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Saturday, August 27, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages. - Henry Ford
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Current racing:
- Aug 19 - Sept 11: La Vuelta a España
Upcoming racing:
- Aug 28: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
Latest completed racing:
- Aug 23 - 26: Tour Poitou-Charantes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
- Aug 21: BEMER Cyclassics Hamburg
- Aug 16 - 20: PostNord Danmark Rundt
- Aug 16 - 19: Tour du Limousin
- Aug 11 - 14: Arctic Race of Norway
- Aug 14: La Polynormande
- 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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from GC leader Remco Evenepoel's Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:
Remco Evenepoel enjoyed a quiet day at the top of the Vuelta a España GC – the fifth different stage race he is leading this season, after Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Volta ao Algarve, Itzulia Basque Country and the Tour of Norway.
Featuring just one classified climb, the 22km Puerto de San Glorio, stage 7 was one for the attackers, and with this in mind five riders broke clear soon after the start and managed to hold off the chasers, despite their maximum gap not going north of three minutes. Protected by his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl teammates, who did again a top job at the front of the bunch, Evenepoel came home some 20-odd seconds behind winner Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), retaining his place at the top of the standings.
Remco Evenepoel finished stage seven in the middle of the pack. Sirotti photo
“It was a good day for us. Nice weather, which I enjoyed, and a breakaway going clear and all the way to the line, which was the perfect scenario for our team. I enjoyed wearing my first Grand Tour leader’s jersey, it was a real pleasure to have this iconic jersey on my shoulders, and I want to say again thank you to my teammates for the job they did.”
“It’s nice to lead the ranking and I hope to keep my advantage after the weekend, but it won’t be easy, because we have two hard mountain stages. If there will be an opportunity to gain time I will go for it, but the plan is to defend the jersey and carry it into the second week. We will see how it goes”, added Remco, only the second Belgian rider this century to wear the leader’s jersey on back-to-back Vuelta a España stages.
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Here’s the Vuelta report from points leader Sam Bennett’s Team Bora-hansgrohe:
The 190 kilometres of racing between Camargo and Cistierna featured a tough first category climb after around 100km, before a downhill saw the final 50km descend slightly towards the finish. Several scenarios were possible on this terrain, with sprinters with a firm grip on the mountains, but also a breakaway group or even the climbers having a chance. On the ascent to Puerto de San Glorio, Trek-Segafredo set a high pace to try to drop the pure sprinters.
Although Sam Bennett was 30 seconds behind the peloton at the summit, he managed to close the gap again on the descent thanks to the help of his teammates. By now, the breakaway group had a lead of about 2:30 minutes and despite the pace setting work by BORA-hansgrohe and Trek-Segafredo, the five escapees were able to hold on to the line. 29 seconds behind the day's winner J. Herrada, the peloton reached the finish line in Cistierna, where Sam won the sprint from the field and defended his lead in the points classification.
Sam Bennett (in green) wins the field sprint. Sirotti photo
"I'm a bit disappointed of course that I wasn't able to fight it out for the stage win, but the breakaway was just too strong. We weren't sure that I'd be able to survive the climb, but thanks to the amazing support from my teammates, I was able to bridge back to the main group. I'm so thankful to them for their support, and am really pleased to have been able to defend the green jersey." - Sam Bennett
"This was a really long and difficult day for the guys. In terms of the green jersey, we're going to first take a look at how Sam does on the climb first. And the whole team rode incredibly well. After the mountain, we didn't push on right way as we had to make sure that BikeExchange and Arkéa came back. When they joined back on, we looked at how strong the group in front still was, especially with regard to the intermediate sprint. We saw that the group wasn't to be caught back before the intermediate sprint. Sam then won the sprint from the peloton and now has a 15-point lead in the points standings, so not a significant buffer. We'll probably take the jersey into the rest day and then we'll see how it progresses from there. There are still two weeks ahead of us, and especially now there are two hard days coming up in the mountains here in the north of Spain, and we'll have to see that our GC riders also make it through well." - Bernie Eisel, Sports Director
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And here's the Vuelta report from team Jumbo-Visma:
Team Jumbo-Visma did not claim a leading role in the seventh stage of the Tour of Spain. In the transition stage from Camargo to Cistierna, the victory went to a fugitive. The Dutch team’s focus is now on the weekend, which will contain plenty of climbing.
“It was a relatively quiet day”, sports director Maarten Wynants said. Yet there was hard racing, the Belgian had seen from the team car. “On the climb, the peloton kept riding. After that, the pace stayed high to reel in the breakaway group”, Wynants said.
“We were able to keep relatively calm. We wanted to recharge the battery wherever possible to prepare for the weekend”, the Belgian coach continued. “Then we will get plenty of opportunities. Shortly after, the time trial will is on the programme. We try to use every opportunity to regain time, so it’s also nice to have a day that allows us not to do too much work.”
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The team sent me this release:
Pascal Eenkhoorn will ride for Lotto Dstny from 2023 on. The reigning Dutch road race champion has signed a two-year contract. He will get a more free role at the Belgian WorldTour team in both Classics and Grand Tours. “My biggest motivation is to win races. I want to get the maximum out of my career.”
Pascal Eenkhoorn wins stage 3 of the 2018 Colorado Classic.
In June, Pascal Eenkhoorn rode to victory in the Dutch road race championship. His red-white-blue jersey will be adorned with the logos of Lotto and Dstny from 2023 on. “This is a team with a beautiful history and future”, comments Pascal Eenkhoorn. “I have had a lot of talks with everyone at the team: about the performance department, the style of racing and the division of roles. At this team I can chase my own ambitions and will receive more freedom during races. The style of racing, with this young and talented group appeals to me. I have a very good feeling about this move.”
According to the Dutch champion, who has also won the Heistse Pijl, two stages in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and a stage in the Colorado Classic, it was time to switch lanes. “I have been a pro for 5 years now and have learned a lot at my current team. Some of those things I can take with me to Lotto Dstny. But I have a need for more freedom in races. Now is the time where I can still make the decision to change and follow my own ambitions.”
More specifically, Pascal Eenkhoorn aims for success in the spring Classics and a stage victory in a Grand Tour. “My biggest motivation is to win races. I want to get the maximum out of my career. The team has had its share of bad luck this year, but has always continued to race very offensively and was always fighting for victory. The atmosphere seems very good and I am convinced that I will fit in well with this group.”
Total package:
With the signing of Pascal Eenkhoorn the 2023 team of Lotto Dstny is taking shape more and more. “We are working very hard on the team for next year”, says CEO John Lelangue. “Of course, signing riders is a big part of the process. But we are also talking about our equipment, nutrition and the steps we are going to take in the performance area. Only with a total package like that we can convince riders like Pascal Eenkhoorn to sign with us.”
John Lelangue is convinced that Pascal Eenkhoorn will prove to be of great value for Lotto Dstny. “He is a rider who has already proven that he can win races. With a bit more freedom and an altered racing program, we think he can prove that more often. Moreover, he is a very versatile rider: he can play his role in almost any Classic and can go far in breakaways in Grand Tours. We are looking very much forward to our collaboration with him.”
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