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Friday, April 8, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. - Confucius
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. For your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- April 4 - 9: Vuelta al Pais Vasco
- April 5 - 8: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
Upcoming racing:
- April 10: Amstel Gold Race
- April 10 - 17: Tour of Turkey
Latest completed racing:
- April 6: Scheldeprijs
- April 3: Tour of Flanders
- April 2: GP Miguel Indurain
- April 2: Volta Limburg Classic
- April 1: Route Adélie de Vitre
- March 30: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- March 21 - 27: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- March 27: Gent-Wevelgem
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the stage four report from winner Daniel Martinez's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
The Colombian Daniel Martinez went with 200m to go on the final uphill rise into Zamudio and none of Alaphilippe, Diego Ulissi or Primoz Roglic could get back on level terms. Alaphilippe came the closest, but Martinez held on by half a wheel.
The stage goes to Daniel Martinez.
It was a fine display of power from the 25 year old, who is enjoying a strong season. After winning the Colombian national time trial championships, he finished third overall at Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice. He now sits third overall here, with two very tough days to come.
The team was able to let others do the work on an up and down day, with Geraint Thomas continuing his impressive week by infiltrating the early break. The Welshman was only brought back by the bunch after the final climb, and he immediately went to work for Martinez and fellow team leader Yates.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl led out the sprint for Alaphilippe but as leadout man Remco Evenepoel peeled off and the world champion stalled, Dani took his chance and went. He wouldn't be caught.
Dani Martinez:
"There was a lot of strong riders in the group today. I had great legs. I knew the finish had a little bit of a drag and with 200m to go I felt a stall and I thought: ‘Just go.’
"We had G in the front all day which helped us and obviously I tried to attack on the last climb. But because the group was still there and so big behind, I saved a little bit for the sprint.
"We have been showing that whole team is a strong group. There are still very difficult days to come and with Adam and myself, we are in a great position."
Here's the report from second-place Julian Alaphilippe's Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl:
For the third consecutive day, a reduced group contested the victory at the Spanish stage race, and Julian Alaphilippe was present again for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, coming agonisingly close to another victory. The World Champion, already victorious in Viana and sporting the green jersey, was beaten by the smallest of margins on the uphill finish in Zamudio, which got to welcomed an Itzulia stage for the first time.
After Mauri Vansevenant was involved in a large breakaway group that stayed off the front until the final classified climb of the day, Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenepoel went on the attack, constantly applying pressure on the yellow jersey group, which resulted in several riders being shed out the back inside the last 20 kilometers of Thursday’s frantic stage.
When it became clear that the small peloton will remain as one despite the numerous moves that involved also other riders, Vansevenant and Evenepoel contributed to the pace-setting to make sure the last remaining member of the breakaway would be pulled back, which happened in sight of the flamme rouge. Remco, the best young rider of the race, piloted Alaphilippe through the tricky corners of the last kilometers, and the World Champion finished second for a hair’s width behind Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers), a result that cemented his position atop the points classification with two stages to go.
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Tour of the Basque Country GC leader Primoz Roglic's Jumbo-Visma team posted this update:
Primoz Roglic has made a good impression during the fourth stage of the Itzulia Basque Country. The 32-year-old Slovenian rider of Team Jumbo-Visma reacted alertly to the peloton’s attacks and eventually sprinted to fourth place. Roglic retained his lead in the general classification.
Due to its hilly profile, the fourth stage of the Basque race turned out to be an interesting one for the escapees. Shortly after the start in Vitoria-Ganzeis, a front group of fourteen took the lead and steadily increased it to three minutes. The peloton, led by Team Jumbo-Visma, kept the margin within limits and did not give the strong group too much space.
On the final steep climb some of the GC riders tried to force the pace, but Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard were alert. In the descent to the finish, the depleted peloton attempted to close the gap on the last remaining escapee and succeeded with one kilometre to go. A sprint between the classification riders ensued and was won by Daniel Felipe Martinez.
Roglic had to settle for fourth. "Of course I would have liked to win, but I lacked a bit of luck today", Roglic said. "It was a tough day with many attacks and action on the final climb. Jonas and I rode full speed to the finish."
Two challenging stages await on Friday and Saturday. Roglic expects an interesting battle between the classification riders. "Tomorrow we have to cross a lot of mountains and the finish is at the top of a steep climb. Hopefully I have good legs so I can go up with the best. We’re going to do everything we can to keep the yellow jersey."
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We posted the report from third-place Mark Cavendish's Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner and GC leader Mads Pedersen's Trek-Segafredo team:
It couldn’t get any closer. The last man of the breakaway was caught at the flame rouge. Then a succeeding counterattack got a significant gap and looked poised for victory.
Kevin Vauquelin’s (Arkea Samsic) flyer with one kilometer remaining was a good one. He had a gap and only meters to go. The win looked to be in the bag.
Then a Mads explosion. The race leader shot out of the bunch.
