Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, August 17, 2023
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2022 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- August 15 - 18: Tour du Limousin
- August 15 - 19: Tour of Denmark
- August 15 - 19: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 9 - 20: Volta a Portugal
- August 17 - 20: Arctic Race of Norway
Upcoming racing:
- August 19: Bemer Cyclassics
- August 22 - 25: Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
- August 23 - 26: Renewi Tour
- August 26 - Sept 17: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 13: La Polynormande
- August 5 - 13: World Road Championships
- July 29 - August 4: Tour of Poland
- July 31 - August 2: Tour de l'Ain
- July 30: Circuito de Getxo
- July 29: Clásica de San Sebastián
- July 26 - 27: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- July 22 - 26: Tour de Wallonie
- July 1 - 23: Tour de France
We posted the report from fourth-place Tobias Lund Andresen's Team dsm-firmenich with the results.
Here's the report from stage wiiner Fabio Jakobsen's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The first Soudal Quick-Step victory on the new Specialized Tarmac SL8 came Wednesday afternoon in the Danish city of Silkeborg, where Fabio Jakobsen picked up his 44th pro win at the end of Danmark Rundt’s 163.6km second stage.
Fabio Jakobsen takes the second stage. Photo: Dan Møller
The day was up-and-down the whole time and it included a hilly circuit that the riders had to cover three times. The presence of a 1km climb averaging 5.5% there looked to advantage the attackers, and the finale didn’t lack daring moves for that matter, but the peloton – after bringing back the original breakaway – somehow managed to keep things together even after the third time up there, reeling in seven men with the flamme rouge in sight.
Thanks to an incredible lead-out of Casper Pedersen, Fabio started the sprint as the main favourite and confirmed his status in style, by putting more than a bike length between him and overall leader of the race, Soren Warenskjold (Uno-X), and taking a solid victory for the morale in what is his first race since the Tour de France.
“Winning always feels good, but especially now, after what has been a tough summer with my Tour de France crash and subsequent abandon. But I never gave up, and with the support of this great team, I showed again what I’m capable off and I’m really happy now. I’m also proud of becoming the first Soudal Quick-Step rider to take a victory on this fantastic machine that is the Specialized Tarmac SL8. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better return to competition”, said Fabio, who now counts pro wins in sixteen different countries.
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Here’s the team’s news release:
Daniel Felipe Martínez will join BORA - hansgrohe from the new season on. With the signing of the 27-year-old Colombian, the German WorldTeam underlines its Grand Tours ambitions. The overall winner of the Itzulia Basque Country (2022) and the Critérium du Dauphiné (2020) brings with him the experience of nine Grand Tours.
Daniel Martinez wins stage 4 of the Tour of the Basque Country.
His stage win at the Tour de France came in 2020 at Puy Mary ahead of Lennard Kämna and Maximilian Schachmann. Starting next season, these forces will be combined, and the trio will ride in the same jersey. Martínez, who achieved his best Grand Tour result to date with fifth place at the 2021 Giro d'Italia as a support to winner Egan Bernal, expands the range of leaders at BORA - hansgrohe.
Ralph Denk, BORA - hansgrohe Team Manager, says: "Dani gives us more options when the vertical meters increase. Whether in shorter stage races, Grand Tours or in the Ardennes - as a leader, stage hunter or domestique, with him in the team we’ll only gain strength."
Rolf Aldag, Head of Sports at BORA - hansgrohe, adds: "Dani has shown huge potential as a GC rider. His capacity to climb is enormous. We trust and will build on that, even if his current season is rather mixed. What I appreciate about Dani is that he is a complete team player. In moments when things weren't going so well as a leader, he immediately put himself at the service of the team. This ability to switch and change roles is very valuable."
Dani Martínez says: "I'm really happy and excited to join BORA - hansgrohe. It's a big team and one of the best in the world with a nice group of riders. Together we'll take the next step."
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Team Jayco AlUla will bolster its sprint train and classics roster in 2024 with the exciting signing of German powerhouse Max Walscheid on a two-year contract.
The 6-ft 5-inch fast man will become a key cog in the lead-out setup for sprint star Dylan Groenewegen as the team looks to continue to strengthen and build a formidable support group around the multiple Tour de France stage winner. As well as being a strong team player, the German will also boost the team’s northern classics setup, with Walscheid keen to tackle the cobbles of Belgium and France.
Walscheid will bring with him a wealth of experience to the squad, with more than eight years of WorldTour racing under his belt. The 30-year-old has been a feature in bunch sprint finishes at the highest level since 2015 and the management team believe that the combination of his valuable knowledge and raw power will be a gamechanger for the team’s future sprint successes.
Max Walscheid winning the 2022 GP de Denain
Brent Copeland – Team Jayco AlUla General Manager:
“We’ve been looking to strengthen Dylan’s lead-out train as well as strengthen our group for the northern classics and Max fits that perfectly, he ticks a number of boxes of the type of rider we were looking for.
"He’s a very strong lead-out rider and has also shown that he can be very strong in the early season classics. He is experienced and we’ve heard a lot about his character and believe he will fit into the team very well and help us to take another step forward. We’re looking forward to welcoming him next season.”
Max Walscheid:
"
I believe that Team Jayco AlUla consists of a great bunch of people which enables great performances and that’s what I’m looking forward to: perform and enjoy cycling. I think I will fit in very well.
"I’m ambitious to follow my own goals in terms of results, but also hope to be a key teammate to help others be successful. The last years I managed to do every season a small step forward and that’s also my goal at Team Jayco AlUla; to progress and show my best possible self."I am sprinter, classics rider and time trialist, as long as the road doesn’t rise too much, it’s my territory, especially on cobbles and in the wind. Also, I’m very experienced in supporting a group, reading races and be in the right place at the right moment. That’s something, I want to help my teammates with. I am really looking forward to joining the team and rip it.”
Max Walscheid
Date of Birth: 13th June 1993 (30)
Nationality: German
Joins GreenEDGE Cycling: 2024 & 2025
Top Results:
1st Grand Prix de Denain (2022)
1st Tour de Langkawi – Stages 3 & 8 (2020)
1st Omloop van het Houtland Lichtervelde (2019)
1st Tour de Yorkshire – Stage 3 (2018)
1st Sparkassen Munsterland Giro (2018)
1st Tour of Denmark – Stage 5 (2017)
1st Tour if Hainan – Stages 3, 4, 5, 7 & 9 (2016)
2nd Danilith Nokere Koerse (2022)
2nd Scheldeprijs (2019)
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Here’s the team’s short announcement:
Today we have been informed of a positive anti-doping test results of our rider Michael Hessmann.
It concerned an out-of-competition control on 14 June in Germany. The detected product is a diuretic medicine. We await the results of further investigation. Michel has been suspended by the team until further notice.
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