[LukasCPH]

https://twitter.com/RondeVlaanderen/status/1093184241922441218

They could have gone to the trouble of finding out that the Twitter handle is @TeamSVB ...

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/UCI_cycling/status/1093857055679672320

The Commonwealth Games and Euro Champs were good races, but it would be a bit much if they re-used the same course for a third time.

[LukasCPH]

The Commonwealth Games and Euro Champs were good races, but it would be a bit much if they re-used the same course for a third time.

Why?
The classics use more or less the same course every year.

It's a good course (been used for champs as well), and it's harder than it looks on paper.

[Leadbelly]

The Worlds aren't just another classic though. It just feels a bit cheap re-using the same course (if that's what they do) three times in under ten years and makes the race a bit less special imo.

[search]

On that course, the quality of the race would also be very dependent on the weather, I guess. The wet races were really good, but I doubt it would be the same on dry roads.

[Leadbelly]

https://cyclingpro.net/spaziociclismo/continental/scheldeprijs-2019-annunciate-le-22-squadre-androni-unica-italiana/

Teams for Scheldeprijs:

World Tour

BORA-hansgrohe
Deceuninck – Quick-Step
EF Education First
Lotto Soudal
Team Dimension Data
Team Katusha Alpecin
Team Sky
Team Sunweb
Trek-Segafredo
UAE Team Emirates

Professional

Androni Giocattoli Sidermec
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
Corendon Circus
Direct Energie
Israel Cycling Academy
Riwal Readynez Cycling Team
Roompot-Charles
Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise
Team Arkea-Samsic
Vital Concept – B&B Hotels
Wallonie Bruxelles
Wanty – Gobert Cycling Team

[Leadbelly]

http://ciclismord.com/primeros-puestos-en-vuelta-ciclista-unos-27-equipos-se-disputaran/

Team Jolidon to ride the Vuelta Independencia? We'll see...

Tharcor (The Pickles) are also down to ride according to the article.

[LukasCPH]

Team Jolidon to ride the Vuelta Independencia? We'll see...

Tharcor (The Pickles) are also down to ride according to the article.

Eventually, neither ended up riding.

Meanwhile, Pineau has a novel idea for the Tour wildcards:
https://twitter.com/petercossins/status/1100319375935135744

Just add a 23rd team so that Prudhomme doesn't have to choose only two of !
UCI approval would be required, and I think this is unlikely to happen. Not so much because of the UCI, they'll give dispensations for just about anything - but because ASO haven't invited a 23rd team since 1987. Changing that just because it would likely wreck a French ProConti team just isn't much like them.

That Pineau comes out with stuff like this suggests to me that his team is likely to be overlooked for a Tour wildcard yet again.

[search]

Wildcards for Itzulia:

Caja Rural Seguros RGA
Euskadi Basque Country Murias
Burgos BH
Cofidis Solution Credits
Manzana Postobon

So there's one more team (Manzana) than last year

https://www.itzulia.eus/News/itzulian-parte-hartuko-duten-23-taldeak

[Leadbelly]

https://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/news/166/152/Worlds-Top-Cycling-Teams-and-Riders-Announced-for-2019-Amgen-Tour-of-California

Teams for California:

Astana Pro Team (KAZ)
BAHRAIN – MERIDA (BRN)
BORA-hansgrohe (GER)
CCC Team (POL)
Deceuninck – Quick-Step (BEL)
EF Education First Pro Cycling (USA)
Team Jumbo-Visma (NED)
Team KATUSHA ALPECIN (SUI)
Team Dimension Data (RSA)
Team Sky (GBR)
Team Sunweb (GER)
Trek-Segafredo (USA)
UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

Cofidis (FRA)
Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team (USA)
Israel Cycling Academy (ISR)
Rally UHC Cycling (USA)
Team Novo Nordisk (USA)

USA Cycling (USA)

The Nat team could be made up of Bookwalter, Warbasse, McCabe and 4 "youngsters" from CT teams. There actually is quite a limited field of available talent since most (good) riders will be there with their trade teams. Maybe Hecht, Hoehn, Eisenhart and Bassetti could be the other four. The decision will have to made sooner rather than though as they'll need six weeks of rigorous drug testing (if they're not already subject to this) before they can compete at WT level. We don't want a repeat of the Uni-SA shambles.

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/1109035865681129472

[Leadbelly]

https://www.directvelo.com/actualite/72842/tro-bro-leon-2019-les-equipes-engagees

Teams for Tro Bro Leon:

WorldTour

AG2R La Mondiale
Groupama-FDJ

Continental Pro

Arkéa-Samsic
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
Delko Marseille Provence
Direct Energie
Vital Concept-B&B Hôtels
Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
Israel Cycling Academy
Riwal Readynez Cycling Team
Wallonie-Bruxelles
Wanty-Gobert Cycling Team

Continental

Natura4ever-Roubaix Lille Métropole
St-Michel-Auber 93
Amore & Vita-Prodir
Madison-Genesis
EvoPro Racing
Tarteletto-Isorex

[LukasCPH]

https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/1109035865681129472

Jérôme Pineau to talk to the (French) press and say that he might as well close shop in 3, 2, 1 ...

[Carlo Algatrensig]

Jérôme Pineau to talk to the (French) press and say that he might as well close shop in 3, 2, 1 ...

