All the racing from Belgium, Spain and Italy with the Men’s and women’s Gent-Wevelgem, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, E3 Saxo Classic and the women’s Classic Brugge-De Panne – Reports, results, rider quotes and video.
Tom Boonen talks about the riders of today – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Mathieu van der Poel has a haircut for the Spring Classics, Mark Cavendish is struggling with ill-health and Wout Poels doesn’t even try to follow Tadej Pogačar.
Team news: Patrick Lefevere not too happy After E3 Saxo Classic and José Manuel Diaz breaks fibula while at the race doctor’s car.
Race news: The farmers will take action during the spring races, but will not disrupt the races.
Monday coffee time.
TOP STORY: Tom Boonen: “In one season I rode the entire list of achievements of Mathieu van der Poel”
It has been seven years since Tom Boonen retired as a professional cyclist. Tommeke took 122 professional victories in his career from 2002 to 2017, in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Boonen spoke about the current riders and how they compare to when he was racing. “I would have liked to race against the men of today. Attacking from afar, doing something ‘crazy’, that would match well with my way of racing.”
According to Boonen, it is now more ‘relaxing’ being a rider these days. “On January 1, riders will know from Visma | Lease a Bike, for example, says that they will be at 5% fat on April 1. That gives you peace of mind. For me it was still: planning my own meals, arranging my own physiotherapist… Also because I was too proud to be assisted. Now I think: why was I so stupid not to realise that you can get better by being guided.”
The guidance is much better now than it was when Boonen was with Quick-Step. “The knowledge was already there, but now they can apply it better. With us it was still really: sixty grams of sugar per hour, the body could not process more. Meanwhile it is almost twice as much. Riders now also maintain their weight throughout the year. With us, the idea was that you had to ‘train yourself lean’. I was actually hungry for ten years.”
The number of races that riders ride has also changed compared to the past. “Today’s riders race very little. While I had a year in which I already had 40 competition days for Roubaix. Now that’s a season. To put it bluntly: there is not much in the list of achievements of today. Not even with a champion like Mathieu van der Poel. I rode that in one season,” Boonen laughed
Boonen also sees a major change in the way people interact in cycling. “What is also different now: the atmosphere between riders and between riders and the press has become so much more friendly. That’s a kind of camaraderie that didn’t exist before. If I didn’t win two classics one spring, like in 2010 against Cancellara, I was completely destroyed /by the Belgian press).”
Although Boonen has also had his fair share of criticism in his career, he was the Belgian ‘Blue Eyed Boy’. Paris-Roubaix four times, three Tour of Flanders, World champion…. etc. He has now transferred this champion status to men such as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. “Every generation has its own champions. In any case, I would have liked to race against the men of today. Attacking from afar, doing something ‘crazy’, that would match my way of racing.”
Tommeke: ‘Different in my day’:
Gent-Wevelgem 2024
Mads Pedersen won the 2024 Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday after an exciting duel with Mathieu van der Poel. After an attacking 253 kilometres, which was split by the crosswinds in De Moeren and then destroyed in the hills, the Dane was the faster man in the final sprint. Van der Poel and Pedersen were together after the last time over the Kemmelberg and the peloton left their chase just too late.
It took a while before an early break formed. After more than 30 kilometres, Michael Mørkøv (Astana Qazaqstan), Johan Jacobs (Movistar), Kelland O’Brien (Jayco AlUla), Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech), William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility) and Cyrus Monk (Q36.5) escaped. Dries de Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) joined them. The group took a 5 minute gap on the peloton. The break’s lead disappeared when they hit the Moeren. The predicted wind, with gusts of up to 70kph, split the peloton into pieces. Around a group of 30 thirty riders survived at the front, including Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, Tim Merlier, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Stefan Küng. They caught the leading group 120 kilometres from the finish. Bahrain Victorious, Jayco AlUla and Lotto Dstny had missed the move, so the chase had to start in the peloton. The difference fluctuated around 30 to 40 seconds for a long time, but they got back together at the start of the Baneberg. A large group headed towards the Kemmelberg for the first time.
Mathieu van der Poel started the attacks. Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan were on his wheel and a little later Jasper Stuyven, Tim van Dijke, Laurence Pithie and Rasmus Tiller managed to cross. The peloton, with almost all sprinters, was at about 30 seconds. Lidl-Trek had the advantage of numbers and so Milan jumped away. He started the first section of ‘gravel’ with a lead of 25 second. Behind him, Van der Poel threw the hammer down on the rough road. Only Pedersen and Pithie could follow him. Stuyven was struck with a puncture, Van Dijke and Tiller seemed to have gone off course. Van der Poel and Pithie closed the gap to Milan, with Pedersen in tow, so there were now four leaders on the way to the Kemmelberg for the second time. The peloton was at 50 seconds after the three sections of gravel and was led by BORA-hansgrohe and Visma | Lease a Bike.
Before the second time up the Kemmel, the peloton came very close to the leaders. At the front, Pedersen was the best on the cobbled climb, although Van der Poel and Pithie caught him on the descent. The chasing group of more than 30 riders were only 20 seconds behind. the race was still wide open at this point. Hugo Page and Ben Turner put in a chase, while Lidl-Trek and Groupama-FDJ tried to slow the peloton. The race was heading to the Kemmelberg for the last time, 34 kilometres from the finish. Pedersen put in a strong effort on the cobbled climb, Van der Poel struggled for a bit, but the World champion fought his way back to the Dane’s wheel. Pithie was dropped on the Kemmelberg, but could still see the two in front of him on the descent, but the gap quickly increased as Van der Poel and Pedersen worked well together. The peloton was at more than 1 minute due to no one wanting to work. Pithie, Page, Turner and (now also) Anthony Turgis were between break and bunch, but they were going nowhere.
The power of Pedersen and Van der Poel kept the peloton at bay and it looked like we would have a two-man sprint battle in Wevelgem. Soudal Quick-Step, Visma | Lease a Bike and BORA-hansgrohe had by this point got their act together and started to chase. The bunch started to close the gap in the last 10 kilometres, but had they left it too late? Patrick Lefevere must have given his men a good talking too after the E3 Saxo Classic. Van der Poel and Pedersen had to keep the speed up to the finish. The poker game started in the last 2 kilometres. The Dane did a bit more work and was forced into the lead by the World champion in the final kilometre. This didn’t bother Pedersen and he started a long sprint: 300 metres out. Van der Poel held the dane for as long as he could, but his legs gave out after a hard day, 50 metres from the finish. Pedersen had the win. The peloton got very close, but it was too late. Jordi Meeus was first across the line from the bunch for third place, just ahead of the Milano-Sanremo winner, Jasper Philipsen in fourth. Jonathan Milan was fifth after his attacking day.
*** You can see the full PEZ ‘Race Report’ with the best photos HERE. ***
Race winner, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “I had to believe that the sprint was good enough to beat Mathieu. With the shaky showings lately, it was hard to believe, but I had to try the sprint and nothing else. It was a gamble and I took the front because I knew he would be happy, and Deceuninck would be happy, if the bunch came back with [Jasper] Philipsen. So I had to keep the speed high and hope I still had the legs for the sprint. With Johnny attacking it was the first move from the team to put pressure on the rest of the guy and luckily for us, Mathieu had to work there to close him. We were up for the challenge to keep going like that. Luckily for me it took a long time for Mathieu and the guys in the breakaway to close Johnny, and it made it in my favour. It’s never nice to be up against a guy like [Van der Poel,]. He’s the world champion, and he is one of the biggest stars in cycling, and he’s pretty damn good. The only thing I could do was to believe in myself and hope it would be enough, and yeah, luckily it was. It’s a bit of pressure and a bit stressful to have him around when we have to sprint. After E3 we talked about having numbers and we did a strong team performance and I think what we left Friday, we picked up again today. So we’re really happy with the team and the classics squad we have and hopefully we can keep building on what we’re doing. New sponsor, new responsibility, more pressure, new signings, everything is getting bigger and bigger, and I think the whole team is living up to what we want and where we want to be. And I think again, that’s what we need to be able to beat these superstars of cycling because, don’t get me wrong, but on our team, we don’t have these superstars. But with the right numbers, we are able to beat them.”
