VeloNews March/April 2018

THUNDER DOWN UNDER Australian Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) powers his way to the win in stage 2 of the Santos Tour Down Under from Unley to Stirling. His teammate, Daryl Impey, finished second on the day. The South African went on to take the overall title of the 20th edition of the race. Despite finishing on the same time as Richie Porte (BMC Racing), Impey’s triumph came courtesy of three second-place finishes in the race. Canon 1D X; 300mm f/2.8 lens; 1/4000 sec. at f/5.0; ISO 400 7 Career stage wins for Ewan at the Tour Down Under 0 Career stage wins for Impey at the Tour Down Under 4 Years since Impey’s last general classification victory at the Tour of Alberta in 2014…

EVERY YEAR, SPORTSWRITERS ACROSS the country wring their hands as they rank the players in their respective sport based on overall value. The National Basketball Association has its All-NBA Team honor. Major League Baseball has the beloved Hall of Fame. And who could forget the Sandra Schmirler Award, voted on by the esteemed Canadian journalists who cover professional curling? The purpose of these lists, it seems, is to drive debate among writers and fans. Because how can you truly determine who is greater between the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Pro cycling has a handful of these lists—Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad has its “Flandrien of the Year” award, for example—but there is no international ranking created solely by cycling writers. So we took on this task for 2018 to create…

The storyline that will define the 2018 road racing season hit cycling when the sport least expected it. On December 13, during the depths of cycling’s quiet season, newspapers The Guardian and Le Monde published stories confirming that Chris Froome had recorded an adverse analytical anti-doping test in September, after stage 18 of the Vuelta a España. The test was for the antiasthma medication salbutamol, which is legal for athletes to use, but only up to a limit. Froome’s urine sample showed double the allowable limit of the substance. Froome and the UCI, it seemed, had kept the news secret for nearly three months, before it was mysteriously leaked to the newspapers. The news itself carried a damning precedent. In previous salbutamol cases, Italian riders Diego Ulissi and Alessandro Petacchi had received…

“We are a laughing stock.”—ROMAIN BARDET (Ag2r La Mondiale), describing the state of cycling as Chris Froome’s adverse analytical finding remains unresolved at the start of the 2018 season“If I was on the board of directors or an executive at Sky, or any of the companies who sponsor them, I would be long gone.”—FLOYD LANDIS, saying he believes Team Sky will “implode” over the Froome debacle“Sky should suspend Froome. Now, it’s not up to me to interfere.”—New UCI president DAVID LAPPARTIENT, commenting on the Froome fiasco“The broken bones don’t hurt any less because you are a woman.”—South Australia Tourism Minister LEON BIGNELL, after announcing that the women would receive the same prize money as the men at this year’s Tour Down Under BY THE NUMBERS GRAND TOURS 2 Cyclists who have finished in…

Fernando Gaviria seems destined for greatness. Just 23, he already exudes the aura of a big champion. Some pundits believing he could be the next Peter Sagan, a multi-faceted rider who could shine in grand tours, classics, and world championships. Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere was quick to sign Gaviria after he watched him beat Mark Cavendish in a sprint during Argentina’s 2015 Tour de San Luís. After riding as a stagiaire that fall, Gaviria turned pro in 2016, and has been on a rapid upward trajectory every since. In two pro seasons, he’s already won 25 races, including Paris-Tours, two stages at Tirreno-Adriatico, and four stages in his grand tour debut last May at the Giro d’Italia. “He’s an assassin,” Lefevere says. “He wants to win everything.” Lefevere believes so strongly in Gaviria…

GOT IT RIGHT CANYON-SRAM Niewiadoma and a revived PFP on the same team. Could they be the foil to Boels domination? UAE-TEAM EMIRATES With Dan Martin for the Ardennes (and Tour), Kristoff for the classics, and Aru for grand tours, it could be a powerhouse. BORA-HANSGROHE Adding Oss is a step in the right direction to making Sagan more than a world champion. Next stop: king of the cobbles. TREK-SEGAFREDO Safety first! High-viz training kits are winning. GOT IT WRONG AG2R LA MONDIALE It’s time to ditch the brown bibs. TEAM SKY Chris Froome’s adverse analytical has forever tarnished his reputation for some fans. Will Froome Dog get out of the doghouse? BMC RACING Letting Daniel Oss go, only for him to join Sagan at Bora, could come back to bite the team in the bum. MOVISTAR Do they really expect Landa and Quintana to play nice?…