EUROTRASH News Round Up Monday

Italy’s Matteo Trentin took the European road title after a wet six hours under Scottish rain. Race reports from Glasgow, Pologne and Utah. Jan Ullrich isn’t doing too well – Top Story. So much other cycling news: Riders for the Tour of Britain, more rider contract up-dates and how to help support Adrien Costa’s amputation injury rehabilitation. Big Monday EUROTRASH coffee time.

TOP STORY: Sad Melt Down for Jan Ullrich
Watching the TV news last Friday, August the 3rd, I’m sure I saw ex-Tour de France winner, Jan Ullrich, being taken out of a police van in handcuffs with his T shirt over his head on the Spanish Island of Mallorca. I knew he had been living there for a while, but arrested? After further investigation, it seems Ullrich had climbed over the fence of his famous German film and TV actor and director neighbor, Til Schweigery and got into an argument because he had not been invited to a gathering. No violence was reported, but threats had been made and the police had to be called. Ullrich was due to be questioned by a Spanish judge on Saturday. Ullrich had been spending more time in Mallorca since May 2014 after he injured two people in a car crash in Switzerland while over the alcohol limit. He was fined 10,000 Swiss Francs and given a 21 months suspended prison sentence.

In a recent interview Ullrich had spoken of his separation form his wife, Sara, and not seeing his children, but had stated that now he can have a drink or smoke when he wanted to.

An argument with a neighbor is one thing, but only a matter of days later, Ullrich was in the news again, this time for assaulting a ‘lady of the night’. After the altercation in Mallorca, Ullrich had travelled to Frankfurt to receive therapy for his alcohol and drug habit. As reported by Bild; Ullrich had called on the services of a prostitute at the five-star Villa Kennedy Hotel in Frankfurt. According to prosecutors and the police he then “attacked the 31-year-old escort lady in one of the hotel rooms after a dispute. The accused was likely under the influence of alcohol and drugs.” Ullrich is said to have put up a struggle when the police tried to detain him. “The accused is under investigation for attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. Investigations are not over.” The woman has given “extensive details on the attacks” while Ullrich has remained silent.

Ullrich was released on bail on Friday pending an investigation for possible attempted manslaughter, but after his release, Ullrich suffered a panic attack and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital that night, where his state of health was being assessed by specialists. The Frankfurt police stated that: “Due to his mental and physical state, there was no other choice but to transport him to a psychiatric unit by ambulance.”

Jan Ullrich was a star rider in a difficult time for cycling, victim or culprit of those times, we wouldn’t want to see him go the same way as Marco Pantani, José María Jiménez and Frank Vandenbroucke. The big German obviously is having a mental melt down and needs help.

Jan Ullrich leading Marco Pantani in the 1998 Tour de France:

European Championships Men’s Road Race 2018
After a long and wet day in Glasgow, Italy’s Matteo Trentin took the 2018 European Road Championship title. The Italian won the sprint from a six-man group, beating the World’s best cyclocross and up and coming road riders; Wout Van Aert (Belgium) and Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands).

The break of the day formed with Matthias Krizek (Austria), Roland Thalmann (Switzerland), Josef Cerny (Czech Republic), Polychronis Tzortzakis (Greece), Krists Neilands (Lithuania) and Robert-Jon McCarthy (Ireland). Mikhel Räim (Estonia) had originally been with them, but was dropped. The lead group built up a lead of 5 minutes. The peloton left them to it for the first 100 kilometers, but the pace was eventually lifted by the Belgian, French and Italian teams. After a puncture and a chase back to the bunch, World champion, Peter Sagan (Slovakia) abandoned with just over 80 kilometers remaining. The race soon came together after that.

As the race neared the final 50 kilometers, Xandro Meurisse (Belgium) attacked on one of the many short climbs in the West End of Glasgow. He was joined by Nico Denz (Germany), followed by Wout van Aert (Bel), Mathieu van der Poel (Ned), Maurits Lammertink (Ned), Davide Cimolai (Ita), Matteo Trentin (Ita), Emils Liepins (Let), Nico Denz (Ger), Michael Albasini (Sui) and Pierre Luc Périchon (Fra). at the 40 kilometer to go mark the had a lead of 1:20 and the race looked to be decided between this group. 30K to go and the lead was 3 minutes, as they headed towards the final circuit Emils Liepins had a mechanical and had to drop back. With one 14 kilometer lap to go the leaders were as good as safe with a lead of over two and a half minutes.

On a slippery bend, Lammertink crashed taking two others with him as two more slid to the ground at the same place. This left Herrada, Van der Poel, Van Aert, Cimolai and Trentin on their own in the lead.

Cimolai attacked with 7km to go, but it was the World cyclocross champion, Van Aert, who pulled him back. As the five got closer to the finish line, crash victim Meurisse managed to regain the leaders and went straight on the front for Van Aert.

Cimolai led out for Trentin, but it was Van Aert who jumped first, then Trentin made his move and no one could get past him before the line. Mathieu van der Poel took second ahead of his old rival, Wout van Aert as Herrada came in fourth for Spain.

European Road Race Champion, Matteo Trentin (Italy and Mitchelton-Scott): “It’s incredible to have won after everything I’ve been through recently. We rode perfectly as a team and I have to thank everyone who has supported me during my problems and injuries. Nothing went right for eight months and so I want to thank everyone who was there for me. This is a great day! When the right move formed, I spoke to Cimolai and then he attacked to make the others show their hand. I saw [Maurits] Lammertik go into the barriers but we avoided him. Then we eased slightly but it all worked out perfectly. The crash simplified things. Then in the sprint, I asked Cimolai to lead me out and he did. He did a spectacular job, as did all the Italian team.”

