Visma | Lease a Bike dominated the weekend again by winning Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico with Matteo Jorgenson and Jonas Vingegaard. We also have the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas and the Miron Ronde van Drenthe – All with video, rider quotes, reports and results.
Patrick Lefevere interested in Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt: “But Lotto Dstny must have used an old trick” – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Primoz Roglič adds two Ardennes Classics to his race program, Mark Cavendish and Michael Mørkøv outside of the time limit in Tirreno-Adriatico, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado has to rest for a few weeks, injury forces Marc Soler out of Paris-Nice, Max Poole breaks elbow in Tirreno-Adriatico, David Gaudu out of Paris-Nice, Caleb Ewan leaves Tirreno-Adriatico with stomach problems, Chris Froome injured in Tirreno-Adriatico and Toon Aerts can train again after his nose operation.
Team news: Visma | Lease a Bike wants Cian Uijtdebroeks to “stay under the radar”, injury problems for Alpecin-Deceuninck: Gogl, Groves and Kragh Andersen all not at 100% and Red Bull will be a named jersey sponsor of BORA-hansgrohe from the Tour de France onwards.
Race news: The Route of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es, Tour de Pologne Women opens its doors to champions again and a large part of the peloton abandoned a Spanish amateur race.
Time for Monday’s EUROTRASH coffee!
TOP STORY: Patrick Lefevere Interested in Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt: “But Lotto Dstny Must have Used an Old Trick”
Patrick Lefevere would like to have Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt in his team. The Belgian manager spoke about it in his weekly column in Het Nieuwsblad. “However, you feel that it will be Lotto Dstny,” said Lefevere.
Van Gils and Van Eetvelt both made a good impression in 2024. Van Gils finished third in Strade Bianche, Van Eetvelt won the UAE Tour. Lotto Dstny has two big talents on their roster and must do everything to keep them and extend their contracts. “Extending them is our absolute priority,” sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer told WielerFlits.
Lefevere is one of the managers who wanted to sign both riders. “I now have enough experience to immediately sense the situation in a conversation or negotiation. We have of course inquired about Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt in recent months, but you feel that it will be Lotto Dsnty.”
“They must have pulled out the oldest trick in the book: ‘At Soudal Quick-Step you will only have to work for Remco Evenepoel.’ While Ilan Van Wilder proves that a hybrid role of half domestique, half leader can be very interesting. That’s also how we want to play Luke Lamperti. Because we have really found our talented American. Luke is a promising Classic rider and sprinter who I think can initially learn a lot as a lead-out for Tim Merlier. After that, he can become the American poster boy that Specialized has been waiting for, for so long.”
The Lefevere says that in the past he also inquired about Brandon McNulty and Matteo Jorgenson, both at the top in Paris-Nice. “It’s ironic that McNulty and Jorgenson are now number one and two in the overall standings (in Paris-Nice last week). Two riders whose sleeve I have pulled quite hard in recent years. That has to do with their talent that we identified early, but also with their nationality. Our bicycle manufacturer Specialized likes to see good Americans in our team.”
Lefevere even made a proposal for McNulty. “UAE Team Emirates also made a proposal. And their pockets are still deeper than mine,” he is clear. With Jorgenson it was less concrete. “We talked to him last year when he was still racing for Movistar, but I immediately felt that he already had set his sights on Visma | Lease a Bike.”
Lefevere wanted Van Gils and Van Eetvelt, but:
Paris-Nice 2024
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) was fastest man on Stage 5 of the 2024 Paris-Nice on Thursday. He out-sprinted Mads Pedersen in Sisteron, as he did on stage 1 on Sunday, to take his second stage victory. Germany’s Pascal Ackermann (Israel Premier Tech) was third. Luke Plapp retained his overall lead.
Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-Easypost) didn’t start and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) abandoned before ‘Kilometre 0’. Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies), a local of the area, attacked from the gun. He was joined by five other riders; team-mate Sandy Dujardin, Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis), Dries de Bondt (Decathlon-Ag2R), Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) and Mathijs Paasschens (Lotto Dstny). The peloton let them ride at 2:25 until halfway through the stage. On the first Cat.3 climb of the day, Col de la Sausse (82.5km), Latour, a teammate of KOM leader Mathieu Burgaudeau, took the three points. The gap was halved before the second climb, Col de Peyruergue (118km), at the foot of which two more Lotto Dstny riders; Victor Campenaerts and Pascal Eenkhooorn started to chase the break, which they caught at 116 kilometres. Latour was fastest at the top of the climb and on the following climbs of Cote de la Rochette-du-Buis (128km) and Col de la Pigière (146.2km).
The climbs made it difficult for some of the sprinters, Arvid de Kleijn, winner of stage 2, and Fabio Jakobsen, winner of a stage in 2022, who were both in trouble. In the finale the sprinters teams, Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike, lifted the speed. With 30km to go, Gougeard and Paasschens were dropped from the break. Latour, who was the most aggressive rider of the day, was caught 5 kilometres later. The rest of the leading group were pulled in shortly after the first crossing of the finish line and the only intermediate sprint of the day. Several attempts took place, Remco Evenepoel among others tried to shake up the peloton unsuccessfully. A bunch sprint was now on the cards. Lidl-Trek took control in the last kilometre but they led Mads Pedersen out a little too early. The former World champion lost his power and was passed by Kooij. The Dane did take the green points jersey away from New Zealand’s Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ).
Stage winner, Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was a hard race, especially because there was a strong breakaway. In addition, we had headwind the whole day. My teammates worked very hard in the chase and dropped me off well in the final. I’m grateful to them for that. We already won the first stage, so it’s great to win again now. We had planned to go for a sprint today. It’s very nice that it all came together. In the second stage the sprint did not go as planned for us, so I’m happy that I was able to finish it off again in this stage. This win feels very good. For me, this edition of Paris-Nice is already more than successful, but we have other goals. In the upcoming, more difficult stages we aim for a good result with Matteo Jorgensen and Wilco Kelderman.”
Overall leader, Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla): “It was nice. The sun was out, and the French roads were beautiful today, I really enjoyed it. It was a super-fast and frantic finish trying to catch the breakaway. It was a beautiful day and I really like being in yellow. Today was a nice recovery day after a hard effort yesterday. I think tomorrow is going to be hard but we don’t really know what to expect. Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of guys that want to make up time on the GC, too. We don’t know what to expect any more in cycling and we’ll be ready for anything tomorrow.”
2nd on the stage, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “Would I have done something different today? Yes, winning. The sprint went quite well. I had a good lead-out, we did well. But I just got beat by someone who was faster. It is what it is. Olav is just faster in a sprint like this” “In a high-speed sprint like this he is super, super fast. It’s not easy for me. Today he also came from the slipstream, with a lot of speed. I have no excuses: he’s just faster. I’m here to win a stage. I have this (points) jersey now, which is okay, but it’s not what I came for. We keep fighting for a win, at least for the team. Then we will see in Nice whether I still have the green.”
3rd on the stage, Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech): “It was a super tough day today. There was a large leading group and behind it, it was always a ribbon. It was very nervous in the last kilometres. There was a climb where everyone started attacking. That made it very difficult. In the run-up to the sprint I was able to grab Mads’ wheel. Unfortunately I didn’t have the legs to pass him, I went a bit too early and should have waited a bit longer. But it was my first sprint of this season, I’m very happy that I could finally participate again. Hopefully we can do that more often in the coming weeks, but luckily we have a very fast bike with this team. That was much better than in recent years. We were able to save a lot of energy and we didn’t have to chase, because we were not the favourites for the stage victory. But it was still a tough day after yesterday’s stage, which was also very tough.”
Paris-Nice Stage 5 Result:
1. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 4:23:44
2. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
3. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
5. Danny van Poppel (Ned) BORA-hansgrohe
6. Tobias Lund Andresen (Den) dsm-firmenich PostNL
7. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor
8. Laurence Pithie (NZ) Groupama-FDJ
9. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty
10. Dušan Rajović (Serb) Bahrain Victorious.
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 5:
1. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla in 17:38:48
2. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious at 0:13
3. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:27
4. João Almeida UAE Team Emirates at 0:29
5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:30
6. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:40
7. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 0:46
8. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:52
9. Rigoberto Urán (Col) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:54
10. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:02.
Paris-Nice’24 stage 5:
Danish champion Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) had the help of his team-mate, Mads Pedersen, all day to steal the show between Sisteron and La Colle-sur-Loup on Friday to win the 6th Stage of Paris-Nice in a three-man break. With him in the short but gruelling last climb were, Americans Brandon McNulty and Matteo Jorgenson, who finished second and third and the UAE Team Emirates rider took back the yellow jersey that he lost for two days to Australian Luke Plapp. Jorgenson, who launched the decisive move in the finale, took the white jersey.