2nd, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I had very little confidence in my sprint, if I’m honest. I really suffered a lot today. On the second time at the Kemmelberg I almost lost to Mads and the last time it was just trying to keep the wheel. The strongest has won. At some point you have to make a decision. As World champion you also want to ride in that situation, and Jasper didn’t win the sprint either. It was quite gruelling. I took Friday’s race with me, but Mads also rode that, so that is no excuse. But here the strongest won. I certainly didn’t have the legs I had on Friday. I sometimes felt in character about it and would have liked to win, but there was one stronger.”
3rd, Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe): “This is very nice. The first two were out of category. Third place was the highest possible. That’s not bad after these motorbikes. I don’t have the feeling that we dawdled much after that last Kemmelberg. That leading duo simply estimated it well. If we had started chasing earlier, we might not have caught them. It was a matter of waiting and timing correctly. Luckily I was able to get through some small gaps. I am now looking at where I will get in Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and then I will ride the Tour of Flanders to get some kilometres in my legs. My focus is on Paris-Roubaix.”
4th, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It’s certainly not easy to win, Pedersen is a very strong rider. With him at the front you know it won’t be easy to win the race. I was in a good position in the Moeren, but it was still far. When that group went to the Kemmelberg I was a bit surprised, but it was not a bad situation for us. Mathieu sat at the front. We didn’t really have to ride. The chase wasn’t very fast, which allowed a fairly large group to sprint for third place. It’s a shame that Mathieu didn’t win, but I think we have already ridden some nice races. They (Lidl-Trek) were really strong, also well represented at the front on the Kemmelberg. I think it was a good situation for us. In principle you have a 50% chance of winning, but Pedersen was very strong today.”
7th, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “This Ghent-Wevelgem was pretty different compared to the previous editions. It was probably the first time I raced in such a windy conditions with echelons from the beginning of the race. It was quite hard, but I could appreciate it. The Belgian classics are so atypical, when the peloton exploded my Bryton showed that we still had 120 kilometre with many difficulties to race. Just like in our previous races like Milano-Sanremo and the E3 Classic we showed our collective strength. With such a strong group I am convinced that our best days are yet to come. Personally, I am focused on Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, two prestigious races in which I want to benefit from my good shape.”
Break rider, Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ): “I couldn’t follow those two when they left. My legs hurt a lot, I tried to push as hard as possible to reach them, but then my legs gave out. It is becoming a constant… Fortunately I am still young and I am sure that as I grow and mature, both physically and as a runner, I will have the legs to keep up with them. But I’m not too far from that moment. When the three pursuers caught up with me, I tried to collaborate with them, but at that moment the group pushed by Visma | Lease a Bike and Quick-Step was flying, so there was not much to do. They caught up with us and I no longer had the legs to sprint for a position. Anyway, nothing lost. I don’t regret anything, I’ve given everything, but I haven’t had enough.”
Gent-Wevelgem Result:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek in 5:36:00
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Jordi Meeus (Bel) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:16
4. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
6. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla
10. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor.
Wevelgen’24:
Gent-Wevelgem Women 2024
Lorena Wiebes is the winner of the 2024 women’s Gent-Wevelgem. After a race of more than 170 kilometres, the race finished in a bunch sprint from a thinned peloton. It took a photo-finish to decide the winner. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) was very close to Wiebes with her final jump. Chiara Consonni finished third.
The women’s Gent-Wevelgem was the longest one-day race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar. The race was longer than the maximum 160 kilometres allowed by the UCI. After passing through De Moeren, the Heuvelland followed after 100 kilometres, with seven climbs: the Scherpenberg, the Baneberg, the Monteberg, the Kemmelberg (for the first time), Scherpenberg (again), the Baneberg and finally the Kemmelberg (Ossuaire), 34 kilometres from the finish.
The break of the day formed after only 5 kilometres and consisted of six riders: Laura Molenaar (VolkerWessels), Lieke Nooijen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Julie Van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Giorgia Vettorello (Roland) and Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). They took a 6 minute lead.
SD Worx-Protime set the pace and so the break was caught with 80 kilometres to go. A compact peloton started the hills, where Lotte Kopecky attacked on the Baneberg. It was the start of an explosion on the first climb of the Kemmelberg. Kopecky was joined by Lorena Wiebes, Puck Pieterse, Pfeiffer Georgi and Silvia Persico. Lidl-Trek duo Elisa Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini also joined them and the 7 leaders pulled away. The group didn’t work well and it all came back together, it looked like the race would be decided on the last time up the Kemmelberg. Kopecky rode strongly with Wiebes on her wheel. Georgi was the only rider who could follow the SD Worx-Protime duo. They didn’t work together and this allowed a group with Pieterse, Longo Borghini, Shirin van Anrooij, Karlijn Swinkels and Marlen Reusser to catch them.
It was a thinned peloton that started the final flat 25 kilometres. Lidl-Trek took the initiative for sprinter Elisa Balsamo. There were various attacks, especially from Floortje Mackaij and Emma Norsgaard, but they were neutralised, so there would be a bunch sprint. Grace Brown didn’t want to wait and jumped away 2.5 kilometres from the finish and forced Ellen van Dijk to do the chase work. The Dutch rider had already closed-down many attacks and couldn’t respond. Brown was still solo with 1K to go, but was caught by the sprint trains. Kopecky’s lead-out for Wiebes was perfect, but Balsamo came up strong from Wiebes’ wheel. The finish photo had to be used to determine the winner and it gave the win to Wiebes by a narrow margin. Chiara Consonni was third, Charlotte Kool fourth.
Race winner, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “I made some mistakes in the sprint, but it was just good enough. Finally I won. It also took some years. I am very happy with this, also with how the team has worked. We tried to make the race fast and we succeeded, but not well enough. I had a small feeling, but I didn’t dare say it. Then it’s better not to cheer than to cheer too early, but luckily it was enough. That lead-out was super good and I had 100% confidence in Lotte. We have already shown good things this season. Marlen did set the pace, but the peloton came too close. If I have to ride away, I also compromise on my sprint and then there was a chance that we would crash. It was also still far to the finish. So we heard that choice from the support car this time.”
3rd, Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ): “I am very happy. Finally a podium. It was what I expected. I was there to play for victory, so I’m very happy. Maybe in the end I had to anticipate a moment, but I am happy with my state. We still have two important races left and I hope this podium is a good omen. We knew we had to be careful at kilometre 40, there was a lot of wind that could have broken the race and we stayed in a small group, but then with the wind in our favour we regrouped. We knew that passing over the two Kemmels was the most important thing and fortunately I was able to escape in the second group, but then we regrouped and reached the finish line.”
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “I’m happy with how the race went today. I knew that Gent-Wevelgem was a big target for Wiebes and I’m glad I was able to do my bit. She has improved enormously in the short effort and that gives her even more chances of winning in races like Gent-Wevelgem or even the Amstel Gold Race. Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool were not there, so the other riders from Lidl-Trek and DSM served as switches. Lidl-Trek had a lot of confidence thanks to Balsamo’s victories and it showed in the way she raced. In fact, it would have been nice to escape with a small group. We divided the work and controlled the race, making escape impossible for the competition. Maybe we should have left more work for Lidl-Trek, but in the end it’s about who wins.”
Gent-Wevelgem Women Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 4:16:19
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Chiara Consonni (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
4. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
5. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Uno-X Mobility
6. Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Movistar
7. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
8. Thalita de Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny
9. Christina Schweinberger (Aust) Fenix-Deceuninck
10. Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can) Roland.