3rd, Wout van Aert (Belgium and Vérandas Willems–Crelan): I’m really disappointed. I really thought that I could win right up to a few meters before the finish. I didn’t manage to get past him and that’s why I’m disappointed. A medal is nice but I’m still find it a disappointment. I’m really disappointed. I really thought that I could win right up to a few meters before the finish. I didn’t manage to get past him and that’s why I’m disappointed. A medal is nice but I’m still find it a disappointment. We didn’t have our fastest riders in the team and so we had to take on the race. None of the sprinters were there in the finale and so our tactics were right. One of the first attacks worked out, so I could take my chance. It was early but there was nobody to chase, so we had to go for it. When the group was bigger, I was thinking about attacking but the fall, when we lost Xandro Meurisse was not in my favor. If I had gone on the climb, one of the Italians would have sacrificed themselves and chased me. I thought it better to put everything on the sprint because after such a tough race the sprint does not lie. I can only admit that the others were faster. We predicted that we would be in the action, but can only regret that we are standing next to the winner on the podium. Cimolai led out the sprint for Trentin. I sat where I wanted to sit, on Mathieu’s wheel because I thought he was the fastest. But it was windy and slightly uphill, so I waited a long time. We got to Trentin’s gears but unfortunately no further. I can only congratulate him, he was the strongest man in the leading group. He’s not a newcomer is he? This was the goal of summer, I need a goal to look forward to. But from Tuesday I’ll jump on the ‘cross bike and I look forward to that too. That’s never boring for me.”

6th, Xandro Meurisse (Belgium and Wanty-Groupe Gobert): “Everything went according to plan in the run-up to the final. We as Belgian team had to make the race hard. I accelerated four laps from the end. I went solo, there was a reaction and thus I helped to create the ultimate decisive breakaway with Wout. A lot of big countries were represented, which was to our advantage. I did not think I would still be there in the final, but I had a really good day. Deep in the final I could not avoid the crash of Lammertink on a slippery road surface. That was too bad, but there was nothing I could have done to avoid it. I tried to return in front and shook off my two companions on the last climb. I did everything I could to return to be able to do something for Wout in the end. I knew I could handle races over 200 kilometers, but today I show what I really am worth. It is exciting to finish top 10 in a race of this level. I am very grateful for my selection for this race. Of course I hope that this performance opens up possibilities for the World Championships in Innsbruck, on a difficult course. But we will see what happens. Everything that comes now is only positive. Tomorrow I will start in Binck Bank Tour. That will be tough after today’s efforts. My hand is swollen after the crash. But we will see how it goes. I will try to survive the first stage and work for the team.”

World champion, Peter Sagan (Slovakia and Bora-Hansgrohe): “I was not in good shape and I still have a lot of pain from the crash at the Tour de France. It was a very technical circuit and it was hard, and in the end, well, I still have a lot of pain in my back and my hip. I think I need more time to recover from that crash.”

European Championships Men’s Road Race Result:
1. Matteo Trentin (Italy) in 5:50:02
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)
3. Wout van Aert (Belgium)
4. Jesus Herrada (Spain)
5. Davide Cimolai (Italy)
6. Xandro Meurisse (Belgium) at 0:07
7. Michael Albasini (Switzerland)
8. Pierre Luc Périchon (France)
9. Nico Denz (Germany) at 0:25
10. Maurits Lammertink (Netherlands) at 2:15.

Race video:

Tour de Pologne 2018
Georg Preidler (Groupama-FDJ) was the winner of Stage 6 of the Tour de Pologne. The 129 kilometer stage, Zakopane – Bukovina Resort, was the first of two days in the Tatra Mountains. Preidler, whose portfolio boasts three victories in the Austrian time trial championships, couldn’t have chosen a better place than the Tour de Pologne to score his first win in the WorldTour and the best achievement in his career.

The break of the day had 9 riders: Carlos Verona (Mitchelton-Scott), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Nans Peters (AG2R-La Mondiale), Luis Vervaeke (Sunweb), Lars Boom (LottoNL-Jumbo), Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates), Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin), Valerio Agnoli (Bahrain-Merida) and Lukasz Owsian (CCC Sprandi). The escape reached a maximum advantage of about 2:30, but were caught with about 25km to go. The chase group of about 40 riders were being pulled by BMC and Sky.

12 kilometers from the finish, on the last GPM of the day, Dries Devenyns (Quick-Step Floors) and Sam Oomen (Sunweb) attacked, but were reeled in with 3km to go. George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo), third on general, tried a move, but at the start of the final climb towards the finish line at the Bukovina Resort, all the top men where on his wheel. All the top men on GC came off the last mountain summit together, Preidler did a great job in finding the right position and getting a jump on the rest of the competition. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and overall leader. Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) were hot on the heels of the Groupama-FDJ rider in second and third place.

Kwiatkowski leads by 16 seconds ahead of Dylan Teuns (BMC) and 24 seconds in front of George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) is 4th at 25 seconds.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) is still in the Carrefour yellow jersey as leader of the GC and he also leads the Lotos classification for best Polish rider. Poland’s Lukasz Owsian (CCC Sprandi) garnered enough points in the break today to take the Tauron magenta jersey as best climber away from his team mate Tratnik. Germany’s Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe) holds on to the Hyundai white jersey as best sprinter. Belgian Jenthe Biermans (Katusha-Alpecin) keeps the Lotto blue jersey for the most active rider in the peloton. Astana Pro Team leads the team classification.

