It was a great weekend of cycling with the World champions, Mathieu van der Poel and Lotte Kopecky winning in Roubaix. Plus the Itzulia Basque Country with its crashes and winners – All the reports, results, rider quotes and video.
Adrie van der Poel on Mathieu’s solo win in Roubaix – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard both suffered a bruised lung, Patrick Lefevere on Remco Evenepoel’s crash, medical updates on Remco Evenepoel, Mikel Landa, Gil Gelders and Lennard Kämna, no Tour of the Alps for Nairo Quintana and Laurence Pithie to leave Groupama-FDJ.
Team news: Mads Pedersen to lead Denmark in the 2024 Olympics.
Coffee and cobbles EUROTRASH Monday.
TOP STORY: Adrie van der Poel on Mathieu’s Solo Win in Roubaix
“I think he did the maths,” Adrie said about his son to WielerFlits, who attacked with 60 kilometres to go and rode solo to Roubaix. “Last week he went 45 kilometres, here it was sixty. In terms of time it’s about the same. ‘I can do that.’ There was a lot of tailwind of course and behind it you were lucky that Jasper (Philipsen) was in a good position there. It was just another strong collective performance.”
Adrie agreed that his son’s performance, first winning Flanders and then Roubaix, both solo, was impressive. “But of course it has happened before in the past. Riders who are good in Flanders are also good in Roubaix. There are riders who have already done the double, and riders who have not. That can go a bit in either direction. I personally thought that one of the favourites fell very early, Milan. For me that was one of the top favourites. Then you end up with Mads Pedersen. I would have included Oliver Naesen, that type of rider. He was very good last week and here he finds a course that should suit him even better. But then you see that cycling is not mathematics after all.”
Adrie van der Poel saw a very strong Alpecin-Deceuninck team. “A very good Mathieu, a very good Jasper. Basically everyone,” he said. “It obviously offers a lot of confidence when you have such a team. Three weeks ago there were still doubts about the strength of the team, but the strength of the team is that they can really work towards something, fielding the riders who currently best suit the course and are also in shape . That is also quite a puzzle. It is also just a very important period. Everyone knows that, including the riders. Ultimately, they are back there today.”
In Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel seemed to be in top form, but with only five race days: “It is possible, but it takes a lot of character to work towards a period in this way. If it all comes together, that’s great. That gives morale. Maybe next time they will do it that way again, maybe in a different way. I don’t think it’s good to do it the same thing every time.”
Mathieu still has the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and there are a lot of expectations. “Those expectations lie more with the press, I think. You are there with a completely different field of participants. There are very few riders who have ridden this spring and will then do the Amstel and Liège. It can be seen how he recovers from this. I think that in principle the Amstel should succeed, not to win, but to play a leading role. Liège will be a completely different story. Riding in the top five in Liège is the same as winning in Roubaix. But yes, he has to take advantage of the good condition and perhaps the euphoria. Because there will now be a horde of other riders ready who will also be super motivated. It could go either way.”
Mathieu’s father Adrie van der Poel in Paris-Roubaix 1984:
Paris-Roubaix 2024
Mathieu van der Poel won Paris-Roubaix for the second time in a row with a long solo ride. A week after his victory in the Tour of Flanders, his Alpecin-Deceuninck team split the race early, then the World champion went solo with 60 kilometres to go. He had three minutes to enjoy his win on the Roubaix velodrome. Jasper Philipsen sprinted far second place, Mads Pedersen finished third.
The Paris-Roubaix 2024 route has some small changes from last year, but there are still 29 cobbled sections, but the order the riders hit them in is different. The sections of Biastre and Ruesnes return this year, but Saint-Python and Haspres are out because they are being repaired. Due to the length of the Biastre section, the total of kilometres ridden on the cobbles is now 57.5km an increases from 54.5km. The changes in the route come in the first 150 kilometres of the route, the finale to the velodrome in Roubaix is the same. The start is also the same, the riders will line up in Compiègne for the 259.9 kilometres in hell. The first cobbles come after 96 kilometres. Troisvilles to Inchy is a 3 star section, but the next tough strip if from Quiévy to Saint-Python, which is ranked 4 stars, it could the start of the day’s action. The next difficult section is the Trouée d’Arenberg: 2.3 kilometres of full on 5 star cobbles, it comes 95 kilometres from the finish and is probably the best well know section of Pars-Roubaix. There are two more 5 star sections: Mons-en-Pévèle is 50 kilometres for the finish and then 17 kilometres out is the Carrefour de l’Arbre. After Carrefour de l’Arbre, the hardest parts of the ‘Hell of the North’ is behind the riders, but with Gruson, Hem and Roubaix still to come, there can be surprises in the final. All that is left is one and a half laps of that famous Vélodrome.
The first hour of racing was at a high pace, over 54kph. The strong tail-wind and the riders wanting to be in the early break, made sure the speed was high. In that first hour, a group of seven broke away, with Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Mobility), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step), Liam Slock (Lotto Dstny), Marco Haller (BORA-hansgrohe), Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan) and Kamil Malecki (Q36.5). They were not allowed to get too far ahead and so Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Dusan Rajovic (Bahrain Victorious) were able to join them. The peloton led by Alpecin-Deceuninck, didn’t let them take much over 1 minute. Before the Forest of Wallers, the break was caught by a group of favourites that had split the race on the first cobbled sector.
Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen with most of their teammates rode on the front through the first sections. Then the Alpecin-Deceuninck team formed a front echelon in a cross-wind, this completely split the peloton. Some riders were able to fight their way back to the front group, but most of the peloton was already out of the race with about 150 kilometres still to go. Joshua Tarling was disqualified from the race, due to a very long sticky bottle, but he had been waiting a long time for team service. The thinned peloton included most of the favourites. The next action point would be Wallers/Arenberg, the first 5 star sector of the day, with the chicane at its start. The lead group got through without any problem and it was Mads Pedersen who started the cobbled fun. On the uneven cobbles of Arenberg, Van der Poel pushed hard with Pedersen, Philipsen and Mick van Dijke on his wheel. They left the forest with a small lead, but Philipsen had a slow puncture. The pace slowed, allowing a group with Stefan Küng, Laurence Pithie, Tom Pidcock, Nils Politt, Tim Wellens, Stefan Bissegger, Johan Jacobs, Jordi Meeus and Gianni Vermeersch to catch the leaders.
