Hive Weekly Cycling News - June 8 2023

Another big week in cycling and I am personally still recovering from the Giro d’Italia, even though I didn’t race one of the 21 stages. It’s now time to look ahead to the Tour de France in July and to get you all warmed up for the race, Netflix has a new series coming out as we speak showing a documentary series of the 2022 Tour, in a “Drive To Survive” like series. There is still a lot of racing to be done before the 2023 Tour kicks off with the Criterium du Dauphine starting very soon and the results for the women’s edition of the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ruta Del Sol are in, with some great results for Katrine Aalerud of Movistar. Unfortunately, this weeks edition of the news is not all good news with an update of the cycling scene in the Ukraine and an accident between a rider and motorcyclist in Ironman Hamburg.

As with most weeks, I'll remind you to make sure you get involved in the Cycling Community on Hive. If you haven't already, get in there, join the growing community and get posting, you will be able to earn you Cycling Community Badge:

Cycling In The Front Line

Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues and the toll continues to rise with an estimated 200,000 Ukrainian and Russian military personnel have been killed and around 10,000 civilians loosing their lives. Not to mention the massive number of people who have been displaced by the war. In April 2023, Cycling Weekly posted an interesting article about racing and cycling in Ukraine. They speak with current professionals in the sport as well as riders still racing in Ukraine, hoping to rebuild the sport to what it was, once the war is over.

I hope you find the article as interesting as I did and hopefully we will see an end to the war and a resumption in cycling, racing and recreation soon.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/cycling-on-the-front-line-ukraines-wartime-effort?utm_term=A1F14974-6044-45E2-BD2D-BD03B31D209E&utm_campaign=A8C132A5-BD9C-4737-AC90-016639AFEA3E&utm_medium=email&utm_content=F0D60080-4786-46A4-A428-DF4798A1DFCC&utm_source=SmartBrief

Count Down For The Tour de France

Bicycling Australia Magazine posted an image earlier this week comparing the 1919 Tour de France and the 2023 Tour de France routes. I am not sure if the 1919 race map is an accurate indication of the race route, but it is a cool image either way. Maybe riders in 1919 were simply told, “for this stage, ride from Dunkerque to Metz”.

Age Group Athlete And Motor Bike Rider Collide At Ironman Hamburg

An age group athlete and a motor bike rider have collided during the bike leg of Ironman Hamburg triathlon European championship. Police said there was a head on crash when a race support motorbike carrying a photographer collided with a triathlete who was cycling in the opposite direction on Sunday(4th June). Unfortunately the rider of the motorbike died, following the crash with the photographer and triathlete, both take to hospital and are in a serious condition.

A statement from the Ironman Group has said, “We are devastated by this tragic accident.” “On a day meant to be a celebration of the human spirit, we instead mourn the loss of a member of our triathlon community.” Both the bike legs of the Age Group and Pro Races were reduced due to the incident, with a number of athletes including professionals calling for the race to be cancelled after the incident. All athletes on the bike course, as a result of the collision, needed to dismount and walk up a steep embankment to move around the support vehicles assisting the people involved in the accident. Questions have been asked about the safety of the course, with an investigation taking place, reviewing the amount of competitors on the course, riding with motorcycles at the same time.

Ride To Survive, Tour de France Netflix Series Ready To Stream 8th June

Leading on from the success of the Netflix F1 series “Drive to Survive” comes a similar concept to cycling, with the “Tour de France: Unchained”.

I mention this as a similar concept, but it is actually created by the same company that has created “Drive to Survive” and from the trailers that have been released, it looks like it is going to be very similar. No arguments from me, I enjoy the “Drive to Survive” series, even knowing who will win the championship they are currently screening the series for.

Tour de France: Unchained is a new Netflix documentary series that tells the story of the 2022 Tour de France. The news of its production came to light in March 2022, with camera crews embedded in seven of the teams of the 2022 race. The series offers exclusive, behind the scenes access to the highs and lows of racing the Tour de France.

Originally, eight teams were supposed to be involved, but the Netflix landing page, now mentions that only seven teams are involved, but it does not specify which ones. The eight part programme will be available to stream on Netflix from the 8th of June, 2023 to coincide with the 2023 Criterium du Dauphine, which is a key lead up race to the 2023 Tour de France. Even better news is that a second series is planned and will be filmed as part of this years Tour.

Netflix Page: https://www.netflix.com/nz/title/81153133
Trailer Link:

[Image Courtesy Netflix]

Katrine Aalerud Wins Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ruta Del Sol 2023 Title

Katrine Aalerud of Movistar claimed her first ever overall victory in Spain for the 2023 Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ruta Del Sol. In its second year, the race was held over 5 stages in Spain across, hilly terrain. Tamara Dronova-Balabolina of Israel Premier Tech Roland who made the first big move and showed her intentions winning the first two stages, including a 32 second break in the 95km second stage. She also held onto the lead for stage 3 finishing one second behind Marta Romeu of Laboral Kutxa Fundacion Euskadi, and into stage 4, only seven seconds off Sara Martin of Team Movistar. Aalerud was second in the overall standings, but a further 47 seconds behind Dronova-Balabolina, moving into the final stage from Estepona, a 95km ride to Castellar de la Frontera. Aalerud was part of a break away including Mie Bjorndal Ottested of Uni-X Pro Cycling Team, that was able to distance themselves from the rest of the peloton with 60km left in the stage. It was part of only one major climb, allowing them to extend their lead to one minute, with Ottested winning the stage, but giving Aalerud enough time to win the overall victory. Ottested was able to take second place overall with Dronova-Balabolina finishing the final stage in a group a minute behind the leaders and leaving her in third place overall.

[Image Courtesy Getty Images]

Weekly Cycling News Is Brought To You By:

The Vespa OFM Podcast

This week Vespa OFM Podcast is interviewing Vespa / OFM Ambassador Bree Lambert Sanders, who is a nutritionist and coach in the San Jose area. Bree who, at 54 years young, still competes at the elite level including winding up with an overall win or a place on the podium.

About The Author
I am a DevOps Engineer, Endurance Athlete, Biomechanics Student and Author. We can all achieve amazing things, it's just a matter of trying, I want to change the world, one run at a time.