Month: January 2021

GP La Marseillaise Preview

Traditionally the season-opener for the French calendar, this Sunday’s GP La Marseillaise is now the first pro race for everyone. It could also be the last for a while given several early-season Spanish races have been scrapped and sanitary restrictions are likely to be tightened in France meaning more races in February could be called off too (Update Saturday AM: the French government has brought in new measures but it looks like upcoming races can continue).

All the more reason to enjoy this one, starting with a race preview with the usual look at the course, the contenders and the TV schedules…

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Wildcard Dilemmas

It’s not easy being a grand tour organiser at the moment and one extra headache is which team to grant a wildcard invitation because they can only invite two compared to four before and the excluded teams could be in jeopardy if sponsors flee. It seems the organisers of all three have asked cycling’s governing body to waive the rules limiting the number of teams that can take part in order to allow an extra team in each race.

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Friday Shorts

Many races have been zapped from the calendar already but the season-opener in France, the GP La Marseillaise is set to go ahead in just over two weeks’ time and better still it’ll be on TV, a first.

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Viral Marketing

Pro cycling is blatantly commercial with teams named after flooring brands, supermarkets or lotteries. Meanwhile the rationale behind Astana, Bahrain, Israel or UAE Emirates isn’t as obvious. The UAE team seems to be breaking new ground as it is giving publicity to one of the Covid-19 vaccines and there’s a twist as the team’s backers are also behind one particular vaccine too.

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Paris-Nice Race Route

The route for Paris-Nice is out. Unsurprisingly it goes from Paris to Nice but like a sandwich it’s what’s in-between that counts. Here’s a closer look at the fillings…

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Roger Hassenforder Obituary

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Roger Hassenforder has died aged 90. A Tour de France stage winner, a yellow jersey wearer, a hunter, a clown, a restaurateur… he was above all a big personality and one of cycling’s first television superstars.

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2021 Pro Cycling Calendar

Happy New Year. Here’s to another lap around the sun, and with it the pro cycling calendar for 2021, free to download for your diary or phone. It’s packed with racing… but already some events have gone and more might follow.

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