Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, March 7, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
James Joyce was a synthesizer, trying to bring in as much as he could. I am an analyzer, trying to leave out as much as I can. - Samuel Beckett
Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- March 8: Strade Bianche
- March 9 - 16: Paris-Nice
- March 10 - 16: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 19: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 19: Milano-Torino
- March 20: GP de Denain
- March 21: Bredene Koksijde CLassic
- March 22: Milano-Sanremo
Latest completed racing:
- March 5: Trofeo Laigueglia
- March 4: Le Samyn Classic
- February 26 - March 2: O Gran Camiño
- March 2: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- March 2: Faun Drôme Classic
- March 1: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- March 1: Faun Ardèche Classic
- February 17 - 23: UAE Tour
- February 19 - 23: Volta ao Algarve
Here's the team's preview:
There are few races, if any, that can match the beauty of Strade Bianche. Come Saturday, the narrow white gravel roads that weave through the rolling green hills of Tuscany set the stage for one of the toughest races of the year with 82 kilometers of gravel spread across 16 sectors.
Experience counts for a lot at Strade Bianche. And while IPT riders Jakob Fuglsang, Simon Clarke, Hugo Houle, and Krists Neilands have over 20 participations between them in the race, an opportunity awaits for young guys Riley Sheehan, Nadav Raisberg, and race debutant Joe Blackmore.
Jakob Fuglsang finishing second to Julian Alaphilipe in the 2019 Strade Bianche. Sirotti photo
After getting a taste for the sterato during Thursday’s recon, Blackmore is looking forward to getting back to his gravel roots.
“I feel really comfortable on the gravel so I’m excited to race on Saturday,” explains Blackmore. “Obviously, it’s a bit different on road bikes to gravel race but we have wider tires and lower pressure so it should be good. I can’t imagine doing the race in cross winds and rain but the conditions are looking good on Saturday.”
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Blackmore is no doubt set for a baptism by fire, something Sheehan experienced in his debut last year when he crossed the line in last place, just two seconds inside the time cut. He returns knowing what to expect and hungry to race.
“Last year was tough, coming in off a tough Opening Weekend the weekend before where I got slapped in the face on one side and then Strade Bianche slapped me on the other side,” Sheehan says laughing. “I’m really excited to be back, I know what to expect, and I know my level is better than it was last year. I think with the team we have, we have a lot of cards to play and with how hard the race looks now, it’s going to be a good race for our team as I think we can all back each other up.”
While IPT isn’t lining up as race favorites, Head Sports Director Sam Bewley is confident in the team’s approach.
“Strade Bianche is a race that favors the brave and we will look to race aggressively to take whatever opportunities present themselves in the race,” adds Bewley. “Our young guys like Joe and Riley are future leaders and deserve the opportunity to have the support of the team so we will back them in the race, while giving the other guys, especially the likes of Jakob and Simon, free cards to go with moves in the critical moments of the race. Sectors five through to nine are going to be really crucial and with the introduction of the new sector seven, it’s going to be a tough middle section which could prove decisive.”
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Here's the team's update:
One of the most important stage races of the year, and for many the last outing before Milano-Sanremo, Tirreno-Adriatico takes place between 10-16 March. Our team took the overall glory once, in addition to this scoring a total of 18 stage wins, and will look to play again an important role there at the 60th edition.
Mattia Cattaneo, Josef Cerny, Mikel Landa – a top-three finisher at Tirreno-Adriatico in back-to-back years – Paul Magnier, Tour of Oman runner-up Valentin Paret-Peintre, Casper Pedersen and Pepijn Reinderink are the seven Soudal Quick-Step riders who will be present in Lido di Camaiore, from where the race will get underway with a short individual time trial.
Mikel Landa (shown at the 2024 Tour de France) will ride Tirreno-Adriatico. Sirotti photo
One day later, in Follonica, but also in San Benedetto del Tronto – where the event traditionally comes to a conclusion on Sunday – the sprinters are expected to be in the spotlight, although the fight for the prestigious blue jersey and Neptun’s trident should unfold on the hilly roads to Pergola and on the steep gradients of Frontignano, the climb coming at the end of the penultimate stage.
“Tirreno-Adriatico is a race where we have had a lot of success in the last twenty years, and we would like to be again in the mix for a stage victory. Paul comes here after a couple of impressive results that he has racked up since the start of the season and we will support him in the sprints, while Mikel and Valentin will be our riders for the harder stages. Concerning the general classification, we’ll just take it one day at a time and see how things go and where we are after each stage”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati.
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Here’s the team’s update:
Arnaud Démare:
Paris-Nice is a great race that I've often won in my career. This year, I'm hoping to see some fine sprints and good performances in this stage race, which will feature several massive finishes. It's usually the first major event of the year for a good number of riders, whatever their sporting characteristics and qualities. I'm still very excited about Paris-Nice.
Arnaud Démare in yellow in the 2017 Paris-Nice. Sirotti photo
Ewen Costiou:
Last year, I discovered Paris-Nice with the Arkea-B&B Hotels team. It's one of the most beautiful races on the World Tour calendar, but also one of the toughest. I was surprised by the atmosphere of the race. It's one of the first major events of the year for most of the riders and you can feel it. The pressure is greater. I'm very happy to be returning to this race for the second year running. In 2024, I had a very good Paris-Nice (17th overall) and I was surprised by my level. This season, the ambitions will be higher for the team and for me, because the time for discovery is over. With the Arkea-B&B Hotels team, we want to do better, both with Arnaud Démare on the sprint stages and with myself on the general classification and some great stages. The final stage will be on my training ground with the eighth and final stage, Nice - Nice (119.9 km). It'll be tough, but I know these roads well. I'm looking forward to it.
Arnaud Gérard, Sports Director:
Paris-Nice is the ‘first big event’ of the season. The first major stage race on the WorldTour calendar. All the stages are contested, but in this race the intensity often goes up several notches. It's often the benchmark race at the start of the year. The condensed nature of the stages also gives all the riders a chance to express themselves, whether they're sprinters, rouleurs, daredevils or climbers, with the final weekend between Nice and Auron, and the traditional Nice-Nice stage. Arnaud Démare will be our trump card for the sprint finishes, and for the general classification and the other stages, we'll be able to rely on Ewen Costiou, 17th overall in 2024 in his first time on the ‘Course au Soleil’, and Raúl García Pierna. They will be backed up by a group of experienced sailors including Florian Sénéchal, Thibault Guernalec and Miles Scotson. Pierre Thierry, for his part, will be discovering the event with no doubt a great appetite, linked to his youth and his desire to do well.
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