Philipsen was also able to return after a quick bike change. Pedersen, Meeus and Wellens all had punctures one after another, but luckily were able to return to the leaders. Politt, Küng and Vermeersch jumped away in the lull and their teammates slowed the chase. They managed to take a 40 second lead, this meant Lidl-Trek had to start the chase. With 70 kilometres to go, the three escapees were caught by Pedersen’s workers. Then on the 3 star Orchies section, Van der Poel decided to attack again and he soon had a big lead. No one could follow the move of the World champion 59 kilometres from the finish. The chase couldn’t get organised as Philipsen and Vermeersch were doing their best to disrupt any work behind their team leader. Van der Poel soon had over 1 minute in 10 kilometres, his competitors would have to work hard to pull him back and they had Philipsen and Vermeersch along for a free ride. The pace of the chasers dropped on Mons-en-Pévèle and the World champion was able to take even more time. Van der Poel was going to repeat his solo victory of a week before in the Tour of Flanders. The battle for the podium continued on Mons-en-Pévèle. Pedersen, Küng, Pithie, Politt and Philipsen broke away from the group, but this was more than 1:40 minutes behind Van der Poel, who now had more than 2 minutes. Pithie crashed on a corner, messing up his top day on the Roubaix cobbles
The rainbow jersey battled on through the dust of the ‘Hell of the North’ setting another record speed for a Classic after last week in Flanders and last year in Paris-Roubaix. Van der Poel was putting more time between himself and the Pedersen and Philipsen. Twenty kilometres from the finish the gap was almost 3 minutes. Just before Carrefour de l’Arbre, Vermeersch and Pithie nearly got back to the Pedersen group, but they were stuck at 20 seconds and then started to lose time. Van der Poel was on his way to join Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck as Ronde/Roubaix winners in one season. Plus Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Peter Sagan, all winners of Roubaix as world champion. On the Gruson section, Philipsen put in an attack, which Küng couldn’t follow. Pedersen and Politt had to try very hard, but were able to pull the Belgian back. These three would sprint for the two podium places. The German was the first to start the sprint, but it was Philipsen who claimed second place, just like last year, ahead of Pedersen. Küng finished fifth, Vermeersch sixth and Pithie seventh.
# You can see lots of race photos in the PEZ ‘Race Report’ HERE. #
Race winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “What happened today is actually hard to believe. I won Roubaix again alongside my team, that was even stronger that last year. I’m super proud of the boys and super happy to finish it off. I’ve been feeling very good for a long time, and today has been my best day in this Classics season. I had not really planned to attack that early. I wanted to make the race hard from that point on, as I know that’s my strength, and I thought it was a good moment to attack because the group was too large and the cooperation was not really good. Once I got the gap, I knew I could make it to the finish line as I was on a very good day and the tailwind would help me keep my rivals at bay. In Roubaix, a setback or a puncture is never far away. But I had quite a gap, and the car behind me, so I was confident. I could really enjoy the moment more than I did last week in Flanders, when I was at my limit. Today I felt incredible and I could really enjoy the final part. It definitely isn’t normal to win Roubaix twice. When I was a child, I couldn’t imagine all the races I’m winning now. I was super motivated coming into this year, as I wanted to show the rainbow jersey in a nice way… but this has gone beyond my expectations. I am a bit lost for words. This special moment won’t last forever, and I want to enjoy. I hope Jasper will win Roubaix in the future. I believe he has proved yet again today that he is well capable of that. We will try to make it next year again… yet, before that, we are going to throw a big party tonight. If everything goes as planned, I will take part in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It’s a pity that a few contenders won’t be there in the Ardennes classics, yet it will be difficult to win there anyway and I will try to do my best in order to make it happen.”
2nd, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I am again very proud of our race today. We really outdid ourselves as a team. We didn’t hesitate and took control of the race. With someone like Mathieu, who can start so early, it also makes it a little easier for us to play a little more defensively and ride more on the wheels and make the others nervous. I think we can say that we rode the perfect race. Gianni (Vermeersch) and I were in that second group and we responded to a lot of attacks. You know that the others’ hearts sink. I’m glad Mathieu lasted until the finish, I could never have done it to him. Did I immediately think of second place afterwards? We rode to win and I am extremely proud that we managed to do it again as a team, one and two. It’s fantastic, something to be very proud of. It really felt incredible. At the end I felt the energy leaving my body, but that was the case with everyone. I was a bit surprised, but there was still a gap on the left. I was happy that I could still go through.”
3rd, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “To be honest, I’m really happy. Mathieu [Van der Poel] was on a different league today. The way he was racing was impressive. When he attacked, we all were riding flat out not to allow him any gap, yet we couldn’t close in. At one point he was still gaining time and the race for second started. In the final, we were still riding all out and then [Jasper] Philipsen had a go in Gruson. [Stefan] Küng got dropped and from then on Jasper wanted to pull as well. Yet he is very strong and had been sitting on the wheel for a while. Defeating him on a sprint is already a tough ask for me, so losing the second place was not going to be a disappointment. I assumed I was sprinting for 3rd, and knew Nils could beat me on a sprint, so I was happy to secure the podium place at the finish. In the Tour of Flanders, I raced with my head in my own ass. Today I tried to play it better, yet Mathieu was impressive and I couldn’t follow his winning move. Can I beat him on a Monument? I don’t know yet. I have zero excuses today. I was definitely at my 100% and was defeated by better boys today. I’m pretty sure having Jonathan Milan around would have changed things a lot. It would have been very nice to have yet another teammate with me. It was pretty bad for us that he crashed out, and I hope he is okay. We are going to celebrate this nice Classic season with the team tonight, and tomorrow I will go home to my wife. I haven’t seen her a lot since January. It’s time to rest.”