Wevelgen’24:
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2024
Stage 4 of the Tour of Catalonia was the only chance for the sprinters. Marijn van den Berg of EF Education-EasyPost beat Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) and Emīls Liepiņš (dsm-firmenich PostNL) in the gallop.
After the start in Sort, the stage went to the Cat.2 Port d’Ager (3.9km at 6.8%), the only climb of the day.
The first attacker was Thomas De Gendt. The Lotto Dstny rider has won five stages of the Tour of Catalunya in his career. The chances of an early escape on a flat stage seemed small, but De Gendt gave it a go. Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma), Idar Andersen (Uno-X Mobility) joined De Gendt. The three gained just over 3 minutes. De Gendt took the mountain points and the two intermediate sprints. Berrade and Andersen were just happy to be there. With 60 kilometres to go, De Gendt put the pressure on. Berrade was dropped, but Andersen was able to work. Behind in the peloton, the sprinter’s teams had started to chase. Intermarché-Wanty was working for Arne Marit and Cofidis for Bryan Coquard and due to their work, De Gendt and Andersen were caught 30 kilometres from the finish.
At the third intermediate sprint, Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) took the 3 bonus seconds. Due to the GC being so close, (behind Pogačar), all seconds were important. Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Antonio Tiberi (Lidl-Trek) also tried for the bonus, but the other favourites didn’t. Luis Angel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi) tried for a solo, but it was always going to be a sprint in Lleida. The final was a bit technical, which meant that the various lead-out trains fought their way to the front early. dsm-firmenich Post NL was around Emils Liepins and INEOS Grenadiers also brought Ethan Hayter into the final kilometre. In the end, it was Lotto Dstny who had the best lead out. They put Jarrad Drizners into a great position for the sprint. The Australian was passed by Bryan Coquard, but he was Marijn van den Berg who had the last jump and he held off the fast-finishing Arne Marit.
Stage winner, Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost): “It was a great relief. I started to doubt whether I could still win, but luckily it was a prize today. I think it was a difficult task for every sprinter, because no one had a really extensive train at their disposal. Every fast-man had to find his own way. Bryan Coquard eventually squeezed himself into the best position, and it was a real battle for his wheel. Fortunately I still managed to outdo him. It wasn’t a crazy sprint, but it was enough to win. I still have some pain and discomfort after my crash, but during a sprint you don’t think about that anymore. Then the adrenaline rushes through your body. Now I especially want to reach the end of this stage race and still be in good shape for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was a good day for the team to recover a little. It was an easier day for the entire peloton. Marc Soler was by my side all day, I just followed the wheels and was careful not to take any risks. The final was pretty fast, but it wasn’t too crazy. As always, a little restless… But, when is it not a sprint? It was a normal group sprint.”
2nd on the stage, Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty): “Just like last year we decided with the sports direction to add the Volta a Catalunya to my programme. A lot of strong climbers are present here, so I knew I had a chance on the victory in the flat stages like today. But to finish here I had to survive three hard mountain stages. That’s why I’m happy that I gave it all to take this second place. When you finish close to success, you obviously want more. But I can be satisfied with this first WorldTour podium. I probably had the legs to do better, because I did my effort in two times because of a moment of hesitation. I would like to thank our climbers for the trust they had in me today. One by one, they did everything for me from the first to the last kilometre. Louis Meintjes even rode at the head of the race to control the gap with the escapees and thanks to Lilian Calmejane I was able to start the last 500 metres in the top five. Tomorrow it’s time to climb again, although a sprint is not excluded. With today’s confidence, we will try to control the stage together with the other sprinter teams.”
9th on the stage, Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “We were tired after three hard days and today we had a relatively calm stage. The sprint was very fast, with many roundabouts in the final part. I have always tried to be among the first and I think that has made it a bit long for me. I come from working at height and I’m getting in shape little by little. It is a very hard race, with a lot of mountains. There is still tomorrow, which I think is a good opportunity, so we will keep trying.”
Robert Gesink (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was even a bit boring. Not much happened, but I’m glad we made it to the finish line in one piece. I am happy to be able to be valuable to the team again after my injury and I hope to continue doing so in the coming days.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 4 Result:
1. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost in 3:40:19
2. Arne Marit (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty
3. Emīls Liepiņš (Lat) dsm-firmenich PostNL
4. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis
5. Axel Laurance (Fra) Alpecin-Deceuninck
6. Cyril Barthe (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Ethan Hayter (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
8. Dorian Godon Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
9. Orluis Aular (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
10. Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Lidl-Trek.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Overall After Stage 4:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 17:18:31
2. Mikel Landa (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:27
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:55
4. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 3:21
5. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 3:22
6. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar at 3:27
7. Wout Poels (Ned) Bahrain Victorious at 3:31
8. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:32
9. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:50
10. João Almeida (Pol) UAE Team Emirates at 3:52.
Catalunya’24 stage 4:
Axel Laurance of Alpecin-Deceuninck won Stage 5 of the Tour of Catalunya on Friday in a bunch sprint. He finished ahead of Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis). Tadej Pogačar had no problem holding the overall lead.
It was a transition stage on day five of the Tour of Catalonia. There were opportunities for the escapees, but punchers or sprinters who can climb had their chance. The 167.3 kilometre stage had just over 2,300 metres of climbing. Nothing too hard, but up and down all day. The Coll de Les Ventoses (10km at 3.8%) and the Alt de la Creu d’Aragall (7.2km at 5.4%) with the summit about 30 kilometres from the finish.
The first hour was completed at an average speed of 47 kph. There were many attacks, but no one was able to get away. Eventually Óscar Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers), Jacopo Mosca (Lidl-Trek), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) and Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AlUla) managed to escape. Behind; Alpecin-Deceuninck and Cofidis kept their lead down. On the last climb it was the men of Israel-Premier Tech who pushed hard and caught the escapees one by one. The pace turned out to be too high for Marijn van den Berg, who was dropped on the final climb, but he was able to return for the sprint.
Rodríguez and Steinhauser took the points on the last climb, but that was the end of their day out front. Various attack attempts were made in the final, but none of them succeeded. In the run-in to the finish, a lot of riders came back to the front, including some very fast-finishers. Patrick Konrad started the sprint, but the Austrian was couldn’t hold his speed. Van den Berg looked strong enough, but Axel Laurance was just a little bit faster in the last meters. The Frenchman, last year’s U23 World champion, took his third professional victory, his first at WorldTour level.
Stage winner, Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It’s incredible, my first victory on the WorldTour circuit. Winning a stage in a WorldTour race in my first year is something very nice.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was a very hard stage, one of the hardest so far. There have been a lot of attacks and it has been an exciting race to the finish. I’m glad it’s over and Saturday will be a great mountain day. Let’s go for it.”
Break rider, Óscar Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers): “The chances of winning were difficult because you had to row a lot from the last port to the finish line, but you had to be on the run. I don’t know if we put the platoon in check, but it was tried. I think tomorrow’s stage could be a drag because people are very tired, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
David González (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “I think it has been one of the hardest stages of my life. The sprinters’ teams were with few men after many kilometres chasing from behind, another rider jumped and they had to try. We had Orluis saved for the sprint and I played my cards. It was the fifth day of a Volta a Catalunya, we are not talking about just any race, so I am happy with the work of both the team and my own.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 5 Result:
1. Axel Laurance (Fra) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 3:36:05
2. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost
3. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis
4. Orluis Aular (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
5. Stephen Williams (GB) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Patrick Konrad (Aust) Lidl-Trek
7. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
8. Pau Miquel (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
9. Fernando Barceló (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
10. Frank van den Broek (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Overall After Stage 5:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 20:54:36
2. Mikel Landa (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:27
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:55
4. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 3:21
5. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 3:22
6. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar at 3:24
7. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 3:31
8. Wout Poels (Col) Bahrain Victorious
9. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:50
10. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 3:52.
