As the riders put their feet up for the first Tour rest day, we catch up with the last four Tour de France stages and the first stage of the Woman’s Giro d’Italia – All with stage reports, results, rider quotes and video.
Tadej Pogačar doesn’t understand Visma’s tactics – TOP STORY.
Tour de France news: UCI jury warns Mark Cavendish and Jasper Philipsen at start of stage 6, Eddy Merckx congratulates Mark Cavendish, fans go crazy for Julien Bernard and the UCI fine him, Patrick Lefevere ‘completely anti’ gravel stage, Cofidis team boss openly criticises his own rider, Nacer Bouhanni criticises the team boss and Visma | Lease a Bike contradicts Belgian national coach: “Wout van Aert must and wants to participate until the end of the Tour”..
Rider news: Marta Cavalli hit during training and former cyclist arrested in one of the largest Belgian fraud cases.
Plus: André Drege dies during the Tour of Austria and the passing of Legendary French cyclist Raphaël Géminiani at 99.
EUROTRASH rest day coffee time.
TOP STORY: Pogacar Doesn’t Understand Visma’s Tactics: “They Focus on Me and Underestimate Other Favourites”
Tadej Pogačar does not understand Visma | Lease a Bike’s tactics. After the gravel stage 9 around Troyes, where the yellow jersey attacked several times and escaped with Jonas Vingegaard, he expressed his surprise. “I think Visma | Lease a Bike only focuses on me and underestimates the other classification riders,” said Pogačar at the after stage press conference. The Slovenian is referring to Remco Evenepoel’s attack more than 75 kilometres from the finish, which only Pogačar and Vingegaard could follow. “The three of us raced away from there. I think it was a great opportunity to gain time on the other classification riders and secure the podium, but Jonas refused to cooperate,” the yellow jersey pointed out. “They only follow me, without thinking about Primož Roglič or Remco.”
Because there were also moments in the final when Evenepoel missed the battle with Pogačar and Vingegaard. “It’s a shame that there was a headwind in the stretch to the finish, which made it impossible for me to pull away in the final phase,” said Pogačar. “The gravel stage was a lot of fun,” he continued. “There was a lot of sand and dust everywhere, so it was impossible to get a clear picture of the race. You just had to ride on instinct and strength. I had great legs, which is great news because this was one of the difficult stages. I am very happy with my Tour so far. I feel a lot of confidence because I am in great shape and have a very good team around me.”
UAE Team Emirates manager Joxéan Fernandez was also satisfied. “We tried it, Tadej tried it,” he told WielerFlits. “There was a lot of stress and tension, but Tadej had good moments. Today was a very important day. Tadej is leading and has an important lead. That’s not yet a decisive gap, but we’ll keep fighting. There are still many riders to watch out for. Everyone suffered today, but we are still in good shape.”
Tim Wellens saw that Visma | Lease a Bike chose a different tactic than previously stated. “Nobody expected them to continue, so there were gaps,” said the Belgian. “Tadej had said beforehand that today was a lot of drama for little, because it wasn’t going to be difficult, but in the end it was a very nice race.”
Vingegaard just wanted to follow:
Tour de France 2024
It was the sprinters who dominated Stage 6. The race entered Burgundy on the roads from Mâcon to Dijon, where the Tour returned after a 27-year hiatus. The Dutch national champion, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla), edged Jasper Philipsen at the line, with Biniam Girmay in third. After the stage Philipsen was declassed down to 107th place. Groenewegen picked up his sixth Tour stage win, his first since stage 3 of the 2022 edition in the Danish city of Sønderborg. It was also the sixth Tour bunch sprint in a row that went to a different rider. The day went by without a break worthy of mention, but scattered showers and relentless crosswinds kept the riders on their toes throughout the 163.5km course. After narrowly dodging a crash on Wednesday, Tadej Pogačar had another scare today when Jonas Vingegaard’s teammates managed to split the peloton with 82km to go. The leader found himself as the sole UAE Team Emirates representative in the 50-strong lead group, but it all came to nothing when the second group managed to reconnect about 10km down the road. It was another close shave for the Slovenian, who will start the first time trial in the yellow jersey on Friday.
The bunch set out from Mâcon. Mads Pedersen, was in bandages after a nasty crash in the run-in to the finish of stage 5, but he was on the start line, keeping the peloton at 174 riders ahead of the 163.5km long stage 6. No-one made a move, but the pace was high from the start, with the top favourites, including Tadej Pogačar, vigilant at the front. It was an obvious sign that the main contenders were on edge about the moderate crosswinds set to batter the peloton almost without respite across the Saône-et-Loire and Côte-d’Or departments.
The king of the mountains, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), upped the pace on the Col du Bois Clair, the only climb of the day, coming 9km into the stage. Axel Zingle (Cofidis) was glued to his wheel but failed to stop the Norwegian from going over the Cat.4 ascent in first place and padding his lead in the mountains classification (26 points, 6 ahead of Pogačar). The two men pressed on over the top, bringing their margin over the peloton to 1:15 before sitting up in the run-in to the intermediate sprint in Cormatin, 31km into the stage, where Jasper Philipsen took top points. The Belgian out-sprinted Biniam Girmay, who became the first ever African rider to wear the green jersey after stage 5, and Mads Pedersen.
The peloton rolled along until Lotto Dstny tried, and failed, to force a split in the peloton. In the end, it was the European champion, Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), who managed to blow up the pack with 81km to go, at the exit from Puligny-Montrachet, right when Mark Cavendish suffered a puncture. The yellow jersey, Tadej Pogačar, found himself alone in the first group on the road after all his teammates were caught napping, but the peloton reformed 70km from the line.
