VN news ticker: Sam Bennett withdraws from Baloise Tour with injury, Phil Bauhaus victorious on stage 1 of Tour of Slovenia

Sam Bennett withdraws from Baloise Belgium Tour with injury

Sam Bennett will not roll out for the Baloise Belgium Tour on Wednesday.

Deceuninck-Quick-Step confirmed Tuesday that the star sprinter suffered a knee injury and will sit our the five-stage race.

“Following a small incident in training last weekend, Sam Bennett has incurred a problem with his right knee,” read a team statement.

“After consultation with our medical team, it has been decided that he will not start this week’s Belgium Tour and will instead take some rest ahead of the Tour de France.”

He will be replaced by Mark Cavendish.

Bennett heads toward the Tour as the fastest man in the bunch with seven victories to his name already this season. After winning the green jersey and taking two stages at last year’s Tour, Bennett and his master leadout man Michael Mørkøv will want to head into this year’s Grande Boucle in top shape.

Deceuninck-Quick-Step did not indicate whether the injury could impact Bennett’s Tour campaign.

Following a small incident in training last weekend, @Sammmy_Be has incurred a problem with his right knee and will miss the Belgium Tour, where he will be replaced by @MarkCavendish: https://t.co/ifeONTBBOs
We wish Sam a fast and full recovery!
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/xDeXF0stUt

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) June 8, 2021

USA Cycling shows off kit for Tokyo Olympic Games

USA Cycling showed off the updated kit to be worn by Team USA at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

On an old-is-new-again white base for the jersey, gold stars representing the five cycling disciplines — road, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, and track — appear on a black stripe.

The Cuore jerseys feature proprietary lightweight ventilated fabrics to aid in cooling, while the bibs feature a highly breathable antimicrobial chamois as well as a seamless leg gripper for optimal comfort.

Cuore replaces Assos as the official cycling kit partner for USA Cycling. Members of the road and mountain bike teams will receive full-zip, two-in-one suits that have two, rear pockets.

Bauhaus victorious on stage 1 of the 2021 Tour of Slovenia

Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) won the opening stage of the 2021 Tour of Slovenia.

This is the German’s fourth victory in 2021, having already won a stage of the Tour de La Provence, and two stages of the Tour of Hungary.

Bauhaus finished four seconds ahead of Jon Aberasturi (Caja Rural-Seguros). Rui Oliveira (UAE-Team Emirates) was two seconds behind Aberasturi.

“The condition has been very good in recent weeks,” Bauhaus said. “In addition, the team has confidence in me as a sprinter. That I’m winning here now. I couldn’t be happier.”

Home favorite Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) finished safely in the bunch, 10 seconds behind.

Ghys bests Evenepoel at Baloise Belgium Tour stage 1

Robbe Ghys (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) edged out Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Gianni Marchand (Tarteletto-Isorex) to take stage 1 of the Baloise Belgium Tour.

Evenepoel and Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka-Assos) had broken free of the main bunch chasing after the break at 30km to go. They connected with Ghys and Marchand, however, Campenaerts was distanced on the final climb.

In the closing kilometers of the finishing circuit, Evenepoel did most of the work and looked good for the stage win towing along Ghys and Marchand who barely clung to his wheel.

Evenepoel slowed, which allowed Ghys and Marchand to get back on terms, and Ghys used this to his advantage.

Evenepoel will wear the leader’s jersey going into stage 2, having scored time bonuses along the way.

L39ION of Los Angeles will wear patches on jersey to commemorate ‘Black Wall Street’

L39ION of Los Angeles will debut patches on its team kit this weekend at Tulsa Tough to commemorate “Black Wall Street.”

“One hundred years after the tragedy of Black Wall Street, we are blessed with the opportunity to represent the idea of black ownership,” said Justin Williams, manager of the team. “L39ION of Los Angeles is a symbol of the vision O.W. Gurley & J.B. Stradford had when helping to build the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This year we are blessed with the opportunity to wear a Greenwood patch on our race jerseys at Tulsa Tough; our intentions are to honor those who lost their lives for picking themselves up from nothing with all odds stacked against them.”

The team will wear them at Tulsa Tough, and at other races throughout the 2021 season. FC Tulsa, a local soccer team, created the patches, and the racing team decided to incorporate them into their jerseys.

“When we think about Tulsa, we think about what could have been – a community full of opportunities for minorities that was uprooted by hate and ignorance.” said Cory Williams. “I’m proud that L39ION can elevate and support Greenwood Ave. in its quest to help Black Wall Street thrive again.”

Marcel Sieberg to retire at the end of 2021 season

Marcel Sieberg (Bahrain-Victorious) has decided to hang up his racing wheels for good at the end of 2021. The German rider has spent 17 years in the professional peloton, nearly all of them in the WorldTour.

During his career, Sieberg made his name as one of the most reliable lead-out men in the bunch. He worked as one of André Greipel’s key lieutenants at Lotto-Soudal for the best part of a decade and has worked for Phil Bauhaus more recently at Bahrain-Victorious.

“I’ve been cycling for 30 years. It started as a hobby as a young boy and ended as my profession for the past 17 years. Traveling around the world and competing in the most iconic races has been an amazing experience,” Sieberg said.

“Cycling is my life, and I’m excited to see where the next challenges lie. I’d love to share my experience and passion with the cycling world and to share the joy of the success of new champions.”

Time to say goodbye at the end of the year….what a great time and pleasure for all the years…. pic.twitter.com/uCjH8831Dw

— Marcel Sieberg (@MarcelSieberg) June 8, 2021

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux pulls out of Tour de Suisse after COVID-19 positive

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux has pulled out of the Tour de Suisse ahead of stage 4 after a member of the team tested positive for COVID-19.

While all pre-race tests returned negative results, a subsequent swab taken Tuesday showed an asymptomatic staff member had the virus. Following discussions with the UCI and the race organizer, the team decided to drop out of the race as there was a risk that other members had contracted coronavirus.

“The decision to withdraw was not easy to take, but we want to be cautious and protect the race bubble after one team member tested positive yesterday even if the rest of the group were all negative,” general manager Jean-François Bourlart said.

“Our priority is riders’ and staff members’ health so we decided to withdraw from Tour de Suisse in consultation with the race organizer. We will keep monitoring the team’s health and focus on the next goals.”