USA Cycling’s Post

As the Tour de France 🇫🇷🚴 draws to a close this year, it's been a race full of unforgettable moments. Some highlights for me include: 🥇 Romain Bardet winning stage 1 and donning this year’s first yellow jersey 🚴♂️ Mark Cavendish achieving his record-breaking 35th stage win 😢 Victor Campenaerts’ emotional stage winner’s interview 🔥 Jonas Vingegaard outsprinting Tadej Pogačar 🌟 Remco Evenepoel proving his worth as a strong contender However, there’s one story that deserves more attention is that of Uno-X Mobility rider Jonas Abrahamsen. In a weight-obsessed sport, Abrahamsen took an unconventional path. Once weighing just 60kg, he struggled to perform at his best. However, upon securing a two-year contract with Uno-X, he embarked on a plan to gain weight gradually, reaching around 80kg. The remarkable fact about this transformation is that it allowed him to increase his peak power from 900 watts to 1,500 watts, making him a more versatile and powerful rider. His improved performance led to leading the Tour de Pologne for two days and achieving a career-best bronze in the Norwegian road race championships. And while all of this could be deemed old news, it’s only thanks to Abrahamsen constant presence at the front of the peloton during the first week of the tour, not looking like a super featherweight that most spectators believe the wearer of polka dot jersey should be. So what does this mean for the rest of us? Hopefully it's finally time to dispel the myth that you can only eat brown rice, grilled chicken and broccoli in measured amounts - and enjoy that mid-ride slice of cake knowing you’re not doing any serious harm to your power. Image Credit: Getty Images Link to article about Abrahamsen’s weight gain 👇🏻

Race day is fast approaching, two days and counting. How this week has gone: Monday - Track session went much better than expected. We have lowered the gear on the bike, essentially making it easier to get off the start line. We've struggled to hit top speed on the larger gears in recent weeks and we felt this was the right call. With the gear lowered we were about half a second quicker on the opening lap, which is huge. We don't know what impact this will have on the end of the race, but there's only one way to find out. We will now more than likely be racing on Friday on the same gear we won the 2018 World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Tuesday - Nice soft play morning with Fraser followed by a small gym session at home. All has gone to plan despite having a headache all day. My sinuses have been giving me trouble over the past few weeks, hopefully it clears up for Friday. And so the plan for the next couple of days: Wednesday - I'll be looking after Fraser this morning while Lora trains, then we swap roles and I head to the velodrome for our final track session before race day. Some accelerations more than likely to try and tease out a little more power and ultimately speed. Thursday - A pretty quite day with an easy spin on the bike. Otherwise time with Lora and Fraser getting ready for the day ahead. I'll post again on Friday morning ahead of racing. #raceweek #nationalchampionship #cycling #parasport #earnyourstripes

🏇 The 156th running of the Belmont Stakes Festival takes place from Thursday, June 6, to Sunday, June 9, including 24 stakes races with total purses exceeding $10m. Check out the latest insights and timetable around this weekend's Belmont Stakes, and its dazzling undercard at the iconic at the Saratoga Race Course, alongside the rest of this week's company news ⬇ #BelmontStakes #HorseRacing #SportsEvents #Sportsbetting #NewsletterUpdate

### The 2024 Finn European Championship: High Stakes as Fleet Split Looms As the 2024 Finn European Championship heads into its fifth and sixth races, the competition is heating up with the crucial fleet split on the horizon. After six races, the fleet will divide into **Gold** and **Silver** fleets, with the top sailors in the Gold Fleet battling for the title. With the discard rule allowing each sailor to drop their worst result after Race 5, these next two races are pivotal for the overall standings. Italy’s **Alessandro Marega** leads the fleet with just 7 points after four races, having showcased remarkable consistency. His strategy will focus on staying steady, securing top-5 finishes to ensure he remains at the top. However, France’s **Laurent Haÿ** (9 points) and **Valérian Lebrun** (11 points) are in hot pursuit. The French duo must push hard in the next two races to close the gap and pressure Marega, knowing that after Race 5, they can discard any poor results. In fourth place with 15 points, **Nick Craig** from Great Britain will rely on his tactical experience. With the discard rule in mind, Craig will likely aim for safe finishes in Race 5 before taking more risks in Race 6 to climb up the leaderboard. The mid-fleet battle is intense, with **Filipe Silva** (18 points), **Christoph Burger** (21 points), and **Kristóf Kaiser** (21 points) fighting for spots in the top five. All sailors are balancing the need for consistent results with the pressure of qualifying for the Gold Fleet. As the fleet split approaches, every decision counts. The next two races will determine who stays in the hunt for the title and who gets left behind in the Silver Fleet. --- **Source: High-Performance Regatta Analyser GPT** Well done Christoph Burger!

