EUROTRASH Monday: Pogačar = Giro Win & All the Other Cycling News

A very full EUROTRASH bag this Monday with all the Tadej Pogačar Giro d’Italia domination, plus 4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France, Vuelta a Burgos Feminas and the Antwerp Port Epic – Sels Trophy with rider quotes, reports, result and video.

Joop Zoetemelk doesn’t want to compare Pogačar with Merckx or Hinault – TOP STORY.

Rider news: Patrick Lefevere: “Alaphilippe is now proving me wrong, but I like that”, Wout van Aert will start the Tour of Norway, Elisa Balsamo breaks Nose in Vuelta a Burgos crash and Alaphilippe Gives Maestri a Jersey Pizza.

Team news: Aevolo Cycling joins EF Education-EasyPost as its U23 development team and swimming coach, Jacco Verhaeren to take over from Merijn Zeeman at Visma | Lease a Bike.

Race news: Monaco will host the Grand Departure of La Vuelta’26.

Plus: Eddy Merckx Bikes launches a new line of steel bikes and Netflix second season of Tour de France: Unchained trailer.

Big EUROTRASH Monday coffee.

 

TOP STORY: Joop Zoetemelk Doesn’t Want to compare Pogačar with Merckx or Hinault
Joop Zoetemelk was one of those present at Veenendaal-Veenendaal on Friday. The Dutch legend won the first edition ever in 1985. He looks back on that period with a smile, but also talks about the riders of today in a video interview with WielerFlits. “The riders are so complete now,” said Zoetemelk.

Zoetemelk says that he still follows cycling. “The great races for sure. And the races that I have ridden myself, such as the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo. I have never ridden the Giro d’Italia myself, but I am following it now. It’s not like I sit in front of the television all day, but I do watch the final. I will sit down for the last 25 kilometres.”

The now 77-year-old former rider also sees that Tadej Pogačar is dominating in Italy. “Can he be compared to riders from my time such as Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault? I haven’t thought about that yet. There are now riders who are a bit better than others. He is more complete,” analyses Zoetemelk. “He can ride a good time trial and he rides uphill like the best. That’s nice, but he can also sprint well if he wants to.”

It is always a pleasant reunion for Zoetemelk in Veenendaal. He recalls some memories with WielerFlits. “When I think of 1985, I immediately think of the World championship. Veenendaal was three days before. It was the last preparatory race for the World championship. We then came here with the entire Kwantum team.”

“It was a race that usually ended in a sprint, but that year we had a strong team. In the end I was able to get away, on my own. I finished the last 25 kilometres solo and that’s how I crossed the line. For me that was a very good test for the World champs in Italy (where Zoetemelk won). I have been coming back to this event for 20 years now. I like coming here.”

Joop Zoetemelk winning the World championships three days after Veenendaal:

 

Giro d’Italia 2024
Stage 12 was made for Julian Alaphilippe with its short and steep ramps in the tough finale. The French double World champion made sure he was in the ‘break of the day’ and then rode away with Mirco Maestri of Polti Kometa. The Soudal Quick-Step rider soloed to his first stage win in the Giro d’Italia. Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were second and third. Tadej Pogačar finished in the peloton to hold the overall lead.

The stage begins flat for 50km, and then takes in a succession of punchy and wall-like climbs all the way to the finish. Past Civitanova Marche, the route leaves the Adriatic coast and starts rising and falling nonstop. The riders will be negotiating 10 short but steep climbs, with varying degrees of difficulty (4 of which will be awarding KOM points). With 9 km out, the route takes a first ever pass over Monte Giove, where gradients exceed 10%. The final kilometres around Fano old town, along the walls, are quite intricate. The route bends in opposite directions, with short straight stretches in between. The last kilometre has a mild uphill gradient. The home straight (450m) is on 8m wide tarmac.

The lumpy route inspired many attackers to get away before the tough finale that would suit the ‘puncheurs’. At first the leading group was small. Young riders; Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk (Intermarché-Wanty) joined Matteo Trentin (Tudor). They held off the peloton for 30 kilometres before being pulled back. After 40 kilometres, Simon Clarke started a new break, but he was only joined by four riders. Michael Hepburn, Mirco Maestri and Eduardo Affini made up the leading group. Julian Alaphilippe knew today’s stage suited him. When he accelerate, the peloton tried to chase him down and 30 riders were on his tail. Filippo Ganna, Jhonatan Narvaez, Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Quinten Hermans were amongst the chasers. Alaphilippe was not finished yet.

The big break of the day: Filippo Ganna &amp, Jhonatan Narvaez (INEOS Grenadiers), Tobias Bayer & Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Ewen Costiou & Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Christian Scaroni & Simone Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan), Ruben Fernandez & Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R), Mikkel Honoré & Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Laurence Pithie & Cyril Barthe (Groupama-FDJ), Lilian Calmejane & Dion Smith (Intermarché-Wanty), Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech), Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek), Nairo Quintana & Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar), Julian Alaphilippe, Jan Hirt & Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-Quick Step), Gijs Leemreize & Kevin Vermaerke (fsm-firmenich PostNL), Michael Hepburn & Luka Mezgec (Jayco AlUla), Davide Piganzoli & Micro Maestri (Polti-Kometa), Edoardo Affini & Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike), Matteo Trentin & Alexander Kamp (Tudor), Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates), Domenico Pozzovivo &amp, Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) and Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain Victorious).

125 kilometres from the finish, the former double World champion jumped again and Micro Maestri followed him. The Polti Kometa rider was up for the battle and worked hard with Alaphilippe, even though he must have realised that he was with a big champion. Behind them in the break, the other riders didn’t really know what to do this early in the stage. No one in the peloton or the chase group wanted to take on the work, so Alaphilippe and Maestri soon had 30 seconds on their ex-companions. There were some attacks from the group, but they never came to anything. Eventually 9 riders set up a proper chase: Narvaez, Hermans, Scaroni, Thomas, Valgren, Smith, Clarke, Leemreize and Trentin. The peloton at this point could forget the stage victory. The 9 pulled the lead duo to 1 minute, as Bahrain Victorious started to help UAE Team Emirates because the gap was now at 7 minutes.

The stage would be won or lost on the steep, difficult final climb. Maestri didn’t hold back on the flat parts of road to the last climb and continued to ride with Alaphilippe to hold off the pursuers. They had came to within 45 seconds. On the Monte Giove, as we expected, Alaphilippe dropped Maestri and soloed towards his Giro stage victory. Behind; Narváez and Hermans were the strongest, but by the summit they had not made up any time on Alaphilippe, who was flying through the streets of Fano. In the ninth stage to Rapolano Terme, the Frenchman was beaten by Pelayo Sanchez, but here he was on his own able to take his first victory of the year and the Giro. In the peloton it had been a quiet day for the GC men. Bahrain Victorious and UAE Team Emirates had everything under control and they tried to put the pressure on the peloton in the final. On the steep final climb, Daniel Felipe Martinez (BORA-hansgrohe) wanted to test Tadej Pogačar, but without any effect.

# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #

Stage winner, Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step): “I am incredibly happy! It was my dream when I came to the start of my first Giro, and now, I can’t describe the feelings that I have. This victory means a lot to me. It took me some time to return at the top and I am happy I could do it today, at one of the most beautiful races in the world. It’s a special and emotional moment for me, a day I will forever remember. It wasn’t planned to go from the distance. Today was full gas from the start and my amazing team did a great job in the opening part of the stage, then I went all-out on the climbs and got a gap together with Mirco. I want to say chapeau to him, we worked well together and he too would have deserved to win. The advantage wasn’t big, but I felt good the entire stage, I raced with passion and grinta, and kept pushing until the final 500 meters, when I was finally sure of my win. Today was pure cycling, the kind of day that I love so much.”

Maglia Rosa and KOM, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “I wouldn’t say I was surprised when Bahrain started to pull but I was happy that they came, so we could rest a bit and stay on the wheels. The parcours was really nice and not so boring, so time passed fast, we had a good weather with no wind. I enjoyed it more than yesterday for sure. It was a god day on the bike.”

7th on the stage, Simon Clarke (IPT): “Overall a good day. I don’t regret it, I left it all there. Unfortunately, this year’s Giro doesn’t really appeal to beaters, there weren’t a ton of stages to get around. But the day of the mini Strade Bianche and today were the ones that had a good opportunity. Maybe I hit a little aggressively on Strade day, so I went for a different tactic here. Once the group got down to 37 riders or whatever, it was going to be very difficult to negotiate on my own. I’ve been in those situations before; You have to be up front and go through the motions. A group that size never stays together, it always divides. In fact it split a lot quicker than I thought today, I followed a bit of acceleration and before I knew it was a nine man time trial for the rest of the day. Alaphilippe was very strong, we were totally committed and we couldn’t eat up his time difference.”

Break rider and 9th on the stage, Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa): “It was wonderful to be able to face this breakaway with a champion like Alaphilippe, whom I admire a lot. I will always remember him. We agreed not to attack each other, to understand each other and to make our way. I would have loved to have won a stage that we had marked out, although it was difficult because there were many riders who were looking to win. I gave everything I had, it was a very hard day, possibly the hardest of my life. Alaphilippe helped me and encouraged me to keep going, although on the last wall I couldn’t follow him. I think it was really difficult to beat him, but we got the best possible result. When he came to thank me at the finish line, I congratulated him on his victory.”

Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I felt my form was good today. It has been a crazy and fast stage. I tried to follow my instinct at the beginning of the stage. I knew that the first escape attempt would not be the right one. I ended up in a strong group, but maybe that group was too big. I tried several times, but it turned out to be in vain. There was also a bit of lack of co-operation in the group. It’s a shame, because my legs are definitely fine. Even though there are only four riders (in his team) left in the race, we proved it again. Edoardo was in the attack yesterday and again today. He is very strong. We will not let our heads hang and we will try to take advantage of every opportunity that arises with both hands.”

Giro d’Italia Stage 12 Result:
1. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step in 4:07:44
2. Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:31
3. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:32
4. Michael Valgren (Den) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:43
5. Christian Scaroni (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
6. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor at 1:30
7. Simon Clarke (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Gijs Leemreize (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
9. Mirco Maestri (Ita) Polti Kometa
10. Benjamin Thomas (Fra) Cofidis.

Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 12:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 45:22:35
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:56
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:39
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 4:27
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 4:57
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 5:19
8. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 5:23
9. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 5:28
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:52.

Giro’24 stage 12:

 

The profile of Stage 13 was billiard table flat and was bound to end in a sprint finish. It was a day designed for Giro d’Italia points competition leader and two-time stage winner, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) to take his third stage in this Giro. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) were second and third. No change on the GC before Saturday’s time trial.

A pan-flat stage across the lowlands of Emilia Romagna. Roads are variably wide and mostly straight, with common traffic obstacles to be found in urban areas along the route. The final kilometres are essentially flat. Crossing the bridge over the Reno will be the only impediment. Some sweeping bends lead into the home straight (450m), on 8m wide tarmac.

The flat route didn’t promise much early action, but as soon as the flag dropped, three riders jumped away: Manuele Tarozzi and Alessandro Tonelli, both of VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè and Andrea Pietrobon of, it had to be, Polti Kometa. The three Italians set a good pace and quickly had a lead of 3 minutes. In the peloton the riders were happy to chat and wave to the camera and the speed dropped to around 25kph. Eventually a few teams put men on the front of the peloton. Three minutes was the biggest lead they ever had, the sprinter’s teams started their work. Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal Quick-Step put riders on the front of the peloton, causing the lead to fluctuate between two and two and a half minutes. The race settled down to follow this pattern for quite a while. Andrea Pietrobon consolidated his leading position for the most kilometres in a break. In the 1st, 5th and 9th stages, he had ridden 376 kilometres off the front. Today he was able to add more kilometres and also won the first intermediate sprint. The Italian was now in the top 5 of the points classification (virtually). Behind in the peloton, Jonathan Milan added to his lead in the points competition by winning the sprint ahead of Filippo Fiorelli and Kaden Groves.

Lidl-Trek had also taken control in the peloton and the lead fell to 2 minutes, but apart from that nothing changed. Next up was the second intermediate sprint. In the peloton, Jonathan Milan missed out on the sprint and it was Kaden Groves who was first over the line in the peloton. Filippo Fiorelli was on his wheel. Sixty kilometres from the finish INEOS Grenadiers put Filippo Ganna on the front, this split the peloton into two parts, Jonathan Milan had missed the move. The sprinter tried to cross on his own, but was pulled back by the second group. Due to the work by INEOS Grenadiers, with the help of UAE Team Emirates and BORA-hansgrohe, the lead fell to 40 seconds.

The men of Lidl-Trek continued to fight to bring their leader and favourite for the stage victory back to the front of the race. The gap remained around 10 to 15 seconds for a long time, as no other team really wanted to help. After a lot of hard work, the second group managed to connect. During all this, the three in the escape were reeled in. Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) decided it was good time to try for an escape. They never really got a big lead, thanks to the sprinter’s teams. There was a crash involving David Dekker, Nario Quintana, Will Barta and Ewen Costiou and others, but everyone was able to continue. In the final kilometres the two escapees were caught and the sprint-trains could form. Once they were in the twisty part of the final, there was a battle for the best positions. In the sprint it was Jonathan Milan who was the fastest again, after Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) had gone for a long effort. A mighty sprint brought the Italian across the line first, for his third stage win in this Giro.

# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #

Stage winner and points leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “I’ve been a bit worried when I’ve been stuck behind in the echelons. We realised straight away that it was happing. Our reaction was “haha, here it is!”. The team car also informed us through the ear piece and we chose to move back up as much as possible on the left side of the road. There was never a big gap but it’s been demanding to close it. There was a nice rhythm. It took us a bit of time to come across. Then we decided to stay at the front. We knew the finale was complicated with speed bumps, curves and roundabouts. My team-mates have a great experience for the sprints. They motivate me a lot. They do a fantastic job but I don’t have to say it, it’s obvious on the TV images. They’re impressive!”

Maglia Rosa and KOM; Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s easier for me to race with the Maglia Rosa than it would have been four years ago when I was stressing a lot. Now my team is so strong that I don’t stress anymore. I didn’t in the echelons today. I’m confident also for the time trial tomorrow even though it’s pan flat and not as suitable for me as last TT in Perugia was. I’m happy to race this Giro. The crowd has been great so far. Italian people love to see Jonathan Milan winning. I also admire him a lot for he’s delivering in this race.”

9th on the stage, Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Kometa): “A day of two halves, initially very calm and then animated by Ineos’ forcing. We spent a lot of energy to catch up and, in the complicated finale, I couldn’t get Milan’s wheel. Still a good top-10 finish, and after tomorrow’s ITT on Lake Garda and a series of mountain stages, there will also be two opportunities for me in Padua and Rome.”

Break rider, Andrea Pietrobon (Polti Kometa): “Winning the escape classification still means a podium in Rome, and we are determinedly aiming for that. Moreover, knowing that the wind could have been troublesome, anticipating is always a good move; in fact, I managed to stay ahead until the end to help Lona.”

Giro d’Italia Stage 13 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:02:03
2. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
3. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Victorious
4. Tim van Dijke (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
7. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates
8. Laurence Pithie (NZ) Groupama-FDJ
9. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti Kometa
10. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor.

Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 13:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 49:24:38
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers 2:56
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:39
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 4:27
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 4:57
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 5:19
8. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 5:23
9. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 5:28
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:52.

Giro’24 stage 13:

 

Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) won the battle of the second Giro’24 time trial, but second placed Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) took more time over all his GC adversaries. The Slovenian champion now has a near 4 minute cushion. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) rode a solid test to jump over Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe), into second overall.

On the whole, the route is level, although with several undulations. The stage crosses a few urban areas, on rolling roads with mild downhill gradients, heading towards the shores of Lake Garda. The final kilometres are mostly straight, with just a right/left bend some 300 m before the finish. The home straight (200 m) is on 6 m wide tarmac.

Last rider overall, Frenchman Alan Riou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), was the first to start the day. Czech rider Josef Cerny (Soudal Quick-Step) was also an early started and set a time to aim at. He beat Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Ryan Mullen (BORA-hansgrohe) with a time of 36:58, at an average speed of 50.64 kilometres per hour. Despite his good time, Cerny wasn’t in the hot seat for very long, because almost Max Walscheid (Jayco AlUla) came in under his time and a little later Dutchman Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), 17 seconds faster than the Czech. Next it was the top favourites from the INEOS Grenadiers: Filippo Ganna, Tobias Foss and Magnus Sheffield who were ready to ride. Not long after Hoole took the lead, it was top favourite for the stage victory, Italian champion Ganna, starting his stage. At the first intermediate point after 7.8 kilometres, he was already 15 seconds faster, but the big differences were made between the second and third check points, after 23.2 kilometres. Ganna put more than a minute into the others, finishing more than a minute and 26 seconds faster than his teammate Foss, who had finished shortly before. 35:02 was the new top time at an average speed of 53.435 kilometres per hour.

Sheffield started his ride faster than Ganna, but due to a nasty crash, he lost time. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), Jan Tratnik (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) were all fast, but couldn’t get within a minute of the Italian. It was now the turn of the top-10 GC men. Could any of them get close the Ganna’s time and could they change the overall placings? Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) in particular had a very good time. Teammate Geraint Thomas, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R) all did well. They all finished within 20 seconds of each other, so there were no changes overall. Daniel Felipe Martinez (BORA-hansgrohe) did the worst ride of the top 5, but he did limit his loss to Geraint Thomas to just under half a minute. Pogačar started his time trial fast and was ahead of Ganna at the first check point by 4 seconds. The pink jersey lost time from then on, 10 seconds at the next point and 29 seconds by the finish. This was no problem for the Slovenian as he took time on all the other GC men.

# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #

Stage winner, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “Behind today’s victory, there’s so much work, especially as the difference is made by details. In the time trial to Perugia, I maintained my standard but today there wasn’t the hill of Perugia, however the boy in pink has made me suffer a lot, I have to thank him for pushing me to the level I had today. It looks easy, people say when there’s a time trial, Ganna wins, I wish! It would help me sleep better and be more relaxed but it’s not that easy. This win raises my morale before the last week of the Giro whereas the day after the Perugia time trial, I got dropped and I spent 60km in the grupetto. Today there were so many people on the road sides. They’ve given me an incredible support. It’s also thanks to them that I managed this little exploit. There were only 32km but I felt it was almost as long as Milano-Sanremo. I want to finish the Giro before thinking of the Olympic time trial.”

Overall leader, KOM and 2nd on the stage, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “I pushed hard in the first part of the course which was up and down and I really enjoyed it. The last part didn’t suit me quite as well and lost a bit of time there but that was to be expected. I kept a good pace without killing myself though I was aiming for the win. But Ganna was that bit stronger so I’m happy for him, he deserved it. Tomorrow is a big day, the queen stage. We can be confident, the team is strong and we’ll give it a good shot.”

2nd overall and 4th on the stage, Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers): “It’s pretty good… It’s decent so far I wanted to be more aggressive and I just attacked. I attacked too much, because in the left turn, after a kilometre and a half, I over did it. At least, that has raised my adrenaline. There was another curve where I also almost went over. And in another I entered a little out of turn. It was a bit fast, I didn’t have control at all times, which is not good… From how I felt, it’s pretty good. I felt like I was a little lacking with 10km left. It was the fastest part, but I felt like I was losing my pace a little bit and trying to get home. But it was hard. I didn’t feel like I could last at all, but it was certainly much better than the last one. It’s Tadej, it’s definitely Tadej. We all know it, but we have to keep trying, it’s the only thing we can do. Now we will see how it goes next week.”

3rd overall, Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe): “It was a pretty difficult time trial. Now I’m third overall, but in this specialty and on a course like this, Geraint (Thomas) usually does very well. Taking that into account, I would say, it has been a good day. I have given everything in this race against the clock, and the hardest and best part of the Giro lies ahead.”

