Geraint Thomas will return to track racing in November at the Revolution Series rounds 3 and 4, held in London on November 14 and in Glasgow on November 28. He will compete in the events in for Team Sky and is expected to race against the likes of Team Wiggins, JLT Condor and Orica-GreenEdge.
Thomas aims to help his team win the Revolution Elite Championship five-round series. The round in London is held at the Lee Valley VeloPark where he won the gold medal in the team pursuit at the London Olympics in 2012.
"It will be my first time back to the Velodrome since the Olympic Games so it's going to be a bit surreal but I'm really looking forward to it" he said.
"It's great to see how the Revolution Series has evolved since I last raced it and the competition has got pretty serious! It’s great that I can represent Team Sky on the track and try and help them in the Elite Championship. It's going to be a bit of a shock to the system to get back on the boards after my end of season break but I love a challenge so I’ll give it a good crack and try and get some points on the board for the team.”
Kämna to Cult Energy
It has been a pretty decent week for Lennard Kämna. After winning a bronze medal in the U23 time trial at the World Championships on Monday, the 19-year-old has just earned himself his first full professional contract.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Kämna has signed a two-year deal with Cult Energy-Stölting Group, coming through from the Continental-level outfit Stölting Group, which recently joined forces with the Danish Pro Conti team as it fought to secure its future with a new sponsorship deal.
“I’m really excited and obviously looking forward to taking the step up as a full-time professional,” said Kämna in a statement from the team.
“Especially, I enjoy the fact that several other teammates will join me from Team Stölting but I’m also embracing the opportunity of getting to gain knowledge from more experienced riders. I have already been out training with Linus [Gerdemann], which was quite an experience and I know there’s still a lot to learn.”
Kämna's primary asset is his strength against the clock; he is the reigning German U23 time trial champion and, before his U23 bronze on Monday, he also won World Championships gold in the junior time trial last year.
“Signing Lennard Kämna was the natural choice for us. We have witnessed him grow as a rider and we’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with him,” said CULT Energy-Stölting Group CEO, Christan Große Kreul. “Besides his obvious time trial skills, he’s a solid climber and a loyal teammate and he’s undoubtedly going to be a big asset for our 2016 roster."
AG2R-La Mondiale signs Bidard and Peters
AG2R-La Mondiale has signed 23-year-old Francois Bidard for 2016 and 2017. He joins the team after spending two years with Chambéry Cyclisme Formation. The French team has also signed 21-year-old Nans Peters for 2017 and 2018, but the Frenchman will continue to race at the amateur level for the 2016 season.
"I'm very glad to be professional road racer in 2016. But, first of all I would like to thank Chambéry Cyclisme Formation and the whole team for the last two seasons. It was an amazing experience to learn in the training centre. I'm very proud to join AG2R La Mondiale Pro Cycling Team, a great squad and I hope to be ready for the beginning of the next season," Bidard said.
Duyck hampered by illness in Worlds time trial
Ann-Sophie Duyck (Belgium) was left wondering what could have been after she finished ninth in the Elite Women’s time trial at the World Championships on Tuesday. Duyck completed the 30-kilometre course 1:19 slower than the day’s winner Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) but said that she was affected by an illness the night before the event.
"Unfortunately I got sick last night. I woke up with a sore throat and was sweating all day," she told Sporza. "This is not as I had hoped. Last week I won the Chrono Champenois and the condition was really good. Then you hope for more.
"The preparation was perfect and everyone has supported me perfectly. I would therefore like to thank everyone, first and foremost, my friend Kasper, who has brought me at such a high level. Yet I went out and I failed."
