Brewery De Bie in Wakken and cycling team Etixx – Quick-Step are launching a new beer as part of a partnership. 'De Bie Vélo' is a traditional, light and flavourful beer especially for cycling and team fans!
"It is possible to have a healthy beer. We brew with natural quality products and not with chemical products," tells Nicolas Tjoen of Brouwerij De Bie.
"Etixx – Quick-Step is a cycling team that stands out for success and innovation. But we never forget our Belgian roots and our traditions. We feel that quality and passion is what binds De Bie and Etixx – Quick-Step." says CEO Patrick Lefevere.
Taste of victory
'De Bie Vélo' is a blond triple with 8% alcohol. "The beer has a special flavour", says beer expert Robbie Defraeye. "There is a good sweet-bitter balance. The beer tastes fruity and has a malty aftertaste. The spicy notes of star anise, coriander and sage are the finishing touch. Both men and women will love this beer. It is a very tasty and hearty alcohol in percentage terms, but still has good drinkability. "
Beer for the fans
'De Bie Vélo' is a beer for the fans, a beer for winners by a team of winners. "The beer will be available in our fanclub, for the VIPS during the races and as a special gift package in the online fanshop of Etixx – Quick-Step", says commercial director Marnix Drysdale. "We are looking forward to serving the 'De Bie Vélo."
Etixx – Quick-Step is pleased to announce an agreement reached with Hytera as an exclusive supplier for radio communication.
Hytera will provide the team with wireless (radio) technology supporting rider and staff, starting in Milano-Sanremo. Hytera will supply a full range of radios including Digital handheld radios X1 , car radios MD 785, PD 605 for the staff and wireless headsets
Markus Oltmanns, Director of Sales Support at Hytera: "We are very pleased with Etixx - Quick-Step to support a really well-known and very successful team with our products. After the successful entry into the women's professional cycling, Hytera is happy to take another step by becoming the official supplier of radio communication for a UCI WorldTour men's cycling team."
Rolf Aldag, Sport and Developemnt manager Etixx- Quick-Step:
"The new partnership with Hytera is another big step in our aim for excellence in everything we do. Communication with our riders and within the team is essential for the day-by-day life of the team, and of course is part of our success in races. With Hytera we are guaranteed to have some of the most advanced technology available. We are looking forward to make this a long term partnership."
The team Etixx - Quick-Step
Etixx - Quick-Step is a UCI WorldTour team, which was founded in 2003. The team consists of 27 athletes from 12 different nations. Since its inception, the team has won nearly 500 races including 14 Monument Classics, 4 Road World Championships, 5 Individual Time Trial World Championships, 2 Team Time Trial World Championships, 2 World Cups, and one Olympic title.
The current top riders for the team are the legendary sprinter Mark Cavendish (25 stage wins in the Tour de France), Tom Boonen (4-time Paris Roubaix winner), Michal Kwiatkowski (current world champion), 3-time UCI World TT Champion Tony Martin.
Etixx – Quick-Step riders Rigoberto Uran and Gianluca Brambilla performed reconnaissance of the Stage 14 59.2km Giro d'Italia ITT, which starts in Treviso and ends in Valdobbiadene, on Thursday. Etixx – Quick-Step trainer Koen Pelgrim and Sport Director Davide Bramati were present to help the two riders scout the parcours.
Uran finished 2nd in the Giro d'Italia GC in 2014, after he won the Stage 12 ITT from Barbaresco to Barolo. As a result of the victory he temporarily took over the Maglia Rosa as race leader.
In 2015 Uran returns to the Giro as Colombian ITT Champion, having won gold in February of this season.
"It is a long ITT at 59 kilometers," Pelgrim said. "It will be difficult to properly distribute your energy, because after 30 kilometers it is flat, but if you start too fast you can lose a lot of time in the second part, which is more difficult with some tough climbs. Technically it isn't super hard, but it will certainly be a tough time trial with a primary focus on keeping the effort balanced."
"It's a nice parcours that I really love," Uran said. "This time trial comes after two weeks of racing at the Giro. So it can be key, because energy levels of all riders will be at the limit after that amount of racing. It could be important for the GC because after about an an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes of time trialing, time differences can be pretty significant. How a rider can do in this kind of time trial is difficult to predict, because yes, the first stretch is really flat. But when you enter into the small hills you have to pay attention and really keep the effort even in the final kilometers with the difficult sections. It's a completely different chrono if you compare it with the time trial I won last year. But I am confident. I like the parcours a lot. It suits me perfectly and I worked hard so far on my Specialized Shiv in preparation for the time trials. I am the Colombian National Champion, so I would like to do well in the time trial and represent my country and my team well. "
"It is a nice time trial for the specialists," Brambilla said. "It's really linear, with a long stretch where you have to always stay in good aerodynamic position and push hard often in the big ring. The first part will be important to then see what is left in the energy reserves for the last part. The last part can make the difference and will show who properly shared the workload to avoid problems in the final kilometers. The roads are really nice, and it should be a fast parcours."
Pictures © Lorenzo Ferraro
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