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Tuesday, May 20, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people. - Isaac Newton
James Witherell's book Bicycle History: A Chronological History of People, Races and Technology is available in both print and Kindle eBook formats. To get your copy just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
Upcoming racing:
- May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 18: Rund um Köln
- 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
Ulissi's Team XDS Astana posted this:
In the second rest day at the Giro d’Italia Diego Ulissi talks on the start in Albania, KOM jersey of Lorenzo Fortunato, team goals and pink jersey.
“It’s my first Giro d’Italia with XDS Astana Team, and the first week has gone quite well for us. From the opening days in Albania, we started with high morale, we had big ambitions for this race, and my teammates are all very focused and committed. The mood inside the team is simply perfect, we all get along well and trust one another. Right from the early stages, we showed strong form and Lorenzo (Fortunato) made it onto the podium taking the lead in the KOM classification, which of course gave all of us a big boost. Our main goal is to hunt for points and stage wins, but having Lorenzo already leading the KOM classification is a bonus for us. It naturally became one of our additional targets – to bring this jersey all the way to Rome.
Diego Ulissi in pink after stage eight. He would lose the GC lead in stage nine. Sirotti photo
“Now we’re at the second rest day, and the pink jersey made this first week even more special. It was a great achievement for us. We were aiming for a win on Stage 8, but in the end, I became the leader of the General Classification. It was a dream come true. I remember standing at the finish line, waiting for the final confirmation of the GC lead barely believing it was real. I tried to stay calm, not to get excited too early, afraid it might not be true, but it was all real! My teammates were so happy for me. You could see the reactions from Lorenzo, who was there with me, and Fausto Masnada, who arrived a bit later. It looked like they were even happier than I was! It’s a moment that has already made this Giro unforgettable and has given us even more motivation to fight for our goals.
“This season is new not only for me with the team, but also for our new title sponsor. I’m proud that we’re performing well and making the debut year of XDS in the peloton so eventful. Wearing the pink jersey with their name on it was a very special moment for me. The material and equipment we’ve received are top-level, and I think our results speak for themselves. I’m really happy that their first year in the WorldTour is going so well, and I hope we’ll continue achieving even bigger results.
“Tomorrow, a new week begins, and we’re all looking forward to it. We have a strong line-up, and everyone is highly motivated to deliver results. We’ll definitely keep fighting for stage wins and to defend Fortunato’s lead in the KOM classification. Also here with me is my roommate, Christian Scaroni, who’s in great shape and always ready to perform. I think he’s just waiting for the right moment, and I’m sure it will come very soon.”
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Here’s the team’s post:
A Giro that brought a strong start has taken some sharp turns, but the team continues the fight towards Rome.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe commenced the Giro with high ambitions, led by Primož Roglič, who secured an early second-place finish in the Stage two time trial in Tirana, finishing only very narrowly behind stage winner Tarling. This performance earned the Slovenian rider the maglia rosa for the first time in this year's race, and marked a promising beginning for the team.
Primoz Roglic in pink after stage two. Sirotti photo
Stage six, however, brought significant challenges; a mass crash in wet conditions led to the withdrawal of key rider Jai Hindley. Teammates Giovanni Aleotti, Dani Martínez and Jan Tratnik also went down in the incident, another challenge for the squad to work to overcome. The following stage, Primož took back the pink jersey for another day, after finishing in a reduced group in the race’s first mountaintop finish.
The gravel terrain of Stage nine proved tough, with Primož experiencing an untimely crash and puncture, resulting in a loss of around two minutes, which saw him drop to tenth in the general classification. As the team now takes in the rest day, the squad remains determined, however, to capitalise on the opportunities remaining in the second half of the race on the road to Rome.
Sports Director Christian Pömer:
"I think it was always expected that this Giro would deliver some major drama on the Strade Bianche stage. We ended up playing one of the roles in that drama that didn’t play out in the most positive way, which is a shame, as we had such a strong start in Albania. Primož took a great second place in the time trial and wore the pink jersey. Things were going smoothly from there.
But with a bit of distance, I can now say that the crash really hit us hard.
"Everyone knows we lost Jai Hindley in that incident, one of our key riders. But Giovanni Aleotti also came out of it in bad shape. Dani Martínez was affected too, and also Jan Tratnik has been dealing with some issues since then.
"From that moment on, it hasn’t been the race we envisaged. I think we handled stages seven and eight quite well, but unfortunately, on the gravel stage, Primož wasn’t able to receive the support he deserved. That’s why, looking at the race overall, things feel a bit frustrating right now.