Since I saw the news I have been wondering if this might be what happens next. Unlike Delko they are a French Proconti team with amitions to ride the Tour so missing out in their 2nd year when based on results they might have a better claim than Arkea is the blow that would lead them to giving up.

[search]

those news are from yesterday and the team is still running, so maybe he has calmed down a bit already.

On his personal account he has re-tweeted basically every tweet complaining about the decision though

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/letouryorkshire/status/1110119734413062145

Just the 4 WT teams this year and Wiggins finally gets an invite.

[Yellow Peril]

Glad to see Team Wiggins back at the TdY particularly as Mark Christian is racing for them this season. I really think he is underrated and should have been snapped up after the demise of Aqua Blue

[Drummer Boy]

  GOD DAMN IT!!! 

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/1112775898309255170

 

[M Gee]

Ghent-Wevelgem was another great race this year. Really a good year!

But I dropped in to leave this link: https://www.velonews.com/2019/04/road/podcast-gent-wevelgem-recap-quinn-simmons-interview_491926 as they ALSO interview

Hugo Coorevits, senior editor at Het Nieuwsblad, explains why cycling is so important in Flanders and how it is an integral part of the regional culture

I thought it was a very interesting interview!

[Drummer Boy]

But I dropped in to leave this link

Quinn has definitely got that Taylor Phinney "dude" vibe. Very mellow and laid back, brah.

[search]

https://twitter.com/tds/status/1087745685036941313

Swiss Cycling has anounced a pre-selection of 11 riders a couple of days ago:

Matteo Badilatti (Israel Cycling Academy)
Gordian Banzer (Vorarlberg Santic)
Mathias Flückiger (RN Racing)
Gian Friesecke (Swiss Racing Academy)
Claudio Imhof (Akros Thömus)
Patrick Müller (Vital Concept)
Dylan Page (IAM Excelsior)
Simon Pellaud (IAM Excelsior)
Lukas Rüegg (Swiss Racing Academy)
Patrick Schelling (Vorarlberg Santic)
Roland Thalmann (Vorarlberg Santic)

https://www.swiss-cycling.ch/de/magazin/news/strasse/viel-jugendlicher-elan-und-zwei-routiniers-aus-fremden-gefilden/

Flückiger is confirmed already by the way

https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/region/oberaargau/flueckiger-feiert-mountainbike-sieg-und-wechselt-auf-der-strasse/story/18764866

Will be interesting to see how well he can do. Schurter did alright a couple of years ago.

[Leadbelly]

I thought Lienhard might have been in with a chance. If it was me I'd have him ahead of Page any day (don't rate Dylan at all).

I was nearly gonna say that the team almost picks itself, but the two Swiss Racing Academy riders might force their way in. Schelling for one doesn't have much form, but then again the races he's been in aren't his ideal cup of tea.

[Leadbelly]

https://www.velonews.com/2019/04/news/ef-education-first-trek-segafredo-confirmed-for-tour-of-utah_492830

Some of the teams for Utah:

303 Project (USA)
Arapahoe-Hincapie-BMC (USA)
Aevolo Pro Cycling (USA)
EF Education First (USA)
Elevate – KHS (USA)
Hagens Berman Axeon (USA)
Israel Cycling Academy (Israel)
Manzana Postobon Team (Colombia)
Neri Sottoli-Selle Italia-KTM (Italy)
NIPPO-Vini Fantini-Faizanè (Italy)
Rally UHC Cycling (USA)
Trek-Segafredo (USA)
Team BridgeLane (Australia)
Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling-Maxxis (USA)

I would expect another two or three teams. Jumbo, Mitchelton and Floyd's the likely candidates, but others could benefit if the first two have other plans.

[search]

The Tour of Croatia was cancelled now, less than one week before the start. It may take place in October instead, under the new name "Cro race" ()

http://www.novilist.hr/Sport/OTKAZAN-TOUR-OF-CROATIA-Organizatori-se-susreli-s-nizom-vanjskih-opstrukcija-i-laznih-navoda

The initial start list looked considerably worse than last year anyway with only one WT team, but some of the Trek, Androni, Bardiani and Israel Academy guys would have probably prefered to get some race kilometer in before the Giro (or put themself into the spotlight to get one of the remaining spots on the teams)
Post Merge: April 19, 2019, 08:13the reasons are a bit confusing by the way, but it looks like there was a lot of stuff going on in the background.

The short version: Vladimir Miholjević had organized the Tour of Croatia since the beginning in 2015, but last summer the rights were "stolen" from him (there's a court case going on at the moment), another company took over, and Miholjević declared to do his own race instead, the "Cro Race".

And it seems like with those two races competing for sponsors, backing among the riders, cycling federation and so on, the (new) Tour of Croatia came short in the end.

[Mellow Velo]

Yeah.
I went looking when it didn't turn up on Eurosport schedules for next week and saw that this power struggle had taken place. A lot of bad blood between them by the looks.
Anyhow, the CRO race is Miholjević's replacement race and the UCI have given it and October 1st-6th slot. Hopefully, it will be able to go ahead, given they've run the successful race before.

[search]

yeah, I guess there should be quite a good chance that it takes place, but two days after the Worlds and with everyone who aims for Lombardia racing in Italy instead, it'll probably be fairly low profile.

[LukasCPH]

Here's some more from Ned Boulting who had been hired by Ivan Črnjarić to do TV commentary on the April race that's now cancelled:
The race implodes - a case story

What a mess.