Stage winner, Georg Preidler (Groupama-FDJ): “I stayed in during the stage and towards the end just jumped away in the right moment. I know my abilities and I know that I can do the sprint quite fast. I’m happy that I could finally win in the World Tour, several times I was very close but this is my first win. I have a great team – they’re great support and a very strong group, so I’m very happy in this team and glad I could deliver this win for us. We will have a team meeting tomorrow and decide how to strategize our tactic for the last stage of the Tour, but for now I’m very happy with the win.”

Overall leader, Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky): “We have a great team here and they did a brilliant job keeping back attacks, especially at the beginning of the race when it seemed that every rider in the peloton was trying to get in the break. We managed to keep everything under control and keep everyone back. Once the break went we were controlling the pace of the peloton 80% of the time, with BMC taking over in the last lap. Thanks to the team’s great work I managed to stay in my comfort zone throughout the race and until the end of last lap and the end of last climb. Thanks to such great team work we managed to take 4 more seconds of GC and I’m really thankful that I could finish well and make their efforts worth it, especially with such a chaotic sprint. With only 1 stage to go it’s the last chance to take the win in Tour de Pologne and a lot of strong riders are going to be doing their best to change the GC. I now have 16 seconds lead in GC, but it’s nothing if we get a puncture or just have bad luck tomorrow. Anyway, we will do the best to keep the yellow jersey.”

2nd on the stage, Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe): “Today’s stage was really hard, as it was always up-and-down and critical to be at the front. My team did a perfect job and made sure that I was always protected towards the front of the group, especially going into the last climb. When the final attack happened, initially nobody went to chase and eventually the bunch was not able to close in on Georg Preidler. Once we all sprinted, I managed to get 2nd place. I’m thankful to my team for such a great support.”

Tour de Pologne Stage 6 Result:
1. Georg Preidler (Aut) Groupama-FDJ in 3:16:01
2. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky
4. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott
5. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC
6. Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Astana
7. George Bennett (NZ) LottoNL-Jumbo
8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
9. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Movistar at 0:04.

Tour de Pologne Overall After Stage 6:
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky in 20:46:23
2. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC at 0:16
3. George Bennett (NZ) LottoNL-Jumbo at 0:24
4. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe at 0:25
5. Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Astana at 0:28
6. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Georg Preidler (Aut) Groupama-FDJ at 0:29
8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors at 0:31
9. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott at 0:39
10. Sam Oomen (Ned) Sunweb at 0:42.

Stage 6:

Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) won his home race, the Tour of Pologne. The last Pole to pull off such a feat was Rafal Majka in 2014. Everything was decided on the Final Stage 7. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) launched a determined attack with about 10 km to go. The Brit managed to gain a 30 seconds, threatening to tear the yellow jersey from Kwiatkowski. However, the Sky rider kept his cool and in the last three uphill kilometers to the finish in Bukowina, with Bennett, Pinot and Teuns hot on his tail, Kwiatkowski kept grinding away to save his overall lead. The stage went to Simon Yates and the overall to Kwiatkowski by 15 seconds.

A group of 19 riders made the break of the day: Maciej Paterski (Reprezentacja Polski), Grega Bole and Mark Padun (Bahrain-Merida), Roman Kreuziger and Carlos Verona (Mitchelton-Scott), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgohe), Rui Costa, Valerio Conti and Przemyslav Niemec (UAE Team Emirates), Josè Herrada (Cofidis), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Tom Leezer (LottoNL-Jumbo), Danilo Wyss (BMC), Johannes Frohlinger (Sunweb), Jan Bakelants and Mickael Cherel (AG2R-La Mondiale), Jhonatan Restrepo (Katusha-Alpecin), Jorge Arcas (Movistar) and Sergey Shalunov (Gazprom-RusVelo). They gained a maximum advantage of 2:40.

With about 25 km to go to the finish, after the second-to-last GPM of the day, the break broke ranks and the Kazak champion Lutsenko, along with Bakelants and Cherel made their attempt for the win. De Plus (Quick-Step Floors) and Felline (Trek-Segafredo) also came up from the yellow jersey Group.

10 kilometers from the finish and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) made his move to make this Tour de Pologne his. Everything came down to the last 3 km, with Yates winning the stage but Kwiatkowski managing to hang on to the final yellow jersey.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky): Carrefour yellow jersey and the Hyundai white jersey of the best sprinter and also the Lotos classification for best Polish rider. Patrick Konrad (Bora-hansgrohe): Tauron magenta jersey as best climber. Jenthe Biermans (Katusha-Alpecin): Lotto blue jersey for the most active rider in the peloton. AG2R-La Mondiale won the team classification.

Stage winner and 2nd overall, Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott): “It’s a perfect birthday celebration, even if a few days too late. It’s a fantastic victory – I went in the right moment, got a good gap and managed to keep it. It feels great that it worked and I wads feeling better every day during this Tour de Pologne, as you can see form the results, even though the stages were relatively short so it was hard to judge the form. Right now I’m very happy to have finished it with a fantastic stage win.”