There was a lot of nervousness in the peloton, and so the leaders moved at the front of the peloton to avoid any surprises before letting the fast men fight it out in Dijon, where the Tour had last visited in 1997. Alexander Kristoff’s Uno-X Mobility sprint train led the charge under the red kite, but Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla) derailed it to take the first stage win by a reigning Dutch champion since Léon van Bon triumphed in Tours in 2000. The photo finish did not lie: Groenewegen was the winner, while Jasper Philipsen had to settle for second, as he had done in Saint-Vulbas yesterday. After the stage, Philipsen was declassed for switching across Wout Van Aert during the sprint.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report HERE’. #
Stage winner, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla): “It was really close in the end. Before, I said it would be a nice victory in the red, white, and blue jersey (of Dutch national champion), but in the end it was so close that I couldn’t celebrate on the finish line. I know the legs were really good, I know I have a really strong team, but there are other strong sprinters. Yesterday, Mark Cavendish was really strong and today Jasper Philipsen was really hard to beat, but in the end, we got the victory, which is really important for us.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Today was a great example of how the Tour can get ugly even when the wind isn’t blowing too hard. It was a rather stressful day. At the end of the day, I was happy the stage wasn’t too long. I already recced the time trial a long time ago. I must say I love this course, it’s a fantastic time trial. It’ll be fast, but aerodynamics alone won’t cut it, you need some oomph too. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. I see Remco as the clear favourite. He’s the world champion and has shown time and again that he can beat anyone he likes. He’ll be the man to beat tomorrow, but I think I can do well too. Of course, he’s a serious contender for GC. I think he’s had this goal in mind since December.”
2nd overall and best young rider, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “Today went fairly well. It was windy, but my team kept me in the right place. I stayed focused throughout the four-hour stage. It was pretty nervy out there. Tomorrow’s time trial course [between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin] isn’t too far from Belgium, so I managed to recce it between Christmas and New Year’s, and I popped back for another look a few days ago. The course suits me well. I can’t wait for tomorrow. We’re gunning for victory. As the world time trial champion, I’ll be giving it my all for the stage win, but also with an eye on a strong position in GC, where I’m hoping to make some waves.”
Points leader and 3rd on the stage, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “It was an excellent day, where I was able to be successful by taking points in the intermediate sprint and at the finish. The feeling was on my new CUBE Litening bike in the colours of the green jersey was amazing. I still feel fresh thanks to the support of my team-mates. Preserving the green jersey is a difficult mission at the start of the Tour, as the points gaps aren’t huge, so I’m very happy to keep it for a second day in a row. At the start of the Tour, the green jersey wasn’t an objective. Now it is, and I want to fight to keep it. Because we’re seeing that no sprinter stands out above the rest, and the stages that are coming up suit me better.”
KOM, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): “Today I was going full gas for Alexander Kristoff, and I’m very happy that he was third at the finish. As for my job, I spent the whole day around him and performed the final part of my duty coming into the last kilometre. I’m happy I’ve worn the green jersey for three days, and now I’m looking forward to spending some more days in the polka dot one. I’ll try to keep it for as long as possible, so I’ll probably have to jump in some breakaways. I hope you see me a lot on TV in the next few days!”
Declassed, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I try to be a fair sprinter” “The jury thinks I did that on Thursday and I accept that” “Of course I am very disappointed. Because I was just beaten in the sprint and I couldn’t finish the perfect work of my teammates, but even more so because I have been declassified. About the declassification; I can do nothing but accept the jury’s decision. I try to be a fair sprinter, I have no intention of hindering or endangering other riders. The jury thinks I have done that today and I have no doubt that they have made their decision accurately” “It has not been an easy first week for me, but we are not giving up” “The condition is good and the team is doing it perfect. There are still a number of opportunities to sprint, so we will definitely continue to try to win a stage in this Tour de France.” “It is very clear that the boarding is not straight. And when Wout van Aert enters, he also holds back a bit. It all kind of came together. I don’t think it’s a manoeuvre that justifies it 100%. But there is something to be said for both sides.”
Tour de France Stage 6 Result:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla in 3:32:31
2. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
3. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Movistar
4. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
5. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny
6. Wout Van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
8. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
10. Piet Allegaert (Bel) Cofidis.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 6:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 26:47:19
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:45
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 50
4. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:10
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:14
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:16
7. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:32
8. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates
9. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 3:20
10. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:21.
Tour’24 stage 6:
Stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France saw Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) take the win in the 25.3km ITT from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin. World time trial champion Evenepoel was 12 seconds faster than second placed Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), with Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) third at 34 seconds and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) in fourth, 37 seconds down on the winner. Pogačar keeps the Yellow Jersey, with his lead over Evenepoel now reduced to 33 seconds, with Vingegaard third overall at 1:15.
The man who has made history already at this year’s Tour, Mark Cavendish, was the first of the 174 riders to start at 1.05pm local time. Along the route the riders’ differences were timed at three intermediate points, located in Messanges (8.6km), Curley (14.4km) and Morey-Saint-Denis (19.9km). In reverse order of the general classification the riders started at intervals of one minute for the first 58 men to go down the ramp, then at 1:30 intervals. For the leading nine riders in the general classification the gap between starters was 2 minutes, with Pogačar starting last, at 5pm.
Young French Groupama-FDJ rider Lenny Martinez set a time of 31:40.84, putting him top provisionally in the early running, having been the 12th rider to start. Just under an hour and a half after the stage start, the 45th starter Luke Durbridge from Jayco-AlUla then ousted the Groupama-FDJ climber with a time of 31:14.01, setting an average speed of 48.6kph. Durbridge was then unseated from the top spot himself by German TT champion Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) by a 25 second margin, before Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) went into the lead with a 30:06.66 best time, flying over the course at an average speed of 50.4kph.
Then an excellent performance by Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) produced the first sub 30 minute time of the day. Vauquelin finished in 29:44.94 to lead from Bissegger by 21 seconds, before the 97th man down the ramp Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-dstny) took over from Vauquelin in the hotseat by less than a second, with just 0.72s between their times. Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) was hindered by a loose chain in the second sector and whilst it was difficult to estimate exactly how much time that cost him, it was clearly detrimental, he crossed the line in provisional third place, 8 seconds down on Campenaerts.
