The Giro d’Italia rumbles on, but we also have the opening day of the 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, 4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France and Durango – Durango Emakumeen Saria, all the news, views, reports and video.
Tadej Pogačar still expects a tough race – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Tadej Pogačar sometimes drinks a beer during a stage race, Julian Alaphilippe keeps trying in the Giro and Ethan Hayter looks to be leaving INEOS Grenadiers.
Team news: Mathieu van der Poel announces summer program.
Race news: Giro route change – Stage 16 – Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena/St. Christina in Gröden and riders unhappy about safety in the UCI Gravel World Series Aachen: “Shame on you”.
Plus: The Wolfpack Howls podcast: Luke Lamperti.
Time for a Giro EUROTRASH coffee.
TOP STORY: Tadej Pogačar Still Expects a Tough Race
Tadej Pogačar already has a comfortable lead in the overall classification after the first week of the Giro d’Italia. Second overall is Daniel Felipe Martínez, he is at nearly 3 minutes down on the Slovenian. But Pogačar is wary. “I still expect attacks from my competitors.”
On the first rest day, the pink jersey held an online press conference. The leader of UAE Emirates first looked back on the first week of the Giro. “It was a very nice first week, with beautiful but also difficult stages. I enjoyed it. I already have three stage victories under my belt and I am of course very happy with that. I am proud of our way of racing.” Talking of his team: “People can say that the team is not strong enough, but we prove the opposite time and time again. We also show in this Giro that we are ready. We may not be bringing along the biggest names, but everyone is committed to the full 100%. I am very happy and proud to be part of this team. There is a very good atmosphere. It really feels like a second family and we also show that in the race.”
Pogačar is enjoying his first Giro. “Of all the Grand Tours I have ridden so far, I get the most enjoyment out of this Giro. The organisation is good and we are lucky with the weather this year. The stages are not too long either. It’s been going really perfectly so far. There is also much less stress than in, for example, the Tour de France, but ultimately all grand tours are tough. It’s just tough to race for three weeks.”
Pogačar started the Giro as the main contender, but he knows that he is far from the final. “I think we can prepare for a tough third week in particular. My competitors will still attack. For example, INEOS Grenadiers has two good cards to play with, with G (Geraint Thomas) and Thymen Arensman.”
“I expect another tough race. Anything can still happen. I also have to prepare for that, so that I can push myself to the limit,” said Pogačar, who is also thinking about the Tour de France. “That’s definitely somewhere in the back of my mind. That’s why I’m happy with my current lead. Now I no longer have to push the limits to gain time, and I can race a bit more defensively. And above all, count on the strength of the team.”
Still a long way to go:
Giro d’Italia 2024
Valentin Paret-Peintre carried on the winning streak of the rejuvenated Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team on Stage 10 to the summit finish on the Bocca della Selva. Jan Tratnik (Visma | Lease A Bike) looked to be on his way to the win, but was passed by Paret-Peintre and Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) within kilometres of the finish. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) came in with the peloton to hold his overall lead.
In the first part, in the Vesuvian area, the stage has a flat profile but an intricate course. Upon merging onto the Via Appia, the route gently starts to go up, reaching Montesarchio, and then takes in a few uncategorised climbs. After cresting the 2nd cat. Camposauro, the route passes Solopaca and Guardia Sanframondi. The roads are relatively wide and have a lot of bends, and the surface is worn out at points. The lengthy closing climb (18km at 5.6%, with no major peaks) begins after Cerreto Sannita, past a welllit tunnel that leads to the Valle del Titerno. The climb snakes in sweeping curves and short straight stretches along the barren slope. The last kilometres rise steadily at 7%, occasionally peaking out past the ‘flamme rouge’. The home straight (150m) is on 5m wide tarmac.
Max Kanter, Ethan Vernon, Marius Mayrhofer and Olav Kooij were all reported to be sick and couldn’t start stage 10. For the Visma | Lease a Bike team, as Kooij was their third rider to abandon. Robert Gesink and Christophe Laporte left earlier in the Giro, leaving 158 remaining riders. The first attack came from Alpecin-Deceuninck. Quinten Hermans was joined by the Australian Simon Clarke (IPT) and held off the peloton for a while. Behind in the peloton there were a lot of attacks, INEOS Grenadiers were very active. It was Alessandro De Marchi who was first to cross to the two leaders after about 20 kilometres, but that was just the start. More riders attempted to jump across. Attila Valter, Jhonatan Narváez, Giulio Pellizzari and Filippo Ganna were all in the action, but the peloton didn’t stop chasing. At the front; De Marchi, Clarke and Hermans were working well and were building up a lead. At the intermediate sprint in Arpaia, after 52 kilometres, the difference was 1 minute. De Marchi decided to make a move, climbing through the small village, this was too much for Hermans who had to drop back to the peloton. Kaden Groves took third in the intermediate sprint.
