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Tuesday, August 13, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 12 - 18: Tour of Poland
- August 13 - 16: Tour du Limousin
Upcoming racing:
- August 14 - 18: PostNord Denmark Rundt
- August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 11: La Polynormande
- August 10: Clasica San Sebastian
- 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
Team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe sent me this:
From Saturday, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will have new Grand Tour opportunities. The Vuelta a España starts, and the team is going to the third Grand Tour of the year with an ambitious line-up.
He has won the general classification of the Vuelta three times, plus a dozen stages. On Saturday, Primož Roglič will not only be celebrating his comeback in his favorite Grand Tour, but also his return to racing. Since leaving the Tour de France, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader has been preparing for the start of the Vuelta and recently spent two and a half weeks in an altitude camp.
Primoz Roglic in the red GC leader's jersey at the 2021 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
With Dani Martínez and Aleksandr Vlasov, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has two more GC aces up its sleeve. Like Roglič, the Vuelta is Vlasov's first race since leaving the Tour de France early. Martínez finished second in the Giro d'Italia, the team's best result so far in the 2024 Grand Tour season.
In May, Giovanni Aleotti rode alongside Martínez, and a few weeks later he won the Tour of Slovenia himself. Florian Lipowitz also celebrated at the end of a stage race in the summer, winning the overall at the Sibiu Cycling Tour. After his debut at the Giro d'Italia came to an early end, the German youngster is now continuing his Grand Tour experience at the Vuelta.
Roger Adrià, Nico Denz and Patrick Gamper complete the strong line-up. While Gamper and Denz have already raced the Giro and Tour this year, Adrià has yet to complete a Grand Tour. The only Spaniard on the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team will be looking to build on his strong season so far at his home race.
Rolf Aldag, Chief of Sports Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe: "We are also going into the third Grand Tour of the year with great ambitions. We have nominated eight riders with whom we won't be hiding but want to compete aggressively for the GC. However, we will have to wait and see to what extent we can do this. After all, the crash injuries and five-week break from racing for both Primož and Aleks were not the ideal preparation for a Grand Tour."
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe x Vuelta a España 2024:
Roger Adrià, Giovanni Aleotti, Nico Denz, Patrick Gamper, Florian Lipowitz, Dani Martínez, Primož Roglič, Aleksandr Vlasov
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Here's Lotto Dstny's Vuelta preview:
The Lotto Dstny Team is ready for their second grand tour of the season, starting this Saturday in Portugal.
On Saturday 17th August the Lotto Dstny Team will be at the start of the 79th edition of the Vuelta a España, in Lisbon, Portugal. The 8 selected riders go for a mix of stage win hunting with general classification ambitions. Sports Manager Kurt Van de Wouwer reveals the selection.
It will be a special Vuelta for Thomas De Gendt, being his last grand tour. De Gendt has 2 stage wins already in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France and made a goal out of it to still win a stage in the Vuelta, making it two stage wins in each grand tour. “Thomas is very ambitious for his last grand tour. He wants to finish off his beautiful career in a great way. I definitely expect something of Thomas. He prepared himself in the best way, even with the help of our team’s dietician, which is quite extraordinary for him.”
Thomas De Gendt descending in stage 8 of the 2023 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
Lennert Van Eetvelt showed he’s in good form, becoming third in the Clásica San Sebastián last Saturday. “Lennert began his season in a fantastic way with his win of the UAE Tour. Then after the Strade Bianche his knee problems started. Now he feels well again and his knee problems are solved. The goal we had with him in the beginning of the season remains the same: trying to go for a good general classification and seeing where his capabilities can reach during three weeks of racing.”
Andreas Kron is back on his level, after missing out on the Tour due to a crash in the Dauphiné. “The preparation of Andreas wasn’t perfect. His form is becoming better and better. Last year he immediately won a stage, the ambition is the same this time.” Victor Campenaerts, who thriumped in stage 18 of the Tour de France this year, will be at the start of the Vuelta as well. “The Vuelta starts with a time trial, which is a big goal for Victor. Of course there are other favourites, but he will go all in. On the other hand Victor is really important because of his experience, in function of Lennert’s GC ambitions.”
“Jonas Gregaard proved he's in good form during the Arctic Race of Norway. He was on the longlist of the Tour de France, at the end he missed out on the selection but he fully set his eyes on this Vuelta now. He will have a helping role, but in some stages he will also be able to go for his own chance. For Arjen Livyns it’s his first grand tour, he’s really good in positioning which is important to help Lennert. We also don’t have a real sprinter, he can go for his own chance in the bunch sprints.”
