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Thursday, October 3, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
- October 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
Upcoming racing:
- October 5: Giro dell'Emilia
- October 6: Paris-Tours
- October 6: Coppa Agostoni-Giro delle Brianze
- October 7: Coppa Bernocchi
- October 8: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 10: Gran Piemonte
- October 12: Il Lombardia
Latest completed racing:
- October 1: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- September 22 - 29: World Road Cycling Championships
- September 18 - 22: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 21: Super 8 Classic
- September 20: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- September 18: GP de Wallonie
- September 15: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- September 15: Trofeo Matteotti
- September 14: Memorial Marco Pantani
- September 13: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- September 12: Coppa Sabatini
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Arvid de Kleijn's Tudor Pro Cycling Team:
A sprint finish was not a foregone conclusion on stage 4, as the 6-man breakaway made the peloton's comeback very difficult. Thanks to solid teamwork, the peloton caught up with the fugitives in the final hectometres, and Maikel Zijlaard's brilliant work enabled Arvid to take victory in the sprint.
Arvid de Kleijn takes stage four.
‘It was a hard day, starting with the climb where I think that a lot of sprinters suffered to go over, and after with the strong break’ said Arvid. ‘We had to pull really hard to catch them, but the guys did an incredible job. In the end I had only Maikel left for the leadout, but we know how strong he is and I just had to focus on the sprint. I am very happy, especially after the first two stages where I made some mistakes. Sprinting here is different than in Europe but it’s a good learning to do these high-speed sprints. I’m happy to finish it off today. There’s more to come and I look forward to the next sprints.’
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Third-place Manuel Peñalver's Team Polti Kometa posted this Langkawi Tour report:
Third place in the sprint for Manuel Peñalver in a very fast stage that did not manage to neutralise the breakaway until the last kilometre. Thanks to his work and positioning in the final part of the stage, Tercero climbs to fourth place overall.
Another day of protagonism for Team Polti Kometa in the Tour de Langkawi. The day started off with a long climb in which the riders watched for any movement of important men in the general classification, which in the end did not happen. Thus, the team focused on protecting Manuel Peñalver in search of the stage win.
The favourable terrain and the high speed of the leading group complicated the reduction of the breakaway’s advantage, which seemed to reach the final part with options to fight for the victory. But practically in the last kilometre, the breakaway was neutralised and a sprint was launched in which Manuel Peñalver again demonstrated his good form to be third at the finish line. Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor) took the win.
Aware that the general classification will be disputed by the postometer, Fernando Tercero kept his concentration in the final part to avoid any surprise and even improve a place, to be now fourth, 11 seconds behind the leader Poole (DSM).
Manuel Peñalver: ‘The stage has been chaotic from the start, there has been a lot of war until the breakaway was made and then it was hard for us to neutralise the breakaway. The team-mates worked well to reduce the gap. I felt good in the sprint, I have confidence and legs so we’ll keep working to raise our arms’.
Jesús Hernández, sports director: ‘The objective was again to win the stage with Peñalver. Once we saw that none of our opponents were in the breakaway that could endanger Fernando Tercero’s overall, we focused on supporting him. We are happy again with his result, it gives us the security to compete in the race and tomorrow he will have another chance. It gives us a lot of visibility and rewards the good work of the team’.
The fifth stage of the Tour de Langkawi will take place this Thursday, with 167 kilometres between the capital city Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. In the first part of the stage, three climbs may encourage the brave riders to avoid another sprint finish with an almost completely flat second part.
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Here’s the team’s update:
A race that we have won three times with as many different riders, Münsterland Giro is scheduled this Thursday, when the bunch will embark on a 202km journey that will take them from Haltern am See to Münster, the city where the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648.
Soudal Quick-Step will be at the start of this 18th edition with former Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Kasper Asgreen, Ayco Bastiaens, Josef Cerny, Gil Gelders, Luke Lamperti – a top-ten finisher at this week’s Binche-Chimay-Binche – Pepijn Reinderink and Quatre Jours de Dunkerque stage winner Warre Vangheluwe.
Kasper Asgreen winning stage 18 of the 2023 Tour de france. Sirotti photo
“This race should end up in a bunch sprint, and if that happens, Luke Lamperti will be our card, as he can be in the mix to get a good result. But we also have other guys who can do something if the race splits, so we are quite confident in our chances. It will be special to have Kasper on the squad, as he prepares to bring his time with us to a conclusion. I still remember him coming into the team seven years ago, immediately finding his place, playing such an important role in many of our great wins over the years and taking some memorable victories”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Dries Devenyns.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Continuing to build for next year, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL are happy to announce that they have extended contracts with Romain Combaud, Sean Flynn and Niklas Märkl; three established riders in their Men’s program. Combaud has penned a contract for another year in 2025, while Flynn and Märkl have extended through to the end of 2026
Romain Combaud
After spending all his earlier career riding for French teams, Combaud made the jump and joined Team dsm-firmenich PostNL ahead of the 2021 season. Settling in well and gelling with both riders and staff, his personable character has shone through, and he has continued to grow in the now almost four years with the team. A true team player, Combaud is always more than willing to give his all for his teammates, working tirelessly in support of the team’s finisher with some strong riding; whether that be pulling hard on the front of the bunch, or helping with the younger riders. He’s also made his Grand Tour debut, completing both a Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, in his time so far with the team; the latter of which he was part of that incredible 2023 team time trial victory on the opening stage.
