists dream of and as you skirt the edge of Ladybower reservoir (of Dambusters fame) you begin to rise again before turning left onto Strines Moor. This next section of road gives a roller coaster reversing some of the route that le Tour de Yorkshire took. With steep descents and equally steep climbs, this is a test for you and your bike, good braking and swift gear changes are needed to ensure a smooth passage through this section.
Arriving at the A616 after this rural fairly quiet piece of road can be a shock as the next few miles heading North can be very busy with traffic, once past the Flouch roundabout and back into the lanes towards Holmfirth sees less vehicles and some splendid terrain.
After passing though Holmfirth and heading west on the A635 the climb over Saddleworth Moor beckons to its lofty height on the ‘Isle o’Skye’ road. This is usually a gritty head/cross wind fest but the sense of achievement of cresting the lip of the summit and dropping into Saddleworth towards Greenfield, and seeing the amazing view down the Chew Valley and over Dovestones Reservoir is something you will never tire of.
After some of the monster climbs the day has already thrown at you the mere couple of miles climbing out from Greenfield over Lydgate back towards Oldham on the A669 will not faze you, giving one last classic view over the Cheshire Plain and Manchester as you look down from this last big rise and the roll back in.
If you’ve got a favourite ride you’d like to share with us please get in touch.
No Description
by Holly Seear | Jun 3, 2016
Style, Performance and Individuality from New UK Based Online Store OMNIUM
I met Claire Pepper on a Bike Ride with Brunch organised by Queen of the Mountains and was excited to hear of her plans to launch OMNIUM a brand new, UK based, online store bringing together some previously hard-to-buy or as yet undiscovered cycling apparel from independent designers. Their focus is high performance road cycling kit and accessories, bringing together lots of smaller brands who are doing really interesting stuff and making them more accessible, especially to the UK market.
Claire’s background is photography, specialising in fashion and sportswear in e-commerce, and as a runner, cyclist and triathlete, she found women’s cycling clothing to be much more limited in terms of choice than the rest of the active wear market and decided to do something about it! With her partner Jonathan, a creative director and active racer for Dulwich Paragon, they have launched OMNIUM.
Most of the OMNIUM brands are small companies with a bit of a cult following, and until now some have been hard to get hold of in the UK. OMNIUM solves the problems of buying internationally such as customs charges and complicated returns!
The products are stylish, high performance, individual brands which will only be stocked in limited runs, keeping the offering of fresh and current items in-demand.
Starting with 7 brands and with 2 more coming soon, the selection comprises mostly of men’s and women’s jerseys, shorts, socks and caps. There are some eye-catching full kits from Minneapolis brand Twin Six and graphic-patterned base layers from Good Cycling, a brand from the Netherlands. One of the most popular items is a cap by Canadian brand Forward, which features a pair of cat-eyes on the underside of the peak.
Well worth taking a look if you would like to stand out from the crowd this summer!
OMNIUM BRANDS
- Twin Six – USA – men’s & women’s jerseys with matching shorts, caps, socks, bidons
- Angeles Creative – USA – men’s and women’s jerseys, high performance and distinctive
- Queen of the Mountains – UK – high performance women’s jerseys, shorts and caps
- Forward – Canada – women’s jerseys and caps, fun, playful designs
- God & Famous – USA – caps and socks (apparel coming soon) urban styling
- The Wonderful Socks – Italy – socks and caps, Italian craft heritage with quirky designs
- Good Cycling – The Netherlands – men’s and women’s jerseys, base layers and gilets
WEBSITE : weareomnium.cc
TWITTER: @omniumcc
INSTAGRAM: @omniumcc
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Weareomnium/
by Chris Maher | May 31, 2016
Jon Mould, JLT Condor p/b Mavic claims round six of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series in Durham, chasing hard, then finishing the final lap with a big effort and a third successive victory.
Misfortune denied Tom Stewart, Madison Genesis the win on the night after riding an aggressive race all night and playing a part in the main break around the one-point-two kilometre cobbled circuit in Durham. Leading solo in the closing laps, Stewarts chain jumped as he was about to climb South Street for the penultimate time and the chasing group passed as he struggled to re-mount.
Local lad Harry Tanfield, Pedal Heaven big-ringed the final climb to get an impressive second place riding his first Tour Series event. Egged-on by the crowd, Tanfield said he relished the fact that so many people around the course shouted out words of encouragement as he too played a big part in driving the lead group around the course, making the decisive move mid-way through the hours hard effort.
Team-mate Jack Pullar took the Brother Cycling quickest lap setting a time of 2:09.42.
