czech

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Family, friends and the cycling community mourned the loss of Olympian Burry Stander after he was killed while training last Thursday.

“No parent should ever have to see his child lying on a tarred road after an accident, knowing that there is absolutely nothing he can do to save his life,” said Charles Stander, father of Burry. “It is definitely the worst moment of my life. Words cannot even begin to describe how one feels when it happens. It was terrible.”

Burry Stander was out on a training ride in Shelly Beach, on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on January 3, when he was hit by a taxi. Apparently the driver did not see Stander when he made a turn. Stander died on the scene.

Colonel Jay Naicker, a spokesperson for the police, confirmed that a docket for culpable homicide was opened.

According to Charles Stander, he and his family will remember his son not just for his successes as a mountain biker. “For us Burry will always be more than just a mountain bike champion. In fact, he was a champion on and off his bike. For him his family always came first. He never hesitated to help when, and where ever, he could.”

When asked what he considered to be the highlights of his son’s cycling career, Charles Stander said that it was almost impossible to make a selection. “Where does one start? There were some special moments. Burry really made us all very proud.”

Charles Stander asked the cyclists who are planning to participate in Memorial Rides in memory of his son, not to let their emotions get the best of them. “This is the last thing that Burry would have wanted.”

The funeral arrangements will only be finalized by next week.

Remembering Burry

Zoon Cronje, ZCMC, said that a Burry Stander Foundation will be established to fund and drive the process to change legislation concerning cycling safety as well as assist various projects to promote safe cycling.

“Our initial plan with the Burry Stander Foundation is to raise funds to help to pay for any legal costs that may be incurred to drive the process. Later on we hope to not only assist various safe cycling initiatives but also to assist talented young riders to fulfil their dreams.” Stander was already associated with projects like Songo.info with his Cape Epic training partner and Specialized teammate Christoph Sauser.

The official memorial rides will be used to not only drive awareness but also hand over petitions to the MEC. Cronje said, “We are fortunate to have the organisers of the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour helping us with the Cape Town leg, the organizers of the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge assisting with the Gauteng leg and also support from Andrew Maclean via CycleLab and Fritz Pienaar via Advendurance. There will also be a ride on the South Coast where Burry is from.”

All the details will be communicated via Burry’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/africanmtbkid.

Tributes from around the world

Stander’s death sent shock waves throughout the international sporting community and tributes from all over the world have been pouring in on the various sports and news websites and on the social media.

Leader of the DA, Helen Zille, posted her condolences on Twitter, writing: Such a tragedy. The cycling legend Burry Stander died today after being hit by a vehicle.

Christoph Sauser, Stander’s teammate and mentor, said that the feeling of emptiness and shock he experienced on hearing of Burry’s death was worse than when his dad died when he was still a child. “I will never ever forget you,” he said.

Germany’s Karl Platt, a four-time winner of the Cape Epic, tweeted: “I am speechless, shaking and completely out of my mind! What a sad day. We lost a part of our ‘family’. Our prayers are with your family.”

Greg Minnaar, downhill world champion and fellow South African, described Stander as a fighter, a champion, a gentleman and a legend forever.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, a top South African cyclist, said that she was sickened by the news of the passing away of Burry Stander. “My deepest condolences to Cherise Stander and family! May God give you strength.”

Robert Hunter, former stage winner in the Tour de France, said his thoughts go out to Burry’s wife and family. “Huge loss for South African and world cycling.”

According to John Smit, a former Springbok captain, he is still struggling to deal with the news. “Burry was an absolute legend and hero of mine on the bike. Rest in peace, ‘Boet’.”

Victor Matfield, also a former Springbok captain, said it was time to stand up for cyclists’ rights on South African roads. “Such sad stuff to hear that South African hero, Burry Stander, one of the world’s best mountain bikers, was killed by a taxi on our roads.”

Max Knox, South African marathon champion, said he will miss his rivalry with Burry. “There are no words to describe my feelings when hearing of his death. My heart is very sore. You will be missed dearly, my friend.”

According to Daryl Impey winner of two stages on the ProTour, Burry will always be his hero. “You are a legend in the Czech Republic Forever,” wrote Radek Nedved, a Facebook supporter.

“Terrible news…. Burry Stander passing away – I cannot believe it,” tweeted Arron Brown.