Romain Cambaud leads Pierre-Roger Latour & Benjamin King in a break in the 2027 Paris-Nice. Photo: ASO/Alex Broadway
Combaud said: “I’m proud to stay at Team dsm-firmenich PostNL because I feel at home in the team; and why change something when you feel good somewhere. I like the atmosphere and how the team works with me and personally I also enjoy my role in supporting the team’s finishers and helping and guiding the young guys too. I’ve had some nice memories but two that stand out are the TTT at the Vuelta last year and the second place of Romain in Liège this year. Those are moments that were very enjoyable and will stay with me forever. I try to bring my best on the bike to help my teammates and bring a nice atmosphere and always keep smiling off the bike. I think if you work with nice atmosphere and have a good attitude, then the nice results follow. For next year, I will continue in this way and help the team as best as I can.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Romain is really a team player, and he has impressed us both on and off the bike since joining us. We think that his overall level has improved with the team and he’s someone that is capable of riding on all terrains, which we’ve seen with his strong support role at various races throughout the years. He’s a loyal guy and enjoys sharing his experience with the rest of the riders on the squad; where he’s developing into a road captainship style role.”
Sean Flynn
Coming from a multi-discipline background, Flynn made the transition to road racing in 2021 and rode well at the U23 level before joining Team dsm-firmenich PostNL for the 2023 season. His opening year with the team saw Flynn learn the ropes as he adjusted to WorldTour level racing but impressive displays in the classics and strong support as a teammate saw him make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España later in the year; where he played his part in the team time trial victory on stage one and the sprint stage later in the race. 2024 saw Flynn start the season in good form where he took a strong second on the opening day at Haut Var and a “what could have been feeling” if it wasn’t for a crash on the second stage when he was in a good position. Since then, he’s supported the team ably and recently showed great legs during the Tour of Denmark where he was part of the engine room on the opening TTT win, helped the squad to two sprint wins in the lead-out and took ninth on GC himself after a solid week of racing. He further backed that up with 11th overall at the Deutschland Tour, before supporting compatriot Oscar Onley to second on GC at the Tour of Britain, a race where Flynn also ended tenth in the final standings.
Flynn said: “I am grateful for the support and opportunities the team has given me; it’s helped me make the step up to the professional level seem very natural. Most of all, I am thankful for the belief the team has in my personal attributes and the commitment to help me realise my potential. I believe I am only just at the start of that journey, so it feels like the perfect place to continue improving and make the next steps. My favourite memory from the last two years with the team would have to be our TTT victory in the opening stage of the Vuelta last year. It was very special to share this moment with teammates and see how much it meant to both the more experienced guys as well as the group of us for whom it was our first grand tour: I will never forget that day. I would like to think that I bring a level and calm head into the chaotic moments of a race, which helps keep the team on track and able to execute our plan, even when the racing is tough. It wasn’t a characteristic I really thought I had before I joined the team, but it seems I have naturally taken on a captain role in a number of races, and I have enjoyed learning to take on that responsibility. Personally, I really believe in the potential the young generation our team has now, and I want to be part of the journey towards increasingly high-end results with these guys. With the experience the older guys bring, plus the drive we have as a younger group, I really believe we can achieve a lot over the next few years. I really want to be a part of that, and if I can contribute personally to some of those results that would be amazing, but I also take a lot of pleasure in helping my mates go for the win as well, so I am excited to see what the next two years hold.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna remarked: “Sean has really impressed us, not only with his own the bike development but he also has a really good character too. He’s grown more and more into the team since 2023, and we think he’s ready for the next step. We want to focus on his development in the classics, with a particular eye on the Flemish-style classics, but alongside that he also brings value and help to our sprint group too. Furthermore, as he gets even more comfortable in the team he has shown himself as a leader and captain who can bring the guys together, in the good and bad moments, so we also want to help him develop in that role too.”
Niklas Märkl:
A long-standing member of the team and its structure, Märkl attended one of the early talent days ahead of joining the Development program in 2018. After coming through the ranks, he turned professional in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. Developing year-on-year he’s proven to be a valuable teammate in the early season classics and one-day races, whilst also supporting the team’s goals in the sprints as part of the lead-out. 2023 saw him make his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia where he played an important part in the stage 17 sprint success, along with several other strong rides throughout the season. This campaign has seen Märkl continue in that manner, providing good support in the lead-outs to help the team’s finishers get the best results possible.
Märkl said: “I’m really excited and happy to continue my journey with the team. I’ve been here since 2018 and have made steps year-on-year, in which the team has really helped me and given me the time need to grow as a rider. I’ve had a lot of good memories so far but the Giro last year is something that stands out for me, where we had the pink jersey for a week and took a really good sprint win too. We’ve had some cool wins together but also had lots of nice moments off the bike too at training camps and so on. This year I’ve helped the guys in the sprint group with the lead-outs, something that we’ve been working on over the years, and from that we took some good wins which was great. Personally, I also think I made some steps myself in the one-day races and classics which is also nice. Off the bike I think I am someone that isn’t afraid to speak and can get everyone on board and move in the right direction, so I think there I can play an important role. Overall, though, I’m just really looking forward to making to the next two years where hopefully I can make more steps and grow even more as a rider.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Rudi Kemna added: “We’ve had a really nice journey together with Niklas so far since his time at our talent days, to our Development program and then to our Men’s program. We’ve seen him grow from a teenager to a man, and he’s taken steps with us each season. On the bike we’ll continue our focus with him in the sprint group where he has shown that he’s capable of playing an important role in lead-outs. Through his time with the team he’s grown off the bike too and is quite outspoken amongst the group. He’s learned to be able to bring things to the rest of the guys in a smart and professional way which then makes them better, and in turn brings the team to a higher level.”
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