As the favourites flew around the course later in the afternoon the provisional lead at the intermediate timing points and the finish line changed hands several times but World time trial champion Evenepoel was too fast for his rivals. The Belgian even had a scare with a suspected puncture which appeared to distract him for a few seconds, but the Belgian finished the job in style to take 12 vital seconds from Pogacar’s GC lead.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report HERE’. #
Stage winner, 2nd overall and best young rider, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “It’s crazy! I enjoyed every meter of this time trial and coming out with the win is simply amazing. I wasn’t thinking of the GC, the only thing that I had in mind was the victory and it’s an incredible feeling now to be a stage winner in all Grand Tours. A big thank you to the team for all their support, and to Specialized and our other partners for the setup of the bike. It’s a very special day in my life and my career, one which I will always remember. I had a very good day on this challenging course, which had a pretty hard climb and also some technical roads. I knew before the start that there wouldn’t be any big time gaps today, but I gave everything out there. I did a better time trial than the one in the Dauphiné. It ended up being a perfect day for me and my team, we took some time on the others, so it’s mission accomplished. We will celebrate this beautiful victory tonight, and from tomorrow, we’ll focus on the remaining stages of this week.”
Overall leader and 2nd on the stage, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “I started my time trial pretty well, feeling very good legs, and then went pretty hard on the climb. I think I was a bit too cooked at its summit, and that affected me towards the final. I didn’t know the exact gaps, but I got some nice encouraging words from the team car. I am pretty happy that I crossed the finish line in the position I did. I already did two good time trials at the Giro, yet I rate this performance somehow higher as I only lost to the current World Champion by just a few seconds and was still above some tough guys like Primoz [Roglič] and Jonas [Vingegaard]. I think the TT in Nice should be nice for me too, as I know the roads quite well. Last year I lost 1’40” to Jonas and today I’ve beaten him by 25” – that’s pretty good. But Remco showed pretty good shape, too. I hope I can put some time on him in the coming stages.”
3rd on the stage and 4th overall, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “Of course I would have wanted to go faster, but I gave it everything. I am satisfied with today’s performance. I can be optimistic. It had been a long time since I did such a tough seventh stage in the Tour. It was of course not a good sign that I had to start first of the top favourites, because that means that the others are slightly better. I’m happy with how today went and I’m looking forward to the stages to come.”
4th on the stage and 3rd overall, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “To be honest it was a good time trial for me. I am satisfied with my performance. I felt really good, especially in the first part of the time trial. I was able to pedal well on the climb. To only lose 37 seconds compared to Evenepoel, that’s what I signed up for in advance. The difference of 25 seconds with Pogačar is also playable. Of course they gain time, but I expected to lose more. Perhaps in the high mountains it is a matter of minutes instead of seconds. We must continue to stick to and believe in our plan. As I have already indicated, everything we achieve is a bonus. Of course we aim for the highest possible result, but loss of time in the first part of the Tour was certainly taken into account. I feel my shape is improving day by day. I am satisfied with today and look forward to the remainder of this Tour de France.”
5th on the stage, Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny): “I explored this time trial a while ago. When I came back from a training camp in Sierra Nevada – where my girlfriend gave birth to our son – a while ago, my new trainer said that I might as well pass by this village to explore the time trial. When I explored it, I immediately realised that it was something that suited me. So I went for it today. It may be the last time ever that I go all out in a time trial at the highest level. So I really tried to enjoy it.”
Points leader, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “I had a fantastic day on my time trial bike. I really enjoyed the cheering from the crowd, it’s a different feeling from when you’re in the peloton. Tomorrow is an important day, another opportunity for me to play for stage victory and score points. It’s a tough finish, which should suit me. I want to continue to approach things calmly, but I’m obviously very keen to shine tomorrow.”
9th on the stage, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost): “I had good legs today. I set an ambitious pace and went for it from the start. And then I just tried to hold on after the descent. I did pay for it, but like I said, I wanted to try. I went out with an ambitious pace, knowing that I had pretty decent legs. I couldn’t quite hold it to the finish, unfortunately, but that is what it is. At the moment, I enjoy doing what I do. I think being a GC contender is a pretty stressful job!”
12th on the stage, Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost): “It was a decent ride. We saw where I stacked up at the end, but I definitely did my best. Maybe, I over-paced it a bit in the beginning. Maybe, I went a bit too hard on the climb. On the downhill, you can’t really pedal, so everybody had the same strategy. I had a few close calls. Obviously when you get tired, you’re not as sharp anymore, but I think it was a decent ride.”
Tour de France Stage 7 Result:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-Quick Step in 28:52
2. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:12
3. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:34
4. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:37
5. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:51
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:52
7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:53
8. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 0:57
9. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:59
10. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ at 1:00
Tour de France Overall After Stage 7:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 27:16:23
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:33
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:15
4. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:36
5. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 2:16
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 2:17
7. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:31
8. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:35
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:03
10. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:36.
Tour’24 stage 7:
Another exciting bunch sprint in Colombey-les-deux-Eglises was won by Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) to take the Stage 8 bouquet and strengthen his position in the green jersey. Girmay just got the better of second placed Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in a tough uphill finish. Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-dstny) who finished in third place, with Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) and Marijn Van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) completing the top five. In the Yellow Jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) remains in charge in the overall rankings, with nothing changing at the top of the general classification on the eighth day of racing. Pogačar therefore still leads the GC rankings by 33 seconds from Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and 1:15 from Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
There were 173 riders on the start line in Semur-en-Auxois, after Mads Pedersen was ultimately forced to abandon the race following his crash in the bunch sprint into Saint Vulbas on Stage 5. Intermittent rain, strong wind and the hilly parcours meant it would be a demanding day. Neilson Powless and Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked as soon as the starting flag was shown, along with Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility). That trio built an advantage that increased to 2:25 at km 16km. However, the attacks of EF Education-EasyPost itself on the Côte de Vitteaux (Cat.3, 24.1km) caused the peloton to accelerate and at the summit polka dot jersey wearer Abrahamsen went over first, with the gap back to bunch by then down to just 1:15.