Nils Eekhoff and Tobias Lund Andresen (both dsm-firmenich-PostNL) and Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) didn’t start the stage. After 12km, Cédric Beullens (Lotto Dstny), Jonas Rutsch (EF education-Easypost) and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) managed to escape the peloton, but were caught 3 kilometres later, when KOM leader Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) went with fellow-Frenchman Rémi Cavagna (Movistar). But the peloton, led by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), did not let anybody go.
At the foot of the first climb of the day, Col des Lèques (Cat.2 69.8km), Christian Scaroni (Astana), second in the KOM classification, attacked on his own, but he was caught before the summit by a bunch led by Burgaudeau. A group of six emerged 1km from the top, with Scaroni, Burgaudeau, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2R), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty), Michel Storer (Tudor) and Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich-PostNL). Scaroni beat Burgaudeau at the top to take 2 points off the Frenchman’s lead. Onto the next ascent, Col de Luens (83km), the break had been joined by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Cedric Beullens (Lotto Dstny), Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Marco Haller (BORA-hansgrohe) and the ten lead the peloton by 2 minutes. The gap rapidly decreased as Omar Fraile and Jonathan Castroviejo (INEOS Grenadiers) led the peloton at a fast pace. At the top, Burgaudeau led Scaroni to take back the two points lost in the previous climb and added one more in the following Cote de la Blachette (92.6km). The gap then stabilised at around 1 minute until the Cat.2 Col de Gourdon, when INEOS Grenadiers brought the bunch back to the leading group. Burgaudeau managed to sprint ahead of Scaroni for 5 more points. The peloton split in several groups on the descent, with all the main favourites in the front 35-man bunch. At the foot of the Cote de La Colle-sur-Loup, BORA-hansgrohe upped the tempo and led out Primoz Roglič.
The 2022 Paris-Nice winner launched an attack, but he was soon caught by the other leading favourites. In a slippery corner, stage 4 winner Santiago Buitrago crashed and suffered a mechanical which cost him a lot of time. At the same time, Matteo Jorgenson attacked and reached the top on his own. He was later joined by Skjelmose and McNulty. The three crossed the line at the intermediate sprint in Tourrettes-sur-Loup in that order, with a 20 second lead over a yellow jersey group including Roglič, Plapp, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike), Egan Bernal (INEOS-Grenadiers), Felix Gall and Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-Ag2R), Aleksandra Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe) and Harold Tejada (Astana). The leading trio were left to battle it out for the stage victory. Jorgenson, who had done most of the work in the finale, was beaten by Skjelmose, while McNulty took back the yellow and white jersey he had lost to Luke Plapp for two days.
Stage winner and 4th overall, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): “I am very happy and surprised. I felt good all day, but it was a special day. You needed some luck. The team performed perfectly today. After Mads (Pedersen) was caught with the early break, he continued to work. It is nice to finish it effectively. I thought that other classification riders such as Remco (Evenepoel) or Primoz (Roglič) would close the gap. They didn’t, so I tried it myself. Together with Brandon I was able to close the gap. After that I was able to play it well tactically, because they were in a better position in the rankings. It’s not so nice to win like that. The other boys were stronger. I don’t think winning the general classification is still possible. Of course, greater miracles have happened in cycling. In any case, my form is good.”
2nd on the stage and overall leader, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates): “This morning we expected teams to do something, and, in the end, it was an aggressive race. I knew there would be attacks when the group stalled a bit after the last main climb and that’s when it happened. If there was one guy, I knew I could work well with in a breakaway with apart from my teammates it was Jorgenson, so it was fun, it reminded me of when we raced together as juniors. We’re in a good position but we still have two hard days coming up probably with bad weather also, so we’ll have to work very hard to defend the lead.”
Paris-Nice Stage 6 Result:
1. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek in 4:36:51
2. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:52
5. Harold Tejada (Col) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:53
6. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
7. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
8. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe
10. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers.
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 6:
1. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates in 22:15:58
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:23
3. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 0:34
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:54
5. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:03
6. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:14
7. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 1:30
8. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 1:36
9. Harold Tejada (Col) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:37
10. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:39.
Paris-Nice’24 stage 6:
Aleksandr Vlasov won Stage 7 at the top of La Madone d’Utelle. The BORA-hansgrohe rider took advantage of an attack by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in the finale to counter-attack and go on to win the mountain stage of Paris-Nice. Evenepoel out-sprinted the group of favourites ahead of Vlasov’s team leader Primoz Roglič. Dropped in the final kilometre, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirate) managed to save his yellow and white jersey by 4 seconds over fellow-American Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike).
Arnaud Démare (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), Pascal Ackermann and Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) didn’t start the stage. Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Johan Jacobs (Movistar) and Martijn Tusveld (dsm-firmenech-PostNL) attacked from the start. Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies), Brent Van Moer (Lotto Dstny), Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenech-PostNL) chased behind them. At the top of the Cote de Gattieres (10.1km), Thomas collected the 5 points shortly before Tusveld dropped back because of a mechanical. After 35km, Thomas and Jacobs were on their own at the front with INEOS Grenadiers leading the chase, 1 minute behind. In cold and rainy conditions, several riders abandoned: Timo Roosen (dsm-firmenech-PostNL), Pierre Latour and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) On the long descent towards Saint-Jean-la-Rivière, the Soudal-Quick Step team of Remco Evenepoel were leading the way, Harold Tejada (Astana), 9th overall, was stopped by a mechanical and lost time changing his front wheel. With 35km to go, Thomas decided to wait for the bunch and Jacobs was on his own up the road. He stayed off the front until the climb to La Madone d’Utelle.
Evenepoel changed bikes looking ahead to the final ascent as the peloton trailed Jacobs by 35 seconds when it reached the start of the climb. The Swiss rider was caught in the first kilometre of the climb as David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) were in trouble. Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step) led until 8km to go, when Laurens de Plus (INEOS Grenadiers) took over. At the intermediate sprint of the day (96.7km), Egan Bernal jumped to take the 10 points and 6 seconds, ahead of Ilan van Wilder and Evenepoel. The Belgian champion waited until 4.4km to launch his attack, but Brandon McNulty and Matteo Jorgenson reacted. Aleksandr Vlasov saw his chance to counter-attack and go on his own. The battle between the GC riders resumed in the last 2 kilometres, when Evenepoel attacked again, dropping McNulty and Bernal, but taking Roglič, Jorgenson, Buitrago and Skjelmose with him. The Belgian champion sprinted for second place ahead of Roglič. McNulty crossed the line 30 seconds after Vlasov to save his leader’s jersey.
Stage winner and 10th overall, Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe): “I am very happy to have won here. It’s one of the most important WorldTour stage races. It’s also my training area and I know the roads well. I’m just super happy. I felt good today and the plan was either to go for the win with Primož or to follow attacks. But then a favourable moment presented itself and I decided to go for it. The conditions were tough with the rain and cold. I was freezing on the last two kilometres, especially on my arms, so it’s nice to have taken the win and be rewarded for all that suffering!”
Overall leader and 7th on the stage, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates): “I was pretty cold and tired – it wasn’t such a long stage but always full gas so I was happy to get through it. I had a bit of a bad moment in the cold and my legs didn’t respond but I fought as hard as I could and kept the jersey for another day. Tomorrow will be a tough fight and it’s been a really hard race so we’ll do our best to defend the jersey and take it home.”
2nd on the stage and 4th overall, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “It wasn’t easy with the cold and wet roads we had from the start, but I relied on an amazing team, incredibly committed from the beginning of this short but fast stage. They paced in the valley going into the final climb, where Louis set a pretty hard pace from the bottom. Then Ilan took over and I made a move with four or five kilometres to see what would happen. A couple of riders reacted, then Vlasov went and the others let him go. I attacked again inside the final two kilometres to go, and from there it was full gas to the line, where I took second after opening my sprint with 180 meters to go. It was a good day, we have one more stage, and the race is far from being over.”
5th on the stage and 2nd overall, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was a day you had to get through and where I was able to gain time on Brandon. We both succeeded. I’m super happy and ready for the last stage of the tour, where anything can still happen. Remco was strong, but it wasn’t extreme. I could respond to all his attacks. In the end he took some bonuses, but I had led the last kilometre to gain some time on Brandon. So yes, I have faith in tomorrow. Overall victory in Paris-Nice is possible. I just have to be careful.”
Paris-Nice Stage 7 Result:
1. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe in 2:44:03
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:08
3. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
6. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious at 0:13
7. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:27
8. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:31
9. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:36
10. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 0:40
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 7:
1. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates in 25:00:28
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:04
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:35
4. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:36
5. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 0:47
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:21
7. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:42
8. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:43
9. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 1:53
10. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:05.
Paris-Nice’24 stage 7:
Matteo Jorgenson bridged a gap of nearly two decades in Paris-Nice when he became the first American since 2006 to win the ‘Race to the Sun’ overall. It was almost a home win for the Californian, who lives in Nice and trains on the roads of the 109.3km Final Stage 8. On the five climbs of the day, with Belgian champion Remco Evenepoel and stage 7 winner Aleksandr Vlasov, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider dropped his childhood friend Brandon McNulty, the leader at the start, to clinch the biggest win of his career to date. Evenepoel, who shook the race with several attacks, sealed a promising Paris-Nice with the stage win on the Promenade des Anglais.
