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Saturday, September 13, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. - Socrates

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Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2021: The Little Cannibal Dominates is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• August 23 - September 14: Vuelta a España
• September 13: Memorial Marco Pantani

Upcoming racing:

• September 14: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
• September 14: GP de Fourmies
• September 14: Trofeo Matteotti
• September 17 - 21: Tour de Luxembourg
• September 17: GP de Wallonie

Latest completed racing:

• September 12: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
• September 2 - 7: Tour of Britain
• August 31: Bretagne Classic-Ouest France
• August 26 - 29: Tour Poitou Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
• August 20 - 24: Renewi Tour
• August 19 - 22: Tour du Limousin
• August 17: Hamburg Cyclassics
• August 17: La Polynormande
• August 12 - 16: Tour of Denmark
• August 15: Circuit Franco-Belge

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Vuelta a España stage 19 reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from second-place Mads Pedersen's Team Lidl-Trek:

Stage 19 of La Vuelta a España offered a golden opportunity for the sprinters, and Mads Pedersen made sure to make it count. From the early kilometers, the Team worked with purpose. The 160km stage featured rolling terrain but was always likely to end in a sprint, so the guys rode accordingly, controlling the breakaway, protecting Mads and positioning him perfectly in the final run-in. With the fast men eyeing one of their last chances at victory, the tension in the peloton was palpable, but the guys stayed calm under pressure. Crosswinds were on everyone’s mind and despite some flurries just inside 35km to go, nothing stuck.

Mads Pedersen (greeen race kit, center) is just a bit back as Jasper Philipsen (far left) gets to the line. Sirotti photo

As the race hit the final kilometers, the Team moved to the front, guiding Pedersen into the perfect position for the sprint. Mads launched at the right moment – powering down the final straight but possibly the slightest bit too far back. In the end, he was just pipped by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who took the stage win by a narrow margin. While it wasn’t the top step of the podium, Pedersen’s second place brought more points in the green jersey competition which now sits comfortably on his back.

Speaking after the stage, Pedersen reflected on the effort:
I’m proud of what we did today. The guys worked hard all day, kept me safe, and put me exactly where I needed to be. I gave it everything in the sprint, and while second place always stings a little, it’s a good result. We’re motivated to finish this Vuelta strong.

Here's the Vuelta report from GC leader Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike came through stage nineteen of the Vuelta a España without any issues. Jonas Vingegaard stayed alert, even picking up four bonus seconds at an intermediate sprint. As a result, the Dane heads into Saturday’s final mountain stage with a 44-second lead.

It looked to be a stage without much drama. Team Visma | Lease a Bike kept a tight formation at the front of the peloton, calmly controlling the chase behind a lone rider who held a lead of more than two minutes.

Approaching an intermediate sprint, Vingegaard’s teammates suddenly pushed to the front, allowing him to grab those valuable four bonus seconds. His advantage grew from forty to forty-four seconds in the run-up to Saturday’s decisive mountain stage to Bola del Mundo.

Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the middle of the front finishing group. Sirotti photo

“The four seconds are a nice bonus”, said Vingegaard. “When we were up front, we saw the chance to take them, and it’s always better to win seconds than to lose them. Most of all, I’m happy we got through the day without problems. That makes it a good day for us as a team. I’m still in the lead, I feel good, and I have a strong team around me. I’m looking forward to the final days of this Vuelta.”

Sports director Mørkøv agreed with his leader’s view. “It was indeed a good day for us. We were always in the right position and rode with great focus, ready in case of crosswinds. We kept Jonas out of trouble at all times. He even managed to grab four extra seconds, but above all, it was important that he reached the finish safely”, the Dane concluded.

Here's the Vuelta report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Guijuelo was visited again by the peloton, for the first time since 1990, the year of the first stage finish that took place in the small town located in the province of Salamanca. It was a quiet day for the field, who didn’t have to work too hard in order to bring back the breakaway, as this consisted of just one rider, whose maximum gap reached three minutes.

The only nervous moment of the race came 50 kilometers from the line, when many of the GC teams moved to the front of the peloton as soon as the wind picked up, hoping to split the group in the crosswinds. Things quickly calmed down and the bunch prepared for the mass gallop in Guijuelo, on a 3.1% average gradient which favoured the pure sprinters, but also those carrying a bit of punch.

The peloton races across northern Spain. Sirotti photo

After a hectic finale, the victory went to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Junior Lecerf, who sits 11th on the GC after a series of impressive displays in Spain, was also the first member of T-Rex Quick-Step to cross the line. Now, the riders will prepare for the final summit finish of this edition, which will take the peloton on the steep slopes of Bola del Mundo.

And here's the Vuelta report from Team Groupama-FDJ:

Two weeks after the last bunch finish in the Vuelta, the sprinters were finally back on the scene this Friday in Guijuelo, on stage 19. Thibaud Gruel took the opportunity to show his speed in a slight uphill finish, where he claimed his second top-10 finish of the race. Ninth, the Frenchman will have another chance in Madrid on Sunday, while the final mountain stage is coming tomorrow, towards Bola del Mundo.

30,000 metres of climbing and five summit finishes later, the Vuelta peloton was back on sprint-friendly terrain this Friday, on stage 19, between Rueda and Guijuelo. Despite a profile not being completely flat, the fast men weren’t about to let one of their rare chances slip away, and the fight for the breakaway was, unusually, quite short. Two men took the lead as soon as the flag dropped, and only one ultimately remained in front to lead the way: Jakub Otruba.

The Czech rider got a maximal gap of four minutes over the peloton but was brought back to just one minute at the intermediate sprint in Salamanca, about sixty kilometres from the finish. “Everyone was a little afraid of the wind, especially after Salamanca,” explained Frédéric. “There was a bit of wind before, we went through the town, and then it was gone. There were a few small attempts of echelons, but it didn’t make a difference. There was a lot of tension, but eventually, nothing much to report.”

The peloton’s accelerations, however, meant in the end of the adventure for the fugitive, who was caught more than fifty kilometres from the finish, before a duo from Burgos Burpellet BH quickly relaunched from the pack. However, this group was neutralized about twenty minutes later, and then the fight for positioning gradually took place. With just over ten kilometres to go, the Groupama-FDJ team also emerged at the front of the peloton.

“The goal was to sprint with Thibaud today,” Frédéric explained. The young man was brought by Rémi Cavagna and Stefan Küng up until the last seven kilometres, just before a crucial downhill. After tackling it in the top ten positions, the young puncher also finished it with good positioning, and from then on, he tried hard to stay in the upper part of the bunch. “The sprint’s approach was a bit technical, but the last two kilometres were on a nice road,” said Frédéric. “It was a beautiful finish, slightly uphill, and I liked it,” added Thibaud. On his own, he was however unable to contain the comebacks from behind in the final few hundred metres, and therefore found himself slightly in the back in the last 500 metres.

At the very start of the stage Jakob Otruba (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) attacked.

After a long sprint and a strong finish, he was still able to secure ninth place while Jasper Philipsen claimed another victory. “I was a bit on my limit, to be honest,” said Thibaud. “I fought to do the best I could, but my legs weren’t the best. I was hoping for a bit more on a finish like this. That being said, it was a tough final, and the legs did the talking.” “To get another top-10 finish while not feeling super, is still not bad, especially at the end of the third week in your first Grand Tour,” Frédéric added. “It’s still a positive day.” Two stages remain on the menu on this Vuelta: a probable sprint in Madrid on Sunday, and a summit finish at Bola del Mundo tomorrow. “As we’ve been doing since the beginning, we’ll try to get a head start on the favorites by joining the breakaway, then we’ll see,” Frédéric added.

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