“Saddest news to start 2013. Rest in peace, my fellow 2012 Olympic teammate. My prayers are with his family and Cherise,” said Bridgitte Hartley (bronze medallist canoeist at the 2012 Olympic Games in London).

Gideon Sam, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), said more needed to be done to protect athletes. “I’ve said this time and again but it is really time to work even harder at protecting both our runners and cyclists who use the roads daily to do their training.”

Fierce rival of Stander’s on the South African mountain biking scene, Kevin Evans, wrote on Twitter: “Take nothing for granted. Ever. Condolences to the Stander family.”

Tour de France star Chris Froome said, “Very sad start to the new year and a massive loss to African cycling with the passing of Burry Stander”

It’s Wednesday, which means our friends over at?ChopMTB.com?have picked three must-watch mountain bike videos for us this week.?

We follow Gee Atherton on the chase in the Red Bull Foxhunt, have a look at a creative but crazy BMX vid and get up close and personal with Rampage GoPro footage.

1 Red Bull Foxhunt

Gee Atherton?returned to his reversed role as the fox for the 2012 Red Bull Foxhunt, with a?bunch of Ireland’s top racers again becoming his prey. His mission was simple?– chase the pack of ‘hounds’ downhill through Belfast’s?Cave Hill Country Park, picking them off one by one. Did he manage to claw his way into first place or did the competition outfox him? Find out here.

See more Foxhunt footage on ChopMTB, along with a massive photo gallery

2 Most creative BMX video yet?

This is one innovative video profile. Made by Czech company MERGE Studio for freestyle BMXer Michael Beran, it was filmed at various locations – including an airport runway, a swimming pool and a studio.?

For more BMX videos head to ChopMTB

3 Red Bull Rampage GoPro highlights ?

Filmed 100 percent on the?GoPro HD HERO2, this highlights edit captures the?Red Bull Rampage 2012 in all its cliff-hucking, bone-crunching madness.

Video courtesy of GoPro

Got a thirst for more Rampage coverage? Head over to ChopMTB

Start: November 7, 2013 End: November 10, 2013 Location: Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno, Czech Republic www.bvv.cz/en/bike-brno/

The Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team recently debuted a new ‘cross tubular from Dugast called the Small Bird. Billed as a sort of hybrid between the current Typhoon and Rhino treads, the Small Bird is Dugast’s first ‘cross tubular with a dual-compound tread – and it’s already been used to win U-23, Elite and Junior races at the recent World Cup in Tabor, Czech Republic.

As the name suggests, the new Dugast Small Bird is similar to the company’s Fast Bird mountain bike tubular with sharp, hook-shaped knobs derived from the mud-slaying Rhino but with knob heights and sizes varying across the width of the tire.

According to team manager (and current exclusive US importer) Stu Thorne, the Small Bird’s side knobs are tall and stout to pierce through softer ground and provide a firm, secure shoulder for attacking corners – just like the Rhino.

However, the knob height and size decrease progressively as you move toward the center of the tread in order to provide a faster roller and less knob squirm when on harder ground. In addition, the Small Bird is the first tire from Dugast to sport a dual-compound tread with harder and faster rubber down the center mixed with a softer and grippier compound on the sides.

Hutchinson is making the treads for Dugast, and the French tire giant also has its own dual-compound cyclocross tubular now, the Black Mamba.

The Small Bird is Dugast’s first cyclocross tubular with a dual-compound tread

Thorne claims the Small Bird is likely now the most versatile tire in Dugast’s lineup with cornering traction nearly on par with a Rhino but straight-line speed similar to the long-running Typhoon.

“I think it’s going to be perfect for America,” said Thorne.

Stock durability on the new Small Bird should be better than previous Dugast tires, too, with a protective coating applied to the cotton sidewalls applied direct at the factory that supposedly improves the tire’s resistance to abrasion and rotting in wet conditions without adversely affecting the suppleness. However, Thorne still advocates supplemental coats of Aquaseal just to be safe.

Dugast will make the Small Bird only in 32mm and 33mm widths. Pricing and weight will be consistent with other Dugast models – around $125 and 366g for the 33mm size – but Thorne says availability will be “super limited” for now. In fact, even the team only has two sets on hand at the moment.

