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Tuesday, May 2, 2023
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2022 Tour de France | 2022 Giro d'Italia
Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success. - C. S. Lewis
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Upcoming racing:
- May 6 - 29: Giro d'Italia
- May 6: GP du Morbihan
- May 16 - 21: 4 Jours du Dunkerque
Latest completed racing:
- May 1: Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 25 - 30: Tour de Romandie
- April 28 - 30: Vuelta Asturias
- April 23: Liege-Bastogne-Liege
- April 17 - 21: Tour of the Alps
- April 19: La Fleche Wallone
- April 16: Amstel Gold Race
- April 3 - 8: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
- April 4 - 7: Région Pays de la Loire Tour
- April 9: Paris-Roubaix
- April 11: Paris-Camembert
- April 11 - 14: Il Giro di Sicilia
- April 16: Amstel Gold Race
We posted the report from second-place Patrick Konrad's Team Bora-hansgrohe with the results.
Here's the report from fourth-place Marc Hirschi's UAE Team Emirates:
Marc Hirschi showed his trademark attacking style, taking 4th place from an elite 10 rider group at Eschborn-Frankfurt in Germany.
Soren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) opened up the sprint and no-one could pass him on the final stretch, with Hirschi staying just off the podium.
Soren Kragh Andersen was the day's fastest rider.
On the finishing circuit of 6.7km in Frankfurt with huge crowds gathered for the Labour Day holiday in Germany, the peloton tried to shut down a 30-second gap to a lead group of 10, which had formed 29km earlier after an acceleration from Hirschi.
The result seals a successful few days from the Emirati squad who won the Tour de Romandie through Adam Yates on Sunday.
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Here’s the Eschborn-Frankfurt report from Team Israel-Premier Tech:
Eschborn-Frankfurt is usually a race for the sprinters, but with an altered parcours, Stevie Williams and Ben Hermans took advantage of an extra ascent of the Feldberg, tiring out the sprinters. After attacking on the last climb, they created a gap with eight other riders, and maintained it to the line, taking 8th and 9th place respectively.
Ben Hermans wins stage four of the 2022 Tour of Belgium.
Talking about his race, Stevie was happy to be fighting for wins at the front of a World Tour race again.
“It was a really tough day out, and we were unsure of how the race was going to pan out in the end. After we went hard on the second Feldberg ascent, trying to split the race and put riders in a bit of pain, we went on the last climb with 30 kilometres to go, and Ben and I managed to get ourselves into a small group. We worked well together until the finish, and to have us both in the top 10 is a good result. Considering I’ve been away from racing since the Volta a Catalunya, I can go into the Giro with confidence after this, and be happy with the result. It’s also just really nice to be fighting for a win in a World Tour race again.”
Stevie Williams heads to the Giro d’Italia which starts on May 6th in Ortona.
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The 106th edition of the iconic race begins on 6 May from Fossacesia Marina in the Abruzzo region, with a 19.6km time trial, and finishes on 28 May in Rome.
There are three time trials in the event which takes in the western Alps and the race’s Cima Coppi (highest point) - Colle del Gran San Bernardo at 2469m – with a brutal final week of racing in the Dolomites sure to provide a fascinating showdown ahead of the finale in Rome.
The Dolomites always present a real challange in the Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo.
The Grenadiers selected for the 106th Giro d’Italia are:
Thymen Arensman
Laurens De Plus
Filippo Ganna
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Salvatore Puccio
Pavel Sivakov
Ben Swift
Geraint Thomas
Here is what some of the team had to say about lining up at the Giro d’Italia:
Geraint Thomas:
"I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the Giro. The last two times I’ve been there I haven’t even finished, so hopefully I can get to Rome at the very least!
"Obviously, this year has been a bit stop-start, but I’m on the right track and coming into some shape just in time - with all the boys going super-well too. We had a really good camp at Sierra Nevada and then the Tour of the Alps obviously went really well, so morale is high. Everyone’s confident and we’re just looking forward to racing now.
"For me, I just want to enjoy it. As a junior, the thought of even going to the Giro with a group of lads all trying to perform at our absolute best…I would have been super-excited, so I’m looking forward to going there, soaking it up and getting stuck in.
"It’ll be nice having Swifty on the team too - we’ve been racing together since we were like 10 or 11 on bike paths around parks. Hopefully we have the chance to enjoy it, because it’s a tough race and the end’s obviously super hard. The last week’s going to decide it, I think, so I’m looking forward to getting there, getting into the race and giving it everything with the lads."
Tao Geoghegan Hart:
"Racing in Italy is something I love. The Tifosi, the landscapes and the history of the Giro always make it an incredible experience.