Overall winner, Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky): “It’s amazing feeling to have won here in Poland, and it has been a long dream of mine. Since 2012 I have been waiting to gain a victory in this race, and with so much uncertainty regarding my form following the hard effort of Tour de France. The race was hard from the start, but especially since the Szczyrk climbing stage. The number of other strong riders contenting the GC results was big and it was necessary for me to be actively engaged in the fight to retain the yellow jersey from that moment on. The public and the support everywhere along the roads was amazing and having them on my side, shouting my name and being so vocal about it was so motivating and I am immensely grateful for that. Huge thanks for my Team and my team mates – they did a lion’s share of the work, and special mention needs to go to Michal Golas and Michal Wisniowski – both of whom have been with me for years now and had a huge role in this win. The rest of our team and the support team have also done an amazing job and I’m very grateful for everything they did.”

2nd on the stage and 3rd overall, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ): “During today’s stage it quickly became apparent that Kwiatkowski was having a very strong day and with support of the whole Team Sky his position was very good, so the tactic that we took was to challenge him in the final sprint. What we haven’t prepared for was the solo attack from Yates and he proved to be stronger than us towards the end of the stage. Nevertheless I am very happy with my 3rd place. This morning it was still a very far-fetched idea to even think about it, but thanks to the speed of my sprint I caught a few bonus points, which got me the podium spot. It’s my first Tour de Pologne, which was a great experience thanks to the good atmosphere the brilliant route – short but very technical stages, punchy pace and challenging terrain.”

10th on the stage and overall, Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates): “I’m satisfied with my feelings that I had in the race. The Tour de Wallonie and the Tour of Poland have helped me a lot in this second part of the season as I’m working towards the Vuelta a España. It was important to be ahead in the race and I always was there where I expected myself to be. I’m satisfied. There are still two weeks left until the start of the Vuelta and I will work continuously with maximum concentration.”

KOM; Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe): “I am really happy about the mountain jersey. I arrived here as preparation for my biggest goal in this season, the World Championships in my home country. The plan was to fight for a stage win, I went plenty of times in the breakaway of the day but it wasn’t easy. But today as I was in the break I wanted to go for the KOM’s and everything worked out perfectly. My next race will be the German Tour, our home race.”

Tour de Pologne Stage 7 Result:
1. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott in 3:37:17
2. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:12
3. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Oomen (Ned) Sunweb at 0:14
5. George Bennett (NZ) LottoNL-Jumbo
6. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky
7. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
8. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Movistar at 0:16
9. Georg Preidler (Aut) Groupama-FDJ
10. Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates.

Tour de Pologne Final Overall:
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky in 24:23:54
2. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott at 0:15
3. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:20
4. George Bennett (NZ) LottoNL-Jumbo at 0:24
5. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC at 0:27
6. Georg Preidler (Aut) Groupama-FDJ at 0:31
7. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe at 0:32
8. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe at 0:40
9. Sam Oomen (Ned) Sunweb at 0:42
10. Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 0:44.

Stage 7:

The Larry H. Millar Tour of Utah 2018
With his win on Stage 3 of the Tour of Utah, Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare), wrote his name in the history books with the most stage wins in the Utah stage race. His win on Thursday was his fourth. At the end of the stage in Layton, McCabe went head-to-head with Jasper Philipsen (Hagens Berman Axeon), the UnitedHealthcare rider took the victory on the line. Edwin Avila (Israel Cycling Academy) was third.

It took 70km before a break was formed: Tony Baca (303 Project), Hamish Schruers (Israel Cycling Academy), Lucas Hamilton (Mitchelton-Scott), Michael Rice (Axeon Hagens Berman), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Gage Hecht (Aevolo), Rob Britton (Rally Cycling), Damiano Cima (Nippo-Vini Fantini), Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo) and Brendan Canty (Education First-Drapac). They were never allowed much more than 1:30 on the LottoNL-Jumbo led peloton.

With 50 kilometers to go the riders in the break started to attack each other and so their lead started to drop until they started the 5 kilometer finishing circuits with only 30 seconds in hand.It didn’t take long for them to be caught and the teams to start readying themselves for the sprint. Philipsen had a perfect lead-out from his Hagens Berman Axeon team, but McCabe came off his wheel for the win.

The best photos from Utah stage 3 by Darrell Parks.

Stage winner, Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare): “It’s pretty awesome. It’s just a roar, you can’t hear the announcers. It’s pretty chaotic in the end and you’re in the zone and focused on the moment that is happening. But you’re also trying to think where you’re going to start the sprint, which direction the wind is coming and then when you’re doing all that, you’re trying to talk to your teammates throughout too. You have that long stretch where you can’t hear anything. It’s pretty phenomenal. It’s fun. Team strategy paid off perfectly. We knew that it was going to be a long, hot day, so we didn’t want to take full responsibility overall,” explained McCabe. “Jonny did a great job and then he got away at the end with Rob, and again allowed us not to take charge until the last minute when we used Seba (Haedo) to put me in perfect position for the sprint. It was just a drag race between Jasper and I.”

8th on the stage, Tyler Magner (Rally Cycling): “The plan was to have someone in the breakaway if it got bigger than six guy. It took the pressure off of us to ride the front with Britton in there. I was following Danny Pate going into the final circuit and Emerson Oronte brought us up to a great spot inside the last three kilometers. I was able to add another top ten finish for the team so I’m happy.”

Tour of Utah Stage 3 Result:
1. Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare in 4:04:47
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon
3. Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy
4. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
5. Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
6. Pier-André Côté (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
7. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS
8. Tyler Magner (USA) Rally Cycling
9. Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo
10. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo.