The buying public will be able to purchase their own Small Bird tires in a few weeks (Thorne’s Cyclocrossworld.com company is the exclusive US importer) but save for a lucky few, most amateur racers probably shouldn’t count on getting any on their own bikes until next season.

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

The 2012 Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, Austria, awarded its first title on Saturday evening, with Anneke Beerten of the Netherlands taking the second rainbow jersey of her career.

Beerten came into the eight rider women’s race the favourite, and did not disappoint. After qualifying first, the Dutch rider won her semi-final to get into the championship race, and was joined by Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic), Celine Gros (France) and local Austrian favourite Anita Molcik.

Beerten got out of the gate fast and led Labounkova by the first corner. The Czech rider tried to stay in contact, but by the end of the second straight, Beerten was clear and on her way to her second four cross title. Labounkova held on for silver, with Gros taking bronze.

Words cannot describe how I feel,” exclaimed Beerten. “It is unbelievable. It started out as such a hard race, I didn’t have the gate that I wanted, and I pulled it off in the first corner. I just thought to my self ‘Don’t brake, just go’ and that’s what I did. It seemed to work. I am so happy.

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

The 2012 Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, Austria, awarded its first title on Saturday evening, with Anneke Beerten of the Netherlands taking the second rainbow jersey of her career.

Beerten came into the eight rider women’s race the favourite, and did not disappoint. After qualifying first, the Dutch rider won her semi-final to get into the championship race, and was joined by Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic), Celine Gros (France) and local Austrian favourite Anita Molcik.

Beerten got out of the gate fast and led Labounkova by the first corner. The Czech rider tried to stay in contact, but by the end of the second straight, Beerten was clear and on her way to her second four cross title. Labounkova held on for silver, with Gros taking bronze.

Words cannot describe how I feel,” exclaimed Beerten. “It is unbelievable. It started out as such a hard race, I didn’t have the gate that I wanted, and I pulled it off in the first corner. I just thought to my self ‘Don’t brake, just go’ and that’s what I did. It seemed to work. I am so happy.

Women: Dahle-Flesjaa back on top at La Bresse World Cup

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) raced to victory at the fourth round of the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France on Sunday. Dahle Flesjaa took over the race lead on the final descent, overtaking eventual runner-up Katerina Nash (Luna). Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour) rode in for third place. It was Dahle-Flesjaa’s first World Cup win since 2008 and her 27th career total. ?It was also her first World?Cup win since having a baby.

“I can’t really believe this,” said an incredulous Dahle-Flesjaa. “I was focusing on not going over my limit. You need so much power and concentration on this course. I had a very good race. I paced myself. The course is great. It was tough up and tough down.”

The women delivered a super exciting race on a technical course with regular lead changes as they took turns crashing at various points in the race.? They raced in front of huge crowds.

Nash spent much of the race at the front while the women with her shuffled. Bresset was with her for the first part of the race, and then Pendrel moved her way steadily up before taking over the lead.

About mid-way through the five-lap race, Pendrel crashed on the descent. Bresset was unable to avoid her and endo-ed. Nash got around both women and took over at the front, and the crash seemed to slow the momentum of both downed riders. ?Pendrel struggled to get her chain on afterward while Bresset tried to get her seat back to a level position.

Meanwhile, Dahle-Flesjaa, one of the most experienced racers out there, bided her time and rode steadily toward the front. By the final lap, she was in second place behind Nash. The Czech star looked comfortable and likely to win, but two crashes on the final descent opened the door for a smooth riding Dahle-Flesjaa, who overtook her en route to the victory.

“Everyone is talking about the Olympics, but we have other big races, like today. If I want to fight for a gold in London, I have to be superb. I’m on the right path and we’ll see what happens in London,” said Dahle Flesjaa.

Race note:?Former World?Champion Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon)?skipped the race, instead choosing to do altitude training in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Men: Absalon wins La Bresse cross country in front of home crowd

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com

Julien Absalon (Orbea) won the elite men’s cross country World Cup in front of a home crowd in La Bresse, France. Absalon, who lives about 10km away, rode a smart race tactically and managed to escape the bad luck that affected some of the other favorites. Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized) steadily worked his way up throughout the race and made a late bid to overtake Absalon, but finished second. Ralph Naef (Multivan Merida) was third, putting in a strong performance in his quest to make the Swiss Olympic team.