At the start there were 118 riders. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Elmar Reinders (Jayco AlUla) and Madis Mikhels (Intermarché-Wanty) didn’t start. After 4 kilometres, Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) and Johan Jacobs (Movistar) broke clear and the peloton didn’t react. They led the bunch by 2 minutes, but Pithie was dropped on the ascent of Cote de Levens (21km). Campenaerts also dropped Jacobs and came over the top on his own.
Behind; Christian Scaroni (Astana) attacked in the last kilometre of the climb to take 2 points off KOM leader Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) while stage 1 and 5 sinner Olav Kooij abandoned. On the descent, the Belgian was chased down by Laurens de Plus (INEOS Grenadiers), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2R), Samuele Battistella (Astana), Scaroni and Jacobs. A second chase group included Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Ewen Costiou (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Harrison Sweeny (EF Education-Easypost), William Barta and Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar). The two groups merged at 30km. A further group, with green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Jakob Fuglsand and Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech), was not far behind. Scaroni added three points to his KOM tally on the Cote de Chateauneuf (37km). On the tricky descent, stage 4 winner Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) were forced out in a crash also involving Carlos Rodriguez and Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers). With 65km to go, the main contenders caught the group of chasers while Campenaerts carried on solo. On the Cote de Berre les Alpes, the Belgian still had a 30 second lead on the 23 man yellow jersey group, led by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). Scaroni again took 3 points to come within two points of Mathieu Burgaudeau in the KOM classification.
Campenaerts was caught on the Cat.1 Cote de Peille, as Remco Evenepoel attacked twice from the bottom, trimming the leading group down to 11 riders: Evenepoel, Roglič, Vlasov, Grossschartner, McNulty, Jorgenson, Kelderman, Skjelmose, Harper, Plapp and Scaroni. Suffering from his crash, Egan Bernal was in a dropped group with Felix Gall (Decathlon-Ag2R), 40 seconds down. The Belgian champion’s third attack caused more damage as only Jorgenson managed to go with him, followed by Vlasov. But McNulty lost ground in the final kilometre of the climb. At the top of Cote de Peille, Vlasov was first ahead of Jorgenson and Evenepoel as McNulty kept losing time. Scaroni took 2 more points to go level with Burgaudeau in the KOM. Evenepoel, Jorgenson and Vlasov steadily increased their lead while McNulty didn’t get any support from the riders chasing with him: Skjelmose, Plapp and Scaroni. In the intermediate sprint on the Col d’Eze, the American took 6 seconds to strengthen his virtual leader’s jersey ahead of the Belgian champion. The leading trio would battle it out for the stage win and probably the overall victory, which looked certain for Jorgenson. The KOM jersey was still at stake and would go to the rider first at the top of Cote des Quatre Chemins, the last climb of the 2024 Paris-Nice. Evenepoel added the KOM leader’s jersey and the green jersey to his stage win and the most aggressive rider in this final stage. He also finished second overall, 30 seconds behind Jorgenson, ahead of McNulty, third at 1:47.
Stage, 2nd overall, KOM and points winner, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “When we arrived with that small group on Peille, I just said to myself I will try a couple of all-out attacks and see what would happen. I think I put a lot of fatigue in the legs of the other riders, but I too suffered a bit as we went over the top of the climb. Despite this and the tricky roads, I kept throwing in everything I had today and I’m delighted with this victory, as the stage in Nice is a beautiful one to win. We continued to increase our gap, and when I realised that the GC wasn’t reachable anymore, I changed my strategy and focused on my sprint. I am happy with this win and with being in the top three after a hard week of racing. The level here was really high, so I should be satisfied with this result. We also made some mistakes here, but at the same time we learned from these and we will make sure of not repeating them in the future. I had a strong team around me and I’m confident ahead of my next race with the Soudal Quick-Step boys, the Basque Country.”
Final overall winner and 2nd on the stage, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I’m shaking on my legs. This victory means so much to me. To be honest, I never thought for even a second that I could win a WorldTour stage race. However, a lot has changed this year with my move to Team Visma | Lease a Bike. In every detail and on every aspect I can point out a difference. This is a special milestone in my life. It still has to sink in, because I don’t quite realise it yet. I am definitely going to enjoy it, but I will keep both feet on the ground. Last night I could barely catch any sleep. To be honest, I was quite nervous. For the first time in my life I felt pressure. It was a magical moment to feel so strong today, alongside a great champion like Evenepoel. Beforehand I told the guys on the bus that in my opinion there were three key moments in the course. At all three moments we were perfectly positioned as a team. I would like to thank the team from the bottom of my heart for all the work in the past week. I would also like to turn to our managing director Richard Plugge and sports director Merijn Zeeman. They not only brought me to the team, but also gave me the confidence to start as the leader in Paris-Nice immediately in my first year with the team. This is a very special victory. And that too so close to where I live. I’m not going to forget this for the rest of my life.”
3rd overall and 5th on the stage, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s a bittersweet feeling- if you would have told me at the start of the week that I’d be on the podium I would have been super happy as I didn’t come into the race with the best feelings. In the end though when you have the leaders jersey you want to keep it. I was just missing a little bit when they attacked and I held it for a while but then the gap just grew and grew and that was it. Jorgenson is a good friend of mine so if there was anyone else that was to win from the other favourites I’m glad it was him.”
9th on the stage and 7th overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “We have to keep fighting. It was a nice week. It was very tough, but it always is in Paris-Nice. The team did very well. I think we were one of the best teams in the race. We should be proud of our achievement. I felt good myself. Today I was better than yesterday. This gives confidence for the future. It’s just the beginning of the season. We have to keep fighting. Never give up, enjoy everything you do. Thanks for all the support!”
Paris-Nice Stage 8 Result:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 2:50:03
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:50
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 1:39
5. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates
6. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 2:13
7. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor
8. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
9. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers
10. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla.
Paris-Nice Final Overall Result:
1. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike in 27:50:23
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:30
3. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 1:47
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 2:22
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:57
6. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 3:08
7. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:03
8. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 4:35
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe at 5:33
10. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 6:08.
Paris-Nice’24 stage 8:
Tirreno-Adriatico 2024
Jonathan Milan won Stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico on Thursday. After early escapee Jonas Abrahamsen was caught late in the stage, Milan was faster than Jasper Philipsen and Corbin Strong. Milan is also the new overall leader.
On the fourth day of Tirreno-Adriatico, there was a stage of 207 kilometres. There was a big climb of the Valico di Castellucio (16.9km at 5%), but it was far from the finish. The second part of the stage was easier and the last kilometre and a half was uphill at 3%.
The break of the day was made up of six riders: Lorenzo Quartucci (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Davide Bais and Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa), Alex Tolio (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Alexander Kamp (Tudor). Kamp was the first to the top of the Valico di Castellucio. Bais was third, but took enough points to take back the KOM jersey from Richard Carapaz. The maximum lead was just over 5 minutes. Due to the work of Lidl-Trek, Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck, they had less than 1 minute, 30 kilometres from the finish. Kamp attacked and only Abrahamsen and Maestri could go with him. The three crossed the line for the first time still off the front, but they would not last to the finish. Abrahamsen was the last to be caught in sight of the finish.
Before the sprint finish, Tim Merlier and Mark Cavendish had already been dropped and couldn’t sprint for the win. Thymen Arensman had a puncture 10 kilometres from the finish, but was able to rejoin. Tom Pidcock started a long sprint, which pulled in Abrahamsen. Jasper Philipsen looked like he might take the victory, but in the end Jonathan Milan was faster. Philipsen was second, Corbin Strong third. Biniam Girmay took fourth. Thanks to the bonus seconds, Milan also took the leader’s jersey from Juan Ayuso. The Lidl-Trek rider had finished third in the stage 1 time trial and had taken bonus seconds by finishing second in stage three.
Stage winner and overall leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “It was a liberating shout on the finishing line because I was looking for this victory for a couple of days and I made it thanks to an enormous work by my team. This victory is important to face the classics. I’m in a period of good form and we have a strong team for the classics with Mads [Pedersen] and [Jasper] Stuyven. But firstly I want to finish this Tirreno-Adriatico in the best possible way. With all team-mates side by side, we reach something. In theory, we should be perfect every day but I might make other mistakes in the future. But we always try to improve. Today’s win is the fruit of so much work and a great shape, absolutely”.
2nd on the stage, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I hoped to win, but in the end Jonathan was stronger. He is strong on these types of finishes, so I want to congratulate him. The last kilometres were up a bit, after which a spirited sprint followed.”