6th on the stage and 5th overall, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious): “It’s very hard, so it’s better to see what the others will do. Yes, I am very happy with today’s time trial. I finished sixth, so that’s the best. This morning I was a little scared. I was afraid that my performance today would be disappointing. When I saw the result, I felt very satisfied. I can be proud. I’m still wearing the white jersey. Arensman is my first rival and tomorrow will be a very hard day. He is also very good on the climbs, but I hope to feel very good tomorrow too. Tomorrow it will be better to wait and see what the others want to do in the last climbs. After all, tomorrow is very hard.”

7th on the stage and 4th overall, Ben O`Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “I rode a 62 for the first time. It was hard on the legs, but on a day like that, you need the best equipment. I wasn’t in incredible shape, but I had to keep the pace and scored a good time, so it was a good day.”

8th overall, Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “To be honest, I’m a little disappointed with today, I expected more. But I’ll put it behind me and I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter of the Giro tomorrow, in which we’ll enter the high mountains. There’s still “There is a lot to play for in the next stages and I am motivated to continue fighting here with the team.”

Giro d’Italia Stage 14 Result:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 35:02
2. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:29
3. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:07
4. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:14
5. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 1:18
6. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 1:19
7. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 1:25
8. Tobias Foss (Nor) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:26
9. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) UAE Team Emirates at 1:28
10. Edoardo Affini (Ita) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:30.

Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 14:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 50:00:09
2. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:41
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 3:56
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 4:35
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 5:17
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 6:30
7. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 7:26
8. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 7:52
9. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 8:40
10. Alex Baudin (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 8:56.

Giro’24 stage 14:

 

On Stage 15 to Livigno (Mottolino), Tadej Pogačar gave a master class on how to win a mountainous Giro stage and (probably) a grand Tour. It looked like Nairo Quintana (Movistar) was on his way back to redemption, when the Slovenian champion decided he wanted more stage glory and more (a lot) of time on his adversaries. Pogačar swept past the Colombian on the last ramps of the final climb to claim (yet) another stage and nearly three minutes on the other GC men.

This high mountain stage passes and finishes above 2,000m, taking in 5 major climbs. The only time for the riders to catch their breath will be through the Val Camonica. After going over Lodrino, the route takes a first ever pass up the Colle San Zeno, followed by a lengthy and technical descent. After crossing the Val Camonica from Pisogne to Edolo, the route clears the Mortirolo (coming from Monno) and then descends towards the Valtellina. The route continues uphill through the short Le Motte climb just outside Bormio, passing Isolaccia Valdidentro and going over the Passo di Foscagno. A short descent then leads to the final climb of the Passo di Eira. At the summit, the route follows a paved road that ascends the Mottolino piste. The final kilometres are uphill. The gradient changes dramatically with 2km to go, past the Passo di Eira, where the average pitch remains above 10% even if the road features steep ramps alternating with not so sharp slopes. Along the final ramp, past the flamme rouge, gradients top out at 19%, then ease out a little, and eventually bounce back all the way to the home straight (50m), on 6m wide tarmac.

Early in the stage a large leading group got together: Davide Ballerini & Simone Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Harrison Wood (Cofidis), Laurence Pithie, Olivier Le Gac & Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ ), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Wanty), Bert van Lerberghe (Soudal Quick-Step), Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla), Davide Bais (Polti-Kometa) and Alessandro Tonelli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè). The twelve quickly took 4 minutes on the peloton. Cofidis had Harrison Wood in the break, but he was clearly not the right man for the French team, so they lifted the speed in the peloton, much to the annoyance of Lillian Calmejane, 5th in the KOM classification. Cofidis were working for mountain jersey wearer Simon Geschke, who counter-attacked on the first climb of the day, the Lodrino (7.6km at 4.4%). Other climbers followed, eventually creating a large chase group. This group of 45 riders included Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Julian Alaphilippe & Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek), Maximilian Schachmann (BORA-hansgrohe), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Tobias Foss & Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers). The best placed rider was Michael Storer of Tudor, who was 12th overall at 9:11 to Tadej Pogačar.

The two front groups came together on the Colle San Zeno (13.7km at 6.7%). There were now 58 riders up front, with a lead of 4:30 over the peloton led by UAE Team Emirates. This situation did not last long, because six riders broke away on the descent. From the original early break there were Bayer, Wood, Ballerini and Tonelli, from the second group there was Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazastan) and Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè). Before the Mortirolo (12.6km at 7.7%) had started, Ballerini and Bayer had to let go. The four remaining had a lead of just under 1 minute over the chasing group at the foot of the climb, where Polti Kometa set the pace for Davide Piganzoli. The peloton with Pogačar was again at 4 minutes. On the climb the leading group thinned out even more. Scaroni and Pellizzari stayed together, but just before the summit, Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck) joined them. The three started the descent together. Their lead over the others was limited and after the descent, Storer, Geschke, Piganzoli, Narváez, Velasco, Quintana, López, Alaphilippe, Vansevenant, Attila Valter (Visma | Lease a Bike), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Luca Covili (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek), Michel Ries (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar) joined them. In the run-up to the final climb, the group was split again. At the foot of the Foscagno Pass (14.6km at 6.5%), there were ten leaders, with a 3 minute lead over the peloton. Steinhauser attacked. The German made his move at the right moment and created a gap. Valter saw the danger. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider tried to cross, but couldn’t get close. Storer and Quintana eventually joined the Hungarian.

Quintana then went on his own after Steinhauser. The German had almost a 1 minute lead. The peloton, where Pogačar’s right-hand man, Rafal Majka was leading, was still more than 3 minutes ahead. Pogačar looked happy just to finish the stage with the favourites group. But no, the pink jersey attacked 14 kilometres from the finish. Daniel Felipe Martínez tried to follow him, but couldn’t. Geraint Thomas also had no answer. Quintana joined Steinhauser at the front. The EF Education-EasyPost rider was able stay with the Colombian for a little time, but the Movistar climber soon went solo. Pogačar was on his way. At the top of the Foscagno Pass, Quintana had 40 seconds on Pogačar, at the foot of the climb to Livigno (4.7km at 7.7%) it was still the same. But, in the kilometres that followed, Pogačar was quickly getting closer. The group of Thomas and Martínez were 3 minutes behind the Slovenian with 2 kilometres to go. Pogačar swept past Quintana. He left the Colombian in his wake and flew to the top of the climb. The UAE Team Emirates rider took his fourth stage victory of this Giro d’Italia. Quintana was second at 29 seconds. Then it was Steinhauser in third at 2:32. In the favourites group: Romain Bardet was first in fourth place. Behind him it was Thymen Arensman leading Thomas, who tried to drop Martínez and O’Connor in the final kilometre. O’Connor, who had also struggled earlier, was again in trouble, but Martínez still had something left. They crossed the line together at 2:50 behind Pogačar.

# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #

Stage winner KOM and Maglia Rosa, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “I’ve been here a lot of times. As a first year junior, we had a training camp at St-Moritz with the national team but we came to Livigno with our almost broken van to fill up the tank with cheaper petrol. I came back to Livigno almost every year. I have one of the nicest memories of my live here as well. I can say it: it was my first date with my fiancé Urska. Today is close to the top of the list but still far away from the number one. I’m super happy to win the queen stage here. Every Giro has its own story. Let see what next week brings but I’m satisfied with the time gap I have and the team I have. We’ll make the plan for the last week tomorrow.”

6th on the stage and 2nd overall, Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers): “We knew the attack was going to come. UAE Team Emirates raced all day to win the stage, so I take my hat off to them. I wasn’t feeling 100% when Pogačar attacked and I wasn’t confident I would have a good day. Then it became a game of cat and mouse between us. In the end, I felt better, and it’s good to finish with Dani (Martínez) and make up time with respect to my other rivals.”

2nd on the stage, Nairo Quintana (Movistar): “It was a stage that I liked, with a lot of unevenness. For me it is a great achievement, I have been saying it since the first day the Giro started and I hope to feel better. We are on the right track. I’m excited. It was a shame not to finish first, Pogačar is very strong and solid as we knew. The important thing is that we try, we work very well as a team. I knew these final ramps were very difficult, but I emptied myself. In the end I had to regulate. This second place tastes very good and I thank the team for taking me back to the competition.”

4th on the stage and 7th overall, Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “I wasn’t worried, I knew that when we got to the mountain stages, it would be fine. I also knew that when we passed 2,000 metres, I would be at my best. I tried to do the best race possible and felt good about my legs. This is a new chapter of the Giro, and the most important thing is to start it on the right foot. We are going to make the most of the rest, there are at least 3 more mountain stages that are going to be important.”

5th overall, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious): “I continue with the white jersey and fifth overall, and I am very happy about it, because today was my worst day on the bike since the start of the Giro. From the beginning, I didn’t feel as good as other days and I told myself that it wasn’t the best day to not be great. The team was by my side all day, and on the Passo di Foscagno, Caruso and Zambanini helped me a lot. I gave everything on the last climb to lose as little time as possible. I hope it was my worst day of the Giro and that the next ones will be better for me. I’m going to try to defend my white jersey against Arensman.”

Davide Piganzoli (Polti Kometa): “This was the Queen stage in a part of Italy where I have many affections and fans. I’m happy with the result but above all because in a crucial and very tough moment of the race, it was us, a small team, dictating the pace and the evolution of the situation. As I had the opportunity to personally say via radio to the squad during the race, I am truly proud of everyone’s work! Now, if UAE were to be satisfied and leave more space, I hope to seize other opportunities that may arise…”

Davide Bais (Polti Kometa): “I felt better than in the past few days and I tried immediately. In the end it turned out to be a very strange race day, where a large group caught us early on, and with my teammates we pulled to keep the advantage over the maglia rosa as wide as possible. We are really united, and it motivates us a lot to work for a leader like Piga who’s doing so well in his first Giro.”

Giro d’Italia Stage 15 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 6:11:43
2. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 0:29
3. Georg Steinhauser (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost in 2:32
4. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 2:47
5. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:50
6. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
7. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 2:58
8. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
9. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:05
10. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:20.

Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 15:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 56:11:46
2. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 6:41
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 6:56
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 7:43
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 9:26
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 9:45
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 10:49
8. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 11:11
9. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 12:13
10. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 13:11.

Giro’24 stage 15:

 

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France 2024
Sam Bennett won Stage 3 of the Four Days of Dunkirk on Thursday in a bunch sprint. He was the fastest of the fast-finishers. It was the second victory in a row for the Irishman. Milan Fretin and Amaury Capiot were second and third.

On the third day of the Four Days of Dunkirk the race inland from Saint-Laurent-Blagny to Bouchain, over not too difficult terrain. Despite three categorised climbs, totalling 1,371 metres. Like the second stage, it was one for the sprinters, because there were no major obstacles in the final lap of 35 kilometres.

It was a chilly day in the north of France, as the riders had a stage of 165 kilometres. The bad weather and the relatively easy stage did not stop four riders attacking. Fabio Christen (Q36.5), Antoine Hue (CIC U Nantes Atlantique), Kenny Molly (Van Rysel-Roubaix) and Gwen Leclainche (Philippe Wagner/Bazin) found each other early in the stage. A bunch sprint was on the cards again and so the peloton never really wanted to give the foursome much space. Amongst the rain showers, the difference fluctuated between 1:30 and 3 minutes. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale were the strong team of the peloton as they had confidence in their sprinter, Sam Bennett after his victory on day two.

About 50 kilometres from the finish, Fabio Christen let his companions go and dropped back to the peloton. Not much later, Antoine Hue also had to let the leading group go. The Frenchman had to change bikes, leaving just two escapees. Thirty kilometres from the finish, the difference had dropped to just 20 seconds, it was going to be a bunch sprint in Bouchain. There was a crash just over 1 kilometre from the finish, but the main sprinters were safe. In the sprint, Sam Bennett was the strongest. Milan Fretin and Amaury Capiot had to settle for second and third.

Stage winner and overall leader, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “They (his team) are fantastic. The thing with sprinting is that it often doesn’t go according to plan. We had a different plan today, but the men showed that we are a mature and experienced team. This way we were able to adapt well to the new circumstances. They were able to make quick decisions when things were not going well. And that’s what it’s all about. Hopefully we can continue this flow. It’s the whole reason I’m here. I want to get back to the Tour de France and show that I can handle it. That’s why I’m here. People on the internet can say whatever they want. I believe I can come back, if I didn’t believe in it, I better stop.”

3rd on the stage and overall, Amaury Capiot (Arkéa-B&B Hotels): “This 3rd stage of the 4 Days of Dunkirk passed quickly. We were waiting for the echelons to form, and we, in Arkea, were well placed at the head of the pack. But there wasn’t enough wind to form any. Halfway through Thursday’s stage, it rained a lot. It was a little cold, even. But during the last 40 kilometres, fortunately, the weather was milder and at the end the road was dry. The entire Arkea team did a great job for me today. I want to thank all my colleagues. In the final, Arnaud Démare, Kévin Ledanois and Mathis Le Berre gave 200% for me. I’m going to get third place in Bouchain and the four bonus seconds that are awarded to this position at the finish line. Tonight I am in third place in the provisional general classification of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and it is a good thing that allows us to put the team car in a good position for the cobblestone stage on Friday. If we ever need it, we will have the team car at our side immediately. The objective is to continue progressing in the general classification of these 4 Days of Dunkirk. It won’t be easy, because the competition is high here, but we will do everything we can collectively to achieve it.”

4th on the stage, Nils Eekhoff (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “It was a controlled day with some showers. We came with a good plan to ascend a little later as a single group. Once we got in front, Enzo did a great job pulling. Sean and Dege brought Casper and I in the last kilometre, but unfortunately Casper lost my wheel in the chicane in the last kilometre. I stayed calm to try to get together and throw it, but I no longer had the kick after making an effort to return. He came from the slipstream with high speed, which was good enough for fourth place. The next two days offer some good stages for the general classification, which I and the rest of the team are looking forward to.”

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 3 Result:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 3:42:38
2. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
3. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
4. Nils Eekhoff (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
5. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Pierre Barbier (Fra) Philippe Wagner/Bazin
7. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
8. Jason Tesson (Fra) TotalEnergies
9. Rory Townsend (Irl) Q36.5
10. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur.

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Overall After Stage 3:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 12:08:26
2. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis at 0:08
3. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:18
4. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
5. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
6. Fabio Christen (Sui) Q36.5
7. Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:20
8. Corbin Strong (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:21
9. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:22
10. Rory Townsend (Irl) Q36.5 at 0:24.

Dunkerque’24 stage 3:

 

Warre Vangheluwe won the Fourth Stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk after a spectacular finish. The young Belgian of Soudal Quick-Step stayed just ahead of the peloton, but an early victory gesture almost lost him the win. Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R) nearly beat him, but remains overall leader.

After three flat stages, it was time for some climbs for the first time in the Four Days of Dunkirk. The stage didn’t look too difficult, because a total of only 611 metres of climbing. But the final lap around Pont-a-Marcq, which had to be completed four and a half times, had three cobblestone sections.

The riders had a total of fourteen sectors of cobbles, a total of 20 kilometres. The three sections in the final were 700, 1000 and 2600 metres long. After the last stretch on the circuit, the one of 2600 metres, it was still about 7 kilometres to the finish. The nervousness was higher than the previous days, in the first 60 kilometres no one got into the early break, despite several attempts. There was a crash involving dsm-firmenich PostNL riders Nils Eekhoff and Sean Flynn. Eekhoff had to give up a little later. After 60 kilometres, Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step), Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis), Tomas Kopecky (Tour de Tietema-Unibet), Szymon Sajnok (Q36.5), Axel Narbonne (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur) and Samuel Leroux (Van Rysel-Roubaix) managed to take a gap, but it was small. Their lead was never bigger than 2 minutes. In the last 50 kilometres they only had 1 minute.

In the peloton they knew that in the final, with the technical course of cobbles, it would be difficult to make up much ground, that turned out to be the case. A battle-weary Narbonne and Sajnok were dropped, but the other four pushed on. They still had 30 seconds when they started the last 10 kilometres. Thanks to his strong cornering technique on the cobbles, Kopecky took the lead about 8 kilometres from the finish. He looked to be heading for victory on his own, but in the headwind the other four came back about 4 kilometres out. Behind in the peloton, the teams of Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny) and Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R) had joined forces. They came very close during the last kilometre, but without Alexis Gougeard and Warre Vangheluwe. Gougeard went solo, but Vangheluwe managed to get Gougeard’s wheel. A tactically strong Vangheluwe waited patiently, before starting his sprint with perfect timing. Vangheluwe was holding off the peloton, but he started to celebrate very early. It was unclear whether Sam Bennett had passed him on the line, but the young Flemish rider won by a few centimetres.

Stage winner, Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step): “We went on the attack quite early in the stage, and despite not having a huge margin at any point, we traded turns at the front and did our best there. When the attacks began coming, I went after Gougeard and stayed with him for a couple of seconds before dropping him and continuing alone. I was confident I would take the win, but I was a bit nervous after the finish, as Sam Bennett came strong from behind and for a second there, I wasn’t so sure anymore. To win this cobblestone stage, which was on my radar since before the start of the race, and take my first pro victory feels truly incredible. I want to thank the team for their trust in me. I can’t tell you how happy and proud I am now.”

Overall leader and 2nd on the stage, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “The team was fantastic again today, the boys were very strong. We were unlucky in that Dries (De Bondt) crashed and Pierre (Gautherat) punctured on the last lap. We controlled the race, we fought well. I wanted to thank the boys for their great effort today and I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the job. In the final I was very fast, but I ran out a few meters. I saw Warre Vangheluwe celebrating and I threw the bike away. I thought he had won and the photo finish showed me that he didn’t, so I’m quite disappointed, I thought the victory was mine today.”

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 4 Result:
1. Warre Vangheluwe (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 3:35:22
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
3. Corbin Strong (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
5. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
6. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny
7. Emmanuel Morin (Fra) Van Rysel-Roubaix
8. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Alexis Renard (Fra) Cofidis
10. Luca Van Boven (Bel) Bingoal WB.

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Overall After Stage 4:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 15:43:42
2. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis at 0:14
3. Corbin Strong (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:23
4. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:24
5. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
6. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
7. Fabio Christen (Sui) Q36.5
8. Tomáš Kopecký (CZ) TDT-Unibet at 0:26
9. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:28
10. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:29.

Dunkerque’24 stage 4:

 

Sam Bennett won Stage 5 of the Four Days of Dunkerque on Saturday. The Irishman completed his team’s strong work from Decathlon AG2R in a difficult stage to Cassel to consolidate his leading position with one day to go.

On the fifth stage of the Four Days of Dunkerque (a six day race), the riders were presented with a difficult stage, starting in Arques and finishing in Cassel on a circuit of 14.6 kilometres. The final circuit included two climbs, the Rue du Tambour (2.7km at 4.5%) and the Avenue Achille Samyn (3km at 4.3%), with the finish 1 kilometre after the summit of the cobbled Rue du Tambour, also known as Mont Cassel. The stage has 2,606 metres of climbing. The bad weather conditions with wind and rain made things even more difficult.

In the first 50 kilometres, Fausto Masnada (Soudal Quick-Step), Enzo Leijnse (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Jérémy Lecroq (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) managed to escape. The three were no threat to the general classification and were allowed a 5 minute lead. Halfway through the stage, Masnada went solo. Thirty kilometres from the finish, with two laps and four climbs to go, the race came back together. Again it was Soudal Quick-Step who were ready for the moves, Kasper Asgreen in particular. He was not really a threat to the rankings, because he crashed at a bad time on the opening day.

A group went clear, first Asgreen, then Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ), Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies), Joris Delbove (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) and Alexis Guerin (Philippe Wagner/Bazin). Watson and Gachignard were the best placed in the rankings, 30 seconds behind leader Sam Bennett, but this escape made the Decathlon AG2R team quite nervous. Overall leader, Bennett still had three teammates with him in the thinned out peloton in the final, which reduced the gap from 20 seconds to a few seconds at the start of the last climb of the Casselberg. Oliver Naesen closed the last gap for Bennett, and also took his leader in tow in the chaotic final kilometre. Bennett himself started early, with five more riders on his wheel. The Irishman was again unbeatable, Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) was second and Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny) third. Bennett already had a good lead, but now seems to have consolidated his overall lead.