The peloton slowed down and De Marchi took more time in the run-up to the uncategorised climb to Bivio Taburno (3.1km at 8.3%). On the climb, there was more attacks. Among them Valentin Paret-Peintre, Romain Bardet, Juan Pedro López and Esteban Chaves. Luke Plapp was in trouble and had to let go of the peloton. There were quite a few splits in the main bunch because UAE Team Emirates decided to slow down the pace. Twenty-five counter-attacker crossed to De Marchi and Clarke. The leaders were now: Tobias Foss (INEOS Grenadiers), Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Simone Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan), Maximilian Schachmann (BORA-hansgrohe), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Aurélien Paret-Peintre & Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) Andrea Bagioli & Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek), Will Barta (Movistar), Julian Alaphilippe & Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), Romain Bardet, Chris Hamilton & Kevin Vermaerke (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Alessandro De Marchi & Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla), Mattia Bais (Polti Kometa), Jan Tratnik (Visma | Lease a Bike), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) and Filippo Fiorelli, Domenico Pozzovivo & Luca Covili (VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè).
This could possibly be the winning break as there was no one too dangerous in the overall. The best-placed rider in the leading group, Filippo Zana, was 7:12 behind Pogačar before the stage. The men of UAE Team Emirates let the lead increased to over 4 minutes. With Bardet, Chaves, Domenico Pozzovivo, the brothers Aurélien and Valentin Paret-Peintre, Damiano Caruso, Maximilian Schachmann and Mauri Vansevenant, there were many strong climbers in the front group. Tratnik attacked on a flatter section before the final climb. The Slovenian of Visma | Lease a Bike had chosen a good moment to get away on his own. Marco Frigo, Andrea Bagioli, Romain Bardet, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Filippo Fiorelli saw the danger and started to chase. Tratnik continued to push on and managed to extend his lead. At the foot of the Bocca della Selva (17.9km at 5.6%), the difference to the first pursuers had increased to 30 seconds. At that moment, the Zana/Caruso group was already at 1:30. It was looking good for the Slovenian, but Bardet and Paret-Peintre were not too far behind and are better climbers. Tratnik was riding very well and took more time on the first kilometres of the climb. Bardet decided he had to make an effort, he had Paret-Peintre in his wheel. This caused the chasing group to split. It was too fast for Frigo and Bagioli.
Bardet and Paret-Peintre started to pull in Tratnik, who was losing ground on the two pursuers. At the start of the final 10 kilometres, the difference was down to 45 seconds. The stage win would be fought between these three because the next pursuers were at 1:30, despite attempts by Pozzovivo and Zana. Bardet and Paret-Peintre slowly getting closer to Tratnik on the steeper final kilometres, but the Slovenian still looked to be in control. With three kilometres to go, Tratnik must have been thinking of the victory. Paret-Peintre jumped away from Bardet and powered towards Tratnik. Paret-Peintre caught and passed the weary Tratnik and held off Bardet in the final kilometre. The 23-year-old Decathlon AG2R rider had plenty of time at the finish to celebrate his first victory as a professional cyclist. Bardet finished second at 30 seconds, Tratnik struggled to the line for third at 1 minute. Bagioli and Aurélien Paret-Peintre, filled the top-5. Antonio Tiberi was the first GC man to make a move, but the Italian couldn’t get away. The other top riders were not interested and so there was no gaps. Ben O’Connor started the sprint of the favourite riders, with Martínez, Pogačar, Thomas and Einer Rubio on his wheel. Cian Uijtdebroeks and Thymen Arensman lost some seconds.
# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “It means a lot to me to get my first pro win in a Grand Tour because a three-week event is my kind of favourite race. I knew I had the legs to do it but to make it was another story, it’s amazing to do it. We had no time to talk with my brother Aurélien in the breakaway, except that he felt good also and got a lot of confidence from performing in rainy conditions in the past. When the little group with Romain Bardet went on the small climb, I just told myself that if I didn’t go there, it was game over for the stage victory. Aurélien was behind to catch the eventual chasers.”
Maglia Rosa and KOM, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “Everybody is happy that the breakaway worked out today. We rode easier and Bahrain had to pull. They set a hard tempo on the climb, so we weren’t in control anymore. In my opinion, it was better this way for me. Some people say that we have to share a piece of pie but sometimes you can’t. We can’t always win. We also have to think about the next days, the time trial and the queen stage at the end of the week.”
2nd on the stage and 7th overall, Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “I’m happy. I didn’t feel good, I was fine, but I couldn’t accelerate. The old machines are like this after the day of rest. I tried to anticipate because I knew my legs weren’t very good. I tried to manage to get back to Tratnik, but kudos to Valentin. He made a great shot. I don’t regret it, those were my chances today. We work well with Valentín. We talked to each other because I told him it was the right time. I knew he would figure it out later, but it was normal for him to do it, while I had to make some more changes. Anyway, a good result given the sensations of the day.”
