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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, January 19, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

If it's the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number? - Robin Williams

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 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 report from stage winner Sam Welsford's Team Bora-hansgrohe:

Right from the get go on the third day of the Tour Down Under, the break tried their luck, yet the peloton, led by BORA - hansgrohe, kept the lead group on a short leash, and with 30 km remaining, the race came back together. While the sprinters' teams tried to jostle themselves to the front of the field in the last 10 km, the BORA - hansgrohe sprint train patiently held back and then maneuvered to the front at the right moment. After a perfect lead-out, Sam Welsford powered across the finish line to take his second stage win at the Tour Down Under and with that, currently leads the points classification.

Same Welsford wins his second stage of this year's Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo

"This is pretty crazy. Winning a stage is already great, but to take another one is something very special. The guys gave it their all the whole day and kept me out of the wind. It's heartening that they had the belief in me and at the moment, I'm riding a wave of success. The corners in the final kilometres were quite tight and tricky and we had to ride very carefully to avoid trouble. We showed the necessary patience in the run-in to the finish, which was crucial at such high speeds. The guys put me in a perfect position in the end and thanks to them, I was able to cross the finish line first for a second time at the Tour Down Under. Winning in front of this home crowd is just fantastic." - Sam Welsford

Here's the short Tour Down Under report from second-place Elia Viviani's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Elia Viviani sprinted to his first podium of 2024 with a great second place on stage three of the Tour Down Under.

After a relaxed start, the Grenadiers started to move up within the last 20 kilometres, with Josh Tarling and Laurens de Plus keeping the team out of trouble.

Into the final few kilometres, and it was Tarling again to the fore, leading the bunch through a rapid final run-in, before Ben Swift took over to guide Viviani to the sprint.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Laurens De Plus finishes stage three. Sirotti photo

During the sprint, Viviani showed a great turn of speed, but was just unable to overtake eventual winner Welsford (Bora - Hansgrohe).

Narvaez rounded out a strong day for the team, picking up ninth place.

Here's the Down Under race report from third-place Daniel McLay's Team Arkea-B&B Hotels:

Dan McLay took 3rd place in the 3rd stage of the Tour Down Under, at the end of a bunch sprint through the streets of Campbelltown, the home town of his lead-out man Miles Scotson.

The peloton races for the line. Sirotti photo.

Daniel McLay:
“The team did a good job of getting to the top of the valley heading down to Campbelltown. It was very twisty and very fast. I was on Miles’ wheel in the final. We were a bit far apart with a kilometre to go but he found an opening on the left and reeled me in. I launched from a little too far back perhaps to be able to compete with the Bora-Hansgrohe train, which is really strong here. This result is good for my confidence. We’ve got one last chance with a sprint finish tomorrow and then we’ll get down to work for Louis on the last two stages so that he can achieve the best overall classification possible.”

Miles Scotson:
“I knew the local roads, I used to ride there when I was young. The peloton was very nervous today. It was all about positioning in this final and I think my knowledge of the region helped me do the job I was asked to do today. We placed Dan well and he’s going for a fine 3rd place. Dan is a ‘dark horse’, the ‘big hill’ as they say: he doesn’t make much noise but he’s capable of competing with the best sprinters in the world, as he did today. It’s a good result that can give us confidence to try and do better tomorrow.”

Mickaël Leveau, sports director:
“Everyone respected their role and gave 200% to their mission. We started to get to the front very early on in the race because there were some strategic places that we couldn’t miss. In the final hectometres, when things were really tight, Miles put in a very good finish to put Dan in the best possible position. It’s a great result which is a credit to our team and also to Dan. He came to Australia well in advance to acclimatise and he gave himself the means to perform well. This podium is the reward for all that teamwork.”

Here's the report from fourth-place Laurence Pithie's Team Groupama-FDJ:

It was a day with mixed feelings on Thursday in Australia for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. In Campbelltown, Laurence Pithie achieved his best career result in the WorldTour, taking fourth place in the bunch sprint of the Tour Down Under’s stage 3. Doing so, the young New Zealander confirmed his good form before the last sprint of the race tomorrow. On the other hand, Rudy Molard, the team’s leader for the overall, was forced to withdraw from the event after a crash in the final. Sam Welsford claimed his second stage win.

