Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, October 15, 2024

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

If I am through learning, I am through. - John Wooden

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Current racing:

• October 15 - 20: Tour of Guangxi

Upcoming racing:

• October 16: Giro del Veneto
• October 20: Japan Cup Road Race

Latest completed racing:

• October 13: Chrono des Nations
• October 12: Il Lombardia
• October 10: Gran Piemonte
• October 8: Tre Valli Varesine
• October 7: Coppa Bernocchi
• Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
• October 6: Paris-Tours
• October 6: Coppa Agostoni-Giro delle Brianze
• October 5: Giro dell'Emilia
• October 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
• October 1: Binche-Chimay-Binche
• September 22 - 29: World Road Cycling Championships
• September 18 - 22: Tour de Luxembourg

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Teams preview upcoming Tour of Guangxi

UAE Team Emirates posted this:

UAE Team Emirates will bring the curtain down on their 2024 campaign at the Tour of Guangxi (15-20 Oct) and a double-header of races in Italy with the Giro del Veneto (16 Oct) and the Veneto Classic (20 Oct).

Tim Wellens, who won the inaugural edition of the race in 2017 will captain the team which will look to the in-form Pavel Sivakov in the general classification while Sebastian Molano will aim for wins in the sprints.

Tim Wellens having a good day at the 2023 Ruta del Sol.

Wellens: “I have very good memories racing in China. I had the honour to win the first ever edition of the race back in 2017 and we’re going there with a strong team to try and repeat this feat again. Stage 5 with the hilltop finish will be the decisive day usually. Pavel Sivakov is coming here in really good form for the GC and Sebas Molano will be aiming for the sprints. It won’t be easy but we have a strong team and we will be aiming for more victories to end this amazing season in the best possible way.”

Gree-Tour of Guangxi [2.UWT] – 15-Oct-2024 / 20-Oct-2024

• Igor Arrieta (Spa)
• Felix Grossschartner (Aus)
• Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor)
• Sebastian Molano (Col)
• Pavel Sivakov (Rus)
• Michael Vink (NZ)
• Tim Wellens (Bel)

The teams in Veneto will be overseen by Sports Directors Fabio Baldato (Ita) and Marco Marcato (Ita), while Simone Pedrazzini (Swi) will guide the squad in Guangxi.

Giro del Veneto [1.Pro] – 16-Oct-2024 / Veneto Classic [1.Pro] – 20-Oct-2024

• Filippo Baroncini (Ita)
• Alessandro Covi (Ita)
• Finn Fisher Black (NZ)
• Marc Hirschi (Swi)
• Diego Ulissi (Ita)
• Jay Vine (Aus)
• Luca Giami (Ita) (Gen Z)

Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Tour of Guangxi preview:

Our team returns to China for the first time since 2019, the year we won the general classification of the Tour of Guangxi, a race where we also racked up a total of stage victories in three participations. The final World Tour stop of the season, the six-day event will come with plenty of opportunities for the sprinters, but the general classification fight is set to have the climbers as the main protagonists, the 3.3km Nongla ascent at the end of the penultimate stage promising to create some important gaps between the contenders.

Soudal Quick-Step will be at the start of this fifth edition with multiple Czech ITT Champion Josef Cerny, Jan Hirt, James Knox, Luke Lamperti, Pepijn Reinderink, U23 Worlds silver medalist Martin Svrcek and Warre Vangheluwe.

Jan Hirt riding in stage 17 of the 2024 Tour de France. Sirotti photo

“The Tour of Guangxi is our last stage race of the season and we’ll take on it with the same motivation to do our best each day. It would be nice to take a win so late into the year and cap off what has been another strong season with a solid result. Luke is our man for the bunch sprints and is ready for this challenge, while for the GC we’ll see what the likes of Jan and James can do on the climbs”, said sports director Tom Steels.

Here's the race preview from Team Israel-Premier Tech:

After a year of great success in stage races, Israel – Premier Tech is looking to end the season on a high in the final UCI WorldTour race of 2024, the six-day Gree-Tour of Guangxi, which begins on Tuesday.

IPT has claimed four GC victories to date this year, with the overall winner of the Tours of Rwanda and Taiwan – Joe Blackmore – among those racing in China. The team’s 26 wins in 2024 also includes eighteen stage victories, including one apiece from Ethan Vernon and Riley Pickrell, both of whom feature in the squad for Guangxi.