KOM, Davide Bais (Polti-Kometa): “It wasn’t easy to find the right action this morning, my brother Mattia and of course Mirco helped me […] I strongly want this jersey but I’ll also give a hand to our GC men Fabbro and Piganzoli in the next two decisive racedays.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 4 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:56:44
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Corbin Strong (NZ) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
5. Axel Zingle (Fra) Cofidis
6. Marius Mayrhofer (Ger) Tudor
7. Jonas Abrahamsen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
8. Iván García Cortina (Spa) Movistar
9. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step
10. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 4:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 15:06:02
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:04
3. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:18
4. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 0:21
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:26
6. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:28
8. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:30
9. Max Poole (GB) dsm-firmenich PostNL
10. Lennard Kämna (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe.
Tirreno’24 stage 4:
Jonas Vingegaard won Stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico. The Dane of Visma|Lease a Bike, who is also the new leader, attacked 29 kilometres from the finish. Juan Ayuso and Jai Hindley crossed the line in second and third places at over 1 minute.
On Friday it was the climbers’ turn for the first time in Tirreno-Adriatico. We had to drive from Torricella Sicura to Valle Castellana, a ride of 144 kilometres. The last 50 kilometres were mainly about the climb of the San Giacomo (11.9 km at 6.2%). After a long descent, it would never become flat again in the last ten kilometres.
A leading group escaped with some big names: Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech), Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco AlUka), Niccolò Bonifazio (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Clément Davy (Groupama-FDJ) and Damien Howson (Q36.5). The peloton realised that it was a very strong eleven-man break, so Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers took the lead. This ensured that the leading group started the climb of the San Giacomo with only a 35 second lead. Attila Valter put the pressure on, on the climb. The Hungarian caught all the escapees one by one, after which Ben Tulett took over.
It was clear that Visma | Lease a Bike had a plan and a little later there was an attack by Jonas Vingegaard. He had a lot of time to make up on Juan Ayuso in the general classification and so he started early. No one was able to follow Vingegaard. In the pursuit, Jai Hindley and Ben O’Connor seemed to have the best legs. Just behind, Ayuso, Thymen Arensman, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Isaac del Toro and Iván Ramiro Sosa followed. The pursuers lost a lot of ground to Vingegaard, who was flying. The Dane had a lead of 55 seconds over the chasing group at the top of the San Giacomo. Hindley and O’Connor had now been caught and were with a group of seven. Del Toro had taken the lead for Ayuso, but the Mexican didn’t make up any time. After the descent, the pace could really be increased and the chasing group did work together, but they couldn’t get any closer to Vingegaard. In the end the Dane crossed the line with more than a minute lead. He also took the overall lead. Ayuso won the sprint for second place, just ahead of Hindley. O’Connor, Arensman and Uijtdebroeks.
Stage winner and overall leader, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I knew what I did before Tirreno-Adriatico and that my shape was good. In the ITT, I had good power numbers, I took my performance as a good thing. I always trusted myself and my team, otherwise we wouldn’t have done what we did today. We wanted to try and the team has been amazing, Tomorrow is the big big day but today there was a chance too and you have to take your chance when it’s there and now I have a stage win and the GC lead, I’m very happy. After Tirreno-Adriatico, I’ll do some recon of the Italian Tour de France stages. Part of the Tour de France team is with me now but Cian [Uijtdeboreks] and Attila [Valter] will do the Giro. Whether it’s here or the Giro and the Tour, we always have a super strong team.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates): “It wasn’t my best day on a bike but I was still up at the front and able to be competitive. Though Vingegaard was on a different level to everyone else. Del Toro was really impressive, he pushed on through the downhill and was pushing the pace also during the up and overs. I think he was the strongest guy after Vingegaard today, so a big thanks to him and also the rest of the team. Tomorrow will be another big day so we’ll aim for a stage win, even though we know Vingegaard will be tough to beat.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5 Result:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:28:27
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:12
3. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe
4. Ben O’Connor Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 1:14
5. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers
6. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates
8. Thomas Pidcock (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:52
9. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
10. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 18:34:45
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:54
3. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:20
4. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:29
5. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 1:32
6. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 1:34
7. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 2:12
8. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 2:54
9. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 2:57
10. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 3:02.
Tirreno’24 stage 5:
Jonas Vingegaard won the mountain Stage 6 to Monte Petrano in Tirreno-Adriatico on Saturday. The Dane, who was already the overall leader, pulled away from Juan Ayuso and Jai Hindley halfway through the final climb to win solo.
The penultimate day of Tirreno-Adriatico was important for the GC favourites. The Queen stage went from Sassoferrato to the top of Monte Petrano, a climb of 10 kilometres at 8%. Before that there were the climbs to La Forchetta (3.2km at 7.3%), Moria (2.4km at 8.5%) and Plan di Trebbio (7km at 5%). Jonas Vingegaard started the stage with a comfortable lead. Juan Ayuso, second overall, was 1:12 behind.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was already over 4 minutes down and was allowed into the early break. He was joined by his teammate Ben Healy, Julian Alaphilippe, Nans Peters, Michal Kwiatkowski, Axel Zingle, Iván García Cortina, Andreas Leknessund and Nikias Arndt. The lead of this group remained limited. The peloton, led by Visma | Lease a Bike, nearly caught the attackers, but due to an acceleration by Carapaz and Healy, the nine stretched their lead again. The lead increased to almost 2:30. The men of EF Education-EasyPost had good legs, as they lengthened the lead further. Alaphilippe, Arndt, Peters, Kwiatkowski, Zingle were caught 30 kilometres from the finish. Healy, Carapaz, Leknessund and García Cortina held on a bit longer. Juan Ayuso, in the peloton, suffered a puncture at a bad time as the race hit the climb to Moria. Fortunately he quickly got a new wheel and managed to return with the help of Alessandro Covi. Healy had gave up at the front. Carapaz and Leknessund were on their own and still had 2 minutes on the peloton with 25 kilometres from the finish, with Monte Petrano still to come. On the first stretches of the Monte Petrano, Carapaz jumped away from Leknessund. His lead at the foot was just over 1 minute, this was not going to be enough due to BORA-hansgrohe chasing. The Ecuadorian was caught 6 kilometres from the top. Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso and Jai Hindley had attacked.
Shortly after Carapaz was caught, Vingegaard attacked. Ayuso sat on his wheel and managed to hold on for a while, but in the end he had to let go and fall back to Hindley. The two saw Vingegaard ride away. Behind them a group formed with Cian Uijtdebroeks, Thymen Arensman, Tom Pidcock, Ben O’Connor, Lennard Kämna and Isaac Del Toro, the Mexican had come back from behind. The Mexican then started chasing Ayuso and Hindley in the final kilometres. This was all going on behind Vingegaard, who was able to take it easy in the finale. He crossed the finish line with a lead of nearly 30 seconds. With one flat stage to go, the overall victory is probably in the bag. The battle for second place; Ayuso won the sprint from Hindley. Ten seconds later, Del Toro was fourth, Tom Pidcock was fifth.
Stage winner and overall leader, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “We always want to win. Today, we had to ride behind the breakaway because [Richard] Carapaz was not too far down on GC. We had to be careful. Then, when the chance is there why not going for a stage win. The cycling season is not only about the Tour de France. Better try and win some races now. Last year I was on a good shape in March too but I didn’t perform as well because of other things. Two years ago, I was sick in March and I was still able to build up for July. I always looked up to Alberto Contador. His way of racing and his style were inspirational for me, so I want to win Tirreno-Adriatico like he did [in 2014].”
2nd on the stage, 2nd overall, Maglia Ciclamino and Maglia Bianca, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates): “I’m the first human in this race. Jonas Vingegaard is at another level right now. I felt a little bit better today than yesterday so I tried to follow his wheel when he went. Everybody could see that I exploded but I tried. I tried to go for the stage win but it was impossible. However, I improved from yesterday. I’m on the right track. I didn’t sprint for the second place for the Maglia Ciclamino, I sprinted for the place of first human. Jai Hindley is also one of the best riders in the world so it was important to beat him on the line. I always try to do my best. It’s a nice feeling to wear the Maglia Ciclamino, but tomorrow being a sprinters’ stage, I’ll probably lose it to a sprinter but it’ll be a nice day riding in this jersey.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 6 Result:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 4:31:57
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:26
3. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe
4. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 0:36
5. Thomas Pidcock (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:42
6. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
7. Lennard Kämna (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:46
8. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers
9. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:48
10. Wout Poels (Ned) Bahrain Victorious at 1:14.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 6:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 23:06:32
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:24
3. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:52
4. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 2:20
5. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 2:24
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:25
7. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:10
8. Lennard Kämna (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe at 4:02
9. Thomas Pidcock (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:05
10. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 4:24.
Tirreno’24 stage 6:
Jonathan Milan won the Final Stage 7 of Tirreno-Adriatico. The Italian, who also won stage 4, beat Alexander Kristoff, Davide Cimolai and Jasper Philipsen in a bunch sprint. The overall victory went to Jonas Vingegaard, who faced no danger in the last stage.
