Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, August 10, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I don't try to describe the future. I try to prevent it. - Ray Bradbury
Stoic philosopher Epictetus' Golden Sayings is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 10: Clasica San Sebastian
Upcoming racing:
- August 11: La Polynormande
- August 12 - 18: Tour of Poland
- August 13 - 16: Tour du Limousin
- August 14 - 18: PostNord Denmark Rundt
- August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 4 - 7: Arctic Race of Norway
- July 27 - August 4: Olympic cycling
- July 22 - 26: Tour de Wallonie
- July 23: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- June 29 - July 21: Tour de France
- June 9 - 26: Many National Championships
- June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
- June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
- June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
We posted the report from GC winner Sepp Kuss' Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.
Here's the report from stage five winner Pavel Bittner's Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:
Rounding out Vuelta a Burgos in spectacular fashion, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rode superbly as a unit during the day, bringing fast-finishing Pavel Bittner into the finale; who duly sprinted to the Men’s program’s 15th win of the season.
Pavel Bittner wins stage five.
Heading into the last stage of Vuelta a Burgos, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL aimed to keep second place on GC secure with Max Poole, before setting up a sprint finish with stage one winner Pavel Bittner. It was a hard chase throughout the day as the breakaway trio kept the peloton honest, but some good teamwork from the squad and a committed chase saw things closed down just before the flamme rouge. From there, the team positioned Bittner expertly who then jumped on the wheel of Garcia Cortina, before producing a devastating kick to come around him before the line. Jubilant as he crossed the line, Bittner celebrates the team’s 15th win of the season with their Men’s program; and the 12th to come from a Development program graduate in 2024 – with Bittner, Oscar Onley, Casper van Uden, Tobias Lund Andresen and Frank van den Broek having all stood on the winner’s step. Alongside the stage win, another Development program graduate, Poole, secured second overall with the team, capping off a brilliant five days of racing in Spain.
Speaking after the stage Bittner said: “Today was another good day for the sprint finish. It was a bit harder than stage one, so we wanted to try and do our best and keep it together. The guys did a really good job in the final and we stayed calm. I was suffering a bit because the race opened up on the climb a bit, but Martijn stayed with me and that helped me a lot, also mentally. Coming into the final we did a good move and with two kilometres to go we were on the front. Then Martijn did a good job with Max and Chris towards the final. I felt really strong so I waited a bit as I knew as it was a headwind sprint. I just launched when I thought was a good moment and managed to win. It feels a bit unreal to pick up a second win and also take second on GC with Max, so the shape and morale is really good in the team ahead of what’s next.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Callum Ferguson added: “Today we wanted to keep one eye on the GC with Max, in case there was an opportunity to move up onto that top spot. If not, we then wanted to go all-in for Pavel in the sprint. The guys did a really nice job, especially in the final few kilometres by closing quite a large gap to the break. They dropped Pavel in the perfect position and he could go on to get his second stage win of the week. We also could secure that second on GC with Max, which puts is in a good place and the confidence amongst the guys is good ahead of the next goals. It was a really nice effort from the whole team and a good reward after a strong week.”
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Van Gils’ Team Lotto Dstny Posted this:
Maxim Van Gils has already started the Basque hilly classic twice: once finishing 12th, and the second time, unfortunately, he had to abandon. "I hope the third time will be good again," Maxim Van Gils says with a smile. "But it’s hard to predict. After having to leave the Tour de France due to a COVID infection, I was bedridden for three days. I was off the bike for almost a week."
Maxim Van Gils wons 2024 Eschborn-Frankfurt.
"San Sebastián suits me well. I’m slowly realizing that one-day races are more my thing than stage races. I prefer starting with a fully charged battery rather than one that's only at 80 percent. Some riders can still perform very well at 80 percent and remain mentally focused the entire time, but I need that full battery to really get the most out of myself. And after this recent period of rest and training, mine is nearly back to 100 percent."