Not finally able to place Ben Healy or Alberto Bettiol in the breakaway, EF gave up on the attacks and also stopped Bissegger and Powless. Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) tried to join Abrahamsen in vain, and the Norwegian would top the climbs of Côte de Villy-en-Auxois (Cat.4, 32.5km) and the Côte de Verrey-sous-Salmaise (Cat.3, 38.8km) unchallenged and alone. At the intermediate sprint marker at Lamargelle (IS, 59km) Abrahamsen enjoyed a 5:40 lead over a relaxed peloton. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) was the first rider from the peloton at the intermediate sprint point, thus securing another day in the green jersey.
Abrahamsen ploughed on alone over the Côte de Santenoge (Cat.4, 96.7km) and the Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon (Cat.4, 122.4km) picking up more points for the Mountain classification, though by the time he had reached the summit of the second of those climbs – the final categorised climb of the stage – his lead was down to just over 4 minutes. Abrahamsen’s successful day meant he secured himself at least two more stages in the polka dot jersey, as there will only be 4 Climbers points available to the riders on Stage 9 and then in the 10th stage there will be none. Abrahamsen’s epic breakaway endeavours concluded 14.4km from the finish and from there on the peloton raced together to Colombey-les-deux-Eglises. The frantic finale saw Girmay out-sprint his rivals in an awesome display of power to grab the stage win in the green jersey.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report HERE’. #
Stage winner and green jersey, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “To win one stage is already unbelievable, and winning a second stage while wearing the green jersey even more so. Torino was a very flat finish, and I knew some other guys could push more watts than me, so I wasn’t sure of my options. Today’s finish, on the other hand, was perfect for me and I was super confident. I guess also then, the Tour de France being one of the hardest races of the world, once you win a stage you become aware that you are amongst the very best and that spurs you on. A lot of pressure was relieved when I raised my arms in Torino. The green jersey? I’ve already won two stages and worn the jersey, so my Tour de France is already a success and I don’t care what comes next! Anyway, I will for sure try my best to win this Points classification.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Actually, it was quite cold today. It was a really fast day, as Jonas Abrahamsen was flying at the front and we had to ride at his pace. It was a bit of a stressful day in the peloton. It’s good to tick the day off and start thinking about tomorrow. Will tomorrow’s stage be decisive? I don’t think so. Of course, you will need to stay even more sharp and focused. Every entrance to a gravel sector will be a battle. There will be wind, and maybe some rain… You can be the best on the gravel, but if you puncture at the wrong moment you will lose time. It will be a hectic, dangerous day. It will be key to stay close to the front and well surrounded by the team. Everybody wants to be at the front on every stage, and tomorrow’s stage won’t be no different – just more stressful than usual!”
2nd on the stage, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I don’t think I’m much worse, otherwise you can’t come second three times. I’m at a good level, but it has to work. It all seems to be falling in the wrong direction. While it all went in the right direction last year, it’s all going wrong now. We have to live with that. In principle I didn’t expect to be so short. I didn’t feel great because it was quite difficult. And I certainly don’t like today’s finish, but if you come so close, you hope to win. The real confidence comes when we get wins, but it doesn’t make much difference. It was close the day before yesterday and today too, so for the same amount of money we can do it. There will be four or five more chances, so there are still a lot of points to be gained. I am now second, although Girmay is racing very well, but something can always happen. We’ll try to stay short and then we’ll see.”
3rd on the stage, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny): “I didn’t sprint, I’m really upset. The team rode all day and then I came third… Everyone was exhausted, but I am really frustrated. The team did a good job and I was well positioned. I then start the sprint, but first have to look back to see what happened. I certainly got trapped, like the last time in the Antwerp Port Epic. If you sit there, you can’t do anything. But I still have to watch this again…”
10th on the stage, 2nd overall and best young rider, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step): “In the end it was quite a good day, even if the start was a little difficult due to the legs from yesterday’s time trial. But then my teammates surrounded me well and I spent most of the stage at the front of the peloton. In the last km uphill, I just wanted to be careful not to stupidly lose time. So I stayed in front and finished 10th, but it was more by accident, I didn’t do it on purpose. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s stage, I’m both very excited and a little nervous. I can’t wait to discover these French gravel paths and at the same time I know that anything can happen. All riders involved in the general classification will want to be careful not to lose time. I know all the sectors, I have been to see the most difficult ones and honestly I like them. We will see the scenario, it will depend on the breakaway, if we have very strong riders in front or not. In any case, I have the impression that tomorrow’s stage will be one of the most watched sporting events of the year.”
KOM, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): “In the beginning I was hoping I could get in the breakaway to get some more points for the climbing competition. At first it was me and two from EF Education EasyPost so it was good, but on the climbs I had to pull all the time and they went behind back to the peloton. Then I was really just trying to give it full gas to try and get the victory. But I’m happy to get more points in the Mountain classification and the intermediate sprint and to be the most aggressive rider. I gave it my all today but I was not strong enough in the end. The legs are quite painful so hopefully I will recover well for tomorrow. I like to have pain in my legs, then they get stronger afterwards.”
Tour de France Stage 8 Result:
1. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty in 4:04:50
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny
4. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
5. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost
6. Ryan Gibbons (SA) Lidl-Trek
7. Anthony Turgis (Fra) TotalEnergies
8. Alfred Wright (GB) Bahrain Victorious
9. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Movistar
10. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 8:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 31:21:13
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-Quick Step at 0:33
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:15
4. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:36
5. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 2:16
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 2:17
7. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:31
8. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:35
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at4:03
10. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:36.
Tour’24 stage 8:
Stage 9 of the 2024 Tour de France was won by Anthony Turgis (Total Energies) in Troyes on Sunday after a highly challenging afternoon of racing over the ‘chemins blancs’. On a tough stage which included 32km of gravel roads, Turgis rode brilliantly with his breakaway companions, just winning a sprint to the line ahead of Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech). It is a first win for TotalEnergies since 2017, with the previous victory for Jean-Rene Bernaudeau’s men dating back to 8th July of that year, when Lilian Calmejane won at Station des Rousses. The main GC favourites all finished together again, meaning that Yellow Jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is still in control overall, with no changes at the top of the general classification on the ninth day of the Tour. Pogačar tried several attacks on Stage 9 but was followed by his rivals, so he goes into Monday’s rest day 33 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and 1:15 in front of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
173 riders took the start in Troyes knowing that a tough challenge awaited them on a looping 199km route, which would take in 14 sectors of ‘white roads’ extending to 32km of gravel sectors in total, before concluding again in Troyes. After several early attacks Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Jarrad Drizners (Lotto-dstny), Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and French champion Paul Lapeira (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale) formed a break which had established a 25 seconds advantage at 20km.
