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Sunday, February 4, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
My psychiatrist told me I was crazy and I said I want a second opinion. He said okay, you're ugly too. - Rodney Dangerfield
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Current racing:
- Jan 31 - Feb 4: Etoile de Besseges
- Jan 31 - Feb 4: Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana
Upcoming racing:
- Feb 8 - 11: Tour de la Provence
Latest completed racing:
- Jan 30-Feb 3: AlUla Tour (formerly Saudi Tour)
- Jan 24-28: Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca
- Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
- Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under
- Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here’s the report from stage and GC winner Simon Yates' Team Jayco AlUla:
Team Jayco AlUla leader Simon Yates made it a dream ending to the AlUla Tour as he flew to victory on the final stage to seal the overall general classification.
Simon Yates wins the final stage. AlUla Tour photo
With huge pressure on his shoulders, the steep climb up to the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid was Yates’ chance to shine and he delivered in style, winning a four-up sprint on the flat final run-in after demolishing the peloton on the climb.
Crossing the line with his arm in the air, it was the perfect ending to what has been a difficult tour for the team in the home of the squad’s second naming rights sponsor, AlUla.
Anticipation built during the flash interview as Yates waited patiently for final confirmation that he was the overall tour winner, with the 31-year-old eventually able to savour the moment as he was confirmed as the victor.
Simon Yates [1st Overall]:
“I tried to shake them on the climb to get the GC but I just didn’t have the legs to do it. Then I tried to do the sprint for the stage and managed to pull it off, so I’m pretty happy.
"It was quite a hard run-in, so I had to really pace myself, I tried first on the first steep part, but I couldn’t really shake anybody, so I just had to bide my time until the summit to come back to the guys at the front.
"I was a bit nervous, and I wasn’t sure I had overall on not because I thought Finn [Fisher-Black] was second on the stage, somebody was coming quickly on my lefthand side in the sprint and I wasn’t sure. It’s a very important race for us, like I’ve been saying all week, we come here for AlUla now, a big partner of ours so it’s fantastic we can pull this off and I’m super happy to take the win here.”
Tristan Hoffman [Sport Director]:
“We knew Simon was in good shape and we hoped that he could drop everyone on the climb, but that didn’t happen because the other riders are also in good condition and are ready to race, so it was exciting until the last centimetre!
"It also depended on where the other guys finished for the overall, but in the end it turned out we did enough to win the GC. After Dylan getting sick and some crashes, we’ve had a great finish and I’m super happy.”
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Here’s the AlUla Tour from second-place William Junior Lecerf's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
William Junior Lecerf needed only one race and basically one ascent to show what he is capable of, in the process confirming he is one of the most exciting climbing talents to turn pro in recent years. Just 21 years of age, the diminutive Belgian showed endless guts, class and an incredible ease on what was arguably the hardest climb tackled by the peloton since the start of the season, a 2.9km “wall” averaging 12.3% but featuring some insane maximum gradients of 17%.
William Junior Lecerf finished third in the 2023 Tour of Rwanda GC.
Everyone knew before the start of the fifth stage that the Harrat Uwayrid ascent would be decisive in the fight for the general classification, with the gaps between the contenders minimal, but nobody expected Lecerf to play such a prominent role in the finale. With the leading group whittled down to a handful of riders, William launched a dazzling attack that further decimated the field about 1500 meters from the top, plugging away on the slopes on the stinging slopes.
Three riders joined him on the plateau with eight kilometers to go, and the quartet decided to work together given that they had a consistent buffer over the chasers. The four lost some of that chunk going under the flamme rouge, but it was still enough to remain at the front and fight for the victory. The Belgian produced a great sprint from that group, to finish just a wheel’s length behind Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) and clinch a remarkable second place in the overall classification of this fourth edition.
“It’s an incredible day for me. The team did a fantastic job, putting me in an excellent position at the bottom of the climb, and I want to thank them for that. I felt very good so I attacked on one of the steepest sections. When the others came across I knew we had a good chance of going all the way. It’s a pity I was a bit boxed in in the sprint, where I had the legs, but still, to finish second in my first pro race is something amazing for me. I am happy to be on the GC podium here”, said William – the best young rider of the race – who was joined on the podium by Soudal Quick-Step teammate Tim Merlier, winner of the points jersey thanks to his pair of back-to-back stage victories.