The final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico started and finished in San Benedetto del Tronto, over a distance of 154 kilometres. The start of the stage was quite hilly, but the five finishing circuits were flat and on wide roads. So there was little chance of an upset for leader, Jonas Vingegaard.
A strong leading group formed in the opening part of the stage. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) was there again and this time the Irishman had his teammate Georg Steinhauser, Luke Rowe (INEOS Grenadiers), Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco AlUla), Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso (both Bahrain Victorious) with him. The six never got more than a 2 minute lead, as the peloton kept them within range. The sprinter’s teams, especially Lidl-Trek, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Uno-X Mobility did all the work. At one point they reduced the difference to less than 20 seconds, but this was too early ad they were allowed more time again. At the start of the last lap, with 14 kilometres to go, the break was in trouble. The teams then started to prepare for the sprint.
At the start of the final kilometre, the men of Uno-X Mobility had control. Søren Wærenskjold took a gap at the front. The strong Norwegian continued on his own and tried to surprise the sprinters. But thanks to the work of Simone Consonni, his teammate Jonathan Milan was still in position to sprint for the win. The Italian fought off Jasper Philipsen. Alexander Kristoff was second, ahead of Davide Cimolai. Jasper Philipsen crossed the line in fourth.
Stage winner, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “This victory is special because it was a hard and tough day. Simone Consonni and the rest of the team did a great job for me so I’m happy to finish it off and take my second win in Tirreno-Adriatico. It’s been very difficult to catch the UnoX rider [Soren Waerenskjold] in the last kilometre. But actually it’s been hard since the start of the race and that’s what makes it the fastest ever stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.”
Final overall winner, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I have to say it once again: the guys did a brilliant job to keep me out of trouble. It was real racing in pursuit of the leading group, so it was important to stay focused. It ended up being another tough day, but we were able to defend the jersey with verve. I am very happy with the trophy. After all, it is one of the most iconic trophies you can win in cycling. I look forward to giving it a nice place in my house soon. The overall victory in Tirreno – Adriatico belongs in the list of my most beautiful victories.”
2nd overall, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates): “I think in general it was a very good week for us. We won a stage and then 2nd and 4th in the GC, twice 2nd place and the team classification also. None of us had any serious crashes either which was a blessing considering the weather. We can take a lot of confidence from the results this week and are motivated for the next races.”
3rd overall, Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe): “As a team, we can be happy with the performance this week. It was nice to ride with some of the boys from the Giro 2022 team again. We enjoyed ourselves. We gave it everything and we can be proud of making the final top 3. We don’t have any regrets. We gave it all yesterday. Jonas [Vingegaard] was just on another level, this is how it is. I’m happy with my performance and the way the whole team rode. It was the first big goal of the year and it’s a pretty massive confidence booster for the even bigger goals coming up.”
2nd on the stage, Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility): “Maybe I started a little too early. I was on Jonathan Milan’s wheel, but just when we wanted to start, I came into the wind a bit. I thought: I better start now than sit here in the wind. With a little less headwind that might have worked (Søren Wærenskjold’s attack)… We were a bit too far from the front, it was still a long finishing straight. That’s why I let him go. It was a bit of chaos after that.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:15:51
2. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
3. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Movistar
4. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
5. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
6. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
7. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
8. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti Kometa
9. Clément Venturini (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
10. Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
Tirreno-Adriatico Final Overall Result:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 26:22:23
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:24
3. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:52
4. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 2:20
5. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 2:24
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:25
7. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:10
8. Lennard Kämna (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe at 4:02
9. Thomas Pidcock (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:05
10. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 4:24.
Tirreno’24 stage 7:
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas 2024
The First Stage of the Vuelta Extremadura was won by the Canadian, Olivia Baril of Movistar. Brodie Chapman and Mareille Meijering finished second and third.
The 91.7 kilometre opening stage of the Spanish stage race went up and down all day. The final was also tough, with a difficult final kilometre. At the finish it was the Canadian Baril, who races for Movistar, who had the best legs. This was Baril’s second victory of the season. Two seconds after Baril, a large group crossed the finish line. This includes Chapman, Meijering and the returning Van Dijk. The Lidl-Trek rider finished her first race after becoming a mother, comfortably in fifth place.
Stage winner and overall leader, Olivia Baril (Movistar): “Of course, a fantastic day. My teammates have worked very hard; When you thought they might have a harder time or let up, they came back in, and they made things very easy for me. A brutal collective effort, one more victory for the team and a few bonus seconds that will come in handy. I think we managed to handle the entire stage well. Being a 2.2 race, there were no radios and everyone had to communicate very well. We have always been in charge, we have coordinated well… The truth is that I would not change anything we have done today. Perfect. It is a short race, three days, short stages, with the mountains tomorrow in Villuercas and the time trial as key days, so taking those few seconds gives me a good foothold for the general classification. I’m going to have to suffer a lot these couple of days and give my best, but I know it’s going to be worth it.”
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Stage 1 Result:
1. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar in 2:27:20
2. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:02
3. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar
4. Catalina Anais Soto (Chil) Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi
5. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek
6. Elisabeth Ebras (Est) UAE Development Team
7. Paula Patiño (Col) Movistar
8. Mikayla Harvey (NZ) UAE Development Team
9. Karolina Perekitko (Pol) Winspace
10. Maurène Trégouët (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels.
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Overall After Stage 1:
1. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar in 2:27:04
2. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:12
3. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar at 0:14
4. Paula Patiño (Col) Movistar at 0:16
5. Ainara Albert (Spa) Massi-Baix Ter
6. Jelena Erić (Serb) Movistar at 0:17
7. Izzy Sharp (GB) Lidl-Trek
8. Catalina Anais Soto (Chil) Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi at 0:18
9. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek
10. Elisabeth Ebras (Est) UAE Development Team.
Extremadura’24 stage 1:
Mareille Meijering has won the Second Stage of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas (UCI 2.2). The Dutch woman from Movistar took the attack in the final descent and stayed ahead of climber Gaia Realini. Thanks to her stage victory, Meijering is also the new leader in the general classification.
There was quite a bit of climbing in stage two of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas. On the long, final climb of the day, Meijering managed to hold on in a strong leading group, including top favourite Gaia Realini. Meijering came into the lead with the Italian pocket climber and put her under pressure in the final descent. The Dutchman managed to get away and then held on until the finish.
The 28-year-old Meijering, who had already sprinted to third place in the punchy opening stage, eventually won with a 22 second lead over Realini. She also took over the leader’s jersey from Olivia Baril, who finished seventh at one minute and fifty seconds. Tomorrow the last assignment of the three-day stage race awaits: a 17.2 kilometre time trial to and from Zafra. Meijering defends a lead of thirty seconds over Realini. Océane Mahé (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) is third in the ranking, 49 seconds behind Meijering. The Vuelta Extremadura Féminas is also partly dedicated to the return of Ellen van Dijk. The Lidl-Trek rider, who gave birth to her son Faas in November 2023, did important work for her team in Saturday’s stage. Ultimately, she finished fifteenth, two minutes and 43 seconds behind Meijering.
Stage winner and overall leader, Mareille Meijering (Movistar): “It’s incredible. First victory, a huge congratulations, after a super hard day, with incredible work from the team. A team effort… a very happy day. Halfway through the race We were one group ahead with Paula (Patiño), who was already doing well in the general classification, but we wanted to play our tricks, seek superiority, and being two ahead was even better. Jorge (Sanz) asked Sheyla (Gutiérrez) told me to attack, we moved and then I tried to follow a constant pace to get ahead. I had to give one last push to finally close the gap and I almost thought I wouldn’t make it, because that stretch of climb was coming to an end… I had to take a deep breath, give a voice to Paula who was ahead, she relaxed and I was able to enter. From there, breathe, drink something and think about the end. We knew that Gaia (Realini, Lidl-Trek) is good climber, and I really thought the final climb was going to be more demanding. We wanted to put her under pressure on the descent, where we thought she might show weakness, and when I looked back at one point on the descent I saw that there was a small gap and I continued pushing. I am coming from a difficult 2023 due to injuries and being able to face this year at 100% health, without problems, has given me all the morale. Now it’s time to fight in the time trial. In the Netherlands I already covered some quite a few years ago, but now with this Canyon Speedmax chrono, which will be much faster, I’m sure I’m doing much better.”