That first break was soon caught and a new leading group of 10 riders formed before the first gravel sector of Bligny à Bergères (47.3km – 2km) was reached. Powless and Gee were in that group, along with Elmar Reinders (Jayco-AlUla), Jasper Stuvyen (Lidl-Trek), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-dstny), Oier Lazkano, Javier Romo (Movistar), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) and Anthony Turgis (Total Energies). They built a 45 second advantage over the peloton at the end of the first gravel sector.
After the Côte de Bergères (Cat.4, 51.7km) Axel Zingle (Cofidis) and Alex Aranburu (Movistar) joined the front group, before Powless dropped back to try and help his teammate Ben Healy, along with Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) to make it into the lead group. Powless’ work paid off as he brought Healy and Pidcock into the front group at 66km, just before the second gravel sector of Chemin de Baroville (1.2km). Primoz Roglič was dropped on the Baroville gravel road by a group led by Visma | Lease a Bike, which also included yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step). Roglič exited gravel sector 13 behind by 30 seconds, but a powerful response from the Slovenian of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe brought around 30 riders back to the Pogačar group, which Visma | Lease a Bike continued to lead at the intermediate sprint marker at Fontette (IS, 83.5km). The break had a 1:30 gap over the main group at Fontette, with TotalEnergies rider Turgis leading the escapees at the intermediate sprint.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) would experience a first moment of stress on the Hautes Forêts gravel sector (96.8km – 1.5km), when he suffered a mechanical problem that forced him to change bikes with his teammate Jan Tratnik to avoid being dropped from a group in which UAE Team Emirates set the pace. It would be at the exit of sector 11, Polisy to Celles-sur-Ource (105.2km – 3.4km) that Pogačar would launch an attack for the first time, with Evenepoel and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) respond, to counter his move. At the top of the Côte de Chacenay (Cat. 4, 121.2km), in sector 10 from Loches-sur-Ource to Chacenay (118.6km – 4.2km), it was Evenepoel who became the attacker. He was joined by Pogačar, who collaborated, and Vingegaard who refused to work. The three hunted down the break, which had lost Powless, Lazkano and Vermeersch. However, the three favourites would soon sit up, to be caught by a group in which Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe worked to prevent any further damage for Roglič.
The activity of the top three overall allowed Pidcock, Stuvyen, Healy, Gee and Lutsenko to pull away past the rest of the break and establish a new group at the front. However, Turgis, Romo and Aranburu managed to join up with them again at the head of the race on the start to Thieffrain à Magnant (140.8km – 3.9km). The complete calm in the peloton allowed the break to gain time and a group of seven riders counter attacked at 156km. They were Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost), Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) and Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Mobility).
As the race reached Ru de Paradis (165.7km – 1.2km), the leading eight had a gap of 1:05 over their seven pursuers and 2:10 over the peloton. On this sector, Pogacar would try another attack that was cancelled out by Visma thanks to Christophe Laporte and Matteo Jorgenson, who were excellent in supporting Vingegaard. The fight for GC gains would ultimately end in a stalemate. In the battle for the stage win the group of Girmay and Van der Poel were unable to join the leaders of the race and Stuyven attacked 11km from the finish line to open up a gap of 10 seconds. His fellow breakaway riders denied him victory by catching him inside the last kilometre, with Turgis finally proving the strongest man at the finish.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report HERE’. #
Stage winner, Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies): “It’s crazy. I’ve been riding in the Tour de France for years, this is my seventh, with the goal of winning a stage. I had won at all levels of competition but I was missing one in the WorldTour, and now it arrives at the Tour de France, on a legendary stage. We had a very big day of racing. I saw the leading group forming and I didn’t give up against the great champions. I knew Jasper Stuyven was going to attack in the finale. I wanted the others to take me as far as possible. It was a question of who played it the smartest. But it’s super hard to be in the lead in the Tour de France. This victory is great for the team. We came for a stage victory and we got it.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was pretty fun racing. There was lots of sand and dust all over the place, so it was impossible to get a clear picture of the race and you just had to ride on instinct and power. I had great legs, which is great news as this was one of the hardest stages of this Tour de France. I’m really happy with how this start of the Tour has gone for me. I feel very confident, as I am in great shape and have a very good team around me. So far, I have enjoyed this Tour de France a lot. I don’t know what happened in the race when I stopped for a nature break. I only know that it was quiet and then, somehow, I had to chase very hard along with Tim (Wellens) to regain my position in the peloton. From then on, every gravel sector was full of changes – first Visma led, then us, then Remco (Evenepoel) attacked, then me… At some point, Remco, Jonas (Vingegaard) and I went up the road. I think it was a great opportunity for us to put some time on the rest of the GC favourites and secure the podium, but Jonas refused to cooperate. I think Visma is just focusing on me and underestimating the other GC contenders. They just follow me, without thinking of Primoz [Roglič] or Remco. Afterwards, it was a shame that there were some headwind towards the finish, as that made it impossible for me to break away in the closing kilometres.”
2nd overall and best young rider, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step): “I felt good today, stayed the whole time out of trouble thanks to a very good team, and at one moment I decided to attack on one of the sectors, despite being some 80 kilometres from the finish. It’s a pity that some didn’t work in the group, as we could have gained a significant margin of minutes even over the others, but it was their tactic in the end, so we have to accept it, that’s cycling. Personally, I did a good stage, had fun out there and proved that I can ride on the gravel. It’s a nice way to conclude what has been a strong and rewarding first week of the Tour de France for us. I am satisfied with how things stand, the shape and the confidence are there, so everything that comes from now on will be a bonus.”
