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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, January 13, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. - Saint Basil

Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under

Upcoming racing:

• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross

We posted the race organizer’s report with the results.

Here’s the report from stage winner Ally Wollaston’s Team AG Insurance-Soudal:

Ally Wollaston delivered a glorious day for AG Insurance – Soudal by winning the first stage of the World Tour Race - Santos Tour Down Under. The stage, which took the riders from Hahndorf to Campbelltown, was a true challenge with a length of 93.9 kilometers. After a demanding course in high temperatures, Ally made the difference in the sprint, leaving her competitors behind.

Ally Wollaston takes the first stage. TDU photo

With this impressive victory, Wollaston not only achieved a personal win but also captured the lead in the World Cup standings. This constitutes a double triumph for both her and for AG Insurance – Soudal, as this marks their debut as a World Tour team and they immediately secure their first victory in a World Tour race.

After the victory, Ally shared her emotions: "It's really overwhelming. This is my first year with a World Tour victory, and I'm so proud of how the team raced today. The girls supported me fantastically, and I am enormously grateful for the work they did to get me to the finish."

AG Insurance - Soudal's Technical and Sports Director, Servais Knaven, added: "Today was truly a fantastic performance. The plan was perfect. The girls helped each other excellently and brought Ally perfectly forward for the sprint. It was clear that she had the best legs today. A beautiful start to the round. Tomorrow we will try again to repeat this success, and then again on Sunday. So far, we can only be satisfied."

Regarding the challenges lying ahead in the next stages, Ally said: “Tomorrow will be a tough stage. It will be a day full of climbing, but we are ready to do our best to protect the jersey and support our climbers. We have several strong riders in the team, and we will do everything we can to keep the jersey.”

“It feels really great. This is my third year with this team, and I've been with them all the way, from the start in the U23 team, and now our first races as a World Tour team. I am really proud to have achieved the victory today for the team. I love this team and believe in the development and structure we have. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. This is a great start and hopefully instills a lot of confidence in our team," said Ally.

Here's the Tour Down Under stage one report from second-place Georgia Baker's Team Liv-AlUla-Jayco:

Georgia Baker kick-started the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under for Liv AlUla Jayco with a superb second place finish on a blisteringly hot opening stage into Campbelltown.

Georgia Baker finishes second (just behind winner Ally Wollaston) TDU photo

The 93.9km rolling stage began with newly crowned Australian champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon winning the first intermediate sprint to grab valuable bonus seconds, before a four-rider breakaway formed.

The breakaway animated the day until it was reeled back in ahead of the much-anticipated bunch sprint. Liv AlUla Jayco line-up early to lead-out Baker, keeping the Commonwealth Games Champion up towards the front before she launched her sprint.

With a slight rise up to the line, Baker put her head down and powered on but the finish straight continued on, with one other rider able to pass her just ahead of the line to snatch the first stage victory.

Baker now heads into tomorrow’s stage two in second place on the general classification at two seconds, with teammate Roseman-Gannon in fourth, at seven seconds.

Georgia Baker – 2nd:
“The plan was to be the first team into the corner with the one kilometre to go and we did that well. The wind was the different directions than we rehearsed, but we adjusted, and we knew that it was on the left side. Georgie (Howe) went for as long as she could and then Amber (Pate) followed through then Alex (Manly) and Ruby (Roseman-Gannon) and I just didn’t quite have the legs in the end. It’s quite a long sprint but the girls did really, really well and yeah, I wish I could pull it off with them but yes, I’m happy with second.”

Ruby Roseman-Gannon:
“The girls did a really great lead-out and that was great way to start the tour. After the break went there was bit of a lull, we had to keep the pace high a little bit because we didn’t want to spoil out. The course had a hard finish to nail because you don’t want to be too far back and into the final straight too early. We nearly nailed it but we probably just burned a little bit too early and couldn’t give Georgia the lead out that she needed in that last little bit, but yeah, it was a great team ride and we’re pretty excited for the rest of the tour.”

Here’s the Tour Down Under report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women has finished the first stage of the Santos Tour Down Under unscathed. In sweltering conditions, the team of Rutger Tijssen and new sports director Jos van Emden crossed the line safely. Ally Wollaston won the first stage in Australia.

With temperatures approaching forty degrees Celsius in Hahndorf, the riders set off for the first competitive road kilometres of the new year. It soon became clear that the opening stage of the three-day stage race would end in a bunch sprint. The Dutch team had insisted on this before the race, as Van Emden explained afterwards.

Jumbo-Visma women on a blisteringly hot day is Australia. Photo: Team Jumbo-Visma

"We had a plan to make it a sprint today. That was the first task we gave the ladies this morning. We managed that in the end. The team made it to the final sprint. We can build on that”, the satisfied sports director said.

Things were going well for Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women until two kilometres from the finish. But then the sprint train derailed, and Lieke Nooijen finished fifteenth behind winner Wollaston. "I'm still happy with today”, Van Emden said. "It's the first race of the year for everyone, and you can't expect the sprint train to be perfectly coordinated. We will make sure that we continue to get that right. I saw some good things today.”

After sixteen years with the yellow and black team, it was the first time Van Emden was not on his bike at the start but behind the wheel of the sporting director's car. "It's completely different, isn't it?" was the first reaction of the new women's team sports director when asked about it. "But I like it. It tastes like more.”

Van Emden is already looking forward to the final two days of the Santos Tour Down Under and knows what the women can expect. "There will be no more sprint stages in the next few days. Some riders will be given a free role. Hopefully, we can follow the attacks and keep up on the climbs.”

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