Primoz Roglič shows us his Tour de France form for the Tour de France, although it was close at the end of the Dauphiné. An ultra full EUROTRASH Monday with all the news from the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse, Lloyds Bank women’s Tour of Britain, Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau and the women’s Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Reports, results, rider views and video.
Will Jonas Vingegaard make it to the Tour? – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Mathieu van der Poel ‘hat thrower’ can avoid a lawsuit if she agrees to certain demands, Sir Bradley Wiggins declared bankrupt, a lot of interest in Ben O’Connor, Patrick Lefevere on Remco Evenepoel’s Tour Form, documentary on Biniam Girmay to be shown during the opening weekend of the Tour, 21-year-old Israeli rider dies after being hit by a drunk driver and Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker jailed at Unbound for indecent behaviour,
Team news:Lifeplus-Wahoo team bikes stolen during the women’s Tour of Britain, Nicolas Vinokurov takes Asian road champs gold medal in U23 individual time trial, Bahrain Victorious extends contract with Merida until the end of 2025, Visma | Lease a Bike to continue with 5-man sports management and Aleksandr Vlasov extends his contract with BORA-hansgrohe,
Race news: Giro d’Italia Women: One month to the start.
Monday EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Will Jonas Vingegaard Start the Tour?
Jonas Vingegaard is still in doubt to start the Tour de France (June 29-July 21) after his crash in the Itzulia Basque Country, but is he is preparing for the Tour. There have been hopeful reports in recent weeks, but his trainer Tim Heemskerk is still not 100% certain.
In an interview with De Limburger, Heemskerk discussed in detail the rehabilitation of the two-time winner of the Tour de France. The Dutchman has followed the reports in recent weeks with amazement. “I always wonder: on what basis are you saying this? To already say that it is an unachievable card, or that he is the favourite for the Tour. Do they have a crystal ball or something?”
“I’m so close to it, working with Jonas every day and I don’t know. He doesn’t even know it yet. A lot depends on developments in the coming weeks.” How far is the Dane with his rehabilitation? “He is already at the level of normal training. He had a five and a half hour ride on Tuesday (at a training camp in Tignes). He is at a good level, but you don’t want to encounter any setbacks. It’s a fine line on which we balance. We should not encounter any disease or cold.”
Heemskerk cannot yet estimate whether Vingegaard will be at the start of the Tour de France in more than three weeks. “We don’t know either. And of course this is done in consultation, but ultimately it is up to Jonas himself to make a decision. And whether 100% is enough for him or 95, I dare not say. He must have the good feeling himself. And if he has doubts, you also discuss where that comes from. He is someone that when he starts, he competes for the win. Jonas currently has that status. And otherwise a plan B needs to be put on the table. A plan that may not be based on winning the Tour, but on riding a good classification with a number of riders or on winning stages. But we are not there yet.”
Vingegaard is in a race against time to prepare for the Tour. How does the Dane feel about it? “Jonas also sometimes wonders: will I make it or not? But he is very calm and not busy with the Tour every day. We don’t talk about that either. We have daily contact, but that is mainly about how he feels. It is also a bit of mental guidance. Is there doubt in the descent? Is there still a fear of falling? You want to identify something like this early. One word or a look is often enough for us, but sometimes you also have to ask further questions. Jonas is very timid. We really take it day by day. Fortunately, Jonas is someone who recovers quickly and sticks to the plan. That is a quality and part of his talent. There is also no point in forcing it, no matter how tempting it is.”
Will Vingegaard start the Tour’24?
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024
The 167km 5th Stage 5 of the Criterium du Dauphiné was neutralised after a crash in the peloton and the race organisers decided that no times would be taken at the finish line and there would be no stage winner. The peloton rode to the finish line, escorted by the Garde Republicaine. The crash took place with 21km to go and many riders ended up on the road. Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a bike) were forced to abandon. When the crash happened, KOM leader Mathis Le Berre (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were leading the race, the Frenchman had taken more points towards his polka-dot jersey. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) still holds the race lead with 33 seconds over Primoz Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe) at the start of stage 6 in Hauterives on Friday.
147 riders started the stage on Thursday. Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla) didn’t start. KOM leader Mathis Le Berre (Arkea-B&,B Hotels) went from the gun with Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck). They were joined by Adne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), but the peloton refused to let them go at first. They finally received the go-ahead after 14km and held a maximum lead of 4 minutes after 20km. Bayer was fastest at the intermediate sprint (32km) as the gap to the bunch had settled at around 3 minutes.
Le Berre used the break to take all the KOM points, taking 1 on the Cat.4 Cote de Croix de Signy (49.7km), 5 on the Cote de Duerne (Cat.2, 76.2km), 2 on the Cote de Givors (111.5km) and a last 1 on the Cote de Bel-Air (144km). On 24 points, the Frenchman is certain to retain his polka-dot jersey to the end of stage 6 as there are only 21 points on offer and none of the GC favourites (Aleksandr Vlasov has 1 point) have scored any KOM points yet. The chase was mostly led by Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) and Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon-AG2R), working for their sprinters Mads Pedersen and Sam Bennett. With 75km to go, Holter crashed and lost contact, but closed the gap after 10km.
The rain played a major part in the finale as Bayer took advantage of the slippy descents to drop Le Berre and Holter, while a crash in the bunch halted Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) and Harold Tejada (Astana), forcing the peloton to slow down. Bayer and Le Berre joined forces again with 33km to go. With 21km to go, there was a massive pile-up in the peloton and the race organisers decided to neutralise the race. Remco Evenepoel, the overall race leader was involved in the crash, as well as other GC contenders like Primoz Roglič, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) and Powless. None of them were seriously injured but Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle (Visma-Lease a bike) were forced out.
Overall leader and best young rider, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “Overall it’s OK, I crashed on the right and I crashed on my head as well, the helmet saved me today. There are guys in a worse situation and I wish everybody a good recovery. Now it’s all to tomorrow and not focus too much on what happened. My shoulder is bleeding and we’ll have to see what the doctors will say, if the plate is OK. We’ll see tomorrow, but there’s no other option but continue. Everybody was fighting for position as it was the last tricky point of the course. Some guys started to slide just in front of me. I was close to make it but a bike went under me and I went overhead as it caught my wheel. It was a bit unlucky. The riders at the front started to slide, which was odd as it was not a real corner, but it was really slippery. I hope everybody recovers well.”
Points leader and 2nd overall, Primoz Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe): “It’s crazy. Another big crash. Luckily, I came to the finish, probably some guys didn’t. I’m a bit worried because I crashed on the shoulder on which I had my past problems. Well need to check that one. All the rest, I’m fine.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5 Result:
Stage neutralised.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 5:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 12:27:22
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:33
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:04
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:11
5. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar at 1:21
6. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 1:25
7. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost
8. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:27
9. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek at 1:39
10. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:41.
Dauphiné’24 stage 5:
The 2022 Criterium du Dauphiné winner, Primoz Roglič put the power down in the gruelling final climb to Le Collet d’Allevard to take his second stage win on the race and dislodge Belgian arch-rival Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) from top spot. As planned, the outcome of Stage 6 was decided on the last climb, in which Frenchman Romain Gregoire remained the last escapee out front until 3km to go. But then the GC leaders launched the big battle and Roglič, with a little help from BORA-hansgrohe teammate Aleksandr Vlasov, took the upper hand, crossing the line ahead of Italy’s Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek). Overall, Roglič now leads Evenepoel by 19 seconds and Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 58 seconds.
132 riders started on Friday. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Jasha Sutterlin, Rainer Kepplinger and Kamil Gradek (Bahrain-Victorious), Lukas Nerurkar and Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost), Odd Christian Eiking (Uno-X Mobility) and Kobe Goosens (Intermarché-Wanty) didn’t start. From the gun, six riders escaped from the peloton: Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Arjen Livyns (Lotto Dtsny), Mason Hollyman (IPT) and Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5). The peloton resisted for a few kilometres, but finally let the break go and it gradually increased, to reach 3:45 at the top of the first climb, on which Guernalec took 1 point (36.1km). Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek) and Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) abandoned after an hour of racing. The six worked well together and their lead reached a maximum of 5:55 after 105km. The intermediate sprint of the day (Les Echelles, 105.3km) was won by Magnus Cort, who collected 10 points and moved provisionally to the top of the points standings on 41 points. On Col du Granier (Cat.2, 129.4km), Guernalec was in the lead ahead of Gergoire, but the Arkea-B&B Hotels rider and Hollyman missed a corner on the descent and crashed. They were both back on their bikes but struggled to make it back to the front.