4th, Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates): “The feeling on the bike was quite good today. When Van Der Poel went Alpecin blocked a bit behind and it was very hard to take him back as we could see. I was in a strong group with two strong sprinters so I had to settle for 4th place unfortunately. I think as a team we can be happy with our performance during these classics. Now I’ll take a break and look ahead to the next races.”
6th, Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It’s beautiful. It’s actually a repeat of last year. Back then I just didn’t have a top ten. Now I think I’m sixth. Last year we would have liked to get into the top ten with three men, but that just didn’t work out. Today the picture is complete. I was lucky that I still had a strong Pithie with me, who I think had been unlucky in the group in front of me. He was the engine. I was still able to ride away from my group in the stretch before Camphin-en-Pévèle. I’m going to sleep well tonight. I felt really incredible. Last year we rode almost the perfect race. We couldn’t have done better, but I think we did it anyway. On some strips Oscar (Riesebeek) rode very fast, with a crosswind, which quickly brought the race into a decisive part. I looked back after a stretch and saw that there were still thirty or forty men there. I shouted into my earpiece that we had to keep riding full speed. From then on it never stopped. It was very good that I was in that group with three riders. Then you have to play out the excess. We succeeded perfectly. It was still a long way to go, but when he makes such an attack, you know he is super strong. That has proven to be the case. How are we going to celebrate? No idea, but I think with a big party.”
10th, Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty): “Paris-Roubaix became my favourite race when I discovered this monument one year ago, so I was really looking forward to this race. I felt really sorry for our leader Laurenz Rex, who crashed twice in the beginning, but I’m glad he did not sustain any major injuries. My experience of last year was helpful, although we raced differently this time. I remember that I started Trouée d’Arenberg in a select group of strong riders in the previous edition, until a puncture on that sector made me loose a lot of time. This time I entered the same sector as part of a bigger group and punctured again in the final 100 meter. Luckily our staff alongside the road could quickly help me, so I managed to return to the first group. It cost me quite some energy, so I struggled in the next couple of sections. There was more bad luck when I punctured again with 35 kilometre to go and I had cramps in the final 10 kilometre. But I never gave up, also not when I was dropped again on the final cobble section. I gave everything I had in the sprint. This top ten makes me really happy and proud.”
Paris-Roubaix Result:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 5:25:58
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 3:00
3. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
4. Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates
5. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ at 3:15
6. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 3:47
7. Laurence Pithie (NZ) Groupama-FDJ at 3:48
8. Jordi Meeus (Bel) BORA-hansgrohe at 4:47
9. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility.
10. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty.
Roubaix’24:
Paris-Roubaix Femme avec Zwift 2024
Lotte Kopecky won the women’s 2024 Paris-Roubaix. The World champion was the fastest in a sprint of six riders on the Roubaix velodrome after an exciting battle on the cobbles. She beat Elisa Balsamo and Pfeiffer Georgi into second and third places. Marianne Vos was fourth, Amber Kraak fifth and Ellen van Dijk sixth.
All the cobbles that were in last year’s women’s Paris-Roubaix are also in the this year’s route of 148.5 kilometres. An extra loop has been added between Villers-en-Cauchies and Avesnes-le-Sec in the first 30 kilometres. The start is in Denain for the fourth year in a row and there is a loop to give the race some extra distance. The only obstacle in this section could be the riders themselves as crashes due to nervousness early in the race can happen. After 60 kilometres the cobbles begin on the road between Hornaing and Wandignies-Hamage. In 2021, Lizzie Deignan attacked here for her 80 kilometre ride to victory. There are 17 sectors of cobbles over 29.2 kilometres, before the finish on the Roubaix track. The worst sectors are Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre, both with 5 stars.
There were many attack attempts and some crashes in the nervous early part of the race. Alison Jackson, last year’s winner, fell twice. The Canadian champion was lucky and was able to rejoin the race. Victoire Joncheray (Komugi-Grand Est) managed to escape and take a lead of 2 minutes on the peloton. She tried her hardest, but at 112 kilometres from the finish, it was all together again. In the run-up to the first of the 17 cobbled sections, Hornaing à Wandignies, the bunch was together. The pace was high due to dsm-firmenich PostNL. No one tried to get away, but riders were being dropped. The peloton eventually split when Lotte Kopecky went to the front, 75 kilometres from the finish, on the Warlaing à Brillon section. A group of around 10 riders, split off the front.
The pace eased off a bit after that and riders could rejoin. Jackson got back on and attacked. This attack was neutralised by Ellen van Dijk, who then pushed on, on the fourth section. Things split behind her, but once on the smooth road it closed up again. Kopecky was having problems with loose handlebars, but got an allan key from her team car. On the four-star sector of Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée, Kopecky was again at the front and put a lot of pressure on the others. Four riders could follow her: Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). Although Wiebes had to drop back to the second group. The four were not at ‘Full Gas’, and the group with Wiebes returned on the five-star Mons-en-Pévèle. This happened thanks to the work of Van Dijk. Immediately after that section, Kopecky went again. It was a strong jump and the peloton split into two pieces, but the two parts quickly came back together. There was then several attacks. Van Dijk didn’t get away, but Jade Wiel did. The FDJ-SUEZ rider attacked 33 kilometres from the finish and had a lead of 30 seconds Ten kilometres later, she was caught. This was the signal for her teammate Amber Kraak to go. She had Van Dijk on her wheel and the two worked well together.
