Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, February 15, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. - Plutarch
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:
- February 14 - 18: Vuelta Andalucia - Ruta del Sol
- February 14 - 18: Volta ao Algarve
Upcoming racing:
- February 16: Classic Var
- February 17 - 18: Tour de Alpes-Maritimes
- February 19 - 25: UAE Tour
- February 24: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- February 24: Faun Ardeche Classic
Latest completed racing:
- February 10 - 14: Tour of Oman
- Feb 8 - 11: Tour de la Provence
- February 12: Clasica Jaén - Paraiso Interior
- February 11: Clasica de Almeria
- February 10: Vuelta a Murcia
- February 9: Muscat Classic
- Jan 31 - Feb 4: Etoile de Besseges
- Jan 31 - Feb 4: Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana
- Jan 30 - Feb 3: AlUla Tour (formerly Saudi Tour)
- Jan 24 - 28: Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from race winner Adam Yates' UAE Team Emirates:
UAE Team Emirates continued their strong start to the season with an emphatic win from Adam Yates on the final day of racing at the Tour of Oman.
Adam Yates wins the final stage. ASO photo
The Emirati squad set a hot tempo in the bunch with the young UAE duo of Abdulla Alhammadi and Mohammed Almutaiwei keeping the breakaway in check on the reduced stage from Samail Al Fayhaa Reshouse to Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) (72km).
As they reached the final 5km it was the turn of Veteran Diego Ulissi who’s high pace shattered the bunch which still included race leader Finn Fisher-Black and stage winner Adam Yates. On the steepest final kilometre of Green Mountain, Yates reacted to the attack of Jan Hirt (Soudal Quickstep) and put him to the sword in the last 300m as he danced on the pedals all the way to the line.
The win secures the overall classification for Yates while Fisher-Black took 3rd place on the podium with Hirt in 2nd.
Yates: “I’m really happy with that win.Diego put in a big turn from the bottom of the climb and set a really hard pace. The last couple of days the weather has been so bad but we’ve fought through it and made the best of the week. Hirt put in a big attack in the last kilometre and I reacted and had a little more in the tank so could go solo. We had to work hard for it but we managed to take the win which we’re really happy about. We have two young guys in the squad from UAE this week who have worked hard and got great experience so it’s been a big week for the team overall. I think we’re in a really good place now heading into UAE Tour next week.”
And here's the Oman Tour report from fourth-place Cristián Rodríguez's Team Arkea-B&B Hotels:
The Tour of Oman ended today in Jabal Al Alhdhar at the top of “green mountain”. Cristián Rodríguez finished in 4th place in the last stage and ranked 5th in the final general classification.
Cristián Rodríguez:
“I am satisfied with my feelings in this Tour of Oman which was my first race of the season. Having not yet raced I had some uncertainties about my level of fitness, but in the end I felt pretty good on the final climb of “Green Mountain”. I thank my teammates, they did a very good job to position me ideally.”
Mickaël Leveau, sports director:
“The team was well placed throughout the stage, with good work up to the foot of the green mountain to put Cristián Rodriguez in a good situation. He finished 4th in the stage, and ranked 5th in the final general classification. I am proud of my riders in this Tour of Oman, they met the objectives and showed that the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team was solid. It’s a satisfaction to end this event with a stage success with Amaury, but also Cristián 5th and Alessandro Verre 13th.”
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We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Gerben Thijssen's Team Intermarché-Wanty:
This Wednesday 14th of February, Gerben Thijssen obtained the third victory of the season for team Intermarché-Wanty, winning the 200 kilometer opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve in the sprint through the streets of Lagos.
In this way, he rewarded brilliant teamwork of his teammates, who took their responsibility in the race from the first to the last kilometer. Vito Braet first controlled and closed the gap to the early breakaway before Rune Herregodts, Mike Teunissen, Hugo Page, Adrien Petit and Laurenz Rex contributed to the launch of rocket Gerben Thijssen, who triumphs for the second time in 2024 after his success in the Trofeo Palma two weeks ago.
In addition to his stage win, Thijssen conquers the leader’s jersey of the Volta ao Algarve, on the eve of the first battle between the GC contenders on top of Alto da Fóia.
Gerben Thijssen takes the first stage.