Tour of Utah Overall After Stage 3:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 11:54:24
2. Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo at 0:19
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC at 0:25
4. Michael Woods (Can) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:36
5. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling at 0:37
6. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:38
7. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare
8. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
9. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott at 0:40
10. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC.

Stage 3:

After coming close to the win on Thursday, Jasper Philipsen (Hagens Berman Axeon) turned the tables on Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare) to take the win on Friday’s Stage 4 in Salt Lake City. Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo) held the overall lead with 19 seconds over Neilson Powless (LottoNL-Jumbo) and 25 on Tejay van Garderen (BMC).

The stage 4 circuit race in Salt Lake City consisted of 10 laps on an 11.5km urban circuit in downtown Salt Lake City. The lumpy course, which climbed from downtown up and around the state capitol grounds, featured 1,676 meters of climbing in just 110km.

TJ Eisenhart (Holowesko-Citadel) and Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo) were the first to attack and were soon joined by Sam Bewley (Mitchelton-Scott), Sho Hatsauyama (Nippo-Vini Fantini), Edward Anderson (Hagens Berman Axeon), Danick Vandale (Silber Pro Cycling), Lance Haidet (Aevolo) and Bernat Font Mas (303 Project). Next to join them up front was Nigel Ellsay (Rally Cycling), Joey Rosskopf (BMC), Michael Ries (Trek-Segafredo), Ivan Santaromita (Nippo-Vini Fantini), Serghei Tvetcov (UnitedHealthcare), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Taylor Shelden (Jelly Belly-Maxxis) and Michael Hernandez (Aevolo) for a lead group of sixteen. By the end of the first lap they had 40 seconds on the LottoNL_Jumbo led peloton.

Vandale was dropped on lap 4 as the lead went up to 1:15 on lap 6, Didier and Haidet were also distanced by the leaders at the end of lap 7. With two laps remaining the lead was down to 40 seconds with Elivate-KHS and LottoNL-Jumbo working hard in the peloton. After many attacks, eleven riders had a lead of only 20 seconds as they started the final lap and with 800 meters to go it was all together for a sprint finish. McCabe had the jump but Philipsen came through on the inside to throw his bike across the line first. It took the photo finish camera to split the pair.

More from stage 4 HERE.

Stage winner, Jasper Philipsen (Hagens Berman Axeon): “I never had a greater result in the U.S. before. After yesterday, I started to believe in it. Today everything came together. Just a few millimeters, that made a difference again and I’m happy it’s on my side today.”

2nd on the stage, Travis McCabe (UnitedHealthcare): “Jasper (Philipsen) got me on the line, it came down to a bike throw. I think it was pretty exciting for everyone to watch when you race for 115k (kilometers) and it comes down to 15 millimeters. That’s how it is. (I’m) happy with second.”

3rd on the stage, Kiel Reijnen (Trak-Segafredo): “This is my second time in a circuit race downtown in Salt Lake City and I think both times here the crowds have been super impressive. You can’t ask for a better backdrop,” said Reijnen. “We want to put on a show for the fans. It’s more fun for us when everyone is out cheering us on. We definitely race at 110 percent when we know the circuit like we did today.”

Tour of Utah Stage 4 Result:
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Hagens Berman Axeon in 2:35:04
2. Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare
3. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
4. Samuel Bassetti (USA) Elevate-KHS
5. Edwin Avila (Col) Israel Cycling Academy
6. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC
7. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
8. Sean Bennett (USA) Hagens Berman Axeon
9. Ulises Alfredo Castillo Soto (Mex) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
10. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo.

Tour of Utah Overall After Stage 4:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 14:29:28
2. Neilson Powless (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo at 0:19
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC at 0:25
4. Michael Woods (Can) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:36
5. Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling at 0:37
6. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:38
7. Gavin Mannion (USA) UnitedHealthcare
8. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
9. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott at 0:40
10. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC.

Stage 4:

Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo) won his second stage victory in the Tour of Utah in Saturday’s Stage 5. The 23-year-old American excelled on Snowbird Mountain and took his second victory as a professional cyclist in, again, an impressive way. In the general classification, he has extended his lead to 1:21 over Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy) and 2:05 over Education Firts-Drapac pair of Joe Dombrowski and Hugh Carthy. He has also taken over the lead in the mountain classification from team mate Daan Olivier. Kuss’ victory is the twenty-fifth for Team LottoNL-Jumbo this season.

The queen stage to Snowbird Mountain was perfectly controlled by Team LottoNL-Jumbo throughout the day. Sepp Kuss was put in an ideal position at the foot of the final climb by his teammates, after which he started his solo at eight kilometers from the finish line.

More news and photos from Utah stage 5 HERE.

Stage winner and overall leader, Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo): “In the beginning I was maybe smiling a little bit, just because there’s no better feeling than just kind of standing up on the pedals and attacking. It’s really fun when you’re on a good day and you feel good. There’s really no better feeling in the world than just kind of dancing on the pedals up a climb. All credits for the team today. They have done a great job. Halfway through the stage the team had done such a good job that I thought I’d try and go for the win again, just to do it for the six guys on the team that helped me out so much. So to make it across the line, I was more happy for them and the staff and everything because it’s been such a nice atmosphere at this race with the team. So all credits to them and of course the fans. The team had everything under control. Everyone has contributed to this victory. It certainly gave me extra motivation to go for the stage victory and reward them for that. I’m very proud of this great team. It’s nice and a bit of a relief to repay Team LottoNL-Jumbo with some results. In the spring I was really not riding well. I was always doing my best and I think the team saw that. At every race I was getting better, adjusting to a new team and life in Europe.”

