Press and News

2012 Quarq Power Meters for Specialized and Cannondale cranksets

QUARQ extends lightweight, ease-of-use and up to the minute metrics with two new power meters for Specialized and Cannondale cranksets.

The 2012 Specialized Quarq and Cannondale Quarq power meters deliver Power Balance™, OmniCal™, lightweight and improved clearance, and compatibility with a wide range of chainrings. The entirely new design, using aluminum-armored, integrated electronics, lifts accuracy to +/- 1.5%. Ease-of-use takes center stage with the prominent ANT+ ID, LED and Quarq’s tool-less, user replaceable battery.

Jim Meyer, Quarq Technical Director: “The SRAM RED Quarq power meter hinted at our technology direction. Following its successful launch we began work on Specialized and Cannondale compatible versions. This puts the latest and greatest in the hands of Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team, our pro triathletes and even more consumers.”

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Press and News

OPQS organizes fan day on June 2nd

The Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team wants to keep engaging with its fans. That`s why the Belgian team will organize a fan day on June 2nd. On that day the fans can meet up with the riders and staff. The fan day kicks off with a breakfast. After a ride on the bike a famous Belgian BBQ will end the day.

Sport and pleasure combined
During the 2012 season the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team keeps it fans up to date on the website and social media feeds. The teams also wants to engage the fans offline by organizing several events. In March the fan team presentation took place. On June 2nd it`s time for the official fan day of the team. The team combined sport and pleasure on the fan day.

At 8:30 a.m. the day starts with a breakfast, where the fans can eat a sandwich and drink coffee or tea with their idols or staff. After the breakfast is done a cycle tour over 25 or 80 kilometres is waiting for the fans. Off course the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step riders will accompany the fans during their ride. When the bike ride has finished, a tasteful BBQ is waiting for the fans, riders. and staff.

Besides all activities, the team fleet is also there on June 2nd. So the fans can take a look at the team car or team bus. There are also some other attractions and animations on site.

Registration at website
Fans who want to attend the fan day on June 2nd can register on a special page on the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team website: http://omegapharma-quickstep.com/nl/fanday.



Press and News | Tour-of-California

Omega Pharma Rider Quotes from Stage 1

After the peloton reeled in the final three riders of an original eight rider breakaway with 10km to go, it became clear that the 185.5km Stage 1 of AMGEN Tour of California would likely come down to a field sprint. However, a crash with more than 3km to go affected the chances of several riders — including Bert Grabsch — and an unfortunate flat tire for Tom Boonen with 600 meters to go cost him the chance of contesting the stage.

“It was an hard stage but I really fought to try to do the sprint,” Boonen said. “I came back in the peloton at about 9 miles to go thanks to Vandenbergh who helped me a lot. At that point I started thinking about the sprint. I was in good position, ready to take off but I had a flat tire at about 600 meters from the finish, crossing the railroad. Fortunately I didn’t crash, but I lost my chance to make the sprint. We will try again.”

“The course was beautiful and the fact I know every meter of the Rosa makes it enjoyable,” Levi Leipheimer said of racing in his home town, Santa Rosa. “But to be honest I suffered a little bit, so that always stinks. Especially when you’re suffering on your own roads. Good and bad, but i’m happy to be here. I think participating in the AMGEN Tour of California is of the utmost importance to be good in July for the Tour de France and hopefully the Olympics. There’s Tour of Utah, hopefully the USA Pro Cycling Challenge — there’s a lot of races left in the season and that was a lot of my motivation to recover as fast as possible and train as much as my leg would allow me to in order for me to be fit enough to take the start here, finish, and then benefit from the race and not just get blown out the back within one or two days.”



Press and News

Grammo’s New C4

The C4 represents Grammo’s third generation of carbon road frames, and it’s easily the best yet. With the latest manufacturing techniques and highest quality Toray Carbon fiber, the C4 is stiff and strong. With proven geometry and design it’s agile and responsive.

The Grammo C4 is the next generation of road race frame, aimed to be competitive in price and performance.

Weight: 989g (medium)
Color: Black/Yellow or Black/Black
Material: Toray T800S

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Press and News

Leader of World Cycle Racing Grand Tour Rolls Through Utah

Sponsored British Cyclist on Pace To Break World Record

West Jordan, UT – Reynolds Cycling, a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of high performance bicycle wheels, will welcome its sponsored rider, Mike Hall, as the long-distance cyclist passes through West Jordan this Thursday, May 3. Hall is currently leading the World Cycle Racing Grand Tour, a brutal, 18,000-mile race against the clock.

“This race is the distance of five Tours de France, which is just unfathomable by non-superhumans,” stated Reynolds Cycling’s Director of Sales and Marketing Rob Aguero.

“Mike, who is winning by a big margin, is an amazing athlete and we’re proud that he put his trust in Reynolds wheels for this important race.”

Hall is riding custom Reynolds 46mm wheels with disc hubs, a setup that he planned at length with Reynolds’ distributor in the United Kingdom, Upgrade Bikes.