Playing a very tactical game, Team Raleigh GAC reformed having been in the lead group a couple of times through-out the night. Last rounds Blue Jersey holder Morgan Kneisky managed to claw his way back to the chase group and the team went into time-trial-mode as they lined up on the front to chase back Stewart. Finishing all with-in the top ten, Team Raleigh GAC took the team prize for Durham, with JLT Condor p/b Mavic retaining the overall series lead.
Chris Lawless, JLT Condor p/c Mavic and Pullar set-off after the neutralised lap, lighting-up an action packed evening around the busy Durham City circuit. Lawless continued as Pullar dropped back, and he was joined by Tanfield, Stewart, Matthieu Boulo and Adria Moreno of Team Ralaigh GAC. Lawless picked up the Chain Reaction Points prize for the Durham round.
Jonny McEvoy, NFTO bridged the gap and six riders led the race. Stewart and Lawless broke free for a couple of laps with Team Raleigh GAC chasing hard behind. Moreno joined them, making five in the first group. Leading the second group, Mould and Pullar to name a few. With back-markers getting pulled out after an hours racing, the two groups came together with Stewart out front and it looked like Madison Genesis were going to break JLT Condors stronghold on the series so far.
Race Result at Durham.
1 89 Jon Mould JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:12:27.262 30
2 27 Harry Tanfield Pedal Heaven 1:12:29.805 30
3 70 Johnny McEvoy NFTO 1:12:30.797 30
4 41 Matthieu Boulo Team Raleigh GAC 1:12:33.110 30
5 12 Tom Stewart Madison – Genesis 1:12:35.651 30
6 47 Sebastian Mora Team Raleigh GAC 1:12:43.285 30
7 45 Morgan Kneisky Team Raleigh GAC 1:12:43.395 30
8 48 Adria Moreno Team Raleigh GAC 1:12:43.548 30
9 87 Chris Lawless JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:12:48.678 30
10 62 Ian Bibby NFTO 1:14:27.318 30
Team Classification for Round 6
Rank Team Time Points
1 Team Raleigh GAC 4:50:43 10
2 JLT Condor P/B Mavic 4:55:00 9
3 NFTO 4:57:26 8
4 Pedal Heaven 4:58:05 7
5 Madison – Genesis 5:00:30 6
6 Team Wiggins 6:21:03 0
Team Overall Classification after Round 6
Rank Team Points
1 JLT Condor P/B Mavic 65
2 Madison – Genesis 59
3 Team Raleigh GAC 56
4 Pedal Heaven 53
5 NFTO 46
6 Team Wiggins 0
by Jo Ann Carver | May 31, 2016
Spin part two. The reviews…
Ok. So “Spin” the show, was spun into something a tad more than it ought to have been. I’m saying no more about the show, but nothing is completely bad and in amongst some very quirky stuff, were some very interesting products indeed and what follows is a concise (for me) look at the best and the noteworthy if only…
JIVR
Jivr (Jiver) was the first exhibit we saw and it definitely has the WOW factor. Yes, I said an electric bike has the Wow factor. It is a folder that packs down into a size as compact as a Brompton (yes, I know nothing folds like a Brompton…until this) up and back down again in 22 seconds… and that was me at my first attempt. Martin Piatkowski, its designer and head of the company can do it in about 18.
It is light too at a mere 10 Kilos, which when you consider that it houses a motor, a battery and a chain free drive system, that is pretty amazing. The company claim a top speed on its motor of 25 km/h which is governed to make it legal in the company’s widening market place. Jivr also clocked in at 30KM on one charge, which if you only use the motor to arrive at work without needing to change your sweaty shirt because you’ve been climbing hills, will do you just fine. Pedal the remainder or indeed all of your journey although, because of its direct drive (hidden in the single beam of 7005 aluminium) peddling looks odd….no chain rings.
Uploaded by JIVR bike on 2015-03-16.
A fast nimble little folding electric bike that is stylish (my partner Carol wants one) light enough and looks amazing, make this a serious contender to Brompton. Yes its more expensive, has a two hour reachable battery and high tech motor and drive system on board. But if you’re after a commuter for on and off the train and you’d like the extra help of a motor to help with your briefcase etc, then its very well worth a look. If you can push the boat out to £1,200 plus for a Brompton, then I would suggest that the hike up to 2K must be in you remit. Especially when you take into account their unique way of selling this brilliantly crowd funded initiative. Jivr will place 70 hand made bikes per month on the market. Getting one initially works like this; pay £99 deposit refundable in 48 hours if you change your mind. You then go on the waiting list. Each month the waiting list members will be given the opportunity of getting their machine on a first come first served basis. Pay your balance and away you go.
www.jivrbike.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.