Van Gils is hoping for a sprint with a small group on Sunday. "In an ideal scenario, we start by riding at a steady pace—not too hard, not too slow. Then, on the third-to-last climb, we pick up the pace, which causes a selection, leading to a small group heading towards that final steep climb, finishing with a sprint with about ten riders. That final climb suits me. The year I finished 12th, I was still in a good position there. If my legs are good, I might be able to do something special."
Alongside Maxim Van Gils, Andreas Kron and Lennert Van Eetvelt will also be at the start. "We simply have a strong team this weekend. We haven’t ridden much together this season, but I think, for example, Lennert will be very strong. But there will be many strong riders. Some are coming from altitude training, others from the Tour. Many will be in good shape."
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Here's the team's news:
Bahrain Victorious’ lineup for the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday 10th of August is Yukia Arashiro, Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Finlay Pickering, Jasha Sütterlin and Torstein Træen. The team leader will be Colombian Santiago Buitrago.
Santiago Buitrago winning 2024 Paris-Nice stage four.
This year the route has changed due to road disruptions and safety concerns, and is more reminiscent of the 2022 edition than last year’s. Riders will cover 236 km, (6 km more than 2023), to clinch the ‘txapela’ in Zurriola.
The race will include 7 classified mountain passes. Pilotegi is a new climb that will début at the Clásica, replacing Murgil. It has slopes of up to 27%, making it even more demanding than Murgil or Bordako Tontorra.
This edition will also include 2 intermediate sprints: one at the first finish line checkpoint, and the other at the reverse finish line checkpoint after 219.5 kilometres.
Another new feature involves the start and finish areas moving to Zurriola Avenue, opposite the Kursaal Conference Centre. As always, the winner will be awarded the traditional Basque Country ‘txapela’ hat, with Zurriola beach and the sea as backdrops.
Sports director Neil Stephens said: ”Santiago did a great job to finish 10th in The Tour de France. Since then, he has been off in The Olympic Games, fighting for Colombia, where he performed well and now he has got full focus on Classica San Sebastián. It’s a race that is really suited to his abilities. It’s a very mountainous race, it’s really up and down all day, with some fairly serious climbs. Coming into the final climbs of high-skill Erlaitz and then the really punchy steep climb, there are sections of over 25% of the new final climb, which finishes 8 km to go. The new climb is called Pilotegi. It’s really suited to Santiago’s climbing abilities. We get together and we will be training over the final of the course. Like I said it is a new final climb that we have never seen before, but we really want to try to get it nailed, so that we can get toward the finish and do well. And we are really hoping, I suppose we could potentially say to be at the podium in The Classic San Sebastián.
"Buitrago is looking forward to leading the team again after impressing at the Tour de France last month. “The Clásica San Sebastián is one of my favourite races on the calendar and coming as leader excites me quite a bit. It has been a race in which the team has always been in contention and this year we come with the same objective. Personally, I am very motivated and eager to fight to obtain a good result in the end.”
Stephens added: “Motivation is high and the quality of the team we are taking is high and we think that we will do well. The race itself is in the Basque Country in the north of Spain. It’s actually all around the area where I live. It’s a race that I really enjoy doing, it’s around home, I know the roads well, I know that the demands are high, and I think I know how to get the best out of the boys. The roles of the race of the boys that will be there, Santiago is obviously the leader, Jack will basically be there as his right-hand man. He has had a bit of a break from racing after the Tour de France, has recovered well and is on his way to getting ready for La Vuelta España, so he is in great shape, providing us a supporting role for Santiago.
"Torstein, also a climber, will be there to support Jack and Santiago towards the final climbs. Along with the climbers is Finlay, who is looking forward to his first experience in The ‘Klasikoa. The other riders will be trying to support the leaders throughout the day and try to get them to the harder sections. Basically, some of these riders are coming from Burgos, including Damiano who ha a pretty nasty crash and will be riding on Saturday more as training to see how his body is recovering from that.
"So in summary, I think we have got a good mix of riders: good workers and good leaders. It’s a fantastic race to kick off the end of the season Spanish races.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
Chemistry and camaraderie should not be a problem among the Israel – Premier Tech line-up for next week’s Tour de Pologne, the team’s first UCI WorldTour stage race since the Tour de France.
