VN news ticker: Custom Kask helmets to Giro d’Italia stage-winners, Dan Martin targets GC
Here's the news making headlines for Friday, May 7.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Dan Martin: ‘Determined to leave my mark on the Giro’
Israel Start-Up Nation rallies around Dan Martin for the season’s first grand.
The veteran rider is hot off his best-ever GC result with fourth at the 2020 Vuelta a España, and will be supported by a strong team that also includes Patrick Bevin, Guy Niv, Alex Dowsett and Alessandro De Marchi.
“My training has been near perfect the last six, seven weeks and I’m determined to do a good race and leave my mark on the Giro,” Martin said. “I don’t feel I have any pressure on me but, of course, I want to do well and try to win a stage. For the general classification, we will see how it goes. There are a lot of strong riders here and I don’t want to set a specific target. I just want to give it my all and see where it leaves me.”
Giro d’Italia to award custom Kask helmets to stage-winners
Winners of each stage of the Giro d’Italia will receive more than just a bouquet of flowers and bottle of prosecco this month.
The Italian grand tour will be awarding a custom Kask helmet made by Drudi Performance to every stage winner in a bid to celebrate “excellence in the field of made in Italy.”
The helmet is designed by the artist Aldo Drudi, who has also created helmets for motorbike racer Valentino Rossi and Moto GP driver Fabio Quartararo.
“This helmet is not only a symbol of Italian style and design, but also of our great care for the issue of safety for cyclists,” read a statement from Giro race organizers. “This prize, awarded to each stage winner, has an outstanding artistic value and conveys a powerful message.”
Alpecin-Fenix sees co-sponsor continue for two more seasons
Belgian ProTeam Alpecin-Fenix sees an important co-sponsor continue for two more seasons.
Officials announced Friday that Fenix, an Italian interior design company, will stay a fixture on the team jersey through 2023.
“Needless to say we are very thrilled with this extended sponsorship agreement of our Italian naming partner Fenix,” a team statement read. “Continuity is very important for the further development of the team. This new agreement with Fenix until 2023 allows us to continue to work in the long term. Fenix and the team are working on an amazing story together. We are really looking forward to seeing our project grow further with them as our naming partner.”
The starts its first Giro in franchise history Saturday, and will race the Tour de France and Vuelta a España later this season.