Stage winner and overall leader, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “My teammates have made my life much easier today. I haven’t had to think about the strategy, they have done the work for me. I only had to manage the last five hundred meters well, so this victory is mainly for my teammates. Normally, in a mass sprint, you always have to be careful with runners coming up behind you, but this was a very different situation. I knew I had to position myself four hundred meters away on the left curve; At that point, it is very difficult to come from behind. Afterwards I tried to hold on, but I had to go first. We’ll see tomorrow if I still have legs, but it’s already been a great week.”

4th on the stage and overall, Luca Van Boven (Bingoal WB): “There was an attack on the penultimate climb, where we were not represented. Louis Blouwe set the pace and made the break. I was able to recover everything possible before attacking the last climb, Cassel. I knew that to get a result, I would have to be in the top 5 in the last kilometre, which I couldn’t do in 2023. We showed up for the sprint, everyone was firing on all cylinders and I think we’re all where we need to be. I finished fourth and I’m happy with my performance. I expected a good result in Cassel and was prepared for it. Furthermore, I have been able to move up to 4th place overall. I hope to finish well on Sunday in the 6th and final stage and maybe even improve my general classification. We will also have the advantage of our sprinter Sasha Weemaes.”

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 5 Result:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 4:24:31
2. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
3. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny
4. Luca Van Boven (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:03
5. Alexandre Delettre (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
6. Nicolas Breuillard (Fra) St MichelMavic-Auber93
7. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:06
8. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:10
9. Samuel Watson (GB) Groupama-FDJ
10. Samuel Leroux (Fra) Van Rysel-Roubaix.

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Overall After Stage 5:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 20:08:03
2. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:28
3. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:31
4. Luca Van Boven (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:43
5. Alexandre Delettre (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
6. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis at 0:45
7. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:46
8. Tomáš Kopecký (CZ) TDT-Unibet
9. Thomas Gachignard (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:49
10. Milan Menten (GB) Lotto Dstny at 0:50.

Dunkerque’24 stage 5:

 

Sam Bennett won Stage 6 of the Four Days of Dunkerque in a bunch sprint. Sasha Weemaes was second and Pascal Ackermann third. The Irishman also won overall.

The Four Days of Dunkerque ended on Sunday where it started on Tuesday, in Dunkerque. The final stage was almost flat, so a bunch sprint was expected again. Sam Bennett had a comfortable lead of 28 seconds over his nearest opponent Paul Penhoët. It took a while, but after 40 kilometres an early break finally broke free. Ayco Bastiaens (Soudal Quick-Step), Robert Donaldson (Trinity), Ludovic Robeet (Cofidis) and Kenny Molly (Van Rysel-Roubaix) built a 3 minute lead.

Mainly due to the work of Israel-Premier Tech and later also Decathlon AG2R, the difference slowly decreased. The pack allowed the attackers to ride off the front for a while, but 12 kilometres from the finish, the last men standing, Bastiaens and Robeet were also caught. The stage would again end in a sprint. In the run-up to the sprint, Bennett lost his train, but the Irishman came to the front just in time. He was faster than Sasha Weemaes and Pascal Ackermann. Bennett is also the final winner of the 4 Days of Dunkerque. Paul Penhoët and Jenno Berckmoes joined him on the podium.

Stage and final overall winner, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “This is very nice after some difficult years. I would like to thank the team again. They were fantastic. I still have to discuss that with the team. It could be the Critérium du Dauphiné, but also the Tour of Switzerland or the Tour of Belgium. It seems to be the Dauphiné, but that is not yet certain. Hopefully that will be the prelude to the Tour. I’m preparing as if I’m going to do the Tour, so hopefully I’ll make the selection. In any case, the flow is back. Perhaps the peak power still needs to be increased a little bit, but it is improving.”

KOM, Fausto Masnada (Soudal Quick-Step): “I am happy with this jersey! It’s nice for my confidence to be on the podium of a stage race and I am proud that I could fight for this jersey and take it home eventually. It wasn’t an easy race. Actually, it was pretty hectic this week with all those short but hard climbs, the cobbles and the weather, but all these things make my result even more special. It’s not for the first time in my career that I won the climbers’ classification, but it’s been some time since this last happened, so I am obviously satisfied with having this jersey on my shoulders. It’s a morale-boosting result and now I am looking forward to my next appointment with the team.”

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 6 Result:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 3:51:04
2. Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Bingoal WB
3. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
5. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
6. Casper van Uden (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
7. Pierre Barbier (Fra) Philippe Wagner/Bazin
8. Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) TotalEnergies
9. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
10. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny.

4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Final Overall Result:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 23:58:57
2. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:38
3. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:41
4. Luca Van Boven (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:53
5. Alexandre Delettre (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
6. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis at 0:55
7. Tomáš Kopecký (CZ) TDT-Unibet
8. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:56
9. Thomas Gachignard (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:57
10. Aimé De Gendt (Bel) Cofidis.

Dunkerque’24 stage 6:

 

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas 2024
Finland’s Lotta Henttala won the Opening Stage 1 of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas. The EF Education-Cannondale rider won after a bunch sprint in which Elisa Balsamo had a serious crash. Carina Schrempf (Fenix-Deceuninck) was second and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) was third.

The first stage was hilly and just over 120 kilometres long from Villagonzalo Pedernales to Burgos, the course still offered opportunities for the strong sprinters. There were three climbs, the last one was more than 20 kilometres from the finish.

Wind on the side and from behind caused nervousness in the peloton all day and it split several times, but the gaps were never permanent. The early escapes didn’t have a chance. It took until 50 kilometres from the finish before a rider could make a significant difference. Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility) was able to get away from the large peloton. Aalerud managed to take 3 minutes. Behind; there was no co-ordination in the peloton, which allowed Aalerud to think of victory with 10 kilometres to go.

In the last 8 kilometres, SD Worx-Protime, under the impetus of Marlen Reusser, started to chase. The 2:30 that Aalerud had, suddenly disappeared, thanks to the hard work of Reusser and Demi Vollering. Her escape was over 2 kilometres from the finish. That was the signal for Carina Schrempf (Fenix-Deceuninck) to jump away, it nearly worked, but she was passed by the Finnish rider, Lotta Henttala, who had started to sprint early. Top favourite Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) hit the fence during the sprint. Lorena Wiebes was held up and couldn’t sprint as she wanted too.

Stage winner and overall leader, Lotta Henttala (EF Education-Cannondale): “There were some crosswinds today and I had a lot of help from my teammates, especially Nina. In the last ten kilometres, she kept me calm so I just wanted to stick to her wheel. She dropped me off at the front for the last little kickers and Noemi and Letizia were there also helping me out on the front. I knew it was still a super long way to go to the finish so I stuck to the plan. There was that unfortunate crash, so I hope everyone is ok, but when that happened, I decided to go then. I didn’t want to be on the ground. Then I was just hoping. It was quite a long sprint. I don’t know if it was actually a long sprint but it felt like it! I’m happy to have finished first. I had quite a good training block the last two months and I could feel it on the climbs that I could spin my legs a little bit. I was not on the limit all the time so I thought, ‘Ok, maybe I have something left for the sprint’ and I went full gas for it.”

3rd on the stage and overall, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “I was in Elisa Balsamo’s wheel and was very lucky that no bike fell my way. I was just able to get around it. I didn’t really get to sprint anymore and I’m disappointed about that, but I’m mostly happy that I got away well. I hope Elisa Balsamo and Sofia Bertizzolo are okay. This was my first road race since the Amstel Gold Race and I had to get back into it. In the final I felt fine. We had hoped for a little more wind, but the wind wasn’t strong enough and the direction wasn’t right. No other team wanted to chase the early breakaway, so we took the initiative. Especially Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering did a lot of work. They rode super hard. Then you want to finish it for them as well. In the last straight I was in Elisa Balsamo’s wheel. Luckily I was able to narrowly avoid the crash, but I knew the sprint was lost then. That I’m still on the podium in the end does give me confidence. I hope to still take a win in this race. The third stage will normally be a sprint again. Tomorrow might be a boring day. The last three kilometres are uphill. I’m curious what the classification riders will do there. Who knows, maybe there will still be a chance for me, but that will depend on how hard the climb is.”

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 1 Result:
1. Lotta Henttala (Fin) EF Education-Cannondale in 3:02:33
2. Carina Schrempf (Aust) Fenix-Deceuninck
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
4. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM
5. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ
7. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
8. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM
9. Megan Jastrab (USA) dsm-firmenich PostNL
10. Sarah Roy (Aus) Cofidis.

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 1:
1. Lotta Henttala (Fin) EF Education-Cannondale in 3:02:23
2. Carina Schrempf (Aus) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:04
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:06
4. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:07
5. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 0:08
6. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 0:10
7. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
8. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
9. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM
10. Megan Jastrab (USA) dsm-firmenich PostNL.

Burgos’24 stage 1:

 

Demi Vollering won Stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos on Friday. The explosive climb of the Alto de Rozales was the summit finish of the day. On the climb, the SD Worx rider dropped the competition to take the stage victory. Évita Muzic and Karlijn Swinkels finished in second and third places.

On the second day of the Vuelta a Burgos was made for the puncheurs. The 123 kilometre route had two main climbs. The Alto de Barcina (7.7km at 3.6%) provided the first challenge early in the race, after which a flat run-up took the riders to the Alto do Rozales (2.4km at 6.5%) for the summit finish.