“Sylvain Moniquet has already done the Giro and the Vuelta. He’s definitely really important for Lennert in the mountain stages, but he can also try to go for it in a stage when the opportunity is there. Eduardo Sepúlveda prepared well for this Vuelta, with the Olympics on his program as well. He has a lot of experience, and as Sylvain he will be important for our team in the mountains.”
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Team dsm-firmenich PostNL sent me this Vuelta news:
The battles for pink and yellow have come and gone, now it’s time for the peloton to take on 21 challenging days of racing; fighting over steep mountains, full-gas sprint stages, challenging hilly days and efforts against the clock as they battle for the Maillot Rojo and more, at the last Grand Tour showdown – the Vuelta a España.
Beginning across the border in Portugal, a flat time trial will get the race underway in Lisbon, before a few probable sprint stages. Already on stage four, the first mountain-top finish at Pico Villuercas could see an early GC battle, before more hilly and mountainous terrain awaits. Week one is rounded off with one of the toughest stages of the race with 4500 metres of climbing before a dash into Granada. Returning to the north of the country; the sprinters and breakaway riders will most likely battle it out before the race heads back to more serious climbing and a brutal finish on Cuitu Negro with its 14 percent average for over two kilometers. The closing week of racing sets the tone with no easy start and a summit finish on Lagos de Covadonga. Two rolling days will give the sprinters and breakaway opportunists chance, followed by a final foray into the mountains with the queen stage on day 20 sure to see some fireworks. The GC battle could potentially go down to the wire with a 24-kilometre race against the clock into Madrid rounding out the three weeks of action.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head to the start line in Lisbon, adorned in their distinctive two-striped jersey and ready to get stuck into what should be an exciting 21 days of racing.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Phil West expressed: “We’re really looking forward to coming back to the Vuelta this year, especially after having such a good experience last year. This season we once again come with a balanced squad that includes some debutants and guys with more experience. We hope to be competitive with our young-gun Max Poole, who’s coming back from a challenging year but has shown good legs recently at Vuelta a Burgos. We will support him as he tests himself for the first time in the GC at a Grand Tour. Alongside that, we will aim for results in the sprint stages with Pavel Bittner as our finisher, who also showed he’s in form at Burgos where he took his first pro win. We want to be engaged in the race from the get-go and try to take our chances where we see them.
Max Poole finishes stage 7 of the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné. Sirotti photo
"There will be days where we will look for the break, but we will always have a focus on the GC. Some days that might mean we are there to have support up the road, but equally on other days it means we will go hunting for the stage results, but all the time we will keep Max protected. After the opening time trial, we have a couple of sprint chances with Pavel before stage four, which should see the GC guys do battle and from there our race will take shape, especially after the end of week one and the tough mountain finish. This will be Max’s first go at GC in a Grand Tour so we’ll keep the pressure low, learn as we go and put in good foundations for the future. We’ve made some positive steps the past week in Burgos, with some really nice results and strong riding as a group, so we will look to continue and build on that over the next three weeks.”
Looking forward to his return to the Vuelta a España, Poole said: “Last year overall we had quite a nice three weeks and came away happy with how it went. Obviously, it was the perfect start with the win in the TTT and then we added another win towards the end of the race. The morale was good in the group, and we worked really well together, so it was a nice way to experience my first Grand Tour last season. We also overcame the usual challenges of a three-week race like illness and crashes well together as a team. I’m looking forward to coming back to the race again this year and I know a bit more what to expect from the Vuelta. It’s a super hard route this year, starting with the TT in Lisbon, which I think will be nice and I’m looking forward to opening the legs there.
"Hopefully we can have a good start before an exciting three weeks with the team. It will be a big challenge to see how I can go in the GC battle and see if I can stay there, and hopefully come through well towards the end of the race. We have a nice team and have had a good week already in Burgos; both with some nice results but also how we’re getting on as a group and riding together. If we keep working on the level that we have been in Burgos and get some nice results along the way, then we can leave the race happy. I think the overall feeling, not just for me but for the team, is excitement. It will be a hard race and a big fight as always, so we just need to stay focused and keep going together all the way until Madrid.”
