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Sunday, January 12, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' - Alfred Lord Tennyson
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2023 Tour de France, 2023: The Viking Again Conquers the Tour is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- January 17 - 26: Tour Down Under
- January 25 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
- January 25: Ruta de la Cerámica - Gran Premio Castellón
- January 26: Classica Comunitat a Valenciana 1969
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
Latest completed racing:
- January 3: X20 Trofee Koksijde-Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Cross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
- December 27: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
Here’s the team’s post:
UAE Team Emirates is pleased to announce its seven-rider strong squad for the first WorldTour race of the season, as the UCI WorldTour’s No.1 ranked team heads to Australia for the Santos Tour Down Under (21-26 Jan).
As is tradition, the 25th edition of the Tour Down Under will be raced in and around the city of Adelaide, with the first stage kicking off from Prospect on 21 January. Six stages long in total, the Tour Down Under will likely be decided on the iconic Willunga Hill on stage 5, but opportunities await for both puncheurs and sprinters alike throughout the course of the race.
This race was won by UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Jay Vine in 2023, and the Australian climber is back for more this time around.
Jay Vine after winning the 2023 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
Having recovered from a devastating crash at the Itzulia Basque Country last spring, Vine ended the 2024 campaign in fine form, winning both the King of the Mountains Classification at the Vuelta a España and the Mixed Relay TTT with his Australian compatriots at the UCI Road World Championships in Zürich.
Vine: “I’m really looking forward to the race. I had a really good summer of preparation in Australia and excited to get back to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under, a place where I have some amazing memories. We have a really strong team for the race and are aiming for some big results.”
Looking to perform strongly on home turf once more, VIne will be joined in Australia by recent Vuelta a España stage winner Marc Soler (Spa), Olympic gold medalist Rui Oliveira (Por), and four riders making their WorldTour debuts for UAE Team Emirates-XRG: Rune Herregodts (Bel), Julius Johansen (Den), Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu), and Pablo Torres (Spa).
The team will be guided by Sports Director Fabio Baldato (Ita) and the seven-rider group will also take to the start of the Villawood Men’s Classic on Saturday 18 January.
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Here’s the team’s post:
Reigning British Champion Ethan Hayter is one of the seven new riders on Soudal Quick-Step’s roster for this season, and the 26-year-old is excited to get things started in a couple of weeks.
“It’s been pretty easy to settle in the team. I didn’t know any of the guys before apart from speaking with some of them in races, but that’s one of the many things I like about this team, that despite not knowing anybody, I immediately got a warm welcome. We have had some smooth training camps in Calpe so far, combining the photoshoots with training sessions, and I am satisfied with how things went.”
Ethan Hayter riding in the first stage of the 2022 Tour de Romandie. Sirotti photo
One of the most successful British riders in recent years, with a palmares that includes almost 20 victories on the road but also multiple Olympic and World medals on the track, Ethan will make his debut for the team in the Middle East, at the Muscat Classic, which will be followed by the Tour of Oman, a race where the Wolfpack has scored a total of eight wins at the previous participations, including one overall title.
March will see the Londoner compete in two hilly French races, the Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic – scheduled on the very first weekend of the month – and Ethan is motivated to grab any opportunity that will arise, as he is keen on having a strong start to the year in the Soudal Quick-Step colors.
“It will be my first time going to Oman, which is nice, because I get a change from what I was used to. Actually, it will be my first time in the Middle East and I’m looking forward to the hilly races there. I am also looking forward to the French weekend, which should be a nice experience. Then, if all goes as planned, I am scheduled to be at the start of Catalunya, followed by Basque Country – two other important races where I could find some opportunities”, Ethan explained. “I don’t know what to expect from this season, but I do know what I want: to enjoy racing again, get some nice wins, and if this happens and I take a victory in the first weeks of the year, we’ll see what I can do next.”
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Vervloet’s Lotto Cycling Team posted this news:
Celebration in Zolder, as Sterre Vervloet (21) has become the Belgian cyclocross champion in the U23 category. It is the first victory in the new Lotto Cycling Team jersey.
Sterre Vervloet on her way to becoming Belgian Champion. Photo: Guido De Meyer
The U23 women had to tackle the slippery and icy course in Heusden-Zolder alongside the elite women. Sterre Vervloet crossed the finish line in 7th place overall but impressively crowned herself Belgian champion in the U23 category. In the final stretch, Vervloet rode about 20 seconds ahead of her closest competitor for the title, Xaydee Van Sinaey. She maintained that lead and thus became the first winner to wear the brand-new Lotto Cycling Team jersey.
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Sterre Vervloet: "I didn’t expect this title at all. My start was terrible, and I was immediately stressed about whether things would work out. I had to go all out in the first lap to make my way back to the front. After that, I tried to approach it tactically. Despite the snow and ice, the course was still fast, which played to my advantage. I’m very happy with this title. The more unexpected it is, the sweeter it tastes."
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