There was another fright for the escapees as they went the wrong way with 30km to go, but were quickly back on the course and didn’t lose too much time on the peloton, which had split on the descent. The five escapees only had 1:30 left as they tackled the final climb and Romain Gregoire attacked from the bottom, followed by Magnus Cort. At the back, Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) and Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a bike) were among the first leaders to be dropped. With 8km to go, stage 1 winner Cort finally lost ground, leaving his French break companion on his own in the front. INEOS Grenadiers seized the reins at the front of the pack in the last 8km and Gregoire’s lead gradually dwindled. With 5km to go, Laurens de Plus attacked, followed by Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe). Two kilometres later, Roglič, Derek Gee (IPT), Ciccone, Jorgenson and Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) went up a gear and dropped yellow and blue jersey holder Remco Evenepoel. With 2 kilometres to go Ciccone and Roglič made it back on De Plus and Vlasov, who decided to work for his leader and lead the way into the finale. Perfectly led-out, Roglič easily dropped Ciccone in the final straight to take his second stage victory on the Dauphiné, a race he won in 2022. Evenepoel crossed the line 42 seconds behind the Slovenian.
Stage winner and overall leader, Primoz Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe): “This was a great performance by the team. I’m quite limited by my left shoulder, but the legs worked. I’m not complaining. Finally I win a race, it took a while. Everyone from the team was very involved, from the first day here in the Dauphiné. We hunted for a stage win, but it didn’t work out in the second stage. And yesterday almost everyone fell hard, but today was a great performance. We can enjoy it for today. Let’s get back to basics first. First finish and stay upright, everything else is a bonus.”
2nd on the stage, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek): “All in all I am happy with this result. I said I felt good, after which Mads Pedersen did everything perfectly. I must thank him very much for his effort, but what more can I say? Not very much. Roglič won and I did my best. I felt very good, so I can be happy with that. I tried to follow Roglič twice, after which he set a very high pace. We then came to Aleksandr Vlasov, who was riding in front of us, and after that they continued to race at a high pace. That meant I was already a bit on the limit when he started sprinting.”
8th on the stage and 2nd overall, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “I knew this and have been saying this for a whole week, but apparently it’s not getting through. That I am not here to win the Dauphiné, but to improve. This is what I am still missing. I can ride fast for a long time, as I showed in the time trial, but I cannot yet ride fast and go over the limit. That is what I am still looking for and why I came here. It has now become apparent that I am not yet good enough to follow the best. I certainly didn’t feel bad, but at a certain point my legs became a bit heavier and it was difficult to follow on such a steep climb. I immediately announced on the radio that I could not keep up with the best and that so it had to be done at your own pace. Mikel Landa guided me perfectly until the last kilometre, where I collected everything again and that was a good move. And I stayed straight, that’s something. I’m here to test my limits. That is working, but there is clearly still work to be done. It will be very difficult to beat Primož. But, just fight and see where the ship ends up on Sunday. And you have to stay calm. I notice that things are improving quickly and luckily I still have 3.5 weeks until the start of the Tour.”
KOM, Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels): “It was planned this morning that I wouldn’t be out in front, and it was one of my team-mates who took charge of taking as many points as possible. I tried to recover a bit so that I could get back into action.The aim is to spend the day in the breakaway tomorrow and pick up as many points as possible.After that, the race leaders will decide the fate of this jersey.I’m really enjoying this race, not least because of the support from the public.And I’m feeling in good shape, so despite the difficulty of the course, it’s been a fun week.”
Most aggressive rider, Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ): “I’m satisfied, I tried everything and managed to get into the breakaway. Then I had a good final climb and I had good legs. In any case, I took my chance by attacking from the foot of the final climb, but the champions decided otherwise. I came to this Dauphiné to win a stage and you have to be opportunistic. I knew that if I wanted to win at the end of the week, it would have to be through a breakaway. It didn’t work out today, but we’ll try again tomorrow.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 6 Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 4:19:59
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:03
3. Aleksander Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:11
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:13
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:17
6. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 22
7. Carlos Rodriguez Cano INEOS Grenadiers
8. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:42
9. Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain Victorious at 0:50
10. Jai Hindley (Aus) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:53.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 6:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 16:47:44
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 19
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:58
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:01
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:32
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:40
7. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:53
8. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar at 2:08
9. Callum Scotson (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 2:15
10. Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain Victorious at 2:31.
Dauphiné’24 stage 6:
Primoz Roglič was too strong for his rivals in the Queen Stage 7 of the 76th Criterium du Dauphiné, surging in the final stretch to win his second mountain stage in succession at the top of Samoens 1,600 on Saturday. Despite a brave solo attempt by Spaniard Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), who was caught with 2km to go in this 155.3km stage from Albertville, were the favourites were left to battle it out in the last kilometre and the BORA-hansgrohe leader shot the last bullet. On the line, he beat American Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike), who took the white jersey over from struggling Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) while green jersey holder Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) was third. Overall, the Slovenian leads Jorgenson by 1:02 with stage 4 winner Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) third, 1:13 off the pace.
The start was given at 10:29 for 122 riders. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Anders Skaarseth (Uno-X Mobility), Logan Currie (Lotto Dstny), Clement Russo (Groupama-FDJ), Hugo Toumire (Cofidis), Christophe Juul Jensen and Blake Quick (Jayco AlUla) and Abner Umba (Astana) didn’t start. The stage had a fast start, which saw several attempts involving stage winners, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) and KOM leader Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) while Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) had to abandon. On the Cat.1 Col des Saisies, five riders broke clear. They were Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Davide Formolo (Movistar), Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana), Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon-AG2R) and Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost). They were joined by Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) and Warren Barguil (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) at 31 kilometres, by Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Koen Bouwman (Visma-Lease a bike) at the top of the Col des Saisies (33.5km) and by Dorian Godon (Decathlon-Ag2R) on the descent. Fortunato was first at the top, ahead of Barguil.
As several more riders, including Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) and Cristian Rodriguez (Arkea-B&B Hotels), also abandoned, the peloton was 3 minutes behind on the road to Megève while KOM leader Le Berre, Mathijs Paasschens (Lotto Dstny) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5) were less than 1 minute adrift. Only Donovan managed to make it back to the front on the descent of Cote d’Arâches (92km), on which Fortunato collected 10 more points. On Cote de la Ramaz, as Soler upped the tempo, Donovan and Martin were dropped by the leading group. Eight kilometres from the summit, Marc Soler decided to go for it, first with Barguil, then on his own. The Spaniard, 3:45 adrift overall at the start, reached the top of La Ramaz with a lead of 1:30 over his former companions Fortunato, Barguil, Rafferty, Bouwman, Formolo and Prodhomme and 5:30 over the peloton.
Soler held a 2 minutes lead over his nearest rivals at the foot of the last climb and while the battle for the stage win was over, the GC battle started in the final ascent. With 7km to go, white jersey holder Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) was dropped by the peloton, along with Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) or Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), who lost ground earlier. In the last 5 kilometres, the peloton reined in all the escapees, except Soler, who retained a 2 minute lead. But the 2018 Paris-Nice winner faltered and was finally caught with 2km to go by Primoz Roglič, Alekzander Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl Trek), Oier Lazkano and Javier Romo (Movistar), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Laurens De Plus and Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers). In the final stretch, Spanish champion Lazkano was the first to attack but he was immediately countered by Matteo Jorgenson and by Primoz Roglič, who overtook the American to take his second stage victory in two days and strengthen his overall lead on the eve of the final stage to Plateau des Glieres.
Stage winner and overall leader, Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe): “It probably looked easier than it was. It was a tough day, but the guys did a great job. They had everything under control from start to finish. I’m glad I had the legs to finish it. Why not go for it? The opportunity was there and the guys did a great job. We do feel it after the fall and these heavy days in our legs. That’s not going to make you feel any better, but thanks to their dedication we were able to prevail again today. It wasn’t easy putting on and taking off rain jackets with one arm, and all that shit. After the first climb I froze. I’m still waiting for summer. First things first. Let’s first try to finish on two wheels tomorrow. We’ll do our best and see what happens.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I thought it was possible to win the stage but it was hard to beat Primoz. I’m not a sprinter I don’t have a lot of jump but I did the best I could. I’m not the new team leader, Jonas (Vingegaard) is at another level and all the signs are good for him. He’s training well and I’m confident he will be there at the Tour and be strong. On each race I discover new limits and I hope to go on like this and that my level continues to rise.”
6th overall, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “The form is simply not there yet. At finishes like this you have to be one hundred percent in order to perform. It is a climb that does not lie. I think it’s clear that there’s still some work to be done. But like I said at the beginning of the week, if I have to let go, I’ll keep pushing to improve my form. That’s what I did. It was a tough day, with more than 4000 metres of altitude, lots of rain, technical descents. I don’t think I did a bad job with the Tour in mind. The results are not there, but everyone knows that I was here to try to win the time trial and try to hang on for as long as possible in the mountains, to test myself. That also happened today. I already expected this, this morning. In the last valley, with 25 kilometres to go, I also told the team that I didn’t feel good enough. I said that I would let go immediately and do my own thing. That was the best possible decision.”
