NewsWire: Chinese appeal sprint ruling, again; Peraud returns to dirt
Chinese squad appeals team sprint decision for a second time; Jean-Christophe Peraud returns dirt; cycling continues France/Britain spat
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In our daily NewsWire, we bring you a collection of the intriguing stories from newspapers, journals and elsewhere around the world of competitive cycling. Pour your coffee, mute your phone and read on.
China appeals team sprint relegation — China Daily
Chinese coach Pan Zhichen has filed a second appeal with the UCI following the relegation of his women’s sprint squad in the team sprint last week. The first appeal was rejected last Friday.
Riders Gong Jinjie and Guo Shuang rode the fastest time in the event, ousting the German squad by .179 seconds in the final. It wasn’t until after a victory lap that the officials notified the Chinese team of its relegation, awarding Germany the gold and China the silver. Officials deemed that the changeover between the squad’s first and second rider did not take place within the prescribed zone, resulting in the relegation.
Zhichen contends that the team used the same technique in every heat, and that if China had in fact been breaking the rules, the team should have been relegated earlier in the competition.
Peroud remounts the mountain bike for Olympics — L’Equipe
Following his 44th-place finish in this year’s Tour de France, AG2R rider Jean-Christophe Péraud has made a quick transition back to the mountain bike, aiming to defend his silver medal from the 2008 Olympic Games. The transition is proving difficult, though, as the Frenchman works to regain his technical skill and comfort on the dirt.
“I didn’t come out of the Tour under the conditions that I would have loved,” he told L’Équipe. “There are only three weeks (between the Tour and) the race of the Olympics. I took the train to the London course; it’s very artificial and requires lots of commitment. But hey, it’s starting to come. I’m happy with my training.”
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Olympics entente between France and Britain not so cordiale — International Herald Tribune
In a continuation of a love-hate relationship as old as the countries themselves, France and Great Britain are in a tiff over France’s questioning of British track dominance in London. The spat has moved straight to the top, with British Prime Minister David Cameron telling the French that they should be more gracious in defeat.
Great Britain won seven of 10 available track gold medals, and beat out France’s star Grégory Baugé in the men’s sprint. France came away with three silvers.
With Cameron’s injection into the cycling dispute, it has gained a political tinge. France is set to up its highest tax rate to 75 percent and Cameron has made it clear that he will welcome French tax exiles with open arms, stating that “if the French go ahead with a 75-percent top rate of tax, we will roll out the red carpet and welcome more French businesses to Britain.”
French President François Hollande returned the jab when he thanked Mr. Cameron for “rolling out the red carpet” for French athletes to win medals. That was back when France was third and the medal count; it has now slipped to seventh.
Cycling gold medalists in a public tandem — Sydney Morning Herald
British gold medal cyclists Laura Trott and Jason Kenny are dating, and it has the British tabloids in a tizzy. The two were spotted at a women’s beach volleyball match, and have since confirmed the relationship.
“So yes it’s out there me and @JasonKenny107 are dating. Been a little while now just didnt want the distraction before the games x,” Trott wrote on Twitter.
Notable headlines included The Sun’s “Laura’s hot to Trott — 2-gold star snogs 2-gold Jase after meeting Harry” and
The Daily Mail’s “Time to get a tandem? Cycling star Laura Trott confirms she is dating fellow double Olympic gold medallist Jason Kenny.”