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Saturday, February 17, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- February 14 - 18: Volta ao Algarve
- February 17 - 18: Tour de Alpes-Maritimes
Upcoming racing:
- February 19 - 25: UAE Tour
- February 24: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- February 24: Faun Ardeche Classic
Latest completed racing:
- February 14 - 18: Vuelta Andalucia - Ruta del Sol
- February 16: Classic Var
- 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 report from stage winner Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.
Here's the Algarve report from second-place Rui Oliveira's UAE Team Emirates:
UAE Team Emirates took two podiums in two races today with Juan Ayuso taking 2nd on the 4.5km TT at the Vuelta Andalucia while Rui Oliveira sprinting to a close 2nd place on stage 3 of the Volta Algarve.
Ayuso not only takes second on the stage but also in the final general classification after the race was suspended due to the lack of police personnel available due to agriculture strikes in the region.
The young Spaniard blitzed the short course starting and finishing in Alcaudete (4.5km) just 10” off stage and race winner Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny).
Tim Wellens came home in 5th place while Marc Soler also entered the top-10 in 8th spot, making UAE Team Emirates the strongest team on the day.
Ayuso: “It was always going to be tight with the TT so short, but I can be happy with 2nd place. Obviously we would like to have done more racing this week but unfortunately the situation is out of our hands.I guess I will have to wait a bit longer to complete my first Vuelta Andalucia. I’m excited to take on the next races at the Ardeche classics in France next weekend.”
Meanwhile Rui Oliveira came close to a victory on his home soil with 2nd place to Wout Van Aert (Visma LAB) on stage 3 of the Vuelta Algarve. The Portuguese rider timed his sprint well though would just see himself slightly outpowered by the Belgian.
Wout van Aert wins stage three.
Oliveira: “To lose to someone like Van Aert you can’t be too disappointed. I nearly converted the chance to sprint for the win so I can be pleased with that. I had a good race and knew I just had to wait as late as possible to open up the sprint. I couldn’t have done anything else so no regrets today.”
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And here's the Algarve Tour report from Clément Russo's Team Groupama-FDJ:
Once again, the bunch sprint was not the smoothest on the Volta ao Algarve this Friday. In Tavira, on stage 3, a crash split the peloton in the last kilometre and only Clément Russo managed to make the cut for Groupama-FDJ. Usually a domestique, he fought until the line and took eleventh place of the day, a few bike lengths behind the winner Wout van Aert. Stefan Küng was given the same time on Friday and will compete in his first time trial of the season on Saturday.
Despite a rather hilly terrain and nearly 2,500 meters of elevation gain on the menu, a bunch sprint was indeed expected on Friday in Tavira, like quite often in the past years. “We still wanted to be careful at the start,” Frédéric Guesdon nuanced. “We considered taking the breakaway if a few WorldTour teams tried to go there, given that it is a bit complicated in the sprint for us. We did have this option, but in the end, a group of seven went from the start, with only riders from Portuguese teams. When we saw that, we understood that it was going to be hard for the breakaway to make it, and that we were heading straight for a sprint.”
At the head of the race, German Nicolás Tivani, Raúl Rota, Afonso Eulálio, Carlos Miguel Salgueiro, António Ferreira, Frederico Figueiredo and Francisco Morais got a maximum lead of four minutes and thirty seconds, but never put the teams of sprinters in trouble. In the second part of the race, the peloton gradually got closer, but also experienced a hitch when several riders had to abandon after a crash 80 kilometres from the end. “Enzo was caught in there, but didn’t fall,” explained Frédéric. “We changed bikes, but overall, we stayed out of trouble.”
The fugitives were then caught one after the other, Salgueiro being the last one to surrender, approximately fifteen kilometers from the finish. The teams of leaders and sprinters also began to fight for position, and Valentin Madouas especially brought his teammates back up in the last ten kilometers. “Today, we decided to change the roles, with Marc leading Lewis out,” said Frédéric. “Unfortunately, there was a crash in the last kilometre, and they were caught behind. Only Clément, who was the penultimate lead-out man, passed through it.”
In a group of around twenty riders, Clément Russo eventually took eleventh place while Wout van Aert won the stage. “The day went pretty well, but it’s a shame that we didn’t get a better result because it’s possible to do better,” Frédéric said. “For now things are not going our way. They do their best, they try, but the level is high in the sprints.” Stefan Küng was obviously given the same time on today’s stage and remains 53 seconds behind Dani Martinez in the general classification while a twenty-two-kilometre time trial awaits him on Saturday. “We will do everything to make sure that he goes for victory like last year, even if the level is even higher this year,” concluded Frédéric.
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And here's the Volta Algarve report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
After a day in the mountains, the Volta ao Algarve returned close to the coast for a day with bumpy roads, at the end of which the sprinters were expected to fight for the win. Following the new familiar pattern, a group rode away from the peloton and remained at the front of the race until 15 kilometers to go, when they were reeled in.
Just like in the previous years, the bunch sprint in Tavira was very messy, a crash disrupting the lead-out trains inside the last kilometers before the headwind complicated matters for the fast men, most of whom were by themselves after that incident. The win went to Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), while Remco Evenepoel – having escaped the crash – rolled over the line together with most of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates.
Now, the ITT World Champion will switch his attention to Saturday’s 22.2km stage against the clock, which has the potential to bring some significant changes to the general classification. At the moment, Evenepoel sits just four seconds behind the leader of the race, and a solid outing on the roads of Albufeira could move him into the yellow jersey ahead of the iconic finish atop Alto do Malhão.
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Here's the team's post:
After much anticipation, this year’s edition of the Vuelta a Andalucia has been marred by disruption caused by protests along the route in Spain. With the first two days cancelled, organisers had changed the remaining parcours in an attempt to negate the issues, but in the end they announced on Friday morning that they had been, “forced to suspend the Saturday and Sunday stages due to extra-sports events that are happening in Andalusia.”
That decision meant that the 70th edition of the Ruta del Sol was reduced to a 4.9km individual time trial on Friday, starting and finishing in the ancient city of Alcaudete. The profile was slightly uphill, and the weather pleasant enough at around 14ºC.
On paper, Damiano Caruso was Bahrain Victorious’ strongest rider against the clock, and he finished in 13th place, 27 seconds behind the day’s winner, Maxim Van Gills (PRT). 6 positions higher was the team’s designated GC leader, Santiago Buitrago, but Bahrain’s top performing rider was another Italian, Antonio Tiberi. The 22 year old ended the day in 3rd, and looks in good form as he prepares for Tirreno-Adriatico which starts in just over a fortnight.
It was Maxim Van Gils who won the Ruta del Sol. Photo: PhotoNews
Sports Director Gorazd Štangelj believes Tiberi can carry this result forward to his upcoming races:
“This was a really good result for Antonio. Looking forward to Tirreno, there is a short flat opening Time Trial, so he should take some confidence after today. The same for Damiano too.”
Despite a good ITT for the team, Štangelj couldn’t hide his disillusion at how the week unfolded:
“We are all disappointed. We really thought we would bring back some good results from here so it’s very disappointing, what has happened. We invested a lot for this race with all the staff we brought, and many days of preparation. We didn’t have correct information early enough even to train well, but that’s understandable because the organisation was always hoping to move forward with the remaining stages. Unfortunately this didn’t happen.”
The team returns to racing at the UAE Tour which runs from Monday to Sunday.
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