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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, August 12, 2022

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2021 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia

Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. - John Adams

Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Aug 11 - 14: Arctic Race of Norway

Upcoming racing:

• Aug 14: La Polynormande
• Aug 19 - Sept 11: La Vuelta a España
  

Latest completed racing:

• Aug 9 - 11: Tour de l'Ain
• Aug 2 - 6: Vuelta a Burgos
• July 30 - Aug 5: Tour of Poland
• July 31: Circuito de Getxo
• July 30: Clasica San Sebastián
• July 23 - 27: Tour de Wallonie
• July 27 - 28: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
• July 1 - July 24: Tour de France

We posted the report from stage 3 third-place George Bennett's UAE team Emirates with the results.

Here's the report from Julian Alaphilippe's Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:

Temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius, four classified climbs, over 3200 vertical meters and an uphill finish – the last stage of the Tour de l’Ain was stacked with difficulties, but these didn’t stop Julian Alaphilippe from sailing away in the opening kilometers and establishing a two-minute margin together with two other riders by the time they arrived at the bottom of the first ascent.

The trio continued at a high pace and managed to stretch their advantage to four minutes, a gap that forced the peloton to change the gear and drive a big tempo behind the leading group, from where Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) attacked with 30 kilometers to go and opened what in the end proved to be a decisive margin.

Antonio Pedrero winning the third stage.

Alaphilippe dropped out from the chasing group on the leg-sapping Col de Menthières to help Mauri Vansevenant in the yellow jersey group, which counted only eleven riders. What was left of the peloton continued to shed riders, and towards the top several of them lost contact, including Mauri, who cramped on the steep gradient. But staying true to his nature and showing a fantastic fighting spirit, the Belgian continued to push on both the descent and the final climb to Lélex Monts-Jura.

This tenacity and determination netted Mauri eighth place in the overall classification, making it for the second time this season that the 23-year-old finished in the top 10 at a stage race, after Vuelta a Andalucia, in February: “I felt quite good today, but then at the end I came a bit short when it came to crunch time. I think everyone was on the limit, I had cramps, so I had to let go. I felt better again a bit after that, but it was difficult to come back, although I gave my best all the way until the finish. The form is good, as evidenced by this top 10, but I can still improve a bit as now I miss that last bit to fight in the front.”

After animating every stage of the three-day race – where he returned for the first time in eight years – not missing any opportunity to showcase his panache and beautiful rainbow jersey, Julian Alaphilippe made a well-deserved visit to the podium after the final stage, as he was named the most combative rider of the Tour de l’Ain – making it the 12th time this year that Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl won a stage race secondary classification.

We posted the organizer's report with the results.

Here’s the report from second-place Gleb Syritsa’s Team Astana-Qazaqstan:

Astana Qazaqstan Team trainee Gleb Syritsa, who is riding his first race for the Kazakh team, took a solid second place in Stage 1 of the Arctic Race of Norway. In the uphill sprint in Mo i Rana Syritsa finished just behind the Frenchman Axel Zingle, who won the stage.

Axel Zingle was first across the line.

“First of all, I would like to thank my team for a great support during this stage, especially in the final part of the distance. I was able to save some energy and to stay quite fresh inside the last 20 kilometers. The weather conditions were quite tough but honestly, I like the rain, so I felt good today. The last kilometer was a hard one, but I managed to get a good position for the sprint and to finish second. This kind of short uphills showed I can fight for a high result, but at the same time I feel like can improve a lot”, – said Gleb Syritsa.

Here's the report from Team Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert:

The riders started in Mo I Rana towards the Korgfjellet climb, which was covered twice from two different sides, before turning back along the Ranfjord.

All day, Taco van der Hoorn controlled the gap to the breakaway of five riders, receiving support from two other riders after the second passage on Kjorgfellet.

A peloton of around 40 riders started the final 20 kilometer. Under the red flag, Mihkels and De Pooter guided Quinten Hermans to a good position to start the final slightly uphill sprint. Hermans finished in tenth place.

And here's the report from Amaury Capiot's Team Arkea-Samsic:

In the wind, cold and rain, Amaury Capiot took 4th place in the first stage of the Arctic Race of Norway after a uphill finish.

Amaury Capiot:
“The whole team did a really good job today in the rain and cold temperatures. On the final circuit, Alan and Louis worked well to keep us in position with Kevin. Then in the sprint, my legs got cold at the 200m sign, where I should have been making a full effort. This is perhaps what costs me a better place.”

Yvon Caër, sport director:
“We were confronted with weather conditions that were unprecedented this year with rain all day and very cold temperatures. On the final circuit, we had to be placed. The work was well done by the whole team and we found a great Alan in these difficult conditions. Amaury could perhaps have won, the bumpy profile of the finish suited him, but unfortunately he stumbled a few metres from the line. His fourth place remains nevertheless satisfactory. Kévin was also at the front of the race and is already in sight of the general classification by taking the 10th place of this first stage.

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