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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, January 12, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul. - Saint Teresa of Avila

Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Jan 12-21: Santos Tour Down Under

Upcoming racing:

• Jan 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• Jan 24-28: Challenge Illes Balears-Volta Ciclista a Mallorca
• Jan 28: GP d'Ouverture-La Marseillaise
• Jan 28: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
• Jan 30 - Feb 3: Saudi Tour

Latest completed racing:

• Jan 1: GP Sven Nys
• Dec 29: Exact Cross Loenhout-Azencross
• Dec 28: Superprestige Diegem
• Dec 27: Superprestige Heusden Zolder
• Dec 26: World Cup Gaver Cyclocross
• Dec 17: World Cup Namur Cyclocross

Here’s the team’s announcement:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike has secured Julien Vermote. The 34-year-old rider signed a contract for one season.

Vermote is an experienced rider who has been riding in the pro peloton since 2011. For Team Visma | Lease a Bike he fills the place of Lennard Hofstede, who recently ended his career.

Julien Vermote about to start 2019 Paris-Nice stage five. Sirotti photo

Sports director Merijn Zeeman: "With the departure of Lennard, we had to quickly look for a worthy replacement and we are pleased that we were able to secure Julien. He has a wealth of experience and is immediately available to us as a helper. He is very motivated and passionate about his job."

Julien Vermote: "I am very happy to have been given this opportunity. Team Visma | Lease a Bike is a leading team and I would like to contribute to it. I can't wait to get started during the training camp next week with the team."

The team sent me this:

The Grand Tours are BORA-hansgrohe’s focus every season, but this year, the team’s ambitions are growing. With new signing Primož Roglič as leader, and a strong roster by his side, the German team will make a mark on the 2024 Tour de France.

Primož Roglič and BORA-hansgrohe are working intensively on their shared dream of winning the Tour de France. One of the first milestones on the way there is his racing debut in the team’s new look. Primož Roglič will wear the BORA - hansgrohe jersey for the first time in a race early March.

Primoz Roglic enjoying his 2023 Giro d'Italia win. Sirotti photo

Tour de France
BORA - hansgrohe is relying on solid teamwork for the three-week Tour in July. Riders such as Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov, who have both already finished the world’s biggest race within the top 10, will be able to bring their skills to bear, especially in the decisive high mountains. Powerful support is also available on the flats from riders such as Nico Denz, who is aiming to make his debut at the Tour de France.

Giro d'Italia with a co-lead
The team will tackle the Giro d'Italia with two leaders. Lennard Kämna, a stage winner in all Grand Tours, showed his potential to fight for the overall classification last year. Daniel Martínez, 5th in the 2021 Giro d'Italia, will start as co-leader. Two long time trials will suit both riders, so a top 5 finish in the overall standings is the stated goal. German champion Emanuel Buchmann, as well as Giovanni Aleotti, are set for the Italian Grand Tour as well. The team will also be on the hunt for stages: Sam Welsford has his sights set on the many sprinting opportunities available, and Danny Van Poppel will be able to play to his strengths on the hilly terrain.

Vuelta a España
The Vuelta line-up will be decided as the season progresses. But the long list is already tailored to the Spanish race’s demanding profile. In addition to triple winner Primož Roglič, Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov, Emanuel Buchmann and Sergio Higuita also have the third Grand Tour of the year in their provisional race program. Just like in Italy, the aim is to finish in the top five in Spain as well.

Merlier’s Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:

The Belgian talked about his ambitions for the opening months of the season.

Tim Merlier had an excellent first year with Soudal Quick-Step: in 68 days of racing, he racked up eleven wins, finished on the podium on six more occasions, and took home two points classification jerseys, at the UAE Tour and the Okolo Slovenska. In addition to his exploits on the road, the Belgian also won a cyclo-cross race in the beginning of 2023, took the silver medal at the European Gravel Championships, and capped off his strong season by becoming Belgian Beach Race Champion.

Tim Merlier racing to become Belgian Beach Race Champion. Soudal Quick-Step photo

The 31-year-old from Kortrijk is already one of the fastest fast men in the peloton, and this year – as the main sprinter of Soudal Quick-Step – he will once again try to contribute with as many victories as possible to the squad’s tally, helped by best friend and strong lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe.

“Last season was a great one for me. I immediately felt at home in the team, as I already knew many of the riders here, and it didn’t take long before I could feel and show the Wolfpack spirit. Going over ten wins on the road was my goal, and with the support of my teammates I achieved that. I won’t lie if I say that I would like to repeat that feat again this season.”