3rd on the stage, Jan Tratnik (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I knew there were better climbers than me in that group, so that’s why I decided to go ahead. With four kilometres to go, I began to feel tired in my legs. When I looked back, I saw that they were approaching quickly. It ended up being a fight until the end to maintain my third place, but I can look back on this performance with satisfaction. After all the bad luck we already had, we showed resilience again. There are still opportunities to come and we will try to take advantage of them. It’s been a hard day in the peloton. The other teams with general ambitions didn’t make it easy for us. Sometimes I was too far behind in important moments. In the end I didn’t feel super fresh anymore. Everyone has a bad day in a Grand Tour. If this turns out to be mine, I am satisfied that my losses of time will be limited.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 10 Result:
1. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:43:50
2. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 0:30
3. Jan Tratnik (Slo) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:00
4. Andrea Bagioli (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:17
5. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team 1:24
6. Simon Geschke (Ger) Cofidis
7. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
9. Nicola Conci (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 1:41
10. Esteban Chaves (Col) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:56.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 10:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 36:48:08
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:58
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:39
5. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 4:15
6. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 4:27
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 4:57
8. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 5:19
9. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 5:23
10. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 5:28.
Giro’24 stage 10:
After the ‘Break of the day’ was pulled in with 38 kilometres to go on Stage 11, it was eyes down for a bunch sprint in Francavilla al Mare. Alpecin-Deceuninck, Lidl-Trek, Soudal Quick-Step and Jayco AlUla all had men fighting for the front places with 30 km to go. INEOS Grenadiers took control with 4K to go, but they were swept aside in the last 2 kilometres. Alpecin and Soudal pounded on the front, but points leader, Jonathan Milan shot out to take the stage victory ahead of Tim Merlier (declassed) and Kaden Groves.
This stage is clearly divided in two: a hilly first part across the Apennines, all the way to Termoli, and a second flat part along the coastal road (ss. 16). When crossing the Apennines, the route rises and falls, twisting considerably, partly on fast roads. As the stage reaches the coast, in Termoli, the route takes the Statale Adriatica all the way to Francavilla al Mare. With nearly 4km to go, two right-handers (with a railway underpass in-between) lead into the lengthy home straight. The last 3.5km across the urban area are essentially straight and perfectly flat. The home straight (3,000m) is on 8m wide tarmac.
The day started with bad news for Visma | Lease a Bike. After Olav Kooij’s retirement on Tuesday, GC leader Cian Uijtdebroeks also had to drop out due to illness. Three escapees went away early. Visma | Lease a Bike had nothing to lose and sent Edoardo Affini and Tim van Dijke in the break. They were joined by Thomas Champion of Cofidis, but never had more than a 2:30 lead on the peloton. It was the sprinter’s teams of Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step, who took control and did not let the lead group get away too far. Later, the teams of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Jayco AlUla also worked in the pursuit. When Affini, Van Dijke and Champion reached the coastline, about 100 kilometres from the finish, the lead had even dropped to under 1 minute. A bunch sprint was on the cards. Fabio Jakobsen had survived the opening section and was able to prepare for his first real sprint opportunity of the Giro. dsm-firmenich PostNL didn’t come to the front, as the pace was fast enough. Affini, Van Dijke and Champion were caught 38 kilometres from the finish, just before the bonus sprint, where Geraint Thomas surprisingly took 2 seconds. The other favourites didn’t sprint.
The pace was also high due to the wind along the coast that favoured the peloton, and the stage was on the fastest timetable. What made the finale interesting was that the riders made a U-turn more than 3 kilometres before the finish and then had to sprint against a strong headwind. But then it had to be a sprint. Andrea Piccolo was quickly caught after an attack attempt and in the hectic Felix Großschartner and Kevin Vermaerke fell in the preliminary final. Afterwards, several trains were formed in the final, on the one hand for the sprinters and on the other hand to keep the classification man out of trouble. That all went without any major problems, including that U-turn.
Timing was going to be the key in the final kilometres along the beach-front of Francavilla Al Mare. Alpecin-Deceuninck started the last kilometre in the lead, but Kaden Groves had lost his train. As a result, the organisation was lost and Soudal Quick-Step took over for Merlier. The Belgian waited a long time, but was still the first to start his sprint at 200 metres. That turned out to be too early, because Jonathan Milan sprinted to victory with a lot of power. Merlier and Groves came second and third, but more than half an hour after the finish Merlier was removed from the top of the results. Because he deviated from his line and hindered Juan Sebastián Molano, he was declassified and put back in the results. Behind; Fabio Jakobsen looked like he was going to sprint for the first time, but he ended up on the road because a rider of Intermarché-Wanty crashed in front of him.
# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner and points leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trk): “The Abruzzo region brings me luck after I won my first stage of the Giro d’Italia here last year. It’s beautiful to celebrate on stage and receive another Maglia Ciclamino every day. To bring this jersey to Rome, it’s necessary to remain attentive every day. All stages are complicated and it was the case again today. The boys brought me to the front in the last kilometres. We got split up and I lost my lead out man Simone Consonni, it happens… but I found Edward Theuns again and he put me in a perfect position right on Tim Merlier’s wheel. It’s easy to say that Milan won but it’s only the visible part of the iceberg, I can only say thanks to my team-mates for the magnificent work they’ve done for me.”
The Maglia Rosa and KOM, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Maybe it looks like I’m in the first positions a bit too close to the finish line in the lead up to the sprint but today there was a crash in front of me. I always race like this. I stay in a bubble. I check what’s going on and I stay one metre behind the wheels. You never know if a crash can happen at the front or further back. I just have this philosophy that I have to stay safe and not make any mistake. With the head wind, I knew it would be a bit more difficult for me to help Seba [Molano]. I covered some accelerations until the final 3km, then it went too fast for me and it was up to the big guys to make their move. I’ve been told my team-mate Felix Grossschartner is OK after his crash. I hope he is.”
3rd on the stage, Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Kometa): “I stayed in front with Mirco Maestri until 500 metres from the finish line, then I situated myself on the right side of the road behind the Lidl Trek, gained several positions and I’m very happy to have achieved the maximum I could just behind very strong opponents such as Milan and Groves!”
5th overall and best young rider, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious): “This is such a beautiful moment for me, and above all, an honour. For an Italian to wear a jersey at the Giro is one of the most wonderful achievements for a cyclist. It’s a dream come true – and to be in the first row on the startline tomorrow in front of my home fans who have just been so amazing since day one supporting me. Wearing this jersey is a privilege that I promise I will do my utmost to honour until Rome. I’ve come from one of the lowest points of my life and now this is one of the best. It’s so amazing people are giving me another chance, and I hope my story is everyone makes mistakes but we learn from them. There will always be hard moments, but we can bounce back. I am thankful to the team for the chance, and to the Italian public too for getting behind me. I’m so happy to start to repay their faith in me. Today was pretty straightforward, but a bit too fast for me to be honest! I’m looking forward to getting back in the mountains. Moving forward we have some beautiful stages coming up. Tomorrow already is a bit more challenging hard, and then we’ll be thinking about the time trial on Saturday when I’ll hope to do well. Then it’s the biggest stage of the race to Livigno which for sure is going to be energy-sapping, before the second rest day on Monday. There’s a long way to go in this Giro, and so far I’m feeling good!”
Giro d’Italia Stage 11 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:23:18
2. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti Kometa
4. Laurence Pithie (NZ) Groupama-FDJ
5. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates
6. Danny van Poppel (Ned) BORA-hansgrohe
7. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Victorious
9. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
10. Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 11:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 41:09:26
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:40
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:56
4. Ben O’Connor Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 3:39
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 4:27
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 4:57
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 5:19
8. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 5:23
9. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 5:28
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:52.
Giro’24 stage 11:
Cusack and Barry Earn Gold on the Opening Day of the 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships
Juniors set the stage in the Time Trial on the first day of Pro Road.
The 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships kicked off on Tuesday afternoon with the Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s Time Trial. Over 50 athletes from around the country completed the 16.9-kilometre Time Trial in downtown Charleston.
Junior Women’s Time Trial
With light rain predicted in the forecast, the Junior Women were the first riders to compete on this year’s new course. Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy) was the first rider out. She crossed the line in a time 22:55.63, which put her in the hot seat very early on. Even after getting a flat out on course, her time remained the standard for the rest of the race. Cusack has only raced one Time Trial this season so heading into today’s race she wasn’t sure what to expect saying, “I just gave it my all. It’s a fun and fast course. Overall, it was super hard.” Her teammate, Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; dcdevo Racing Academy) finished in second with Helena Jones (Boulder, Colo.; Twenty24 Aevolo) rounding out the podium in third. Cusack plans on racing the Criterium and Road Race later this week.
Results:
1. Lidia Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
2. Alyssa White (Elkins, W.V.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
3. Helena Jones (Boulder, Colo.; Twenty24 Aevolo)
Junior Men’s Time Trial
The Junior Men took center stage after the completion of the Junior Women’s race. Finishing in a time of 20:39.21, Ashlin Barry (Toronto, Canada; EF Education-Onto) won the national title in his first Time Trial National Championship. When describing the race Barry said, “It was good, the conditions I thought were going to be wet, but it ended up being dry. It was a straightforward TT. I just paced it evenly, tried to take the corners well, and just left it all out there. I’m happy with how it turned out.” David Lapierre (Hebron, Conn.; Hot Tube Development Cycling) completed his race in a time of 20:42.02, which was good enough for second. Barry’s teammate, Noah Streif (Boise, Idaho; EF Education-Onto) rounded out the podium in third. All three riders will be competing later this week in the Criterium and Road Race.