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Stage 2 Result:
1. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar in 2:22:50
2. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:22
3. Océane Mahé (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:39
4. Karolina Perekitko (Pol) Winspace at 0:41
5. Paula Patiño (Col) Movistar
6. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Nor) Team Coop-Repsol
7. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar at 1:50
8. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 1:56
9. Mikayla Harvey (NZ) UAE Development Team
10. Sara Martín (Spa) Movistar at 1:58.
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Overall After Stage 2:
1. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar in 4:49:58
2. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:30
3. Océane Mahé (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:49
4. Paula Patiño (Col) Movistar at 0:52
5. Karolina Perekitko (Pol) Winspace
6. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Nor) Team Coop-Repsol at 0:53
7. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar at 1:43
8. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 2:04
9. Mikayla Harvey (NZ) UAE Development Team at 2:10
10. Sara Martín (Spa) Movistar at 2:11.
Extremadura’24 stage 2:
Mareille Meijering is the final overall winner of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas 2024. The Dutch rider of the Movistar team started the final Time Trial Stage 3 of 17.2 kilometres as leader and finished 1:44 down on stage winner Ellen van Dijk. Meijering won by 35 seconds ahead of Gaia Realini and 44 over Brodie Chapman.
The last stage of the three-day Vuelta Extremadura Féminas was a 17.2 kilometre time trial, starting and finishing in Zafra, all on flat roads. The overall leader, Mareille Meijering had a 30 second lead over the Italian Gaia Realini. Océane Mahé (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) was third at 49 seconds behind Meijering. Meijering finished 7th against the clock, which was more than enough to win the race overall. She was faster than Realini, so there was no problem for the overall.
The time trial was won by Ellen van Dijk. The 37year-old rider, who became a mother for the first time five months ago, was 24 seconds faster than her Australian teammate Brodie Chapman. Stina Kagevi was 3rd at 1:06. Van Dijk moved up to 6th on the final overall standings. Her next race is the Tour de Normandie Féminin (March 14 to 17). She will then ride her first Classic: Gent-Wevelgem. She may also ride the Tour of Flanders (March 31) and Paris-Roubaix (April 6), that’s not confirmed yet.
Final overall winner and 7th on the stage, Mareille Meijering (Movistar): “It has been an incredible weekend. My first victory as a professional, my first GC victory later… It is a very important step forward, and I hope many more will come after this. It has been very hard; you know that time trials always require the maximum of a myself, and although I had a considerable advantage in the general classification, I had to give my best, without thinking about the weather or any other factor. It rained a little at the end, but apart from the last corners inside Zafra, I could handle myself well. On the radio they told me that Gaia (Realini) had cut something back in the first part, but there were only seven kilometres left and I knew I could manage that lead and confirm that overall.”
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Stage 3 Result:
1. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek in 22:49
2. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:24
3. Stina Kagevi (Swe) Team Coop-Repsol at 1:06
4. Maëva Squiban (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 1:13
5. Aileen Schweikart (Ger) Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi at 1:33
6. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar at 1:38
7. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar at 1:44
8. Sara Martín (Spa) Movistar at 1:46
9. Izzy Sharp (GB) Lidl-Trek
10. Lotte Claes (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 1:47
Vuelta Extremadura Féminas Final Overall Result:
1. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar in 5:14:31
2. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:35
3. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:44
4. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Nor) Team Coop-Repsol at 1:00
5. Océane Mahé (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 1:08
6. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 1:13
7. Olivia Baril (Can) Movistar at 1:37
8. Stina Kagevi (Swe) Team Coop-Repsol at 1:52
9. Paula Patiño (Col) Movistar at 1:59
10. Sara Martín (Spa) Movistar at 2:13.
Extremadura’24 stage 3:
Miron Ronde van Drenthe 2024
Lorena Wiebes won the Ronde van Drenthe, a WorldTour one-day event, for the fourth time in a row. The Dutch rider was the fastest of a thinned out peloton on the VAM mountain. Elisa Balsamo was second and a very active Puck Pieterse third.
The men’s Ronde van Drenthe was canceled this year due to ‘rising costs and safety problems’, but the women’s race was run on Sunday, although the route was changed. After the start in Beilen, the course went straight to the VAM mountain and the Atteropad, Mount VAM Pad and the Dak van Drenthe. These climbs were the main obstacles of the 30 kilometre circuit, which had to be ridden five times. The Atteropad and the VAM mountain had to be climbed a sixth time to the finish, for 160 kilometres of racing.
The start was fast, due to the wind, this caused some splits in the peloton, but there was no real break. After 50 kilometres, Valerie Demey went solo and had a lead of 1:30. Due to some accelerations in the peloton, Demey’s lead decreased, but 45 kilometres from the finish, the VolkerWessels rider had built up her lead again to over 1 minute. The speed behind her then really increased. In no time the peloton, which had considerably reduced in size due to many dropped riders, closed Demey down. At 38 kilometres out, the race really started. It was Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) who got things going. On the penultimate climb of the Atteropad she was in the lead and accelerated on Mount VAM. Towards the Dak van Drenthe she took more time. She was eventually joined by seven others.
Pieterse was accompanied by her teammate Kristina Schweinberger, Charlotte Kool, Pfeiffer Georgi (both dsm-firmenich PostNL), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Alice Towers (Canyon//SRAM), Christine Majerus and top favourite Lorena Wiebes (both SD Worx-Protime). They gained about 20 seconds on the chasing group. The race was so fast that there was a regrouping 19 kilometres from the finish, where it stayed together to the last time up the VAM mountain. There was a very small attack again from Pieterse, but otherwise nothing happened until the start of the climb. The sprinter’s teams all formed a train. SD Worx was in a good position for a long time, but before the last bend towards the VAM they lost some ground. Majerus brought Wiebes forward just in time. There was also Puck Pieterse, Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool. Majerus still had something left on the Atteropad and took on the lead-out for Wiebes. When the SD Worx sprinter started to climb the cobblestones, Balsamo was still in her wheel, but she couldn’t come past. Wiebes won for the fourth time in Drenthe. Balsamo finished second by several bike lengths, Pieterse finished a little further back in third.
Race winner, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “This is one of my favourite races. Things did not go well in 2019, but they will again from 2021 onwards. Today the red carpet was laid out for me by Christine Majerus. I started my sprint in front of the cobblestones and immediately created a gap. That was great. At first I thought that was the decisive move. Then we had to be careful not to be surprised by the wind. Who did I look at in the last kilometre? My own lead-out. No, Charlotte Kool and Elisa Balsamo are also fast girls, but such an uphill sprint is always different. We have made clear agreements today. I said beforehand that I wanted to win this race.”
Miron Ronde van Drenthe Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
4. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
5. Victoire Berteau (Fra) Cofidis
6. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ
7. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Uno-X Mobility
8. Christine Majerus (Lux) SD Worx-Protime
9. Pfeiffer Georgi (GB) dsm-firmenich PostNL
10. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL.
Drenthe’24:
Primoz Roglič Adds Two Ardennes Classics to His Race Program
Primoz Roglič has added two Ardennes Classics to his race schedule: Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
After Paris-Nice, Roglič will take on the Tour of the Basque Country (April 1-6). This is followed by Flèche Wallonne (April 17) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 21). The Slovenian won Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2020 and was second in the 2021 Flèche Wallonne.
Primoz Roglič’s Race Programme:
03-03 – 10-03 Paris-Nice
01-04 – 06-04 Itzulia Basque Country
17-04 La Flèche Wallonne
21-04 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
02-06 – 09-06 Criterium du Dauphine
29-06 – 21-07 Tour de France.
Two Classics for Roglič:
Mark Cavendish and Michael Mørkøv Outside of the Time Limit in Tirreno-Adriatico
Mark Cavendish and Michael Mørkøv didn’t finish within the time limit on stage five of Tirreno-Adriatico. The two riders of Astana Qazaqstan crossed the line more than 30 minutes after stage winner Jonas Vingegaard.
Cavendish and Mørkøv were in 32 minutes and 38 seconds after Vingegaard at the finish in Valle Castellana. The Briton and the Dane were outside the time limit and were forced to drop out of the Italian stage race. Tirreno-Adriatico was not a success for Cavendish. The former World champion wasn’t in contention for victory on any of the stage. Cavendish has taken one win so far this year, a stage in the Tour of Colombia.
Cavendish and Mørkøv at the finish of Tirreno stage 5:
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado Has to Rest for a Few Weeks
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado will have to take a rest from training for the next weeks. The 25 year-old Dutch woman is suffering from a stress injury to her sacrum, a result of overtraining, her Fenix-Deceuninck team announced via social media.
Alvarado will not ride her bike for the next few weeks before she can think about cycling again. Until then, the cyclo-cross rider will do stabilisation exercises and aqua training. The Rotterdam native with Dominican roots first suffered from physical problems during the busy Christmas and New Year period. At the beginning of January, she had to abandon the Hexia Cross Gullegem due to back pain. In the following weeks, Alvarado continued to suffer from back problems and was no longer able to reach her very best level.
Alvarado did take the final overall victories in the World Cup and Superprestige cyclo-cross series. She also finished fourth at the National Championships in Hoogeveen and fourth at the World Championships in Tábor. After the Superprestige in Middelkerke, she decided to end her 2023/24 cyclo-cross season a little earlier than planned.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado has to take rest:
Injury Forces Marc Soler Out of Paris-Nice
Marc Soler started the fourth stage of Paris-Nice on Wednesday, but failed to finish at the top of Mont Brouilly. The 30 year-old Spaniard had abandon due to physical discomfort.