Break rider, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates): “The condition is good. I tried but the last climb was too hard and I could not make it. I was for the GC so I tried. We took some time but this climb was too hard and I could not do anything. There might be another opportunity tomorrow if the legs are here. I would like to finish this Dauphiné in a good condition and we will see.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 7 Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 4:29:16
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:02
4. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar
5. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:08
7. Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain Victorious at 0:14
8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers
9. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Bora-hansgrohe
10. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:33.
Critérium du Dauphiné Overall After Stage 7:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 21:16:50
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:02
3. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:13
4. Aleksander Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 1:56
5. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:58
6. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:15
7. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:17
8. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar at 2:20
9. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:54
10. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal-Quick Step at 3:51.
Dauphiné’24 stage 7:
Primoz Roglič secured his second victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné with a slim 8 second lead over Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a bike). The Slovenian, who won the Dauphiné in 2022, looked in a comfortable position at the start of Stage 8 in Thones, but he faltered on the final climb, under attack from INEOS Grenadiers, who managed to snatch the final stage with Carlos Rodriguez. The BORA-hansgrohe leader fought hard to salvage his yellow and blue jersey ahead of Paris-Nice winner Jorgenson, while Derek Gee (IPT) became the first Canadian on the race podium. Italy’s Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) clinched the polka-dot jersey as the best climber.
103 riders were at the start. Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek), Clement Champoussin (Decathlon-Ag2R), Mark Donovan (Q36.5), Tom Paquot (Intermarché-Wanty) and Harold Tejada (Astana) didn’t start. There were several attacks on the Cat.1 Col de la Forclaz (14.2km). Near the top, a group of five emerged, including Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a bike), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon-Ag2R), Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), and polka-dot jersey holder Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana). They were chased by Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-AG2R), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Omar Fraile (INEOS Grenadiers), Eduardo Sepulveda (Lotto Dstny) and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis). The two groups merged after 25km.
At the top of La Forclaz, Fortunato added 10 points to his KOM tally and took two more in the follow Cat.3 climb, Col des Esserieux, to lead the best climber’s classification by 10 points at that stage. Six more riders, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates), Antonio Pedrero (Movistar), Florian Senechal (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Vito Braet (Intermarché-Wanty) and Tobias Ludvigsson (Q36.5), abandoned in the valley. At the intermediate sprint (52.7km), David Gaudu was in front as the peloton was more than 3 minutes adrift. The gap reached a maximum of 4:00 in the valley before the Saleve climb (Cat.1, 103.1km) in which Fortunato and Prodhomme were dropped and at the top, Soler was leading the way.
The peloton, led by INEOS Grenadiers, raised the tempo and the gap at the top was down to 2:05 and was 1:40 with 50km to go when the British outfit decided to stop the chase. At the bottom of the last climb, the 9 leaders only held a 45 second advantage on the bunch, controlled by Roglič’s team-mates and by an hyperactive Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). The break disintegrated on the climb, while Quinn and Martin tried to go together. At the back, Ciccone attacked with 8km to go, caught the escapees and went on his own. But the Italian was reined-in 3 kilometres later, when Laurens de Plus rode on the front, with Carlos Rodriguez on his heels. The two-fold attack left Roglič stuggling and the Slovenian couldn’t react when the two INEOS Grenadiers went with Matteo Jorgenson, Derek Gee and Santiago Buitrago. The American worked hard with Rodriguez and Gee to increase the gap and led the way in the final stretch, only to be passed by Rodriguez on the line. Roglič crossed the line 48 seconds later for a close GC victory.
Stage winner and 4th overall, Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers): “It’s a nice finish to the week. I was feeling good the whole race. Of course I’m happy. I must thank my team-mates who sacrificed themselves from the start of the stage. The plan was respected to the letter and I’m glad I was able to finish it off. The idea was to have someone in the break to help me in the last climb if necessary. That’s what we did. I was feeling very well in the last climb and every little detail worked perfectly and I really thank everybody. This is of course good for my confidence and I’m glad that the legs responded the way I wanted until the end.”
Final overall, 6th on the stage and points competition winner, Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe): “It’s crazy to be able to win the Dauphiné after everything that happened, the crash and everything that came in between. It’s incredible. Yes, I was hearing all the gaps all the time. It was close but finally I’m satisfied for the team. It’s definitely something we needed with the team to be able to win the Dauphiné. It’s crazy after the crash and all the things that happened that you don’t want and a lot of mountains. Now the Dauphiné is one thing and the Tour is another. I first want to be happy because you don’t win a race like this every day.”
2nd overall and on the stage, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “This stage was very tough and I have to be happy with my performance all week. Today was a good day and I am going home very happy. On the first climb of the day the pace was very high and there I followed some attacks from riders from the second line. I already felt that Primož was a bit on the limit there, Tiesj Benoot saw that too. That was a very tough moment. I was also at my limit, but I found something extra. I then also thought of Tiesj, who motivated me all morning and said that it was possible. I then gave it my all and that made it very close. Carlos Rodriguez then continued at full speed and Primož didn’t follow. That indicated he was in trouble, but I was able to follow. At that moment I still feared for Derek Gee, because he is still so elusive and close in the rankings. That’s why I didn’t drive myself to pieces. But when he also let go, I gave it my all. It wasn’t to be, so maybe next year… I woke up believing it was possible. I also got better every day this week, which is also thanks to my coach Tim Heemskerk.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech): “I think all week I was nervous, waiting for the legs to give out. After the line I was suffering so much I couldn’t enjoy it but now, it’s all starting to sink in. There will be a lot of reflection after this. Right now I am just enjoying it as it is. But, it’s been really cool. I was suffering on the final climb but as soon as I saw Roglič get dropped I thought ‘maybe I have good legs today’, so I gave it a shot. Matteo [Jorgenson] said he was on the limit and couldn’t pull through and pulled off and then I was immediately on the limit. Rodriguez and Jorgenson rode away and I couldn’t do anything about that but I was really happy with the legs. The team has ridden amazing for me. Five Dauphiné wins in the team and these are the guys who are helping me stay on the podium so I’m just really glad I could finish it off.”
8th on the stage and 7th overall, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “I can be content with the week I had. I did a good effort and I continuously improved my form, which is good for the upcoming Tour de France. I climbed with the best at times and I also took a beautiful stage victory, which together with my seventh place in the final standings in what has been a really hard race makes for a strong week. Now I will take a couple of days to recover, and afterwards I am traveling to Isola 2000 for an altitude training camp together with the team. I am really looking forward to that. I will also do a recon of some of the mountain stages, but the main goal will be to improve my shape. I leave the Dauphiné with a lot of confidence and desire to work even more so I can be in a good form at the start of the Tour.”
Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 8 Result:
1. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers in 4:18:02
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:15
4. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:35
5. Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain Victorious
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:48
7. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek
8. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:58
9. Aleksander Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe
10. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:10.
Critérium du Dauphiné Final Overall Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) BORA-hansgrohe in 25:35:40
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:08
3. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:36
4. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:00
5. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:04
6. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Bora-hansgrohe at 2:06
7. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:25
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:54
9. Oier Lazkano (Spa) Movistar
10. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 4:13.
Dauphiné’24 stage 8:
Tour de Suisse 2024
Yves Lampaert is the first leader of the 2024 Tour de Suisse. In the flat 4.8 kilometre Prologue Stage 1 through Vaduz in Liechtenstein, the Soudal Quick-Step rider was the fastest. Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) and Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers) were second and third at 3 seconds. João Almeida was the best of the GC riders in fourth place.
Stage 1 was not a on very technical prologue course in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The 4.8 kilometre circuit in the Rhine Valley was completely flat and basically a square, so the riders only had three left turns after the start. The rest of the route consisted of long, straight roads.
Many of the favourites started in the first hour. João Almeida set a top time very early with 5:12, four seconds faster than home favourite Stefan Küng. For Küng, the time trial in Vaduz was a special stage, because he is a resident of Liechtenstein, but a stage win was not possible. Wilco Kelderman and Bauke Mollema came close to Almeida, but the first to go under the time of the Portuguese rider was Yves Lampaert. The Flemish rider of Soudal Quick-Step clocked 5:05, at an average speed of 56.1kph. Home rider Stefan Bissegger and prologue specialist Ethan Hayter finished between Lampaert and Almeida.
It then started to rain, which was to Lampaert’s advantage. This was the reason that the big favourites and GC riders had started early. It stopped raining, just before the last series of riders started in Vaduz, but there was no one in that wave who could come close to Lampaert. The first leader’s jersey went to Yves Lampaert. His last victory was in the Tour de France two years ago, when he won the opening time trial in Copenhagen. Of the GC riders, João Almeida was 4th, the best performance in the time trial. He is followed by Wilco Kelderman, who is 11th, 4 seconds behind Almeida, Mattias Skjelmose is also at 4 seconds, Adam Yates, Ben Tulett and Alexey Lutsenko are all at 9 seconds behind the Portuguese rider.
