Cycling Passion

Léon Scieur carries his own wheel

Today’s historic photo of the day: during the penultimate (14th) stage of the 1921 Tour de France, Léon Scieur, the Belgian rider of La Sportive team carries his own wheel to the finish line. Scieur won the 1921 Tour de France when he was 33-year-old, along with stages 3 and 10.

The 15th edition of the Tour de France took place June 26 to July 24, 1921, with 138 starters. The total distance was 5484 km. The Belgians dominated the entire race, partly due to the absence of the French Pélissier brothers: the French cyclists Henri and Francis Pélissier had left the 1920 Tour de France after Henri received a penalty from the Tour organization for throwing away a tire, and they were still fighting. Therefore, the Pélissier brothers did not join the 1921 Tour de France.

REPETE REborn wins The North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2015 Best Road Bike award

REPETE cycles, the Czech frame building specialists won the North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2015 Best Road Bike award with their high-end road bike model REPETE REborn. The bike is built with Campagnolo Super Record EPS drivetrain and Campagnolo Bora Ultra wheels.

Sarto Seta: North American Handmade Bicycle Show “Best Campagnolo build” winner

Sarto Seta 2015 with Campagnolo Super Record

Italian custom bicycle frame manufacturer Sarto’s 2015 model frame Sarto Seta is “The Best Campagnolo Build” winner at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Weighing only 700 grams, the Seta road frame is the latest and most advanced frame Sarto has ever produced. That weight puts the frame in right up there with Cannondale SuperSix Evo and Cervelo R5, two of the lightest frames on the market available for purchase. The Seta features brand new tube designs, starting from the flat shape of the top tube to the ultra-thin chainstays.

Rohan Dennis breaks the Hour Record

BMC Racing Team’s Australian rider Rohan Dennis breaks the hour record with 52.491 kilometers (32.616 mi), beating Matthias Brändle’s record by over 600 meters, at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland.

Dennis used a 56×14 gear ratio while setting the new hour record. The previous record was 51.852 km (32.22 mi).

Eddy70 (Limited Edition) by Eddy Merckx Cycles

The legendary Eddy Merckx is turning 70 years old this year, on June 17, 2015. To celebrate, the bike brand that bears his name, the Eddy Merckx Cycles is producing a limited edition, modern, high-quality stainless steel racing bike: Eddy70. There will be only 70 examples produced, and the first specimen (No 1) has already been reserved for Eddy Merckx himself. The other 69 bikes will be available from September at a selection of bike stores.

The frames of the new bike will be TiG-welded, painted, and polished in-house at the Eddy Merck Cycles factory in Zellik. Since Eddy Merckx has always been the most prominent ambassador for Campagnolo, the famous Italian brand has agreed for the first time to customize the components used in this limited-edition bike.

Sarto Frames 2015

Sarto Lampo 2015 complete bike (featured)

Sarto is an Italian custom bicycle frame manufacturer. The company was founded by Antonio Sarto in 1950. Since then, they’re producing handmade custom bicycle frames.

Sarto produces more than 2,500 frames each year. The Italian bicycle manufacturer sees the customization as their strength, which allows them to satisfy the customer’s every need: the choice of materials, the shape of the tubes, made-to-measure geometries, graphics and reinforcements in Kevlar or titanium/carbon. Every feature of a Sarto frame can be changed and selected by the customer.

Robert Marchand celebrates his 103rd birthday by climbing the col named after him

Robert Marchand celebrated his 103rd birthday by climbing the col named after him: “Col Robert Marchand“, in the Ardeche mountains, near Saint-Felicien. Altitude: 911-meter (2988 feet).

Despite the rain and cold weather, Marchand conquered the 10 km climb and reached the summit in less than an hour, and celebrated at the top with a glass of Champagne. He pointed out that it was only 11°C and that he didn’t normally ride unless it was at least 15°C (59°F).

Bartolomeo Aimo at the 1925 Tour de France

Bartolomeo Aimo at stage 13 of the Tour de France 1925

Today’s historic photo of the day: Italian cyclist Bartolomeo Aimo (sometimes written Bartolomeo Aymo) leading a greatly reduced peloton over the Allos at stage 13 of the Tour de France 1925.

Stage 13 was a 275 km (171 mi) long trip from Nice to Briançon. It was a cold, rainy day in the Alps. The Italian sports fans who had flocked to the Tour to see their hero, Ottavio Bottecchia, had the pleasure of seeing their compatriot Bartolomeo Aimo be the first over both the Vars and the Izoard as he rode to win the stage.

Bottecchia was 10 minutes back but still leading the General Classification. Nicolas Frantz, who was in second place in the general classification at the beginning of the day lost over 13 minutes.

Cannondale-Garmin 2015 roster

United States-based UCI WorldTour team US Cannondale-Garmin announced the lineup for the 2015 season. The team formed through the merger of team Garmin-Sharp (United States) and Cannondale Pro Cycling (Italy).

Bianchi Oltre XR.1 2015

Bianchi Oltre XR.1 2015 is using the same geometry and Ultra-Thin Seat Stay technology as the high-end Oltre XR2, with more affordable prices and high/medium quality equipment.

According to Bianchi, the Ultra-Thin Seat Stay technology provides improved shock absorption and impact resistance with reduced frame weight.