October 10/97 10:23 am - Road Worlds, 'Cross, B.C. Results, Industry News

Posted by Editor on 10/10/97
 

World Road Championships, San Sebastian, Spain  Here is the story from our correspondent Ed Schum, on yesterday‚s Men‚s ITT.  Finishing in 29th place in the time trial, 4:58 behind winner Laurent Jalabert of France, may not sound like a very good result, but when you are up against the best professional cyclists in the world, and only 28 finish ahead, that puts a different perspective on things. This was the situation for Canada‚s entry in the individual time trial - Eric Wohlberg of Oakville, Ontario.  He completed the hilly 42.6 km course in 57 minutes flat, with an average speed of 44.84 km/h. This left him nearly 5 minutes behind Jalabert, but still ahead of world class cyclists like Marc Streel of Belgium, Andreas Walzer (Germany) and Tyler Hamilton of the U.S.  Defending champion Alex Zuelle of Switzerland had bad luck, who suffered a flat just 200m into the race and was unable to make up the time required for the wheel change. (Note: results were posted last night).  Today is the Junior road race - Canada has 4 men (Denis Boucher, David Gluzman, Trevor Wurtele and Charles Dionne), and Erin Carter for the Junior women. We will have results and a story on the races later.   CANADIAN NATIONAL CYCLO CROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS  CENTENNIAL PARK, ETOBICOKE  30TH NOVEMBER, 1997  Sanctioned by the Canadian Cycling Association  REVISED DETAILS (9TH OCTOBER, 1997)  SCHEDULE  12 noon   - Junior Men and Women Veteran A/B/C Men and Women Duration - 40 minutes  2.00p.m.   - Espoirs Men Duration - 50 Minutes  Senior Men and Women Duration - 60 Minutes  REGISTRATION  Pre-Registration closes on Monday 24th November  Entry Fee: $25  On - Line Registration: $30  Entry Forms and Information Package available shortly.  EVENT RULES  The Championships will be held under the Canadian Cycling Association Rules of Racing. Particular rules that pertain to Cyclo Cross events and will be enforced are:  1. The bicycle shall be no more than 50 cm in width overall. 2. The width of the tire can be no more than 40mm (Revised) 3. Delta, Cowhorn and Triathlete bars will not be allowed.  LICENSES  A 1997 Road and Track or Mountain Bike License will be accepted. One Event Licenses will be available on the day for $10.  RACE HQ  Ski Chalet, Centennial Park, Etobicoke.  CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS  The CCA has stated that, in order for an event to have full Championship status (medals and jerseys), there must be 5 competitors in that Category and representatives from 3 Provinces.  FURTHER INFORMATION  Phone: (905) 824 - 8906 Fax: (905) 824 - 8329 E-mail natcross@aol.com  Watch for regular updates on Canadian Cyclist Webpage, including announcement of Cyclo Cross Championships Website.    Bryant Creek Trail, Banff National Park  This article submitted by Aydin Odyakmaz on 10/2/97 by tmasters@telusplanet.net   Last year a few words were said about the closing of a few trails. As most individuals we think yeah, until it's official it isn't true. Well the residents in Banff and Canmore, Alberta heard the Bryant Creek trail, that leads into Assiniboine Provincial Park in B.C., was going to be closed to mountain bikes. It was discovered that Only mountain bike would be excluded in this biased decision, which presumably came down from the Minister Of Heritage and a few managers in an office that have probably never been on the trail. Well, the closure is set for 1998 and the time is always right to stand in what you believe. A few locals have recently got together and are forming an organization to put a stop to such biased , unjustified actions of closing trails to one user group. Let's hope we get to keep this trail open for everyone for years to come.   Two Announcements from TriLife  1. Tune in to the new Outdoor Life Channel October 18th.(Canada only). They will be showing a one hour long show on our Kokanee 24 Hours of Adrenalin at Hardwood Hills. It will be shown a minimum of 4 times in the first weekend so make sure you check your local listings and tune in! Don't miss the largest mountain biking event in Canada in 1997.  