"I was determined to make a better start to the season than in 2023. Obtaining two victories at this level mid-February shows at what point I worked hard this winter to achieve this. It's nice to see that our efforts, mine and those of the team, bear fruit. I want to underline the major role my teammates played in this victory. All day long I was surrounded by six riders who controlled the race and fought for a good position. The headwind in the final didn't make it easy. I was convinced that if I could maintain my position on the short bump with 2 kilometer to go, that I had a good chance on the victory. The team worked incredibly hard to achieve this victory and I'm happy that I managed to reward them in this way. Tomorrow we will protect Rune Herregodts who's aiming for a good result in GC, before concentrating on the sprint again the next day." - Gerben Thijssen
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And here's the Algarve Tour report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The 50th edition of the Volta ao Algarve got underway with the longest stage of the week, from Portimão – home of the famous motor circuit that has hosted F1 and MotoGP races – to Lagos, a city with a long tradition in cycling, visited by a race for the first time more than 90 years ago, when a stage of the Volta a Portugal finished there.
The 200.8km leg that travelled close to the coast was a pretty quiet one with the exception of a crash that took place when the road narrowed and a massive pile-up took place. Warre Vangheluwe was among those to hit the ground, but fortunately, the Belgian neo-pro could continue the race and rejoin the peloton. There, the Soudal Quick-Step team stayed around two-time winner of the race Remco Evenepoel, who was present at the start just four days after taking the victory in his first race of the year, the Figueira Champions Classic.
Remco Evenepoel winning the Figueira Champions Classic on the 10th of February.
The Belgian Champion came home in the same time as the winner Gerben Thijssen (Intermarche-Wanty) and is now looking forward to the first uphill test of the race: “It is mission accomplished for today. I was glad I could escape the crash and arrive here without any incidents. Thursday will be an important stage. We know the climb, it’s a nice one and we’ll go up the same side I won there in 2020, so I’m very motivated to do my best.”
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And here's the Volta ao Algarve report from team Groupama-FDJ:
Like in recent editions, the Volta ao Algarve started on Wednesday with a first stage leading to Lagos for a probable bunch sprint. On a quite easy day, although marked by a crash involving Valentin Madouas, the planned scenario did occur. Gerben Thijssen took the win while Marc Sarreau placed fourteenth without really being able to do his sprint. The punchers and climbers are expected from tomorrow on the Alto da Fóia.
Stage one winner Gerben Thijssen will start stage two in yellow.
Quite a substantial foretaste was on the menu for the Volta ao Algarve riders on Wednesday. Two hundred kilometers made up the first stage of the race, from Portimāo to Lagos, on slightly hilly terrain. “We knew the route quite well, and the scenario is very often the same,” said Frédéric Guesdon. “We therefore went for a possible sprint with Marc.” The Groupama-FDJ team therefore relied on Marc Sarreau for this opening day, but also welcomed Stefan Küng, as the Swiss man returned to competition after five months without a bib on his back.
Unsurprisingly, a breakaway mainly made of Portuguese teams led the race, with Fábio Costa (ABTF Betão-Feirense), Diogo Narciso (Credibom-LA Alumínios), Noah Campos (Kelly-Simoldes-UDO), César Fonte (Rádio Popular-Boavista), Gonçalo Amado (Tavfer-Ovos Matinados-Mortágua), Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano), but also Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Their gap, however, never exceeded four minutes, and Tobias Bayer, the last man standing, was caught with twenty kilometres to go. The bunch sprint never was threatened.
A few minutes before it all came back together, however, the peloton split into several pieces following a collision. “The final was quite technical, we had to be careful on certain sections and it was nervous with the wind,” added Frédéric. “Unfortunately, Valentin was caught in a crash and that was the day’s small negative point. He suffered a small impact on his thigh, which doesn’t seem too serious, but it’s always annoying to crash.”
After chasing for a few minutes, the French champion managed to catch the peloton, which kind of slowed down until the last five kilometres. Given the headwind in the final, the sprint preparation began quite late. “It was rather hectic, and it wasn’t easy to organize,” Frédéric said. “Lewis and Marc did their best, but it didn’t work out the way we wanted. It all really started with two kilometres to go, on a slight uphill road. They were a bit far back when the action started, and it was then complicated to pass everyone. We hoped for better.” Marc Sarreau finally crossed the line in fourteenth position, without being able to properly sprint.
Gerben Thijssen took the win but will have to give up the leader’s jersey tomorrow at the Alto de Foia (7.5 km at 6%). “This is the first test for the overall,” confirmed Frédéric. “Punchers and climbers will try to make the biggest possible gap on the time trialists, but it is a very steady climb, and we should have wind. There should be a front wind throughout the first part of the climb, and a side wind in the last two kilometers, a bit like last year. This is where it might split.” In this same climb, Valentin Madouas took fourth place in 2023.
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