Grivko becomes new Ukrainian time trial champion – News Shorts

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Astana's Andriy Grivko became the 2018 Ukrainian national time trial champion on Wednesday, winning the 40km test against the clock in Bohuslav.

Grivko, 34, who won a stage and the overall title at the 2016 La Méditerranéenne stage race, took both the Ukrainian time trial and road race titles in 2012, and now has the possibility of again doing the national double.

The Ukrainian began his career in 2005 with Italian team Domina Vacanze, and went on to ride for German outfit Milram for three seasons, from 2006 to 2008. After a season with ISD, Grivko joined Astana in 2010, and has ridden for the Kazakh team ever since.

He was banned from racing by the UCI for 45 days during the 2017 season for punching German sprinter Marcel Kittel in the face on a stage of the Dubai Tour, after objecting to the way Kittel had pushed in front of him while fighting for position in the race's crosswinds.

Dimension Data take fourth place in Adriatica TTT despite six-man team

Dimension Data rode to fourth place in the team time trial opening stage of the Adriatica Ionica Race in Lido di Jesolo on Wednesday, despite starting the race with only six riders rather than the permitted seven.

Britain's Steve Cummings was initially listed in the team's starting line-up, but was a non-starter in Piave, in Italy's Veneto region, at the new UCI 2.1-ranked stage race on Wednesday.

The squad includes Mark Cavendish and his lead-out man Mark Renshaw, who will be fine-tuning their sprint tactics at the race before the start of the Tour de France on July 7.

"If you look over the entire performance, the team did a good job considering we were the only team with six riders on the start line," said Dimension Data sports director Jean-Pierre Heynderickx. "On a course like this, with one less rider, you pay a bit at the end. So to end in fourth position definitely wasn't a bad result for us."

Quick-Step Floors won the opening stage, with sprinter Elia Viviani their first man over the line to take the lead in the new five-day race, which continues with a 152.5km road stage on Thursday.

Nino Solari passes away

Nino Solari, an influential figure in Australian cycling throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, passed away in Adelaide this week at the age of 80.

Solari affected and influenced the careers of a number of elite Australian cyclists, and in particular many of those who followed a path via the Australian Institute of Sport. He was instrumental in setting up an AIS presence in Varese in his native Italy, which allowed a number of cyclists to taste European racing before going on to race on the continent as professionals.

Solari emigrated from Italy to Australia in 1955, and became the South Australian track champion in 1960, reported Adelaide's The Advertiser newspaper. Later, he became a coach, and managed national teams that included the likes of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and 2007 Paris-Roubaix winner Stuart O'Grady.

Kathy Watt, Olympic road race champion in Barcelona in 1992, posted on Nino's son David Solari's Facebook page: "Very sorry to hear the sad news. Condolences to you and your family. I can remember Nino as a real character on trips away with national teams, and cooking for the AIS when I first came to AIS Adelaide. He loved cycling and helping many young riders who remember him fondly."