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Friday, February 21, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. - Theodore Roosevelt
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Current racing:
- February 17 - 23: UAE Tour
- February 19 - 23: Volta ao Algarve
Upcoming racing:
- February 22 - 23: Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
- February 26 - March 2: O Gran Camiño
- March 1: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Latest completed racing:
- February 14 - 16: Tour de la Provence
- February 16: Clásica de Almeria
- February 15: Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia
- February 8 - 12: Tour of Oman
- February 5 - 9 Etoile de Bessèges/Tour du Gard
- February 5 - 9: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 7: Muscat Classic
- February 1 & 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Jonathan Milan's Team Lidl-Trek:
Jonathan Milan and Lidl-Trek navigated their way through the chaos of UAE Tour Stage 4 perfectly.
The Team was prepared for the day’s stage. They knew the potential danger of crosswinds in the second half of the stage and they made sure to maintain a good position up at the front of the bunch.
As a result, they ensured their leader, Milan, was always in the first echelon and then, once they bunch sprint was certain, they delivered him to the ideal position for another exciting sprint to the line which, saw the Italian named the day’s champion after a photo finish.
Jonathan Milan wins stage four.
Milan started his sprint early on the long finish straight with his biggest rivals chasing him down and it was only after crossing the line that the 24-year-old knew he had kept his power high enough to hold on all the way to the line.
The lowdown from Jonathan Milan:
"
I think I started a bit too early but in the end I think the throw of the bike made this photo finish happen for me so, I’m really happy for the result. It was a long sprint with some headwind, but I’m pretty happy. I have to say thanks, like always, to my guys; they controlled the race and calmed me until the final and we made I through. I saw them coming on the side the last few meters so I was not super sure that I won. Today, I was feeling really better than the first days and now we will see for the next stages.
"It was a pretty nice day with some echelons and in the final we had a few of them. They make everything a bit more interesting. I like them and they’re really important for the Classics. We have experience with how to move and be careful about them. We were always inside [the front echelon], always ready for them and I think we really moved in the perfect way today. When you move like this with this team it’s easy, almost, to bring this kind of result.
"We are here to reach our best and to win as much as possible. We will enjoy this victory and then tomorrow we will see again."
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Here's the UAE Tour stage four report from Team Picnic-PostNL:
Stage four at the UAE Tour saw a mostly flat day in the saddle where the sprinters of the bunch were set to do battle in the finale; however, all eyes were on the wind and exposed areas of road. Team Picnic PostNL set out with the joint goal of keeping GC finisher Oscar Onley safe in the crosswinds and setting up Fabio Jakobsen for the expected fast finale.
Despite a few periods of echelons and action, the route always turned back into a headwind and the front of the race regrouped. The last of these regroupings happened just before three kilometres to go, and with Onley safely in the peloton, the team focused on bringing Jakobsen forward. It was a hectic battle in the headwind but Niklas Märkl and Tobias Lund Andresen were able to drop Jakobsen off in the final 400 metres; where he used his experience to weave his way through the chaos. Showing some good speed in the finale, Jakobsen got up for a solid sixth place on the day.
The peloton racing across the desert.
Speaking after the stage Jakobsen said: “We had a split goal today of protecting Oscar in the GC, which we did well so that was nice, and then setting me up for the sprint in the finish. We had some good teamwork to stay together in the final. In the end it wasn’t a sprint for the win but I believe that we can compete for that in the next stages. The speed is there and the shape is there, so onto tomorrow.”
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We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Jan Christen's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
It was an afternoon to remember for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who took the race lead in both the Vuelta a Andalucía and the Volta ao Algarve, whilst Tadej Pogačar maintained the race lead at the UAE Tour. In the Algarve, Jan Christen won stage 2 with teammate João Almeida in second, as the Emirati squad proved dominant on the Alto da Foia summit finish.
Jan Christian & João Almeida have left everyone else behind.
Taking his second victory of the season, Christen made a bold attack on the first summit finish of the race to win the stage, whilst Almeida proved the strongest of the favourites’ group behind to unite with his teammate and pose up for a picture-perfect moment for UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the finish.
With the stage win, Christen now goes into the yellow leader’s jersey at the Volta ao Algarve, with Almeida slotting into second, as teammate Antonio Morgado performed admirably to take fifth place across the line. The recent Figueira Champions Classic winner now sits fifth overall.
Given that the final stage is set to be a mountain time trial, stage 2 was going to prove the only true summit finish of this year’s Volta ao Algarve, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG more than stepped up to the mark.
Christen was rewarded for his bravery on stage 2, with the young Swiss rider going on the front foot throughout the final 10km of racing. After Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primoź Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) had traded blows earlier in the climb – with Almeida always on the wheel – Christen made a swift attack off the front of the peloton with a little over 8km to ride.
Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers), Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) followed suit and before long, the quartet were up the road with a healthy advantage. Never content with allowing the move to wither, Christen pressed the pace and at first, only De Plus could follow.
Little by little, the summit approached and it soon became clear that the day’s winner would emerge from the front group. Inside the final few kilometres, Vingegaard made a push from the group behind and was smartly followed by Almeida, before Christen went alone under the flamme rouge.