Stage winner and overall leader, Yves Lampaert (Soudal Quick-Step): “It’s a big result for me, as I have never expected to beat the Swiss time trial specialists, so that makes me really proud. I am happy for myself and for the team who believed in me, it feels great to get a World Tour victory, it’s something that gives me a lot of confidence. The prologue wasn’t easy, but I gave my best and found from the start a good tempo which I could keep until the finish. From that point on, I had to wait quite a lot in the hot seat, but it was worth it. It’s an honour to have the yellow jersey in a prestigious race such as the Tour de Suisse.”
Tour de Suisse Stage 1 Result:
1. Yves Lampaert Soudal Quick-Step in 5:05
2. Stefan Bissegger EF Education-EasyPost at 0:03
3. Ethan Hayter INEOS Grenadiers at 0:04
4. João Almeida UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
5. Finn Fisher-Black UAE Team Emirates
6. Samuel Watson Groupama-FDJ at 0:09
7. Alberto Bettiol EF Education-EasyPost
8. Stefan Küng Groupama-FDJ at 0:11
8. Mauro Schmid Jayco AlUla
10. Søren Kragh Andersen Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Tour de Suisse Overall After Stage 1:
1. Yves Lampaert Soudal Quick-Step in 5:05
2. Stefan Bissegger EF Education-EasyPost at 0:03
3. Ethan Hayter INEOS Grenadiers at 0:04
4. João Almeida UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
5. Finn Fisher-Black UAE Team Emirates
6. Samuel Watson Groupama-FDJ at 0:09
7. Alberto Bettiol EF Education-EasyPost
8. Stefan Küng Groupama-FDJ at 0:11
9. Mauro Schmid Jayco AlUla
10. Søren Kragh Andersen Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Suisse’24 stage 1:
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women 2024
Lotte Kopecky won the Opening Stage 1 of the Tour of Britain Women. The SD Worx-Protime World champion held off the fast-finishing Letizia Paternoster (Liv Jayco AlUla) in the sprint from an elite group. Kopecky is also the first overall leader.
The first stage in the Tour of Britain Women had some difficult climbs in the 142.4 kilometres between Welshpool and Llandudno. The middle of the stage was particularly difficult and a leading group of 9 riders was able to get away.
In addition, World champion Kopecky, who also had teammate Christine Majerus with her. Also there was Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Elisabeth Deignan and Emma Henderson (Great Britain national team), Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Letizia Paternoster (Liv Jayco AlUla), Victorie Guilman (St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93) and Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels) were also present. Behind; the peloton nearly came to a stop, so the 9 took 4 minutes. In the final sprint, Kopecky received an excellent lead-out from Majerus, but Paternoster, who held Kopecky’s wheel, managed to just get past in the final metres. The Italian thought she had won, but the photo finish gave it to Kopecky by a millimetre.
Stage winner and overall leader, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “I made a few mistakes in the sprint. With the line in sight, I knew I could only do one thing: only with the best possible jump was the victory still possible. I saw Letizia beyond the finish line raising her arm in the air. At that moment, I wasn’t sure I had won, but I wasn’t sure she had won either. It took quite a long time for the judges to come up with the results. It’s also nice to win this way. That was a strong group. I was happy that my teammate Christine Majerus was in it because she did a fantastic job for me. When you go to the finish with two riders from a team, you know the others are going to play a game. I thought it was a nice final, in which Majerus did a good job of setting me off for the sprint.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco): “I’m honestly a bit disappointed because we were so close and in one moment after the finish line I thought I had won. The team worked really, really good today, we created the breakaway on the climb, we took the climb super-fast and strong, then we continued with me and Ruby. But all the girls worked well and did really good all day, so I am really proud of this team. We are so close to the victory and now I just want to believe in tomorrow and to give everything to take a win for the team. Me and the girls really believe in it and we will try our best.”
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain stage 1 Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 4:04:18
2. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
3. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
4. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team
6. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
8. Christine Majerus (Lux) SD Worx-Protime
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
10. Lucy Lee (GB) DAS-Handsling Bikes at 3:49.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Overall After Stage 1:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 4:04:06
2. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco at 0:03
3. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:07
4. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain at 12
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team
6. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
8. Christine Majerus (Lux) SD Worx-Protime
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
10. Lucy Lee (GB) DAS-Handsling Bikes at 4:01.
Britain’24 stage 1::
Lotte Kopecky won the Second Stage of the Tour of Britain Women. The 28-year-old Belgian of SD Worx-Protime won in a sprint from Anna Henderson after an attack on the last climb of the day.
After the millimetre sprint between Kopecky and Letizia Paternoster during the opening stage the day before, on Friday it was time for the second stage in Wales. With Kopecky in the leader’s jersey, the peloton started the 140 kilometre stage just after 12 noon. The final would be a lot more difficult than the opening stage, because with the top of the Horseshoe Pass (4.2km at 6.4%), was less than 30 kilometres from the finish, would the sprinters still be there for the final.
Despite several attack attempts, there was a lone leader: Franziska Koch of dsm-firmenich-PostNL. The 23-year-old German had a lead of more than 3 minutes over the peloton, but a solo attack going to the finish seemed impossible. Koch did manage to take full advantage on the first categorised climb of the day and was the first to cross the line in the intermediate sprint. In the chasing peloton, after the intermediate sprint, an elite group briefly broke away from the main group. With Lorena Wiebes, Charlotte Kool, Lotte Kopecky, Eline Jansen, Elizabeth Deignan and Letizia Paternoster, the big names of the race. It looked like the six were working together to form a bigger break, but the remaining peloton was quickly able to pull things together. Koch was caught soon after.
On the Cat.1 Horseshoe Pass it was SD Worx-Protime who set a high pace. It meant that many riders from the peloton were in trouble. The biggest name to leave a gap was Kool. Kopecky attacked 27 kilometres from the finish. Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) was the only one who could follow the overall leader, but the Italian was soon dropped by the World champion. While Paternoster saw the gap with Kopecky widening, Henderson (riding for the British national team) chased the Belgian. Kopecky took the mountain points, but Henderson was on her wheel. In the chasing group including Wiebes, the presence of teammates of the duo at the front ensured that there was not good cooperation. By far the most work was done by Abi Smith dsm-firmenich-PostNL) working for teammate Pfeiffer Georgi. On the tough terrain after the top of the climb, the two attackers, who worked well together, now had a lead of more than 20 seconds over the pursuers. Their escape attempt would not be in danger in the final, despite returning riders in the chasing group. The lead had grown to 40 seconds. Kopecky started the sprint from the front, but never lost control. The Belgian was stronger than her British rival. The World champion strengthened her lead on the general classification.
Stage winner and overall leader, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “Yesterday it was very close in the sprint, but today it was different”, Kopecky told us. “It was nice to be in the breakaway with Anna Henderson. I didn’t expect her to get back in front in the last kilometre. I had no problem with that. I had scouted this final in the morning hours, so I knew what was coming. It wasn’t a disadvantage to start in the lead.”
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain stage 2 Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 3:57:11
2. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 20
4. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
5. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
6. Sarah Roy (Aus) Cofidis
7. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Bel) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team
8. Josie Talbot (Aus) Cofidis
9. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain
10. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Overall After Stage 2:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 7:52:51
2. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain at 17
3. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco at 0:34
4. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:38
5. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain at 0:43
6. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team.
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
8. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco at 3:01
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 4:29
Britain’24 stage 2:
SD Worx continues to win in the Tour of Britain Women. After Lotte Kopecky won the first two stages, Lorena Wiebes was the victor on Stage 3. In a bunch sprint she beat Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) and Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) into second and third places.
After two days and two victories for Lotte Kopecky, the Woman’s Tour of Britain left Wales on day three. The Saturday stage started and finished in Warrington in the North-West of England, where a sprint was most likely. The 106.8 kilometre stage didn’t have much climbing.
Two riders broke away early in the stage, Jo Tindley (Pro-Noctis-200 Coffee-Hargreaves Contracting) and Madelaine Leech (Lifeplus Wahoo). The two escapees amassed a lead of almost 4 minutes. They stayed together until 50 kilometres from the finish, but at that point the stronger Tindley went solo. Leech fell back to counter-attackers Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother-UK) and Emma Caitlin Dimbleby (Alba Development). While the three pursuers were overtaken 30 kilometres from the finish by the peloton, led by SD Worx-Protime, Tindley held on for a while. However, 11 kilometres from the finish, the pack caught her, with Valerie Demey in the lead. The Belgian of VolkerWessels went past Tindley to try for a solo. However, a few kilometres later the peloton came back to her. So it would be a sprint finish. Wiebes had a perfect lead-out, partly thanks to overall leader Kopecky, and completed the work of her team perfectly. Charlotte Kool had to settle for second place, Georgia Baker third.
