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2005 UCI ProTour
The 2005 ProTour was the first year of the newly introduced UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races. In certain ways the ProTour replaced the UCI Road World Cup series of one-day races, which in 2004 was won by one-day specialist Paolo Bettini for the third time in a row. The beginning of the ProTour saw difficult negotiations with the organizers of the Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. Spring classics Following tradition, had a strong showing in the early season, with a commanding control of the season opener Paris–Nice, placing United States, American Bobby Julich on the top step of the General classification, combining his strong prologue individual time trial performance and good placing in the Mont Faron queen stage. Sprinting specialist (cycling), Sprinter Alessandro Petacchi shed some weight over the winter and built up a stro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle racing, road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series. It was initially the basis of a season long competition for rankings points, created for 2005 UCI ProTour, 2005 to replace the UCI Road World Cup series, which ended at the end of the 2004 season (although the World Cup did not include any stage races). The ProTour was the subject of continuing disputes involving the UCI, cycling teams, and the organizers of the world's most prominent bicycle races (most notably, the Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours), and in 2009 and 2010 the ranking element of the ProTour was superseded by the UCI World Ranking. For 2011, the ProTour and World Ranking were fully merged into the UCI World Tou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milan–San Remo
Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of , it is the longest professional one-day race in modern road cycling in Europe. It is the first major Classic cycle races, classic race of the season, usually held on the third Saturday of March. The first edition was held in 1907 Milan–San Remo, 1907. It is traditionally the first of the five ''Cycling monument, Monuments'' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling. It was the opening race of the UCI Road World Cup series until the series was replaced by the UCI ProTour in 2005 and the UCI World Tour, World Tour in 2011. The most successful rider with seven victories is Belgian Eddy Merckx. Italian Costante Girardengo achieved 11 podium finishes in the interwar period, winning the race si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peloton
In a road Cycle sport, bicycle race, the peloton (, originally meaning ) is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting (racing), drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reduction in drag (physics), drag is dramatic; riding in the middle of a well-developed group, drag can be reduced by as much as 95%. Exploitation of this potential energy saving leads to complex cooperative and competitive interactions between riders and teams in race tactics. The term is also used to refer to the community of professional cyclists in general. Definition More formally, a peloton is defined as "two or more cyclists riding in sufficiently close proximity to be located either in one of two basic positions: (1) behind cyclists in zones of reduced air pressure, referred to as ‘drafting’, or (2) in non-drafting positions where air pressure is highest. Cyclists in drafting zones expend less energy than in front positions." A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Nikolayevich Vinokourov ( Kazakh and Russian: ; born 16 September 1973) is a Kazakhstani former professional road bicycle racer and the current general manager of UCI WorldTeam . He is of Russian origin. As a competitor, his achievements include two bronze medals at the World Championships, four stage wins in the Tour de France, four in the Vuelta a España plus the overall title in 2006, two Liège–Bastogne–Liège monuments, one Amstel Gold Race, and the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics Men's Road Race. Vinokourov is a past national champion of Kazakhstan, and a dual-medalist at the Summer Olympics. In 2007, he received a two-year ban from cycling for blood doping. In 2019, he was accused of race fixing by prosecutors in Liège but was later cleared of the charges. Vinokourov began cycling in 1984 as an 11-year-old, competing within the former Soviet Union. He moved to France in 1997 to finish his amateur career, and then turned professional there in 1998. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt (; born 17 September 1971) is a German former professional road bicycle racer and, upon retirement, became a cycling sports broadcast commentator. During his cycling career, Voigt raced for several teams, the last one being UCI ProTeam . Voigt wore the yellow jersey of the Tour de France twice, though he was never a contender for the overall title owing to the mountainous nature of the stages of the race being better suited to climbing specialists. His career achievements include winning the Critérium International a record-tying five times and a number of one-week stage races, as well as two Tour de France stage victories. In September 2014, he set a new hour record. Among cycling fans, Voigt was generally popular, both for his aggressive riding style and his affable, forthright and articulate manners in dealing with the public and media. He speaks fluent French and English, in addition to his native German. Early life Voigt was born in Grevesmühlen, now in the st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Liège–Bastogne–Liège , also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Cycling monument, Monuments'' of the European professional Road bicycle racing, road cycling calendar; usually coming as the last of the spring classics. It is held annually in late April, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back. It is considered one of the most arduous one-day cycling events in the world because of its length and demanding course. The most successful rider with five victories is Belgian rider Eddy Merckx, trailed by Italian Moreno Argentin in the 1980s and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde in the 2000s, who both won the race four times. Liège–Bastogne–Liège is part of the UCI World Tour competition. It is the concluding race of the Ardennes classics, Ardennes Classics series, which includes the Amstel Gold Race (other), Ams ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amstel Gold Race (men's Race)