At Camphin-en-Pévèle Kopecky accelerated again. At first Vos, Balsamo and Pfeiffer were able to follow, but the British rider got into trouble and lost the wheel. The other three pushed to Van Dijk and Kraak. It was also too fast for Balsamo on the Carrefour de l’Abre, just as Van Dijk was pushing hard. It was Vos who accelerated. Kraak closed the gap, after which Kopecky countered, but Vos jumped on the wheel of the World champion. Balsamo and Pfeiffer managed to catch the front four, despite some disagreement. The chase group was still within 30 seconds. There were attacks form from Kraak and Van Dijk, but the six stayed together. It was going to be a sprint on the Roubaix velodrome. Balsamo started with a long effort. Vos passed her, but slowed in the final straight. Kopecky was flying round the outside. The World champion had a lot of speed at the end to hold off the other to win Paris-Roubaix for the first time. Balsamo was second, Georgi third. Marianne Vos had to settle for fourth place.
# You can see lots of race photos in the PEZ ‘Race Report’ HERE. #
Race winner, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “This was a win we had been chasing for a long time with Team SD Worx-Protime. To finally succeed and in such a beautiful way, as world champion on the Roubaix track, is wonderful. Paris-Roubaix was THE goal of the season. The team had a lot of confidence in me last week. My teammates tried to make me laugh all the time to keep the atmosphere nice and relaxed. That certainly did me good. After the Tour of Flanders I wondered why I didn’t feel so fit. It’s in your head. Everyone around me always stressed that I had to keep faith in my own qualities. In the race, the team worked fantastically for me. I had to waste little strength and was always in a perfect position to tackle the cobbled sections. Lorena Wiebes in the second group was maybe the key to the win for me. She was just off with the first group, but just her presence with the chasers was worth gold to me. When turning onto the course I am always nervous. With two fast sprinters Marianne Vos and Elisa Balsamo in the leading group, it was not a certainty that I could win the sprint. It was very difficult to get into good position. In all the jostling on the track, I was passed from below and above. They started the sprint very early. Probably they were a little less and therefore lacked explosiveness. I was fortunately able to keep sprinting until the line. I still had enough power in my legs for such a long sprint and am happy to add Paris-Roubaix to my palmarès. This cobblestone gets a special place at home.”
2nd, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): “If they would have told me at the start that I was second, I wouldn’t believe it. So for sure, there was a little bit of disappointment after the finish line because, yes, it’s a super important race. But now after 10 minutes, I’m happy. I think that we have the best materials, the best bikes, the best wheels and everything, so they were really testing for months all the materials. They did an amazing job and I was feeling really good with the bike and the wheels. And so I think that this makes a really big difference. I was really over the limit at that moment, but then I worked with Pfeiffer Georgi and we were working together to come back. I was just also surprised by myself to be with these very strong riders in the front. The team did a great job, in every cobble sector we were in the front. And then I want to say a big thank you to all of them. Ellen was really, really strong. She was attacking a lot. And I think that she did an amazing race. In the final she was helping me, and I really want to say thank you to everyone in the team — teammates and staff — because today we did a great job. I thought [during the race] that I need a good sprint. And then after such a hard race, Lotte was just stronger. Before the race, they just told me that I really have to fight because in this race, you never know. There is always the possibility to come back. And so yes, I was just really focused today. This was really useful mentally for me. So I think that this also made a big difference. I think that now I have to believe more in myself because I never thought that I could be there. So I will try next year.”
3rd, Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “We had a bit of a crash before the important sectors so I got dropped from the front then it was just a fight back and I can’t believe it. This is a dream race of mine – I know it’s not the win but for me it means a lot. It was all about positioning today. I owe it to the girls, they put me in front in every sector and that made the difference, staying out of trouble and following. I felt really good and knew the race suited me. At the end it was a bit difficult as Ellen (Van Dijk) was riding to keep it together so there wasn’t a good moment to attack. I just focused on the sprint and am used to doing a bit of track so I was trying to harness that a bit. Some of these girls were my heroes growing up so to be in the final of Paris-Roubaix with them and stand on the podium is pretty crazy. When we crossed the finish line, I wasn’t sure if I was 3rd or 4th and I was really hoping to get on the podium… So when it came on the screen, it was very emotional. It’s a monumental race, a dream race for me and a big goal, so getting on the podium means a lot. I felt a lot of pressure when I arrived at the velodrome because it is a unique opportunity to find yourself in a position to win the Roubaix. I didn’t want to screw up, I didn’t want to get locked up… It was a difficult challenge to win the sprint, but in Roubaix anything can happen and I made a great launch to get on the podium. The first edition was crazy for me, I kind of dismissed it… But I got two top 10s in the last two years. “It is a relationship of love and hate, it is a dream career and I will continue fighting for this stone.”
4th, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Very disappointed. It’s shit if you don’t really get involved. In the end you just get beaten, especially if you turn onto the track for the win it’s shit. I just didn’t have enough speed. Kopecky came around very hard and I fell silent… I think the team stayed out of trouble all day long. It was nice to be able to race like that. But I am extremely disappointed. Another chance next year, but then you have to wait another 365 days. That’s a shame.”
6th, Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek): “Yeah, I felt good. I didn’t really know what to expect from the race because I still have really bad memories from the first time I did it. So I’m always actually afraid of this race [that I’m going to] crash bad. But I also know the best way to ride it is to race in the front. And I’m really happy I could race in the front. And I’m happy with my shape, definitely. I worked hard throughout my whole pregnancy and also afterwards to come back. And yeah, my engine is well developed. I know that. So I’m really happy with that. I’m just really happy I could show it in this race today. I also know I missed a little bit of the punch. And that’s also what you need in racing. But for only six months after giving birth, I’m really happy with my level. My love is starting to grow a lot for this race. Every year I love it a little bit more. The first year I hated it. Second year, I really liked it. And now again. So it’s getting a really special place in my heart right now.”“I was thinking about that a little bit during the race. Like I need to give him something to watch for. To see. I don’t know if he’s actually conscious about it. But he was definitely watching together with my husband, and so I know that they were in front of the TV, so I wanted to show them something. Elisa rode a great race, and I knew she was really strong. And yeah, I mean, we know she’s a great, great sprinter, but so is Kopecky. So of course, it’s never easy to win this race. And so it was really close. Of course, we are disappointed that she didn’t win, but we gave it our all. And yeah, I mean, this is what we could do. So we can be OK with the result. Maybe. We have to look back at how we could have played it differently. But she asked me to do that, so that’s what I did. Beforehand, I could try to get away, but I didn’t have the punch. I knew I couldn’t get rid of Kopecky and Vos, and so that was a difficult situation. And then the best way was to go all in for the sprint with Balsamo. But of course I was wondering where she wanted to be placed in the group, but I was pretty confident that she would find the place that she wanted. And she just said that I had to ride to keep the pace high. And then she did the sprint and all I could do was yell for her in the radio.”