Stage winner and 10th overall, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “The team did a good job all day by keeping the leading group under control. We kept Christine Majerus, Barbara Guarischi, Lotte Kopecky and me for the final. Christine brought us well through the last corner in first position after which first Barbara and then Lotte pulled the sprint for me. It was a fast finish and I was like ‘oh, it’s only 200 metres to go’, so I put in my sprint and I was happy to finish it for the team. It’s always nice to win a race after the girls have done so much work. There’s one more day to go, so we’ll go full out again tomorrow.”
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain stage 3 Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 2:44:42
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
3. Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
5. Flora Perkins (GB) Great Britain
6. Marjolein Van ‘t Geloof (Ned) Hess Cycling Team
7. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime
8. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
9. Roxane Fournier (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
10. Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Lifeplus Wahoo.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Overall After Stage 3:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 10:25:49
2. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain 0:17
3. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco at 0:32
4. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:38
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team at 43
6. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain
7. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
8. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco at 3:00
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 4:19.
Britain’24 stage 3:
Drama in the Final Stage 4 of the Tour of Britain for women. Leaders Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes wanted to give SD Worx-Protime teammate Christine Majerus the victory, but the Luxembourg celebrated too early, allowing Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) to take the victory with a late jump. The overall victory went to Kopecky.
After two stage victories for Lotte Kopecky and a victory for Lorena Wiebes, the Tour of Britain Women was a success for SD Worx-Protime, but the final stage around Manchester could put the icing on the cake. The stage was just under 100 kilometres long, but included 1,616 metres of climbing. Most of those metres were in the first 80 kilometres, after which the finale was flat.
Kopecky started the final stage with a 17 second lead over Anna Henderson, and had a 32 second lead over third-place Letizia Paternoster. The overall victory was still up for grabs from the Belgian World champion. Lizzie Deignan didn’t just let that happen. In the rain, the leader of the British national team chose to attack the climb of Grains Bar early in the stage. She didn’t get more than a minute’s lead from SD Worx-Protime, which caught Deignan 50 kilometres from the finish.
In the final phase there were still some treacherous hills. On one of those climbs, four riders broke away about 20 kilometres from the finish: Kopecky, Henderson, Paternoster and Pfeiffer Georgi. They took almost half a minute, but saw the pursuers coming back to them. Lorena Wiebes made the crossing alone, but took the rest of the elite group in her wake. A late failure attempt was nipped in the bud, turning the race into a sprint from an elite group. SD Worx-Protime had a strong train and appeared to want to give the victory to loyal helper Christine Majerus. Kopecky had the lead in the last corner, but she put on the brakes, while Wiebes protected Majerus’ wheel. The Luxembourger thought she had won the sprint and started to celebrate well before the line, but Ruby Roseman-Gannon was faster. The photo finish said that the Australian champion had won the stage. She managed to beat three riders from SD Worx-Protime. Kopecky’s overall victory in the Tour of Britain Women was not in danger.
Final overall winner and 4th on the stage, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “It was a cold day and a hectic ride with some nice, steep climbs. In the end, we always kept control. We made the choice to play Christine’s card in the sprint. We did that perfectly until the last corner where I came out with a slightly too big lead. When I saw Christine turn on, I stuck to our plan. We made the deal that she would sprint for the win today, but maybe this was a mistake. Nevertheless, I would still do exactly the same now when we were in the same position. It would be nice for Christine, who is always committed to the others in the team, to win another race at WorldTour level in her last season. However, as a team we still came out well. Ruby ends up winning the stage. She is a good rider and this is a nice win for her. In the end, I am happy that Christine still finished third on the overall podium thanks to the bonification seconds. Maybe it all looked funny. It is what it is, but I am certainly not disappointed. With our performance throughout this Tour of Britain and my overall victory, I am thickly satisfied.”
2nd on the stage, Christine Majerus (SD Worx-Protime): “Of course it is my fault that I cheered too early, but at the same time I must also congratulate Ruby for continuing to believe in the stage win until the finish line. I want to thank my teammates for giving me the chance to sprint for victory today. You know I’m sorry I messed up. But not all is bad today, because Lotte won the Tour of Britain and I was able to move up in the standings and join her on the podium in third place. I’m more than happy with that.”
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain stage 4 Result:
1. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco in 4:02:10
2. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
4. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team
6. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
7. Flora Perkins (GB) Great Britain
8. Elinor Barker (GB) Great Britain
9. Josie Talbot Cofidis Women Team
10.Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Final Overall Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 13:03:40
2. Anna Henderson (GB) Great Britain at 0:17
3. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:34
4. Georgi Pfeiffer (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 38
5. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco at 40
6. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team at 0:43
7. Elizabeth Armitstead-Deignan (GB) Great Britain at 0:46
8. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco at 2:50
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 4:14.
Britain’24 stage 4:
Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau 2024
Maxim Van Gils won the 2024 Kanton Aargau GP. After a hilly race of 175 kilometres, the Flemish rider of Lotto Dstny was the best on the uphill finish. Thibau Nys also went for the victory, but crashed in the last 300 metres. Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) finished second behind Van Gils. Roger Adria Oliveras (BORA-hansgrohe) was third and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) fourth.
This year the GP Kanton Aargau consisted of laps around Leuggern. The final was seven laps over a course that included the Rotberg (7.1km at 3.7%) each time. After the last climb there were 13 kilometres to the finish, which was up hill. Thibau Nys, Marc Hirschi and Ide Schelling are previous winners.
Three Swiss riders were in the ‘break of the day’: Jan Stöckli (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Johan Jacobs (Switzerland national team) and Christophe Janssen (XSpeed United). They were joined by the Czech Michael Kukrle (Felt Felbermayr) and Leo Doyle from Ireland (XSpeed United). They had a maximum lead of 4 minutes on the peloton. Lotto Dstny, Bahrain Victorious, BORA-hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost and Lidl-Trek were leading the peloton for their leaders. As the race headed into the final, the escapees were caught. Jacobs and Kukrle held out the longest, but two laps before the end they were also back in the bunch.
The race then opened up on the penultimate climb of the Rotberg. No one got away, but on the descent a group with Rui Costa, Sergio Higuita, Andrea Bagioli, Mauro Schmid and Jan Christen escaped at a good time. After an acceleration by Christen, Costa was dropped, but the other four remained at the front. Just before the last summit of the Rotberg (7.1km at 3.7%) they were all caught. On the descent, Lidl-Trek and EF Education-EasyPost kept things together in the hope of a sprint, as was Lotto Dstny. The sprint was controlled by Lidl-Trek, but Nys couldn’t get in position. It was Maxim Van Gils who had the best sprint. Behind him, Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Roger Adria (BORA-hansgrohe) came second and third.
Race winner, Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny): “I said at home: if the second part of the season can be half as good as spring was, then it will be good. And look at how it begins… This feels good, of course. I didn’t have a super feeling today, probably because I just came from altitude training. It was a tough race, with that climb in every lap. It was also really warm today. But the team did a great job from start to finish. It was a battle to be among the first in that final corner. Pascal (Eenkhoorn) brought me all the way to second position. That was a bit too early, I didn’t want to be at the front just yet (laughs). So I let myself drop back a bit. At 200 meters, I really went for it and I felt I had a lot left in the tank. Now I have one more day to rest before Tour de Suisse really begins. I’m looking forward to it.”
Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau Result:
1. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 4:13:20
2. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost
3. Roger Adria Oliveras (Spa) BORA-hansgrohe
4. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Team Emirates
5. Anders Foldager (Den) Jayco AlUla
6. Fabio Christen (Sui) Q36.5
7. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
8 Sergio Andres Higuita (Col) BORA-hansgrohe
9. Alessandro Verre (Ita) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
10. Rui Alberto Costa Da Faria (Por) EF Education-EasyPost.
Aargau’24:
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women 2024
The women’s Volta a Catalunya started with a surprise in its Opening Stage in Manresa. The young New Zealander Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step) beat the triple World champion Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the sprint finish at the Muralla del Carme after the 100.6 kilometres of racing. She is also the first overall leader before the mountain stage 2.
122 riders in 20 teams started the first stage of the women’s Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. The start and finish were in Manresa, European City of Sport 2024, 100.6 kilometres of medium mountains through the centre of Catalunya with two categorised climbs: the Coll de Pinós and the Coll de Cal Pallarès (Cat.3).
Catalan rider, Mireia Trias (Massi-Baix Ter) was one of the most active riders in the fight for the break throughout the stage, despite the control of AG Insurance-Soudal and Visma-Lease a Bike, two powers of the world women’s peloton that has worked throughout the day to keep their chances of winning the stage in a sprint. However, the perseverance of the rider from Girona was rewarded with a solo break that lasted until just before the last climb of the day, she was given the combativeness prise for the dat. It seemed that the victory in this first stage would come from the peloton, which had been slimmed down by the hard route and the heat. Despite escape attempts both on the descent of the Coll de Cal Pallarès and in the last kilometres, where the most prominent attack was from Anastasiya Kolesava (Canyon//SRAM), it was going to be a sprint in Manresa.
