Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. - Henry David Thoreau
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2021: The Little Cannibal Dominates is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- April 10: De Brabantse Pijl
Upcoming racing:
- April 14: Amstel Gold Race
- April 14: Tour du Doubs
- April 15 - 19: Tour of the Alps
- April 17: La Flèche Wallone
- April 21: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Latest completed racing:
- April 7: Paris-Roubaix
- April 6: Women's Paris-Roubaix
- April 1 - 6: Tour of the Basque Country/Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
- April 2 - 5: Region Pays de la Loire Tour
- April 3: Scheldeprijs
- March 31: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders)
- March 30: Gran Premio Miguel Indurain
- March 30: Volta Limburg Classic
- March 29: Route Adélie de Vitré
- March 27: Dwars door Vlaanderen
Here's the team's update:
A young but determined squad is ready to take on the Belgian one-day race.
Making the transition from the cobbled Classics to the Ardennes ones, Brabantse Pijl is scheduled this Wednesday, when the riders lining out at the start of the 64th edition will do so knowing they’ll have to tackle a demanding 196.9km course featuring 22 classified climbs.
After starting from Leuven, the peloton will travel for almost 120 kilometers before entering on the local circuit around Overijse, spiced up by a cobblestone stretch and four climbs that are perfect for the attackers to try to make the difference: Hertstraat (700m, 3.9%), Moskesstraat (500m, 6.7%), Holstheide (1000m, 5.2%) and the famous S-Bocht Overijse (1300m, 3.7%).
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Soudal Quick-Step will take on the race with a very young and motivated team, consisting of three neo-pros – Gil Gelders, Antoine Huby, and U23 Dutch Champion Pepijn Reinderink – who will be joined by Ayco Bastiaens, Pieter Serry, a former podium finisher here, Louis Vervaeke, and Jordi Warlop.
Louis Vervaeke (shown in his former team's colors) will be at the Brabantse Pijl start.
“The race is hard and should be decided on the hills around Overijse. We have a nice mix of young and experienced riders, who like this kind of course, up-and-down the entire day. Louis will be our captain; he is in good form, as shown by his top-three on the second stage of Itzulia, knows how to race for a good result and can be up there. The confidence is there and we hope for a strong outing on Wednesday”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Dries Devenyns.
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Nils Politt writes:
When the number one team in the world comes calling, you stand up and listen. Opportunities to rub shoulders with the very best don’t come around too often, so upon hearing UAE Team Emirates’ interest in me, it was something I simply couldn’t turn down. The timing of the move has come at a point in my career where I feel as confident as I’ve ever felt on the bike.
Nils Politt in the Arenberg sector of the 2022 Paris-Roubaix. Sirotti photo
I’m coming into what should be my best years, so I wanted to make the most out of this time to race at the highest level. Not only do we possess the best group of riders in the world, but the support staff and management are second to none. We are given all the tools that we need to perform, and we share a collective desire to win for each other as much as we want to win for ourselves.
We are currently in one of my favourite periods of the season; The Belgian Classics. The history, the passion, and the atmosphere around these brutal one-day races really reinforces the importance of them to every rider in the peloton. Win a stage race throughout the season – your name is spoken about for a while. Win one of the Belgian Classics – your name will live forever.
Securing a podium place in the Tour of Flanders was an incredibly special moment for me. World Champion Mathieu van Der Poel was in a league of his own and produced a spectacular ride, but I felt our team was strong enough to work together and push for a podium. It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster given I originally finished fourth, but I was then promoted to third after Michael Matthews was relegated to eleventh. Whilst I felt sorry for Michael, I was so proud of the team, and I think we deserved the result.
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The Tour of Flanders is a special race, but I think Paris-Roubaix, or ‘Hell of the North’ as it is rightfully known, possesses the biggest challenge of them all. I managed to secure another top 5 finish after 260km of some of the hardest racing I’ve ever known across the cobbles, before finishing in the Velodrome. Again, this result wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates. Even though we haven’t produced that one spectacular win, we’re all incredibly happy with the way we’ve worked together over these last few weeks, and I think we’ve done a really good job against the very best riders in the world.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, the big goal is the Tour de France. This race holds a special place in my heart, and winning Stage 12 in 2021 is still one of the proudest moments of my career. However, we’ll be going into the Tour with the sole focus of riding for Tadej as he tries to reclaim his crown. Having raced against him for a number of years, I’ve always admired him. But now as his teammate, I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like him. His performances in Strade Bianche, followed by his win in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, was some of the most dominating racing I’ve ever seen.
He can beat anyone over the cobbles, over a week’s racing, or over three weeks of Grand Tour racing in the mountains. Riding alongside him as his teammate is much nicer than riding against him – let me tell you!
The team is in excellent shape, with 21 victories to date, as we approach the start of the Grand Tour season. There is still a lot of the season left and some of the biggest races are still to come, so it’s an extremely exciting time.
I, alongside every single one of my teammates, feel the incredible support of our fans in the UAE every single time we race. It’s an absolute privilege to wear this jersey, thank you for making me feel so welcome. The team and I are determined to secure race wins for every single one of you!
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