UAE Team Emirates made an announcement on Soler’s condition: “Marc suffered a quadriceps contusion after coming into contact with his handlebars before the start of the second stage,” explained team doctor Adrian Rotunno. “He did his best to continue in the subsequent stages, but unfortunately the injury worsened and he was no longer able to continue racing. Marc is now going home for further examination and focuses on his rehabilitation.”
For UAE Team Emirates, Soler’s retirement is a big loss. After three stages, the climber was still in good shape in the general classification and could look to a good final overall placing. Six years ago, Soler won the ‘Race to the Sun’ overall, ahead of Simon Yates and Gorka Izagirre.
Soler out of Paris-Nice:
Max Poole Breaks Elbow in Tirreno-Adriatico
Max Poole broke his elbow in a crash during the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. The 21 year-old British climber was unable to continue after his crash and was taken to hospital and will undergo surgery.
Poole hit the road on the Queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Saturday and he was transported to the nearest hospital for further medical examinations. “These medical checks in the hospital showed that Max suffers from a fracture in his elbow and abrasions on his leg. An operation awaits him. Max will take time to recover before getting back on the bike to train and race. Heal quickly, Max!”, the Dutch team said via social media.
For Poole, Tirreno-Adriatico was his second race of 2024. The climber started his season in the UAE Tour, where he finished 7th overall. He already showed great things last year. In 2023, he was 4th in the Tours of Romandie and Hungary, 11th in the Tour of the Alps and 13th in the Critérium du Dauphiné. The dsm-firmenich PostNL team also lost Bardet in Tirreno-Adriatico, suffering from concussion. In Paris-Nice, due to illness and withdrawals, there are only two riders of dsm-firmenich PostNL still in the race.
Max Poole out for some time:
David Gaudu Out of Paris-Nice
David Gaudu was second in the ‘Race to the Sun’ last year, but he crashed on the fourth stage to Mont Brouilly. Gaudu has been suffering too much from the after-effects of that crash, reported hisGroupama-FDJ team.
“David Gaudu will not start the final stage of Paris-Nice on Sunday, after he crashed on Wednesday during the stage to Mont Brouilly,” the team announced on X (Twitter). “He will now rest for a few days and also undergo some medical examinations.”
Gaudu started his home race with high expectations, after finishing second overall last year, behind Tadej Pogačar, but ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. The Frenchmanexpected more from his first races in 2024. Gaudu started with sixth place in the Classic Var, but didn’t show much in a rainy edition of O Gran Camiño, 18th final overall. Gaudu’s next race should be the Tour of the Basque Country (April 1-6).
Gaudu out of Paris-Nice:
Caleb Ewan Leaves Tirreno-Adriatico with Stomach Problems
Caleb Ewan couldn’t start the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday. The fast Australian failed to reach the finish of the Queen stage on Saturday on Monte Petrano. Ewan has been struggling with stomach problems in recent days, reported Jayco AlUla.
Tirreno-Adriatico was not a success for Ewan. The 29 year-old was unable to compete for victory in any stage. Ewan won the opening stage of the Tour of Oman in early February and won the Australian criterium championship in January, but this is not a UCI victory. That Ewan had to retire with stomach problems is a major blow to his preparation a week before Milan-Sanremo. The sprinter has set his sights on La Primavera again this season. Ewan has stood on the podium of the Italian Classic, as he finished 2nd in 2018 and 2021. Jayco AlUla’s other possible leader for Milan-Sanremo, Michael Matthews, is also struggling with his health. The Australian was 3rd on the Via Roma in 2015 and 2020, had to retire from Paris-Nice a few days ago due to stomach and intestinal complaints.
Ewan out of Tirreno:
Chris Froome Injured in Tirreno-Adriatico
Chris Froome will not be part of the Tirreno-Adriatico peloton. The four-time Tour winner of Israel-Premier Tech has a fractured scaphoid. Froome crashed on the second stage and an X-ray initially revealed nothing broken, so Froome continued to race in the third and fourth stages.
After stage four Froome had an MRI scan, this showed a fracture in his hand. Froome will now consult a local specialist, who will draw up a recovery plan and decide whether surgery is necessary. Tirreno-Adriatico was Froome’s second stage race of the season after the Tour du Rwanda.
No luck for Froome:
Toon Aerts Can Train Again After his Nose Operation
Toon Aerts won’t need much time to recover from his nose operation last Monday. He will resume training again next Saturday. “Then I didn’t do anything for two weeks. That is perfect,” said the Deschacht-Hens-Maes rider to Sporza.
Aerts has no pain in his nose. “Due to my clogged sinuses and headache, I still have to be careful,” said Aerts, who crashed in the closing cyclo-cross in Oostmalle (25 February) and broke his nose. The cross in Oostmalle was his third race since his doping suspension expired. In his comeback races he finished fourth in the Exact Cross Sint-Niklaas, and a day later he also finished fourth in the X2O Trofee Brussels.
Last Monday’s operation went smoothly, said Aerts. “I was only asleep for fifteen minutes. I feel like I have a cold, but that’s because of the blood in my sinuses,” he said. “I should actually be able to sit on the bike already, because I have no pain. Still, I’ll wait a little longer, because I still have to pay attention due to the clogged sinuses and headaches.”
Aerts told WielerFlits, shortly before his comeback, that he wants to participate in a few road races this spring. The original plan was for him to participate in the GP Vermarc on March 10, but that will now be too early. The Belgian still has enough time to prepare for the Belgian Gravel championships on May 1st. “I will ride a number of gravel races from the end of April and those will really be a priority,” Aerts said.
Successful operation for Toon Aerts:
Visma | Lease a Bike Wants Cian Uijtdebroeks to “Stay Under the Radar”
Cian Uijtdebroeks was riding Tirreno-Adriatico alongside Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, after previously also competing in the O Gran Camiño with the Dane. A conscious move by the Visma Lease a Bike team, which wants to let him grow in the shadows.
“In the Giro, for example, he is also at the start with Wout van Aert. Not all eyes and pressure will be on Cian,” sports director Maarten Wynants explained to Het Laatste Nieuws. “We believe he can grow in this way. We have high expectations for him and he has high expectations for himself. So far it looks very good.”
The team doesn’t want to rush the young Belgian too quickly, as he is still only 21. This season, the team’s ambitions remain modest. “2024 is the only year in which he can still remain somewhat under the radar. It would be a shame if he didn’t take full advantage of this. We try to remind him not to put too much pressure on himself. Take the Giro, where Pogačar is the top favourite. Cian can also go into hiding there a bit. There will be plenty of years to come where he will be the favourite and the leader.”
In the Tour of Catalonia, Uijtdebroeks has a first personal goal, alongside fellow leader Sepp Kuss. “He is still very young, there is no rush,” added DS, Grischa Niermann. “It’s not like we expect him to win a Grand Tour this year. Hopefully in the future. He has the potential. Whether it will happen is another question. It is very important for the Belgians to give him some time.”
In O Gran Camiño, Uijtdebroeks spoke about the pressure from the outside world. “It’s still relaxed now,” the Belgian told WielerFlits in Galicia. “I want and have to perform soon. I need that too, but it doesn’t feel like pressure.”
Cian Uijtdebroeks staying in the shadows:
Injury Problems for Alpecin-Deceuninck: Gogl, Groves and Kragh Andersen all Not at 100%
The Belgian Alpecin-Deceuninck team is struggling with injuries. Michael Gogl, Søren Kragh Andersen and Kaden Groves are all having problems, although Groves is still racing.
Michael Gogl did not start the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday. The 30 year-old Austrian is suffering from a knee injury and has gone to Herentals for a medical examination. He won’t now ride his bike until at least Sunday.
Søren Kragh Andersen suffered from knee pain at the beginning of February and had to miss a week of training. “In the end, the solution was simple. I kept making a wrong movement in my pedal stroke. We had to adjust a few small things for that. I have high hopes that things will turn out well and I will be free of the pain.” The classics specialist made his 2024 debut in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but was forced to miss Le Samyn and Paris-Nice. “Søren suffered from iliotibial friction syndrome (a complaint caused by overexertion) and did not participate in Paris-Nice as planned. He hopes to be fit in time for the classics,” Alpecin-Deceuninck announced.
The Australian sprinter, Kaden Groves, was riding Paris-Nice last week. “Kaden is just not completely fit after hitting his knee against his handlebars during training. He suffered a bruise. This is taking more time than expected,” the team said.
Jasper Philipsen also crashed on Wednesday in the finale of the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. The Belgian took too many risks in the last corner, causing him to crash. Fortunately for Philipsen, it wasn’t too bad. “The damage is not too bad, just an abrasion on the elbow,” he said after the finish.
