Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, March 1, 2024
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations. - Montesquieu
Les Woodland's book Sticky Buns Across America: Back-roads biking from sea to shining sea is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- March 2: Strade Bianche
- March 3 - 10: Paris-Nice
Latest completed racing:
- February 28: Trofeo Laigueglia
- February 27: Le Samyn
- February 19 - 25: UAE Tour
- February 22 - 25: O Gran Camiño
- February 25: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- February 25: Faun-Drôme Classic
- February 24: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- February 24: Faun Ardeche Classic
- February 14 - 18: Volta ao Algarve
Here’s the team’s update:
Paris-Nice, one of the most prestigious events of the season, will mark Remco Evenepoel’s first outing in a French stage race. Having previously ridden in the Hexagon at the 2021 and 2023 editions of the Chrono des Nations, the Belgian Champion will now take on one of the hardest races of the calendar, supported by a strong Soudal Quick-Step cast.
Gone are the times when Paris-Nice gave the sprinters at least three opportunities; this year, the fast men of the peloton will have just one, and quite early in the week, just before the 26.9km team time trial held around Auxerre, the city of the eponymous football team that in 1996 was crowned French champion.
The following three stages will contain more than a dozen classified climbs, many to the liking of the puncheurs and the attackers, including Mont Brouilly, where Julian Alaphilippe won an ITT seven years ago. From there, it will all be about the yellow jersey contenders, who’ll take center stage for the weekend’s big showdown: a summit finish in Auron (7.3km, 7.2%) and the short but full gas stage starting and finishing in Nice, where attacks should come as soon as the road will go up, just 20 kilometers into the day.
Remco Evenepoel on his way to winning the time trial stage and the final GC of the 2024 Tour of the Algarve. Volta ao Algarve photo.
The 82nd edition of the “Race to the Sun” will see a solid Soudal Quick-Step line up at the start in Les Mureaux, a small town located not far from Paris: Belgian Champion Remco Evenepoel – who has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, winning the Figueira Champions Classic and the Volta ao Algarve in February – will lead next week a team comprising also Mattia Cattaneo, Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon, Casper Pedersen, Ilan Van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke.
“Paris-Nice is an important race for the squad. We can expect a demanding first two days, which will be very technical, with a lot of road furniture, so the main thing there will be getting over these stages without any issues. Then we’ll have the team time trial, where the time of the first rider to cross the line will count, something on which we have worked on, and from there our focus will be on the three stages in the weekend, all hard and important for how the overall standings will look at the end of the race. Our aim is to finish as high as possible in the general classification, and we are ready to do our best for this”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s news:
The two stage races are an important and challenging test for all riders ahead of the Classic season. From France to Italy, Lidl-Trek will head to both races with ambitions in stage hunting and a strong performance in GC
With less than twenty days to go before the start of the Spring Classics, the focus will be on two prestigious WorldTour stage races; Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.
The two week-long races, which start on Sunday (Paris-Nice) and Monday (Tirreno-Adriatico), will bring together (with very few exceptions) the best of the cycling world and represent the most reliable tests after two months of competition to take stock of form. Whether competing for stages or the general classification, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico are serious and demanding tests for the key riders of the peloton.
The importance of the two races is clear to Lidl-Trek, as well as the choice to achieve both dreams: winning stages and taking care of the overall classification.
In France, leading the Team will be Mads Pedersen, who has already amassed an astonishing six wins after eight days of racing this season, and Mattias Skjelmose, who will be aiming to build on his progress as an aspiring GC rider. They can count on some big engines and fast legs in support, with Jasper Stuyven, Julien Bernard, Tim Declercq, Ryan Gibbons and Alex Kirsch completing the Team.
In Italy, the task of fighting for a good GC will be on the shoulders of Tao Geoghegan Hart, while in the sprints the focus is on Jonathan Milan and, in the mixed stages, on Andrea Bagioli and Toms Skujins. With them are Simone Consonni, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier and Edward Theuns.
We’ll now handover to the key voices of Lidl-Trek: Pedersen and Skjelmose, Geoghegan Hart and Milan.
Mads Pedersen:
“I’ve been coming to Paris-Nice already for the last four years because it’s the race that suits me best in this period. Especially in the last two editions I have great memories, with two stage wins and a day in the yellow jersey. Racing in crosswinds, grippy roads, and the threat of bad weather is close to what we can expect at the Classics. These are the types of stages that suit me best, but also give me the best preparation ahead of my main targets.
Mads Pedersen wins stage two of this year's Tour of Provence. Getty photo
"We come here with a really strong team. Skjelly has shown that he’s good at riding the crosswinds, and we’ll have a lot of strong guys around him to keep him out of trouble. The team time trial will be important for the GC, and we’ll empty ourselves to get Skjelly to the finish as fast as possible. I believe he can do a great race here. Then, if it’s coming to a sprint on the flatter days I think we have one of the best leadouts in the peloton. We have the quality in this team to set our targets high.
