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Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I read the book of Job last night, I don't think God comes out well in it. - Virginia Woolf
Plato's dialogue Apology is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current Racing:
- February 8 - 12: Tour of Oman
Upcoming racing:
- February 14 - 16: Tour de la Provence
- February 15: Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia
- February 16: Clásica de Almeria
Latest completed racing:
- February 5 - 9 Etoile de Bessèges/Tour du Gard
- February 5 - 9: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 7: Muscat Classic
- February 1 & 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
- January 28 - February 1: AlUla Tour
- January 30: Surf Coast Classic
- January 17 - 26: Tour Down Under
- January 26: Classica Comunitat a Valenciana 1969
- January 25: Ruta de la Cerámica - Gran Premio Castellón
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Olav Kooij's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Olav Kooij convincingly took his second stage victory in the Tour of Oman. In the bunch sprint, the 23-year-old sprinter from Team Visma | Lease a Bike proved to be the strongest. With the win, Kooij regained the lead in the points classification.
Olav Kooij will start stage five in the points leader's green jersey. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux
The day before the all-decisive final stage, a relatively easy day awaited the peloton. Immediately after the start signal was given, three riders went clear and established a nine-minute gap. Led by Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the chase was initiated and the last remaining escapee was caught at 12 kilometres from the finish line.
Kooij was brought to the finish in a seat and timed his sprint perfectly. With great display of power, he outsprinted Giacomo Nizzolo and Luis Aular. "It feels good to win for the second time", Kooij said afterwards. "We knew it was important to be well positioned in the last kilometre. I chose the right wheel and set up my sprint at the right moment."
Kooij, who took his first win of the season on Saturday, is grateful to his teammates for all the work they did. "We took our responsibility and made sure the leaders were caught. The guys rode great. This victory is partly thanks to them", Kooij said.
Tomorrow, the Tour of Oman ends with an finish atop of Green Moutain. Cian Uijtdebroeks is in seventh place and hopes to move up in the general classification.
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Here's the Tour of Oman stage four report from second place Giacomo Nizzolo's Team Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team:
Giacomo Nizzolo netted a second place in the bunch sprint on stage four of the Tour of Oman. He was beaten on the line by Olav Kooij. Damien Howson keeps his third place in the general classification with the important stage to Green Mountain tomorrow.
Olav Kooij beats Giacomo Nizzolo across the line. Photo: Sprint Cycling
Stage four of the Tour of Oman was rather flat until the final ten kilometers when the sprinters’ teams kicked into action to take the last opportunity for a bunch kick in the race. Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team played the card of fast man Giacomo Nizzolo. The Italian sprinted to second place.
Giacomo Nizzolo stated: “The race was quite controlled today and we didn’t ride at a super hard pace. I wanted to conserve energy for the final kilometer because it was slightly uphill. I managed to find the right wheel and sat behind Olav Kooij in the final kilometers. I tried to get around him, but it was not possible today. He was just stronger, but I am happy for my first podium of the year. I have to thank this team, and I am excited for the races to come.”
After four days of racing the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leads in the teams’ classification but Matteo Badilatti, David de la Cruz, Giacomo Nizzolo, Xabier Mikel Azparren, Damien Howson and Marcel Camprubí will go all-in tomorrow. Green Mountain is a regular on the Tour of Oman. With six kilometers of climbing at an average grade of just under 10%, it will decide the final podium.
The team’s objective is to defend the third place of Howson or improve on that. Sports Director Alex Sans Vega stated: “Tomorrow is a big day for Damo but also, I hope Badilatti and De la Cruz can move up. It’s not an easy climb. Howson’s podium spot is the first goal. We lead the team’s classification now and it will be great to win that prize because it would mean all our guys get to be on the podium. They deserve that because everyone worked really hard.”
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Here's the Tour of Oman report from GC leader David Gaudu's Team Groupama-FDJ:
Wearing the leader’s jersey since his victory on Monday, David Gaudu had a rather calm day on Tuesday on stage 4 of the Tour of Oman. The Frenchman safely finished within the peloton, while Olav Kooij claimed the win, and therefore retained the lead overall before the last stage, on Wednesday, on the well-known Green Mountain.
David Gaudu will ride stage five in the red GC leader's jersey. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux
A fourth stage without any real obstacles was looming on Tuesday on the Tour of Oman, going towards the seaside. Also, David Gaudu tackled the 181 kilometres on the day’s menu with the red leader’s jersey on his shoulders. Theoretically, his jersey wasn’t at risk today. “I was quite calm approaching this stage because it was made for the sprinters,” he said. “The profile wasn’t very hard on paper, and on top of that, three riders went away very early, from kilometre 0. We didn’t even have to pull because the sprinters’ teams did it for us.”
