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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, October 23, 2023

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

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Remco Evenepoel looks back on his 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège win

Evenepoel’s Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:

The Belgian looked back on the day he became the first World Champion in 36 years to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

He's gone. Here's Remco Evenepoel with about eight kilometers to go on his way to his second consecutive Liège-Bastogne-Liège win. Photo: ASO/Maxime Delobel

“When I lined up at the start in April, I was doing it one year after what had been a special moment – my first Monument victory. In 2022, I didn’t have too many expectations, but he had a plan and executed it perfectly. This time around, I knew I was one of the favourites and others would be watching me, but had a lot of confidence, both in myself and the team.

"I was also keen on taking my first win in that beautiful rainbow jersey. Sure, I had already won the UAE Tour and a pair of stages at the Volta a Catalunya, but I was missing that winning picture in the actual kit, one that I could hang on the wall. Together with the team, we wanted to do something special that day, that’s why I decided to go for the white bib shorts.

"The race wasn’t easy, but my Soudal Quick-Step teammates controlled things from the very beginning, made sure of keeping the gap in check at all times, and brought back the escapees before La Redoute. Julian did an amazing effort that day, and later on, Ilan rode a hard pace from the bottom of La Redoute, which actually gave me even more confidence that the moment I decided to make my move, not many would be able to follow. It turned out that only Pidcock could do it, but not for long, and as soon as I found myself alone in the lead, I kept pushing and setting a fast pace without ever looking back, despite the fact that the rain made the roads slippery.

"I remained calm and focused, with just one goal in mind: the victory. I can’t tell you all the feelings I had when I arrived at the finish after more than six hours. Sure, I had already won this race before, but this victory too was very special. It was magnificent to win my second Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the rainbow jersey, it was something really incredible to get back-to-back triumphs in this race that I love so much.”

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Lukas Pöstlberger wins Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon

Pöstlberger’s Team Jayco-AlUla posted this report:

Lukas Pöstlberger gave Team Jayco AlUla a victorious finish to the 2023 season with a solo victory at the one-day Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon.

Teammate Zdeněk Štybar jumped clear with another rider on the final lap to take the final podium spot for third place, making it a memorable day for the team in Hong Kong.

The downtown city centre circuit provided for some fast and technical racing with 24 laps and an abundance of corners making up the total distance of 103.2km. The squad animated the race with young Australian Rudy Porter going on the attack early on, to create a launch pad for his teammates for later on in the race.

Four Team Jayco AlUla riders; Pöstlberger, Štybar, Porter and Quick made it into a select lead group of 16 riders, before Postlberger eventually attacked away in the closing laps and arrived at the finish line to take a solo win by a one minute 18 second margin.

Pöstlberger time-trialing in the 2021 Dauphiné. Sirotti photo

Lukas Postlberger:
“I’m really happy to take the win and end the season for the team this way. It was a hard race from the start, we had a good plan, we wanted to make it hard and try to set the speed from the beginning, basically anticipate the race and not get stuck in the back end. In the race we said we have to make it even harder and luckily the first attempt, that already made the breakaway.

"It was like proactive racing, we were going hard and chasing wheels and it never slowed down, so at one point I think it was just the pace was too high, so the bunch split into groups and then we just kept going. When there’s a lot of tight corners and also hairpins, it is like an elastic band and at one point it snaps and then it’s hard to chase and almost impossible to come back.

"It was great to also have Štybar on the podium with me and it’s brilliant here in Hong Kong. We’ve been here since a few days already straight away from Guangxi and we really enjoyed it. It’s a really special place.”

Pieter Weening – Sport Director:
“We tried to make the race hard from the start because we knew we didn’t have the fastest guy here, so we had to do it a little bit different. From the start we took the control, made it hard and at one moment we decided already to put the hammer down and we had four of our best guys in the lead group.


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Rémi Lelandais and Lucas Janssen to sign with Arkea-B&B Hotels Development in 2024

Here's the team's announcement:

Dutch cyclo-cross hopefuls Rémi Lelandais and Lucas Janssen will join the Arkea-B&B Hotels Development team from 1 January 2024 in the ploughshares and then on the road.

Rémi Lelandais:
“It’s motivating to join a team with this dual road and cyclo-cross project, where I can continue to progress in both disciplines. I was also attracted by the fact that I could take part in road races at U23 level so that I could continue to develop in that direction. I recently took part in the Tour de l’Avenir before preparing for the winter season. My hope is to showcase my new colours at the French championships in Camors, in the Arkea-B&B Hotels Development region, during the U23s event.

Lucas Janssen:
“The future Arkea-B&B Hotels Development team was one of the first to contact me about joining its ranks for the 2024 season. The team’s plan to combine road and cyclo-cross racing appealed to me. It’s a team with a strong desire to develop the discipline. The season in the undergrowth will be one of my main objectives this year. Arkea-B&B Hotels will also give me the chance to express myself on a bigger road calendar. Previously, I was focused on cyclo-cross. I’ve only been racing on the road for 2 years now. I’m looking forward to showing off my puncheur’s skills, and to being at the service of the team.

Emmanuel Hubert, General Manager:
“Rémi is one of France’s best cyclo-cross talents, with good results in the French and World championships in the discipline. He’s also at ease on the road, recently finishing 6th in the U23 French championship in Plédran. Lucas is a young Dutch cross-country rider with good potential: he has top 10 results in the U23 World Championships and World Cup, and has been on his own all season. He has plenty of room for improvement in this area and we’re counting on him to develop this discipline within our structure in 2024. On the road, he also has a few places in professional races. He could be interesting in races where the going gets tough and you need to be in a good position. Lucas could be a pleasant surprise. Their priority will be cyclo-cross until February before moving on to the road season between April and August. We have two talented riders with similar profiles who can surprise us on the road with a structure that supports them and puts resources at their disposal”.


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Jon Barrenetxea signs with Movistar

Here’s the team’s post:

The Movistar Team continues to show its commitment with the best Spanish young talent as it announces Friday the addition of Jon Barrenetxea (Gamiz-Fika, Bizkaia, ESP; 2000) to its men’s roster next year.

The Basque rider, joining from team Caja Rural – Seguros RGA, has signed a two-year contract (2024-25) with the Abarca Sports organisation, which thus incorporates a fourth Spanish name to its lineup after Carlos Canal, Pelayo Sánchez and Javier Romo.

A tall (almost 1.90m), strong allrounder, ‘JonBa’ has shown over the 2023 season the abilities which helped him take the leap towards the pro category three years ago. Winner of the KOM jersey in the Itzulia Basque Country -which he almost entirely spent into the break-, 3rd in the Boucles de l’Aulne and solid at international stageraces like the Boucles de la Mayenne or the Volta ao Alentejo, he came 8th at the demanding Spanish Nationals in Madrid and shone at several breakaways in La Vuelta -5th atop Caravaca de la Cruz-. His good season overall earned him a cap with the Spanish national team for the European Championships in Drenthe (NED).

REACTION / Jon Barrenetxea:
“It makes me proud to be joining the Movistar Team, and it’s also a source of huge responsibility for me. I want to thank Caja Rural for the confidence they showed by taking me into the pro scene – I enjoyed bike racing so much over the last three years, and learned a lot by their side. This 2023 season helped me really believe in my abilities and trust my chances of having a long career, which is never easy to realize and make happen when you become a pro. I was able to show my quality, and my ambition for the future is to keep growing as a rider, seek for my best self and learn from all team-mates, some of the best in the world.”

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