Catalunya’24 stage 5:
Tadej Pogačar won Stage 6 of the Tour of Catalunya. The overall leader of UAE Team Emirates attacked 25 kilometres from the finish and was not seen by the peloton again until after the finish. This was Pogačar’s third victory in the Catalan race this year. Egan Bernal and Mikel Landa took second and third.
There was a lot of climbing on the penultimate stage of the Tour of Catalunya. The riders had to climb five categorised climbs, one of HC and two Cat.1. The finish was on the last first category climb.
Soon after the start in Berga, there was an attack by two riders: Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost). The two climbers never got far ahead, as UAE Team Emirates kept the pace high all day. On the Coll de Pradell, the Hors-Category climb, UAE were helped by Visma | Lease a Bike and so Mollema and Carthy were pulled in with just over 60 kilometres to go. Behind there were a few abandonments, including Marijn van den Berg, who won stage 4, was wearing the points jersey at the start of the day. The last kilometres of the Coll de Pradell were very steep, Steven Kruiswijk put the pressure on, but this caused Sepp Kuss and Cian Uijtdebroeks to lose contact. UAE Team Emirates took over again, but it was Tadej Pogačar himself who made sure that no one could attack.
This caused a difficult situation for Visma | Lease a Bike as Kruiswijk had to help Kuss and Uijtdebroeks get back to the front of the race, which they did. On the next climb, Pogačar went to the front again. Mikel Landa was able to follow for a while, but in the end Pogačar was solo with 25 kilometres to go. Landa and Egan Bernal were the strongest chasers with Enric Mas behind them. Pogačar rode easily to his third victory of the week by nearly a minute. Bernal won the sprint for second place, Landa was third. Pogačar only has one more day to go and a lead of three and half a minutes over Landa and nearly five minutes on Bernal. The final stage goes over Montjuic six times and should see fireworks, but probably not for the overall win.
Stage winner and overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was a very hard stage. We controlled it from the start in a pretty good way, but on the long hors category climbs Visma-Lease a Bike tried to set a harder pace that heavily selected the group. There were only 10 riders remaining, and we as UAE Team Emirates were well represented considering that there were also Joao Almeida and Marc Soler with me. Then a group of riders came back, Movistar tried to attack on the following climb and I launched my attack there and I went to the top and then straight to the arrival. The final climb was great, with such a lot of people cheering.”
2nd on the stage and 3rd overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “I didn’t expect this,” “I knew Tadej Pogačar was going to be at too high a level again, so I didn’t try to follow him. I have managed my efforts well. I felt good and was able to join Mikel Landa again. After that we worked well together. I should thank him because he really helped me. This is another step forward. However, I have to keep my feet on the ground because there is still a lot of work to do. But I have to be happy and proud after this achievement.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 6 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 4:11:53
2. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:57
3. Mikel Landa (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step
4. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar at 2:14
5. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 2:16
6. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
7. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 2:18
8. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
9. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 2:34
10. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 2:38.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Overall After Stage 6:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 25:06:16
2. Mikel Landa (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:31
3. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:53
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 5:46
5. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar at 5:51
6. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla
7. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 5:52
8. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 6:23
9. João Almeida UAE Team Emirates
10. Lorenzo FortunatoAstana Qazaqstan at 7:17.
Catalunya’24 stage 6:
Tadej Pogačar is the overall winner of the 2024 Volta a Catalunya. The Slovenian didn’t have any problems in the Final Stage 7 to Barcelona and Montjuic. Pogačar did more than just protect his overall lead, he won the final stage in a sprint. Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis) were second and third on the stage. Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) and Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) were second and third overall.
The final stage around Barcelona would use the climb of Montjuïc again this year. The peloton first made a hilly loop around the Catalan capital, before returning to the city centre to climb Montjuïc (2.5km at 4.6%) six times, with a short section of 19%. Last year there was a big battle here between winner Primoz Roglič and second placed Remco Evenepoel.
This year there wasn’t going to be any battle for the overall as Tadej Pogačar started the final stage with a comfortable lead. There was still the final stage honours to fight for. Five riders attacked: Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Harrison Wood (Cofidis), Idar Andersen (Uno-X Mobility) and Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH). These five were held in check by UAE Team Emirates for leader Pogačar and Israel-Premier Tech. The difference never more than 2 minutes and there was eventually a regroupment. Just before the first passage of the Montjuïc, there was a crash in the peloton, involving Frank van den Broek and Nairo Quintana. Both abandoned.
Once on the circuit in Barcelona, the race started for real. Several riders tried to ride away from the peloton and the leading group was split. Steinhauser, who was on the attack for the third day in a row, went on the steeper part of Montjuïc and only Andersen was able to go with him. Behind; Marc Soler and Valentin Paret-Peintre counter-attacked. The Spaniard and Frenchman worked well together and were getting closer to the two remaining leaders, Andersen and Steinhauser. The peloton wasn’t chasing well because UAE Team Emirates were slowing things for Soler. This turned out not to be so easy for the two counter-attackers. Andersen and Steinhauser held out well. Steinhauser went on his own in the last 25 kilometres. Andersen dropped back to Soler and Paret-Peintre, who in turn were caught by the peloton. In the meantime, Steinhauser lead was down to 15 seconds with 20 kilometres to go.
With 15 kilometres to go, Steinhauser was caught and it was Pogacar who decided to tear things up on the steepest stretches, but was unable to get away. Several other riders tried their luck, but it turned out to be too difficult to make a significant split. It was going to come down to the final passage of Montjuïc. On the last climb of the day there was an attack from Thomas De Gendt. The Belgian attacker of Lotto Dstny is a five-time stage winner in the Tour of Catalonia and has won the final stage in Barcelona. The gap looked good for a while, but turned out not to be big enough. De Gendt was caught before the steepest stretches of the Montjüic and now it was the turn of Stephen Williams to attack. The British rider took off and was the first rider with a small lead, but Pogacar, Egan Bernal, Lenny Martinez, Enric Mas, Mikel Landa and Guillaume Martin managed to join him. On the descent to the finish, Mas jumped with Joao Almeida on his wheel. The two were the first to start the last uphill section, where Almeida managed to gain a lead. Almeida looked to be on his way to the stage win, but everything came together again in the last kilometre. About twenty riders sprinted for the victory. Dorian Godon had an excellent lead-out in the last metres, but the Frenchman was quite easily beaten by Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian won his fourth stage with a strong sprint. Godon was second, Martin third. On the final overall podium, Pogacar was joined by Mikel Landa in second place and Egan Bernal third.
Stage and final overall winner, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Today we had a different plan, we tried to win with Marc Soler, but maybe he went a little bit too early when he decided to attack on the first lap and despite his top effort he could not achieve the big goal. Then in the final Almeida almost succeed in going clear for the victory and I just saved my legs in case his attempt was neutralised and the stage ended in a sprint. I’m super happy to have taken another victory, which is a reward for the perfect performance by the whole team, we always had a man in the front in the key moments. To start the season like this it’s fantastic, this week had been very good for the team and for me, I performed well on the many climbs of the race and it gives me a lot of confidence especially because my shape is ok and I’m on the proper path to the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. I feel good, I’m training well and so I can ride my bike everyday with the smile on my face.”
2nd overall, Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step): “I am very happy with this performance. I had little idea what to expect coming into the race, but I felt good from the first day and I am delighted that I could show that on the tough climbs and do a good general classification. We tried to fight for the overall ranking and stage wins here, but it was difficult. That didn’t stop us from giving our best and I want to thank my teammates for their strong effort. Second in the standings is my best ever result here, and to do it at the age of 34 gives me a lot of confidence for the Basque Country, which is the best race in the world. I can’t wait to compete there with the Wolfpack in just a week from now and I hope to be able to help Remco get a good result there.”