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Team Jayco AlUla sent me this Vuelta update:
Team Jayco AlUla head into the third and final Grand Tour of the season, La Vuelta a España, with a mixed bag of options and a squad built from climbers and opportunists with the goal of challenging for stage wins.
2024 Team Jayco AlUla - La Vuelta line-up:
Alessandro De Marchi (ITA) - 6th appearance
Waley Hagos Berhe (ETH) - Debut appearance
Eddie Dunbar (IRL) - 2nd appearance
Felix Engelhardt (GER) - 2nd appearance
Chris Harper (AUS) - 2nd appearance
Mauro Schmid (SUI) - Debut appearance
Callum Scotson (AUS) - 4th appearance
Filippo Zana (ITA) - 2nd appearance
The Mountains are calling:
The Vuelta, as always, is filled with hard mountainous stages with the team recruiting three talented climbers in the shape of Irishman Eddie Dunbar, Italian Filippo Zana and Australian Chris Harper ready to take their opportunities.
Filippo Zana wins stage 18 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
Zana showed great form and resilience at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year and is looking for another Grand Tour stage win to add to his palmarés, while Dunbar lines-up with fire in his belly after being forced to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia due to a crash. Harper returns to racing, hoping to build throughout the event after suffering and being forced to withdraw from the Tour de France due to Covid.
Filippo Zana: “I am looking forward to the Vuelta very much. After the Giro I had two months of good training and I am feeling in good shape ahead of the race. It will only be my second time at the Vuelta and I would love to try and take a stage victory.
The team we have has many climbers and riders to go for results from the breakaway. Aggressive racing will suit us well. It will be very hard, there’s a lot of good riders but we will fight everyday and try to make the most out of this opportunity.”
Ready for anything
Like every Grand Tour with 21 days of racing there are plenty of opportunities to be taken. Experienced veteran Alessandro De Marchi will be lining up for this sixth La Vuelta appearance and with no fear of putting it all on the line in pursuit of victory, the Italian will be one to watch in the day’s breakaways.
Alongside him Australian rider Callum Scotson is set to make this fourth appearance at the race and will be an important support rider for the climbers into the mountains, while 23-year-old German, Felix Engelhardt returns to the event with confidence in his form after an impressive stage win at the Tour of Slovakia in June.
First time for everything
Ready to make his Vuelta a España debut will be recently crowned Swiss champion Mauro Schmid, whose form has been on an upward trajectory this second half of the season after enjoying an overall victory at the Tour of Slovakia. The 24-year-old is looking to taste success in Spain, bringing an aggressive approach to racing with him.
The eighth and final rider to complete the Team Jayco AlUla line-up will be the rider from Ethiopia Waley Hagos Berhe, bringing raw climing talent to the roads of Spain. The young 22-year-old hoping to test himself when the road heads north against the world’s best.
Pieter Weening – Sport Director “We start the Vuelta with a squad built from aggressive style riders that can go into breakaways and the type of riders that can still finish it off after a day in the break. So, our main objective is going after stage wins at this year’s race. It is a mixed team with a lot of climbers but also powerful riders like Schmid and a faster guy with Engelhardt.
"We start the race with an individual time trial and then already on stage four there is a mountain top finish. Then from stage six onwards there are plenty of opportunities, the types of stages where we can take the race on and try for stage wins.”
The 2024 edition of the Spanish tour will begin in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, 17th August with a race against the clock and conclude in the traditional finish location of downtown Madrid on Sunday, 8th September.
We posted the report from stage winner Thibau Nys' Team Lidl-Trek with the results.
Here's the Tour of Poland report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Wilco Kelderman and Jonas Vingegaard off to a strong start in the Tour de Pologne
Wilco Kelderman and Jonas Vingegaard have made a promising start for Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the Tour de Pologne. Kelderman came close to victory but was overtaken in the final few hundred meters by eventual stage winner Thibau Nys. Vingegaard finished in fourth place.
Thibau Nys wins stage one of the 2023 Tour of Poland.
In the challenging final kilometers, Kelderman responded attentively several times to attacks from Jan Christen. The Dutchman held his ground during a series of accelerations and decided to launch his own attack in the last kilometer.
In the steep final stretch, Kelderman seemed on his way to a WorldTour victory, but the Belgian Nys had other plans. Kelderman didn't give up and fought his way to second place. Just behind him, Vingegaard secured the fourth place. As a result, the duo enters tomorrow's time trial in a strong position.