Ending the Euro trip on a high… Joshua Johnson has been racing back to back races for the past 3 weeks in France and Belgium. It was a rough start with a puncture at Le Pevele Classic but still hanging onto finish 28th out of 167 riders followed by a crash the next day whilst in the break away at Ruiselede. The second weekend of racing saw a turn around with a 6th place finish at Roeselare on the Saturday and then the result we were waiting for, victory at South Leeuw. During the final weekend of racing, it was clear that Josh was a marked rider and teams played tactics against him throughout the two days of racing. On Saturday Josh raced Zandvoorde - Zonnebeke, managing his race well and a small group of contenders made the break, lap by lap little attacks whittled the group down to just 3 in the end, with the other two riders looking at Josh to do the work in order to not get caught by the pack they were able to come around him in the sprint with Josh securing another podium finishing 3rd. Sunday at the Beloeil it was a similar scenario with individuals from various teams making an attack on each lap. On the last lap there was one rider up the road and Josh could see he was not going to get help, instead of sitting in the pack waiting for a sprint for second he went to try close down the gap but in the end was a few seconds too late and with the effort during the lap couldn’t contend the sprint and settled for 4th and another big result. Three weeks... Six races... Two podiums including a win… An incredible opportunity to race on cobbles for the first time in what is known as the u/17 Paris Roubaix. Josh plans to return later in the year to compete in some of the Junior Stage Races. However, for now, Josh heads home to swap his road bike for his mountain bike and prepare for SA XCO Champs in May. Thanks to Andrew(Josh’s Dad) for all the video updates from the races. #athletemanagement #athletes #sports #southafrica #brandbuilding #partnerships #sportsmarketing #cycling #roadcycling #victory #belgium

#Sprintracing, often referred to simply as "sprints," involves high-speed, short-distance races in various sports. Here are some common types of sprint racing events across different sports: Athletics 100 meters: The shortest sprint race, typically lasting around 10 seconds for elite athletes. 200 meters: Requires a balance of speed and endurance, often run on a curve. 400 meters: One full lap around the standard outdoor track, combining speed with greater endurance than shorter sprints. Cycling #TrackCyclingSprints: Short-distance races held on a velodrome, including individual sprints, team sprints, and keirin events. #RoadCyclingSprints: Often occur at the end of stages in multi-stage races like the Tour de France, where riders sprint to the finish line. #Motorsports Formula 1 #SprintRaces: Introduced to provide additional excitement and points, these races are shorter than the main Grand Prix. These events are characterized by their high intensity and require athletes to exhibit explosive power, speed, and often a strategic approach to pacing and positioning.

The opening stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift sees big crowds roadside. Grand Depart success 🎉🚴🍾 showcased by Eurosport #cycling #cyclingcommunity #sportsindustry #sportsbusiness #womenssports #WomenInSport #sportsmedia #eventbroadcast #audienceengagement #audiencedevelopment #socialmediaengagement #brandbuilding #brandawareness #sponsorship #brandactivations

https://lnkd.in/ep9iDFpW Worth taking 60 seconds out of your day to watch this video. I know I am not the first to draw an analogy of a boat race to business (Will It Make The Boat Go Faster by Harriet Beveridge & Ben Hunt-Davis have this extremely well covered). This was a race that took place last weekend at Holmes Pierrepoint National Watersports Centre, hosting the UK Dragon Boat Association Finals. The Go Pro Video is my local team Bristol Empire Dragons and YES, I am on that boat on seat 8 right!! Our crew is made up of paddlers from aged 21 to 65 years of age. This race is an Open Crew heat so we were racing against boats made up of all male paddlers. This was our very first race of the year, competing against over 20 crews that have been racing all season in the league series. So how on earth did we manage to compete in races and be within a second of the leading crews? My explanation.......... (1) Clear Objectives - Our inspirational (23 year old) head coach sets clear and simple objectives which we execute well i.e. We absolutely hammer our race start and leave boats chasing us down (2) Controllables - Sole focus on the elements we can influence on our boat only. The 3-4 minutes at race start when all boats lining up, all eyes remain in our boat, nobody looks left or right. (3) Hardwork and effort - We train up to 3 times a week, 52 weeks of the year. We do at least 6 race starts every session and push ourselves way beyond our own comfort levels on long upstream paddles. (4) Belief - We know that we are not the best crew on paper and physically we are nowhere near fitness levels and ability of the elite crews. But we believe in our club spirit and that there actually is an I in team... "If I execute what we have trained 52 weeks for, then WE will have a good race" (5) Power of mind - We should never ever underestimate the power of our minds and what we can actually achieve. This video looks brutal and it is. 52 seconds/200metres of 100% max cardio workout, then all over. 3-4 of these races before the actual final!! (Then we move onto 500m races and 2km endurance) I am hugely proud to be part of this team. I have worked in business teams almost as good as this and I know that the newly formed Italian Wine Brands S.p.A. UK Commercial team will also make our own culture of success. Bristol Empire Dragons looking for Sponsorship for the 2025 racing season where we hope to particpiate in all of the League Series and events & 2025 Nationals. A great sport to associate your ethical brand credentials. Please do get in touch to discuss 🐉

London Marathon 2025: 840.318 applications, 2% got a place. What about a ballot for F1 races? I had this conversation on ballots many times in the past. Ballots are a common practice in the UK but not in other countries. Here's how it works: (Ballots meaning you are picked at random) - In major events where demand exceeds availability, a ballot system is implemented to provide everyone with a fair chance. - If you win the ballot, you can secure a spot or purchase a ticket. 2 examples: - 𝗪𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗻:  Winners of the ballot get the opportunity to purchase tickets at face value. - 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻:  Winning the ballot grants you the chance to participate in the race. There has been considerable debate surrounding F1 ticket availability and costs lately. What about allocating a percentage of tickets through a ballot system? It could be beneficial for many European races where ticket prices are prohibitive for numerous fans, or sell out quickly. I think it could be a great way to give fans a fair chance. What are your thoughts on this? P.S. Anyone in my community that got a place to 2025 London Marathon? I was one of the 840.318 applying, but it was not time for me. My running buddy got a place though, so happy for him! #Ballot #SportsMarketing