The ramps of the Muralla del Carme, which had seen a finish of the men’s Volta a Catalunya in 2012, witnessed an exciting finish where the 23-year-old New Zealander Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step) was the best in a very tight finish with the great favourite of the day, the triple World champion, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who had to settled for second place while the Cuban champion Arlenis Sierra (Movistar) was third.
2nd on the stage and overall, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I lost my balance for a moment and then I fell short of trying to win. It was a pity. After that, we were on the wrong side of the road, so we had to change our plan and do another preparation. Fortunately, we resolved it well and my companions took me to the last kilometre. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it. Tomorrow is a climbing day and the classification will be decided there. For me personally it will be a difficult stage, but with Riejanne Markus we have someone who is aiming for the overall victory. In any case, we will have another opportunity to win the stage.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Stage 1 Result:
1. Ally Wollaston (NZ) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step in 2:46:13
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) Movistar
4. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ
5. Lise Menage (Fra) Cofidis
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
7. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
8. Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ-SUEZ
9. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
10. Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Arkéa-B&B Hotels.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Overall After Stage 1:
1. Ally Wollaston (NZ) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step in 2:46:03
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:04
3. Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) Movistar at 0:06
4. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 0:07
5. Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:08
6. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:09
7. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:10
8. Lise Menage (Fra) Cofidis
9. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
10. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility.
Catalunya’24-stage 1:
Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease en Bike) won the Queen Stage 2 on Saturday finishing in La Molina. The multi-champion has a good overall lead before of the closing stage this Sunday in Barcelona. The Dutch rider demonstrated her versatility by beating the great climbers of the race and is about to become the first winner of the Volta a Catalunya.
The second stage of the 1st Volta a Catalunya had a tough mountainous route of 95.7 kilometres starting in La Seu d’Urgell and ascending to two 1st category passes: Collada de Toses and the mountain station of La Molina. The finish of this special day was expected to be decisive. Once again, the fight for the escape was intense in the first part of the stage, first with a solo attempt by Laia Bosch (Massi-Baix Ter), the most combative rider of the day, and then with a group of 12 rider which had Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ). However, the team of leader, Ally Wollaston, the AG Insurance-Soudal Team, despite the loss of its best contender, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, in the general classification due to a CRASH.
In the end, the group of favourites has arrived at the foot of the final climb in La Molina, where this time the lead role has been taken by the Visma-Lease en Bike team. With continuous attacks that the young Fem van Empel has started and Maud Oudeman took over, the Dutch team selected the group until Marianne Vos herself, number 1 of this Volta a Catalunya, attacked at 7 kilometres from the finish alone on her way to her 254th triumph as a professional cyclist, a record that makes her considered by many the best cyclist in history. Vos reached the finish line 51 seconds ahead of her teammate Riejanne Markus and 56 seconds ahead of Norway’s Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility). A true exhibition in the queen stage of the Volta Catalunya.
Stage winner and overall leader, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike): “This is bizarre. I never expected to be able to compete for the win in a mountain stage. The legs felt good and on the final climb I tried to keep up as long as possible. As the group got smaller and smaller, I still saw many teammates around me. That was a great feeling and motivated me tremendously. The plan was for Fem and Femke to make the race hard from the start of the climb. They executed that superbly. After Femke’s attack, I looked around and saw that we were all still there. At that moment I thought: now I’ll give it a shot. There was a response to that at first, but later there was none. It’s very special to win a stage in this way. We will definitely defend the jersey. Tomorrow there are still some hills on the programme, but it’s a totally different stage to today. I think a lot of teams still want some action, so it will definitely not be easy.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Stage 2 Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 2:49:43
2. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0.51
3. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility 0:56
4. Solbjørk Minke Anderson (Den) Uno-X Mobility at 1:12
5. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 1:19
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team at 1:20
7. Rosita Reijnhout (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike Women
8. Fem Van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike Women
9. Maud Oudeman Visma | Lease a Bike Women
10. Alice Maria Arzuffi Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Overall After Stage 2:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 5:35:40
2. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:00
3. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 1:08
4. Solbjørk Minke Anderson (Den) Uno-X Mobility at 1:28
5. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 1:30
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team at 1:36
7. Fem Van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Rosita Reijnhout (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
9. Maud Oudeman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
10. Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team.
Catalunya’24-stage 2:
The first women’s edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya finished on Sunday in Barcelona in an exciting finale on Avinguda Maria Cristina. The New Zealander Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), who won her first stage in Manresa, added her second victory in the sprint finish of the Final Stage 3, beating Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), who secured her overall victory on the general classification. The Dutch cycling legend is the first winner in the history of the Volta a Catalunya, with a stage victory and two second places.
The third and final stage of the women’s Volta a Catalunya was over 86.6 kilometres starting from Molins de Rei and finishing in Barcelona, which promised surprises with a route through the interior of the Baix Llobregat and the Penedès with two mountain passes: the Alt dels Casots (Cat.2) and the Alt de Begues (Cat.3).
Leonie Laubig (Primeau Vélo) went on a solo break that lasted until the first of the climbs. After that there were continuous escape attempts, including Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike). The most decisive attack came on the Alt de Begues by the German rider, Aileen Schweikart (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) and the Dutch rider Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ), who went alone on the descent and was not caught until the approach of the finish on the Gran Via in Barcelona.
The final stage of the Volta Catalunya to Barcelona would finish in a sprint, very similar to the first stage to Manresa. The New Zealander Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step) was the fastest in a very tight final against Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), the great dominator of the Volta a Catalunya, who took the final overall victory, the La Molina stage and two second places. Marianne Vos, a cycling legend with more than 250 professional victories and three World championships, was the final winner, ahead of her teammate Riejanne Markus and the Norwegian Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility), winner of the 2021 reVuelta.
Final overall winner and 2nd on the stage, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Of course I regret not having won today, but that does not mean that I remember the last three days with great pride and joy. After the unexpected victory in La Molina, I knew there was a possibility of winning the overall. Today we wanted to maintain control in the race and not get into trouble. That worked very well. In the build up to the sprint we lost each other a bit and Ally proved to be the fastest. At the beginning of the week I didn’t expect to win, so that’s very special.”
2nd overall and 10th on the stage, Riejanne Markus (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I am very happy with our performance. We wanted to take the initiative today because we knew we were one of the strongest teams. We had everything under control and we were in every group that left. I kept going for a while, but that was more to make the race difficult. I am very proud of everyone and we are going home with good feelings.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Stage 3 Result:
1. Ally Wollaston (NZ) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step in 2:07:20
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ
4. Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) Movistar
5. Emma Norsgaard-Bjerg (Den9 Movistar
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
7. Michaela Drummond (NZ) Arkéa-B& B Hotels Women
8. Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
9. Fem Van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
10. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – Women Final Overall Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 7:42:54
2. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:06
3. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 1:14
4. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 1:34
5. Solbjørk Minke Anderson (Den) Uno-X Mobility
6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team at 1:42
7. Fem Van Empel (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
9. Mereia Benito Pellicer (Spa) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 2:09
10. Anna Kiesenhofer (Aust) Roland Cycling Team at 2:50.
Catalunya’24-stage 3:
Mathieu van der Poel ‘Hat Thrower’ Can Avoid a Lawsuit if She Agrees to the Union’s Demands
The woman who threw a cap at Mathieu van der Poel during Paris-Roubaix has received an ultimatum from the rider’s union. The UNCP is prepared to drop the complaint, but sets out three demands that the Flemish woman must meet, including an open apology for her action in the final of Paris-Roubaix.
In addition, the woman must join ‘Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix’ as a volunteer, an association that maintains and tidies the cobblestone sections of the spring classic every year. They are also partly involved in the organisation of Paris-Roubaix. Finally, the riders’ union wants the women to be involved in a new campaign on safety that will be broadcast to the international cycling public. In that case, the woman also has to show her face and will therefore be in the spotlight.
If the ‘hat thrower’ agrees to those three demands, the UNCP will waive a lawsuit. Otherwise, union president Pascal Chartier will continue the lawsuit in court. The accused’s lawyer has received the proposal. “We will now discuss it in depth to see if we can address it. My client wants to take responsibility, but we want to look at the proposals first.”
The ‘hat throw’:
Sir Bradley Wiggins Declared Bankrupt
Sir Bradley Wiggins has been declared bankrupt. The 2012 Tour de France winner has had financial problems for several years and according to The Times, bankruptcy was declared last week by the Lancaster District Court. Wiggins’ belongings are seized, which may also mean he has to hand in his medals and prizes.
At the end of last year, Wiggins was already threatened with bankruptcy. The problems started when his companies Wiggins Rights Limited and New Team Cycling Limited went bankrupt. Creditors then claimed an amount of more than 700,000 GBP, but that amount increased to almost 1 million pounds.
