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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, February 5, 2023

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2022 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain

Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Feb 1- 5: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
• Feb 1 - 5: Etoile de Bessèges

Upcoming racing

• Feb 9 - 12: Tour de la Provence Race cancelled
• Feb 11: Vuelta a la Region de Murcia
• Feb 11 - 15: Tour of Oman
• Feb 12: Clasica de Almeria

Latest completed racing:

• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour
• Jan 22 - 29: Vuelta a San Juan
• Jan 25 - 29: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28 & 29: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 29: GP Cycliste la Marseillaise
• Jan 14 - 22: Schwalbe Classic & Tour Down Under
• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys Cyclocross

Here’s the report from Van Empel’s Team Jumbo-Visma:

Fem van Empel won the cyclocross world title in Hoogerheide in impressive style. The 20-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider started the race in her home country as one of the favourites and more than lived up to her status. With her fourteenth victory of the season, Van Empel takes over the rainbow jersey from teammate Marianne Vos.

Fem van Empel is world champion. No other riders in sight. Jumbo-Visma photo

Van Empel made her ambitions clear from the start. From the front row, the Dutch rider immediately set a fast pace. On the most challenging parts of the North Brabant course, Van Empel made the difference and left the competition behind.

For a brief moment, compatriot Puck Pieterse returned to Van Empel's wheel, but after she made a couple of mistakes, Van Empel was gone for good. After seven local laps, a visibly emotional Van Empel crossed the line with her hands in the air. In her debut at the elite world championships, she immediately showed what she is capable of.

"I still can't believe I've just become world champion”, Van Empel stammered just after the finish line. "It's an emotional moment for me. From the outside, it's hard to see how much energy I've put into this. I've been working for this for a long time. It wasn’t an easy race, but I kept working hard, and it worked out. I am incredibly grateful to my family, the fans and the team for their support."

Van Empel was aware of her status as a favourite. "You constantly have to live up to being one of the favourites. It brings extra pressure. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I had confidence in myself today. I think I stayed calm when I needed to. I tried to be as consistent as possible. In the race's later stages, it was crucial to maintain the pressure. I think it worked well. I can now call myself a world champion, how cool is that! I don't realise it yet, but I will enjoy it. They won't be able to take it away from me”, Van Empel concluded.

Results:

1. Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) 54min 42sec
2. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) @ 39sec
3. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 1min 11sec
4. Silvia Persico (UAE Team Emirates) @ 1min 45sec
5. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (ALpecin-Deceuninck) @ 1min 46sec

We posted the report from second-place Tom Gloag's Team Jumbo-Visma with the results.

Here's the report from fourth-place Aleksandr Vlasov's Team Bora-hansgrohe:

Stage four at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana was the queen stage of the race. 182km, four categorized climbs and a mountain finish at the Alto la Cova Santa. Nico Denz was part of an early 23 riders breakaway that went clear from the peloton with 150km from the finish. With 8km to go the peloton brought back the last rider from the initial breakaway. At the end of the final climb the GC contenders arrived together and sprinted for the stage win and bonus seconds. While Tao Geoghegan Hart took the win, Aleksandr Vlasov crossed the finish line in fourth. Ahead of tomorrow’s final stage Aleksandr Vlasov dropped down to 4th overall.

Tao Geoghegan Hart takes stage four.

“Another mountain finish, another sprint final. The team rode super strong today and worked a lot to bring back the breakaway. In the end we got another uphill sprint, I’m maybe not the strongest sprinter and so 4th was the best possible for me. We have one more day tomorrow where anything can happen.” - Aleksandr Vlasov

“The fact that GC contenders made it in the breakaway surprised us a bit and so we had to react and work hard throughout the day. The boys pulled a lot and were really committed to bring back the breakaway and go for the best possible result today. Before the last climb Aleks was able to sprint for two bonus seconds, which also shows the commitment for every single second. In the end it was all about the legs and Aleks absolutely gave his best. Even though we lost one position in the GC, I’m really proud of how the boys raced today and how they fight for each other.” - Enrico Gasparotto, Sports Director

And here's the Valenciana report from ninth-place Diego Ulissi's UAE Team Emirates:

Diego Ulissi hung on for a 9th place on stage 4 of the Vuelta Valenciana in Spain, the Queen stage of the race from Burriana to Alto de la Cueva Santa (181.6km).

Marc Soler showed his trademark aggressive style with an attack with 9km to go, though the bunch led by Ineos-Grenadiers would reel him in before the final climb.

Ulissi had Brandon McNulty for support on the tough 3km stretch of 7% up to the line, which was just outside the comfort zone of the Italian who thrives on the short punchy climbs. McNulty finished just behind in 10th spot. The day was won by Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos-Grenadiers) while Giulio Ciccone (Trek Segafredo) keeps the leaders jersey.

The Emirati team holds the lead the teams classification ahead of the final stage tomorrow from Paterna to Valencia (93.2km).

Here’s the team’s update:

Next week, we will be back in the Middle East, a region where our team has scored a staggering 65 wins since 2003, including a memorable victory at the World Team Time Trial Championships held in Qatar, back in 2016. Oman and the United Arab Emirates is where Soudal Quick-Step will be in action this month, with the former hosting also a brand-new event, in addition to its national tour, the one-day Muscat Classic.

Back when they were Etixx-Quick Step, the team rides to victory at the 2016 World Team Time Trial Championships held in Qatar. Sirotti photo.

Scheduled on the eve of the Tour of Oman, the race will see the riders tackle the hilly roads to Al Bustan, where the puncheurs are expected to fight for victory. One day later, the sprinters will get their only real opportunity of the week, before making way for the climbers. Jabal Haat (4.6km, 8%) and Jabal Al Akhdar (5.7km, 10.5%) – the latter featuring on the last stage for the first time in the race’s 14-year history – will be the ideal terrain for the GC contenders to make the difference.

Oman will mark the first outing of Tim Merlier for the Wolfpack in the Belgian Champion jersey which he conquered for the second time in his career last summer. The 30-year-old – victorious in the Zonnebeke cyclo-cross race last month – will be joined by defending champion Jan Hirt, Fausto Masnada – who finished runner-up at the previous edition – Josef Cerny, James Knox, Bert Van Lerberghe and Mauri Vansevenant.

“We will try to go for a victory, first with Tim in the sprint, but he won’t be our only card next week. Jan won here in 2022 and knows the course, the same can be said about Fausto, who took a stage last season in Oman, and also Mauri can be an option on the harder stages. The confidence is high in the team and hopefully we will come out of the race with a victory”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.

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