Peiper wins DS award, new team sponsors: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers,
Tuesday’s headlines featured news of new team sponsorships, transfers, plans for race expansion, an award for former pro and current DS Allan Peiper, and more.
Read on for the latest from the world of cycling.
Dane Cash,
News Editor
What’s News
| Allan Peiper wins Kristallen Fiets DS award
UAE-Team Emirates sport director Allan Peiper won the Kristallen Fiets “Ploegleider” award for DS/manager of the year as voted on by readers of Het Laatste Nieuws. The Australia-born former pro, who now lives in Belgium, topped three-time winner Patrick Lefevere in the voting for award.
Peiper joined the UAE team as a director last season after several years with BMC, and this year, he helped guide Tadej Pogacar to victory at this year’s Tour de France.
Apart from the birth of my son, it’s the most important event in my life,” he said of the 2020 Tour in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “It was a huge responsibility, but at the same time, we had nothing to lose.”
| Challenge Madrid set to expand
Javier Guillén, director Vuelta a España, said on Tuesday that the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta is set to expand in the future to a race of five or seven days.
First run in 2015 as the one-day Madrid Challenge, the event became a two-stage race in 2018, and then a three-stage race in 2020. Lisa Brennauer won this year’s race for the second season in a race.
In a EuropaPress interview, Guillén noted that the race had “a very solid foundation for growth,” and said that “just like what ASO is doing with the Tour de France, it’s a race that can grow in the medium term and longterm into a race of five to seven stages, which would position it as one of the most important stages on the women’s international calendar.”
| Drops becomes Drops-Le Col supported by Tempur for 2021
The Drops Cycling Team will have two new sponsors next season in clothing brand Le Col and pillow and mattress company Tempur.
In a statement announcing the news, team director Bob Varney confirmed the team’s plan to move up to the WorldTour level by the 2022 season.
| A.R. Monex adds Merino
The Astana team, which will become A.R. Monex next year, announced its full roster for 2021 on Tuesday, with newcomer Eider Merino among the 13 riders on the squad.
The 26-year-old all-rounder, who has spent the past three years with Movistar, counts a Spanish national road title on her career palmares and has put together several GC top 10s in stage races, including the Giro Rosa, over the past few seasons.
Merino will ride alongside Maria José Vargas, Arlenis Sierra, Jade Teolis, Maria Chiatto, Emma Faoro, Katia Ragusa, Maria Vittoria Sperotto, Ariadna Gutiérrez, Andrea Ramírez, Yareli Salazar, Mariia Miliaeva, and Maria Novolodskaya next season.
| Zwift to sponsor L39ION of LA
Zwift announced on Tuesday that it will be a sponsor of the L39ION of LA team next season. The news marks another development for the team managed and founded by Justin Williams; L39ION announced last month that it is going Continental and also adding a women’s squad in 2021.
“L39ION is just a fantastic force of energy that aligns so well with our brand, I couldn’t be happier to partner with the team,” said Zwift CEO and co-founder Eric Min in a statement. “This is far more than a sponsorship deal, we have big plans to collaborate and deliver increased diversity and inclusion within cycling. Justin is one of the most influential figures in the sport and we have the platform to help him deliver his message to a global audience.”
| Team UKYO signs Ben Dyball
Ben Dyball will join Team UKYO next season.
The 31-year-old Australian, who took the overall win at the Tour de Langkawi and several other strong results last season, spent 2020 with the NTT team, making his first career Grand Tour start at the Vuelta a España.
| EF signs Julien El Fares
Julien El Fares will join EF next year after spending the past six seasons with the Nippo Delko One Provence organization.
The 35-year-old Frenchman has spent well over a decade in the pro peloton and counts an overall win at the Tour de Wallonie and a stage victory at Tirreno-Adriatico on his career palmares.
| EF, Cannondale, and USA Cycling raffling two bikes to support initiative creating programs at HBCUs and TCUs
EF, Cannondale, and USA Cycling are raffling two Rapha + Palace Team Edition SystemSix bikes, ridden by EF at the Giro d’Italia, to support their initiative with USA Cycling to create cycling programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
Every $20 donated earns one entry in the raffle. You can learn more and enter here.
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Today’s featured image of Sean Kelly comes from the archives of Cor Vos. How many Monuments did he win in his career?
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