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Sunday, September 22, 2024

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. - Leonardo da Vinci

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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• September 18 - 22: Tour de Luxembourg
• September 22 - 29: World Road Cycling Championships

Upcoming racing:

• Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
• October 12: Il Lombardia

Latest completed racing:

• 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
• September 11: Giro della Toscana
• September 8: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
• September 8: GP de Formies
• August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
• September 3 - 8: Tour of Britain
• September 8: Bemer Cyclassics

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Tour de Luxembourg stage four reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Juan Ayuso's UAE Team Emirates:

At the Tour de Luxembourg it was Juan Ayuso who showed yet again his talents against the clock with victory in the individual time trial on stage 4 at Differdange (15km).

The Spaniard clocked a blistering time of 19’10” with an average speed of 48.5kmph, over 7 seconds faster than his nearest rival Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious).

Juan Ayuso on his way to winning the stage.

Ayuso now shoots up the GC and sits in second place heading into tomorrow’s final stage from . Mathieu Van Der Poel leads the race by just 3” ahead of Ayuso with Hirschi in 4th at +8”. UAE Team Emirates lead the teams classification.

Ayuso: “It was full gas from the start. Seeing the parcours from this morning it was a course I liked and that it might suit me. I was one of the first guys from the GC to start so I didn’t have many reference times but I managed to suffer a lot and stay in the red zone and could push to take the win. I focused on myself and did the best effort I could and it was enough for the win today. We’ll have to look at the GC now and see how we’re going to play our cards but for sure we will be trying to win the race tomorrow.”

Here's the Luxembourg report from second-place Antonio Tiberi's Team Bahrain Victorious:

The 2024 Tour de Luxembourg stage 4 was a 15.5km individual time trial around Differdange, which featured a 1.49km climb at 7.8% midway through. Lying sixth on GC overnight, Bahrain’s Italian star Antonio Tiberi put in a phenomenal performance to finish second behind Spaniard Juan Ayuso (UAE), defeating far more established specialists on the day. Of the seven ITTs Tiberi has raced this season, he has been in the top ten in all but one, and on the podium three times.

Antonio Tiberi time trialing at the 2024 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo

Tiberi was delighted with both the result and his form at this point in the year:

“I’m happy and satisfied with the TT result today. From the start of this race I thought I could do well here because the parcours is quite tough and I have good legs at the moment. This gives me confidence and belief going into tomorrow, but even more looking forward to the World Championships and Il Lombardia.”

The result moves him up to fifth in the overall standings, ten seconds behind leader Mathieu van der Poel, as the peloton have one more test on Sunday. The closing stage is a tough one: 177km, 3100 metres of elevation gain, and an 800m ramp at 9.2% to finish.

Mauri Vansevenant's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this report:

Mauri Vansevenant will enter the final day of the week in third overall, after leaving everything out there in the rolling individual time trial held around Differdange, which ended up reshuffling the general classification. Sporting the yellow jersey, which he took following Friday’s successful long-range attack, our rider was the last to leave the start house on stage four and made sure of putting in a strong effort despite the course not really suiting him.

Mauri Vansevenant winning stage three.

An average speed of over 46km/h helped Mauri conclude the ITT as the best placed Soudal Quick-Step rider, with a time of 20:05, a result that helped him remain in the general classification top three, just three seconds off the lead going into Sunday’s hilly stage from Mersch to Luxembourg.

“It’s no secret that the time trial isn’t my specialty, but that didn’t stop me from going full gas and doing my best. I knew that my chances of keeping the yellow jersey were small, because there were a lot of riders who are better than me in these kinds of races, but I fought hard and it’s a good thing that I am still on the podium with one stage to go. The gaps are small and I am determined to fight until the end of tomorrow’s stage”, an upbeat Mauri said in Differdange.

And here the Luxembourg Tour report from Team Groupama-FDJ:

Before the final round on Sunday, a crucial time trial was to be contested this Saturday on the Tour de Luxembourg. Tenth overall before today’s stage, David Gaudu showed good form on the hilly route around Differdange. He was therefore able to climb to seventh place in GC thanks to his thirteenth place on the time trial. The Frenchman and his teammates will tackle another explosive finish tomorrow in Luxembourg to conclude the race.

David Gaudu time trialing in the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo

The riders were expected in Differdange this Saturday for the fourth and penultimate stage of the week in the Grand Duchy. Each of them then had to tackle a course of just 15.5 kilometres. “It was a specific time trial with a rather flat first part of seven kilometres, then a 1.4-kilometre climb averaging 8.5%”, explained Anthony Bouillod. “Following this climb, there was a section that was not so easy to manage because it was a bit hilly, before the final downhill to the finish. You still needed climbing qualities to do well on this type of course. The relief was the main characteristic of the course, unlike the wind which was almost insignificant. It was necessary to adjust your pace well.” Groupama-FDJ’s leader David Gaudu was expected on the starting ramp at 3:42 p.m., and he quickly showed that he was in the mix. When he reached the first timing point, he indeed achieved the provisional sixth time, twelve seconds behind Juan Ayuso, the eventual winner of the stage.

After all the competitors had gone through this point, the Breton was still in the top 10 (9th) after nine kilometres of racing. “The first timing point included the flat part and the climb,” said Anthony. “He didn’t only do a great climb; he also rode well on the flat. After the summit, he struggled a little on the slightly hilly part. Initially, he wanted to start off a bit less fast to be able to maintain the pace after the top. Eventually, because he felt good, he maybe started off a little harder. In terms of pacing, there was room for a little improvement. There are always little things to optimise, but we have to remember the good part.” Despite having lost a little more time in the second part of the time trial, the Frenchman indeed set the thirteenth fastest time of the day, thirty-six seconds behind Ayuso and seventeen behind Mathieu van der Poel. “It’s a great performance,” Anthony added. “Personally, I thought he was capable of it on such a course. He perhaps didn’t see himself as high in the rankings given the circumstances of the last few months. Today, he showed the good level that we’ve already seen from him in the past on the time trial.”

Thanks to his day’s result, David Gaudu also gained three places in the general classification and now finds himself in seventh position, 39 seconds behind the leader Mathieu van der Poel. “Everything is still possible,” Anthony concluded. “The goal today was precisely to do a good time trial to stay in the mix overall, with the possibility of moving up tomorrow while aiming for the stage victory. With an offensive strategy, there may be opportunities.”

Super 8 Classic reports

We posted the report from winner Filippo Baroncini's UAE Team Emirates with the results.

Here's the report from Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL made the break of the day at Super8 Classic, with Julius van den Berg showing strong legs after the Vuelta a España to still be up there as things thinned down as the kilometres ticked by. Cresting the final ascent of the Moskesstraat, Van den Berg’s break was caught due to a fierce pace in the peloton, where Tobias Lund Andresen was well to the fore on the climbs.

However, over the top of the main last categorised climb the front group was down to around 30, including Lund Andresen, and things became tactical as multiple attacks flew. Lund Andresen pursued a few but couldn’t follow everything and ultimately a large group of 15 went clear that didn’t include anyone from the team. Van den Berg returned to the reduced peloton and tried to help bring it back together, but those ahead would ultimately fight it out for the win.

Filippo Baroncini wins the race.

Lund Andresen said: “We hit our key points today and had Julius in the break which was good as we could then sit in behind, but we just missed some more guys to be able to jump and follow those attacks in the final. I had to then gamble on my sprint and hope it would come back together, but with a big breakaway gone, it was not possible to bring them back.”

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