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Sunday, March 24, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. - John Wooden
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Current racing:
- March 18 - 24: Volta a Catalunya
- March 24: Ghent - Wevelgem
- March 24: La Roue Tourangelle
Upcoming racing:
- March 27: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- March 27: Paris-Camembert Lepetit
Latest completed racing:
- March 19 - 23: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
- March 22: E3 Saxo Bank Classic
- March 20: Classic Brugge - De Panne
- March 16: Milano - Sanremo
- March 16: Classic Loire Atlantique
- March 15: Brendene Koksijde Classic
- March 14: GP de Denain
- March 13: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 13: Milano-Torino
- March 3 - 10: Paris-Nice
- March 4 - 10: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 2: Strade Bianche
We posted the report from stage winner & GC leader Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates with the results.
Here's the report from the race organizer:
Tadej Pogačar collects three crowns in Queralt (Berga, 23-03-2024). - The party of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in the Volta a Catalunya 2024 has had its most memorable chapter in the sixth stage disputed this Saturday, March 23. The Slovenian star has returned to sign an exhibition in one of the most anticipated days of the race, a penultimate stage with departure from the city of Berga and arrival at altitude to the sanctuary of Queralt after overcoming a total of five mountain passes, which have discovered the cycling potential of Berguedà and have been a public success.
Tadej Pogacar solos to the finish.
The double winner of the Tour de France has starred in a ride of about 30 kilometers solo from its movement in the Collada de Sant Isidre to put the icing on the cake to a historic day, in which the Berguedà and its capital, which was not a protagonist of the Volta a Catalunya since 1959, have lived a day of great cycling and a unique atmosphere. Today's 154.7 kilometers included five mountain passes: the Coll de la Batallola (3rd category), the Collet de Cal Ros (2nd category), the Coll de Pradell (special category) and the Collada de Sant Isidre (1st category), before the final ascent to the sanctuary of Queralt (1st category), which was the first stage finish of the Volta Catalunya.
Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) were the first protagonists of the stage, with a breakaway that climbed the Coll de la Batallola (3rd category) and the Collet de Cal Ros (2nd category). However, their margin over the leader's group never exceeded two minutes, and with the impetus of the Visma - Lease to Bike team of Sepp Kuss they were neutralized at the foot of one of the great attractions of the day, the ascent to the dreaded Coll de Pradell, which was their first time in competition. Impossible ramps where the leader's team, UAE Team Emirates, has reduced the group of the favorite to just a dozen riders, leaving behind overall contenders such as Kuss himself or Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious).
However, the decisive move was made by Pogačar on the penultimate pass of the race, a Collada de Sant Isidre that was crowned 26.7 kilometers from the finish line and that was the start of the Slovenian's third triumphal march, after the ones in Vallter and Port Ainé. The ascent to the sanctuary of Queralt was a solo party for the Slovenian star, who enjoyed the atmosphere of the Berguedan fans, and crossed the finish line 57 seconds ahead of Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), his great pursuer in this Volta, and the Colombian Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), who has risen to the third place on the podium.
After this spectacular day, the 103rd edition of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will close this Sunday with its seventh stage starting and finishing in Barcelona. There will be 145.3 kilometers of stage with great prominence for the capital of Catalonia, as in all editions of the race, which after a few kilometers in which the Coll de la Creu d'Ordal (3rd category) will live its final party with its traditional six climbs to the Alt del Castell de Montjuïc.
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Here's the report from Lenny Martinez's Team Groupama-FDJ:
The general classification was supposed to get clearer this Saturday in the monster stage 6 of the Volta a Catalunya. Although the race turned out to be extremely hard and some gaps were made after covering 4000 metres of elevation gain, everything isn’t done yet. After placing eighth on this very challenging day, two minutes behind Tadej Pogacar, Lenny Martinez lost three positions in the general classification (7th). However, he is only six seconds behind fourth place, and just one second behind the two riders in front of him. The Montjuic circuit on Sunday could therefore still bring some changes.
Lenny Martinez before the start of stage 14 of the 2023 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
Five classified climbs (including a HC one), a summit finish, 4000 metres of elevation gain, and almost no flat. This was the menu for the queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya, which took the riders from Berga to Queralt across 154 kilometers on Saturday. Everything was set for a huge fight between the GC contenders, and the breakaway indeed never really had its say in this sixth day of racing. Bauke Mollema and Hugh Carthy did manage to get away quite early, but the peloton immediately controlled them and prevented anyone from launching new attacks. The duo could pass the first two climbs with a two-minute lead, but everything already came back together halfway through the race, just before tackling the biggest climb of the day: the Coll de Pradell (15km at 6.5%).
The bunch lost a few riders at first, before completely exploding in the climb’s last five kilometres averaging more than 10%. “Pogacar was even pulling there,” said Lenny Martinez. “At the summit, there weren’t many of us left.” They were exactly twelve in the lead with sixty kilometres to go, and the young Frenchman perfectly maintained his position at that point. After a very long descent and a bit of valley, around twenty men came back from behind, but the Collada de Sant Isidre (5km at 8.7) came right after, and the selection occurred again.
Lenny Martinez first kept up with the pace of Movistar, then managed to cope with Tadej Pogacar’s first attack. However, when the Slovenian went for it again with 30 kilometres to go, the young French climber was logically distanced behind the race leader and Mikel Landa. “I couldn’t follow,” said Lenny. “I just tried to survive with the rest of the favourites. I also had to save some energy for the last climb, where everything could still be done.”