The Amstel Gold Race is a one-day classic cycle races, classic road bicycle race, road cycling race held annually since 1966 Amstel Gold Race, 1966 in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the Classic cycle races#Spring classics, spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics riders as the favourites. Since 1989 the event has been included in season-long competitions at the highest level of Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI, as part of the UCI Road World Cup (1989–2004), the UCI ProTour (2005–2010), UCI World Ranking (2009–2010) and since 2011 of the UCI World Tour. It is the only one-day World Tour race staged in the Netherlands and is considered the most important Dutch road cycling event. Dutchman Jan Raas holds the winning record with five victories. Dutch beer brewer Amstel Brewery, Amstel has served as the race's title sponsor since its creation in 1966. The name doe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. It is part of the UCI World Tour. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. At one time, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège were run on successive days as "Le Weekend Ardennais" (both races are organised by Amaury Sport Organisation). Only eight riders have achieved the "Ardennes double" by winning both races in the same year: Alejandro Valverde three times (in 2006, 2015 and 2017), Ferdi Kübler twice (in 1951 and 1952), Stan Ockers (1955), Eddy Merckx (1972), Moreno Argentin (1991), Davide Rebellin (2004), Philippe Gilbert (2011), and Tadej Pogačar (2025). Since 1998, a women's event has been held on the same day, part of the UCI Women's World Tour. History La Flèche Wallonne was created to bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tour Of The Basque Country
The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'') is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races that make up the UCI World Tour calendar. As the Basque Country is a mountainous area, there are few flat stages, and thus the event favors those who are strong climbers. The race is characterized by its short stages, rarely exceeding 200 km, and steep ascents. While the ascents featured in the race are not particularly high compared to other stage races, they are among the steepest seen in professional cycling, some having sections with gradients reaching well above 20%. History The original Tour of the Basque Country had a troubled history, with eight editions contested between 1924 and 1935, before the Spanish Civil War seemingly wiped it out for good. One of these early editions is commentated on in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel ''The Sun Also Rises''. In 1952, the Eibar Cycling Club (erstwhil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danilo Di Luca
Danilo Di Luca (born 2 January 1976) is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but also for several positive doping tests, the last of which resulting in a lifetime ban from the sport. Di Luca is also one of six riders to have won each of the three Ardennes classics; he won the 2005 Amstel Gold Race, Amstel Gold Race and 2005 La Flèche Wallonne, La Flèche Wallonne in 2005, and 2007 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2007. During his career, Di Luca rode for the Riso Scotti, , , , , , and squads. Di Luca's career was also dogged by numerous infractions, involving three suspensions in relation to doping. In 2007, Di Luca was suspended for three months towards the end of the season, for visiting previously banned doctor Carlo Santuccione, which later escalated into the Oil for Drugs case. In 2009, at the 2009 Giro d'Italia, Giro d'Italia, Di Luca tested positive on two occasions for Continuous eryt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' or classics of the European calendar, and contributes points towards the UCI World Ranking. From its beginning in 1896 until 1967, the race started in Paris and ended in Roubaix; in 1966 the start moved to Chantilly, Oise, Chantilly; and since 1977 it has started in Compiègne, about north-east of the centre of Paris. Since 1943, the finish has for the most part taken place in the Roubaix Velodrome. The race is currently organised by the media group Amaury Sport Organisation, and takes place in early April, usually on the second Sunday. Paris–Roubaix is famous for rough terrain and cobblestones, or pavé (setts),Paris–Roubaix is popularly known throughout the English-speaking world for its 'cobbled sectors', but this is a misnomer as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tour Of Flanders (men's Race)
The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is ''Vlaanderens Mooiste'' (Dutch language, Dutch for "Flanders' Finest"). First held in 1913 Tour of Flanders, 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016 Tour of Flanders, 2016. Today it is one of the five ''Cycling monument, monuments'' of cycling, together with Milan–San Remo, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Giro di Lombardia. It is one of the two major Cobbled classics, anticipating Paris–Roubaix, which is on the calendar one week after the Tour of Flanders. The event had its only interruptions during World War I and has been organized without hiatus since 1919, the longest uninterrupted streak of any cycling classic. Seven men hold the record of most victories, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