“It is maybe one of my best races. It’s been in mind forever – first World Cup at home is a lot of pressure, and I’m happy,” said Absalon after winning on an “old school” course designed by his brother Remi.

It was a dramatic finish with Absalon crashing on the final technical descent. A surging Kulhavy nearly caught the Frenchman, who quickly got back up and into action.

“It was hard. When I saw Jaroslav in the last half lap, I was dead,” said Absalon. “I was thinking I needed to go slow and not crash on that last descent, but then I lost my concentration and I crashed.”

While the women’s race was influenced by crashes among the favorites, the elite men’s race was influenced more by mechanicals and flats. Burry Stander (Specialized) flatted just after the start, and Marco Fontana (Cannondale) flatted while leading the race, unfortunately immediately after passing the tech zone which meant he had a long way to go for help. Moritz Milatz (BMC) also had a mechanical just after the tech zone and Manuel Fumic (Cannondale) required a wheel change. World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) sat out the race due to “stomach problems”.

Naef, Florian Vogel and and Marco Fontana set the pace from the start until Fontana flatted and ended up pulling out. Behind them, Absalon, Milatz, Giger and Lukas Flueckiger chased together.

Absalon attacked and went to the front on the second of two laps as Milatz and Vogel chased him, a few seconds back. After Milatz’s mechanical, Giger, Vogel and Naef formed the primary chase group.

At the end of lap 4, Naef made an impressive bid for victory by attacking, then catching and passing Absalon. But Absalon wasn’t about to give up a win on home turf and he surged past Naef on the climb on lap 5. Kulhavy, who had been steadily working his way up through the field, overtook a fried Naef and went in pursuit of Absalon. He got close and almost caught Absalon on the final descent of the final lap, when the fatigued Frenchman crashed. Kulhavy finished just seven seconds back in second place, and Naef soloed in for third.

Results

This preview is based on an article originally published on?Cyclingnews.com.

The 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series hits?Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic this weekend after a one-month break since the last round in?Houffalize, Belgium.

Once again, it’ll be skinny-tyred action only, with cross-country and Eliminator racing but no downhill?– you’ll have to wait until next weekend’s World Cup in La Bresse, France for your fix of ‘gravity’ action.

The next two weekends of racing are crucial as?they’re the final opportunities for nations to score valuable ranking points for Olympic qualification (and for riders to meet Olympic standards), so the level of competition will be more intense than ever, with riders fighting for every position.

Nove Mesto is hosting the World Cup for the second time, after last year’s race was chosen by the riders, teams and press as the top cross-country event of 2011. Held in the scenic Vysocina region southeast of Prague, the event is headquartered at the Czech Nordic and Biathlon centre, providing a superb stadium (doubled in size from last year) for fans to watch the start and finish of the racing, and cheer on their countryman, defending men’s champion Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized).

Eliminator

The action begins today with the eliminator, an exciting short course event that has riders sprint around a course filled with obstacles, with the top two moving on to the next round after each heat. Usually, the eliminator runs heats of four riders at a time but Nove Mesto will run six on the track at once, to make the racing even more exciting.

The course has been totally redesigned from last year and will take place mostly on asphalt, meaning that spectators are likely to see multiple bunch sprint finishes. Britain’s Annie Last (Milka Brentjens) and American Brian Lopes (Ibis) won the first round in Houffalize last month, but the tight racing and crashes mean that they’re by no means assured of repeating.

Cross-country

The cross-country circuit is similar to last year, with long climbs through the surrounding forest requiring tremendous fitness, plus technical descents demanding concentration and skill to do well. However, organisers have lengthened the course to 4.46km with the addition of a BMX-style technical section at the far end. This will require both speed and technical skill?–?a rider could easily open a gap here, or drop out of contention with a mistake.

On Sunday, it’s expected that the elite men will do six laps (plus a start loop) and the elite women one lap less. Currently, it’s sunny and in the low 20?Cs. However, a cold front is moving in for the weekend, with frost expected tomorrow night, and it could be as low as single digits for the start of the women’s race.