2. TRILIFE will be moving. Due to our growth in 1997, we have been forced to move into a larger office. As of November 1st, 1997, TRILIFE Sports International will be running the Kokanee 24 Hours of Adrenalin and the California 24 Hours of Adrenalin out of the following address...  TRILIFE Sports International 7321 Victoria Park Avenue Suite # 8 Markham, ON L3R 2Z8  Tel: (905) 944-9436 Tel: (905) 944-9437 Fax: (905) 944-9434  If you're in the area, come by for a visit and check out the new site after November 1st.   Prince George, BC Cycling Club Fall Challenge Series - race #1 of 4 (Held at the Otway Nordic Center Sunday October 5th) - this report by John Tolkamp   Once again this year the Prince George, BC Cycling Club is holding it annual October Fall series. This event features shorter races over less demanding terrain than the regular summer club races. Sunshine and cool temperatures greeted racers as they covered two laps of course which featured brand new singletrack. If tradition holds, at least one of the upcoming three races will be held in snowy conditions.  After the event, club members assisted the Otway Nordic Club in preparing the trails for the upcoming ski season. For more information on the Prince George Cycling Club e-mail jtolkamp@netbistro.com  Results:  Senior Expert Men  John Tolkamp 37:23 Luc St. Denis 38:25 Kevin Klymchuk 40:10 Tim DeGrace 40:37 Nathan Blok 42:36 Matt Brown 43:51 Russel Dorotty DNF  Senior Sport Men  Sean Sheardown 37:45 Ryan Press 40:43 Les McCarthy 43:27 Joe Basnett 43:32 Dave Erwin 46:00 Ken Myers 46:10 Todd Kuc 46:30 Aron Devauld 47:16 Matt Brochu 50:30 Rob Jamieson 53:34 Matt Halpin DNF  Cadet Men  Sean Dylke 41:23 Tyler Doerksen 43:15 Brice Wiere 46:39 Carl Blouw 56:58  Junior Men Adam Cook 38:20 Tyler Morland 39:21 Trevor Doerksen 47:16  PeeWees and Women  Jordan Giesbrecht 52:59 Shelly Escabar 53:21 Jillian Morland 59:53   The following industry related news will be of interest to some of you, we think (let us know if not, and we won‚t publish it anymore). This news was provided by The Coffrin Group  Coffrin Group Newsletter - Ritchey Leaves Specialized Bicycle Industry News & Analysis - October 2, 1997 Coffrin Group - Providers of Consulting Services & Industry Research  SPECIALIZED AND RITCHEY ANNOUNCE SPLIT. On September 26, Specialized Bicycle Components and Ritchey Design announced that the two companies are separating. The separation will take effect upon resolution of certain outstanding accounting and tax issues.  Coffrin Group Analysis. After the merger of the two companies in 1995, Ritchey‚s OEM component sales to bicycle brands other than Specialized ground to a halt. Tom Ritchey said, „As we were asked to consider integrating our operations we saw that the efficiencies that integration provided simply didn‚t outweigh the value of maintaining each companyís separate identity.‰  The split of Ritchey from Specialized seems reasonable and prudent. The owners of both companies thought they could make more money and have a more stable future by combining forces. The magic both parties expected did not happen.  TOM ALBERS JOINS SPECIALIZED. On September 29, Specialized Bicycle Components announced that they have hired Tom Albers, former President of Trek Bicycle Corp., as a full-time consultant. Albers will work from his home in Wisconsin. Albers has strong expertise in finance, operations, and manufacturing. Albers worked for 15 years at Trek, and before that spent 10 years at Huffy, including three years as Chief Financial Officer.  Coffrin Group Analysis. Specialized has a record of changing top management with some frequency. And, the company sometimes pursues directions that leave others scratching their heads (e.g., first ignoring and then under-performing for years in the suspension bike market, launching the Full Force brand for the mass market, and acquiring Ritchey Design.)  Concerning Tom Albers work at Specialized, one has to wonder:  1. What specific business goals does Specialized have that need Albers‚ help? 2. Will Albers move Specialized into more involvement with manufacturing? 3. Can Albers be effective while working out of Wisconsin?  Time will provide the answers. Our best guess is that Albers‚ credentials were so powerful that Specialized simply wanted him on their team, even if his mission was not clearly defined before he joined.  It must also be pointed out that Specialized founder Mike Sinyard is perhaps the most successful entrepreneur in the USA bicycle industry. And, Sinyard has recruited a management team at Specialized that is strong and talented. Current management players include: Jerry Norquist, Trek‚s former head of product development for accessories, Bob Margevicius, former President of Mongoose Bicycles during their years of profitability and rapid growth, and John Lillie, former head of APL (ocean freight), Lucky Stores, and Leslie Salt.  ADIDAS TO ACQUIRE SOLOMON. Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the Frenchman who has guided the German sportswear group Adidas out of a severe down-turn, will lead an Adidas acquisition of the French sports equipment group Salomon. The purchase price for Solomon is about US $ 1.4 billion. The new company will be called Adidas-Salomon AG. Total 1996 sales for the two groups were about US $3.4 billion, 75% plus of which were from Adidas.  Coffrin Group Analysis. One could argue that the merger was a defensive move to keep Adidas from being outdistanced by Nike, which has begun strong efforts to develop numerous new sporting goods equipment lines. This move puts Adidas firmly into several sporting goods equipment markets. Solomon‚s revenues have been primarily from skiing (50%), but its golf club sales (Taylor Made brand) are 40% of company revenues and growing quickly. Other Solomon lines include bicycle rims (Mavic) and a new in-line skate division.  French rim maker Mavic is the only bicycle brand involved in the Adidas acquisition. In the short run, what will happen to Mavic? We believe top management of Adidas-Solomon will be preoccupied with other and larger segments of the business. We predict that there will be no changes of strategic importance for Mavic for the next six months or longer. Among the strategic options Adidas-Solomon must eventually consider is the possible sale of Mavic.  BELL SPORTS HIRES MONTGOMERY SECURITIES. Bell Sports has hired Montgomery Securities as a financial advisor to assist the company in evaluating strategic alternatives designed to enhance shareholder value. Such alternatives could include a merger, sale, joint venture or other business combination, repurchase of outstanding debt or equity securities, or continuing to pursue the existing corporate strategy. There can be no assurance that a transaction will occur as a result of this evaluation.  Bell stock is closed today at $10.50. Bell Sports sales for fiscal 1997 ended June 28, 1997 were $215.1 million, up 8% from 1996 (excluding Service Cycle/Mongoose sales).  Coffrin Group Analysis. Bell Sports recently sold its Service Cycle/Mongoose division to Brunswick. Bell‚s top management seems to have focused resources on the helmet and mass merchant segments of their business (Bell, BSI, Bike Star, Copper Canyon, and Cycle Products) and cut product-development staffing and marketing budgets for its accessory brands serving bicycle dealers (Blackburn, Rhode Gear, VistaLite). We predict this lack of interest in its specialty retail brands of accessories - other than its helmets brands of Bell and Giro - will continue. Itís certainly not impossible that these accessory brands will be sold.  It‚s interesting to note that when Brunswick acquired Service Cycle/Mongoose this past spring, Brunswick also bought a three-year option for up to 600,000 shares of Bell common stock at $7.50 per share. It is not impossible that Brunswick might acquire Bell Sports at some future date.   In other industry news, it appears that the so-called Œimminent sale‚ of Sachs to Sram (Grip Shift) was slightly premature. All that has happened is that Sram has expressed an interest in Sachs, and the two companies are talking. Speaking with Canadian Sachs distributor Horst Kempter (Kempter Marketing Inc.), who has been involved with the company for many years, we found out that one large impediment to the sale could be cultural. Apparently, the Sachs family tried to sell off to foreign interests once before. The German uproar was so large that the government got involved, and the sale was scuttled. There is a chance of that happening again, since Sram is sure to want to consolidate operations in their home market.