"Still, I want to highlight Giulio Pellizzari. He’s a young, talented rider with a bright future, and it’s been great to see him develop. And I also think that as a team, as a unit, we’ve really grown together over the last few days. The spirit is strong.
"As I’ve said before: the final week of the Giro always has the potential to change everything. That’s our mantra now. We’ll fight together all the way to the Colosseum in Rome, aiming for the best result possible, and we hope the process keeps moving in the right direction."
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The team posted this:
On stage 4 many of our riders were involved in a big crash. Sadly, Nick Zukowsky broke his collarbone and had to abandon his first Grand Tour.
An update from our team doctor Dr. Lorenz Emmert.
“Nick was released from hospital last Friday after having surgery on the collarbone. The bone was in five pieces so the surgeon had to perform a longer incision. Nick won’t be able to train at all for the next two weeks to avoid infection or dislocation. After that we evaluate his condition again.”
In this week of racing the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team also managed to step onto the podium of a Grand Tour stage for the first time in its history. Tom Pidcock sprinted to third place on stage 5.
Tom Pidcock (left of pink jersey'd Mads Pedersen) gets third in Giro stage 5. Sirotti photo
The final of the 151-kilometer-long stage from Ceglie Messapicato to Matera was a punchy one with a climb with gradients up to 10% in the final three kilometers.
“It was a hard final. They race so hard these days that there are still a hundred left up there,” Pidcock analysed. “You have to be very focused all the time. I don’t think we as a team could have done anything different. You have to go with the race. I was on Mads’ wheel and let the pace go a bit. I should have gone straight past but it was a long way so I went around him. Third is not bad though.”
All eyes were on stage 9 where the final would resemble that of the iconic Strade Bianche, a race Tom won in the past and where he was second this year. Sadly, it was a day of bad luck for the team and for Tom.
Sports director Gabriele Missaglia looks back: “We looked forward to this stage because we know the parcours perfectly well. The team took control at the front of the peloton to make sure the breakaway wouldn’t get too far and that Tom could start the first gravel sector in a good position.
"He did. He was in the first group of 20 riders but at the end of the first sector Tom was involved in a crash. He restarted immediately but then he punctured the real wheel. The team car was too far back, and Milan Vader gave his bike. After a second puncture getting back to the front became impossible. All groups were going full gas.
"I am happy because Tom was very strong, and the team worked incredibly well. Everyone did their best job for him. We just didn’t have the luck today. I am disappointed about the result but not because we were bad as a team but because without luck it isn’t possible.”
The Giro d’Italia starts again on Tuesday with the second and last time trial of the race. It’s a 28.6-kilometre-long, mostly flat ride from Lecce to Pisa.
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Here's the announcement from the team:
David Gaudu will ride under our colors until 2027. This extension with his long-standing team is a sign of confidence in a structure that enables him to keep up with the best riders in the international peloton. Having turned professional with the FDJ team in 2017, David has enjoyed great sporting success (4th in the Tour de France, 3rd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 2nd in Paris-Nice, 2 stage wins in La Vuelta). Having arrived at the age of 20, David is an emblematic leader and an example of the success of the Groupama-FDJ training school. The entire staff and team look forward to continuing this wonderful adventure, and wish David every success in the future!
David Gaudu going deep in 2024 Vuelta a España stage 15. Sirotti photo
“Extending my contract with Groupama-FDJ team is an obvious decision, but above all it’s motivated by a real conviction: that my story here is not over. This is the team that gave me my chance at the highest level, that accompanied me every step of the way, and that continues to have faith in me season after season. The years go by, but the desire remains intact. Like my performances at the start of the season in Oman and during La Vuelta 2024, I feel I’m reaching new heights with the team. I’m convinced there are great things to come over the next two years.” - David Gaudu
“Sixth in the Vuelta 2024 and recent stage winner in the Tour of Oman, David Gaudu has once again demonstrated the extent of his talent and physical qualities, which saw him finish 4th in the Tour de France in 2022 or win the Tour de l’Avenir at the very start of his career. Trust, a core value shared with our partners Groupama and FDJ, finds a concrete illustration in David, who has been a pillar of the team for seven seasons. His loyalty and commitment make him a key figure in our sporting project. By extending David’s contract for a further two years, we are reaffirming this mutual trust and our shared desire to see him establish himself as one of the top general classification riders in stage races.” - Thierry Cornec
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