Results:
1. Ashlin Barry (Toronto, Canada.; EF Education-Onto)
2. David Lapierre (Hebron, Conn.; Hot Tube Development Cycling)
3. Noah Streif (Boise, Idaho; EF Education-Onto)
Knibb and McNulty Win 2024 Elite Time Trial National Championships and Are Nominated for Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Hasse and Shmidt crowned Under-23 Time Trial National Champions.
CHARLESTON, W.V. – The 2024 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships continued Wednes
ELITE WOMEN’S TIME TRIAL
The Elite Women took center stage on the heels of the U23 Women’s wave. Finishing in a time of 41:54.69, triathlete Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing) won the National Title in her second-ever Time Trial National Championship. This nominates her for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games team. A year ago, she qualified for the USA Triathlon team at the Paris test event and has now punched her ticket to Paris for USA Cycling. Knibb was stunned when she sat down in the hot seat saying, “I’m in shock. I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m just in shock. Last year was hard for the TT [National Championship]. And there are so many incredible riders out here, it was such an incredible day riding with them.”
As a professional triathlete, she went into today’s race knowing that the course suited her. “There were four turns and that’s it. Last year, there were so many turns and my coach said, ‘You’re really good at holding race pace. Your weakness is getting to race pace.’ So, there were only four times that I had to get to race pace, and that was a relief for me. If it was a little bit more surgy, it would have probably favored some other women a lot better,” said Knibb. This route was quite similar to the course the riders will be seeing in Paris – both virtually flat and roughly 33km.
Knibb excelled in today’s event, but not without some heavy competition behind her. 2024 La Vuelta Femenina stage winner Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF Education-Cannondale) kept pressing on. At the first split, Faulkner was only 0.2 seconds behind Knibb holding on to her pace. She ultimately finished in second. 49-year-old Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.) rounded out the podium in third.
Results:
- Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing)
- Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF Education-Cannondale)
- Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif.)
ELITE MEN’S TIME TRIAL
The Elite Men had over 28 athletes vying for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey. Finishing in a time of 37:42.08, Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz.; UAE Team Emirates) beat second place finisher Tyler Stites (Tucson, Ariz.; Project Echelon Racing) by just under a minute.
McNulty has had a busy season having raced since January. When asked about what was going through his head in the final stretch, McNulty said, “I knew there was a headwind in the final stretch, I knew that would be the last big push, and I was dying. Then luckily, I had a couple guys to catch in front of me to keep me motivated and pushing. But yeah, I was really suffering in the last few kilometers.” With today’s win, McNulty will be nominated to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for Team USA in his second Games appearance. When asked about how this accomplishment compares to others, he said, “Yeah, it’s definitely big, I’m super happy. It’s always special to win a National Title, but this one had a bit more importance to qualify for the Olympics. This is a big one for me.”
The rain came pouring down just in time for the last wave to start. Neilson Powless (Houston; EF Education – Easypost) has had plenty of experience racing in similar conditions this year. He rounded out the podium finishing in a time of 38:44.17.
Results:
- Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Team Emirates)
- Tyler Stites (Tucson, Ariz.; Project Echelon Racing)
- Neilson Powless (Houston; EF Education – Easypost)
U23 WOMEN’S TIME TRIAL
Defending U23 National Champion, Betty Hasse (Providence, R.I.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) was the last rider out and quickly found her way to the hot seat with a time of 45:38.85. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Cynisca Cycling) finished in second with Ella Brenneman (Gibsonia, Pa.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) rounding out the podium in third.
Results:
- Betty Hasse (Providence, R.I.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group)
- Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Cynisca Cycling)
- Ella Brenneman (Gibsonia, Pa.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group)
U23 MEN’S TIME TRIAL
Finishing in a time of 38:52.17, Artem Shmidt (
Results:
- Artem Shmidt (Cumming, Ga.; Hagens Berman Axeon)
- Troy Fields (Hendersonville, Tenn.; Team California P/B Verge)
- Owen Cole (Chapel Hill, N.C.; UAE Team Emirates Gen Z)
Follow along throughout the week on social media @USACycling, along with the live timing and livestream on FloSports. Learn more about how to watch the events here.
4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France 2024
Milan Fretin took his first professional victory on Tuesday The 23-year-old Belgian of Cofidis was the first to cross the finish line in Stage 1 of the 68th Four Days of Dunkirk. Fretin was the fastest after a difficult sprint and is also the first overall leader.