Paris-Roubaix Femme avec Zwift Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 3:47:13
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Pfeiffer Georgi (GB) dsm-firmenich PostNL
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Amber Kraak (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ
6. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 0:06
7. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:28
8. Victoire Berteau (Fra) Cofidis
9. Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ
10. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal.
Roubaix’24:
Itzulia Basque Country 2024
Louis Meintjes won a dramatic Stage 4 of the Tour of the Basque Country. The South African was the strongest of the leading group of six, which was allowed to race for the day’s victory. The peloton didn’t race and rode to the finish after stage was stopped by a massive crash. Overall leader, Primoz Roglič, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard and others, were involved in the crash and had to abandon. The stage times were not taken, so Mattias Skjelmose is the now the new overall leader.
The fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country went from Etxarri Aranatz to Legutio, a distance of 157.5 kilometres. There were four climbs in the stage, the final climb to Leintz-Gatzaga (3.1km at 8.5%) was the hardest and came 10 kilometres from the finish.
The break of the day was made up of six riders, it should have been seven, but Enekoitz Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi) tried and failed to croos. The six were: KOM Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), Reuben Thompson (Groupama-FDJ), Mikel Retegi (Equipo Kern Pharma), Joseba López (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Karel Vacek (Burgos-BH). They had a lead of over 6 minutes. Meintjes, who started the stage at 2:22 down on overall leader Primoz Roglič, was virtual leader until 35 kilometres to go. At that point there was a big crash in the peloton. Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard were all involved. Vingegaard didn’t move for a long time and was taken away by ambulance. Evenepoel could walk, but was holding his ribs. There were around ten riders involved and all needed medical attention, and so the stage was neutralised. The break and the peloton had to wait for a long time.
The organisers decided to neutralise the stage and no times would be taken for the overall. There was still a race for the stage win, but there would be no overall difference. This meant that the six in the break would fight for the stage victory. The peloton didn’t want to continue racing. The leading group continued to race with about 20 kilometres to go. The six stayed together to the Leintz-Gatzaga climb (3.1km at 8.5%). It was Meintjes took the lead, but it was Vacek who attacked. Thompson and Meintjes were able to follow the Czech Burgos-BH rider. Close to the top, Vacek pushed hard and Thompson was dropped. Meintjes then jumped away before the summit. The KOM was the first over the top, but there was still 10 flat kilometres to the finish. The South African climber had no problems and soloed to victory. Behind Meintjes, Thompson won the sprint for 2nd place from Vacek. Mattias Skjelmose is the new overall leader due to the abandonment of Roglič and Evenepoel.
Stage winner, Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty): “Doesn’t really feel like a victory. This is not the way you want to win, but I felt good. If we had a chance as a leading group, I would be ready to fight for the win. But it’s a shame… It takes away some of the joy. It’s a victory, but it doesn’t really feel like it. You want it to be fair for everyone. If you can call this a victory… Right now I don’t know exactly what the situation was behind me, but it must have been pretty bad. I hope everyone recovers quickly.”
Overall leader, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): “Today is a really sad day. My thoughts are just for all the guys that crashed today, starting from my teammate Natnael. I wish them all the best and a fast recovery. I’m now the leader of the race, but of course there’s nothing to celebrate today. It’s hard to speak or even think about the competition in days like this. I’m really not thinking about the leader jersey now. Let’s have this night pass. Everything happened very fast and suddenly. Natnael crashed in front of me, I feel lucky I was not involved. The road was really bumpy, we were all fighting for position and unfortunately the peloton came to that turn a bit too fast. When the first rider crashed, the others just followed. They were really unlucky and it’s not anyone’s fault. I think this year the race is a bit less hard and many strong riders are there fighting for position. The level of the competition is high, as well as the level of the stress and nervousness. That’s a fact and that’s cycling right now.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 4 Result:
1. Louis Meintjes (SA) Intermarché-Wanty in 4:21:15
2. Reuben Thompson (NZ) Groupama-FDJ
3. Karel Vacek (CZ) Burgos-BH
4. Mikel Retegi (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
5. Mathieu Burgaudeau (Fra) TotalEnergies
6. Joseba López (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
7. Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Kevin Colleoni (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty
9. Iván Cobo (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
10. José Manuel Díaz (Spa) Burgos-BH.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 4:
1. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek in 8:36:11
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:04
3. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:06
4. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
5. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:13
6. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:14
7. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:15
8. Paul Lapeira (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:16
9. Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar at 0:18
10. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Basque Country’24 stage 4:
Romain Gregoire won the Fifth Stage of the Itzulia Basque Country on Friday. In a stage with a very hard finish, the Groupama-FDJ rider was the best in the sprint. The Frenchman narrowly beat Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Maximilian Schachmann (BORA-hansgrohe). Schachmann also moved up to second overall, 2 seconds behind Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek).
The fifth stage started in Vitoria-Gasteiz and finished in Amorebieta-Etxano after 175.9 kilometres. There were four climbs, one after the other in the finale.
There were no attacks on the road to Urkiola, the first climb of the day. After 70 kilometres there was a crash in the peloton. It was Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) who hit the road and didn’t move for a long time and had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance. Teammate Gil Gelders and two Movistar riders, Pelayo Sánchez and Gonzalo Serrano, also had to abandon. The first climb of the day caused splits in the race. Sepp Kuss attacked with 20-year-old Mexican Isaac del Toro. The Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates riders had 1 minute on the peloton, but were unable to stay away on the descent. In the run-up to the final, the two were caught and 9 got away. This included Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mauro Schmid (Jayoc AlUla), Martijn Tusveld (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The nine had 30 seconds, but the peloton closing in on the first of the four final climbs.
