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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, August 15, 2023

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2022 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

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Teams announce Vuelta a Burgos line-ups

Here's Jumbo-Visma's:

Connecting the final dots towards the Tour of Spain is Team Jumbo-Visma's primary goal in the Tour of Burgos. "Stage wins and a good general classification are also a goal.”

The Tour of Burgos starts a week and a half before the Tour of Spain. The five-day stage race is the ideal build-up to the last grand tour of the season for a part of Team Jumbo-Visma's Vuelta squad. Primož Roglič is the leader in Burgos, a role he will also hold in the Tour of Spain along with Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard.

Primož Roglič after winning the 2023 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo

The Tour of Burgos consists of a flat stage, a team time trial, two hilly stages and an uphill finish.

"It is instrumental to ride another team time trial with the Tour of Spain in mind, sports director Marc Reef says. "After all, the first stage in the Vuelta is also a team time trial. It is good to refresh the automatisms once more. The Tour of Spain's opening stages are not really straightforward, and the third stage already has an uphill finish. It is critical to start strong. Therefore, having the Tour of Burgos in their legs already is beneficial for riders coming off a training block.”

Reef refers to Roglič, amongst others, who did not ride a race after his Giro win. "Since 2019, he did not have such a solid preparation for the Vuelta. He was able to rest, and then he had altitude training to build up as planned. He is in good shape now." In Burgos, he intends to capitalise right away on his excellent form. "Stage wins and a good classification are also a goal in the Tour of Burgos. The fourth stage has an explosive final that should suit Primož well. After that, the uphill finish on the final day will be a good indicator."

Team:

  • Primoz Roglic
  • Jan Tratnik
  • Attila Valter
  • Edoardo Affini
  • Robert Gesink
  • Gijs Leemreize
  • Koen Bouwman

Here's the UAE team Emirates announcement:

After a brief pause in the action due to the World Championships in Glasgow, UAE Team Emirates resume their calendar with the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain this week from 15-19 August.

The race traditionally serves as a warm-up for the Vuelta a España which gets underway in Barcelona at the end of the month, with the race generally decided on the final queen stage on the climb to Lagunas de Neila.

Adam Yates on the podium after 2023 Tour de France stage 2. Sirotti photo

Adam Yates : “I’m really looking forward to the race.It’s going to be a hard week as is typical at the Vuelta Burgos, but I hope to be up there with the best guys. I’ve only raced it once in my career but I think it can suit me, particularly the last stage.

"Our team here is very strong so we have options, but our overall aim will be to fight for stages and the GC.”

The squad for Burgos will be guided by Sports Manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez and Sports Directors Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) and Tomas Gil (Col).

Vuelta a Burgos [2.Pro] – 15-Aug-2023 / 19-Aug-2023

  • George Bennett (NZ)
  • Sebastian Molano (Col)
  • Domen Novak (Slo)
  • Ivo Oliveira (Por)
  • Jay Vine (Aus)
  • Ryan Gibbons (RSA)
  • Adam Yates (GB)

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And here's the Vuelta a Burgos news from Team Bahrain Victorious:

Santiago Buitrago leads the Bahrain Victorious lineup to Vuelta a Burgos,  where he clinched victory in the opening stage last year. Following his impressive stage win at the Giro d’Italia back in May, the Colombian rider will be looking to get on the podium and fight for another stage win.

Santiago Buitrago wins 2022 Vuelta a Burgos stage one.

Backing Buitrago is the experienced Damiano Caruso, who also looks to get into shape ahead of the final Grand Tour of the season while looking for opportunities to take a stage win. The lineup also features Kamil Gradek, Rainer Kepplinger, Jasha Sütterlin, Edoardo Zambanini, and Hermann Pernsteiner, who will provide integral support for Buitrago.

The five-stage race, set to take place from August 15th to August 19th, is a crucial stepping stone to the Vuelta España, and with a Team Time Trial (TTT) on stage 2, it gives the team a chance to fine-tune the technical approach for the TTT that opens the final Grand Tour in Barcelona on August 26th. 