The Four Days of Dunkirk started in the north of France on Tuesday. The six-day stage race is one for the sprinters. The first stage was from Dunkirk, the coastal town close to the Belgian border, to Le Touquet.
There were four mountain sprints, three intermediate sprints and 1,463 meters of climbing. The stage was 173 kilometres and the riders crossed the line in Le Touquet for the first time after 137 kilometres. There was then a local circuit to be covered three times. A bunch sprint was expected. The day’s break consisted of five riders: Joris Delbove (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel-Roubaix), Antoine Hue (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) and Gwen Leclainche (Philippe Wagner/Bazin) were joined by the Irishman Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing).
After catching the early escapees, the stage was always going to end in a sprint. Paul Hennequin almost managed to upset the sprinter’s plans. The 21-year-old Frenchman made a good gap with a late attack, but he was passed by one rider in the final metres. From a bunch sprinting after Hennequin, only Fretin had the power to get past Hennequin. The young Belgian took the victory for the first time as a professional. The unfortunate Hennequin finished second, just ahead of Sam Bennett. With Amaury Capiot 4th, Milan Menten 5th and Jordi Warlop 7th.
Stage winner and overall leader, Milan Fretin (Cofidis): “I am very happy! It’s my first win of the year, but also my first with my new team. It was a particularly difficult final, especially with the rain. We tried to fight at the front of the field and the team did a great job to position me. I want to thank them, they did a great job, they believed in me and that allowed me to win. There was stress because I knew they were going to work for me. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for a long time, of course, but I’m so happy it happened today!”
4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 1 Result:
1. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis in 4:05:47
2. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
3. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
4. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
5. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny
6. Rory Townsend (Irl) Q36.5
7. Jordi Warlop (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
8. Nils Eekhoff (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
9. Rait Ärm (Est) Van Rysel-Roubaix
10. Casper van Uden (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL.
4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Overall After Stage 1:
1. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis in 4:05:37
2. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur at 0:04
3. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 0:06
4. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:10
5. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny
6. Rory Townsend (Irl) Q36.5
7. Jordi Warlop (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
8. Nils Eekhoff (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
9. Rait Ärm (Est) Van Rysel-Roubaix
10. Casper van Uden (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL.
Dunkerque’24 stage 1:
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have been winning continuously in 2024 and Sam Bennett has now followed in his teammates foot prints. The Irish sprinter won Stage 2 of the Four Days of Dunkirk on Wednesday. This is his first victory of the season and for Decathlon AG2R.
The second stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk had more climbing than the first stage, but a bunch sprint was the most likely scenario again. The five categorised climbs between Wimereux and Abbeville were not difficult. The final lap around Abbeville was 32 kilometres long.
Three riders in the break of the day: Cyrus Monk, Maxime Jarnet and Robin Plamondon. They also had Gwen Leclainche chasing behind them, but he ended up stuck between break and Bunch. The three had a maximum lead of 8 minutes, but this was reduced Cofidis, Lotto Dstny, dsm-company PostNL, Israel-Premier Tech and Decathlon AG2R.
Cyrus Monk kept stayed off the front for the longest time, but he was caught well before the finish. The stage would end in a bunch sprint. Pascal Ackermann started his sprint early, but it was too early. Sam Bennett won, thanks to a strong sprint, from Paul Penhoët and Sasha Weemaes. The Irishman is also the new overall leader. Bennett took the sixteenth victory for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 2024. It is his first victory of the year.
Stage winner and overall leader, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale): “I’m very happy to win the sprint for the team. They’ve done a great job, so I can’t thank them enough. On paper I could have been the strongest sprinter, but it still has to be done. The general would be good. But we’ll look at it day by day and see how it goes.”
4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Stage 2 Result:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 4:20:25
2. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
3. Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Bingoal WB
4. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Israel-Premier Tech
5. Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber93
6. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
7. Emmanuel Morin (Fra) Van Rysel-Roubaix
8. Jordi Warlop (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Jason Tesson (Fra) TotalEnergies
10. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny.
4 Jours de Dunkerque/Grand Prix des Hauts de France Overall After Stage 2:
1. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 8:25:58
2. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis at 0:04
3. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:08
4. Paul Hennequin (Fra) Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur
5. Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:10
6. Corbin Strong (NZ) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:11
7. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:12
8. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:13
9. Milan Menten (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:14
10. Jordi Warlop (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step.
Dunkerque’24 stage 2:
Durango – Durango Emakumeen Saria 2024
Cédrine Kerbaol (CERATIZIT-WNT) finished 4 seconds ahead of Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) and Thalita de Jong (Lotto Dstny) at the end of this Spanish one-day Classic on Tuesday.