It was Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) who made the first serious attack. The Colombian passed the leading group and was joined by another group on the first of two climbs of the Muniketagaina. But it was Lidl-Trek who brought everything back together. Fifteen kilometres from the finish, the Muniketagaina had to be climbed for the second time. It was Isaac del Toro again, who responded to a group of riders who managed to break away from the peloton. This time it was Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) who did the work for his leader. Just before the top of the climb, Maximilian Schachmann (BORA-hansgrohe) gave it another go, but a large group survived this attack. A late attack from Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) also didn’t work, so it would became a sprint in Amorebieta-Etxano. Romain Gregoire was the fastest in a chaotic sprint. Olruis Aular and Maximilian Schachmann finished second and third.
Stage winner, Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ): “I feel very good, I am relieved. I really held out. It was a pretty crazy stage, very fast all day. It feels very good to win. The idea was Quentin Pacher. He put me in a perfect position at 500 metres. A rider from Bora (Maximilan Schachmann) had opened a small gap, so I had to pull away to the finish line. For a minute or two after the finish I didn’t know if he had won, it was quite stressful. It’s my first WorldTour win, so obviously it counts. It is a real stage for strong climbers and riders for the general classification. I’m going to try to hold on as long as I can. I would like to make a good overall classification, but it has already been a good week. I really held on to get this win. It was a pretty crazy stage, very fast all day. I reached the limit on every climb, but I knew that in the sprint I had my chance. Quentin took me ideally in the final, I trusted him 100% and he let me go in the 200 meters. Then I had to pull myself to the line. For a minute or two after the finish, I didn’t know if I had won. The cameraman waved to me to tell me it was okay, but I didn’t know if I should believe it, it was quite stressful. In the end, the result is great, we were able to enjoy it with Rémy, Quentin and the staff. I am very happy to win, this victory does me a lot of good. It’s a small relief. That was my goal for the season, I’ll remember that. Winning is very important for me, I will be able to face the rest of the season a little more relaxed. Tomorrow’s stage is a work in progress, a true stage for climbers. I’m going to try to hold on as long as I can. We’ll do the math at the end, but it’s already been a good week.”
Overall leader, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): “It was a difficult stage but I feel good that I had to open up and I had the support of a strong and intelligent team. I am very happy with this. Tomorrow is going to be the day of truth. My personal feelings and that of my colleagues today make me confident and motivated.”
2nd on the stage, Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “It was a stage in which the whole day went very quickly and we had to save for the end. I knew I could make it through the climb, although I suffered a lot, and I was able to be with the favourites. At the finish, I felt strong and capable, but I was close. It’s a shame not to win, but I’m happy with the result despite the circumstances because I spent a lot of energy, especially in the final part, to place myself well.”
3rd on the stage and 2nd overall, Maximilian Schachmann (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “Today’s stage was very fast and, as a team, we played a great game. Matteo and Jai positioned me well on the final climb. I felt strong and tried to make a move at the top. The descent was quite a challenge. In the last corner, I was in second position and I had no choice but to give it my all. Even though I did my best, my legs weren’t there in the end.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 5 Result:
1. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ in 3:43:28
2. Orluis Aular (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
3. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
4. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
5. Alex Aranburu (Spa) Movistar
6. Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain-Victorious
7. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious
8. Damien Howson (Aus) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
9. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
10. Carlos Rodríguez (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 5:
1. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek in 12:19:39
2. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:02
3. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:04
4. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:06
5. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:08
6. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 0:13
7. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:14
8. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:15
9. Alex Aranburu (Spa) Movistar at 0:23
10. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:30.
Basque Country’24 stage 5:
Juan Ayuso was the overall winner of the Itzulia Basque Country. The Spaniard of UAE Team Emirates managed to take the lead from Mattias Skjelmose in the difficult Final Stage 6. The final stage was won by Carlos Rodríguez from Ayuso with whom he had broken away from the group of favourites in the finale.
The final stage of the Basque Country was not easy. The 137.8 kilometres had four difficult climbs in the final: The Krabelin (5km at 9.6%), the Trabakua (3.3km at 7.1%), the Izua (4.1km at 9.2%) and the Urkaregi (5km at 4.8%). The top of that last climb was 12 kilometres from the finish. After a descent, the last kilometres were uphill to the finish in Eibar. Mattias Skjelmose started the stage as leader, but 23 riders were within 1 minute.
On the first climb of the day, to Elkorrieta (2.6km at 6.3%), fourteen riders made up the break. This included Martijn Tusveld (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Sjoerd Bax (UAE Team Emirates), Steven Kruijswijk and Milan Vader (Visma | Lease a Bike). Later a group of riders crossed, including Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek). There were now 22 riders off the front, with Brandon Smith Rivera (INEOS Grenadiers) as the best on GC. He was 1:21 behind Skjelmose. It was the Dane’s team, Lidl-Trek, that led the chase. They ensured that the difference didn’t exceed 3:30. On the climb to Gorla (9.6km at 5.6%), still in the first part of the stage, there was an attack from the leading group. David de la Cruz (Q36.5) set out alone and was the first at the top. After the descent he was caught again, but it remained unsettled in the leading group. The thinned leading group started together on the very steep Krabelin (5km at 9.6%). From the peloton, which was just under 3 minutes behind, Marc Soler and William Junior Lecerf tried to cross to the leading group. Steven Kruijswijk was riding well in the leading group and once at the top, he was one of the seven at the front. The others were: Mollema, Kuss, Chaves, James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar) and Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates). At the top they had just over 2 minutes on the peloton.
