News shorts: Giant-Alpecin record best Worlds team time trial result

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Giant-Alpecin registered its best results in the team time trial since the event was added to the UCI road world championships with fifth place, 1:04 minute down on winners BMC Racing. It is Giant-Alpecin's best team time trial result of 2015.

The team briefly occupied the hot seat in Richmond before Movistar, Orica-GreenEdge, Etixx-Quick Step and BMC bumped them down the finishing order.

"Great teamwork and very proud of a great race and incredible result. Good preparation by the experts and staff paid off. We analysed our team time trials so far and learned a lot from last year. We made a good plan on the turns, which we applied very well," coach Aike Visbeek said of the result.

Former Dutch time trial champion Tom Dumoulin drove the team along the course with Ramon Sinkeldam contributing in the final kilometres to push them into fifth.

"Of course our aim was to stay together as long as possible, which worked out well because of good communication and organization. The guys were evenly matched and just before the final uphill section to the finish we were still together with five guys," Visbeek added. "Ramon did a great turn just before that moment and the climbers finished it. Very good performance by everybody." 

Australia’s ACT Government to implement new safe passing law

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has announced it will begin a two-year trial of a safe passing bicycle law entitled "metre matters" from November 1 this year for two years. A measure supported by leading Australia bicycle advocacy group, the Amy Gillett Foundation. The trial will include an awareness campaign beginning next month to help educate motorist and cyclists about the new rules.

The safe passing law states motorists must give cyclists one metre when passing at 60kmh or 1.5m when driving over 60mph, while any traffic infringements and fines will be treated equally for both. The trial was a result of a 2014 study on road safety for cyclists in the ACT. Queensland adopted the measure last April, receiving strong community support from three quarters of Queenslanders according to the Amy Gillett Foundation.

"Amending the road rules to mandate a minimum overtaking distance will help reduce crashes between vehicles and bike riders by changing behaviour," chief executive officer with the Amy Gillett Foundation Belinda Clark said. "This trial is about sharing the road safely together. A metre matters on all roads in the ACT, regardless of whether there are bicycle lanes or not.

"On the road, cyclists are particularly vulnerable because they are smaller and have less crash protection than motorist," ACT minister of justice Shane Rattenbury explained. "When driving a vehicle, we need to remember that we are in control of around 1,200 to 2,000 kilograms of metal, travelling at more than 12 metres a second when driving at 50kph – which can kill in an instant."

Cooper and Corset victorious in Australia’s National Capital Tour

Ruth Corset (Total Rush Hyster) and Joe Cooper (Avanti Racing) won the women's and men's editions of the third National Capital Tour concluding Sunday in Australia. The National Road Series (NRS) four-stage tour began with a time trial just outside the capital on Friday, followed by a road race Saturday, and a two-stage day on Sunday beginning with a criterium and ending with another road race.

Corset, a former national road champion and overall NRS champion, extended her lead in the series after winning the time trial and placing high up on the remaining three stages. never letting go of the yellow jersey. Rebecca Wiasak, currently training with the Australian track team for the Rio Olympic Games won the final two stages Sunday. "I just kicked with 200 metres to go," Corset said. "I got third on the line and that secured my overall win. I think this Tour really suits me, especially with the hill-top finish on stage two."

"I'm thrilled," Wiasak said of her two stage wins. "We only had three riders here for the High5 Dream Team this weekend, and we were definitely going for stage wins. Two years ago when I last raced in Canberra I did the double on the Sunday, and all week I have been thinking about it but I was not sure of my form. I am absolutely thrilled to pull off the double again and I can’t thank my team enough."

Cooper meanwhile, took the lead after a crash in Sunday morning’s crit took down race leader, Lucas Hamilton (Jayco/John West/VIS) who had moved into the lead after Pat Bevin was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. The New Zealand national road champion now sits in fifth place on the NRS standings but was ambivalent about his win after the race. 

"I am definitely happy to be in yellow, but it was not in the manner that I would normally want to win," Cooper said. "First my teammate Patrick Bevin goes out with a knee injury on Saturday, and then Lucas [Hamilton] crashes out in the morning stage."

The road series continues for the men with the Tour of Tasmania beginning October 6 to 11, while the women conclude the series with the Tour of the Goldfields beginning October 23.

Iris Slappendel to leave Bigla

After one season with the Bigla team, Iris Slappendel is changing teams in 2016 according to Dutch news reports. The 30-year-old joined the team after three seasons with Rabobank. Slappendel’s best result of the season was fifth at the Frauen Grand Prix Gippingen but showed signs of getting back to her best with two top-ten finishes and 11th place overall.