Durango-Durango has been on the international women’s calendar since 2001. For many teams, the race fits into the Spanish block, between the WorldTour tours of the Basque Country and Burgos. The race is over a distance of 113 kilometres with seven climbs.
De Jong was the first to reach the last climbs with Évita Muzic, but Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) was not far behind at the top of the last climb and then she took the most risks on the wet descent. De Jong finished third, five seconds behind the Breton, just behind Muzic of FDJ-SUEZ. Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) was fourth a few days after her gravel victory in Aachen.
10th, Ane Santesteban (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi): “The team has done a great job again. The assessment of the day is positive. The weather has been very bad, but in the end the Durango race is very special for me and the Laboral team. So we have given everything to the goal, we are happy, although we have to keep working because we always want more.”
Durango – Durango Emakumeen Saria Result:
1. Cédrine Kerbaol (Fra) CERATIZIT-WNT in 2:45:56
2. Évita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:04
3. Thalita de Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny at 0:05
4. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 0:10
5. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:12
6. Mareille Meijering (Ned) Movistar
7. Giada Borghesi (Ita) BTC City Ljubljana Zhiraf Ambedo at 0:17
8. Noemi Rüegg (Sui) EF Education-Cannondale at 0:19
9. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Cannondale
10. Ane Santesteban (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi at 1:03.
Durango’24:
Tadej Pogačar Sometimes Drinks a Beer During a Stage Race
In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, manager Alex Carrera told some stories about the rider he works with. He also confirmed the story that Tadej Pogačar occasionally drinks a beer, even during a stage race.
“It hasn’t happened yet in this Giro. Yes, before. The evening before the final stage of the Tour of Catalonia, Tadej talked to me for a long time and drank one beer. One won’t hurt. It is conducive to recovery and helps to relax.”
The manager denies that this would be bad for a cyclist. “Cycling has changed a lot in recent years, but the rider’s head is still more important than the legs. By the way, who won the final stage in Catalonia?” Yes, it was the Slovenian.
Carrera finds it fantastic to work with the two-time Tour winner. “Tadej is such a good boy, but that is also Tadej’s great strength: his calmness. That was already when he won the Giro Lunigiana 2016 at the age of seventeen on a bike that was much too heavy and a little later he started working with us.”
Smoking next:
Julian Alaphilippe Keeps Trying in the Giro d’Italia
Julian Alaphilippe has not won a stage in the 2024 Giro d’Italia (yet), but the Frenchman has been very active in the first week. The Soudal Quick-Step rider attacked on Sunday in the stage to Naples, but he couldn’t hold off the peloton.
Alaphilippe was happy with his attack on the hilly roads to Napoli on Sunday: “Although the attack wasn’t really planned, I found myself in a good position on the climb. The peloton was nervous, so I decided to try something,” he said on his team’s website. “I gave it my all, but I just missed that little bit to really stay away. I am happy with my form, enjoying the race and satisfied with how I feel. I’m now looking forward to the first rest day. Then I keep trying again. The race is still long,” the double World champion is still hungry.
On Stage 6, the gravel stage to Rapolano Terme, Alaphilippe trird hard for his first stage victory in the Giro. The Frenchman was part of the leading group that and battled with Pelayo Sánchez and Luke Plapp. In the sprint he beat Plapp, but Sánchez was the fastest man.
Is this a new Alaphilippe?
Ethan Hayter Looks to be Leaving INEOS Grenadiers
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ethan Hayter is leaving INEOS Grenadiers. The 25-year-old rider made his professional debut with the British team in 2020. The versatile British rider has had great success on the track in recent years, but was also very successful on the road with INEOS Grenadiers. The Italian sports-paper doesn’t know where Hayter will be going.
In his debut year 2020, he won the Giro dell’Appennino and in 2021 he had nine victories and in 2022 he gad six wins. Last year he had two victories, there has been no wins this season, yet. Hayter’s big wins were the Tour of Poland and the Tour of Norway, plus three stage victories in the Tour de Romandie and Tour of Norway, two stages in the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol and Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.
Where will Ethan Hayter be in 2025?
Mathieu van der Poel Announces Summer Program
“Combination Tour de France – Olympic road race the most logical choice”
The decision has been made. Mathieu van der Poel chooses the double Tour de France – Olympic road race this summer and will not mountain bike. “The most logical choice. It ensures that I have a little more time and thus can prepare longer and better.”
For a while it played through MvdP’s mind to go into Paris ’24 fully committed to mountain biking. He already had his ticket in the pocket. And through a number of World Cups, he would prepare for that Olympic cross country race. Until last summer, when the course for the road race was announced and it turned out that there were chances for an Olympic medal as well. “Which made for a difficult puzzle to put together,” Mathieu admits. “Just the road race? Only mountain biking? Or both? Whether or not in combination with the Tour de France, which I personally consider the best possible preparation for the Games.”