Wiggins should have paid his outstanding debt by November 2023, despite being placed in a scheme to pay off all his creditors in 2022. The former Tour winner would have to sell his assets in Spain and the naming rights to ‘Wiggins’ and ‘Wiggo’ as payment.
Last week, on June 3, the Lancaster District Court declared bankruptcy for Wiggins. According to The Times, curators are being called in to seize the possessions of the 2012 Olympic time trial champion. He may also lose his medals and trophies. This also happened previously to former tennis player Boris Becker, who had to hand in his Wimbledon trophy in 2022.
Wiggins has not responded to the ruling. At the end of last year he did respond to the impending bankruptcy. “These headaches have been going on for a few years now and there seems to be no end in sight. It’s a historical issue, where the negligence of others has left a big pile of sh*t with my name on it. That happens more often with athletes,” he said at the time.
Bad news for Wiggins:
A Lot of Interest in Ben O’Connor
Ben O’Connor’s contract expires at the end of this season and seems very popular on the transfer market, according to Le Dauphiné. His team, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, would like to keep him in 2025, but it seems that O’Connor will look elsewhere within the WorldTour.
According to the French newspaper, Jayco AlUla is in pole position to sign O’Connor. The 28-year-old climber from Australia has never ridden for the team from his home country. He did ride for a training team affiliated with the Jayco team in 2016, but then made his professional debut with Dimension Data in 2017.
After four years with the South African team, O’Connor left for AG2R La Mondiale in 2021, now called Decathlon AG2R. The Aussie’s palmarès includes stage victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. He also finished fourth in the Tour and second in the UAE Tour at the beginning of this year.
Decathlon AG2R team boss Vincent Lavenu responded to Le Dauphiné about the interest in O’Connor. “We want to keep our best riders, especially the riders we have trained. But it is true that we are not the only ones,” Lavenu is aware of O’Connor’s value.
O’Connor leaving Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale?
Patrick Lefevere on Remco Evenepoel’s Tour Form: “We Still Need to Lose About One and a Half Kilos”
In his weekly column in Het Nieuwsblad, Patrick Lefevere discussed the condition of Remco Evenepoel in the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Soudal Quick-Step leader won the yellow jersey in the individual time trial, but lost it to Primož Roglič in the first mountain stage. With three weeks until the start of the Tour de France, Lefevere voiced his thoughts: “If Remco is already at his best level, then we have a problem. His time trial was excellent on Wednesday. The climbing performance to Le Collet d’Allevard was definitely solid,” said Lefevere. “Remco’s level is as I estimated in advance. Before the start of the Dauphiné, Remco quite emphatically applied for the role of underdog. We are not used to statements like ‘maybe I will work for Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder’. That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it was also not without foundation.”
After his crash in the Itzulia Basque Country, Evenepoel went on a training camp with the team to the Sierra Nevada, where he noticed that he was far from his top form. “He was not the best in the team in the first days and that is an uncomfortable sensation for him. A situation that does not arise very often,” said the team boss. “It is therefore only normal that he is still a little behind in the Dauphiné uphill.”
“I already told all the journalists before the Dauphiné: our riders must be top at the start of the Tour at the end of June. If Remco is already at his best level, then we have a problem. He would then have to stretch it for another six weeks,” said Lefevere. “For example, Remco is not yet at Tour level in terms of weight. He still needs to lose another kilo or so, which usually goes smoothly for him. After the Dauphiné, the Tour team will go on another training camp to Isola 2000. There we will work on the last percent.”
On Friday, Lefevere had sent a message to Evenepoel, which said: ‘What happens in the rankings is secondary. Use the Alps to improve and to fillet the opposition a bit.’ It came as no surprise that BORA-hansgrohe ultimately struck out with Primož Roglič. “They will of course also try the one-two punch between Vlasov and Roglič in the Tour,” Lefevere expects.
Evenepoel needs to lose weight:
Documentary on Biniam Girmay to be Shown During the Opening Weekend of the Tour
On June 30, the documentary ‘This is my Moment’ about Biniam Girmay can be viewed on the Dutch TV channel NPO 2. The documentary shows how Girmay has done everything he can to succeed in top international cycling since he was seventeen. That turns out not to be easy. The documentary provides an insight into the life of the now 24-year-old Eritrean, who had long dreamt of riding the Tour de France.
After his historic victories in Gent-Wevelgem and in the 2022 Giro d’Italia, the general public got to know Girmay. The fast Eritrean racing for Intermaché-Wanty became the first black African to win a Classic and the first to win a stage in a Grand Tour. But what applies to the general cycling public does not apply to documentary maker Lieven Corthouts.
He had been following Girmay since 2018, when he was only seventeen years old. The documentary shows how a young African rider tries to succeed in international cycling. It turns out not to be an easy task, because fatherhood and European visa procedures do not make it easy for Girmay. The documentary traces Girmay’s path to the top. Maker Lieven Corthouts was allowed to film Biniam’s personal and professional life for more than six years. Moreover, the rider has also recorded his own process. The documentary can be seen on NPO 2 on the EO on June 30 at 10:05pm. That is during the opening weekend of the Tour de France, where Girmay will probably start this year. After a disappointing Giro d’Italia, where Girmay had to abandon due to a double crash.
Girmay docu out soon:
21-Year-Old Israeli Rider Dies after Being Hit by a Drunk Driver
Guy Timor, an Israeli rider who races with the Dutch club team Dutch Food Valley Cycling, died on Thursday morning. The 21-year-old rider was hit by a car in Israel. According to Israeli media, the driver was drunk and did not have a driver’s license.
Timor has been riding for Dutch Food Valley Cycling this season, where he finished eleventh in the Bergomloop Simpelveld, a difficult climber’s race in a series for clubs. Last year he was second in U23 national road championship of Israel.
Dutch Food Valley Cycling wrote on Instagram of a ‘black day’ for the team. “Guy joined our team this year, was very talented and dreamt of a career as a professional cyclist. We wish his family and friends a lot of strength in this terrible loss.”
Police said in a statement that a suspect in his twenties had been detained. The initial investigation revealed that he had previously been caught driving without a license. The driver, who has never held a license, apparently hit Timor while trying to escape from police officers who ordered him to stop when he was seen driving erratically. Dashcam footage showed the car running a red light moments before mowing down Timor on his bike.
“It’s a huge and painful loss,” Timor’s coach Tzachi Bogen said on Thursday. “It’s unbelievable how in one moment a friend was taken from us. Guy started riding at the age of eight… We lost a man who was all about giving, and the best way to see it was the way he rode. Cycling appears to be an individual sport, but teamwork plays a significant role and Guy was always a person who took care of the team’s success first before his individual success.”
Timor’s teammate Yonatan Turgeman also eulogised his friend, while lamenting in an interview with Army Radio that the roads are not safe for cyclists. “He was an amazing rider, always with a smile. There was nobody who didn’t want to ride with him,” Turgeman said. “Every developed country has cycling infrastructure, but not our country. We cannot protect ourselves.”
RIP Guy Timor:
Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker Jailed for Indecent Behaviour Before Unbound
Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker had an unexpected experience in the run-up to Unbound. During a training ride for the gravel race, the two former pros were arrested for ‘indecent behaviour’ and subsequently spent nine hours in jail.
“A day after Thomas landed, we were handcuffed and driven in a police car to the prison in Marietta,” Ten Dam begins in his podcast Live Slow Ride Hard. “What had happened? We drove to our regular supermarket and arrived at the parking lot… That supermarket was simply razed to the ground. There had been a tornado. As a result, the supermarket and department store simply disappeared.”
And so Ten Dam and Dekker had to switch to a plan B. “We were going to have lunch at the Mexican. It was still quite early. We had completed a three-hour training ride and were now quite hungry. It was half past one in the afternoon. I wanted to take a little cold shower and Thomas throws water over me. We stood between the car doors, taking a shower. Suddenly I hear a man screaming very loudly. But we just wanted to freshen up for the Mexican.”
“I actually felt it coming. There were a lot of people in that restaurant. Suddenly there were five police cars. The man who had shouted at us was also there and said: ‘You should go to jail for this’. He was actually a typical redneck. They first focused entirely on Thomas. He was searched and then put in handcuffs. So I thought: shit. Then I had to turn around and I was also handcuffed.”
“I didn’t dare do anything,” Dekker adds. “I had five guns pointed at me, even though those people had the IQ of a shrimp.” Ten Dam tried to calm things down. “I thought I might be able to respond, but these people weren’t listening.” And so Dekker and Ten Dam had to go to the station and even ended up behind lock and key. “I think it was a four-by-four place, without windows and with an iron toilet. A small sink, that’s what it was.”
