Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, June 21, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
If you want to make enemies, try to change something. - Woodrow Wilson
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Current racing:
- June 19 - 26: Many National Championships
Upcoming racing:
- July 1 - 23: Tour de France
- July 27 - August 11: Olympic cycling
Latest completed racing:
- June 15 - 18: La Route d'Occitanie Cancelled because security forces busy with Olympics
- June 9 - 16: Tour de Suisse
- June 12 - 16: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 2 - 9: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 5 - 9: ZLM Tour
- June 7: GP Canton Aargau
- June 2: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 29: Circuit Franco-Belge
- May 4 - 26: Giro d'Italia
- May 23 - 26: Tour of Norway
- May 26: Rund um Köln
Here’s the team’s news release:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike will start the 111th Tour de France in Florence on Saturday, June 29, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard. The Danish two-time Tour winner has recovered enough from his crash in the Tour of the Basque Country to fight for a good result.
Vingegaard has worked hard over the past two months to get fit in time. "I am excited to start the Tour. The last few months have not always been easy, but I thank my family and Team Visma | Lease a Bike for their unwavering support. We have worked together to get to this moment, and of course, I am very excited to see where I stand. I feel good and very motivated."
Jonas Vingegaard will go for another yellow jersey.
Sporting Director Merijn Zeeman: "I am very proud of Jonas and the coaching team. He is coming back from a serious injury. In the last few weeks, he has shown what a champion he is, both mentally and physically. Of course, we don't know how far he can go yet. We are being cautious because he has not been able to race, and his preparation has been less than ideal, to say the least. But he will be there, healthy and motivated."
Van Aert
Joining Vingegaard at the Tour will be nine-time stage winner Wout van Aert, who is recovering from a serious injury following his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Van Aert has already raced the Tour of Norway. He has been training at altitude with Vingegaard in Tignes in recent weeks. "I am really looking forward to the Tour de France. Of course, this was not the plan initially, but after my development in the last weeks, I really wanted it, and the team agreed. Our main goal is, of course, to ride a top classification with Jonas. I want to contribute to that with an excellent team."
Merijn Zeeman: "Just like Jonas, Wout has had to deal with a considerable physical and mental blow. But once again, Wout has shown himself to be a rock-solid champion. His class as an athlete and leadership qualities add value to our team. We are happy to have Jonas and Wout at the start, together with an excellent team. And also in this unique Renaissance jersey that was unveiled today."
Here are the team's 2024 Tour de France jerseys.
Jorgenson, Kuss, Laporte, Benoot, Kelderman and Tratnik complete the team
Merijn Zeeman: "Matteo Jorgenson has already become one of the strongest riders in the team this year, with wins in Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen and his second place in the Dauphiné. Sepp Kuss proved last year that he is a great climber, an important domestique, and a leader in his own right with a victory in the Vuelta a España. European champion Christophe Laporte had an unfortunate spring due to injury and illness but has returned to form in the last two months. He will be an important link in the team. Tiesj Benoot had an excellent spring, including a podium finish at the Amstel Gold Race, and carried that good feeling into the final training period. Wilco Kelderman missed the Giro d'Italia with a broken collarbone but is now fit again and will be an important rider in the mountain stages. Jan Tratnik has already won Omloop het Nieuwsblad this year. He was strong in the Giro, and with his experience and qualities, he will play an important role in the Tour squad."
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The team sent me this:
Three experienced, former Tour de France stage winners will lead the charge for Team Jayco AlUla at the 2024 edition in the shape of Australian powerhouse Michael Matthews, Dutch sprint star Dylan Groenewegen and general classification contender Simon Yates.
With 11 Tour de France stage victories between them, the three leaders know what it takes to win on the biggest stage and provide the Australian outfit with diverse, promising options. The squad is set to make its 13th appearance at ‘La Grande Boucle’ with the goal of challenging for success on all fronts, from stage wins to an overall podium finish.