3rd overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “I feel just happy, really proud of the team and myself. It was a really hard week but we did well. That was the team’s goal, I mean, I’m really happy for the podium and realistically where I come from, the podium was a little difficult, it was what I had in my mind. The team worked for that from the beginning. We kept persisting in our goal and thanks to the team we finally did it. For me it is something incredible to be on the podium again in a great race.”
5th on the stage, Stephen Williams (Israel Premier-Tech): “When we reached the bottom of the last climb I decided to attack and I immediately realised that I had gained between five and ten seconds. But, unfortunately, Tadej caught me, along with a group that included Mas and Bernal and all the general leaders, who at that time were fighting among themselves. I also tried to attack on the descent, but they followed me and shortly after Joao Almeida’s sprint allowed Pogacar to get to his wheel and wait for the sprint, which he was able to do from behind. I, on the other hand, had to close the gap about 800 meters from the finish line and I had no energy left for the finish. I am still proud of how my teammates ran today.” Williams concluded, “both in the first half of the race and in the end, where they gave me the opportunity to play for victory. I’m sorry I didn’t win, but I think in general it was a good stage and a good race for me and for the entire team.”
7th on the stage, David González (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “From start to finish it has been an agonising race. From the beginning they haven’t even let the break go away on the first climb. As the days went by I knew that I was feeling better, I realised that the same thing was happening to me in the Vuelta a España last year. And honestly I didn’t expect the performance I had because I finished 15th overall but I was super happy and super motivated to see myself there. In the sprint I couldn’t do more because the truth is that I was in agony. I am leaving the Volta a Catalunya very happy with my performance and that of the team, it is time to continue demonstrating it in the next objectives.”
Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH): “The Volta has been very hard, both because of the pace and the route. I had been suffering from tendinopathy in the semitendinosus muscle for a few days, so I have reached the end a bit. I still don’t know the cause, but at least I was able to finish the race. I hadn’t been able to show my face much, but I was able to filter myself in that last escape. We went very fast, but they gave us no respite from behind. We tried to hold on as long as possible and, once they caught us, we pressed so as not to be bent over and to be able to finish the race. In the end we are cyclists and in this sport we always suffer, sometimes to win and other times to finish.”
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 7 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 3:15:23
2. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
3. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis
4. Stephen Williams (GB) Israel-Premier Tech
5. Patrick Konrad (Aust) Lidl-Trek
6. Sergio Higuita (Col) BORA-hansgrohe
7. David González (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
8. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
9. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe
10. Wout Poels (Ned) Bahrain Victorious.
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Overall Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 28:21:29
2. Mikel Landa (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:41
3. Egan Bernal (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:03
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (-) BORA-hansgrohe at 5:56
5. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar at 6:01
6. Chris Harper (Aus) Jayco AlUla
7. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 6:02
8. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 6:33
9. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates
10. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 7:27.
Catalunya’24 stage 7:
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2024
Koen Bouwman won Stage 3 of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. The Dutchman of Visma | Lease a Bike took the stage victory after a two-man-sprint with the Belgian Louka Matthys (Bingoal WB). Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny) was third at 13 seconds.
The third stage started and finished in Riccione after 132.2 kilometres with a bit of climbing, including the Cat.1 Passo San Marco, followed by two Cat.2 climbs: San Leo and San Marino. The top of the last climb was more than 40 kilometres from the finish, but the road to the finish was undulating.
On the tough first climb of the day, the Lotto Dstny team were especially active, with the young Milan Donie and leader Harm Vanhoucke. Milan Vader (Visma | Lease a Bike) was also got involved, along with Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5), Alex Martin (Polti Kometa), Sébastien Reichenbach (Tudor) and locals Matteo Scalco (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Lorenzo Nespoli (MBH Bank Colpack Ballan). Donie went solo for a while, as did Reichenbach, but everything came together at the top of the last categorised climb of the day. It became a very chaotic final, with attacks from all the GC favourites, who wanted to take Diego Ulissi’s leader’s jersey. There was also not much left of the peloton.
Fifteen kilometres from the finish, Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Louka Matthys (Bingoal WB) broke away from what was left of the lead group. They took 30 seconds, after which Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost) tried to cross on his own. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma | Lease a Bike) went with him, but the two never made it. Lotto Dstny had four riders on the front of the group of about 20 riders. Fast-finisher, Jenno Berckmoes, was still there and his teammates reduced the gap to 10 seconds, but they had difficulty with the last meters. Only in the final kilometre did the two leaders start to mess around for the win, but by then the lead had increased to over 20 seconds. The pair would fight for the win. Bouwman was no match for the Belgian. The Dutchman started the sprint and was too fast for Matthys. A disappointed Jenno Berckmoes took the sprint for third place in the peloton. Bouwman also took the overall lead from Diego Ulissi.
Stage winner and overall leader, Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I am very happy that I was able to put my hands in the air again. It was about two years ago and then of course it’s enormously satisfying to win again. I’ll try to defend the jersey and hopefully take it home.”
2nd on the stage and 3rd overall, Louka Matthys (Bingoal WB): “The stage was not easy. A breakaway from the start of the race and the UAE team imposed a high tempo to limit the advance of the escapees which did not exceed a minute. The course was difficult, there was no rest time, the bumps were difficult and the descents were very technical. The group I was in was reduced just before the last bump 30 kilometres from the finish. I gave everything to stay in the group on the climb; There were around twenty of us, including four Lotto-Dstny riders, for the victory. Floris was still in this group. Several attacks then occurred. I myself tried my luck alone 32 kilometres from the finish. I was joined a kilometre further by Koen Bouwman (Vis-Lease-a-Bike). We worked well together to maintain our small advantage of a good ten seconds on the line. Of course I would have liked to win but Bouwman was faster. I am very happy with this first professional podium, a great accomplishment full of lessons for the future. I am 3rd in the general classification. The goal is to aim even better!”
3rd on the stage and 8th overall, Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny): “It’s quite sad that we didn’t catch them, as you can see I’m still winning the sprint. My teammates did everything they could, unfortunately two guys were left in front. Of course a victory would be better, but we still have two stages left.”
Alex Martín (Polti-Kometa): “I started fast from the beginning because we believed it was a good day for breakaways. The peloton didn’t give us much room, anyway I’m happy to have played my cards and we’ll all continue with this spirit”
Paul Double (Polti-Kometa): “We knew the key point was the penultimate steep ascent, I pushed there and the plan worked perfectly. Unfortunately, cramps (unusual for me) hit me towards the end and prevented me from sprinting properly”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 3 Result:
1. Koen Bouwman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:16:36
2. Louka Matthys (Bel) Bingoal WB
3. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:13
4. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) JCL Team UKYO
5. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
6. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla
7. Adam Ťoupalík (CZ) TDT-Unibet
8. Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Lotto Dstny
9. Thomas Pesenti (Ita) JCL Team UKYO
10. Mathys Rondel (Fra) Tudor.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Overall After Stage 3:
1. Koen Bouwman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 9:42:39
2. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 0:10
3. Louka Matthys (Bel) Bingoal WB at 0:13
4. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 0:17
5. Archie Ryan (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:19
6. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:23
7. Sylvain Moniquet (Ita) Lotto Dstny
8. Jenno Berckmoes (Ita) Lotto Dstny at 0:24
9. Adam Ťoupalík (CZ) TDT-Unibet at 0:27
10. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizané at 0:28.
Coppi e Bartali’24 stage 3:
Archie Ryan won the Fourth Stage of the Coppi e Bartali on Friday. In a stage of 150.7 kilometres, the Irishman of EF Education-EasyPost beat Jenno Berckmoes, who brought in the peloton. Ryan made a late attack and held off the peloton.
The break of the day was made up of a group of 10 that were off the front for a long time. The leaders included Alec Segaert (Lotto Dstny), Hartthijs de Vries (TDT-Unibet), Gianluca Brambilla (Q36.5) and Marco Brenner (Tudor). They were caught one by one, Brenner was the last rider to be pulled in, 5 kilometres from the finish. Then Archie Ryan put in a big attack and the others looked at each other for just too long. This turned out to be the decisive attack.