8th on the stage, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek): “I tried everything and maybe it would have been nice not to have such a headwind for the last few kilometres. I think I left it all out there and I wish I could have pushed a little bit harder for the end, but it is what it is and it was not enough. At the moment it is hard to see the positives. I think from now most of the stages are really sprint stages or mountain stages so today was the very, very good chance and I was close. I think I’ll have to enjoy the rest day tomorrow and maybe take a look to see if there are any more opportunities.”
Points leader and 9th on the stage, Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty): “I’m proud of my performance on this demanding, special parcours. I went on the attack in the final because I wanted to do well in the points classification, and I did. At first, I had fun on these white roads, but I suffered in the last hour of the race. The rest day came at just the right time. We finish the first week of the Tour de France with two stage wins and the green jersey, which is the dream scenario. That’s because since the start in Florence, I’ve been at my best mentally and physically. My victory in the third stage gave me and my team-mates a huge confidence boost.”
KOM, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): “It’s the rest day tomorrow so I tried to get in the breakaway. It was a great ride from Rasmus (Tiller) today. We tried and hopefully we can get a victory another day. This week has been amazing for me. I’m so happy to have the climbers jersey from day one and the green jersey and second place on the second stage. It’s so, so big for me. I can’t believe it. Keeping the polka dot jersey?.. It is a hard day on Stage 11 and hopefully I can go in the breakaway there and get some points, but after the 14th stage I think it is not possible anymore, with a lot of first category climbs and that’s not so good for me. But we will see, I will still try to keep it as long as possible and try to find the climbing legs.”
Tour de France Stage 9 Result:
1. Anthony Turgis (Fra) TotalEnergies in 4:19:43
2. Tom Pidcock (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
3. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Movistar
5. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost
6. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan
7. Javier Romo Oliver (Spa) Movistar at 0:12
8. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Lidl-Trek at 0:18
9. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty at 1:17
10. Michael Matthews (Aus) Jayco AlUla.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 9:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 35:42:42
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-Quick Step at 0:33
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:15
4. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:36
5. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 2:16
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 2:17
7. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:31
8. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:35
9. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 4:02
10. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:03
Tour’24 stage 9:
Woman’s Giro d’Italia 2024
Elisa Longo Borghini started the Women’s Giro d’Italia with a win. The Italian leader of Lidl-Trek managed to win the opening time trial of 15.7 kilometres in Brescia on Sunday, taking the lead over all the favourites. Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) finished 1 second behind Longo Borghini. Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek) was third at 13 seconds.
The 2024 Giro opened with an individual time trial in Brescia. The GC riders had to show their form immediately, because the time differences could be quite high in just under 16 kilometres. The most difficult part was the climb to Castello (900metres at 5.1%) after 12 kilometres, with 4 cobbled hairpin bends on the descent. Many favourites started their ventures early. Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Mavi Garcia and Juliette Labous chose to start before 12 noon.
The fastest time was set by Elisa Longo Borghini. With a final time of 20:37 at an average speed of 45.7kph, the Italian was only 1 second faster than Grace Brown. SD Worx-Protime leader Lotte Kopecky was at 25 seconds, while Juliette Labous was 29 seconds, Antonia Niedermaier 48, Gaia Realini 1:08, Kim Cadzow 1:14 and Niamh Fischer-Black at 1:16 to Longo Borghini. Lieke Nooijen, the surprising second at the National time trial championships, managed to settle into 4th place behind Longo Borghini and Brown. Brodie Chapman finished in 3rd.
Stage winner and Maglia Rosa, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek): “Being in the Maglia Rosa means a lot to me because last year I crashed at the Giro and suffered the consequences for the rest of the season. I’ve worked so hard to get back to a high level and for that I have to thank Lidl – Trek for their support. It was a difficult time trial, Grace Brown and I were paired from the start and when I saw that she had come in behind I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s going to be a good week of racing, I don’t want to make any proclamations for now, I’m mainly thinking about enjoying this beautiful Maglia Rosa.”
Best young rider, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM): “I knew it would be a challenging time trial because of the short distance. I planned a hard start, especially the first 2.5km, before I got into a rhythm. The tailwind section was a chance to focus on aerodynamics and a steady pace. Coming back into the city after the U-turn, you had to give it your all. The race basically finished on top of the last climb, with 3km to go. The descent was technical, and I didn’t take any risks. The final 2km was about giving it all for the last part. It was too short, but I’m happy with my performance. It’s a nice start to the Giro to take the white jersey on stage one. It’s good for the team to have that in our hands, giving us one of our objectives to fight for. It’s possible to keep this jersey in our team for the rest of the Giro and that will be one of our goals. We have a nice standing in the GC because we don’t have any pressure on our shoulders, and we can try many things when we get to the mountains.”
Woman’s Giro d’Italia Stage 1 Result:
1. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 20:37
2. Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:01
3. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:13
4. Lieke Nooijen (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike 0:23
5. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime at 0:25
6. Elena Hartmann (Swi) Roland Cycling Team at 0:28
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:29
8. Ruth Edwards-Winder (USA) Human Powered Health at 0:30
9. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 0:38
10. Loes Adegeest (Ned) FDJ-SUEZ.
Woman’s Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 1:
1. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 20:37
2. Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:01
3. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 0:13
4. Lieke Nooijen (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike 0:23
5. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime at 0:25
6. Elena Hartmann (Swi) Roland Cycling Team at 0:28
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:29
8. Ruth Edwards-Winder (USA) Human Powered Health at 0:30
9. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 0:38
10. Loes Adegeest(Ned) FDJ-SUEZ.
Woman’s Giro’24 stage 1:
UCI Jury Warns Mark Cavendish and Jasper Philipsen at the Start of Stage 6 in Maçon
Before the start of the sixth stage from Maçon to Dijon, the UCI jury visited the Astana Qazaqstan and Alpecin-Deceuninck team buses to warn their team sprinters that the behaviour of Mark Cavendish and Jasper Philipsen in Saint Vulbas a day earlier, will not be tolerated. Both sprinters would have been on the edge of not following the straight line in the sprint.
