Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, March 24, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. - Emily Dickinson
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available as an audiobook here. For the print and Kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- March 21 - 27: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- March 22 - 26: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Upcoming racing:
- March 25: E3
- March 27: Gent-Wevelgem
- March 27: GP Industria & Artigianato
- March 27: La Roue Tourangelle
- March 30: Tour of Flanders
Latest completed racing:
- March 23: Classic Brugge - De Panne
- March 20: Cholet - Pays de Loire
- March 19: Milano-Sanremo
- March 19: Classic Loire Atlantique
- March 18: Bredene Koksijde Classic
- March 17: GP de Denain
Volta a Catalunya stage three team reports
We posted the report from stage winner Ben O'Connor's Ag2r-Citroën team with the race results.
Here's the report from second-place Juan Ayuso's UAE Team Emirates:
Juan Ayuso took the biggest result of his young professional career with 2nd place on Stage 3 of the Volta Catalunya.
After several flurries Marc Soler, showing no ill effects from his crash yesterday, was first to hit out in the final kilometres going clear of the bunch in pursuit of lone leader Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroen) who would go on to win the stage.
Ben O'Connor wins Tour of Catalonia stage three. Getty photo
Soler would be brought back -500m from the finish as Ayuso lead the elite group home +6’’ behind O’Connor with Joao Almeida close behind in 5th place on the hilly day from Perpignan to La Molina (161.1km).
Ayuso now lies 2nd in the general classification behind O’Connor and will wear the white jersey as best young rider of the race for Stage 4 tomorrow from La Seu d’Urgell to Boí Taüll (166.7km).
Juan Ayuso: “ It was hard to get clear on the last climb as there was a strong headwind but I think O’Connor timed it well so hats off to him for staying away. I tried two or three times but I couldn’t forge a gap, it’s a pity we couldn’t close him in the final, but we came close. It will be another hard day tomorrow but the legs are good so we’ll give it another shot.”
On day two of Coppi & Bartali UAE Team Emirates registered another double top-10 with Diego Ulissi and Marc Hirschi coming home in 6th and 7th respectively.
Camilo Ardila was a key protagonist on the stage , breaking clear in the closing kilometres before being absorbed by the main group -500m from the line.
The stage from Riccione to Longiano (165.9km) was won by Ethan Hayter (Ineos-Grenadiers). Ulissi is best placed of UAE Team Emirates in 6th place overall at 20’’ from new race leader Eddie Dunbar (Ineos-Grenadiers).
There was bad luck in Belgium at the Minerva Classic Brugge-De Panne, with designated sprinter Pascal Ackermann taking a hard crash inside 10km to go. The German suffered abrasions and though he initially remounted his bike, was taken to hospital post-race as a precaution.
Fourth-place Sergio Higuita's Bora-hansgrohe team sent me this report:
The climbers came to the fore for the first time today on the 161km long stage with three first category ascents, including a mountaintop finish at the ski resort of La Molina in the Pyrenées. The demanding terrain ensured a selection was made among the riders and the general classification shaken up by day's end.
On the 12km final climb, a reduced field including Sergio Higuita and Jai Hindley was left to chase the remnants of the day's break. An attack by B. O'Connor was followed by several counters, which were, however, ultimately unsuccessful. After the Australian crossed the finish line, it came to an uphill sprint to claim the remaining podium places, with Sergio taking fourth place, six seconds behind the day's winner. Teammate Jai finished nine seconds behind O'Connor. After today's first mountain stage in Catalunya, Sergio now sits in 4th place overall.
"Our first mountaintop finish was tough, but I think we put in a solid performance. The whole team worked to support Jai and me all day, and we were always in a good position, thanks especially to the help of Anton and Ben. We thought that it would be possible to win the stage with an attack from Jai or perhaps an uphill sprint with me.