As they were all very far from the Frenchman overall, the fugitives took a lead of nearly nine minutes in the first part of the race, before the pack gradually came back in the second half of the course. However, one of the attackers was dropped quite early, so much so that the peloton found itself in contention for a bonus second in the second intermediate sprint, with about sixty kilometres to go. “The team managed the situation very well,” added David. “The goal was for no rider in the top 5 overall, especially Adam Yates, to take any bonuses.”
Once this mission was accomplished, Groupama-FDJ remained quite discreet until they entered the last ten kilometres. “In the final, we did what we had to do until the final three kilometres,” added David. “The guys were great, then I took as few risks as possible at the very end.” The French climber then crossed the line without incident, at the same time as Olav Kooij, once again winner of the sprint.
The general standings therefore remain unchanged on the eve of the final, decisive stage. “The morning briefing was to have a day as calm and serene as possible in order to recover from yesterday, and save as much energy as possible for tomorrow,” summarized Thierry Bricaud. “We know there is an important day ahead and that we will have the responsibilities of the race. We will be under pressure in the final, but we have the strength to manage it.” “Since this morning, I’ve been thinking about the Green Mountain,” David concluded. “I know it’s going to be a tough fight; it’s going to be hot, but I know the team is solid. I can’t wait to see how we can manage the day and then it’ll be a man-to-man battle on the last climb. Legs won’t lie.”
David Gaudu will start this last day of racing with a six-second lead over his closest rival, Adam Yates.
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And here's the Tour of Oman report from Best Young Rider Paret-Peintre's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The penultimate stage was one for the sprinters, and knowing that, the peloton took it easy in the first two hours of the race, giving a three-man breakaway a buffer of over six minutes just a couple of kilometers into the day.
As was the case on the previous stages, Soudal Quick-Step was among the teams who controlled the bunch, setting the tempo behind the escapees and gradually bringing them back, the last of these being overhauled just before the ten-kilometer mark. The lead-out trains soon moved into position and kept things together on the wide roads in the finale, and the day came down to a mass gallop won by Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease A Bike).
Valentin Paret-Peintre will ride stage five in white. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux
All our riders concluded safely in the peloton, which means that Valentin Paret-Peintre kept the white jersey which has been in his possession ever since the second day of the race. The Frenchman will now go into the final stage of the Tour of Oman as the leader of the youth classification and only a couple of seconds from the overall podium, which will be decided on the viciously steep gradients of the Green Mountain.
The team sent me this schedule:
Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana - FEB 13 - FEB 16
Callum Ferguson - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"We are ready to take on the roads of Valencia with seven riders, three of whom are new to the team. Our focus is on targeting stage results while also seeing how Francesca can position herself in the GC. As always, progression is key, and we aim to start our European season in a strong way."
Line-up:
Francesca Barale (ITA)
Marta Cavalli (ITA)
Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)
Ella Heremans (BEL)
Juliana Londoño (COL)
Becky Storrie (GBR)
Elise Uijen (NLD)
Figueira Champions Classic - FEB 16
Pim Ligthart - Team Picnic PostNL coach
"We kick off our European season in Portugal at the Figueira Champions Classic with our Men's program. You could compare the parcours of this tough one-day race to an Ardennes Classic. Frank and Romain will have the chance to test their legs, while the rest of the team will be there to support them for as long as possible."
Line-up:
Romain Bardet (FRA)
Frank van den Broek (NLD)
Romain Combaud (FRA)
John Degenkolb (DEU)
Casper van Uden (NLD)
Bram Welten (NLD)
Romain Bardet in yellow after the first stage of the 2024 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
UAE Tour - FEB 17 - FEB 23
Roy Curvers - Team Picnic PostNL coach
"The UAE Tour serves up its traditional recipe: a mix of sprint stages, a time trial, and two summit finishes that will shape the GC battle. Oscar will lead our GC ambitions, so it’s up to us to keep him protected throughout the week. He’ll be hunting for stage results on the mountain finishes—opportunities that will naturally place him high in the overall standings. On the sprint stages, our focus will be on guiding Fabio into the perfect position to launch his sprint and fight for victory."
Line-up:
Tobias Lund Andresen (DNK)
Julius van den Berg (NLD)
Alex Edmondson (AUS)
Fabio Jakobsen (NLD)
Enzo Leijnse (NLD)
Niklas Märkl (DEU)
Oscar Onley (GBR)
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