Neil Stephens, Team Bahrain Victorious’ Sports Director, emphasised the importance of Vuelta Burgos in the team’s season preparations. “We’re heading to Burgos with a clear goal: preparing for the Vuelta España. Buitrago, last year’s stage 1 winner and a consistent performer in Burgos, leads us as we aim for the podium. Caruso, a dependable support, will fine-tune for the Vuelta España while playing a key role as road captain. With two stage wins last year, we’re set on replicating that success. This race is important to us and as preparations for the Vuelta España. The TTT on Stage 2 here has a different dynamic to the one at Vuelta España, but with half our Vuelta team in Burgos, it’s a chance to refine our technical approach, preparing us for a strong start in Barcelona.”


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Warren Barguil returns to Team dsm-firmenich

Here’s the team’s news:

A winner at the highest level of the sport, Team dsm-firmenich are thrilled to reveal that Warren Barguil, who rode for the team in its previous guises between 2013 and 2017, will return as of next season with an agreement that sees him ride in the team’s colours through 2026.

Turning professional with the team in 2013, Barguil had a brilliant opening season where upon making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España he claimed a brilliant two stage wins: one on more rolling terrain to Castelldefels and then a summit finish to Formigal just three days later. The following seasons saw Barguil grow and develop further as a strong climber and GC rider, taking eighth and then 14th overall at the Vuelta a España and Tour de France respectively, alongside other notable results such as third on GC at the Tour de Suisse in 2016.

A standout year in 2017 saw some good early season riding transform into a Tour de France campaign for the ages, where Barguil achieved two stage wins with the team and stood upon the podium in Paris in the King of the Mountains jersey while finishing the final GC that year in tenth place. In his six years away from the team, Barguil has continued to pick up good results such as wining the French national championships in 2019, his first GC title at the Tour du Limousin – Nouelle Aquitaine in 2021, and two impressive wins in 2022 at Tirreno-Adriatico and the GP Miguel Indurain. This season has seen him close to a top result at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France; proving that he has plenty in his legs to show at the highest level of the sport.

Warren Barguil wins stage five of the 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico. Sirotti photo

Barguil said: “I have always stayed in good contact with the team over the years since I left. When the opportunity came about to return, we had some really nice conversations about what we both want to get out of each other in the coming seasons. I obviously have experience and great memories here so I know what it takes to be a part of the team, and I strongly believe this is a great environment for me to get the most out of myself in. The leading factor for this decision was that I want to fully dedicate a few years to become the best version of myself. With that in mind, it was quite a quick and easy decision to come back to Team dsm-firmenich and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones too next year.”

Team dsm-firmenich coach Rudi Kemna added: “We know Warren very well from his previous time with us and we’re looking forward to having him back in the team. We believe that he still has a lot of potential and we can go for more results with him as finisher in hilly one-day races or some week-long stage races. Alongside that, Warren also brings his own vast experience and will act as a role model for the younger members of the GC group, while also providing strong support in stage races too.”


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Matteo Sobrero joins BORA-hansgrohe

The team sent me this:

Matteo Sobrero will join the German WorldTeam as of January 1. The 26-year-old Italian has been convincing on several terrains so far. Among other results, his TT abilities secured him the final stage of the 2022 Giro d'Italia - on the day that BORA - hansgrohe celebrated the first Grand Tour victory in the team’s history.

Matteo Sobrero wins stage four of the 2023 Tour of Austria.

The coveted title of the Italian national TT champion is already part of his palmarès. In addition to his time trial abilities, Sobrero also brings climbing qualities to the table. This mix of talents makes him particularly interesting for stage races. He has achieved his own GC results, such as in the Tour de Pologne and the Tour of Slovenia, and has been a reliable Grand Tour support rider for his leaders.

Rolf Aldag, Head of Sports at BORA - hansgrohe, says: "Matteo is Mr. Multitasking - a rider who impresses with many skills. Any rider who becomes the Italian TT champ, convinces on medium climbs and is an important domestique in the Grand Tours really has many talents. We believe that Matteo hasn't reached his full potential yet. If we can make this development, he can even ride close to the world's best."

Matteo Sobrero says: "I am very happy and really looking forward to being part of BORA - hansgrohe. Together with the team, I want to continue working on myself and take the next step in my development. There are big goals ahead of us that we want to achieve together."

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