World Championships in Bergen

My old hometown hosted this years World Championships in Road Cycling. And after chatting with the Swedish Champ Sara Penton I booked a ticket. Who doesn’t want to see all Bergen and many more cheer on your friend:

I’ve been on the Women’s World Cup in Vårgårda and seen a few XCO World Cups but this was something extra. So much people and so many riders I followed just on internet before.

While I always hope Annemiek van Vleuten will win I was happy to see the Netherlands teamwork work out and with Chantal Blaak soloing to the finish. A women with style and that will wear the most beautiful cycling jersey in a correct way:

Happy to see that finish. But as for Kristoff the finishline came to far away for the 2nd group. Annemiek van Vleuten was first in the group when they passed me with 70m to go. 70m for Katrin Garfoot and Amalie Dideriksen to pass

Fully crowded as you can see. Going to the podium at Torgallmenningen was even more crowded. More people than on 17th May, thought for a while I wouldn’t get in on the square:

1. Chantal Blaak – The Netherlands
2. Katron Garfoot – Australia
3. Amalie Dideriksen – Denmark
4. Annemiek van Vleuten – The Netherlands

3rd year Boels-Dolmans take the World Champion win on a Specialized S-Works, 2 earlier on Amira, now on the New Tarmac.

Yesterday time for the men and the crowds grew. I met a polish guy that had come with ferry and bus to watch Kwiato. Dedication. And the crowds was happy seeing Odd Christian Eiking from Bergen in the 2nd breakaway:

A lot of people including a peloton:

The guy to the left had understood that we where there for the atmosphere and to cheer on our favorites live, not just following the race. Which is best in a sofa in front of the TV, but not as fun.

Alaphilipe and Moscon on the last lap, including the VideoMC that lost it’s connection some seconds after as the power got down on Fløyen. The other view of this:

Including me in blue in the red circle taking the picture above 😀

Just after the chasers/winners came:

I was hoping for the third guy here, Matteo Trentin but he did as van Vleuten and ended 4th.

If you missed the last 5km they are here from the helicopter:

Peter Sagan covering some gaps and attacks when people try to get rid of the sprinters. I’m not the biggest fan of Peter Sagan but he is incredible and clever being in the right place in the right time. It’s impressive and it was a clean sprint just like the way we want to see it.

1. Peter Sagan – Slovakia
2. Alexander Kristoff – Norway
3. Michael Matthews – Australia
4. Matteo Trentin – Italy

Peter Sagans 3rd World Champ title in 3 years. And he did it on Specialized S-Works Tarmac 😉

Peter Sagan does it alone what Boels-Dolmans do together. Both on Specializeds. For me I think Sagans win in Richmond was his best and Chantal Blaaks in Bergen the best in Boels-Dolmans. Coming in solo to the finish in the Worlds biggest road race is making the win even bigger, dropping the best riders in the world.

New Diverge!!!

People talked a while about a new Epic. People seen some pictures of the new Tarmac.

But the Diverge got 1st! 

A colleague asked us a couple of days ago which bike we should have if only could have one. My answer was Diverge and today it just got better 😀

The new Diverge got features like:

• Future Shock
• Road SWAT box
• Room for 42mm tires
• 12×100, 12×142 axles
• Flat mount
• S-Works

It got a bit longer chainstays (419mm)to fit the bigger tires but not as long as Crux or Sequoia. It got a bit higher stack (576 in size 52) for the Futureshock and big tires. It’s also got a little bit lower bottom bracket. And slacker head angle than before (71° in size 52).

Future Shock may look weird but it feels really good so a feature that works irl. Road SWAT is perfect to get your essentials packed without an ugly bag.

Room for bigger tires is the reason I went from Diverge to Sequoia, the old Diverge wasn’t awesome wintertime with thin studded tires and fenders ride with friends on cx-bikes.