Mads powered by the Arkea rider right at the white line.
Game over.
The stage is Mads Pedersen's. Photo: Circuit de la Sarthe.
“It was not easy; the whole team worked really well,” said Pedersen, who again finished off a whole-team effort to pull back the breakaway. “Alex [Kirsch] left me in a really good position with around 1.5 -2 kilometers to go. I went in the wheels of FDJ as they had a good lead-out, and then [Kevin Vauquelin] did a really good attack. That meant I had to do an early sprint to catch him but luckily it was a small uphill finish, and it was hard for a solo guy to keep the bunch away. I caught him on the finish line.”
In Stage 2, Mads opened his sprint early but the outcome was not in his favor. However, in a less-controlled finish a day later and with no time to make a calculated decision, the result reversed.
“It was a bit of a hectic sprint, and hard to find a wheel, but the moment I found a good wheel it was quite okay,” Mads explained. “To make the decision when to start the sprint, I can’t say how I made that. It was more that I knew I had to go from afar otherwise we were sprinting for second. I would rather risk going early for the win than waiting and finishing second. Luckily today it paid off.”
Kevin Vauquelin finished second and Mark Cavendish rounded out the top three.
“It’s been a good week; it’s nice to have a shape like this and especially with Paris-Roubaix coming up,” added Mads. “The boys did a massive work the whole day: Filippo (Baroncini) started pulling early, and then Kampy (Alexander Kamp) took over with really impressive work, and then Markus (Hoelgaard) did the last bit. We had to count a bit on a few other teams to help catch back the last guy from EF, but yeah, we were not the only ones who wanted a sprint.”
Then, the next question came: Are you strongest in the race?
Mads replied: “Oh, I don’t know, it’s a really strong peloton here. Today it just worked out well for us again.” A humble response. Mads will have a chance to give a more definite answer with his legs on the final day Friday, another expected stage for the sprinters.
“A huge thanks to the boys today – nice to give them a victory today. Now all eyes on tomorrow,” he ended.
Mads takes a 23-second lead into the final day. With his form and a strong, motivated team around him, who will take home the yellow jersey may have already been answered.
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Here’s the team’s post:
Team BikeExchange-Jayco women turn their attention to the next phase of one-day racing in northern Europe, with the hilly Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, as they look to race on the offensive and take their first European victory of the season.
With an aggressive racing style in mind, the Australian outfit recruits its climbing prowess for the relentlessly hilly event, in the shape of former podium finisher Amanda Spratt and Ane Santesteban. Giving the team a strong support base and an option, should the 128.5km event come down to a fast finish, will be all-rounders Georgia Williams, Chelsie Tan Wei Shi, Alex Manly and Arianna Fidanza.
Georgia Williams is scheduled to race The Amstel Gold Race.
The eighth edition of the women’s event returns to a traditional route with no less than 19 climbs, including four ascents of the famous Cauberg as the peloton tackle three local finishing laps around Valkenberg. The iconic Dutch race traditionally opens up the Ardennes week of racing, however, due to French elections, Amstel Gold Race and Paris-Roubaix have switched places on the calendar for the first time in history.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Line-up:
Arianna Fidanza (ITA)
Alex Manly (AUS)
Ane Santesteban (ESP)
Amanda Spratt (AUS)
Chelsie Tan Wei Shi (SIN)
Georgia Williams (NZL)
Amanda Spratt:
“I have great memories from Amstel after finishing 3rd in 2018. This year we go back to the traditional beginning of the course before finishing with the loops around the Cauberg. I like the toughness of the course and know we will have several key moments to be in the front. I expect it to be an aggressive race where having numbers at the front will be important and I think the team we have on the start line are capable of being there.
"So far, I think everyone has shown they are strong but with a bit more luck and positioning in key moments, we can be offensive and in the important moves. The last couple of years have come to the final Cauberg but I think with how aggressive the racing has been this year there is a possibility of a different scenario.
"I feel like every race has been an improvement for me. After talking to the doctors, I’ve had to realise that I still have some way to go before I am back in my top form, so patience is key but it’s promising for me to see improvements. I really killed myself at Flanders to the point where my legs literally had no power left in them so I am hoping after some easy days my body can soak it all in and I can lift another level for Amstel.
"Either way it’s a race that I am passionate about and love so I think you can always bring your ‘A Game’ and suffer that little bit more. I can’t wait to see what we can do as a team.”
Alejandro Gonzales-Tablas – Sport Director:
“The team has been riding really well together in Belgium, they’ve missed a bit of luck in getting a top result but the team we have for Amstel is strong and well suited to the hilly races like Amstel Gold. Hopefully on Sunday we can be well represented at the front, race aggressively to get into the key moves and if the riders are in the right moves we have a good chance of getting a top result.”
2022 Amstel Gold Race details:
Sunday, 10th April: Maastricht to Valkenburg, 128.5km
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