Cycling 101: What’s up with the team names?

Cycling team names can be pretty weird. And to make things even more confusing, they change all the time. That’s because team names are based on sponsors. So a team can be the same in terms of culture, identity, style, and even riders, but have multiple names over a short period of time.

For example, take the team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. The team was founded in 2010 and is a German team. At its founding it was known as Team NetApp. In 2013 it gained a sponsor and its name became Team NetApp-Endura. In 2015 its name changed entirely, having secured a new major sponsor, they became Bora-Argon 18. Then they became Bora-Hansgrohe. Now, they are Red Bull-Bora- Hansgrohe. Despite all these changes, the team’s DNA remains the same. Changing names with new major sponsorships is very common across all teams and can be an indicator of the success of a team since often in cycling, money and success are closely intertwined.

Beyond sponsor-based team names, some teams are primarily regional teams and have riders and/or leadership predominantly from one country. (This is why some teams are referred to as French teams or Italian teams; their regionality is integral to that team’s identity, culture, and approach to the sport.) That being said, cycling is a very international sport. On most major teams riders come from all over the world. Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe’s start list of eight riders for the Giro represented 6 different nationalities. For that reason, most riders are often fluent in English in addition to their native language, and some riders speak a third or even fourth language comfortably! Multilingualism is essential for communicating with other fellow riders, media, and team management.

The Stage

Today’s stage was a hilly course through Veneto, totaling 180 km and featuring 1,600 meters of climbing across four categorized climbs. Because the climbs were towards the end of the stage, and in short succession, but were also short and steep, today was a stage where everyone from GC contenders to sprinters felt like they had a chance to win the stage. Ultimately Mads Pedersen on Lidl Trek added to his list of wins, taking his 4th Giro stage win in an uphill sprint to the finish line against Wout Van Aert.

Isaac del Toro keeps the pink jersey where he has a 38 second lead on his teammate, Juan Ayuso, in second place. The top 10 riders in the GC are separated by less than 3 minutes (after over 46 hours of cycling across these past 13 days of racing.) With four major mountain stages coming up and one more challenging hilly stage, the GC is still very much in contention.

The Dish

For today I made a Venetian recipe of chicken in white wine. The chicken is cooked in white wine (from the region), onions, garlic, and parsley. While the book suggests serving this dish with a side of polenta, I went with some roasted potatoes and called it a day.

This wasn’t too different from a recipe I’d normally make, besides the parsley. One indicator of how far north we’ve traveled is that this recipe was cooked in butter instead of olive oil, so it actually felt very French.

I am excited for the long weekend, and have some new things coming up over the weekend! And I promise at least one more fresh pasta recipe before the Giro ends.

Ciao!