There is a lot of consternation in the peloton about the sprint behaviour in the first two bunch sprints. Several teams insist that the UCI-jury is far too tolerant and should have punished deviant sprint behaviour much earlier. There is also no consequence compared to other races where deviating from the straight line in one race is directly punished and allowed in another.
No repeat of this please:
Eddy Merckx Congratulates Mark Cavendish: ‘Such a Nice Guy to Break my Record’
Eddy Merckx was the man with the most stage victories in the Tour de France for almost fifty years, but the now 79-year-old Belgian has lost that record. After his triumph in Saint Vulbas, Mark Cavendish is now sole leader with 35 stage victories. However, Merckx is happy for the British sprinter.
Merckx has shared the record for the most Tour de France stage victories with Cavendish for three years, but now the Manx man is the record holder. Merckx responded to the 39-year-old Brit’s victory via his Instagram. “Congratulations Mark Cavendish on this historic achievement. Such a nice guy to break my record in the Tour.”
That there is mutual respect was evident after the finish of the memorable fifth stage of the Tour de France 2024. “I love Eddy. He has always been super sweet to me. I didn’t take anything away from the great Eddy Merckx. This is just a number. Eddy Merckx is Eddy Merckx,” Cavendish said to Het Nieuwsblad.
Not only Merckx has congratulated the Manx man, on social media Cavendish had numerous congratulations. Elia Viviani, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, among others, were full of praise for the British sprint legend.
Merckx and Cavendish:
Fans Go Crazy for Julien Bernard
Julien Bernard will never forget the stage 7 time trial of the Tour de Franc. The Frenchman of Lidl-Trek was cheered on the start podium, but then on the climb there was a real party. Bernard thoroughly enjoyed it and stopped to greet his wife and child. 32-year-old Bernard greeted almost all fans on the climb and gave high-fives. It provided fantastic images, which reached a climax when a guard of honour was created for the Frenchman. Bernard clearly enjoyed the scenes and finished the time trial with a smile.
UCI Fine Bernard for ‘Damaging the Image of the Sport’
Julien Bernard was loudly cheered on by family, friends and fans in his native region for the 25 time trial kilometres and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He even stopped briefly on the climb to greet his wife and child. The UCI apparently didn’t like this and fined the Frenchman.
“Inappropriate behaviour during the time trial and damage to the reputation of the sport. 200 Swiss Francs fine,” the jury report said. Bernard responded on social media: “Sorry UCI that I have damaged the image of the sport. I am willing to pay 200 Swiss Francs every day and be able to relive this moment.” Bernard is not the only one who responded. Teammate Toms Skujins wrote: “UCI doing UCI things”.
Bernard had fun:
Patrick Lefevere Completely Anti-Gravel Stage
Patrick Lefevere strongly criticised the gravel stage a couple of days before. The manager of Soudal Quick-Step wrote in his column in Het Nieuwsblad that he believes that a gravel stage has no place in a Grand Tour. “The cure for boring stages is not the fair of a Tour peloton on gravel.”
Lefevere first briefly looked back at Remco Evenepoel’s strong time trial, although he quickly moved on to criticism of the gravel stage. “You don’t want to know how much time, effort and man-hours went into preparing for this time trial. By Remco and the staff. We came to win and we did it. No one can take that away from us, but my frustration is: all the time gained in the rankings, which we worked so hard for, can be lost many times over in the gravel stage on Sunday with one flat tire. I’m happy to admit it: I’m completely anti. I was once against Strade Bianche, but only an idiot never changes his mind. I can now appreciate that race. But gravel in the Tour? Nonsense, I think. Entertainment for the masses, bread and games. An image is burned into my retina of Cadel Evans in the 2010 Giro. He won the gravel stage, but crossed the line with a caked-on gravel lump that covered his entire face. Is that how we want to see the riders?”
“The Tour rewards the most complete rider, but there are limits to that. For me: no gravel, no col that is so steep that you need a mountain bike gears and no cobblestones. I don’t have to convince anyone that I’m a big fan of Paris-Roubaix, but you shouldn’t send a Tour peloton over there. I understand that ASO is concerned about too many ‘transition stages’ and that the youth may find sprint stages a bit boring. But the remedy is not the fair of a Tour peloton on gravel.”
Lefevere is certainly not the only one to criticise the gravel stage. When the Tour route was proposed, Richard Plugge was one of the critical people. “That gravel stage, that doesn’t make any sense, I don’t understand why they are looking for that again now. As a result, you introduce the bad luck factor too much into the race. It’s about road cycling. Gravel can have such an impact on the result, purely due to bad luck. The same applies to cobblestones, but that is not very common and is historically more common in that region. But anyway, the rest is beautiful. The riders will have to work for three weeks,” Plugge said at the time.
Evenepoel didn’t do too badly on stage 9:
Cofidis Team Boss Openly Criticises his Own Rider, Nacer Bouhanni Criticises the Team Boss
The sixth stage of the Tour de France to Dijon has caused a rift within the Cofidis team. In an interview with RCM Sport, team boss Cedric Vasseur commented on the attack of his own rider Axel Zingle in the opening part of the stage. This open sneer provoked a response from ex-Cofidis rider Nacer Bouhanni.
Zingle decided to go with the attack of Uno-X rider Jonas Abrahamsen in the early part of the sixth stage. After his action, the Frenchman, who is on Visma | Lease a Bike’s radar for next year, received little appreciation from his team manager. “Axel had a spasm,” said Vasseur. “I don’t know what was wrong with him. We had no intention of sitting with a rider at the front. It’s stupid to start racing forward when you have a sprinter like Bryan Coquard.”
“We waited for Axel in the final when he had to help Bryan, but we didn’t see him then,” Vasseur continued. “So we are going to ask him for an explanation.” Coquard finished eleventh in the sprint in Dijon. Vasseur’s reaction ensured that Nacer Bouhanni felt compelled to respond to his ex-team boss via ‘X’ (Twitter).
“The only one who has a spasm is Vasseur. The dirty laundry is washed in public,” said the now retired sprinter, who rode for Cofidis between 2015 and 2019. “He has no guts, no charisma, nothing…” concluded Bouhanni.