Ethan Vernon wins stage one of the 2024 Tour de Alpes Maritimes.

“We’ve got two goals: to get a win with the sprinters – we have Ethan and Riley here, and both are really motivated – and to look towards the GC with Joe,” says Sports Director Sep Vanmarcke.

“It’s the end of the season so it’s hard to say what the level of everybody else here will be. But Joe has proven over the last few weeks that he’s still in good shape.”

Five of the race’s six stages seem favorable for the sprinters, with stage five (Saturday, October 19) being the exception. That day’s finish line at the Nongla Scenic Spot comes after a 3.3-kilometer climb that averages 6.6%, with the last 1.2 kilometers of it ramping up to an unrelenting 14.8%. That aside, the fast men look set to take the majority of the headlines here.

“I’m really motivated,” says Vernon. ”I’ve been training really hard for this with the aim of ending the season well. The shape has been getting better and better every week since the Olympics and I’ve been feeling really good on the bike. I’m excited to see how I get on.

”I think we have four and potentially five sprints, so there are a lot of opportunities here. Hopefully I can end the year as I started it at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes – with a win!”

IPT has only raced in Guangxi on two previous occasions (2019 and 2023), so it’s not a major surprise that none of the team’s seven-man roster have experience of the event. However, with wide, straight roads commonplace here, inside knowledge of the parcours isn’t particularly precious.

Vanmarcke adds: ”The racing here is different – it’s more like at the UAE Tour, where the roads are three or four lanes wide and positioning for corners most of the time isn’t a major problem.”

Israel-Premier Tech at Gree – Tour of Guangxi:

Riders: Joe Blackmore (GBR), Chris Froome (GBR), Riley Pickrell (CAN), Nadav Raisberg (ISR), Guy Sagiv (ISR), Jake Stewart (GBR), Ethan Vernon (GBR)

Sports Director: Sep Vanmarcke (BEL)

And here's the preview from Team Bahrain Victorious:

The 2024 Gree Tour of Guangxi, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday next week promises to be an exciting finale to the WorldTour season for both riders and spectators. Set against the stunning landscapes and rich cultural backdrop of the Southern China region, the race has evolved from its sprint-centric past to now also feature opportunities for classic riders and puncheurs. With a revamped course, this year promises to be more unpredictable and dynamic than ever.

Bahrain Victorious will look to end the season on a high, with Torstein Træen leading the charge as the team’s General Classification (GC) contender. He will be supported by Finlay Pickering and Robert Stannard, who will play vital supporting roles. For the flat finishes, Matevž Govekar, currently in top form, will spearhead the team’s efforts, backed by Alberto Bruttomesso and Dušan Rajović as alternatives.

Torsten Traeen wins 2024 Tour of Switzerland stage five. Sirotti photo

The experienced Łukasz Wiśniowski will be key both in lead-outs and as all-round support, ensuring the team is equipped for every possible scenario. The team’s goals are clear: a stage victory and a top 5 finish in the overall standings.

The race kicks off with a circuit around Fangchenggang, a coastal city near the Vietnamese border. The short, sharp climbs on this stage are unlikely to trouble the sprinters, and offer a chance to shake off the effects of the long journey. The following day also suits the fast men, although they will need to navigate a punchy Category 3 climb at the 148km mark before reaching the finish in Jingxi.

Stage 3 is the longest of the race at 214km, with the rolling terrain in the second half likely to reduce the size of the peloton. Despite this, a reduced bunch sprint is still likely. Friday presents the best opportunity for breakaway specialists, especially if the sprinters’ teams fail to keep the time gaps under control.

Stage 5 is the Tour of Guangxi’s signature stage, finishing at the Nongla Scenic Area. The 3.3km climb at an average gradient of 6.6%, with a maximum slope of 13.5%, is likely to be decisive for the general classification. Finally, the race concludes with five laps of a circuit around Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, with another chance for the sprinters to shine.

Bahrain Victorious’ lead sports director, Gorazd Štangelj, concludes: “The stages are different from last year, and riders who are still motivated at this point in the season will have an advantage. We see this race as an opportunity to win stages and continue to grow. We aim to fight for stage victories and a top-5 finish in the GC. The intermediate sprints will be key, as time bonuses could play a significant role. Our riders have clear roles, but there’s also room for individual ambitions.”

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