“Our goal this week is to aim for the general classification with Jonas,” sports director Maarten Wynants said after the race. “Today, we rode somewhat conservatively because we weren’t sure where we stood after our performance in San Sebastián last Saturday. However, both Jonas and Wilco showed good form. That’s why we decided to go for the stage win in the final. Wilco came very close. It was a bit disappointing that he narrowly missed out on a WorldTour victory, but the disappointment quickly turned into satisfaction. It was a more than positive day for us, and we’re now looking forward to tomorrow’s time trial.”
Team Groupama-FDJ posted this Tour of Poland report:
The GC contenders of the Tour de Pologne were expected at the front from the opening stage this Monday. In the uphill finish in Karpacz, a first selection did take place, and Romain Grégoire got himself in the mix to grab a fine seventh place on the line, six seconds behind the clear winner Thibau Nys. No rest for the favourites, who will face a crucial uphill time trial on Tuesday.
Romain Grégoire earlier this year. Sirotti photo
A short but rather dynamic start was on the menu for the riders on Monday on the 81st Tour de Pologne. From Wrocław, 156 kilometres were to be covered, but the final in Karpacz was expected to be quite explosive with a two-stage climb in the last seven kilometres. The rest of the stage, however, proved very calm as a four-man breakaway led the way with Jaan Maas (Jayco AlUla) as well as the Poles Szymon Sajnok (Q36.5), Michal Paluta (Santic-Wibatech) and Norbert Banaszek (Mazowsze Serce Polski).
“The day was rather easy,” confirmed Yvon Caër. “We knew that we were just heading towards a tense and tight money time.” The group of fugitives therefore never put the peloton in trouble, and the gap gradually closed in the last third of the race. Maas and Paluta were the last men standing up front but were caught with eight kilometres remaining, just before the so-called “money time.”
“Everyone was committed around Romain,” continued Yvon. “I was especially pleased to see that they took the lead at seven kilometres, which was the key point. Romain was very well positioned by his teammates. This showed great team spirit, and that’s what we wanted to see”. “The team worked really hard to put me in the right conditions,” added Romain. From that point on, the young Frenchman never lost his place at the front, despite the big tempo set by Jonas Vingegaard’s teammates (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the first attacks.
With three kilometers to go, the riders tackled the second part of the climb, and Romain Grégoire bided his time alongside the other favorites while a duo made a small gap. The uphill sprint eventually started 300 metres from the finish, Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) left no chance to his opponents, but Romain Grégoire fought well to take seventh place, six seconds behind the Belgian. “In the last kilometre, the legs really did the talking and I couldn’t do better than seventh today”, said Romain. “I didn’t feel super great, but it wasn’t too bad either. I think I got the best possible result with today’s legs. I was still hoping for a bit more, and I was clearly aiming for victory on this type of finish that suits me very well, but it will just be for another time. I hope I’ll have other chances this week.”
“The result is good,” claimed Yvon. “For a comeback race, it was a great effort. I think he didn’t make any mistakes. He was able to give his 100% but there was still some pretty strong competition. Above all, I’m really confident about the next two days that will also suit him. I’m also confident about his consistency to stay in the mix, even hoping to move up another notch.”
Overall, Romain Grégoire is in seventh place on Monday, sixteen seconds behind Nys. Tomorrow, another very important day will be on the menu with a 15.4-kilometer time trial, partially uphill. “Some gaps were already made today, and tomorrow, the last seven kilometers of the time trial are the same as the last seven kilometers of today”, Yvon specified. “The general classification will most certainly be quite settled tomorrow evening.”
And here's the Tour of Poland report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Karpacz, the idyllic spa town located not far from the border to the Czech Republic, returned at the Tour de Pologne for the second year in a row. Coming at the end of the opening stage, the uphill finish was an explosive one, as the ramps of the unranked climb were perfect for those who wanted to try an attack from afar.
Soudal Quick-Step neo-pro Pepijn Reinderink was the first to show his hand, launching a powerful acceleration just as the last rider of the breakaway was caught. The former U23 Dutch Champion tapped out a strong rhythm that allowed him to stay at the front until two kilometers to go, when the others came back. More moves came, but in the end the winner emerged only in the last 200 meters, when Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) emerged victorious.
The Tour de Pologne continues Tuesday with another hard stage, an uphill individual time trial finishing again in Karpacz, where the gaps between the GC riders should be bigger than those created on the first day.
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