After the start in Briviesca, the first climb was in 20 kilometres. Agua Espínola (Primeau Vélo-Groupe Abadie) and Fernanda Yapura (Komugi-Grand Est), escaped, but the duo were caught before the Alto de Barcina. There was then a fast pace, which meant that no break was able to form on the uphill sections. All the riders reached the top together. Once back on the flat, there was the first proper break of the day. Dominika Włodarczyk of UAE Team ADQ went solo and soon had more than a minute on the peloton. This also didn’t last long. Antri Christoforou (Roland), Valentina Basilico (Eneicat-CMTeam), Marta Romeu (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) and Miryam Nuñez (Primeau Vélo-Groupe Abadie) were next to escape. The four managed built a lead of 2 minutes.

This efforts turned out to be in vain. With 30 kilometres to go, the peloton was again within 20 seconds. The punchers and climbers wanted the action to be made on the final climb, the Alto de Rozales. A collaboration between Visma | Lease a Bike, SD Worx and UAE Team ADQ brought the four escapees back. In the explosive finale it was Demi Vollering who had the best legs. On the difficult sections of the Alto de Rozales, the Dutch rider rode away from the competition. She was the first to cross the line, with Évita Muzic and Karlijn Swinkels behind her. The Dutch champion also took the leader’s jersey.

Stage winner and overall leader, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime): “The team was fantastic today, keeping me in a perfect position for the final climb. I felt strong and knew I had to make my move on the steep sections.”

2nd on the stage and overall, Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ): “We were indeed positioned a little bit far in the bunch because of some crashes. We never panicked and got to the front before the final climb. The team did a great job to leave me in the best position possible.”

3rd on the stage and overall, Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ): “I tried to follow Demi’s attack, but she was just too strong. I’m happy with my performance and hope to continue this form in the coming stages.”

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 2 Result:
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:05:23
2. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:04
3. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 0:10
4. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale at 0:13
5. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM
6. Silvia Persico (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 0:19
7. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
8. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM
9. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
10. Ella Wyllie (NZ) Liv AlUla Jayco.

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 2:
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 6:07:46
2. Évita Muzic FDJ-SUEZ at 0:08
3. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 0:11
4. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 0:23
5. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale
6. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM at 0:26
7. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
8. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 0:29
9. Silvia Persico (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
10. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar.

Burgos’24 stage 2:

 

Lorena Wiebe won the Third Stage of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas. The Dutch rider convincingly won the bunch sprint, which was marred by a massive crash.

The third stage in the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas was the easiest of the four. There were 123 kilometres to be raced between Roa de Duero and Melgar de Fernamental, mostly flat, but with a slightly hillier bit in the middle.

After about 50 kilometres, a proper break formed. Visma | Lease a Bike sent Eva van Agt ahead, Movistar did the same with Sara Martin, while the Cypriot Antri Christoforou was Roland’s rider at the front. They built a lead of 2:30, until SD Worx-Protime started to chase. The strong Marlen Reusser in particular did a lot of work, causing the Cypriot to be dropped. Van Agt and Martin had support from Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM) and Simone Boilard (Uno-X Mobility) later, but in the last 4 kilometres it was obvious there would be a bunch sprint.

At 1.5 kilometres, several riders crashed at high speed, which took many other riders with them, including Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime), Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) and Nina Buijsman (FDJ-Suez). At the front, the pace remained high, driven by overall leader Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime). She lead-out Femke Gerritse and sprinter Lorena Wiebes to the last 500 metres in an ideal situation. Wiebes started the sprint first and won easily by a few bike lengths.

Stage winner, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “This win makes me happy. The team did a good job. They kept the escapees under control continuously. Then I got a good lead-out. So it was important to finish it off. I’m happy with this win. My victory gesture was again a reference to Jan Smit. This time I pictured the song Cupid. I do enjoy coming up with unique victory gestures. Our next goal is to win the general classification in this Vuelta Burgos with Demi Vollering.”

Overall leader, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “It will be a tough day (stage 4). It’s always tricky to control the peloton. Even today it was all hands on deck at the beginning of the stage, because it was raining attacks. We continuously kept the pace high at the front, so Lorena Wiebes was able to sprint for the win. Tomorrow we will try to control again. My focus is on the climb. I think Evita Muzic and also Karlijn Swinkels are going to be the main competitors. I hope to be able to secure the overall victory.”

3rd on the stage, Maike van der Duin (Canyon//SRAM): “The plan was to go for me for what we expected would be a bunch sprint. My teammates rode around and near me the entire stage. Over one of the hardest parts of the race, three small climbs of the stage, I was well-positioned by the team, and it meant I could save as much energy as possible for the sprint. It was nice for us to have Neve in the breakaway. It gave us a focal point for the stage and meant we could take a breath in the peloton. In the final five kilometres, it was a long, wide road and some headwind, so I told my teammates that I wanted to wait with our lead out and do just one big effort near the end. Agnieszka was the last rider in front of me and gave a good push into the corner. I saved a lot of energy and could take over from Agnieszka and get in the wheel of Wiebes. It was good teamwork from everyone. I can be happy with today. It’s not the old Maike yet, but to have this result after my injury in winter and some hard times is nice. It’s a good step forward and something we can build on from here. I’m happy, the team is happy, and we have one stage tomorrow to give it all!”

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 3 Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 2:54:21
2. Clara Copponi (Fra) Lidl-Trek
3. Maike van der Duin (Ned) Canyon//SRAM
4. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Uno-X Mobility
5. Alexandra Manly (NZ) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Megan Jastrab (USA) dsm-firmenich PostNL
7. Tereza Neumanova (CZ) UAE Team ADQ
8. Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Human Powered Health
9. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
10. Lotta Henttala (Fin) EF Education-Cannondale.

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 3:
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 9:02:13
2. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 0:08
3. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at 0:17
4. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale
5. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM at 0:20
6. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale at 0:23
7. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
8. Silvia Persico (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
9. Ella Wyllie (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco at 0:29
10. Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (-) Roland at 0:32

Burgos’24 stage 3:

 

Demi Vollering finished the Vuelta a Burgos in style. The SD Worx-Protime rider, who was leading on the general classification, managed to solo to victory in the Final Stage 4. She also took the overall victory.

The fourth and final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos started in Peñaranda de Duero and finished in Canicosa de la Sierra. In the final there was the very steep Alto de Rozavientos (3.5km at 9.2%). After the summit there was 15.7 kilometres to the finish. Before the start, leader Demi Vollering had an 8 second lead over her nearest opponent Évita Muzic.

After the start, several riders tried to get away, none of them managed to make a big gap. A group of five got some space, but before half-way their adventure was over. Ana Vitória Magalhães (Bepink-Bongioanni) was the next to try. The Brazilian champion rode solo off the front for a while, but was eventually joined by Lucinda Brand. The Dutch rider then went solo. Brand started with a 1 minute lead over the peloton at the Alto de Rozavientos. On this climb, where it rained heavily, Demi Vollering went into battle from the peloton. The GC rider went up too and passed Brand and came over the top with a good lead. She started the wet descent solo, where she had to stay ahead of Brand.

Once at the bottom, Vollering still had a big gap, but Brand didn’t give up yet. In the last, relatively flat kilometres she continued to apply pressure. Vollering held her ground. She achieved her second stage victory in this Vuelta a Burgos and also secured the overall win. Brand crossed the line second, followed shortly after by Évita Muzic, who finished second in the overall standings. Karlijn Swinkels, who crossed the line fourth in Canicosa de la Sierra, completed the podium.

Stage and overall winner, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime): “This is really a relief. The victories in Spain have comforted me after the wins in the classic spring were lacking. I hope to further improve this good condition towards my big goals this season: the Olympics, the Tour de France Femmes and the World Championships. It’s great to win the three Spanish stage races. After a difficult spring, this is confirmation that the form is good. I also felt good in the spring Classics, but each time it was just not enough. I am happy to win the Vuelta Burgos after Vuelta Femenina and Itzulia Femenina. It was quite cold during the final stage. My team controlled perfectly. Lorena Wiebes helped me to position myself well for the final climb. But I was so cold that I had no real acceleration left in my legs. By keeping the pace as high as possible, I hoped to cross the top alone. That plan succeeded. After that, the road to the stage win was open. May is a brilliant month for me. I’m already looking forward to the sequel. My big goals are coming up with the Olympics, the Tour de France and the World Championships. First, I want to enjoy these wins in Spain. It’s special to win the overall classification at the Vuelta Burgos two years in a row.”

5th on the stage and 4th overall, Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM): “I’m disappointed because I feel the podium was achievable, but I tried everything to drop Swinkels on the last climb. In the downhill, I could drop her a bit, but then she came back with Van Anrooij. We tried then to catch Muzic, who was just a few seconds in front, but I knew that the GC podium then wasn’t possible anymore. The team was fantastic today, keeping Soraya and me in the front the whole day and covering every move! Everyone was committed, and that’s super nice. I’m happy we won team classification, and Maike could sprint to third yesterday. Even if I’m disappointed I also have to remember that in all the last races, I fought with the best riders and fought for the podium every time, so I have to keep believing and keep fighting.”

7th overall, Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM): “It was a challenging final stage. The first part of the race was easy. In the second part, it was always going up. Some big groups were going, but the team was always present. Seeing how we could be in control and committed to each other was nice. Then, we had this final and steep climb. It was too hard for me, but I’m happy I could survive and, in the end, sprint to keep the top ten in the GC. It gives me confidence. It was nice to celebrate on the podium with the whole team. The atmosphere and the morale were great these days. It rewards everyone’s hard work, including the staff and Adam (Szabó). It showed that we have a strong team, and if we keep racing like this, we will have fun together and get the big results we aim for.”

Alice Towers (Canyon//SRAM): “The tour was fun and successful for our team. We had a great atmosphere the whole race, and I’d say the highlights were how we committed to each other and had each other’s backs in the race. Of course, yesterday’s podium and the double top ten on GC were super cool and showed how we worked together. We were happy with the top tens and proud of Soraya and Elise’s performances. Of course, we aimed to finish on the podium, but they gave their all, and it was a pleasure to work hard for them. The cherry on top was the team classification! It was a nice reward to how we were racing over the four days, and to stand on the podium with all your teammates is always special and fun.”