However, twenty kilometres of descent and valley were to be covered between the summit of the penultimate climb and the bottom of the final one, and some riders took the opportunity to go on the attack, such as Egan Bernal or Enric Mas. The other favorites looked at each other, which made them lose a minute in this transition part. “I wasn’t able to get away in the valley alone like Bernal or Mas did,” said Lenny. “We knew it would be a real man-to-man fight in the final,” added Thierry Bricaud. “They attacked in the valley, and Lenny probably lacked a little concentration and experience. He was strong, but that’s tactically that he found himself behind in the final. The race circumstances didn’t go his way.”
The young Frenchman therefore began the final climb with a significant delay on his podium competitors. After the first slopes, he found himself with Joao Almeida, Antonio Tiberi, Lorenzo Fortunato and Aleksandr Vlasov, but the gaps did not change much. A faster final kilometre allowed him to get back just behind Mas and Harper, and to drop Vlasov, while securing eighth place, 2’18 behind Tadej Pogacar. “It’s the kind of stage that you don’t forget,” he said shortly after the finish. “It is already one of the hardest of my career. It was full gas the whole time.”
For a handful of seconds, Lenny Martinez unfortunately lost three places in the general classification, going from fourth to seventh position. On Saturday evening, he sits six seconds behind Vlasov, fourth, and only one second behind Mas and Harper, fifth and sixth respectively. “It’s a bit frustrating for him, and it doesn’t represent his level this week,” added Thierry. “He’s for sure among the five strongest, but that’s racing. He’s just a few seconds away from doing much better. We will take stock tomorrow, it is not over, but whatever happens he’s done a great Volta a Catalunya.” The final chance to gain positions overall will be decided around Barcelona and the Montjuic circuit on Sunday. “I did the stage last year,” concluded Lenny. “Pogacar will probably go solo and behind, it’s going to be tactical. The climb is short, but I’m ready.”
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We posted the report from stage five winner Jenno Berckmoes' Team Lotto Dstny with the race results.
Here's the report from GC winner Koen Bouwman's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Koen Bouwman has won the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. The Dutchman stayed out of trouble in the tricky final stage. With the overall victory in the Italian stage race, Bouwman follows in the footsteps of Jonas Vingegaard, among others, who won the stage race in 2021.
Koen Bouwman in the leader's jersey at the end of the 2024 Coppi-Bartali week. Sirotti photo
In the final stage, seven riders quickly formed a breakaway. The attackers managed to build up a lead of three minutes, but the final rider was caught with 15 kilometers to go. In the final kilometers, the riders of the yellow-black formation were alert, neutralizing the various attack attempts. At the cycling track in Forlì, it was Jenno Berckmoes who sprinted to victory and Bouwman who secured the overall victory.
"Today we did very well as a team," said a proud sports director, Robert Wagner. "The goal was to bring home the leader's jersey, and we succeeded. We could control the race all day and avoid trouble.”
Bouwman is also very content with today's stage and looks back on the week with a good feeling. "It has been a super nice week, and we rode very well as a team. In the final stages, the team did a lot of work to keep my leading position. Very nice that I was able to finish it off as well."
Within the team, the 30-year-old the Dutchman follows in Vingegaard’s footsteps, who managed to win the Italian stage race in 2021. "I am very happy with the overall victory. Normally, I ride as a domestique, but if I can go for my own chance, it's very nice that it works out like it did this week. The fact that I succeed Jonas, is a fine bonus. I will never be able to match his other performances, but I am happy that we have now won the same race," Bouwman said with a smile.
In the Italian stage race, the yellow-and-black formation has been at the starting line with a mixed selection of WorldTour and Development riders for years. "This is an important race for us. The talents can already get used to the big work here in a strong field and also learn a lot. Koen, Julien Vermote, and Milan Vader, as experienced forces, have been able to teach the young riders well this year. The team rode as a collective. I am super proud of the team and the talents who have once again gained an important experience and learned how to defend a leader's jersey," Wagner concluded.
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Here's the team's update:
Sunday brings another important rendez-vous with the cobbles, in Gent-Wevelgem. On paper at least, the 253.1km course comprising nine climbs and four plugstreets favours the sprinters, although recent editions have shown that a massive acceleration the last time up the Kemmelberg – the steep hill that has become synonymous to the race – is enough to make an important selection and leave just a handful of riders in contention for the victory.
The last 34 kilometers are completely flat, giving the peloton a chance to bring back the late moves and keep things together for a mass gallop, but it will all depend on the weather, the wind – which has a habit of splitting the peloton – and the size of the front group after the Kemmelberg and its tricky descent.
Tim Merlier winning the 2024 Danilith Nokere Koerse.
Most successful sprinter of the season so far, with six wins to his name, Tim Merlier will be at the start of the 86th Gent-Wevelgem, together with a Soudal Quick-Step squad that will also include Kasper Asgreen, Josef Cerny, Gil Gelders, former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert, Luke Lamperti, and Bert Van Lerberghe.
“We know this race, we enjoyed a lot of great moments here, and we hope that on Sunday we’ll be up there when it matters. If it comes down to a sprint, we have Tim who can rely on a strong team, but we have options also if the race becomes too hard for the fast men, in which case we’ll try to fight for a good result with the likes of Kasper and Yves. It won’t be easy, but we are confident”, said sports director Wilfried Peeters.
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