The two Dutch riders were detained for ‘undesirable behaviour’ in public spaces. “We were given something to eat, under a blanket, because we were already cold. It all took a very long time and fingerprints were taken. We also had to put on an orange suit, we were really inmate Laurens and inmate Thomas. It’s really not allowed there. It did clash with my values,” says Dekker.
“The indictment stated that we sprayed each other with water bottles like two gay cyclists,” said Ten Dam. The riders had to pay a $185 bond and it later turned out that they no longer had to appear in court. However, they did not walk out of the prison until ten hours after the arrest.
Ten Dam on the gravel:
Lifeplus-Wahoo Team Bikes Stolen during the Women’s Tour of Britain
All fourteen bikes that the team had brought with them to the women’s Tour of Britain were stolen during the night. Thanks to the help of their rival teams, the riders were able to start the second stage.
“When we woke up this morning, we discovered that all fourteen of our Ribble Endurance SLR bikes had been stolen from our mechanic’s van,” Lifeplus-Wahoo wrote on ‘X’ (Twitter). “We hope to find a solution so that we can still start today in Wrexham. The bikes were stolen from the Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel, Whitchurch, Shropshire.”
Other teams in the Tour of Britain came to the rescue before the start. “All our thanks and appreciation goes to the many teams who offered and loaned their spare bikes, and to their mechanics who got our girls on the road. We wouldn’t have started without them!”
Have you seen any bikes like this?
Nicolas Vinokurov Takes Asian Road Championships Gold Medal in U23 Individual Time Trial
On the third day of the Asian Road Cycling Championships held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Astana Qazaqstan Team rider Nicolas Vinokurov won the gold medal in the Under 23 individual time trial. Vinokurov covered the 34-kilometre distance in 45 minutes and 38 seconds.
The silver medal was won by last year’s Asian Champion in this discipline Andrey Remkhe from the continental team Astana Qazaqstan Development Team, who lost 3 seconds to Nicolas Vinokurov.
“I am very happy to have won today and become the new U23 Asian Champion. To win here in Almaty means a lot to me! It was a very long and tough race. Besides, the weather in Almaty is very hot now, somewhere around +34, so I had to adapt to the heat. I have never experienced to ride the individual time trials in such weather conditions, but I am proud that I managed to make it and to win! Andrey Remkhe did a great race too, so together we were able to honourably represent Kazakhstan at this Asian Championships! said Nicolas Vinokurov.
A happy Vinokurov father and son:
Bahrain Victorious Extends Contract with Merida Until the End of 2025
The Bahrain Victorious riders will also ride Merida bikes next year. The two parties have extended their collaboration until the end of 2025. Merida announced in a press release.
Merida says it is ‘very pleased’ to extend the agreement with Bahrain Victorious. “For Merida, this not only means more visibility of our brand in various media, including on television, but also a valuable collaboration that benefits the R&D department and ultimately everyone who rides a Merida bicycle!”
Bahrain Victorious has been riding Merida bikes since its founding in 2017. The team currently has the Merida Reacto (the aero model), the Merida Scultura (the climbing bike) and the Merida Time Warp (the time trial bike). In addition, the Merida Silex, the gravel bike from the Taiwanese bicycle brand, is used by World gravel champion, Matej Mohorič.
World gravel champion Mohorič on a Merida:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike to continue with 5-man sports management from 1 October
From 1 October, Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s sports management will consist of five members, each with their own areas of expertise and responsibility. Led by CEO Richard Plugge, the team will continue building on the foundations that have led to many successes in recent years. We want to continue to make history with our Men’s World Tour team, our Development Team and our Women’s World Tour team.
The sports management team comprises Grischa Niermann, Jacco Verhaeren, Mathieu Heijboer, Robbert de Groot and Patrick Broe.
CEO Richard Plugge: “I am proud to have these exceptional professionals with their expertise and knowledge of the organisation’s culture on board to further strengthen Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the areas of strategy, coaching, innovation, nutrition, scouting and talent development.”
Grischa Niermann will be responsible for race strategy, selection, and the overall composition of the rider groups. In addition to his sports management role, Niermann will continue to attend several races as a DS.
Jacco Verhaeren, who has already been a member of the coaching group this year, will join the sports management to further strengthen our organisation with his expertise as a successful top swimming coach with an outside-in view. As a coach of coaches, trainer and sports innovator. And with a particular focus on the personal development of all riders in the men’s and women’s teams.
Mathieu Heijboer, previously Head of Performance, will be responsible for innovation in nutrition, equipment and training. Heijboer will combine this role with his duties as a coach for several riders.
Robbert de Groot remains a driving force behind our Development Team, which has trained riders such as Olav Kooij, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Per Strand Hagenes and Tim and Mick van Dijke brothers. He will continue to be responsible for talent development in our sports management.
Patrick Broe has already been associated with the team as a race analysis and strategy consultant. He will continue in this role in the sports management, bringing in talent and working with the Visma | Lease a Bike Women’s World Tour team. He will also advise the commercial team with his innovative ideas.
Richard Plugge: “We have always said that we wanted to solve the unfortunate departure of Merijn Zeeman internally. That is why we have left it in the hands of our well-known specialists, who will do this in close consultation with the entire staff.”
Richard Plugge:
Aleksandr Vlasov extends his contract with BORA – hansgrohe
Aleksandr Vlasov is already in his third season with BORA – hansgrohe. It has been a successful collaboration that has led to a 5th place in the Tour de France, victory at the Tour de Romandie and stage wins at the Tour de Suisse and Paris-Nice.
The 27-year-old has now extended his contract with BORA – hansgrohe and is aiming to build upon his previous successes.
Aleksandr Vlasov: “I am very happy with the extension of my contract. I have developed as a rider over the past few years. I feel very good at BORA – hansgrohe, it’s a nice atmosphere combined with a professional work ethic. So, I’m happy to stay and continue to develop. The arrival of Red Bull is a very interesting project for me, and I appreciate that the team believes in me. I’m ready to give my best in the coming years.”
After Jai Hindley already extended his contract, BORA – hansgrohe also retains the second specialist for stage races and GCs within the team with Aleksandr Vlasov. Both are currently racing alongside Primož Roglič at the Critérium du Dauphiné. It is the dress rehearsal for the season highlight that begins in a few weeks – the Tour de France.
Vlasov to stay with BORA-hansgrohe:
Giro d’Italia Women: One Month to the Start
The stage locations coloured their benches red and pink to support Scarpetta Rossa, the Charity Partner of the Corsa Rosa, as a sign of solidarity against gender violence. The 22 teams of 7 athletes each have also been made official. Grande Partenza on 7 July from Brescia and finish on 14 July, after eight stages, in L’Aquila
One month that separates us from the start of the Giro d’Italia Women, organised for the first time by RCS Sport in partnership with the FCI – Italian Cycling Federation. The event will start on 7 July from Brescia with a time trial and will finish on 14 July in L’Aquila at the end of a route of almost 857 kilometres that will involve no less than five regions of the Italian peninsula: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo.
Ending Violence Against Women
Chieti
Celebrating the countdown was Scarpetta Rossa, Charity Partner of the event, a company founded in Milan in 2014 and active throughout the country thanks to a dense network of volunteers and collaborators ready to listen and welcome women in critical situations.
The Association’s initiative was to colour the stage city benches red and pink, symbols of love and passion, to fight violence against women.
Ending Violence Against Women
On the collar of the Maglia Rosa, on a red background, is the inscription ‘We believe in victory’. The word ‘victory’ represents a symbol of women’s strength and determination to win in sport and in life.
Urbino
L’Aquila is hosting the final stage
Giro d’Italia Women, The Teams (15 UCI Women’s WorldTeams + 7 UCI Women’s Continental Teams)
15 UCI Women’s WorldTeams
-
AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM
CANYON//SRAM RACING
CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM
FDJ-SUEZ
FENIX-DECEUNINCK
HUMAN POWERED HEALTH
LIDL – TREK
LIV-ALULA-JAYCO
MOVISTAR TEAM
ROLAND
TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL
TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE
UAE TEAM ADQ
UNO-X MOBILITY
Qualified by ranking
-
COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM
TASHKENT CITY WOMEN PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM
Wild Cards
-
BEPINK – BONGIOANNI
EF EDUCATION – CANNONDALE
ISOLMANT – PREMAC – VITTORIA
LABORAL KUTXA – FUNDACION EUSKADI
TOP GIRLS FASSA BORTOLO
#GirodItaliaWomen
Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini and World champion Lotte Kopecky expected at the start in Brescia:
The PEZ INSTAGRAM
See our Instagram page for a quick fix on your phone: https://www.instagram.com/pezcyclingnews
The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.
Any comments drop me a line, at: [email protected] or Twitter. And check the PezCyclingNews Twitter and Facebook Page. And say hi on Zwift when you pass me.
Like PEZ? Why not subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive updates and reminders on what’s cool in road cycling?
