In a not-unexpected announcement at noon today, PHRO president Joos Litvalk announced that the GP Ken Hushvod Time Trial would be rescheduled to April 7th, 7 days from today due to concerns about the course safety caused by inclement weather.
Litvalk reiterated his statement from last night that "The safety of the riders and the integrity of the event is of paramount importance. We will not subject our fake racers to fake race conditions that are beyond the bounds of human tolerance. "
Several of the riders, most notably Stijn Cherry, pointed out that "The 'bounds of human tolerance' were obviously not taken into consideration when the race organizers sent us up the goddamn Crestberg in 2008 or up the Roche d’Indien last year. Obviously Litvalk's concern only extends as far as his pet rider's tolerance for the cold."
Stijn's oblique reference to a "pet rider" may or may not refer to Jonas Lodewick whose clothing sponsor Valentino, has reportedly been very active behind the scene in pressuring PHRO Chairman Litvalk into avoiding rainy conditions. One can only speculate that this may be a result of Lodewick's legendary sartorial daring when it comes to cycling style and a desire by Valentino to have his custom kit creations remain unsullied by rain. Or, to the more pessimistic, it could refer to Lodewick's well known aversion to water and/or bathing.
Regardless, the new schedule for the Marin World Cup is as follows:
April 7th : GP Ken Hushvod TT
April 14th : Marin-Roubaix
April 21st : Ronde von SanRaflaanderran
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