Larry H. Miller Dealerships Most Aggressive Rider of the day, Kilian Frankiny (BMC): “I really like to ride here in Utah. It’s really special with the altitude and the heat. At home, I live on 700 meters and that’s already pretty high for the place that I live.”

Tour of Utah Stage 5 Result:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 4:02:00
2. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy at 0:39
3. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 1:18
4. Rob Britton (Can) Rally Cycling at 1:27
5. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
6. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
7. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
8. Luis Villalobos (Mex) Aevolo at 1:43
9. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC at 1:47
10. Michael Woods (Can) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 2:04.

Tour of Utah Overall After Stage 5:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 18:32:00
2. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy at 1:21
3. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 2:05
4. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
5. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott at 2:07
6. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC at 2:27
7. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo at 2:33
8. Michael Woods (Can) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 2:40
9. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis at 3:01
10. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 3:17.

Stage 5 with Aevolo Cycling:

Overall leader, Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo) was unstopable on the Final Stage 6 of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah on Sunday, taking his third stage win and securing his overall victory. Kuss soloed on the climb of Empire Pass, and held Brent Bookwalter (BMC) and Jack Haig (Mitchelton-Scott) off by 8 seconds. Hugh Carthy (Education First-Drapac) took fourth ahead of Keegan Swibul (Jelly Belly-Maxxis).

Stage and overall winner, Sepp Kuss (LottoNL-Jumbo): “On the descent, it was a bit wet so I didn’t want to take any chances at all. I knew that guys behind, especially Brent (Bookwalter), would probably take some chances. I just tried to ride a safe descent and make it to the finish line. The fans were so loud that I couldn’t hear anything behind me, like anybody switching gears or anything. I thought if they pass me I won’t even know because it’s just so loud. I was just trying to drive all the way to the line, but I was definitely suffering.”

Tour of Utah Stage 6 Result:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 3:09:22
2. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC at 0:08
3. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
4. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:27
5. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis at 0:28
6. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy at 0:38
7. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 0:43
8. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo at 1:14
9. Nathan Brown (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
10. Nicola Conci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 1:15.

Tour of Utah Final Overall Result:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) LottoNL-Jumbo in 21:41:12
2. Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy at 2:09
3. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott at 2:21
4. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC at 2:39
5. Hugh Carthy (GB) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 2:42
6. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 2:58
7. Keegan Swirbul (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis at 3:39
8. Luis Ricardo Villalobos Hernandez (Mex) Aevolo at 3:57
9. Michael Woods (Can) Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 4:38
10. Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 5:50.

Tour of Utah Podium:

Katusha-Alpecin’s Alex Dowsett and Marcel Kittel Return to OVO Energy Tour of Britain
Team Katusha-Alpecin’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain line-up will feature two former race leaders and stage winners: home favorite Alex Dowsett and German sprinter Marcel Kittel.

The Swiss-registered team have today confirmed that Dowsett and Kittel will be returning to Britain to race in the eight-day event, which starts at Pembrey Country Park, Carmarthenshire on Sunday 2 September and culminates in London a week later.

“This is the first of many exciting rider announcements we’ll be making in the build-up to this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain,” said Race Director Mick Bennett. “It’s always exciting when two of our former stage winners return to the race, especially when they’re of the calibre of Alex Dowsett and Marcel Kittel.

“It goes without saying that Marcel is a rider to watch in the bunch sprints, while this year’s unpredictable and innovative race route is similar to that from 2014 – an edition that Alex so nearly claimed the overall victory in.”

Dowsett won the Stage 8a individual time trial in London in 2011, and came within two days of claiming the 2014 title after heroically aggressive performances across several days. The Essex rider, who previously held the prestigious UCI Hour Record, has finished all seven of his starts in the race, posting five additional top 10 stage finishes alongside his sole victory.

Fourteen-time Tour de France stage winner Kittel, 30, last competed in the race in 2014, when he bookended his week by winning the Liverpool curtain raiser and the final stage on Whitehall in London. The first of those victories also led to him wearing the coveted leader’s jersey for one day.

The 2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain features 20 teams, 13 of whom competed in this year’s Tour de France. Further rider announcements will be revealed in due course, ahead of publication of the race’s provisional start-list on Friday 24 August.

For the second year running, each stage of the race will be shown live and in full on ITV4. Presenter Matt Barbet will be joined former pro rider Yanto Barker and Rebecca Charlton, with Marty MacDonald and Rob Hayles providing the commentary. Eurosport will also air daily live coverage.

The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep, taking place between Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 September 2018.

Marcel Kittel winning stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico:

Rohan Dennis Joins Team Bahrain-Merida for the Next Two Seasons
One of the biggest names in World Tour cycling is Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis. Team Bahrain Merida are very proud and excited to see him in their colors in the coming season. He started his professional career in 2013 and he has already achieved great results, not only at Grand Tours but also on the one-day races as well as the shorter stage races. He is extremely talented in time trials which is only one of the many reasons Team Bahrain Merida are so pleased to have him joining the team. He began his career by focusing on the track and was part of the Australian team that took the silver medals in the team pursuit at 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

General Manager Brent Copeland commented the arrival of Rohan to Team Bahrain Merida: “Making this announcement makes us all very proud. Rohan adds a great value to the team, not only as one of the world best time trialist, but we believe his ability to race in the general classification of grand tours is where we want to invest in and we are all very excited to be able to work together. Rohan is a true professional in all areas and we feel his professional mentality fits our team perfectly. His enthusiasm and exciting way of racing will definitely bring something special to the team. We welcome him and we’re excited to be able to support him through all his success he deserves with us.”

