VeloNews July 2018

JUST DESERTS Giro leader Rohan Dennis and his BMC Racing team control the peloton during stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia as it passes through the Negev Desert of Israel, from Be'er Sheva to Eilat. Photo by Tim De Waele/Getty Images Nikon D5; 70-200mm f/2.8 lens; 1/1600 sec. at f/5.0; ISO 320 252.1 Miles raced in Israel during the 2018 Giro 6 Number of seasons an Israeli rider has raced on the WorldTour since its inception in 2005 12 million Reported amount that Israel paid to host the Giro start SHIFTING GEARS Members of the South Africa-registered MTN-Qhubeka team drive the pace on stage 5 of the 2015 Tour de Langkawi, the 20th edition of the Malaysian race. Photo by Tim De Waele/Getty Images Canon 1D X; 70-200mm f/2.8 lens; 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6; ISO 500 24 Record number of stage…

I FIRST MET RAFIKI UWIMANA in 2007 on a dusty stretch of trail at South Africa’s Cape Epic mountain bike race. Rafiki was paired with American cycling legend Tom Ritchey for the seven-day race, and he spent the entire event with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. Just a few months before, Rafiki had been chosen as one of the original five members of Project Rwanda, the nonprofit launched in 2006 by Ritchey and Jonathan “Jock” Boyer. The idea was to train Rafiki and the four other Rwandans and turn them into pro cyclists. Rafiki had spent much of his boyhood living on the streets of Kigali. Rafiki had never traveled out of Rwanda. Three months later I saw Rafiki again. Boyer had brought the five Rwandans to the United States…

Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin was livid on the Bardonecchia summit at the end of the race-breaking stage that decided the 2018 Giro d’Italia. Journalists packed in around the Dutchman to get his take on Chris Froome’s epic 80-kilometer breakaway, but he wasn’t having any of it. Where the hell is my bike?” Dumoulin bellowed. The defending Giro champion was storming back and forth, ignoring questions and screaming at team helpers. “Where is my bike!? I want to do my cool-down.” Had someone just swiped the reigning world time trial champion’s bike? Yes and no. Dumoulin’s bike was gone, but it wasn’t a fan with sticky fingers. Instead, the bike had been whisked away for X-rays. The 2018 Giro d’Italia was historic for many reasons. The “Big Start” in Israel and Chris Froome’s controversial attack…

“Hardest day in my life? Yeah. But I'll be back. I'll be back to win some day.” — SIMON YATES (Mitchelton-Scott), after losing over 38 minutes and the pink jersey to Chris Froome on the Giro’s stage 19 1 “I threw up three times and I peed my pants so those were pretty low moments.” — KAITIE KEOUGH, after winning the Dirty Kanza 200 gravel race “Everyone has trouble understanding how after nine months it still has not advanced. But this issue is incredibly complex, more so than any one we've ever had in cycling.” — UCI president DAVID LAPPARTIENT on the case of Chris Froome “You’re an idiot if you are running aerobars at Dirty Kanza!” — GEOFF KABUSH, in a commentary on the use of aerobars at the 200-mile gravel race, where he placed third “Rubbish.” —…

COLOMBIA 26 Stage and overall pro race wins by Colombian riders in the 2018 season, through May 31. For comparison, France has 58, Italy 40, and Germany 17. 14 Colombians riding at the WorldTour level in 2018, on nine different teams 62 Days Colombians have spent in grand tour leader’s jerseys, among 10 riders. Nairo Quintana tops the list, having spent eight days in pink at the Giro and 13 in red at the Vuelta. 16 Stage wins at the Tour de France by Colombians, by 11 different riders. Lucho Herrera tops the list with three wins and seven second-place finishes. TIM DE WAELE/GETTY IMAGES (2); BRYN LENNON/GETTY IMAGES; KEI TSUJI/GETTY IMAGES…

More than a decade ago, South African Douglas Ryder forged an ambitious dream: take an African team to the Tour de France, create a system for developing Africans into professional cyclists, and get Africa to embrace the bicycle. More than a decade later, Ryder has achieved much of that dream. His Dimension Data team earned a berth to the 2015 Tour de France and has competed in cycling’s biggest race every year since. And the team-funded charity, the not-for-profit outfit Qhubeka, has donated more than 75,000 bicycles to kids across Africa. One part of Ryder’s dream has proven more challenging to achieve. Dimension Data has advanced multiple African riders to the WorldTour, however a black African has yet to claim a WorldTour race. The team has also seen various African riders…