The peloton on its way to Campbelltown. Sirotti photo

From Tea Tree Gully to Campbelltown, another sprint was anticipated on Thursday on the Tour Down Under. Perhaps even the most obvious of the entire week. “On paper, it was the stage with the highest probability of a sprint finish,” Jussi Veikkanen said as an introduction. “This was the easiest stage to manage. We only had to be careful of the last 20-25 winding kilometres. We did a recon of the stage last week, so we knew more or less what we were heading to.”

A conventional race first developed, with the early breakaway of Luke Burns, Tristan Saunders (Australia), Axel Mariault (Cofidis) and Stefan de Bod (EF Pro Cycling). The four-man group became a trio after Burns decided to sit up following the second and final KOM, after thirty-fifth kilometres. The peloton kept the remaining leaders within three minutes, then Saunders found himself alone in the front sixty kilometres from the finish. The Australian kept on going for a while before he was caught with thirty-four kilometres to go. “As for us, we were well organized,” said Jussi. “It wasn’t quite like that since the start, but today, the guys were 100% focused around Laurence. It paid off, first with Clément, then with Enzo and Fabian.” “It was very good today, everyone stayed in a good position,” confirmed Laurence. “Clément and Enzo did a great job riding at the front for a long time and keeping us safe. Then it was up to me and Fabian to stay towards the front and out of trouble. We knew it could be dangerous and that there could be a lot of crashes. Unfortunately, Rudy got caught into one”.

About fifteen kilometres from the finish, the peloton tackled the fast and well-known descent towards Campbelltown. In one of the very first corners, Rudy Molard was indeed caught in a crash with several Astana riders and the Australian champion Luke Plapp. As a consequence, he had to abandon. In the front, the peloton remained very compact ahead of the finish, and after a last pull from Enzo Paleni on the flat, the Fabian Lienhard-Laurence Pithie duo tried to find its way through.

“Fabian kept me in a very good position, safe, then I tried to stay calm and follow the right wheels,” said Laurence Pithie. “I was by myself in the last two kilometres because I used Fabian earlier. I just had to wait for it to open up a little bit so I could move. Luckily, I found some space.” With the white jersey on his shoulders (wearing it by proxy), the “Kiwi” followed in the wake of Elia Viviani after the flamme rouge, alongside the Bora-hansgrohe lead-out train. “I was still a little bit boxed at the beginning of the sprint,” he said. “I was able to come out, but it was a little bit too late. In a super-fast finish like that, the positioning was super important. I’m happy with the way I stayed up towards the front and finished it off strongly.”

Right in the mix, Laurence Pithie then claimed fourth place on the line, behind Sam Welsford, Elia Viviani and Dan McLay, but ahead of Caleb Ewan and Biniam Girmay. “I was able to do my sprint from a good position, and fourth is a good result,” Laurence said. “It gets better and better each day. It would have been nice to be on the podium but there are other opportunities to come. We’ll try again tomorrow, but it’s a good sign and I want to thank the boys for their work.” “Against riders like Welsford and Viviani, it’s really not bad,” said Jussi. “There are also some very fast men behind him. It shows that we are consistent and up there all the time. Now, a sprinter is never fully satisfied until he wins, and I hope that we can satisfy him from this point of view fairly quickly. Anyway, it’s very reassuring and it also shows that the work he put in this winter is paying off. We still have a sprint opportunity tomorrow, then next week in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race.”

On Friday, the sprint in Port Elliot could be less contested than expected in the event of echelons. In any case, Groupama-FDJ will set off with five riders. “Rudy was our man for the general classification, and we will have to reorganize ourselves on that point,” added Jussi. “I hope he is ok and that he has a fast recovery,” concluded Laurence. Regarding the French road captain, team doctor Jacky Maillot explained later: “He suffers from a concussion with multiple and significant wounds, but no fracture has been detected. He will remain at least 24 hours under observation.”

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