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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, January 21, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries. - Stephen King

Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2023 Tour de France, 2023: The Viking Again Conquers the Tour is available in both 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 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 20: Clasica Comunitat Valenciana
• 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 Oscar Onley's Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL:

A day for the punchers, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL positioned GC finisher Oscar Onley brilliantly onto the famous Willunga Hill, before he finished it off superbly in a reduced sprint.

It was a controlled stage at the Tour Down Under and the peloton always had the four rider breakaway under control. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL kept their proverbial powder dry for the final, keeping Onley safe as they had done in previous stages. Some fantastic teamwork saw the team never in any danger and going onto the final three kilometre ascent of Willunga Hill, Onley was positioned fantastically.

Biding his time and not expending any unnecessary energy, Onley followed some accelerations but never hit the wind until the final 200 metres. Unleashing a devastating kick, he powered to the line to take an incredible first professional win; sitting up to celebrate as he crossed the finish. It is also a special day for the team too, which takes its first win as Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, after some hard work by everyone behind the scenes during the off-season and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in spectacular fashion.

Stage winner Oscar Onley. Sirotti photo

An elated Onley said: “It’s pretty incredible. We knew I was in good form coming here but against the quality of guys here, I wasn’t sure how it would go. I’m really grateful to the whole team and everyone who helped get me here. It’s going to be tough tomorrow but we have a really good team here and we will do our best to try and go for it again and see if we can move up that one spot. The team knew I could do it, they’ve had a lot of faith in me and have been keeping me calm the last few days. In the hectic sprint stages the rest of the guys have really invested in me to keep me safe and not lose any time, so it’s nice to be able to pay back their hard work here. It’s a pretty iconic climb Willunga Hill so to have my name on the winner’s list is really cool.”

Here's the Tour Down Under stage 5 report from new GC leader Stephen Williams' Team Israel-Premier Tech:

Stevie Williams may have narrowly missed the win on stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under but the Welshman was just as happy to put the leader’s ochre jersey on with one stage remaining.

Stephen Williams will start stage 6 in the GC leader's orange jersey. Sirotti photo

Coming into the WorldTour stage race, Williams may not have been at the top of the favorites list but all week he has assumed a leadership role within the team and today, on the queen stage of the race, he proved why.

With the full support of the team and an incredible show of teamwork all day, Williams was perfectly positioned ahead of the second and final ascent of Willunga Hill. When the attacks started, he was right there on the wheel and as he turned the final corner, only Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) was able to beat the Welshman on the line.

“It was a tough final, as expected,” explained Williams. “We knew it would just be whittled down until the line and I found myself with good legs with 500 meters to go, in a perfect position. I slightly underestimated how far the finish line was from the last corner. Ideally I would have gone into that last corner first and could have held on but credit to Oscar Onley.

“I’m happy with my performance. I’m really proud of my teammates and how they backed me all day. It was such a great ride from everyone. Obviously, Corbin had a difficult day and had to withdraw which is a shame for us because he is another rider who could have done well on a finish like this.”

The Tour Down Under typically comes down to seconds and tomorrow will be no different with Williams and Onley sitting on equal time with Williams in the race lead thanks to the count back of previous stage results.

“I knew it was going to be close. Obviously we are on the same time, so I have the lead on count back. That sprint finish on stage 2 has come in handy with those four bonus seconds I picked up. I’m really pleased to be in this jersey and give it back to the boys who have done such a good job today. Tomorrow will be a tough stage and hard to control as it is still very close there on the General Classification with the top five or six guys within a handful of seconds. I expect it will be a pretty stressful day but the guys I have here are so experienced so I have no doubt we will do our best to fight for it.”

In the race car behind, Williams has benefited from the experience of Sports Directors Sam Bewley and Daryl Impey, the later a two-time winner himself.

“Today was a great day for us,” said Bewley at the finish line. “We were always confident that Stevie could do well up Willunga Hill as it’s a climb that really suits him. He was our joker card since the start of the week, and when Corbin got sick on the second day of the Tour, we had to start slowly switching our focus to Stevie as we assessed Corbin’s health each day. Today, we were all in for Stevie and the confidence he got from his teammate’s belief in him was huge. We had our plan of how to ride the stage and the guys hit every single marker. It made me proud to watch it unfold, and tomorrow we will try to win the Tour Down Under.”

Williams praised the support from his teammates and Sports Directors and the confidence they have placed in his ability to win the race.

“There is no one better to have in the car or in my ear than Daryl Impey and Sam Bewley. Daryl was giving me a pep talk at breakfast this morning and it’s great to have his experience combined with Bewls. Simon Clarke is such a good road captain to have. Every ascent, every descent, just to have someone that experienced in the chaos is unbelievable. He just has this knack of being in the right place at the right time. To have him in my corner, and all of the other guys, has just been so good.”

Having battled with sickness since stage 2, Corbin Strong was forced to abandon during the stage with the heat and hard racing proving to be too much. He will rest up ahead of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

Here's the Tour Down Under stage five report from third-place Jhonatan Narvaez's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Jhonatan Narvaez claimed a hard-fought third place after a thrilling battle on stage five of the Tour Down Under.

Jhonatan Narvaez finishes third. Sirotti photo

The Ecuadorian went toe to toe with his rivals on the famous Old Willunga Hill summit, after some superb work from his INEOS Grenadiers teammates.