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 4 Result:
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:17:44
2. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 0:51
3. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:14
4. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 1:38
5. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM at1:40
6. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 1:42
7. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale at 2:50
8. Neve Bradbury (Aus) Canyon//SRAM at 2:51
9. Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
10. Léa Curinier (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ.

Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Final Overall Result:
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 12:19:41
2. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:28
3. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ at 1:59
4. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon//SRAM Racing at 2:13
5. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 2:21
6. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale at 3:23
7. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon//SRAM at 3:27
8. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar at 3:30
9. Ella Wyllie (NZ) Liv AlUla Jayco
10. Maud Oudeman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike.

Burgos’24 stage 4:

 

Antwerp Port Epic – Sels Trophy 2024
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) won the Antwerp Port Epic on Sunday. Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) took second place, while Oded Kogut (IPT Academy) came third. The Belgian Arnaud De Lie sprinted to fourth place.

The peloton had 24 kilometres of cobbles and 32 kilometres of unpaved roads around Antwerp over a total distance of 178 kilometres. The important unpaved roads were the Zone Kabeljauw (1,515 metres) and the Opstalpolder (1,635 metres). More than 20 kilometres from the finish, the cobbled strip of the Torenseweg (1,080m) was also tricky.

The break of the day consisted of three Danes: Nicklas Amdi Pedersen (Tour de Tietema-Unibet), Alexander Arnt Hansen (Airtox-Carl Ras) and Aksel Bech Skot-Hansen (ColoQuick). At 73 kilometres, before the live TV started, the trio was already caught, then the final began. With 53 kilometres to go, the Canadian Pier-André Côté of IPT Academy and the German Juri Hollmann of Alpecin-Deceuninck escaped. The pair quickly gained a lead of 30 seconds. Several attempts were made in the peloton to thin out the group, but initially no riders managed to break away.

At 32 kilometres from the finish, the peloton was pushed hard by De Lie when a number of riders crashed. Gianni Vermeersch of Alpecin-Deceuninck, among others, was there, but later had to abandon. Meantime, a strong group had formed at the front including De Lie and Girmay, but this attempt was also ended with 22 kilometres to go. The duo at the front were still holding up well. With 20 kilometres to go, De Lie jumped and got Girmay and Sénéchal, among others with him. Not much later, this group joined the leaders, after which Holmann attacked again. A few moments later, the De Lie group was again caught by the peloton. The peloton then had to make every effort to catch the German. Hollmann was only caught at 1.5 kilometres. Subsequently, Julien also chose Vermote from Visma | Lease a Bike for the attack, but it was quickly neutralised. In the sprint it was Kristoff who turned out to be the fastest. Frenchman Jeannière sprinted to second place, while Kogut was third. De Lie only finished in fourth place.

Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility): “My first victory in a gravel race, now I can mark it too. At the beginning of the month I also won the Elfstedenronde, so I’m in a good place. Although I struggled in the last lanes and could barely hold on. Thanks to my teammates I was still able to sprint to win.”

3rd, Oded Kogut (IPT): “It was an epic race, with a lot of gravel and cobblestones. The guys have done a great job during the race and the Conti team staff are working tirelessly so we can focus on the race, so that is very much appreciated! “I really enjoyed getting my first professional podium with them and I am very happy with the result, especially against the sprinters who were up there at the end.”

Pier-André Côté (IPT): “The move was not planned per se, but we always wanted to be aggressive at that stage of the race. Especially with the performance of the team we had. We had numbers in that select group, so I was convinced that being in the lead soon would be a good opportunity for me, in addition to offering a “free” ride to the kids. I had been nursing the puncture for a while, with the race in pieces you had to be patient to receive the service. It seemed like it had sealed at the beginning, but unfortunately, as you could see, I lost all pressure at the end. I walked the last section of gravel and cobblestones, hoping for a miracle, but in the end I had to stop with 12 km to go. Obviously, I feel terrible that I had to finish like this, but I’m very happy to have been able to be at the front of a race like that. This one and Tro Bro Leon are so epic that it is very special to be able to do well in them.”

Antwerp Port Epic – Sels Trophy Result:
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility in 4:01:45
2. Emilien Jeannière (Fra) TotalEnergies
3. Oded Kogut (Isr) Israel Premier Tech Academy
4. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny
5. Per Strand Hagenes (Nor) Visma | Lease a Bike
6. Sandy Dujardin (Fra) TotalEnergies
7. Francisco Galván (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
8. Lander Loockx (Bel) TDT-Unibet
9. Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
10. Florian Sénéchal (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels.

Antwerp’24:

 

Patrick Lefevere: “Vangheluwe’s Victory is as Enjoyable as Alaphilippe’s”
Patrick Lefevere has had two wins in recent days. On Thursday he saw Julian Alaphilippe finally win again, on Friday the young Warre Vangheluwe took his first professional victory. “I was close to a nervous breakdown,” said the Soudal Quick-Step manager in his column in Het Nieuwsblad.

“The Four Days of Dunkirk is not the Giro, but believe me when I say that Warre Vangheluwe’s victory gives me as much pleasure as Julian Alaphilippe’s victory the day before. For us, Dunkirk is half a home race. The riders will sleep this weekend in Watou, less than forty kilometres from our service course. Long story short: a courtesy visit turned into a thriller that I followed with my heart racing.”

“Our Warre Vangheluwe was the only one left from a leading group of four, but then made the mistake that greats like Tom Boonen and Julian Alaphilippe have made before him: he cheered too early. There was a photo finish that made it clear that he had just one millimetre left over Sam Bennett, the fastest of the oncoming peloton. I was close to a nervous breakdown and no, the name of the number two had nothing to do with that (Bennett was in Lefevere’s team).”

Lefevere provides some background information about Vangheluwe in his column. “At the age of nine he was involved in a serious traffic accident. He was in a coma for a week and a half and was not allowed to cycle for three years. When he started again, he suffered from splitting headaches and today the consequences of his accident still manifest themselves occasionally. Warre sometimes has problems with intense concentration. Or the control from the brain to the legs takes a fraction longer than normal. He can also get into trouble downhill. It is a problem that we have tackled and are managing well in the meantime.”

“As a rider, Warre is really a talent. When he joined the team last year, he won almost immediately, with two hundred riders at the start who all want to win. Warre is not a climber, but he can do anything and you can ask him anything. And he can also finish it himself,” says Lefevere.

The Belgian manager also revealed that Alaphilippe had planned a bike change in the gravel stage in the Giro, something that cost him the victory. “In fact, Julian should have won earlier in this Giro. In the gravel stage to Rapolano Terme he deliberately rode with a 56 front ring. The intention was to change bikes before the final, but it happened so quickly that there was no time for that. In the sprint against Pelayo Sanchez, lightweight Julian was of course unable to overcome that resistance.”

Lefevere happy at the moment:

 

Patrick Lefevere: “Alaphilippe is now Proving me Wrong, But I Like That”
Julian Alaphilippe’s stage victory in the Giro d’Italia also pleased his team boss at Soudal Quick-Step, Patrick Lefevere. Earlier this year, Lefevere was critical of his rider in the media a number of times, but now he partly takes back those words. He spoke to HLN.

Lefevere emphasises that that criticism was not personal. “My relationship with Julian is not what many would like to make it out to be. That little guy has been riding with me since he was seventeen. I believed in him all these years. Things have slowed down in recent years, yes. It’s certainly not my fault. I’m not saying there’s much he can do about it either. It is what it is. I have repeated enough that I was not satisfied. That wasn’t personal. It wasn’t enough for what he can do and what he is paid for. I am not grateful for that. Maybe I didn’t say it the right way. I just don’t have any other style.”

But the experienced team boss wanted to keep the French former double World champion on board, but he only wanted to do so on different terms than his current contract. “I proposed to reduce his contract last year. Not that I would humiliate him. My proposal was to pay him less wages in 2024, but also to include 2025. That proved that I still had confidence. That was refused and that’s where it ended for me.”

“But look, Julian is now proving me wrong. I like that. And I don’t feel too good about admitting it. Not that I’m 100% wrong. Because we are talking about money, and that also needs to be implemented. It is not my style to extend a rider’s contract for less money. But again, I can’t say he has raced well in the last two years.”

Lefevere eating worlds – sort of:

 

Wout van Aert Will Start the Tour of Norway
Wout van Aert will be at the start of the Tour of Norway next week. The Belgian will complete start his first race since his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen. His Visma | Lease a Bike team confirmed the news.

Van Aert has had the Norwegian five-day event in mind for some time. HLN first reported Van Aert’s hope to resume there at the beginning of May. “Wout has not yet reached the point where we can make that choice now. In the most favourable scenario, Norway is feasible for him,” Merijn Zeeman said at the time.

The ‘most favourable’ scenario has now become reality. Van Aert is eager to get racing again. “I’m looking forward to wearing a jersey number again,” he said in the team’s social media. “In recent weeks I have been able to train a little more, but that is still different from competing. That’s why my main goal is to test myself and see how I do in a competition. Without expectations.”

Van Aert has been back on his bike since mid-April. The damage that the former winner of Milan-Sanremo suffered during his fall in Dwars door Vlaanderen was extensive. In addition to his collarbone, Van Aert also broke seven ribs and his sternum, meaning that the Classics and the Giro d’Italia were out of the question. “We do everything step by step. That has proven to be the best thing in the entire recovery process,” Van Aert said.

The Tour of Norway is on May 23 to 26. Van Aert will be joined by Bart Lemmen, Koen Bouwman, Tijmen Graat, Menno Huising and Per Strand Hagenes.

It was bad:

 

Elisa Balsamo Breaks Nose in Vuelta a Burgos Crash
Elisa Balsamo’s crash in the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas was far from good. After bumping with another rider, the Italian sprinter was catapulted into the crush barriers. Her Lidl-Trek team announced the injuries later that evening.

“Initial examinations and scans have revealed a broken nasal bone and concussion for Elisa, after her crash on the first stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. She is also struggling with a broken second metacarpal bone,” the team said on X (Twitter).

The 2021 world champion was included in the results in 115th place, ahead of Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), who crashed with her, but she wouldn’t be starting the next day. It is not yet known how long the Italian, who won the Trofeo Binda and Classic Brugge-De Panne this spring, will be out of action.