James Shaw was able to return to the seven. His teammate Chaves had a chance of winning the stage. Although the difference to the Trabakua (3.3km at 7.1%) started to shrink. At the start of the climb, the attackers still had just over 1 minute on the peloton, where BORA-hansgrohe were helping to the chase. A second group was between the leaders and the pack. This included Soler, who would cross with Lucas Hamilton. In the run-up to the Izua (4.1km at 9.2%), the penultimate climb of the day, the leading group had more than 1 minute’s advantage over the peloton. Soler was the virtual leader on the road, as he started the day 47 seconds behind Skjelmose. He also gained 3 bonus seconds at an intermediate sprint. Arrieta exhausted himself for his teammate on the Izua. Juan Ayuso responded to an attack from Carlos Rodríguez, who had jumped away from Skjelmose. The Dane had difficulty after Rodríguez’s attack. Ayuso passed Kuss and others, and crossed to the very strong Kruijswijk, Chaves and Soler. Onley was the first to reach the top of the Izua.
At the top of the climb, Kruijswijk had to leave a small gap. He was joined by Rodríguez and Skjelmose, but couldn’t stay with them on the descent. The Dutchman dropped back to a third group, the Spaniard and the Dane returned to Ayuso, Soler and Chaves. Going to the final climb, the five joined Onley. These six would battle it out for the stage and overall victory. On the Urkaregi (5km at 4.8%), the last climb of the day, Ayuso broke away from Skjelmose and only Rodríguez could follow. The two worked well together, because there was a possible prize waiting for both of them in Eibar. Ayuso was only 4 seconds behind Skjelmose and had a good chance of the overall victory, Rodríguez could win the stage. The two raced all the way to the finish line and it was Rodríguez who took the stage. Ayuso didn’t sprint because he knew that he could take the overall victory. The group with Skjelmose crossed the line 41 seconds later. Soler won the sprint, Rodríguez moved up to second overall, at the expense of Skjelmose.
Stage winner and 2nd overall, Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers): «It has been an extremely complicated day, especially for me. Everyone was suffering. I was smart and saw how the other favourites moved and when Tao started to push on the climb to Izu I knew that Skjelmose was going to test him. I started out on the wheel and when I saw that he was asking for relief I continued forward. Juan has been very strong, it has been difficult for me to catch the wheel. From there to the finish line he has had to suffer and give his all. There has been collaboration because we had common interests. Happy to have achieved the stage and that he was able to achieve the general. Juan Ayuso has been extraordinarily strong today. It was planned, but we worked together. I am very grateful for what the team did for me today and of course we will celebrate tonight. He wasn’t one of the big favourites here. “So it’s a privilege to finish 2nd, I just had to give everything I could as part of a strong team.”
Overall winner and 2nd on the stage, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s incredible. It’s my first WorldTour stage race win and to do it here in the Basque Country is amazing. I have to give full credit to my teammates, I think we raced perfectly from start to finish and we deserved the win. Everything went perfectly, we raced to put Trek under pressure with getting the guys up the road and then me following over in the end. It’s my first time arriving to the Ardennes in good form so I’m excited to see what I can achieve.”
4th on the stage and 3rd overall, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): “The team did a perfect job. We couldn’t have done better. I just didn’t have the legs in the final. That’s how things are. Carlos has run very hard. He helped me get back, even though he didn’t have to. That was great of him. So I’m glad he won. Unfortunately I didn’t have my legs when they attacked the second time, but I fought until the end. That was the most important thing. I’m certainly happy with that. It’s a good performance. Even though it is not what we expected, it is still a podium in a World Tour race.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 6 Result:
1. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers in 3:37:13
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates
3. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:41
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Oscar Onley (GB) dsm-firmenich PostNL
6. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 1:31
7. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates
8. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious
9. Esteban Chaves (Col) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:33
10. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 1:41.
Itzulia Basque Country Final Overall Result:
1. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates in 15:56:50
2. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:42
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:43
4. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:23
5. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates at 1:46
6. Pello Bilbao Bahrain-Victorious at 1:48
7. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates at 2:15
8. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 2:38
9. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Cofidis at 3:06
10. Alex Baudin Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:07.
Basque Country’24 stage 6:
Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard Both Suffered a Bruised Lung
The two leaders of Visma | Lease a Bike have something in common. Wout van Aert suffered a broken collarbone, a fracture in the sternum and several broken ribs in Dwars door Vlaanderen, he also had a bruised lung, HLN reports. Jonas Vingegaard also suffered fractures and a lung contusion after his crash in the Basque Country.
Wout van Aert’s additional injury was announced at a press conference by Merijn Zeeman, who is technical director of Visma | Lease a Bike. “In addition to the fractures, Van Aert also has a bruised lung. A new scan will take place in a few weeks. Then we know what his real situation is. It now makes his breathing difficult and that is of course difficult for an endurance athlete. Something like this recovers over time. So it will definitely work out fine. But it is clear that it hurts.”
Swellings in the lungs and accumulated fluid in the alveoli make breathing difficult in the case of a bruised lung. Van Aert and Vingegaard are now awaiting recovery, which will include breathing exercises. Although Van Aert previously showed that he is already ready for his recovery. “He already walks a bit,” said Zeeman. “His wounds are looking better and better. We were still in contact this morning. I’m actually surprised at how quickly he recovers. Watching that horrible burn on his back heal. So you can see that they are very special athletes. In that respect, things are going well.”
Vingegaard’s crash in the Basque Country:
Patrick Lefevere on Remco Evenepoel’s Crash
Remco Evenepoel had to abandon the Itzula Basque Country on Thursday after he was involved in the stage 4 crash. This is a major setback for him and the Soudal Quick-Step team. Patrick Lefevere, team manager, spoke about the crash.
The crash happened 35 kilometres from the finish and Evenepoel was well positioned at the front, but he shot through the bend at high speed, followed by other riders. The Belgian champion managed to jump over the ditch, but fell hard on the ground. He managed to walk to the ambulance holding his arm and was taken to hospital.