Six of IPT’s seven-man squad heading to Poland were also selected for the Tour, something that is not down to chance.
“That’s a little bit by design,” says head sports director Steve Bauer. “These riders have raced together a lot throughout the season, and will continue to do so after Poland.”
Tour de France starters Pascal Ackermann, Guillaume Boivin, Jakob Fuglsang, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, and Jake Stewart will all be on the start line as IPT returns to the seven-day race for the first time since 2022.
Completing the line-up is Michael Schwarzmann, who has already had 29 racing days alongside fellow German Ackermann in 2024.
Pascal Ackermann wins stage 4 of the 2022 Tour of Poland.
Subverting the norm for week-long races, this year’s Tour de Pologne GC will take shape early on upon leaving Wrocław on Sunday.
“The first two days – an uphill finish into Karpacz and an individual time trial – will show us who’s going for GC. They’ll decide our plan for the rest of the race,” adds Bauer.
“I think one or two of the lumpy days that are hard – stages 3 and 6 – could be breakaway days. Even if we are going for GC, we have to try and contest them.
“Stages 4, 5, and 7 are potentially sprint stages, or even reduced sprint stages, which is why Jake, Schwarzi, and Boivin are all there for Pascal.”
Ackermann is a five-time stage winner in Poland, however victory in next week’s race would arguably be the most significant of the 30-year-old sprinter’s triumphs in the country.
“I’m still waiting for that first victory of the season but, with three sprint opportunities, I believe it will come,” he says.
“Poland is a super nice race. I have lots of good memories of racing and winning there – the parcours suits me, the crowds are really nice, and I think my shape will be good after the Tour.”
Bauer is hopeful that the two-week break that six of IPT’s riders have had since the Tour de France will help the team achieve its goals in the race.
He says: “They’ve had just the right amount of downtime after the Tour, while also carrying that level that’s impossible to get unless you’ve raced it.”
Bauer is hopeful that the two-week break that six of IPT’s riders have had since the Tour de France will help the team achieve its goals in the race.
He says: “They’ve had just the right amount of downtime after the Tour, while also carrying that level that’s impossible to get unless you’ve raced it.”
IPT at the Tour de Pologne:
Riders: Pascal Ackermann (GER), Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Hugo Houle (CAN), Krists Neilands (LAT), Michael Schwarzmann (GER), Jake Stewart (GBR)
Sports Directors: Steve Bauer, Rene Mandri, Eric Van Lancker
Here’s the team’s news:
Max Schachmann will be again a member of the Wolfpack from next season, having agreed on a contract until the end of 2026, which will see the German ride again for the team with whom he turned pro seven years ago, after an impressive stint in the ranks of our feeder squad.
A two-time winner of Paris-Nice and double Road National Champion, the German has a total of 14 victories in his palmares, the first three of which came in the colors of our team: stages at the Volta a Catalunya, Giro d’Italia and the Deutschland Tour. Schachmann, whose palmares also includes podium finishes at some of the world’s most prestigious races – Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold Race – is excited to pull on the Soudal Quick-Step jersey after six years.
After winning the 2020 Paris-Nice. Sirotti photo
“I am happy to get the opportunity to come back home and ride again for Soudal Quick-Step, the team I started my career with. I know many of the people there, I have a lot of friends after all these years and I’m looking forward to returning and continuing to develop. I had two great years with the squad as I was beginning to learn the trade, and when presented with the opportunity to come back, I had a really good gut feeling that convinced me to make this move. I’m really excited about this and I can’t wait to start next season”, said a delighted Max, who during his first spell with the squad contributed to the team’s fourth gold medal at the World TTT Championships.
“Max Schachmann is a very good and versatile rider who still has plenty to show in the sport, and we are confident he can do that as part of our squad. We have a lot of beautiful memories from his first pro years in the squad and we are really excited to see him in action again with the Soudal Quick-Step jersey on his shoulders, contributing to our collective success”, said team CEO Patrick Lefevere.
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