Euro road season in full swing
It’s only February but the European professional road cycling season is already into its second weekend.
It’s only February but the European professional road cycling season is already into its second weekend.
After kicking off the year last weekend with the Giro della provincio Reggion Calabria in Italy and the GP de l’Ouverture in Marseilles in France, racing continued through the week with the five-stage Etoile de Besseges, wrapping up Sunday with a 145-km leg into Besseges.
After kicking off the year last weekend with the Giro della provincio Reggion Calabria in Italy and the GP de l’Ouverture in Marseilles in France, racing continued through the week with the five-stage Etoile de Besseges, wrapping up Sunday with a 145-km leg into Besseges.
With many of the top riders in Qatar it was left to some of the lesser lights to shine on the rolling roads of southern France, and the French made the most of the opportunity, winning four of the stages and with AG2R’s Anthony Ravard winning the overall.
Meanwhile, in Italy Saturday Elia Viviani won the 186-km G.P. Costa degli Etruschi thanks to a strong leadout from his Liquigas team in a slightly chaotic bunch sprint.
And the sparks were flying on the Spanish island of Mallorca Sunday, but not for the right reasons.
The the first leg of the Challenge Mallorca in Palma was delayed because of a rider protest over the UCI’s ban of race radios in all but the top pro races.
Riders and managers argue that the radios make racing safer because riders can communicate with each other and with their team directors without having to maneuver alongside team cars. Dutch rider Jos Van Emden even claimed being able to call his team car on the radio after teammate Pedro Horillo crashed down a cliff in the 2009 Giro d’Italia saved the Spaniard’s life.
The UCI argues race radios have made racing boring and predictable because it’s taken the decision making out of the riders’ hands. There’s also a question of cost: Top teams are spending well over $150,000 on radio gear, and maintaining the equipment is a hassle for team staff, too.
The UCI argues race radios have made racing boring and predictable because it’s taken the decision making out of the riders’ hands. There’s also a question of cost: Top teams are spending well over $150,000 on radio gear, and maintaining the equipment is a hassle for team staff, too.
The race eventually got underway and Garmin Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar took his first win of the year in a bunch sprint.
Racing continues in Mallorca throughout the week, and the Mediterranean Tour starts in southern France on Wednesday.
