Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, February 16, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
The empty vessel makes the loudest sound. - Plato
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
- February 16: Classic Var
Upcoming racing:
- 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 stage winner Daniel Martinez's Team Bora-hansgrohe:
Daniel Felipe Martínez has passed the first mountain test in the Algarve with flying colours. He took the win ahead of Remco Evenepoel in the final sprint on the Alto da Fóia after 171.9 kilometres of racing. Martínez started the race with the defending champion's bib number 1 and now takes the leader's jersey in this year's edition of the race.
Daniel Martinez will start stage three in yellow.
For BORA - hansgrohe, the day was exactly like the stage profile: a rollercoaster. After the crashes yesterday, Alex Hajek was unable to start due to a knee injury, while Marco Haller started the stage with painful abrasions. But morale grew as the altitude increased. After Jordi Meeus kept the climbers out of the wind in the first half, Max Schachmann and Bob Jungels brought them into a promising position in the difficult final section. Dani Martínez completed the team's great work with his stage win, and 4th place for Sergio Higuita rounded off a strong team result.
Dani Martínez: "We are not the favorites in this race. We have some strong opponents. But today was an important day and we wanted to take our chances. The whole team worked very well, and we took advantage of that. In the end, I had the necessary legs in the sprint."
DS Christian Pömer: "We came here with the goal of winning a stage and Dani achieved that impressively today. He completed a very strong team performance. The way he rode to victory was outstanding. To put in such a long and powerful sprint in the wind against Remco Evenepoel - chapeau!"
"We reached our goal and now we're planning from day to day. Tomorrow is more for the sprinters, then we have the time trial, and on Sunday it’s the GC showdown. Even though we have the jersey today, a look at the start list shows that we are not the top contenders for overall victory."
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Here's the Algarve Tour report from second-place Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Alto da Foia – Algarve’s highest point and the place where a statue inspired by Remco Evenepoel’s spectacular 2020 victory was erected – returned at the Portuguese race. The riders climbed it from the same side as four years ago, but the scenario was completely different this time around, the headwind forcing the GC contenders to keep their powder dry and rely instead on just one powerful surge in the last 200 meters.
Before the yellow jersey favourites were left to battle for the win, Soudal Quick-Step did a tremendous work the entire stage, controlling things from one end to the other and bringing back all nine members of the breakaway. At the start of the last ascent, Remco had with him three men – Mattia Cattaneo, James Knox and Mikel Landa – whose immense effort helped thin out the peloton, leaving only a handful of riders in the group as they rode under the flamme rouge.
The Belgian Champion made his move before the last corner, but coming out of his wheel, Dani Martinez (Bora-hansgrohe) took the win on the line, while Evenepoel had to settle for second. The result brought him some precious bonifications, which put the 24-year-old in a good position ahead of Saturday’s individual time trial.
Remco Evenepoel finished just behind Daniel Martinez.
“I want to surprise the others and I went a bit early, which in the end was a mistake. The wind changed direction from what we knew at the start of the day and that surprised us a bit. On the other hand, I didn’t lose any time on the road, which was important. The team did a great job, and I would have wanted the victory for them, but you can’t always get what you want. I am proud of my teammates and of how we controlled the stage by ourselves, and in the end, I think it’s a good result”, Remco explained after his seventh top-three finish at the Volta ao Algarve.
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Here’s the Volta ao Algarve report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Sepp Kuss and Jan Tratnik rode into the top five on the tricky second stage of the Volta ao Algarve. The duo from Visma | Lease a Bike rode up the flanks of the Alto de Foía with the best riders. Kuss sprinted to third place, Tratnik completed the top five. Wout van Aert could also keep up for a long time on the climb.
With Kuss, Tratnik, Van Aert and Milan Vader, Team Visma | Lease a Bike was well prepared for the final climb, the highlight of the second stage of the Volta ao Algarve. Van Aert saw this tricky climb as a good test and could keep up for a long time. In the final kilometre, when the lead group was reduced to around 15 riders, he struggled to maintain the pace. Daniel Felipe Martinez sprinted to victory, with Kuss and Tratnik not far behind.
"We can be happy with today's performance”, a satisfied sports director Marc Reef said. "We knew that we were not the favourites to win. Van Aert could hold on for a long time, but in the end, he came up just a little too short. The agreement was that we would see how long he would last. That turned out to be until the final kilometre. That's something to be happy about.”
With a time trial and a tricky mountain stage still to come, Reef is adamant about the team leader. "Tratnik is our man for the GC. He has a strong time trial in his legs and, strengthened by his good form, can settle at the top of the general classification. What he, Kuss and Van Aert showed today certainly makes us happy at this stage of the season.”
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Here’s the team’s update:
Israel-Premier Tech will be looking to continue its early season success across the three days of racing at Classic Var and Tour des Alpes – Maritimes this weekend.
With a strong lineup including the likes of Mike Woods, Jakob Fuglsang, and Ethan Vernon, the team has multiple cards to play says Sports Director Steve Bauer.
Jakob Fuglsang (shown winning 2022 Tour of Switzerland stage 6) will be racing in France this weekend. Sirotti photo
“Classic Var and Tour des Alpes – Maritimes take on a slightly different format this year with a one-day race and a two-day stage race but we are familiar with the parcours and have put together a strong team that can do well across the three days of racing,” says Bauer. “With the exception of Guillaume Boivin, Mason Hollyman, and Nadav Raisberg, all of the guys will be racing for the first time so there is always going to be a bit of a question mark around their race form. But, we have invested heavily in productive training camps over the winter and the guys are coming in with a great base to start their seasons here.
“For the hillier stages, Mike Woods and Jakob Fuglsang will be our main leaders and if Saturday’s stage ends in a bunch sprint then Ethan Vernon will have his first chance of success with IPT. Tour des Alpes – Maritimes will be a tight race which could come down to a margin of seconds for the GC.”
Having returned from altitude camp, Woods is eager to get his season started and is drawing inspiration from his teammates’ success in Australia and France.
“Looking at the races in France this week, Friday’s course suits me the best for sure,” explains Woods. “It’s my first race of the year so you are never sure how you will go with it being the first race but I feel great after a really good altitude camp and I’m excited to get out there after not racing since il Lombardia.
“Obviously, there are a few pre-race jitters but I think this is a really good way to start the season. We have a strong team in both races with guys like Jakob and Dylan. Seeing how well the guys did at the Tour Down Under has really inspired me and motivated me, especially knowing that I have some great teammates around me. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”
Vernon will make his IPT debut at Tour des Alpes – Maritimes and has his sights set on stage 1, which finishes with a circuit in Antibes.
“I’m really looking forward to getting started with the team,” adds Vernon. “After starting the year on the track and then a training camp in Calpe, I’m coming into the races in good shape so it will be nice to finally be back at the start line on Saturday. Hopefully it will be a sprint on stage 1 and I can test myself there.”
IPT at Classic Var
Riders: Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Mason Hollyman (GBR), Krists Neilands (LAT), Nadav Rasiberg (ISR), Dylan Teuns (BEL), Mike Woods (CAN)
IPT at Tour des Alpes – Maritimes
Riders: Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN), Hugo Houle (CAN), Krists Neilands (LAT), Dylan Teuns (BEL), Ethan Vernon (GBR), Mike Woods (CAN)
Sports Directors: Steve Bauer, Dror Pekatch
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