In the short finishing straight in Brisighella, Jenno Berckmoes came close to catching Ryan in the uphill final metres. The Czech Adam Ťoupalík (TdT-Unibet) came third. Overall leader, Koen Bouwman finished seventh, one place behind Diego Ulissi, his main opponent in the GC. This was enough to hold his lead. He has a 9 second lead over Ryan before the final stage. Ulissi dropped one place, but is still at 10 seconds.
Stage winner, 2nd overall and best young rider, Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost): “I thought the gap was big enough so I thought I could get the win but I didn’t know how fast the peloton was going. I knew I had it when I looked back at the final corner and there was still a decent gap. I thought, ‘If I don’t lock up, I’ve got this.’ Cepeda ripped it that last time on the climb and I went after and Lukas finished off strong so happy days! It’s a top performance for us young guys in the race.”
10th on the stage and 15th overall, Paul Double (Polti-Kometa): “Today I’m really satisfied! Yesterday’s cramps made themselves felt, but I held on thanks also to the work of the entire Polti Kometa and a super Sevilla.”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 4 Result:
1. Archie Ryan (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost in 3:32:40
2. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny
3. Adam Ťoupalík (CZ) TDT-Unibet
4. Lukas Nerurkar (GB) EF Education-EasyPost
5. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla
6. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
7. Koen Bouwman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Lotto Dstny
9. Sergio Meris (Ita) MBH Bank Colpack Ballan
10. Paul Double (GB) Polti Kometa at 0:04.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Overall After Stage 4:
1. Koen Bouwman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 13:15:19
2. Archie Ryan (Irl) EF Education – EasyPost at 0:09
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 0:10
4. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 0:17
5. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:18
6. Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:23
7. Adam Ťoupalík (CZ) TDT-Unibet
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at 0:32
9. Thomas Pesenti (Ita) JCL Team UKYO
10. Floris De Tier (Bel) Bingoal WB.
Coppi e Bartali’24 stage 4:
Koen Bouwman held on to his lead to take the overall victory of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. Jenno Berckmoes won the Final Stage 5 bunch sprint ahead of Lukas Nerurkar and Davide De Pretto.
The last stage of the Coppi e Bartali was almost 160 kilometres long, starting and finishing in Forlì, with several local circuits. Each lap included two climbs and a total of eleven hills.
Seven riders made up the break of the day:Alessandro Monaco (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Alessandro Fancellu (Q36.5), Germán Darío Gómez (Polti Kometa), Sébastian Reichenbach (Tudor), Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Nariyuki Masuda (JCL Team Ukyo) and Fransesco Carollo (Mg.K Vis-Colors for Peace). This leading group of seven couldn’t survive and at about 30 kilometres out they were passed by Carl Frederik Hagen. The Norwegian of Q36.5 started the last climb of the day with just under a 1 minute lead. This wasn’t enough, because Visma | Lease a Bike was leading the chase group for leader Koen Bouwman.
Adam Toupalik of TDT-Unibet tried to change the overall with a late attack. He was sitting in 7th overall at 23 seconds, but was unable to get away. The stage would end with a sprint from a thinned peloton. Lotto Dstny also wanted a bunch sprint for their fast-man, Jenno Berckmoes, who had been finish well in the sprints. The finish of the final stage was on a cycling track and so the last kilometre was chaotic. Berckmoes crossed the line first after the work of his team. The Belgian beat Lukas Nerurkar (EF Education-EasyPost) and Davide De Pretto (Jayco AlUla). Bouwman finished in the group to secure his final overall victory.
Stage winner and 5th overall, Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny): “I am very happy. Especially for the team, after a week of perfect teamwork. Again today: everyone took it all out there to take that victory. We controlled the last stage perfectly. It’s twice as nice when after all the work you can finish it off. We were very attentively in the beginning. Seven riders broke away, which was good for us: none of the GC contenders were in that breakaway. This allowed us, along with Visma, to control the race. Alec (Segaert) and Milan (Donie) did a lot of work. In the final there were some attacks, as we expected. We kept our cool, and Harm (Vanhoucke) and Jarno (Widar) reacted perfectly. In the end, only 25 riders left. Sylvain (Moniquet) was there to control, Logan (Currie) stayed with me for the lead-out. I have been able to show my abilities here, doing so with so much support from my teammates and the staff feels exceptionally good. I truly feel that I have been able to take a significant step forward.”
Overall winner, Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It has been a super nice week, and we rode very well as a team. In the final stages, the team did a lot of work to keep my leading position. Very nice that I was able to finish it off as well. I am very happy with the overall victory. Normally, I ride as a domestique, but if I can go for my own chance, it’s very nice that it works out like it did this week. The fact that I succeed Jonas, is a fine bonus. I will never be able to match his other performances, but I am happy that we have now won the same race.”
Break rider, Germán Darío Gómez (Polti-Kometa): “With two steep climbs like Polenta and Via Gualdo to be repeated several times, we knew it would take good legs to get into the breakaway and I succeeded, but the absence of excessively long and challenging ascents prevented us from making a difference.”
13th on the stage and overall, Paul Double (Polti-Kometa): “I admit I would have liked to gain some stronger satisfaction, but I certainly can’t be disappointed with how I rode in these five days! On the last uphill in Bertinoro I tried to accelerate, but I encountered a headwind and had to stay in the main peloton which contested the sprint.”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 5 Result:
1. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 4:26:42
2. Lukas Nerurkar (GB) EF Education-EasyPost
3. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla
4. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) JCL Team UKYO
5. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
6. Alessandro Pinarello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
7. Marco Brenner (Ger) Tudor
8. Thomas Pesenti (Ita) JCL Team UKYO
9. Alessio Martinelli (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
10. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Final Overall Result:
1. Koen Bouwman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 17:35:44
2. Archie Ryan (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:09
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 0:10
4. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 0:17
5. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:18
6. Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:23
7. Adam Ťoupalík (CZ) TDT-Unibet
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at 0:32
9. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) JCL Team UKYO at 0:34
10. Thomas Pesenti (Ita) JCL Team UKYO at 0:36.
Coppi e Bartali’24 stage 5:
E3 Saxo Classic 2024
World champion Mathieu van der Poel was the top favourite before the start of the E3 Saxo Classic and didn’t disappoint. The Alpecin-Deceuninck went solo on the Paterberg, about 40 kilometres from the finish, just as Wout van Aert crashed. The Belgian remounted and still finished third.
The E3 Saxo Classic has seventeen short climbs and five cobbled sections. As always, the race started and finished in Harelbeke. For the first time this season there would be a duel between Wout van Aert and World champion Mathieu van der Poel.
There was an early crash involving Dylan van Baarle and Per Strand Hagenes, two of Van Aert teammates. Alberto Bettiol was also among the victims. Bettiol and Hagenes had to abandon, the Norwegian was looking the worst with a broken nose. There was a battle to get in the early break. Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Dstny), Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech) and Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) all tried, but no one got away. The first hour of racing was attacks and chases at an average of 51 kilometres per hour. After 60 kilometres of racing, just before the first hills, Emil Herzog (BORA-hansgrohe), Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar) and Jannik Steimle (Q36.5) opened a gap. They were joined by seven more riders, 125 kilometres from the finish. These were Niklas Märkl (dsm-fimenich-PostNL), Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Jelle Vermoote (Bingoal WB), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates), Rémi Cavagna (Movistar) and Sander De Pestel (Decathlon AG2R).
The break crossed La Houppe and the Kanarieberg, the first climbs of the day, with a lead of 4 minutes. The team’s started to battle for the best places for climb of the Tuizenberg. This was Tom Boonen’s favourite Flemish climb and it was Lidl-Trek who won the battle and it was Jasper Stuyven and Mads Pedersen were able to throw the first attack on the Traaiberg, but they were soon passed by Mathieu van der Poel. Van der Poel was on his own, but it was too early and he soon saw the futility of his effort. A group of about 30 riders eventually got together, although Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) was missing. Van der Poel attacked again on the Boigneberg, this time Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Jhonatan Narvaez (INEOS Grenadiers) were watching, as was Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). This attempt was also too soon.