Gritting his teeth as the finish line came into view, Christen began to sense a momentous win was on the horizon, and from behind, Almeida made his definitive move. With Christen now sure to be the stage winner, the Portuguese bridged across to his teammate and with the day’s spoils reserved for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Almeida bowed to Christen for a job well done and the pair came across the line together.
In second on both the stage and GC, Almeida now sits four seconds from the race lead of Christen, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlling the top of the standings.
Christen: “I am super happy, it is an amazing stage win. I think all in all, the first part was quite easy and with the final climb it was all in. Now I am a bit speechless, to win such a climbing stage and with such a strong climbing field at the start. I am super thankful for the team, for João and Antonio, who were in the back protecting me.
“It is amazing to already have a second win of the season. Today is for sure one of my most special victories.”
Here’s the Algarve report from sixth-place Jonas Vingegaard’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Jonas Vingegaard finished sixth in the second stage of the Volta ao Algarve. The Dane from Team Visma | Lease a Bike put in a strong effort on Alto da Foia but ultimately saw the stage win go to Jan Christen.
After the result of the chaotic first stage was cancelled, the peloton faced a challenging hilly stage in the Portuguese race. The final climb, roughly seven kilometers long at an average gradient of six percent, was expected to be the decisive moment of the day—and that proved to be the case.
Stage two's steep finishing profile
Eventual stage winner Christen attacked at the base of the climb, along with Ben Tulett and others. The group gained around thirty seconds, but as the final kilometers approached, Tulett was forced to drop back. Behind them, Vingegaard took on the role of chaser. The Dane moved to the front of the favorites’ group and quickly ate into the lead of the escapees.
For a moment, it looked like Vingegaard might single-handedly close the gap to Christen, but the Swiss rider had one last acceleration in store. Having expended significant energy, Vingegaard saw a few rivals take advantage and make a late move. In the end, he crossed the line in sixth place, ten seconds behind the stage winner.
“The feeling was good, but I am disappointed with the result”, Vingegaard said after the stage. “The team worked as planned. We had Ben up there in the finale, which was good tactically. Unfortunately, he was dropped and then I tried to chase the front group. I came close, but others benefitted from my work in the end. With stage 4 and 5 we still have everything to play for..”
Sports director Arthur van Dongen added some context. “Tactically, we raced well today. Ben was in the attack on the final climb, but unfortunately, he had to let go. Vingegaard then put in a big effort at the front of the favorites’ group and almost single-handedly closed the thirty-second gap. In the end, the riders in his wheel benefited from his work, which is who cycling works. We’re looking ahead to the coming days—everything is still possible in the fight for the overall victory”, Van Dongen concluded optimistically.
And here's the Volta ao Algarve report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Alto da Foia, Portugal’s highest peak, was again visited by the peloton, but this time from a different side than the one in 2020, where Remco Evenepoel won with a spectacular last-kilometer acceleration. This northern side of the first-category ascent was longer and more irregular in gradient than the traditional one, featuring also some gravel road sectors close to the top.
A small peloton comprising some 20-odd men arrived at the foot of this ascent, and as soon as this happened, six riders attacked and got a gap which they carried to the finish, where Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates) took the victory. Both Maximilian Schachman, who made his season debut, and Ilan Van Wilder put in a strong ride Thursday afternoon and managed to limit the losses on their way to finishing in the top 15 on Foia, a result that puts them just three seconds off the first ten in the general classification.
The race continues with the hilly stage three to Tavira. In theory, there could be a bunch sprint at the end of the day, but the many short climbs and rolling roads of the region could also play in the favour of a breakaway group.
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Here’s the team‘s announcement:
Elia Viviani (36) is joining Lotto Cycling Team. The Italian sprinter has signed a one-year contract. "I still want to sprint all-out for every victory, but at the same time, I want to pass on my experience to this young team."
Just before the start of the classic spring season, another rider is joining Lotto Cycling Team’s 25-man roster: Elia Viviani has signed a one-year contract with the team. "I’m very happy to extend my career with Lotto," the Italian sprinter says enthusiastically. "First and foremost, I want to keep sprinting for victories, but I also want to share my experience with this young team. I’m ready to take on that role—giving my new teammates tips, whether they are sprinters or not, and helping them grow."
2022 Tour of Provence stage two: Elia Viviani is the fastest.
Elia Viviani boasts an impressive list of achievements. He won Olympic gold in the omnium on the track and became a two-time world champion in the elimination race. He claimed five stage wins and the points classification in the Giro d’Italia, three stage victories in the Vuelta and one in the Tour de France. He also became both Italian and European road race champion. "At 36, I’m still highly motivated. I’m still a sprinter. I want to win. After focusing on the Olympics and track cycling last summer, it wasn’t easy to find a team, as I hadn’t been able to prove myself on the road. But then Stéphane (Heulot, ed.) heard about my situation, and suddenly, the puzzle pieces fell into place. My wife, Elena Cecchini, actually preceded me. She raced for Lotto in 2015 and was absolutely thrilled that I would be riding for the Belgian team (laughs)."
Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Cycling Team: "I’ve known Elia Viviani for ten years- our paths have crossed at previous teams. That’s why I’m delighted to announce his arrival and welcome him to our team. Elia brings a wealth of experience that he can share with our young riders, and at the same time, I’m convinced he still has an important role to play in the sprints."
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