"Each Grand Tour is its own journey and for the 2023 Giro we are lining up with a great team, definitely hoping to add another special chapter to this race.
"I’ve been in good form and have just really been enjoying racing with my teammates. Riding well at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps has been great, but also satisfying to reward the hard work and dedication of my teammates and our amazing staff.
"This group has spent a lot of time together so we’ll go into the race with great morale and confidence to make the most of the three big weeks ahead of us!"
Filippo Ganna:
"I’m so happy to be back and starting at the Giro. Every time I race, I give my absolute maximum - so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve for the team. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved at this race in the past, and I’m feeling really positive.
"Our team is strong and I can’t wait to get out and show our very best. The opening time trial again offers me the opportunity to start in a very positive way for us all. Preparations have gone well and I look forward to getting to Fossacesia Marina next Saturday.
"I obviously love racing in Italy in front of my home fans, and know the impact that the incredible support for me and the team has, so we hope to use that energy to give our very best."
Rod Ellingworth – Deputy Team Principal
"Our first Grand Tour line-up of 2023 is an exciting rider group and shows real intent in how we want to take on the Giro.
"We love racing in Italy, and this year’s parcours features some extremely tough stages, and the possibility of some equally tough conditions. The Italian fans are in for a real treat, and we’re looking forward to putting our stamp on what promises to be a really entertaining but challenging race.
"As a team, we’ll draw on the experience of Geraint and Tao in the tightly contested general classification. Filippo’s pedigree and local popularity speaks for itself, so we expect all eyes to be on him at the opening time trial, with the prize of the maglia rosa up for grabs."
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Our Giro d’Italia team:
Geraint Thomas - 36, Great Britain:
The Tour de France winner first rode the Giro as far back as 2008 and then again in 2012. More recently he didn’t finish in 2017 as well as in 2020 and will look to this year’s event to remedy that. The Welshman’s completed three races in 2023 thus far – Down Under, Alps and Catalunya – and will be banking on his experience in what promises to be a very exciting Giro d’Italia.
Tao Geoghegan Hart – 28, Great Britain:
On his way to victory in 2020 Geoghegan Hart won two stages of the race and famously stood atop the podium in the Piazza del Duomo taking the biggest win of his career.
2023 has seen Tao in good form taking overall podium positions at Tirreno-Adriatico and Valenciana, and then most recently winning the Tour of the Alps, capping off a fine team performance.
Thymen Arensman – 23, Netherlands:
The young Dutch climber takes on his second Giro d’Italia having made his debut at the race in 2022, securing a top-20 place overall; that included twice finishing second on a stage. A new Grenadier in 2023, Thymen has settled quickly and proven himself to be a popular teammate with great potential to play a key role in our contest for the GC.
Laurens De Plus – 27, Belgium:
A hugely popular member of our team, Laurens will be lining up for his third Giro. His wide range of abilities will see him feature prominently for the Grenadiers throughout the race, with the talented 27-year-old playing a key role in the team pursuing its GC ambitions.
Filippo Ganna – 26, Italy:
Ganna will look to emulate his successes of 2020 and 2021 where he won the opening time trials of the race with eyes firmly fixed on the maglia rosa; those wins two of the six Giro d’Italia stages he’s won in his career so far.
2023 has been a strong year for Filippo; he won the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico in impressive fashion alongside a very fine performance in finishing second at Milan-San Remo. His cobbled Classics campaign included top-10 finishes at Paris-Roubaix and E3 Saxo Classic, while he started the year with an impressive second overall finish at the Vuelta a San Juan Internacional.
Salvatore Puccio – 33, Italy:
2023 sees a 10th Giro d’Italia start for Salvatore who, impressively, has finished every one of his 9 previous appearances at the race. ‘Salva’ will play a key support role and his experience will be crucial to the team’s ambitions this Giro, while his versatility ensures that should an opportunity arise, he’ll be able to take it.
Pavel Sivakov – 25, France:
Pavel finished 9th overall in the 2019 Giro and second in the youth category, and he followed that up with a top-20 finish in 2022. He’s been in good form in 2023, scoring numerous top-10s finishes and he will take that form and confidence into the Giro. Pavel will be a key member of our climbing contingent and he also has what it takes to seize his own opportunities.
Ben Swift – 35, Great Britain:
A key member of our team’s success at the Giro in 2020, Ben impressed with his wide-range of abilities as he finished top-20 overall. The former British road race champion will start his fifth Giro this year and his 15-year career in the pro peloton brings invaluable experience to the team.
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