"I started the season with some nice wins, but of course these were much smaller races. Now at a WorldTour race it’s time to see how we stack up against the strongest riders. I want to win again against the best.”
Mattias Skjelmose:
“For me personally, I love to race in France. After Denmark, it’s one of the best places to race. I really love the atmosphere there. Ever since I was a kid Paris-Nice was one of the races I was inspired to do because even though I’m a small guy I’ve liked racing in crosswinds, that’s one of the nice things about Paris-Nice.
"I think we have a crazy strong team for the team time trial. Almost the whole classics squad including some of the biggest engines in the peloton, as well as being really good time trial riders. Then with me and Julien for the hillier stages, we’ve got a really strong squad.
"Thinking about the most important stages for the GC, I would say that the last stage to Nice is always really exciting, and of course the Team Time Trial. But, you never know because if we have big crosswinds then it could also be pretty decisive on these days. That’s one of the beautiful things about Paris-Nice, you never know what will happen.
"Looking at the start list, it’s hard to set my ambitions. In the past I’ve done really well in one-week races and the latest one I did I won; the Tour de Suisse. But my ambitions are to go there and do a good GC, I don’t have a particular result I’m aiming for, just to keep my good rhythm of doing good GC results, and building to be a Grand Tour rider, which is the aim of all this. We will see where this brings me.”
Tao Geoghegan Hart:
“I’m really looking forward to being back in Italy after quite some time away, it is a country I really love racing in and I always really enjoy hearing the tifosi cheering strange iterations of my name on the roadside! Tirreno will be decided on a couple of hard climbing stages, but to kick things of we will do the familiar TT along the coast, where I hope to improve on my TT in Algarve.
"From there we have some really nice chances for Johnny to show himself after the bad luck of Opening Weekend, before hopefully myself and Andrea can do some nice stages in the climbs. I am excited to get a big week of racing under my belt, back at the WorldTour level, and see/learn further about how things are (hopefully!) progressing with my condition!”
Jonathan Milan:
“Tirreno-Adriatico represents an important step in the start of my season and in my approach to the classics season. It will be my first experience in the race and the desire to prove myself is great. I know that it will be a challenging week, because the routes of Tirreno-Adriatico are traditionally demanding, as well as ideal for those who, like me, are looking for the best condition ahead of the classics. But the motivation is strong. There are at least two, if not three opportunities to fight for success. Routes aside, there is also the battle with the other sprinters, which motivates me a lot. It’s also through the challenge with the best riders that I can grow, and at Tirreno, there will be a lot of them. Winning or losing, there are always useful takeaways from such important races.
"The Opening Weekend didn’t go as I wanted, but feeling regret against a health problem is pointless. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to test myself on a terrain I like and on which I want to be a protagonist in the future. At Tirreno I hope to regain the good feelings I had on my debut at Valenciana and which accompanied me all the way to Belgium. The stomach problems are over and the condition is certainly not gone. I face my first challenge in Italy with great spirit and confidence.”
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s news:
On Saturday, our riders will race across the hills of Tuscany at the Strade Bianche.
Alison Jackson, Kristen Faulkner, Letizia Borghesi, Magdeleine Vallieres, Noemi Rüegg, and Coryn Labecki, will lead the charge for EF Education-Cannondale.
Alberto Bettiol, Richard Carapaz, Stefan de Bod, Ben Healy, Mikkel Honoré, Neilson Powless, and James Shaw will storm into the dust for EF Education-EasyPost.
Mikkel Honoré will race the Strade Bianche. Here he is after winning the Mountains Classification at the 2023 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
They will race south from Siena and into the countryside, covering 215 kilometers for the men and 137 for the women, before returning to the city for the final climb up the polished slabs of the Via Santa Caterina and into the Piazza del Campo, where a roar of fans will await them.
The race is named after the white gravel roads that mark the route, which Italians call strade bianche. These chalky paths weave up and down the hills, through vineyards and olive groves and into forests, past sleepy villages and renaissance villas. Lined by cypress trees, they are mostly traveled by tractors and cyclotourists, until the last weekend in February, when thousands journey out with their picnics and flags to see the peloton rattle past in all its color and sound.
For the racers, those unpaved sectors are treacherous. Rutted and skiddy, they kick up dusty white dirt as soon as a tire touches them, which turns into a slippery clay paste if it is wet.
“I love this race,” says Letizia Borghesi. “It is one of the coolest races on the calendar and also one of the hardest, because of the gravel parts. It is beautiful to race up those steep, hard climbs and then hit the gravel sectors with a lot of speed. Riding through the dust or mud is epic.”
Letizia and her teammates will face 12 gravel sectors during their race. The men’s course includes 15 and is just over 30 kilometers longer than it was in previous years.
Mikkel Honoré thinks that will make this year’s edition even more spectacular.
