Jens Voigt continues to approach retirement with the same tenacity that made him a fan favourite during his 18-year professional career. Following his week-long stint ar race ambassador for the Tour of California last month, Voigt this week announced that Marin County will host his first The Jensie Gran Fondo
The Jensie Gran Fondo of Marin is a brand new event that will take place at the Stafford Lakes Bike Park on Saturday, October 10. It will offer three rides of 64km, 112km and 160km, respectively, so keen road cyclists of all abilities can take part.
"Marin County was chosen because it ticks all the boxes: it’s big, it’s beautiful and it has all the facilities we need to make a day at my gran fondo a really fun day out," Voigt said.
"We’re going to try to make the ride with me as interactive as possible. I want to ride and talk to as many people as I can on the day, and going by how many of you guys turn up at these events - that could be a lot of people. I also want to try to bring and share some of the best experiences I’ve had from my pro racing career right around the world to this event – I can’t share the details yet, but all I know is that it’s going to be great fun."
The event will also be fundraiser in support of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
Jens Voigt said farewell to racing last year, but the popular German has stayed involved with cycling.
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LottoNL-Jumbo announce Rund um Köln team
Moreno Hofland makes his first race appearance post-Giro d'Italia at the 1.1 Rund um Köln German race on Sunday with LottoNL-Jumbo.
"I’m going to make sure that I’ll arrive at the start fresh and revitalised, but I’m not sure how it will be for me to be back in action again," said Hofland, who helped teammate Barry Markus to second place last year. "The Giro was the first grand tour in my career that I finished and I don’t know what it will mean for my legs."
While wanting a result, Hofland explained he will wait and see how his legs feel on the day.
"The course is selective. It’s like Limburg, but slightly heavier. Last year, I was in good shape and in the hill zone, I was always in the first group. After that, I did the lead-out for Barry. We will find out soon enough if my legs feel good enough for a result," he added
LottoNL-Jumbo's team for the Rund um Köln: Rick Flens, Moreno Hofland, Nick van der Lijke, Barry Markus, Timo Roosen, Maarten Tjallingii and Robert Wagner.
Successful collarbone surgery for Gert Dockx
Gert Dockx's Critérium du Dauphiné was all over in the first few kilometres of stage 1 as he crashed and broke his elbow and collarbone. The Lotto-Soudal rider has since undergone surgery for his collarbone and now faces six-to-eight weeks of rehabilitation.
Dockx explained that the crash had been caused by another rider's mechanical that caught him unawares.
"After one and a half kilometres a rider next to me was standing on his pedals, but his chain broke, he crashed and hit my bike. I fell. After sitting on the road for 30 seconds I realized it was over, I felt the pain of my collarbone and elbow," he said.
Having fractured his collarbone and elbow in a crash at the 2013 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Dockx broke a collarbone in 2014 and has now made it three years in a row of enduring the same injury to his disappointment.
"It’s still sore at this moment, more than when I broke my collarbone last year," Dockx said. "My elbow is put in a open cast because it has to move sometimes. But that’s not easy because of the collarbone fracture. I’ll have to see day by day how it evolves. I’ll have to wait until I can stretch my elbow again before I can get back on the bike. This is the third year in a row that I break something. This is tough mentally, but I was able to make my way back to the highest level the previous times. Hopefully I can still do well in the last part of the season."
