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Monday, January 13, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies. - Alexis de Tocqueville
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available both in print and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the 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 report from Durbridge’s Team Jayco AlULa:
Luke Durbridge led home a memorable Team Jayco AlUla one-two in the Australian Road Race Championships ahead of teammate Luke Plapp after an epic breakaway ride.
The win is the second national road race title of his career, but this one will taste even sweeter for ‘Durbo’ who hails from Perth, making it a fairytale victory for the man from Western Australia.
Luke Durbridge is Australian road champion. Chris Auld Photo
Durbridge was the first rider to attack on the opening lap of the race as he made an early move with less that 10km of racing completed. The 33-year-old was initially joined by one other rider, but with 80km remaining he found himself alone at the head of the race.
Meanwhile, behind in the chasing bunch, Team Jayco AlUla were marshalling the counter attacks with Michael Hepburn, Luke Plapp, Kell O’Brien and Chris Harper all working hard to shut down moves.
As the laps ticked by the time gap to Durbridge continued to fall, but then as the final lap approached, Plapp made his mark. The defending champion accelerated clear of the pursuers and quickly across to his teammate as the bell rang out for the final lap.
After a mammoth day in the breakaway, Durbridge was unable to provide much assistance to Plapp, but the pair managed to hold their advantage despite a series of attempts to close them down from behind.
As the finish line came into view, the question was ‘who would take the title’? Would Plapp make it an historic fourth nationals win in a row, or did the day belong to the local boy?
In the end it was Durbridge who crossed the line first to lead home a special one-two for Team Jayco AlUla with the duo crowning a stunning week of racing in Western Australia that saw GreenEDGE Cycling walk away with four victories and a further three podium finishes.
Luke Durbridge - First Place:
“That was amazing, I just want to say thanks to the whole team. What they did behind me, not just Plappy, everyone behind was just blocking all day which allowed me to just do my ride.
I laid it out there pretty early, I was maybe a bit too ambitious, but that’s the way I race. When Plappy came past he said ‘hold the wheel’ and he gave it to me, he’s a gentleman and I really appreciate that, I will never forget that.
Thanks to my teammates, the GreenEDGE Cycling boys, this is my family, it’s always been my team, and I’m just really, really proud to wear this jersey.”
Mat Hayman - Sports Director:
"What an amazing day, it really is a fairytale ending for Luke. We’re in his home city, he’s been showing us around, he loves this place, his family is here.
"It was a long shot for him to be able to win the road race but he went after it, he died a thousand deaths and he had a guardian angel in Luke Plapp coming up and helping him across the finish line, it’s a great story."
2025 Australian Men's Road Race Championships:
1. Luke Durbridge (Team Jayco AlUla) 3:52:19
2. Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) +0:05
3. Liam Walsh (CCache x BodyWrap) +0:58
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And here's the report from Women's Road Champion Lucinda Stewart's Team Liv AlUla Jayco:
20-year-old Lucinda Stewart turned heads on the streets of Perth with a phenomenal performance to take the elite women’s Australian road race title.
The young Australian recently signed with the Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental team for the 2025 season and in her debut road race outing, she took the top honours in style.
Lucinda Stewart beats Ella Simpson to be Australian Road Champion. Chris Auld Photo
With a field full of experienced WorldTour pro’s, including last year’s winner Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Stewart confidently jumped into an early breakaway move of five riders and raced with maturity beyond her years.
The laps ticked down and the time gap between the escapees and the peloton increased with every kilometre, eventually reaching more than six minutes.
Behind the chase was delayed and with no real cohesion between WorldTour teams and star riders, Liv AlUla Jayco remained content yet attentive with representation ahead.
As the race entered the final 20km the gap remained above three minutes. Recently crowned Criterium champion Amber Pate jumped away with Amanda Spratt in the closing laps, attempting to bridge across to the leaders and assist, but the duo eventually ran out of road. Ahead, Stewart raced attentively following the wheels before launching her ferocious sprint to take a career changing victory.
The Liv AlUla Jayco Continental team rider also claimed the U23 women’s title and will head to Europe next week with a new green and gold jersey to show off.
Lucinda Stewart – First place:
“I don’t know what to say, I feel so much pride racing in these colours. I look up to these girls, my teammates so much and I respect them and I know how strong they all are. To be the only rider in the breakaway I knew I had to pull it off for Liv AlUla Jayco and that there was no other option other than winning. I am so happy.
"I knew the team had confidence in me and I just really wanted to pull it off for them. I wanted Amber Pate to come across as I know how strong she is, but it is so special to get this win. I am proud that I could do it.
"I leave for Europe on Tuesday to go to my team camp and meet all my teammates for the year, so it will be very special to take the jersey with me.”
Gene Bates – Liv AlUla Jayco WorldTeam Manager:
“We spoke about a whole host of scenarios over the past days and one of which was the early breakaway going and staying away. We knew there was a chance, and we wanted representation from any of the riders in our teams. We kept the powder dry with her, kept her fresh all day as we knew she was the fastest in the group.
"We were probably a bit surprised by the other teams that let the gap blow out that far and that just played into our hands. We are really pleased to see them pull it off and particularly for Lucinda to see her take this great result in her first road race with us. It is fantastic and beautiful to win the Australian championships as an Australian registered team.”