Rohan Dennis commented after signing with Team Bahrain Merida: “I am extremely excited to be joining Bahrain Merida for the next two years. The organization has been upfront and honest about their plans and objectives for me the entire time, which is really positive. As I know, we are working towards the same goals. I’m looking forward to working with a team that is going to invest in my future and I am very keen to see what we can achieve together. I would like to thank all at BMC for a great past four years where I felt I made good progress in my career and I can’t wait to continue that progress with Bahrain Merida.”

Rohan Dennis:

Serge Pauwels Set to Strengthen Continuum Sports Roster in 2019
Continuum Sports, currently operating as BMC Racing Team, is excited to welcome Serge Pauwels in 2019 with the Belgian set to bring a wealth of experience to the team.

General Manager Jim Ochowicz highlighted Pauwels’ professionalism and aggressive racing style as key factors behind his signing. “Serge Pauwels is an excellent addition to the Continuum Sports roster in 2019. The classics will continue to be a big focus for us and Serge’s experience at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia will be invaluable. Throughout his career, Serge has also demonstrated his versatility in stage races, including victory at the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire and third place this year behind Greg Van Avermaet, as well as Grand Tours, where he is often racing aggressively in breakaways as we saw at the Tour de France,” Ochowicz said. “We are excited to see what Serge can do when he joins us in 2019 and believe we can offer him a lot of opportunities to race for personal results, as well as playing a key teammate role alongside Van Avermaet.”

The 34-year-old, who was teammates with Greg Van Avermaet when Van Avermaet won Olympic gold in Rio in 2016, has 12 Grand Tour and 17 Monument participations to his name, a testament to his experience since turning professional in 2006.

Serge Pauwels couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join Van Avermaet at Continuum Sports next season when Polish company CCC become title sponsor. “I was not really looking to change teams. I had four great years with MTN Quebeka and Team Dimension Data and the Qhubeka charity will always have a place in my heart, but then this opportunity came along and I felt like I had to grab it. I have only been teammates with Greg twice with the Belgian national team and of course, the most important one was the Rio Olympics where we were roommates so we both carry a really nice souvenir from that. Even though we have never raced on the same team we are good friends, so I’m excited to finally race together. Greg is not only a great rider because of his palmarès but also the way he races,” Pauwels explained. “Of course, it’s early to talk about my objectives for 2019 but from my discussions with the team I think we will stick to a similar race program. I hope to line up at the races that have been part of my program in the last few years, like the Tour de France, and remain the kind of rider that I am. I want to continue racing aggressively, the way I have been racing already with Team Dimension Data, and I’m looking forward to doing that with Continuum Sports.”

In keeping with team policy, no other details of the contract were released.

Serge Pauwels:

Van der Sande, Mertz and Wouters Extend their Contract
Lotto Soudal is thrilled to announce that three Belgian riders have extended their contract with the team. Both Tosh Van der Sande and Rémy Mertz signed a two-year deal, Enzo Wouters had his contract extended by one year.

The 27-year-old Tosh Van der Sande will stay at least till 2020 with the team. In 2012, Tosh turned pro at Lotto Soudal after being part of the U23 team which is led by Kurt Van de Wouwer.

Tosh Van der Sande: “It was not a difficult decision to sign a two-year contract extension. I was eager to stay at Lotto Soudal and it’s always nice to know if the interest turns out to be mutual. I feel really good within the team, where I have been a part of since 2012. As a Belgian rider in an almost completely Belgian team, I feel at ease. I guess that everybody needs a change now and then, but I realized pretty fast that Lotto Soudal is the right place for me.”

“I am very satisfied with my current role within the team. I enjoy helping the leaders during the finale of big races. In the somewhat smaller races, I am granted the freedom to go for a nice result myself. Of course, I would like to take another victory in the near future. It has already been two years since I was able to celebrate a win.”

“The upcoming Vuelta a España, which is a race that suits me very well, is a big goal of mine. I was already close to a stage victory as I finished a couple of times inside the top five during the Vuelta of 2015. I hope to get such opportunities again this year. The ideal scenario for that would be a reduced bunch sprint or a breakaway that goes till the finish. But the kind of race doesn’t really matter to me, winning is always welcome.”

The 23-year-old Rémy Mertz will also stay at least till the end of 2020. He extended his contract, just like Tosh Van der Sande, for two years. Rémy turned pro at Lotto Soudal in 2017 and hopes to continue his progress during the upcoming years.

Rémy Mertz: “When I got the chance to sign for an extra two years with a WorldTour team, I didn’t hesitate. I received a couple of other offers, but I really wanted to stay because I feel good within the team. Lotto Soudal supports me well in my development as a rider, so my contract extension is just a natural consequence of the past two years.”

“In the years to come, I want to fully commit myself to the team and work for our leaders, like I did before. Of course, I hope to obtain my own results one day, but the most important thing now is that the team is satisfied with the work I do.”

“At the moment, I don’t quite know in which races I would like to go for a result myself, it depends a bit on the progress I will make. Some guys immediately obtain results in their first years as a pro, but unfortunately that doesn’t apply to me. In the future, I want to show myself during the tough and selective races. I will still have to improve a lot, but I think that I am well on my way. I will do everything to become stronger and then, we’ll see. By the way, the current season hasn’t finished yet, there are still a lot of nice races coming up.”