Vasseur didn’t appreciate Zingle’s move on stage 6:
Visma | Lease a Bike Contradicts Belgian National Coach: “Wout van Aert Must and Wants to Participate Until the End of the Tour”
Wout van Aert must and wants to reach Nice in this Tour de France. Frans Maassen, team DS of Visma | Lease a Bike, told Sporza. Maasssen contradicts Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout, who told the Flemish broadcaster earlier this week that Van Aert can choose whether he stays in the Tour until the end.
“Agreements have been made with certain riders as to whether finishing is actually necessary. Wout van Aert can choose whether he leaves the Tour. And Jasper Stuyven too. Tiesj Benoot left the Tour before Tokyo and that was a conscious choice at the time. That really turned out really well,” were Vanthourenhout’s exact words. The national coach thought that was a good thing, since the Tour ends on July 21 and the time trial in Paris is on the menu for July 27. The road race is on August 3.
Sporza visited Visma | Lease a Bike before the start of the time trial, where Maassen claimed the opposite. “That is not true. Or I hope not. No, it’s not right. Wout wants to do his tasks here. And I think he will also come out of the Tour better by finishing the Tour. This can be done occasionally with the brakes on, as he has already done.”
“Wout doesn’t have to go all out every day,” the Dutch sports director continued. “There are certainly opportunities where he can race for himself. Wout has to go to Nice and he wants to come too. It’s not an issue.”
Van Aert to finish the Tour:
Marta Cavalli Hit while Training and Taken to Hospital
Marta Cavalli was hit by a car during a training ride. The Italian rider was hit by a car on a roundabout, after which she was rushed to hospital. According to Bici Sport there were no fractures diagnosed, but Cavalli is said to still have severe pain in her neck.
Cavalli, who rides for FDJ-SUEZ, was hit by a car in her own country on Friday morning. While she was cycling with a friend, a car crashed into her, breaking her bike in half. Cavalli reportedly felt a sharp pain in her neck and back, but never lost consciousness. Her life was never in danger. The 26-year-old former winner of Flèche Wallonne and the Amstel Gold Race in 2022, is still in hospital. According to the Bici Sport, no fractures were found and she can move her arms and legs normally. Further investigations are still necessary.
Cavalli injured:
Former Cyclist Arrested in One of the Largest Belgian Fraud Cases
An ex-cyclist, who was riding the Omloop Het Volk and the E3 Prijs Harelbeke 20 years ago is the main suspect in one of the largest scams ever in Belgium. 45-year-old Stijn V. from Sint-Truiden has been arrested in Spain, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. He is suspected of scams worth 24 million euros.
Stijn V. was a promising cyclist around the turn of the century. In the U23 Belgian cycling championship at the promises in 2001, he sprinted for the victory together with the later World champion and classic king Tom Boonen. A year later, Stijn V. signed a professional contract, but in 2004 his cycling career came to an end after a crash.
Now, twenty years later, he is the main suspect in one of the largest Belgian scam cases. HLN has confirmed that Stijn V. who has lived on the Costa Blanca in Spain for eight years, has been arrested at his home in Orihuela Costa on a European arrest warrant. V. voluntarily gave himself in to the police in Belgium last week. This was confirmed by his lawyer Joris Van Cauter.
The former cyclist is suspected of a scam worth 24 million euros, of which 10 million via his own accounts. V. is seen as the brain behind online cryptocurrency scams. This is investment fraud with ‘coins’ in the form of Ponzi fraud or a pyramid scheme. These ‘companies’ worked under different names.
From 2015, investors were lured through shadowy websites and videos on YouTube with the promise of high returns on their investments. Once they had transferred money, their coins turned out to be locked. According to the Spanish media, the money has been funnelled away through a complex network of accounts in Norway, Singapore and Hong Kong. That money was later returned to Stijn V. (45) and his possible companions, under the heading of payments for ‘advice’. The ex-cyclist is said to have mainly bought real estate with it in Spain.
58 official complaints have been received in Belgium, but there may be many more victims. According to the latest reports in the Spanish media, Stijn V. risks ten years in prison in Belgium for the scam. “My client disputes everything,” says his lawyer Joris van Cauter. “It really is nothing, so he is not in jail. During his interrogation, he indicated that he completely denies all the facts they suspect him of. And this is about facts that date back to 10 years or more ago, so that he has only been asked for the first time now says enough.”
Stijn V. arrested:
André Drege Dies During the Tour of Austria
Norwegian cyclist André Drege died as a result of a crash during the Tour of Austria. He was 25 years old. Drege raced for the continental team, Coop-Repsol.
Drege was in the leading group of the day in the Tour of Austria and crossed the highest climb of the day, the Hochtor, with a lead. He crashed on the descent of the Großglockner and suffered fatal injuries. Medical assistance couldn’t save Drege’s life. During the stage there was no news about Drege’s situation. Filippo Ganna won the stage, ahead of overall leader Diego Ulissi, but the podium ceremony was canceled.
In a statement, his Coop-Repsol team responded to the tragic news: “We are devastated by the news of the tragic death of André Drege. Our thoughts and prayers are with André’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. André’s family has requested privacy as they mourn their loss, and we kindly ask that their wishes be respected.”
The 25-year-old Drege, who was having the best season of his career, was recently linked with a move to Jayco AlUla’s WorldTeam. On social media, many professional teams and organisations shared their condolences and sympathy with Drege’s relatives and with his colleagues within the Coop-Repsol team.
Taken too young – André Drege:
Legendary French Cyclist Raphaël Géminiani Passed on at 99-Years-Old
Raphaël Géminiani has passed away. Géminiani won seven stages in the Tour de France during his career and once finished second in the final overall classification. The legendary French cyclist was 99 years old.
Géminiani started his professional career with Métropole-Dunlop in 1946. It took a while before his first win, but three years later he won a stage in the Tour, something he was able to repeat six more times in the following years. In 1951 a second place on GC was added, as well as the KOM classification. In 1958 he finished third in the Tour.
Géminiani also won the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia twice. After his career, Gem switched to team manager and worked with Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx.
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