“The rider in Remco’s wheel fell and he probably lost his concentration for a moment and fell,” Patrick Lefevere said to Sporza. At the time of the crash, the Lefevere was at Soudal Quick-Step’s Paris-Roubaix press meeting. “I don’t think they took too many risks, the road seemed quite slippery to me. It could have been a lot worse with those rocks and trees, but it looks serious. It’s never a good sign when a rider grabs his shoulder. This is the worst possible period, but we have to wait for the medical report. There are still 14 days until Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a lot can be recovered. But in the event of a breakup it stops here.”
Lefevere was asked whether Evenepoel’s Tour de France was now in danger: “No, the Tour is not mortgaged. It would only be a setback after so much effort again.”
Remco Evenepoel Update
Following his crash on Thursday’s stage 4 of Itzulia Basque Country, Remco Evenepoel underwent surgery on Saturday to the broken collarbone that he sustained in the incident. The surgery was carried out by Dr Steven Claes without complication, and the Belgian Champion – a winner of four races this season – has been discharged to recuperate.
Everybody at Soudal Quick-Step wishes Remco the best for his recovery.
Evenepoel before the crash:
Two More Soudal Quick-Step Riders had to Say Goodbye to the WorldTour Race
During an accident on stage 5 of Itzulia Basque Country, Soudal Quick-Step riders Mikel Landa and Gil Gelders were involved in a crash, forcing both to leave the race. Gelders was given medical attention on the spot and was treated for abrasions.
Mikel, runner-up at the Volta a Catalunya last month, was taken to the local hospital where X-rays revealed that he has suffered a fracture to his clavicle. He will now undergo further investigation to determine the best path for his recovery.
We wish both riders well.
Update
Following further examinations, it was revealed that as well as the fracture to his right collarbone, Mikel Landa has suffered breaks to his 5th and 6th rib.
It has been decided that unless there are further complications, no operation will be required on his collarbone, and it will be allowed to heal conservatively.
He will be looked after by Dr Mikel Sanchez in Vitoria.
Landa out of the Itzulia Basque Country:
Update: Lennard Kämna
Lennard Kämna’s recovery has developed positively over the past few days. The 27-year-old has improved so much that he was able to leave the intensive care unit. A doctor from the medical team of BORA – hansgrohe saw him to obtain an impression of his condition on site. He is stable and has therefore already been transferred to the normal ward of the hospital on Tenerife. His injuries, particularly in the chest area (severe chest trauma with rib fractures and lung contusion), will continue to be treated there.
Ralph Denk, Team Manager BORA – hansgrohe: “Lennard has taken a huge step forward. The fact that he can now be transferred to the normal ward is very good news. I would like to thank the medical team on Tenerife and our Medical Department for their great efforts over the last few days. We wish Lennard continued strength for a speedy recovery.”
Kämna recovering:
No Tour of the Alps for Nairo Quintana
Nairo Quintana will not start the Tour of the Alps, from April 15 to 19. The Movistar Colombian has returned to Colombia, where he will continue to recover from his crash(es) in the Volta a Catalunya. Quintana is meant to be racing in the Giro d’Italia, which starts on May 4 in Turin.
Quintana crashed twice in Catalunya, on stages 6 and 7. He didn’t suffer any fractures, but abandoned after the second fall. The 34-year-old is also suffering from an almost complete tear of the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his right arm, the joint that connects the sternum to the collarbone. This is why he didn’t ride the Tour of the Basque Country.
Now Quintana is also going to miss the Tour of the Alps. The four-day race in Italy would be his last race in the build-up to the Giro d’Italia. Movistar wrote on social media that the team will announce Quintana’s new program soon.
Will Quintana ride the Giro?
Laurence Pithie to Leave Groupama-FDJ
At the moment Laurence Pithie races for the Groupama-FDJ team, but according to GCN he is in his last year with the French team and the New Zealand rider will move to BORA-hansgrohe.
GCN reports that Ralph Denk’s German team has reached an agreement with Pithie on a ‘multi-year contract’. Although contracts can only be signed from August 1 for the next season. According to GCN, Pithie had received offers from several WorldTeams. UAE Team Emirates and Jayco AlUla were also interested in the signature of the 21-year-old rider, but Pithie is said to be going to BORA-hansgrohe.
Pithie has been seen as an up and coming talent for a while, but this season he has broken through at the highest level. In January he performed well in the Tour Down Under and took the victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. This was his second victory as a professional, after he won Cholet-Pays de la Loire last year. The New Zealander has been very noticeable in the spring Classics. In Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne he was with the winner Wout van Aert and he finished 15th in Milano-Sanremo. He was also in the action in Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders.
Pithie to BORA-hansgrohe?
Mads Pedersen to Lead Denmark in the 2024 Olympics
Denmark is giving one of its four tickets for the Olympic road race to a track cyclist. Astana Qazaqstan rider Michael Mørkøv is the lucky rider, he can also help Mads Pedersen in the road race.. In addition to Pedersen and Mørkøv, Mattias Skjelmose will also be in Paris.
National coach Anders Lund has taken his time to make the decision. “I was in Paris last week to inspect the route and was blown away. There are plenty of narrow streets on the local rounds, with a cobblestone climb to Montmartre shortly before the finish. The course is tailor-made for Mads and I consider him one of the absolute favourites for the battle. Mattias has to help Mads in the road stage, but can also have his chance in the time trial.”
The choice for Mørkøv is a strategic one. “He wants to defend his gold medal in the madison race. However, we are only allowed to select four riders for all track cycling events. i.e. the team pursuit, madison race and the omnium, together. Fortunately, countries are also allowed to use riders from another discipline, so if Mørkøv is selected as a road cyclist, he can compete in both disciplines. This way we can send an extra track rider, so that our riders remain fresh enough to complete all events. Fortunately, Michael can also handle himself well on the road.”
The fourth and final spot will not be filled until early June. From the four starters in the road race, Denmark must also select the two time trial riders. The road race in Paris is scheduled for Saturday, August 3.
Pedersen to lead Denmark in the Olympics:
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