Sagan’s tough choices, no Maryland Cycling Classic in 2020: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers.
With the 2020 pro road calendar condensed into such tight window, riders across the peloton will be faced with tough choices this season as they draw up their plans. Peter Sagan is staring down some particularly hard decisions, and according to a report in Slovakian media, he could end up skipping two of his perennial targets due to scheduling conflicts.
Sagan was slated to make his Giro d’Italia debut this season, but the race now coincides with both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, where he has been a constant contender over the past several years. According to reports, Sagan is expected to go ahead with his Giro plans, and if he ends up completing the race that will mean missing both cobbled Monuments.
We’ll certainly miss his panache come Classics season if he does indeed race the Giro instead, but at least Italian fans will finally have a chance to see the three-time world champ in the one Grand Tour he has yet to take on.
Read on for more news from the world of cycling …
Dane Cash
News Editor
What’s news
| Sagan could miss Flanders and Roubaix
According to Aktuality.sk, Peter Sagan is preparing to go ahead with his initial plan of making his Giro d’Italia debut in 2020, even though a full run at the Italian Grand Tour will mean missing both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The Giro is scheduled to run from October 3 to October 25 on the UCI’s revised calendar, with Flanders set for October 18 and Paris-Roubaix for October 25, making it impossible to complete the Giro and also both cobbled Monuments. As of yet, there has not been any official word on Sagan’s plans, but he will have to make some tough choices either way.
| Dumoulin dreams of Roubaix
Speaking of Paris-Roubaix, apparently Tom Dumoulin is hoping to contest the French one-day at some point later in his career—and not simply as a tourist from the Grand Tour world.
“I want to be at the start to get the most out of myself, with a thorough preparation,” Dumoulin said in an interview with Wielerflits. “I’m not just going to start somewhere because it’s fun.”
| Maryland Cycling Classic called off for 2020
Instead of celebrating its inaugural edition this season, the Maryland Cycling Classic has been cancelled for 2020, with organizers shifting plans for the first running of the race to next year.
The new event, which had been scheduled for September 6, was set to be America’s lone one-day at the UCI ProSeries level this year, but Baltimore-area fans will have to wait until next year to see the race underway for the first time. On the other hand, organizers did deliver some good news on Thursday as well, announcing a new title partnership with UnitedHealthcare that will continue into 2021.
| Rebecca’s Giddy Up Challenge raises $130,000 for charity
Rebecca Rusch and hundreds of other cyclists put in some big rides over the past weekend to raise money for charity.
Rusch challenged herself and others to Everest in a fundraising effort with her Be Good
Foundation, and the campaign ultimately raised $130,000 for the CDC Foundation, People For Bikes, and World Bicycle Relief.
| New Rapha Pro Team collection takes flight
Drawing inspiration from the fluid movements of a peloton in motion, Rapha is releasing a colorful limited edition Pro Team ‘Flight’ collection. Across a selection of Pro Team level jerseys of both genders, a base layer, and Pro Team socks, the Flight range is “modeled on the … peloton in full flight.”
The range-topping Pro Team Aero jersey (US$195) is available in both men’s and women’s versions in a printed fuchsia design, while the Pro Team Training Jersey (US$115) is available in either a red or orange print. The men’s range gets a set of Pro Team II bib shorts (US$270), also in fuchsia.
| Moving Pictures
Like so many other athletes right now, Kate Courtney has seen her Olympic plans delayed. The American mountain biking star explains what that means for her in a new video.
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| New Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon clinchers are radically wider and way lighter
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY NEWS DIGEST PODCASTToday’s featured image of Peter Sagan at Paris-Roubaix comes from Gruber Images.
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