Horrific crash into the barriers:

 

Alaphilippe Gives Maestri a Jersey Pizza
Julian Alaphilippe took his first Giro d’Italia stage victory last Thursday. The Frenchman crossed the line solo in Fano, but rode off the front with Mirco Maestri for almost the entire stage. Alaphilippe has not forgotten his Italian escape companion and went to the team bus of Team Polti-Kometa on Sunday.

The two-time World champion of Soudal Quick-Step presented Maestri with a pizza box containing his shirt before the start of the 15th stage to Livigno. The Italian received it with a big smile and hugs for the Frenchman.

The twelfth stage of the Giro d’Italia was a special day for Maestri. “It was great to race together with a champion like Alaphilippe,” he said earlier. “I admire him and I will always remember him.”

Alaphilippe and Maestri during stage 12:

 

Aevolo Cycling Joins EF Education-EasyPost as its U23 Development Team
This marks the WorldTour team’s first time with an in-house devo squad

EF Education-EasyPost and under-23 development team Aevolo Cycling are joining forces beginning in 2025. Aevolo, the US-based under-23 team, will move under the EF Pro Cycling umbrella to become the official development squad of EF Education-EasyPost.

For EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters, bringing Aevolo and EF Pro Cycling together speaks to the long-term strategy of EF Pro Cycling.

“With the success of the EF Education-Onto junior program, it made me realise that quite a few of those athletes don’t necessarily have a jumping off point or a way forward to stay within the EF Pro Cycling program,” Vaughters said. “So in order to correct that, I felt like we needed an in-house U23 developmental team so that there is a direct, visible, tangible line all the way from when you’re a 14-year-old talent to becoming a WorldTour rider.”

The team will share a service course in Girona, along with other resources.

While the team has supported development teams in the past, Vaughters explained that aligning with Aevolo is a different approach.

“This is our first foray into having our own in-house, proprietary, Continental team. And Aevolo is the obvious team to do this with. It’s a sister team in the sense that they’ve been with Cannondale for quite awhile and obviously the team has done a great job. But to make that next jump in performance, they needed to have a more international program and to have a foundation with a WorldTour team. By joining forces, we’re combining resources so that we can build what will hopefully be one of the best, if not the best, continental team in the world and be the most attractive place to go for up-and-coming talent. We’re going to build a true-first class organisation that supports the rider in the same way that both our men’s and women’s EF Pro Cycling teams are supported,” Vaughters said.

Mike Creed has managed Aevolo since its inception in 2017 and will continue to do so, along with being its lead sport director. A former professional rider, Creed’s experience in the sport has prepared him to lead the team in its next chapter. “I’m excited because it’s something new to learn. It’s new people and a new environment, new situations. The goal for me will be finding the best people we can to recruit,” Creed said. “I’ll measure my success not only in terms of how many under-23s we can feed to the WorldTour squad and are successful, but how many of those transitions are almost seamless, in terms of rider professionalism, of being prepared.”

Supporting and nurturing riders as they develop is a primary goal for the WorldTour squad. As the pro peloton has trended toward signing younger riders in recent years, the ability to foster emerging talent has become increasingly important. Rather than force young talent onto a WorldTour team immediately, having an in-house development team allows EF Pro Cycling to move riders between teams for meaningful, deliberate experience.

“For a team like us that doesn’t have the biggest budget in the WorldTour, you realise that if you truly have the desire to someday win the Tour de France, the way to do that is to identify the talent, nurture the talent, even build a team around the talent and retain the talent. And then do that for a period of 10 or 15 years and build a Tour de France winner. And that requires a sponsor like EF Education First that is in the game for the long term because it requires dedication to a really strategically outlined process. That’s why we want to create the best development program in the world and be the most attractive development program in the world. Once you’ve got that talent and developed that talent, then you build. You build up and around that as opposed to trying to buy it from the outside,” Vaughters said.

The 2025 roster is not yet confirmed but is expected to include a mix of America, European, and Japanese riders. As the team will be based in Girona, Creed is focusing on a European racing season.

“We definitely want to go to all the under-23 monuments and the bigger races like the baby Giro especially or Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Valle d’Aosta. All those races, we’ll be trying our hardest to get into,” Creed said.

Aevolo join EF Education-EasyPost:

 

Swimming Coach, Jacco Verhaeren to Take Over from Merijn Zeeman at Visma | Lease a Bike
According to Raymond Kerckhoffs of WeilerFlits, Jacco Verhaeren will succeed Merijn Zeeman in the Visma | Lease a Bike team. At the end of this season, Zeeman will leave to work for football club AZ in Alkmaar as general manager. As a result, the position of sporting director at the cycling team has become available.

Several sources have told WielerFlits that Verhaeren (55) will fill the position of sporting director from next season. Verhaeren was added to the performance staff of the Dutch cycling team at the end of last year. The intention is for Verhaeren to take charge of the entire sports policy within Visma | Lease a Bike and control the sporting side of the operation. A large part of Zeeman’s cycling technical affairs will be taken over by Grischa Niermann and Mathieu Heijboer, who are also taking a step up within the organisation.

Verhaeren and the cycling team stated last year that they firmly believe in cross-pollination between the different sports. This year, Verhaeren would mainly support a number of processes in the background. Verhaeren is currently fully focused on his position as national coach of the French swimming team, with the Olympic Games in Paris as his absolute main goal. Verhaeren has been extremely successful as a swimming coach for decades and guided, among others, Inge de Bruijn, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Ranomi Kromowidjojo to Olympic gold.

At the end of last year, Verhaeren said about his role at Visma | Lease a Bike: “Knowledge sharing is the reason for this collaboration. I want to get to know cycling better and will provide my input on performance processes and training. I am still 100% committed to the French swimming team in the run-up to the Olympic Games, but I would like to shed some light on Visma’s current performance approach | Lease a Bike. I do that ‘with my swimming goggles on’. What they do with it is then up to them.”

Zeeman said about Verhaeren at the time: “In recent years I have often exchanged insights and ideas with Jacco,”. “After our best season ever, it is important for us that we continue to look for improvement and new insights. Together with Mathieu Heijboer, I came to the conclusion that Jacco can give us these new ideas and other insights from another sport. We are starting with a modest collaboration, which will hopefully lead to more in the future.”

Jacco Verhaeren to take over at Visma | Lease a Bike:

 

Monaco Will Host the Grand Departure of La Vuelta 26
Monaco will host the Grand Departure of La Vuelta 26. This decision has been made official during an event held in the Yacht Club de Monaco with an agreement signed between H.E M. Pierre Dartout, Minister of State of the Principality, Yann Le Moenner, C.E.O. of Amaury Sport Organisation, and Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta, in the presence of H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco. The 81st edition of the race will, thus, celebrate a Grand Departure on international territory once again, following previous departures from Portugal, the Netherlands and France.

The race’s inaugural stage will take place entirely within Monaco’s territory, which will also host the departure of La Vuelta 26’s second stage. This way, La Vuelta will celebrate yet another international Grand Departure following those already held in Lisbon (1997), Assen (2009), Nîmes (2017) and Utrecht (2022), this time including Lisbon, Oeiras and Cascais in 2024.

In 2026, the Principality of Monaco will add the Spanish tour to the long list of large-scale sporting events that have already taken part along its streets. In terms of cycling, it already organised the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2009 and will, once again, play an important role in the French race by hosting the final time-trial that will connect Monaco and Nice during the final stage of the Tour de France 2024.

Monaco has ample experience hosting important international events, such as the Festival Internacional du Cirque de Monte-Carlo or the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, one of the world’s greatest sporting events that brings together global superstars in the world of sports and celebrity.

More information about La Vuelta: www.lavuelta.es.

 

Eddy Merckx Launches a New Line of Steel Bikes
Eddy Merckx Bikes has launched a new line of bikes. The Corsa line consists of steel frames of existing models from the Belgian bike manufacturer: A road bike, all-road bike and a gravel bike.

All frames are made with tubes from Columbus, using a mix of Columbus Zona and Columbus SL tubes. The SL (Super Leggera) tubes are used because of their low weight, while the Zona tubes are especially strong and durable and improve stiffness.

“The mix of SL and Zona tubes ensures a fast, agile and comfortable bike. This is typical of steel bicycles: they offer extra riding comfort and are very durable. That lively and smooth feeling is unique to the Corsa bicycles,” says Stefan Aerts, brand manager of Eddy Merckx Bikes.

The road bike is called the ‘Corsa Mendrisio’, according to Eddy Merckx Bikes a fast all-round road bike. The all-road bike is called ‘Corsa Pévèle’ and can be used on both road and gravel, depending on the tire choice. Finally, there is the ‘Corsa Strasbourg’, the gravel bike. The three models are available in five sizes, from XS to XL. Their geometry is similar to that of their carbon counterparts.

The Eddy Merckx steel collection:

 

Netflix second season of Tour de France: Unchained trailer
Netflix has launched the trailer for the second season of the Tour de France series Tour de France: Unchained. The series, inspired by the successful documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, can be seen on the American streaming service from June 11.

The Netflix series about the Tour won by Jonas Vingegaard once again consists of eight episodes. The format will again resemble that of the successful documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, also from Netflix. The streaming service wants to portray cycling in the same way and thus give sports fans a look behind the cycling scenes.

In the first series of Tour de France: Unchained, Tadej Pogačar was largely absent, but the Slovenian top favourite will play a role in the second season of the Netflix series. Streaming service Netflix announced last year that UAE Emirates, the team of the two-time Tour winner, will also be part of the series about the 2023 Tour.

According to journalist Daniel Benson from GCN, a comment must be made about the participation of UAE Emirates in the Netflix series. All images will be provided by the team itself and will not be shot by cameramen from Netflix, which makes it in collaboration with France Télévisions. In addition, there are interviews with key players, but not at the level of the other participating teams.

In June 2023, the first series of Tour de France: Unchained premiered. A total of seven teams participated in this, including (then) Jumbo-Visma, Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Tour de France: Unchained trailer:

 

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