In the end, the decision was made: Van der Poel will skip mountain biking and compete in the road race in Paris, in combination with the Tour de France. “Let’s say I chose the most logical thing,” said our reigning world champion. “My first half of the season was quite long. First the cyclocross season. After a short break, I resumed training in function of the spring season and I continued that campaign up to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Now, if I want to focus fully on mountain biking and be perfectly prepared, I have to start as early as next weekend in Nove Mesto, the Czech manche of the MTB World Cup.”
“So, in consultation with the team, I opted for a slightly longer rest period, after which I can build up to the Tour de France and the Olympic road race without time pressure. And the mountain biking? Who knows what’s still possible in 2028 in Los Angeles? That’s still a long time away, but I’ll be in a different phase of my career then. Maybe then I can put everything on that mountain biking. This year the combination is just too difficult.”
“The fact that I am currently riding in the rainbow jersey has indirectly played a bit of a role. It’s a special year. As world champion I like to ride in that jersey as much as possible. So I also prefer not to miss the Tour de France. And that proved to be a good preparation last year, then towards the World Championships.”
Mathieu, meanwhile, has resumed training in Spain. Competition before the Tour is not on the agenda. “I leave a week later than the rest of our Tour squad on altitude training to La Plagne. After that, I’ll work through some individual training sessions until the start of the Tour in Florence. In the meantime we have gained enough experience to know that once in competition, I quickly find my form. In the Tour I hope to assist teammate Jasper Philipsen again in his hunt for stage wins and a possible green jersey. And the goal is to win a stage myself this year. Last year I got sick when there were a few stages where I had chances. Hopefully I will be spared from that in this edition.”
Route Change – Stage 16 – Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena/St. Christina in Gröden
The recent snowfalls on the Stelvio Pass, followed by the rise of the temperatures, are increasing the risk of avalanches. The Giro d’Italia organisation, in order to safeguard the safety of the Carovana Rosa, has therefore decided to change the route of the 16th stage of the Giro d’Italia, Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena/St. Christina in Gröden (Monte Pana). The length of the stage will be 206km.
The Cima Coppi, which was previously the Stelvio, now becomes the Giogo di Santa Maria/Umbrailpass at 2489m.
The route
This is a high mountain stage passing through the Adige and Eisack Valley; the route puts together a mountain section featuring Foscagno and Giogo di Santa Maria (Cima Coppi), a flat drag from Giorenza to just past Bolzano, and another mountain section featuring Passo Pinei and the finish in the Val Gardena, past Santa Cristina.
Final kilometres
Barring a short descent that leads from Santa Cristina to the bridge (2km, the foot of the closing climb), the last 3km point uphill. The average gradient is around 12%, with peaks reaching 16% in the first part with tight hairpins. The home straight (100m) is on 6m wide tarmac.
The new stage 16 map and profile:
Riders Unhappy About Safety in UCI Gravel World Series Aachen: “Shame On You”
The riders in last weekend’s World Gravel Series in Aachen were not happy. The race winner Daan Soete and Thijs Zonneveld were critical of the organisers.
It was journalist/BEAT rider Thijs Zonneveld who complained extensively afterwards on his personal Instagram account. “I have rarely ridden such a poorly organised race as in Aachen. Not or hardly signposted, cordoned off and secured. Cars and tractors parked and driving everywhere on the trail, walkers who didn’t know anything about it, people with strollers and babies.”
“I quit after the first lap, because I wouldn’t forgive myself if I mortgaged my trip to America to finish tenth or fifteenth here, and especially not if I ran over a child. Ambulances drove back and forth, I saw a lot of falls and near crashes. Never again. Shame on you!”
Daan Soete and Lucinda Brand were the winners last Sunday, but they were also a critical. “In the first half lap, cars drove in opposite directions on the course. They had nowhere to go, because the signalers and the police did not stop them,” said Soete to Sporza.
However, Soete does not want to throw the local organisers under the bus. “Gravel is a new event. You notice that it is not 100 percent closed off like road races. Fortunately, nothing bad happened, but measures must be taken in the future,” says the winner. “I don’t blame the organisers for everything. It was only the second edition. But it is the World Series that comes from the UCI. Then you would expect the UCI to ensure that it is organised safely.”
UCI Gravel World Series Aachen:
The Wolfpack Howls: Luke Lamperti
In his first year as a professional cyclist, Luke Lamperti has caught the eye of many.
His atypical Californian, easy-going nature has made him a popular member of the Soudal Quick-Step team, but beneath lies a steely competitor that has already shown his talents this season, and has led to him being chosen for his first Grand Tour.
On the first rest day of the race, he talked to The Wolfpack Howls about his experience so far at the Giro d’Italia, how he stays calm in the chaos of racing, and his family’s Italian heritage.
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?