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Here's the report from stage one winner Casper can Uden's Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL:
The closing day of action at AlUla Tour saw the climbers and GC riders come to the fore with the brutally steep climb towards Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid in the finale. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rode well as a group to position Casper van Uden ahead of the ascent, where the stage one winner then gave it his all to try and limit his losses against the pure climbers. Fighting to the line in the third main group, Van Uden would lead the team home on the stage, ending the race overall just outside the top 15; a valiant effort over the challenging terrain.
Casper van Uden wins stage one.
Van Uden expressed: “We knew today was going to be really tough but we wanted to go all out for it and tried our best in the finale. I think the week overall has been a success for us. We showed we were really consistent in the sprint stages and that we had really good teamwork together, so we can take confidence from that into the next races.”
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We posted the report from stage winner Brandon McNulty's UAE Team Emirates with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Santiago Buitrago's Team Bahrain Victorious:
In a race initially designed to be the Queen stage of the Vuelta a La Comunitat Valenciana, Stage 4 took an unexpected turn due to the tragic death of a person near the finish line. Consequently, the organisers decided to move the finish of the stage to the summit of El Miserat, 15.2 kilometres earlier than planned.
However it was still a very challenging day with five challenging mountain passes. In the revised stage, the day’s breakaway was reeled in at the base of the final climb (5.7 km at an average gradient of 9.2%), and the main protagonists riders initiated the decisive move at 3.5 km to go.
Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA) accelerated, followed by McNulty (UAE), and Santiago Buitrago. In a powerful solo effort, McNulty surged ahead with 2.2 km remaining, securing victory with a 12-second lead over Buitrago in 2nd place, who outsprinted Vlasov in 3rd. Another Bahrain rider, Pello Bilbao, narrowly missed the podium, finishing 4th, 24 seconds behind.
The stage 4 podium results reflect the new General Classification, with McNulty leading by 14 seconds over Buitrago and by 16 seconds over Vlasov.
It was Brandon McNulty who was first across the line.
All post-stage protocol activities were suspended as a mark of respect, and the riders arrived at Vall d’Ebo in a neutralized manner.
Reflecting on the day, Santiago Buitrago, who extended his lead in the best young rider classification, expressed condolences, saying, “We are saddened by what happened, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. We tried to give our best under the new race circumstances. The team worked well, and I achieved this good second place. I hope tomorrow we can defend the podium. It’s a very short stage, and anything can happen.”
Sports Director Roman Kreuziger praised Santiago and the team’s performance despite the challenging circumstances. “We received unfortunate news from the finish line, and the stage’s finish was moved. Despite that, Santiago was excellent. Pello also had a strong race, along with Kepplinger and Matej showcasing their class. Tomorrow promises a fierce battle for the podium, and we need to be prepared. We are satisfied so far; we just need to manage well and not lose the podium, or perhaps even consider making a move to gain something.”
And here's the Valenciana Tour stage four report from third-place Aleksandr Vlasov's Team Bora-hansgrohe:
With five categorised climbs, the fourth stage of the five-day Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (UCI 2.Pro) in eastern Spain was the queen stage of the race. Due to force majeure, the 175km stage was shortened by 15km and the new finish line was placed at the summit of the penultimate climb, the Alto del Miserat.
After a perfect job and positioning by their teammates, on the final climb, Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley battled it out for the stage win and vital seconds in the overall. In 3rd place, Vlasov only admitted defeat to the stage winner Brandon McNulty and the second-placed Santiago Buitrago. Hindley crossed the finish line in 5th. Ahead of tomorrow’s final stage, Aleksandr Vlasov is sitting in 3rd overall.
“That final climb was super hard! A shoutout to the boys, they rode very strong all day to deliver Jai and me in perfect position at the bottom of the final climb. Once again this season I came close to winning but in the end it wasn’t enough. Anyway I’m happy with my performance - let’s see what happens tomorrow!” Aleksandr Vlasov
“We marked this stage to set up the GC. Today we have seen an outstanding Patrick Gamper, he basically controlled the breakaway all by his own! On the final climb we had Jai Hindley and Aleks Vlasov in the mix. Both showed a very strong performance even though it wasn’t enough to take the win. Today was a good test for us and I think we can be happy with where our leaders are at the moment, but also how we worked as a team.” Patxi Vila
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