Not sure about the Swedish price yet but here are the U.K.:

S-Works Diverge £8,500

S-Works Diverge Frameset £3,500

Diverge Comp £2,600

Diverge Sport £2,000

Diverge Comp E5 £1,500

Diverge E5 Sport £1,000

Diverge E5 £799

Women’s Diverge E5 Comp £1,500

Women’s Diverge E5 £799

More info from Bikerumor

Review by Cyclingtips

Both by Cyclist

And the official: Specialized

The video:

Ronde van Vlaanderen

The biggest spring classic yesterday and what a race. Watch the final kilometers here:

Results:

1. Lizzie Armitstead – Boels-Dolmans
2. Emma Johansson – Wiggle-High5
3. Chantal Blaak – Boels-Dolmans
4. Megan Guarnier – Boels-Dolmans
5. Elisa Longo Borghini – Wiggle-High5
6. Ellen Van Dijk – Boels-Dolmans
7. Annemiek Van Vleuten – Orica-AIS

Cyclingnews and Inside Specialized

Cyclingnews has it’s TVseries called Incycle, here is the first episode of 2016. Where Lizzie Armitstead talks about the style of Sagan, hmm. I thought Armistead was the most stylish World Champ. Yes she looks awesome but that wasn’t the point, she got style and class racing. Watch and enjoy the latest:

And for the first (?) time I will talk about triathlon, I’m not a fan but got many good triathlete friends and it’s a great sport to keep your body look as good as possible. First Inside video from Specialized is about a women I’ve tried to keep up with on Le Peloton and the first (and only) women who has given me a birthdaycake in Stockholm. Worth watching this video about Lisa Norden:

World Cup winner and now World Champion

People talks about Bradley Wiggins. But he has stopped doing road cycling.

Lizzie Armitstead has shown who rules the ”world”: The Queen.

Had wished it was Emma Johansson who had outsprinted Anna van der Breggen but there are many good women cyclists making the racing tight.

1. Lizzie Armitstead – Great Britain
2. Anna van der Breggen – the Netherlands
3. Megan Guarnier – USA
4. Elisa Longo Borghini – Italy
5. Emma Johansson – Sweden

For superb pictures catching both race and atmosphere. Follw this link: Cyclephotos

STYBAR!!!

Yes, I think Cyclocross World Championships is bigger than Tour de France but a win is always a win. Etixx did it again and made Sagan and the others think about what they should do instead of doing it.

Zdenek Stybar won the 6th stage of Tour de France 2016 😀

While Tony Martin made a crash and broke his collarbone. After receiving a new yellow jersey he abandoned this years Tour 😦

highlights:

And by: Etixx-Quick Step

THE Belgium trip

Came home late yesterday after the weekends nice trip to Belgium. First time there riding and it was as hard as I imagined, but also a bit easier. Here are some random pictures by me, Kalle, Mario and others from the first day when we rode the last 45km of Paris-Roubaix with 9 cobblesections including Carrefour l’Arbre which is said to the tuffest:

The cool guy with a Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc and white Prevail helmet is the Lion of Flanders, Johan Museeuw. Really cool to ride with him, a nice classy guy 🙂

The man that make it all happen:

Around 40 riders, 3 motorbikes in front stopping traffic, 1 car and 1 van behind with wheels, things and food. Got into the Roubaix Piste which isn’t open usually and got to see the showers that usually aren’t open either. Johan Museeuw is great to have with you riding with good connections 🙂

Yesterday we where out and watched the Ronde van Vlaanderen pass Izegem where we stayed as we went to early to be able to travel to the climbs and watch it more:

Awesome weekend and a big thanks to David Schwieler and Mario Bulckaert who made it possible 😀

E3 Harelbeke and Luna Pro Team

The two strongest riders today. Geraint Thomas attacked, Zdenek Stybar joined with Peter Sagan. The rest you can watch here:

And post-race quotes with Etixx:

Stybar wrote about it too, great race today. Zdenek Stybar Sad with the crash of Fabian Cancellara. Will be an odd ronde and Roubaix without Cancellara and Boonen.

And then we have Luna Pro Team. Presentation of their superteam 2015:

Last Kilometers of Tour of Qatar stage 4

Another great victory

for Alexander Kristoff 😀 Peter Sagan 2nd.

Tour of Qatar stage 2

A lot of sidewind today but not enough to ruin the second race day of 2015 for Alexander Kristoff. A bad video from the last 3km and a bit before the start:

Sprintfinish like this:

And the resultlist: Procyclingstats