Jasper Philipsen and Soren Kragh Andersen both injured:
Red Bull Will be a Named Jersey Sponsor of BORA-hansgrohe From the Tour de France Onwards
Red Bull will become a new name sponsor of BORA-hansgrohe from the 2024 Tour de France, La Gazetta dello Sport reports.
At the beginning of this year, Red Bull permanently joined the WorldTeam. At the end of last year, the energy drink manufacturer took a majority stake of 51% in Ralph Denk’s company, who owns and runs the team, but they had to wait for approval from the Austrian Competition Authority. They were given the go ahead in January.
Since the UCI rules allow three title sponsors, BORA and hansgrohe can also remain part of the team name. They must have already agreed to the addition of Red Bull in the team name and on the shirt. In the run-up to the Tour de France, the team’s new identity and colours will be announced, based on Red Bull’s branding. Team leader, Primoz Roglič and the others in the team will ride in the Red Bull jersey for the first time in the Tour.
All in Red Bull kit at the Tour:
The Route of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es
The Palacio de las Comunicaciones de Valencia hosted the official presentation of the route of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es this Friday. The Spanish tour, that will feature an additional stage in 2024, will commence on the 28th of April in Valencia and will conclude on the 5th of May at Valdesquí. Throughout its eight stages, it will visit eight provinces in five different autonomous communities. In sporting terms, the riders will face a team time trial, one flat stage, two undulating stages, one mid-mountain stage and three mountain stages.
Unipublic presented the route of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es this Friday, the 8th of March, at the Palacio de las Comunicaciones de Valencia – the city that will host the race’s Grand Departure. The Valencian capital, that has already hosted two La Vuelta Grand Departures in 1996 and 2002, will host the inaugural team time trial that will have the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias and the Oceanogràfic as its epicentre. The second stage, departing from Buñol, will cover the interior of the Province of Valencia before delving into Castellón territory, arriving in Moncófar.
The third stage will then depart from Castellón, from Lucena, before heading to Teruel in a mid-mountain stage. The following day, the race will venture into the Province of Guadalajara for the first time and depart from Molina de Aragón, before returning to the Autonomous Community of Aragon on mainly flat terrain to enjoy the finale in its capital, Zaragoza.
The race’s first mountain stage arrives with the debut of the Pyrenees in the women’s race. Following a departure from the capital city of Huesca, the peloton will climb to the Alto del Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña, a 2nd category climb, and face the final ascent to Rapitán Fort, in Jaca. The race’ second high-altitude finale will take place in the following stage that will join Tarazona, in Zaragoza, and La Laguna Negra in Vinuesa, Soria. This summit, which has already featured in La Vuelta on two occasions, has already made its way into cycling history.
In the race’s final weekend, the peloton will abandon Soria, departing from San Esteban de Gormaz, and return to the Province of Guadalajara, concluding at Sigüenza, with a final uphill climb that will test the most explosive riders.
The Grand Finale of this second edition of Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es will be held in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. First, the departure from the Distrito Telefónica will pay homage to the company’s centenary celebration, as will La Vuelta 24 in its final stage. The peloton will head to the Guadarrama Mountain Range, crossing cycling territory, with a climb of the Morcuera Mountain Pass, a 1st category climb, and the final ascent to Valdesquí, also a 1st category climb, that will crown the final winner of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es
Valencia, Back to the Mediterranean
La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es will, again, have its Grand Departure in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, following its warm welcome in Torrevieja in 2023. This time, Valencia will fire the starting gun for a new edition starring the Mediterranean in the beginning of the race. ‘Valencia is a province we know well as we have often been there with La Vuelta. We are thrilled to have our Grand Departure in Valencia, a city that shares our enthusiasm for watching La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es continue to grow and consolidate its position.’
Participating Teams
The organisation has announced the 21 teams that will participate in La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es.
13 UCI Women’s World Teams will be present at the starting line:
AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM
CANYON//SRAM RACING
FDJ–SUEZ
FENIX-DECEUNINCK
HUMAN POWERED HEALTH
LIDL – TREK
LIV-AIULA-JAYCO
MOVISTAR TEAM
ROLAND
TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL
TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE
UAE TEAM ADQ.
8 UCI Women’s Continental Teams will also participate:
BEPINK – BONGIOANNI
EF EDUCATION – CANNONDALE
ENEICAT-CMTEAM
LABORAL KUTXA – FUNDACIÓN EUSKADI
LOTTO DSTNY LADIES
TEAM COOP-REPSOL
VOLKERWESSELS WOMEN’S PRO CYCLING TEAM
WINSPACE.
Tour de Pologne Women Opens its Doors to Champions Again
The competition dedicated to the strongest female athletes on the international scene is back.
Eight years after its first edition, the Tour de Pologne Women returns with three fascinating stages promising real spectacle.
“There is no more rapidly growing sport today than women’s cycling. Watching the ladies in action is pure pleasure and the whole cycling world recognises this. We already organised such a race eight years ago, and now we are back. This year we will hold a 3-stage event” says Czesław Lang, Olympic medalist and organiser of the race. Varsavia,
The Tour de Pologne Women 2024 is listed in the 2.2 category on the UCI Women Calendar and will take place over three stages from 28th to 30th June on a route that is still being finalised.
“I know how to develop the race and make it a platform where the most important is sport, but at the same time the event offers promotional and advertising opportunities. Cycling is ideally suited for this, which we confirm every year on the Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour. The race has become a showcase for our country around the world”, says Czeslaw Lang.
The first edition of the race took place in 2016, at a time when the calendar was not as full of competitions dedicated to the women’s category as it is today. It was the beginning of an era that has now reached a very high level, with increasing media coverage and interest. The protagonist of that year was Jolanda Neff, now an established Swiss cyclist and mountain biker who rides for Trek Factory Racing team. A cross-country specialist, she has won the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, an elite world title, three World Cups and four elite European titles.
The great achievements of the women’s category and the determination to fight for gender equality have led Czeslaw Lang and his team to work hard to achieve this and return to an event at the level expected.
“Even then I knew that this was the right direction. A few years have passed and it is worth returning to this idea. I am convinced that the Tour de Pologne Women will be watched with bated breath by everyone. Especially since our female cyclists, headed by Katarzyna Niewiadoma, have been performing sensationally in recent years”, said Lang.
A Large Part of the Peloton Abandoned a Spanish Amateur Race
According to Marca; during the sixth round of the Spanish amateur race series, the Interclubs Vinalopo, in the town of Villena, Alicante, 130 of the 182 riders didn’t finish. According to the sports-paper, this was because the Spanish anti-doping authorities were at the finish of the race.
Many of the riders said they had to stop due to a crash or a puncture. At the finish, only 52 riders crossed the line, where CELAD, the Spanish anti-doping commission, was waiting. The race was won by the Spaniard Andres Ripoll Lopez. Eighth on the day was Alvaro Marza, he expressed his dissatisfaction on Instagram. “The withdrawals are due to the doping control afterwards,” he said. “It is not a complicated mathematical explanation, but it is the harsh reality. I hope action is taken because this is a joke. By the way, I took the doping test three times. Hopefully I will get the results soon and I can announce them.”
The organisers of the Interclubs Vinalopo also responded on ‘X’ (Twitter): “We want to organise an event that revolves around clean and fair cycling. We are committed to the fight against doping. We believe it is essential to maintain the integrity of our sport, and protect the health of riders. Doping is a form of cheating. It gives cyclists an unfair advantage over those who compete fairly. Not only is it disrespectful to the sport and its values, but it can also have serious consequences for riders’ health. We therefore adhere to the strict anti-doping rules of the UCI. All participants in the event will be subject to random drug testing both before and after the competition.”
One of the riders who finished, Rafael Mira Esplá, who is also a respected coach, said this on Facebook: “Given that it is a competition in which I am competing alongside opponents and teammates, I am obliged to point out how unfortunate and sensationalist the headlines of some renowned sports media outlets on what happened this past weekend in Villena. As a cyclist, I must say that these titles do not favour our sport, as well as the bad image and reputation it gives to cyclists, organisers, federation and the sport itself. As a participant (who crossed the finish line) I do not agree with this news, but I do agree with the measures taken, the discomfort this may cause and the continuous checks of the last few months (which I had never seen so often). The race went like many others, the number of finishers was average. Unlike the other events, this was the Queen stage, with the most climbing, 3 big ascents, this generally causes half of the participants to abandon and if this was not enough, the wind and tension caused an accident in the last kilometre in which numerous cyclists were involved with severe consequences to some.”
“We are all aware that some can race fraudulently (as is common in the society we live in), but I trust being in one of the sports with the greatest control and fair play that exist as well as one of the toughest physically and mentally. Nevertheless, I have to acknowledge that now both AEPSAD and CELAD have a very important job, since they are the ones who must pursue such bad practices and punish more forcefully, so that it does not become an option for the ‘weakest’ of ego. If you ask me for options; show up at home or work the day after a race without advance warning.”
Interclubs Vinalopo, Villena, Alicante 2/3/2024:
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