So many new team kits: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers,
After a few weeks of deep breaths, the Daily News Digest is back! Back to bringing you the bullet points of news you need to know. So what’s the news today?
Well, a lot of cyclocross has happened over the holidays, so you will find a brief overview of the World Cup standings with one race still to go. And a new year means new kits! Whether a hit or a miss, a few of the most recent revelations can be found here.
Read on for more …
Abby Mickey
Associate Editor
What’s News
Brand and Van Aert lead World Cup Cyclocross standings
The shortened cyclocross World Cup calendar is only one race away from completion. On the women’s side Lucinda Brand has won three of four races, leaving her at the top of the current standings by 42 points. Denise Betsema, who won the most recent World Cup that took place on January 3rd in Hulst, is chasing Brand’s WC lead. With only one race left and 40-points available for the winner, Brand has all but won the 2020/21 Cyclocross World Cup. Behind Brand and Betsema sits Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. The World Champion is only 6 points away from Betsema, so the battle for runner-up is still up in the air.
On the men’s side, Wout van Aert leads the standings with one win in Dendermonde in December, two second places, and a third. He is being hunted down by his rival, Mathieu van der Poel. Van der Poel, who won the fourth round of the World Cup on January 3rd, is only 15 points off of Van Aert’s lead. Michael Vanthourenhout sits in third only 4 points behind Van der Poel.
The final round of the World Cup will take place in Overijse, Belgium on January 24th, just a week before the World Championships are scheduled. It’s been an exciting cross season so far, with Brand capitalizing on her road form and seizing early domination in many of the recent races, although Betsema, Alvarado, and the American Clara Hosinger have made the races worth watching. The men have been exciting to watch as well, with Thomas Pidcock, Vanthourenhout, and Toon Aerts challenging the Van der Poel vs. Van Aert show.
Chris Froome to miss first Israel Start-Up Nation team camp
Originally set to start their team camp in Israel this January, the Israel Start-Up Nation team has pivoted their plans and will host their upcoming team camp in Girona, Spain instead. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Israel has closed their borders to all but Israeli citizens and foreigners with special permits, making it impossible for all the riders to enter the country.
ISN’s first team camp of 2021 is set to start just next week and last 10 days, however they will be missing their most talked about new signing. Chris Froome, who spent the off-season and pre-season in California, will stay in the United States and continue to build into the upcoming season.
“After our internal assessment and discussion, we felt it was important for him to continue in his current environment in California,” said Paulo Saldanha, the team’s head of performance.
As one of the first teams to attempt a camp in 2021 ISN’s COVID19 protocols will be fascinating. The team will be split into three groups depending on rider type. Classics riders, stage racers, and sprinters will get to fraternize with their own as the team gets ready to take on 2021 starting with the string of four one-days called Challenge Mallorca beginning January 28th.
Teams release 2021 kits
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