There was also an attack on the Stationsberg, but once again a large group got together, so there were still chances for Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates). They crossed to the five remaining early escapees, creating a dangerous situation. The four riders of Lidl-Trek, who were still in the group, had to do all the work again. Next up was the Paterberg, and it was clear that Van der Poel had chosen this point for his fourth and biggest attack. His biggest competitor, Van Aert was two places behind him at the time, but crashed. The entire group of about 30 riders passed Van Aert, who soon 1:30 down. Van der Poel was not waiting. Lazkano tried to go with the World champion, but couldn’t. Van der Poel had about 40 kilometres ahead of him, with two difficult climbs. First the Oude Kwaremont. Jorgenson followed teammate Van Aert on the steep section. Then the Belgian put in his expected attack. The 30 seconds suddenly became 25 and down to 20. After his crash, Van Aert fought back and was chasing Van der Poel. In the run-up to the Karnemelkbeekstraat, Van Aert came back to 10 seconds. But on the steep climb, Van der Poel still had something left in the tank. The World champion accelerated again and soon doubled his lead again. Van Aert then cracked and lost more time as the race went on. Behind him there was a strong group with Jonathan Narvaez, Jasper Stuyven, Matteo Jorgenson, Tim Wellens and Biniam Girmay. In the finale, after Van der Poel had over 1 minute, Stuyven jumped away for second place, ahead of Van Aert.
Race winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It is a victory that is very rewarding. The E3 was not yet on my list, so I am very happy. I can only be satisfied with the way I won. Enjoy today. First of all, the team has done a fantastic job again. We tried to open up the race on the Traaienberg, when it was still a fairly large group. Then I chose my moments to make the race hard. I don’t know what happened on the Paterberg, I only heard that they fell there. From the Pater it was still a long way to the finish. I thought Wout van Aert was going to come back, but I just kept riding the wattages I could ride. Fortunately I had the upper hand. Fortunately it wasn’t cold, I took care of that myself. I don’t mind racing in these conditions, especially if it’s in the final. If it rains from the start, it is a little less pleasant, but I still thought it was okay. I can only be satisfied with the level I achieve.”
2nd, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek): “I think we rode great with the team. The most important point was the Traaienberg. It was great team work, and it was good that we were in the final with a good number of riders with Mads (Pedersen), Alex (Kirsch) and Toms (Skujins). Then it’s wonderful that I can be on the podium. Mainly not to get defensive, to race offensively. We also tried to anticipate. I’ve tried a few times, so has Mads. But then you have Mathieu who goes all out at the moment of truth. To the extent possible, we did well. The four of us spun well, with Matteo Jorgenson on the wheel. Just after the bend on the main road I thought it was a good time to attack. It was difficult, I was happy when I came to Wout. And even happier that he took over for a while. We were both on the limit. Last year I didn’t get to the final, due to falls and bad luck. This time I got off to a good start. With the whole team. Perhaps we can also gradually put our foot next to the Visma | Lease a Bike set up. But I’m not going to say that we should race to try to follow Wout and Mathieu in every situation. That would be nice, but is not always realistic.”
3rd, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “For me, that crash was decisive for the rest of the race. It took a lot of strength to fight back after that. I ended up alone behind Mathieu, it seemed to be going fairly evenly for a while, but I couldn’t get much closer. I thought for a moment that I would still be able to close the gap, but when that didn’t work after the Karnemelkbeekstraat, it was difficult to keep my pace after that. At the end I was at my best. I was KO in the sprint, I was happy that I could have been in the wheel of Jasper (Stuyven) for a while. I wanted to jump onto the cobbles, from the gutter, to gain some positions, but I got stuck behind the edge. I now have pain in my elbow and hip, my right side is also quite stiff. I’ll have to get that checked. I have some pain now, but that often occurs shortly after an effort. I am satisfied, given the circumstances this was the highest possible. The crash was not ideal for winning the race. Mathieu was strong, as we expected. It was going to be difficult to do anything about it.”
4th, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates): “It was immediately clear that it was for second place. It was a super difficult, but very nice race. Everyone knew it was going to happen on the Tuizenberg. At the end everyone sat à bloc. Ultimately it turned out that Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were the best in the race. Behind, we had a good spin and at the end the legs simply spoke. Everyone ended up in their place here. Everyone behind Mathieu sat a bit à bloc. Everyone did what they could. We tried to come back, but it was immediately clear that it was for second and third place. Although it was still strong for Jasper Stuyven to drive towards Wout. The feeling was good. This bodes well for things to come. It’s always nice to reach finals and take a place of honour, so I’m very happy with it.”
E3 Saxo Classic Result:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 4:39:28
2. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Lidl-Trek at 1:31
3. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:34
4. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 1:48
5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:50
6. Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:52
7. Nils Politt (Ger) UAE Team Emirates at 2:48
8. Toms Skujiņš (Lat) Lidl-Trek
9. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
10. Alex Kirsch (Lux) Lidl-Trek.
E3 Saxo’24:
Classic Brugge-De Panne Women 2024:
Charlotte Kool just missed out on winning the Brugge-De Panne Classic. The Dutch rider had a perfect lead-out, but Elisa Balsamo jumped off her wheel before the finish line. This is Balsamo’s second WorldTour victory after her Trofeo Binda win last week.
The route of the Classic Brugge-De Panne was mostly the same as the men’s race on Wednesday. The start was in the Grote Markt in Brugbe, and then via Zedelgem, Aartrijke, Koekelare and Nieuwpoort to the circuit in De Panne, where the windy De Moeren was the biggest problem. The total distance was 155 kilometres.
The first significant attack came after an hour. Nathalie Bex (Chevalmeire) took a lead of about a minute and a half, but after a while she say there was no point to her escape and decided to let the peloton catch her. The pace behind had increased. As the first passage of De Moeren was coming; Alisson Jackson and Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Cannondale), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) and Alice Wood (Human Powered Health) tried to get away. This failed and Gladys Verhulst (FDJ-Suez) came through De Moeren finish solo. Jackson then tried to set up a counter-attack, but dsm-firmenich PostNL wouldn’t let her go, as they wanted a sprint for top favourite Charlotte Kool.
Nina Buijsman took her chance in the final. The FDJ-Suez team wanted to make the race hard, so Buijsman’s attempt suited the French team. She took over a minute before dsm-firmenich PostNL chased her down. Going to the last passage of De Moeren they pulled the peloton into a thin line, and just as quickly the lead was over again. A bunch sprint was inevitable. As usual in the finish in De Panne, there was a crazy sprint to the sharp bend on Zeelaan, about 500 metres from the line. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL took the lead just at the right time. Top favourite Charlotte Kool had a perfect lead-out, but Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) was on her wheel and came past for the win.
Race winner, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): “It was very difficult to really control the race, but in the end we managed it with the team. This is my second victory in a short time. On Sunday I managed to win the Alfredo Binda Trophy. I even did it with a slight advantage over Lotte Kopecky and Puck Pieterse. Today the difference was a little smaller, but the result is the same: another victory. I cannot be dissatisfied with my condition. Is very good. Also important for those other very important races that are coming. Starting with Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. I had a very difficult season last year, with maybe too many ups and downs. I still have the trust of the team and that is also very good. I also had the support of my teammates in full preparation for the sprint. I chose Charlotte Kool’s wheel in the last few hundred metres and was able to come off it at the right time. This is a victory for the entire team.”
