The 2014 Velo Awards Issue is out and recounts all of the best players throughout the year.
The 2014 Velo Awards Issue is out and recounts all of the best players throughout the year.
The December issue of Velo magazine is a thick book, split between our choices for cyclists of the year and a guide to the 2015 road world championships in Richmond, Virginia, next September.
On the awards side of the magazine, the Velo staff has dissected the year of racing to determine who excelled in their respective specialties for our 27th annual Awards Issue.
After much internal debate, French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot earned top honors as Velo’s International Cyclist of the Year.
As one of the most dominant riders in the women’s peloton across road, mountain, and cyclocross, the young French star had amazing success throughout 2014, becoming the only elite rider to win UCI World Cup road and mountain-bike events in the same season. The 22-year-old capped off her season with the rainbow stripes at road worlds in Ponferrada, Spain.
It was a difficult choice to make, especially when we compared her season to Alejandro Valverde’s, but ultimately, it was Ferrand-Prévot’s results across road, mountain bike, and cyclocross that led to our final decision.
Valverde, however, didn’t go home empty-handed. The Spanish veteran is our International Man of the Year. Whether it was a punchy early season classic, a grand tour, or September’s world championships, Valverde fought for the podium all season long, and succeeded on a variety of terrain against a spectrum of competitors.
Also in our awards issue, we take a look back at Jens Voigt’s career as he is honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for being one of the most daring, powerful, popular, and exciting racers in the modern era. (To bid on a 2014 Velo Cyclist of the Year jersey, signed by Voigt, click here. All proceeds go to PeopleForBikes.)
The December edition of Velo features dozens more awards as well. Where do riders like Nibali, Contador, Vos, Kittel, Rivera, and Rosskopf fit into our 2014 Awards Issue? Pick up a copy and find out.
In VeloNotes, Steve Maxwell discusses the winners, losers, and question marks of 2014, as some riders saw great success all year while other stars struggled throughout season.
Also in VeloNotes, the Velo tech staff has put together the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide, laying out a handful of great gift ideas for the cyclist in your life — or maybe just for yourself.
On the other side of the magazine, you’ll find an in-depth guide to the 2015 road world championships, and a look at the host city.
A playground for cyclists, the greater Richmond area, and Virginia as a whole, is one of the best places to ride in the U.S. Local stars, Joe Dombroski, Ben King, and Andrea Dvorak spill the details about their favorite places to train in the area.
The guide also takes a look back at the heritage of racing in Richmond, the history of the world championships, and the success that Americans have seen over the years at worlds.
Start planning your trip to Richmond 2015 to watch the best cyclists in the world. Grab the December issue of Velo at a bookstore or bike shop near you.
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