The reduced uphill sprint saw Narvaez take third and the accompanying four bonus seconds, narrowly edged out by winner Oscar Onley (DSM-Firmenich) and Stevie Williams (Israel-PremierTech).

Positioned superbly on the run-in, Laurens De Plus played a key role when the initial attacks fired with 2.2km to go. The Belgian helped bridge Narvaez back to the front, and he was glued to the wheel of Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) when the Brit launched his late attack.

Slightly boxed in heading into the final corner, Narvaez took third, and now also sits third overall, just five seconds off race leader Williams heading into Sunday's finale.

The Grenadiers once again put in a superb team effort on the day. Elia Viviani got through a lot of early work, while Filippo Ganna, Ben Swift, Leo Hayter and Josh Tarling set a brilliant pace ahead of each ascent on the final climb.

The race is set to conclude on Sunday with another GC day, this time finishing up Mount Lofty.

Here's the report from fourth-place Julian Alaphilippe's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Julian Alaphilippe produced a rock-solid ride on the penultimate stage of the Aussie race, which witnessed the return of the iconic Willunga Hill, the 3.4km climb averaging 7.4%, which has become synonymous with the Tour Down Under in the last decade.

Julian Alphilippe (center, head down) finishes fourth with Bart Leman next to him coming in fifth. Sirotti photo

But long before that, the day belonged to Casper Pedersen, the first rider to attack at the start of the stage and the last member of the breakaway that animated the day to be brought back, after more than 100 kilometers at the front. The Dane, victorious at the inaugural edition of Figueira Champions Classic last season, put in a phenomenal effort in the four-man group, which he helped open a gap of three minutes before the peloton decided to move into a different gear.

As they approached the first of the day’s two ascents of the iconic Willunga Hill, Casper dropped his companions and went solo, tapping out a solid rhythm even as the gradient began to bite. It took a huge effort from behind to bring him back just before the top of the climb, but our team remained prominent, coming at the front of the bunch with a strong contingent – including Casper, who at the end of the day got rewarded with the most combative trophy – that pushed the tempo on the fast descent.

This allowed Alaphilippe to arrive on the lower slopes of the ascent in a great position, and the double World Champion looked comfortable the entire time as more and more riders got dropped when the big attacks came. An important selection was made one kilometer from the line, and Julian continued to remain calm, waiting for the final 200 meters to make his move.

A sharp acceleration just before the last corner helped the Frenchman take fourth place on the stage won by Oscar Onley (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), a result that puts him in sixth overall, just eight seconds from the podium with one stage remaining, the uphill finish on Mount Lofty.

“I was very motivated for this stage, because I knew it was going to be an important one to test the legs, and also as I wanted to do something nice in this race. The entire team did a great job: Casper went in the break putting pressure on the other teams in the peloton, while the rest of my teammates protected me the whole stage. On the climb I gave my best to follow the others and I am content with my result, it felt good to be back at the front and fight for victory, on a day that due to the heat wasn’t easy at all”, explained Julian after the stage.

Fifth-place Bart Lemmen's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this report:

Bart Lemmen has finished fifth in the fifth stage of the Tour Down Under. The stage, which finished on Willunga Hill, saw Lemmen climb with the best in his first WorldTour race. The Dutchman of Team Visma | Lease a Bike moved into the top ten of the general classification.

Stage five featured a long and flat climb to Willunga Hill, which had to be climbed twice. In the final kilometres, Lemmen and Milan Vader worked their way to the front of the race. After countering a few pinpricks, Lemmen went into the final kilometres at the head of the group of favourites.

Vader dropped back a little, but all the work did not prevent Lemmen from sprinting to victory. The Dutchman finished fifth behind the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and British stage winner Oscar Onley. That result leaves Lemmen in sixth place in the general classification with one stage to go.

"We controlled the day pretty well and kept Milan out of the wind”, Lemmen said. "We started the second climb, Willunga Hill, in a good position. Despite some attacks, I managed to stay at the front. In the end, I didn't have enough speed in the sprint for a podium finish. I got boxed in, which slowed me down, but I can't complain about this great result”, the 28-year-old rider said.

"I've had a huge boost recently. The team has shown a lot of confidence in me. I feel their appreciation. This morning, I didn't think I could compete with the best climbers here. I am happy with the professionalism of Team Visma | Lease a Bike and my role in the team. I am so glad with this performance. I surprised myself a little. Now, I am looking forward to the final stage tomorrow. I hope to stay in the top ten. It's a stage that should suit Milan and me.”

And here's the report from Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates:

Isaac Del Toro put in a brave display in defense of his leaders jersey at the Tour Down Under today on the queen stage to Willunga Hill.

The stage was won by Oscar Onley (DSM) who took the sprint from a reduced group with Del Toro close behind at 6” in 8th place.

Isaac del Toro was eighth across the line and now is fourth in GC. Sirotti photo

Finn Fisher Black finished the day in 10th spot at 20” with UAE Team Emirates now leading the overall team classification.

The race concludes tomorrow with a hilly stage 6 from Unley to Mount Lofty (128.2km).

Del Toro: “I did my best and I’m really happy with that. Today was my first real day climbing at the World Tour level and I’m pleased with how it went considering the company I was in. The team helped me a lot and I enjoyed the atmosphere on the road wearing the leaders jersey, an amazing feeling. I will try to recover, be relaxed and tomorrow try again.”

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