Merlier will start the campaign at the Alula Tour, in Saudi Arabia, a country he never raced before, before traveling to the UAE Tour, where in 2023 he took two stages and the green jersey. From there, he will return to Europe for an appointment with one of the most prestigious stage races of the spring, Tirreno-Adriatico.

“There will be a lot of nice opportunities in those first weeks of the season. I hope to win early, because that gives you a lot of confidence for the next races, and help the team remain one of the best in the world. I would also like to do some classics again. I love those races and I really believe I can be of help there”, added Tim, who impressed last year in his outings at De Ronde and Paris-Roubaix.

Here’s the team’s update:

It’s been three months since we last kitted up for WorldTour racing, so we are more than excited to kick off the 2024 season at the Tour Down Under.

Lining up this year, we have Stefan de Bod, Owain Doull, Jack Rootkin-Gray, Jonas Rutsch, Archie Ryan, Harry Sweeny, and Jardi van der Lee. It’s a young roster infused with experience. Sport director Tom Southam says this was by design.

Owain Doull (shown winning stage 4 of the 2020 Tour of Provence) will be on the start line for the Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo

“We’ve got a pretty fresh roster. Only one rider has done this race with us before, Jonas. Owain and Stefan have both raced it but on different teams. It’s all quite fresh. We’ve got three neo-pros – Jack, Jardi, and Archie – which is exciting. It’s a really good race for them to start at. It’s quite an exciting race and they should be able to be competitive, even the neo-pros. It’s not overly complex technically-speaking so there’s quite a bit of space for them to have a chance to develop and grow. Mixed in with those guys, we’ve got riders like Owain and Harry – even though Harry’s never done the race before – tons of experience, stable hands, very strong riders. It’s a really good mix. I want the guys to have the freedom to race hard and to enjoy the first race,” Tom says.

With six stages coming up at the Australian race, the course features circuits, as well as sprint- and uphill-finishes, all set against a backdrop of beaches, panoramic peaks, and wine country. And hopefully a koala or two.

Hear from our riders below ahead of our first race of 2024.

Archie Ryan
I’m really excited, really, really excited. I’m super happy to be here, starting the season, starting my first race with the team. Like I said, super excited. We’ve got a good bunch of boys this year as well so it should be good fun.

There are four of us that are new here on the team but we all gelled together already. It feels natural already and we’re only a couple of days in. I’m having a good time. I’m really excited to get the season started. I can’t wait. If I could fast forward to stage one, I would. I just want to race!

Harry Sweeny
I’m feeling pretty good actually! This is my first Tour Down Under. I’m pretty excited. I’ve got my family here. The course looks nice and the race is nice so I'm really excited in general. It’s also nice to start off on a good foot with a new team. We have a nice team here — a young team — and it’s pretty dynamic so I’m really excited to get started.

Jack Rootkin-Gray
I’m a bit nervous but really excited to do my first WorldTour race and to race with the team. I’ve really enjoyed being here in Australia. It’s a great place to be in January because Europe’s weather is not that great at the moment. I’m really grateful to be here with these guys. It’s a great group we’ve got here. Good fun and good banter. I’m just really excited to get going!

Jardi van der Lee
I’ve prepared for this race with some crit races and lots of intervals to get into a rhythm at the higher end so I’m feeling good right now. I had a really good winter with no problems. It’s very different here in Australia. It’s a different time zone and different weather. The sun is shining here and back in my home country of the Netherlands, it’s cold and they’re ice skating! So this is really different for me but I like the heat and it’s very nice to be here.

Jonas Rutsch
I’m excited to be there because for me it’s always a nice way to kick off the season by racing in Australia. Nice atmosphere, good weather, good roads, good coffee. That’s pretty much all I need. We have a different team this year, a pretty young team. I’m now one of the more experienced riders we have at this race so now I get to show something to the younger guys.

Stefan de Bod
I’m really happy to be at a race with such perfect conditions. I was last here in 2020 so I’m happy to be back. It’s been a long time since I last raced the Tour Down Under. Good roads. Good vibes. A nice, new team. I’m just really looking forward to starting the season.

Owain Doull
I’m feeling really good coming into the race. It’s good to be back in Australia. I’ve been here since the 28th of December so I’ve had time to get used to the heat. I’ve come out with my partner and my little girl so it’s a mixture of a training camp for me and a holiday for them. Plenty of time on the bike for me and plenty of time at the beach for them. It’s a great place and I’m really fond of it. I’ve really enjoyed getting some solid work done in the sun.

I’m excited to kick off 2024. The Willunga Hill stage is always a good one. It’s always really well supported by fans, as all the stages are.

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