“I think things are going to play out in a very similar way to the way we have raced it in the past, just with a bigger time difference at the finish line from the first to the second to the third,” he says. “It is going to be more demanding and harder racing. From Montalcino, where we have the feed zone, to the finish will just be full-on racing.”
The white gravel roads test riders’ skills as well as their legs. Letizia is excited to show off the bike handling ability she has honed racing cyclocross.
“If you are confident on the bike and can ride well though the corners and technical parts on the downhills and gravel, you can save a lot of energy,” she says. “With really good skills, you can gain a lot.”
Mikkel Honoré loves that about the event. It harks back to cycling’s origins, when the sport pitted racer against racer on these same dirt roads.
“You need to concentrate from the start to the finish,” he says. “It is a very technically demanding course. You need to have good skills and be tactically smart and you obviously need to be super, super strong to make a difference in the end. It is just so basic. You do need luck, but most of the time the strongest racer still wins. To be at the front of Strade Bianche, you need to be an amazing rider.”
The Italian fans appreciate the simplicity of the race. Mikkel and Letizia are excited to put on a show for them.
“The supporters are awesome here,” Letizia says. “Every sector is really crowded with so many people cheering and screaming. Rural Tuscany has a very traditional cycling culture and a lot of people ride. It feels special to be here and race in front of them and especially be an inspiration for the young girls who are starting to ride bikes.”
“The fans here are super passionate,” Mikkel says. “That’s what makes them so great. I feel like the attention is only increasing. The general public, and especially women, are watching cycling a lot more.”
One year, you should make the trip to Siena to join them. Better, ride the Strade Bianche gran fondo yourself during a Team EF Coaching Pro Race Camp.
In the meantime, get up Saturday and cheer for our team. We’re going to race our hearts out to get to the Piazza del Campo first.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s news:
After a short break following a busy Australian summer, Luke Plapp will show off his Aussie national champion’s jersey in Europe for the first time at Paris-Nice.
Plapp headlines a strong Team Jayco AlUla squad at the eight-day race alongside his compatriot Chris Harper. Both riders will be looking to shine in the stage three team time trial as well as the tough final stages close to Nice.
Luke Plapp winning the 2022 Australian Championship. He has also won the 2023 & 2024 editions of the race.
Paris-Nice, also known as the ‘Race to the Sun’, does what it says in the name and takes the riders from the outskirts of France’s capital down to the south coast. It sets off on the 3rd March and will arrive at its destination on 10th March.
The race gets progressively harder as it develops, moving from the early sprint stages to the team time trial. A string of undulating days follows while the most challenging days are reserved for the final weekend.
With a varied terrain across the whole race, the Australian team brings a line-up to match. Dylan Groenewegen has his eyes set on the opening sprint days of the race, shepherded by Elmar Reinders and Luka Mezgec.
Michael Matthews will be targeting the rolling stages later in the week, while experienced Luke Durbridge rounds out the line-up as the road captain.
Team Jayco-AlUla:
Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Dylan Groenewegen (NED)
Chris Harper (AUS)
Michael Matthews (AUS)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Luke Plapp (AUS)
Elmar Reinders (NED)
Luke Plapp:
“It’s been a great little block, starting in Australia and then having a good few weeks up on the volcano in Tenerife. I’m really excited to race my first Paris-Nice and ride with a few new boys on the team. It will be my first time riding with Dylan and his leadout crew and I’m also really looking forward to mixing it with Chris Harper on the climbs. I think we have a super strong team for this week.
"The team time trial is probably my favourite discipline in cycling so I can’t wait to have a crack at that. The Paris-Nice time trial is super special with how you only need to get one rider to the finish line. There’s definitely going to be a bit of weather so we’ll see how that goes and, but hopefully, towards the weekend we will race towards the sun. When mountains come, hopefully the better weather will too, and we’ll be able to race for GC.
"The plan for the race will be to try and win some sprints with Dylan and be up there as high as possible on the GC with both myself and Chris. It’ll be my first stage race of the year, I didn’t get to finish the Tour Down Under due to a crash, so I’m really looking forward to getting through it and seeing how the work has been going up on the volcano and what kind of shape I’m in.”
Mathew Hayman (Sport Director):
“We come into Paris-Nice with quite a strong team. Quite a few of the guys have been preparing at altitude and will come down to race. Luke Plapp and Chris Harper, who both featured at the national championships and the Tour Down Under, have had a bit of a break and they’ll come back into competition. The backend of Paris-Nice is quite hilly as we get towards Nice and those guys will be looking to those hilly stages and, of course, we’ve got Dylan Groenewegen for the flat days. He comes with some of his trusted leadout guys in Elmar Reinders and Luka Mezgec.
"Rounding out the team we have Michael Matthews who can go for the more intermediate stages, the more puncheur style stages and Luke Durbridge as a trusted road captain and lieutenant on the road. It’s a really good team. The course is really interesting this year and it’s going to be quite challenging.”
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary