Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, May 16, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Above anything else, I hate to lose. - Jackie Robinson

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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.

Current racing:

• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
• May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque

Upcoming racing:

• May 17: Veenendaal - Veenendaal Cancelled
• May 18: Rund um Köln

Latest completed racing:

• May 13: Classique Dunkerque
• May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
• May 10: GP du Morbihan
• May 9: Tour du Finistère
• April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
• April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
• April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
• April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
• April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 20: Amstel Gold Race
• April 20: Tour du Doubs
• April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
• April 18: De Brabantse Pijl

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Barry Hoban funeral to be livestreamed

The great British rider Barry Hoban passed away on April 19. Among his many other accomplishments, he won eight Tour de France stages, two Vuelta a España stages and the Gent-Wevelgem classic.

Barry Hoban winning Gent Wevelgem in 1974

Photographer John Pierce sent me this information about the livestreamed Hoban funeral:

In Loving Memory of Barry Hoban BARRY HOBAN FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS. Friday 16th May 15:30 Shrewsbury Crematorium. London Road. SY2 6PS. For those who wish to join us in honoring and remembering Barry's life. The funeral service will be livestreamed on 16th May at 15:30 (UK time) You can watch the service here: Watching Live & On Demand https://watch.obitus.com Username: fowa4999 Password: 552401 Thank you for your love and support during these difficult times.

Here is Barry Hoban leading Eddy Merckx and Felice Gimondi in the 1967 Tour of Flanders. Picture: John Pierce/Photosport International

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Giro d'Italia stage six news

We posted the report from third-place Paul Magnier's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.

Here's the Giro report from GC leader Mads Pedersen's Team Lidl-Trek:

Mads Pedersen retains the lead after a massive mid-race crash resulted in neutralized times

Mads Pedersen was one of the many riders brought down in a crash on Stage 6,  as heavy rain resulted in dangerously slippery roads between Potenza and Napoli. Apart from some soreness, Pedersen came away from the scare relatively unscathed, but will spend some time on the team osteopath’s table this evening to set him straight for Stage 7.

It was decided by the jury that whilst there would still be a stage winner, there would be no time gaps taken into account and no ciclamino points available in Napoli, meaning a bruised Mads could safely make his way to the finish with the stakes lowered.

“I’ve had better days, to say like this. It’s never nice to crash in a downhill like this at 70kph. There were bikes everywhere, I lost mine as well. It happened in a fraction of a second. I feel the body right now. Had I felt good, I would have loved to contest the stage victory also today, I’m a racer and I want to win, but when you hit the deck like I did today, it’s not that easy. I feel the pain from the crash on my right hip, it was not ideal for racing for the win. I just couldn’t be part of a sprint and win today. I wasn’t keen to take more risks, we’re still a long way away from Rome. A decision to neutralise the race was made and I think it was fine.”

Pedersen has enjoyed his stint in the Maglia Rosa immensely so far, having proudly lead the race for five days total, though he is realistic when looking at his chances to retain the jersey tomorrow.

Mads Pedersen before the start of stage six. Sirotti photo

“It’s been a few super nice days, now I have a full story with the Maglia Rosa, it has made it an incredible start of the Giro for me and my team. I’ll enjoy the last moments tomorrow.”

After completing his podium duties as leader of both the general and points classifications, Mads was escorted to Napoli port, where he became the first Pink Jersey wearer to board the Amerigo Vespucci training ship. Whilst initially concerned that the nautical visit would mean an even later arrival in the hotel, a helpful highway escort from the Italian Carabinieri meant that Mads arrived at the hotel even ahead of the team bus.

Sprinter Olav Kooij's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Giro report:

After a chaotic sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia, Team Visma | Lease a Bike never got the chance to contest the sprint finish in Naples. Olav Kooij, last year’s stage winner in the southern Italian city, was boxed in during the finale and couldn’t go for victory.

With 50 kilometers remaining, a major crash occurred in the peloton. At the time, all eight Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders were attentively positioned at the front, while a group mid-pack slid out on the slippery roads. The jury decided to neutralize the race and later announced there would be no time gaps recorded for the general classification. Bonus seconds and points for the points classification were also scrapped.

“I think the jury made a wise decision”, said Wout van Aert afterward. “Crashes can happen in any race, but at one point the roads were extremely slick. It was the right call to stop the race and give everyone who had been held up a chance to rejoin.”

In a significantly reduced peloton, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had to work hard to bring back the two early breakaway riders. In the final kilometer, Van Aert launched with Kooij in his wheel. The latter deliberately left a small gap. About 200 meters from the line, Van Aert was caught, and Kooij opened up his sprint. The Dutchman saw a gap and went for it, but just as he was getting up to speed, Matteo Moschetti shut the door. The Italian was later disqualified for the move, but by then Kooij’s chance was gone. He crossed the line in tenth place.

Kaden Groves winning the Giro stage six sprint. Sirotti photo

Kooij reflected afterward: “When Wout went with 800 meters to go, I decided to hold back slightly. I felt that was the right move at that moment. After he was caught, I saw a gap on the inside and went for it—it’s the fastest line, and a sprinter’s instinct is to take it. But unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one thinking that, and the space quickly disappeared. It’s frustrating not to have had a chance to sprint for the win today.”

“I think both Olav and Wout made the right calls in the finale”, said sports director Marc Reef. “Of course, it all happens in split seconds. Sadly, Olav never got to launch his sprint in the end. That’s disappointing, especially because we put a lot of energy into this stage. The result may not show it, but the way we raced and how the riders felt throughout the day gives us confidence moving forward.”

4 Jours de Dunkerque stage two reports

We posted the report from GC leader Axel Zingle's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Lewis Askey's Team Groupama-FDJ:

He waited more than three years to get his first pro victory. The wait was much shorter to claim his second one. Barely a week after winning the Boucles de l’Aulne, Lewis Askey did it again on Thursday, in stage 2 of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Again, the British rider did so by anticipating an uphill sprint, as he managed to create a gap and maintain it until the finish line. He also climbed to second place overall, while bringing the sixth victory of the season to Groupama-FDJ.

Lewis Askey wins 4 Jours de Dunkerque stage two.

The day after a bunch finish in the streets of Amiens, a more demanding final was on the menu for the second stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque this Thursday. In Crépy-en-Valois, the finish line was indeed located after a 600-meter climb, with a section at nearly 6%, 300 metres to go. Although the sprinters still had every chance of winning, other riders could get involved in the mix, such as Lewis Askey and Thibaud Gruel for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team.

“Given the finish and their qualities, it was logical to ride for them,” said Frédéric Guesdon. “So we wanted to do everything to make sure they were in good condition to compete in this sprint.” The proof happened even before the final, when the day’s breakaway, made up of five riders, still had a two-minute lead with nearly fifty kilometres to go. “The goal was to ride up front, because we had to be careful of the wind and crashes,” Frédéric added. “It’s also a region where echelons can happen, as you quickly find yourself exposed at the top of the climbs. We were maybe positioned a little early, but at least we were.” “It was a stressful race,” added Lewis Askey. “I wanted to be in front, so we went in the lead quite early, and that really gave me confidence.” At the first time on the finish line, with twenty-four kilometres to go, Frédéric Guesdon and William Green’s men were even leading the pack.

In the final loop around Crépy-en-Valois, they also perfectly approached the short climb located six kilometers from the finish, then Cyril Barthe worked hard to keep his two leaders at the front in the last three kilometres. This was successfully achieved, as Lewis Askey entered the last kilometre in fourth position, and Thibaud Gruel a few metres behind.

“They absolutely had to be well positioned at the bottom of the climb, because we knew it was going to go fast and that it would be hard to move up due to the few bends that would stretch the peloton,” explained Frédéric. Still in an ideal position with 500 metres to go, the British rider then decided to anticipate the sprint, as he had done at the Boucles de l’Aulne a week earlier. “He’s a rider who likes to launch from afar, and when there’s a slope, his strength is his kick,” added Frédéric. “He was in a perfect position, and he couldn’t hesitate.” “I still had fresh legs thanks to the guys’ work,” said Lewis. “The plan was to make a long, hard sprint coming out of the last hairpin. After the corner, I saw that there was a small gap behind, I thought “now is the moment to go”, and I got a gap straight away”.

The young man therefore came into the home stretch with a small margin, which proved enough to get the win, after a final, tough effort. “I unclipped on the finish line because I wanted to give it my all, maybe even too much,” smiled Lewis. “Last week’s victory really gave me confidence. I knew today’s finish really suited me. We put the pressure on ourselves this morning, the whole team worked really hard for me, and that gave me a real boost for the sprint. This year, the team gave me the opportunity and the chance to race as the leader, and it’s very nice to be able to pay back everyone.” “He’s for sure in good shape, but once the first victory is here, everything follows,” added Frédéric Guesdon. “He showed that he was capable of winning and that’s something that gives confidence to the rest of the team, who also do this job to live these moments.”

Thanks to this second victory, Lewis Askey also climbed to second place in the general classification, but with the same time as the leader Axel Zingle. Two decisive stages are now coming up. “The general classification will mainly be decided on stage 4 and we will try to do our best,” Lewis added. “He has the legs to be up there until Sunday,” Frédéric said. “Tomorrow, there will still be some twenty kilometres of cobblestones, so it will be hard, nervous, and let’s hope we won’t have bad luck”.

And here's the Dunkerque stage two race report from fifth-place Matys Grisel's Team Lotto:

Matys Grisel sprinted to a nice fifth place in the second stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Cedric Beullens finished seventh.

"It was a particularly nervous race today," said Matys Grisel (19). "The plan was to sprint with Cedric. But coming out of the final corner, I found myself in a very strong position and suddenly realized I was in fourth place, so I just launched the sprint. I ended up fourth, Cedric seventh. Naturally, we’re a bit disappointed—we would’ve preferred to win. But the legs were good, and we showed that today. The team is in good shape, so hopefully we can continue to show that in the coming days."

Matys Grisel winning a stage in the 2024 Tour de Bretagne. Phjoto: Vincent Michel

Today’s second stage covered 178 kilometers between Avesnes-sur-Helpe and Crépy-en-Valois. Tomorrow, the peloton heads into another flat stage, starting in Valenciennes. In the general classification, Cedric Beullens currently sits in 11th place. Jenno Berckmoes, who sprinted to ninth place yesterday, is in 13th.

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