2nd, Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “I think Balsamo was just stronger. If you don’t believe in it, it’s better not to start. I had a lot of confidence, but unfortunately someone was faster. It was not an easy day, there were many attacks. We had to work very hard to bring everything together and sometimes received little help. In the end we were able to just start sprinting and that was of course a disappointment. You don’t come to De Panne for second place. There was one faster at the end. Fortunately, the feeling was very good, but in the final I missed a bit.”
Classic Brugge-De Panne Women Result:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:49:56
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
3. Daria Pikulik (Pol) Human Powered Health
4. Chiara Consonni (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
5. Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Chloe Dygert (USA) Canyon//SRAM
7. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
8. Anniina Ahtosalo (Fin) Uno-X Mobility
9. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-SUEZ.
Brugge-De Panne’24:
Mathieu van der Poel Has a Haircut for the Spring Classics
Mathieu van der Poel has been growing a bit of a mullet over the winter, but the World champion has been to the hairdressers and the mullet has gone for the cobbled classics.
The 29 year-old rider of Alpecin-Deceuninck was spotted training on the Flemish cobbles on Thursday, but without the long hair at the back. You couldn’t see his full hair style, due to the helmet, but the mullet has gone.
Van der Poel rode the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday, where he crossed swords with his rival Wout van Aert for the first time this road season, and won. Then on Sunday he rode Gent-Wevelgem. Van der Poel is aiming for his big goals of the season: Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. After the ‘Hell of the North’, he will line-up in the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
No mullet for Mathieu:
Mark Cavendish is Struggling with Ill-health
Mark Cavendish is not having the early season he would have liked. The 38 year-old British sprinter is struggling with illness and was not fit enough to start the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday. But there seems to be no panic among his Astana Qazaqstan team.
Cavendish started the season on a positive note, with a stage win in the Tour Colombia. However, the former world champion was unable to continue the good trend in the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico and, to make matters worse, also suffered from cold symptoms. For that reason, Cavendish also had to leave Milan-Turin and there was also a DNS in the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday.
“It was impossible to start, but it is nothing special,” Astana DS, Stefano Zanini, told GCN. “We don’t know when Mark can and will race again. The best thing now is to make a full recovery.”
Cavendish is (probably) in his last year as a professional rider, after announcing his retirement last year. Cavendish wants to take one more shot at taking one more Tour de France stage victory, to take the out-right record from Eddy Merckx.
Cavendish not well:
Wout Poels Doesn’t Even Try to Follow Pogačar: “He’s on a different level”
Behing Tadej Pogačar, Wout Poels rode to a good fourth place last Wednesday on the third stage of the Tour of Catalunya. In the mountain stage to Port Ainé, the Dutchman of Bahrain Victorious rode at his own pace to finish well.
In the finale, Poels, with his teammate Antonio Tiberi, broke away from a first chase group including Sepp Kuss, Aleksandr Vlasov and Enric Mas. The young Italian eventually crossed the finish line in Port Ainé, with Poels on his wheel, finishing off a strong climbing performance with a fourth place in the stage results.
The 36 year-old Poels was very pleased: “I think as a team we had a very good ride. We have consciously chosen not to respond to Tadej Pogacar. It is currently racing at a different level. I think Antonio (Tiberi) also rode very maturely, by just following and not going too early. At the risk of exploding.”
“This happened to the riders we eventually managed to overtake. Overall we did very well. I feel that I am in good condition. I am looking forward to rising even further in the rankings,” Poels said.
Poels climbing in Catalunya:
Patrick Lefevere Not Too Happy After E3 Saxo Classic
Patrick Lefevere was not satisfied with his team at the E3 Saxo Classic, none of his riders finished in the top 25 and didn’t contest the finale. “I will definitely stand in front of the mirror myself,” said Lefevere in his column in Het Nieuwsblad.
“Let’s be honest: how we raced as a team: just painful. I saw us at the head of the peloton 90 kilometres from the finish and then: the big nothing. Yves Lampaert was the first Soudal Quick-Step rider in 29th place, more than 4 minutes behind Mathieu van der Poel. I weigh my words, after all, the UCI ethics committee reads this, but that is far below par.”
“I don’t blame anyone for not being able to follow Mathieu van der Poel or Wout van Aert, who are hors catégorie, but even in the group behind them we are not participating,” Lefevere continued. “Lidl-Trek has clearly taken a step forward and is in the top ten with three riders. UAE Team Emirates has two men and none of them is called Tadej Pogačar. We have no one.”
The Belgian team manager doesn’t mince his words. “Are there any extenuating circumstances? Not too much in my opinion. It is not out of luxury that we now have to field a young rider like Pepijn Reinderink in the E3 Saxo Classic. But at the same time, due to Van der Poel’s way of racing, the width of the team only plays a very limited role. Anyone who can follow is in. Even Wout van Aert did not have too many midfielders behind him, apart from Matteo Jorgenson.”
“I will definitely stand in front of the mirror myself. The fact is that I made mistakes in my purchasing and sales policy. I read everywhere that we are reducing the spring team based on stage race work and that is absolutely true. But with riders like Julian Alaphilippe, Yves Lampaert and Kasper Asgreen, a significant part of the wage budget still goes to leaders for the Flemish work. The lesson for myself: no more entering into contracts amid euphoria, which may have happened too often with the riders mentioned. Whatever happens, I won’t talk to anyone about contracts until after Paris-Roubaix.”
Lefevere not happy:
José Manuel Diaz Breaks Fibula While at the Race Doctor’s Car
On the third stage of the Tour of Catalonia, on the way to Port Ainé, José Manuel Diaz crashed and broke his fibula. This happened when he dropped back to the race doctor’s car.
Diáz, who was 10th in the mountain stage to Vallter 2000 on Tuesday, dropped back to the race doctor, as he had crashed earlier in the stage. But, the race director’s car had to swerve and the 29 year-old Burgos-BH rider crashed.
The Spanish climber managed to continue and even finish the stage, but Díaz was not at the start of the fourth stage to Lleida on Thursday. It was discovered that the rider had broken his fibula and will be in hospital, possibly for weeks.
“José Manuel Diaz has to leave the Tour of Catalonia after a very avoidable crash,” said former rider Rubén Pérez, who is a Burgos-BH DS, at the stage start. “We wish Titan (Diaz’s nickname) the best of luck!”
“There are crashes that cannot be avoided. But if you go to the medical car to ask for some ointment for a scrape and the doctor grabs your handlebars and in a few tenths of a second you are suddenly on the ground… This was really avoidable,” Diaz responded on social media. “In tenths of a second you can see months of preparation disappear.”
Bad luck for José Manuel Diaz:
Belgian Farmer’s Union will Take Action During Spring Classics, but will Not Disrupt the Races
The Farmers’ Union plans to take action on the routes of five Flemish spring races. With their message: ‘Don’t simply put the farmers aside’, the association wants to draw attention to their problems. “But the intention is not to disrupt the race,” they said.
The action gets underway on Sunday on the Kemmelberg, on the route of the Gent-Wevelgem. The action will also be during Dwars door Vlaanderen (March 27), the Tour of Flanders (March 31), Scheldeprijs (April 3), and the Brabantse Pijl (April 10).
With the message ‘Don’t simply put the farmers aside’, the Flanders Farmers’ Union wants to point out “the importance of strong, local food production. The agricultural organisation hopes that the tractors that will gather at the road side will be shown on TV. Similar action has also been taken in recent years.
“Farmers want to face the future with hope, but they are concerned about legal certainty, the high regulatory burden and a fair income,” chairman Lode Ceyssens of the Boerenbond told Het Nieuwsblad. “So support not only for the rider but also for the farmer. They too are flandriens to be cherished.”
The Farmers’ Association would like to emphasise once again that they are not aiming to disrupt the races. “This is an annual, fun action, and it is certainly not the intention to cause any nuisance. We want to be very clear about this,” said spokesperson Elisabeth Mertens. “The intention is not to disrupt the race.”
The Flemish farmers were at the start of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad:
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