Simon Yates finishing stage five of the 2024 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
Eyes on the top-three in Nice
After finishing just shy of the podium last year, which would have delivered the Briton a top-three overall placing in each of the three Grand Tours, Simon Yates is eyeing a spot on the overall podium this time round, to bolster his impressive palmarès.
The 2018 Vuelta a España champion will have a strong, well-gelled group around him, similar to last year’s Team Jayco AlUla line-up, with Australia’s Chris Harper set to be his key wingman in the brutal mountain stages.
Yates: “It is always exciting to be getting ready for the TDF and we’re feeling confident going into the race with a similar team to 2023. After last year with two close second place stage finishes and fourth overall, it would be nice to get on to the top step and overall podium. I have held the leader’s jersey in the Giro and Vuelta and podiumed overall in both but not in the TDF yet. That’s a big goal of mine.”
Sprints on the radar
After getting the team off to a brilliant start in 2022 with a spectacular stage three victory, which provided his fifth individual Tour de France career win, Groenewegen is hungry for more bunch sprint success in the 2024 edition. With a well-tuned sprint train that consists of trusted Dutch compatriot Elmar Reinders and Slovenian Luka Mezgec, the squad is confident that, if the Dutch rocket is in the right position, he is still one of the fastest riders in the world and can deliver.
Groenewegen: “I’m feeling good, and I think there should be seven or eight sprint stages at this year’s Tour so that’s good for me and I’m looking forward to it. My shape has been growing and growing every week and it’s nice to have the Tour of Slovenia in the legs now too. I’ve been working well with the team and the sprint group, Elmar and Luka are in good shape too. I have had some wins this season, but also lot of second and third places. I know the speed is there and I want to get it right at the Tour. I’m looking forward to being at my third Tour de France with this team and we have a very strong group with Matthews and also Yates.”
Ready for anything
After a strong start to the season with a stunning second place in Milan-San Remo, Michael Matthews is enjoying stellar form and lines up ready to embark on his eighth Tour de France with fire in his belly. With an experienced support group around him including fellow compatriot Luke Durbridge, who will make his 10th TDF appearance, plus Dane Chris Juul-Jensen, ready to make his sixth appearance, Matthews is more motivated than ever to get his hands in the air once again at the Tour de France. The 33-year-old will be looking for key stages that suit his talents, ready to take every opportunity that unfolds, particularly on relentless days.
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Matthews – “I’m looking forward to returning to the Tour this year and after my stage win in 2022, I really want to take another win in 2024. I’m feeling in good shape, I had a good start to the season, I was on the podium again at Milan-San Remo and have been close to some wins, so after a lot of training at altitude and some stage recons I hope everything will fall into place at the Tour. It’s interesting starting in Florence and will be cool starting the final stage in Monaco where I live. The team we have is solid, we all know each other well and it’s been a similar team to the last years so we’re ready.”
The 2024 Tour de France will take us from a unique Italian Grand Depart in Florence to an untraditional finish location in Nice, where the 21-day race will conclude with a 33.7km race against the clock.
2024 Team Jayco AlUla TDF Team:
Luke Durbridge - (AUS) - 10th appearance
Dylan Groenewegen - (NED) - 6th appearance
Chris Harper - (AUS) - 2nd appearance
Chris Juul-Jensen - (DEN) - 6th appearance
Michael Matthews - (AUS) - 8th appearance
Luka Mezgec - (SLO) - 5th appearance
Elmar Reinders - (NED) - 2nd appearance
Simon Yates - (GBR) - 7th appearance
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Here’s the note from Ganna’s Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Filippo Ganna powered to the National Time Trial Title in Florence, winning by 24 seconds over his compatriot Edoardo Affini (Visma - Lease a Bike). The win sees Pippo claim his fifth win in the event, just one behind the all-time record of six.
Ganna completed the 35 kilometre course at a rapid average speed of 53.6km/h to finish in a time of 39:17.
Filippo Ganna winning the 2024 Giro d'Italia stage 14 time trial. Sirotti photo
Over in Norway, Tobias Foss finished strongly but came up just one second short. He took the silver medal behind Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X).
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