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Press and News

Bontrager-LIVESTRONG Lifts Curtain of Pro Cycling Life With New Interactive Experience

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Rider-generated website content will provide inside look into tomorrow’s pro peloton

(Austin, TX) – Fans of competitive cycling have a new and unrestricted way to get access to the team that has become a pro peloton pipeline, as the young talent of Bontrager-LIVESTRONG Cycling Team will document their experiences through social media and a partnership with the fast-growing ride tracking site Strava. The all-new bontragercyclingteam.com will serve as an athlete social media content aggregator, combining Twitter, Facebook, Strava, and blog posts directly from the athletes into a continuous stream of unfiltered experiences, rides, insights, and the lessons learned when the world’s most promising young talent competes with the world’s greatest cyclists in major continental events.

As the team heads to the season’s major events, the all-new website will offer an inside look at the challenges of fresh-faced powerhouses in the professional peloton. Fans can interact directly with the riders and compare ride results to those of the team via Strava. The unprecedented and unfiltered athlete-direct content format of the team’s new site is a one-stop source for news on the team’s trials and triumphs. Team members Lawson Craddock, Ian Boswell, Josh Atkins, and Belgian Jasper Stuyven will be the top talents to watch, with a deep roster of hardworking teammates to never be counted out.

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Press and News

Orica New Naming Rights Sponsor for GreenEDGE Cycling

Following one of the most successful debuts in the WorldTour of cycling, GreenEDGE today announced a three-year co-naming sponsorship with leading global mining services company Orica Limited.

As of this year’s Giro d’Italia, the team will change its name to Orica-GreenEDGE.

“This is a rare and fantastic opportunity to secure the founding co-naming sponsorship with this ground-breaking sporting venture. GreenEDGE is the first Australian team at this level and it offers Orica a powerful sports marketing platform, perfectly aligned with our values and drivers,” says Ian Smith, Managing Director and CEO of Orica.

“Cycling is dynamic, competitive and truly appeals to a global audience. We have a lot in common with the team; we’re both multi-national organisations with an Australian DNA, and we share mutual aspirations driven by a focus on innovation and team work. This sponsorship forms one of the strategic platforms for Orica to increase its brand presence in key global markets and we’re convinced that the world-class performances of this team will help provide ongoing global exposure,” Smith continues.

Team founder and owner, Gerry Ryan said, “We’re extremely proud to be teaming up with Orica in our debut season and onwards. It’s the perfect partner for us and we couldn’t have found a more ambitious and forward thinking company to get onboard.

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Press and News

Champion System Ready for U.S. Debut

The Champion System Pro Cycling Team makes its U.S. debut Wednesday at the 26th annual SRAM Tour of the Gila with a pair of Americans, Chris Butler and Craig Lewis, on its five-rider roster.

General Manager Ed Beamon said the mountainous, five-day race in New Mexico is an ideal event to launch the first Asian pro continental team’s American campaign.

“We won’t have a full squad because of our international schedule, but I think we’re sending a very good group of guys with the goal of trying to win the overall,” Beamon said. “I know there will be some good, strong American teams there. But Craig is really starting to come into form and Chris and Australian Cameron Wurf are both ready to tackle the climbs. So we feel pretty confident we’ll be able to challenge.”

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BMC Racing Team’s Ballan Wins Giro della Toscana

BMC Racing Team’s Alessandro Ballan outsprinted five others Sunday in the streets of Arezzo, Italy, to win the Giro della Toscana.

Good Morale For The Giro
Ballan forced the final selection on the last of two trips up a climb on the 14-kilometer finishing circuit in the 199 km race. “I was feeling good and we had a very strong team here today,” Ballan said after beating Carlos Betancur (Acqua & Sapone) and Liquigas-Cannondale’s Valerio Agnoli in the sprint. “When we went over the major climb of the day (with 55 km to go), I think we had seven guys in the lead group of 40.” The victory was Ballan’s first in a road race since winning Stage 5 of the Tour de Pologne on August 6, 2009. Earlier this month, he was part of the BMC Racing Team’s winning team time trial squad at the Giro del Trentino. The 2008 world road champion also has third-place finishes at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders to his credit this season. “I have a lot of motivation with this victory and it’s good for our morale going into the Giro d’Italia,” he said.

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Press and News

Team TIBCO aim for more stage wins as they head to SRAM Tour of the Gila

Pescadero, CA – Team TIBCO finished up the Joe Martin Stage Race yesterday with another podium finish. Madison Track Champion Lauren Hall took third place in the Stage 4 criterium.

After five laps and several attacks, three leaders took off the front of the field. Behind them, a group of four chasers including Hall was followed by the peloton at 30 seconds behind. Nearing the end of the 55-minute race, the leaders strung out to single riders with the chase group in hot pursuit. Hall bridged up to one of the leaders and was able to come around and sprint for third place. Jade Wilcoxson took the win.

Next up, the Team heads to New Mexico May 2 through 6 for the SRAM Tour of the Gila – one of the most challenging races on the National Racing Calendar. Megan Guarnier and Amanda Miller will lead the six-rider squad. Canadian National Champion Veronique Fortin will thrive in the mountains, while Lauren Hall and Lindsay Myers hope to drill it on the flats and sprints. Three-time World Track Champion Tara Whitten will join the squad for the first time this year after competing at Worlds earlier this month.

“Team TIBCO has brought an experienced and strong squad to contest the Tour of the Gila this year,” said the Team’s European directeur sportif Angela van Smoorenburg. “Our goal is to set up one of our riders in GC position, as well as take home stage wins and podium finishes.”

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