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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, January 20, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana

Upcoming racing:

• 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

Here's the report from stage winner Sam Welsford's Team Bora-hansgrohe:

Sam Welsford, who celebrated his 28th birthday today, was again unbeatable on stage 4. Although the Australian lost the rear wheel of lead out man Danny van Poppel in the hectic finish, he was able to break through a gap and take his third stage win at the Tour Down Under by a bike length. After today, Sam continues to lead the points classification and will line up in the blue jersey tomorrow.

Sam Welsford gets to make another visit to the podium. Sirotti photo

"I'm speechless. The way we've been riding all week, we had a bit of pressure today, as expected, but we rode very well. It was such a fast approach and I don't know exactly how it all happened, but I had good momentum coming out of the corner. I wasn't right on Danny's back wheel, but he knew I was up to that point and I just used the guys between us as my leadout. This win is just amazing, it's the perfect start to the year for us. It's also really special for me to come into a new team and get that support straight away. In the end, this win is a reward for the hard work the guys have put in all week." - Sam Welsford

Here's the Tour Down Under report from team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Stage four of the Tour Down Under looked set to end in another bunch sprint, and that's exactly what happened. In Port Elliot, the sprinters' teams went for the win. Sam Welsford took his third win, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike had a trouble-free day.

The peloton starts the stage, heading out from the town of Murray Bridge. Sirotti Photo.

With the main stage of the season opener just around the corner, the task for the black and yellow formation was simple. "Cross the finish line in one piece”, sports director Addy Engels said. In a typical and ultra-fast sprinter's stage, Team Visma | Lease a Bike stayed out of trouble. Now, the team can start preparing for the final two stages of this edition of the Tour Down Under.

"Stage five is crucial for us”, Engels said. "The finish will be on Willunga Hill. You could call it the queen stage because the double climb up Willunga Hill will be the toughest test of the race. The general classification will be decided here. It will be up to us to ride carefully and stay as close to the front as possible. To start this stage in the best possible conditions, we had to get through today without any problems. We managed to do that. All our riders finished at the same time as the winner of the day. We are now ready to fulfil our ambitions.”

"We are aiming for a good result with Milan Vader. Tomorrow's finish should suit him. We will do everything possible to put him in the best possible position for the final. Then, we will have to see the result, considering the general classification. The confidence is high, the legs are good, and so is our motivation. We are ready for the final of this Tour Down Under."

Here’s the team’s news:

Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon and Ilan Van Wilder are among the riders who’ll start their season next week in Spain.

One thing that can easily be said about the five races making up this year’s Challenge Mallorca – Trofeo Calvia, Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx, Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, Trofeo Pollença Port d’Andratx and Trofeo Palma – is that they won’t be kind to the sprinters, who’ll have just one big opportunity, on the last day of the week, to fight for an early win in the season.

Yves Lampaert racing stage one of the 2023 Tour de France. Sirotti photo

In the other four races, the baroudeurs and the climbers will be the ones taking center stage, the relentless up-and-down roads of the island that more than two thousand years ago flourished under the Romans providing the perfect terrain for long-range attacks that have the potential to stick all the way until the finish, especially if the weather is similar to that of last year, when the rain and cold temperatures played an important role in the way things unfolded.

Soudal Quick-Step will count on a total of ten riders for the Spanish races: Mattia Cattaneo, Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon, Ilan Van Wilder, Mauri Vansevenant, Louis Vervaeke, neo-pros Luke Lamperti, Paul Magnier and Pepijn Reinderink, and Leander Van Hautegem, the 20-year-old Belgian who rides for the Devo team, and who last season impressed in a number of one-day races.

“We are looking forward to our first European outing of the season. Mallorca will be a good start for the guys, many of whom are new in the team. Many of next week’s races will be hard, but most of the guys know the routes and we’ll try to be up there and fight for a good result. In the one, maybe two races that could end up in a bunch sprint, we will be curious to see what Luke and Paul can do”, said sports director Tom Steels.

Here's the team's announcement:

21-year-old Van Anrooij dreams of Grand Tour podium as she continues development with Lidl-Trek

Despite the recent disappointment of having to abandon her cyclocross season early due to broken ribs, Shirin van Anrooij remains as optimistic as ever. Fortunately for Lidl-Trek fans, Shirin has signed a contract extension through 2026 which will see her continue to proudly represent Lidl-Trek on the road and Baloise Trek Lions when competing in cyclocross.

Shirin van Anrooij wins the 2023 Koksjide Cross race. Team photo

Since joining Lidl-Trek in 2021, Van Anrooij has quietly worked hard and demonstrated consistent growth, which rewarded her with a first professional victory on the road at Trofeo Binda after a tenacious solo attack. This was followed by a strong classics campaign of top-10 results punctuated by a handful of excellent placings, before demonstrating her ability as a GC rider with 2nd place at Vuelta a Burgos and overall victory in Tour de l’Avenir.

Speaking of her decision to extend her contract with Lidl-Trek, Shirin van Anrooij said: “To be honest, the decision to stay with the Team was super easy. I think there wasn’t even anything to decide, I just needed to sign the contract. I’m super happy that I have the opportunity to stay longer with Lidl-Trek on the road and Baloise Trek Lions in cyclocross. The Team always believed in me ever since I joined and gave me so much time to develop as a rider and the chance to learn from all the experienced riders around me, as well as learning a lot from Ina Teutenberg. If you look at last year, a lot of puzzle pieces came together in the Classics and I was able to win my first WorldTour race at Trofeo Binda which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of this Team. I can’t see myself racing in any other team’s jersey.

“I’m really looking forward to continue developing the way I am going right now. I hope to become a stronger rider year by year. Of course, the pressure will grow at the same time as I try to go for more victories at bigger races. I look forward to learning more from Lizzie and Elisa in the Classics, to see how they win races and to help them win more, but at the same time receive their help when I have a chance to win.

“One of the most important reasons that made me stay at Lidl-Trek was because I’m as happy when one of my teammates wins a race as I am when I win. I give 110% for them because I know they will do the same in return. I feel at home in this Team, it feels like a family and I’m super relaxed. Also, I have all the support I could need, especially with Lidl stepping in as title sponsor, I think the Team is taking yet another step forwards in professionalism. Now, there is even better support around nutrition, coaching, material – everything is growing, and I hope that I will grow as a rider myself at the same time.

“Over the next year I want to continue my development without skipping any steps. I want to go for a win this year, and I want to learn more about riding for GC. I’m dreaming of working towards a GC podium in one of the Grand Tours. I need to keep working for this goal, but I think I can do it with the support of the Team. I also want to target the Classics, which are races I really like. I’m dreaming of a lot!”

“I feel like I can keep talking about why I’m staying with the Team, because there are a lot of reasons that I want to stay. I think the most important of those is that I feel at home and that it feels like a family here. I can be 100% myself and I’m super comfortable. I know myself, and I know that I need to be happy in order to perform.”

Ina Teutenberg, Lidl-Trek DS added: “Extending with Shirin was a no-brainer. She’s a smart young woman who takes advice on board and absorbs experience from those around her because she’s determined to reach her potential, which is very high. Since she has been with the Team, Shirin has shown that she has the all-round characteristics needed to perform well in GC, so we will continue to help her down this path over the next few years and hopefully see her on many podiums!”

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