World champion Catharine Pendrel (Luna) leads the women’s World Cup standings after her dominating performance in Houffalize, but she’s tied on points with Maja Wloszczowska (CCC Polkowice) at 410. The 2011 World Cup champion, Julie Bresset (BH-SR Suntour-Peisey Vallandry), sits in third place with 340 points, just 20 ahead of Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek). Pendrel and Bresset finished one-two in Nove Mesto last year, so expect them both to be contenders, along with Wloszczowska. One other rider who’s sure to be in the mix is Pendrel’s teammate Katerina Nash, a local rider who began her international sports career here as a Nordic skier.

For the men, it should be an exciting battle between defending champion and local hero Kulhavy, current World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower) and round two winner Julien Absalon (Orbea). Kulhavy dominated the World Cup last year, including his home win in Nove Mesto, however, this year he’s been building his fitness slower and is currently ranked seventh. This trio finished one-two-three last year, and it’ll be interesting to see if the influx of 20,000 local fans will inspire Kulhavy to new levels and a repeat win.

This preview is based on an article originally published on?Cyclingnews.com.

The 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series hits?Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic this weekend after a one-month break since the last round in?Houffalize, Belgium.

Once again, it’ll be skinny-tyred action only, with cross-country and Eliminator racing but no downhill?– you’ll have to wait until next weekend’s World Cup in La Bresse, France for your fix of ‘gravity’ action.

The next two weekends of racing are crucial as?they’re the final opportunities for nations to score valuable ranking points for Olympic qualification (and for riders to meet Olympic standards), so the level of competition will be more intense than ever, with riders fighting for every position.

Nove Mesto is hosting the World Cup for the second time, after last year’s race was chosen by the riders, teams and press as the top cross-country event of 2011. Held in the scenic Vysocina region southeast of Prague, the event is headquartered at the Czech Nordic and Biathlon centre, providing a superb stadium (doubled in size from last year) for fans to watch the start and finish of the racing, and cheer on their countryman, defending men’s champion Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized).

Eliminator

The action begins today with the eliminator, an exciting short course event that has riders sprint around a course filled with obstacles, with the top two moving on to the next round after each heat. Usually, the eliminator runs heats of four riders at a time but Nove Mesto will run six on the track at once, to make the racing even more exciting.

The course has been totally redesigned from last year and will take place mostly on asphalt, meaning that spectators are likely to see multiple bunch sprint finishes. Britain’s Annie Last (Milka Brentjens) and American Brian Lopes (Ibis) won the first round in Houffalize last month, but the tight racing and crashes mean that they’re by no means assured of repeating.

Cross-country

The cross-country circuit is similar to last year, with long climbs through the surrounding forest requiring tremendous fitness, plus technical descents demanding concentration and skill to do well. However, organisers have lengthened the course to 4.46km with the addition of a BMX-style technical section at the far end. This will require both speed and technical skill?–?a rider could easily open a gap here, or drop out of contention with a mistake.

On Sunday, it’s expected that the elite men will do six laps (plus a start loop) and the elite women one lap less. Currently, it’s sunny and in the low 20?Cs. However, a cold front is moving in for the weekend, with frost expected tomorrow night, and it could be as low as single digits for the start of the women’s race.

World champion Catharine Pendrel (Luna) leads the women’s World Cup standings after her dominating performance in Houffalize, but she’s tied on points with Maja Wloszczowska (CCC Polkowice) at 410. The 2011 World Cup champion, Julie Bresset (BH-SR Suntour-Peisey Vallandry), sits in third place with 340 points, just 20 ahead of Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek). Pendrel and Bresset finished one-two in Nove Mesto last year, so expect them both to be contenders, along with Wloszczowska. One other rider who’s sure to be in the mix is Pendrel’s teammate Katerina Nash, a local rider who began her international sports career here as a Nordic skier.

For the men, it should be an exciting battle between defending champion and local hero Kulhavy, current World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower) and round two winner Julien Absalon (Orbea). Kulhavy dominated the World Cup last year, including his home win in Nove Mesto, however, this year he’s been building his fitness slower and is currently ranked seventh. This trio finished one-two-three last year, and it’ll be interesting to see if the influx of 20,000 local fans will inspire Kulhavy to new levels and a repeat win.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) Feb 2, 00:21 MT —Germany’s Ghost bikes will be sold in North America for the first time through an exclusive agreement with Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Canadian retailer announced on Wednesday. The deal marks the first time MEC has sold a brand other than its company branded road, mountain, hybrid and urban bikes, since it began selling complete bikes in 2010.