"However, in the end, O'Connor was very strong and was able to keep enough of a gap between himself and us in the chase group. I came close to reaching a podium place in the uphill sprint from the reduced group. Having finished fourth on the stage and now sitting fourth overall, I think we can say that the legs were there today. Now we hope to recover well from today and we will see what will be possible tomorrow." - Sergio Higuita
"Today, on the first mountain stage, which had a finish that was tailor-made for Sergio, our only goal was to support him as best we could. We managed to do that very well. We took part in the pace setting in the field with Toni Palzer, who did an excellent job there. Then it came down to the finale, where Sergio had Ben and Jai to help him, which again worked out quite successfully. It has to be said that neither Jai nor Sergio had the very best day today. And even though we would have been very pleased with a podium placing and a few bonus seconds, we are quite satisfied with the outcome of the stage and with Sergio's fourth place. Tomorrow we'll be hoping that the guys will have better legs and can get back into a good climbing rhythm and we'll try again to fight for a top result on the stage." - Christian Pömer, Sports Director
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We posted the report from second-place Dylan Groenewegen's Team BikeExchange-Jayco with the results.
Here's the report from third-place Nacer Bouhanni's Team Arkea-Samsic:
Nacer Bouhanni: “The sprint was very close on this Bruges-De Panne. When I found the opening my opponents had already gone. That’s how it is, it’s the sprint. I finished 3rd. I saw Merlier launch on the right, I was in the wheel of Dylan Groenewegen, and I try to “jumper” when it opens up in front of me, but I’m still a bit short. I have done quite a few places of honor since the beginning of the season, now my goal is to get a victory”.
Tim Merlier (on left) takes the win.
Roger Tréhin, Sport-Director: “Congratulations to the whole team for the work done on this Flanders classic! The guys respected what was asked of them. Nacer signed the team’s first podium in a UCI WorldTour race of one day. He came very close to winning, it was a very close call. He found the opening after his two rivals had launched, but he came back very strong on the line. It really came down to the wire".
And here's the report from fifth-place Olav Kooij's Jumbo-Visma team:
Olav Kooij has finished fifth in the Minerva Classic Bruges-De Panne. The young sprinter took the lead during the final sprint but had to allow several fast men to pass him just before the finish. It is the seventh top ten ranking for Kooij in the current cycling season.
Three early breakaway riders coloured the race's opening phase. The flat course of more than 200 kilometres did not lend itself particularly well to breakaways, however, and at 25 kilometres from the finish, the three were caught. A chaotic final followed and none of the sprint trains succeeded in keeping control.
Kooij was able to join the front group in the final kilometres. Thanks to some clever steering, the Dutchman prevented worse when a rider near him crashed. The youngster then began his sprint early and ultimately saw how several other fast riders outpaced him just before the finish.
"This is a performance I can live with", Kooij said of his fifth place. "Of course you always strive for more, but I think this is a good result. It was a nervous final, but the team delivered me well in the last few kilometres. In the end I was well-positioned. Maybe I started my sprint a little too early. Unfortunately, the other riders came alongside. I was able to compete with the world top again. Partly because of that, I look back on this race with a good feeling."
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We posted the report from winner Ethan Hayter's INEOS Grenadiers team with the results.
Here's the report from Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:
The fourth different Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider in the last three years to top the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali general classification, Mauro Schmid began the difficult stage 2 with the leader’s jersey on his shoulders, but at the same time aware that his spell will be a short one, due to the numerous difficulties spread across the 165.9km course between Riccione and Longiano.
Protected by his hard-working Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl teammates, who nullified a plethora of attacks on the up-and-down roads of Emilia-Romagna, the 22-year-old from Bülach remained in the peloton until inside the final 30 kilometers, when a brutal injection of pace at the front of the bunch saw him drift towards the back and lose contact.
Ethan Hayter takes the second stage. Sirotti photo
A 20-man group soon emerged and it was from there that Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) took the win in the closing meters of the stage. Mattia Cattaneo, who returned to racing recently after more than one month, came home as the best-placed Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider.
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