2025 Australian women's road race championships:
1. Lucinda Stewart (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental team) 2:46:59
2. Ella Simpson (Ella Simpson (Stm Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) s.t.
3. Cassia Boglio (Swan Drafting CC) s.t.
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Here’s the team’s news:
The Australian race takes place between 21-26 January.
A new season gets underway next weekend, when Soudal Quick-Step will line up for the Men’s Classic, the fast and spectacular criterium race preceding the first World Tour event of the calendar, set to start just a couple of days later.
On paper, three of this year’s Tour Down Under stages should belong to the fast men, including the first one, where the sprinters will have the opportunity to fight for the ochre jersey rewarding the leader of the overall standings. The general classification, however, will be an affair between the climbers, favoured by the presence of Knotts Hill and Willunga Hill.
The former will be tackled on the third day, just a few kilometers from the finish in Uraidla, will the latter – the most iconic ascent of the Tour Down Under – is once again set to feature twice on the penultimate stage, which will conclude on its demanding gradients.
Junior Lecerf finishes stage 7 of the 2024 Tour of Switzerland. Sirotti photo
Soudal Quick-Step will take on the six-day race with a solid team consisting of newcomer Pascal Eenkhoorn, Antoine Huby, James Knox, Junior Lecerf, Casper Pedersen, Italian U23 ITT National Champion Andrea Raccagni – who has made the step up from our Devo Team this winter – and the experienced Pieter Serry.
“The Tour Down Under has a parcours with a little bit of everything for everyone: sprinters, puncheurs and climbers. The two stages for the general classification will be demanding ones, so we should see some proper fireworks there. We go to Australia with a good team – a mix of young and experienced riders – and with a lot of motivation, because we aim for a strong start to the season. We’ll take it one stage at a time, try to seize any opportunity and see what Junior can do in the GC”, said sports director Geert Van Bondt.
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Here’s the team’s update:
Intermarché-Wanty is set to begin its fifth season in the World Tour in Australia, competing in four events in the southern region of the country. Building on a successful season start in Oceania twelve months ago, that included a victory in the Surf Coast Classic and podium finishes in both World Tour events, the team under sportive direction of Steven De Neef arrived in Adelaide on Friday 10th of January for its third Australian campaign with the Villawood Men’s Classic (January 18), the Santos Tour Down Under (January 21-26), the Surf Coast Classic (January 30), and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (February 2).
Georg Zimmermann (shown racing the 2023 Tour de France) will be racing in Australia. Sirotti photo
Tour Down Under
After a criterium through the streets of Adelaide on Saturday 18th of January, the World Tour season kicks off with the six-day Tour Down Under on Tuesday 21st of January. The race features varied terrain, with key stages in the Adelaide Hills. The intensity of the race builds throughout the week, crescendoing to the traditional queen stage on day five with finish on top of Willunga Hill. The route includes stages suited for sprinters, challenging hill stages including ascents of Mengler Hill or Knotts Hill, and a final circuit race on Sunday 26th of January in Adelaide.
Surf Coast Classic
Intermarché-Wanty will then defend its title in the Surf Coast Classic on 30th of January, which is ridden on a similar route to the 2024 edition, where Biniam Girmay celebrated after a bunch sprint in Torquay.
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Known for its unpredictable nature, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday 2nd of February presents a challenging course. Key features include four ascents of Challambra Crescent (1.2km at 7.9%) in the latter half of the race, along with exposed roadways, technical sections, and a fast sprint finish along the coastline where Hugo Page and Georg Zimmermann secured a podium spot for Intermarché-Wanty in each of the team’s participations.
Team Roster
Seven riders will debut the team’s new colours for the 2025 season under the sportive direction of Steven De Neef. Georg Zimmermann returns after his third place in the latest edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and twelfth place in the final classification of the Tour Down Under. The young and fast riders Arne Marit and Francesco Busatto will be making their Australian racing debuts, whereas Dries De Pooter returns after his participation in the 2022 U23 World Championships in Wollongong. Tom Paquot and Dion Smith participate for the second and third time in a row, alongside Taco van der Hoorn who is a former King of the Mountains winner at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (2023).
"We traditionally aim for a strong start to the new season in January. Our focus is twofold: a competitive selection in Australia and a talented group of eleven riders in the Mallorca classics. In Mallorca, our new signings Louis Barré, Kamiel Bonneu, Alexander Kamp, and Luca Van Boven will have plenty of opportunities, as will two-time winner Kobe Goossens. We are also counting on our sprinters Biniam Girmay and Gerben Thijssen, who generally start the season strongly. While we fine-tune the final details during a second collective training camp in Alicante, our seven-rider selection around Georg Zimmermann and Arne Marit is preparing in Adelaide for the Tour Down Under.
After his podium finish in the Cadel Evans Road Race and his near-top ten in the general classification of the Tour Down Under, he is determined to surpass his performances from his first participations in 2024. With Arne Marit, after his injury woes last season, we have specifically worked towards the sprints in the Tour Down Under and Surf Coast Classic, which should suit him well. Our young talents Francesco Busatto and Dries De Pooter will have opportunities in the difficult finales and sprint finishes with reduced groups. They can count on the support of experienced riders Tom Paquot, Dion Smith, and Taco van der Hoorn, who are already familiar with the Australian races." - Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager)
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