Lotto Soudal also reached an agreement with Enzo Wouters: he saw his contract extended for one year. The promising young sprinter is also a product of the U23 team of Kurt Van de Wouwer.

Enzo Wouters: “I am very happy that I can stay for an extra year. When I got the chance to sign for another year, I didn’t hesitate a second. I haven’t spoken to other teams yet because I just really preferred to stay. After two years at the U23 team and almost two years at the pros, I feel at home at Lotto Soudal.”

“Everything I did so far for the team has made me a stronger as well as a smarter rider. I have already learnt a lot from the big guys. It’s common sense to work for the team if there are better riders at the start. In the future, I hope to get my own chance during the races which suit me well like Nokere Koerse, Handzame Classic and Dwars door West-Vlaanderen. Due to illness during the Spring Classics, I didn’t get those opportunities yet. I hope to appear healthy at the start of those Classics next year and go for a nice result myself now and then.”

Rémy Mertz:

Kreuziger Signing a Key Addition for Team Dimension Data
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka is delighted to announce that Roman Kreuziger has agreed a two-year contract from 1 January, 2019.

The hugely impressive Czech (32) not only brings a wealth of experience to our team, highlighted by his stellar palmarès, but also a deep understanding that we ride for a greater purpose, the Qhubeka charity.

“Joining Team Dimension Data provides a new motivation for me, a fresh start in some ways. Wherever I’ve ridden it’s been with success and this challenge is absolutely no different,” said Kreuziger. “I’ve had a really good year so far but I still have my big goal for the year to come; the World Championships in Innsbruck. I believe though that I’m now entering into the prime of my career and want to achieve great things with Team Dimension Data, so I can’t wait to get started with my new teammates.”

In 2018 Kreuziger’s results in the Ardennes Classics in particular stood out as he finished second at the Amstel Gold Race, was fourth at La Flèche Wallonne and also captured 8th place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He also rode the Giro d’Italia, in support of Simon Yates, and came away with 6th place on stage four. Kreuziger joined Mitchelton-Scott (then Orica) in 2017 from Tinkoff, winning the ‘world’s toughest one-day race’, the PRO Ötztaler 5500, and riding the Tour de France, where he finished fifth on stage 8. “I’ve had a great time and some wonderful experiences at Mitchelton-Scott and look forward to a really successful rest of 2018 with the team. I’d like to wish everybody there all the very best for the future. Finally, I love the Qhubeka charity and what it stands for as it resonates deeply with me; and as a token I’d like to immediately fund one bike. I realize this is a small gesture now but I look forward to helping the team in their collective goal to keep raising funds for the distribution of bikes by Qhubeka, so I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

For team principal Douglas Ryder, Kreuziger’s signing is a key move as Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka looks to step up another level from 2019. “Roman signing for us is a big deal. To have a rider of his quality join our team is a real statement of intent and we’re thrilled to have him. Throughout his career he’s produced impressive results and he’s determined to continue that with our team. 2018 has seen him ride really well and we wish him the best for the rest of the year in advance of him linking up with us. His obvious passion for the Qhubeka charity, already funding a bike, speaks to what makes our team so special and considering he has his own Academy too, he clearly understands how important giving back is. Importantly, Roman’s signing, in addition to other riders who have joined and others who will still be announced, sets out our stall for the coming two years and the ambitious goals we have set for ourselves. He will play a key role in that and we look forward to him taking on that responsibility.”

Roman Kreuziger:

Dorian Godon Joins AG2R-La Mondiale for Two Seasons
Dorian Godon: “Signing for the AG2R LA MONDIALE team is a great adventure after making my professional debut with the Cofidis team. And voilà, all of a sudden here I am with a WorldTour team. I have a great desire to work to win with the team, both collectively and individually. I am a sprinter and I know that there will be great opportunities for me at beautiful events. I dream one day to race one of the Grand Tours. I come from Lyon so I am happy to join the team of my region. This is the team that I would go to see when I would watch the Tour de France when I was a kid.”

Godon in brief:
Né le 25 mai 1996, 22 ans
Height / Weight : 189 cm / 77 kg
Pro rider since 2017 (Cofidis, Solutions Crédits)
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Mains results:
Winner prologue Boucles de la Mayenne (2018) ; 2th Ronde Van Limburg (2017); 3rd in stage 3 Arctic Race Of Norway (2017)

DS Vincent Lavenu: “Dorian is a promising young rider, and we are happy to see him join our team. He is going to strengthen our sprint team and he is also an excellent rouleur, as he proved with his victory in the prologue of the Boucles de la Mayenne. With his arrival, we continue developing the regional fiber of our team.”

Dorian Godon:

Manuele Boaro Joins Astana Pro Team
Astana Pro Team announces the signing of a two-year agreement with the experienced Italian rider Manuele Boaro, who will join the team from the new season of 2019.

“I begin a new and exciting capitol of my career. During the next two years I will be wearing the jersey of Astana Pro Team. New colors, new teammates, new races, new challenges… And I still have a lot of passion and energy for this. I want to become a man of reference for the whole team to repay the trust that Alexandr Vinokurov is giving to me,” said Manuele Boaro.

Manuele Boaro (31) is a well-known TT specialist with some strong climbing skills. He performs well in almost all terrains, can provide a great support to the team leader in the mountains as well as to take the responsibility in the race on himself.

In the current season Boaro won a stage at the Tour of Croatia, while among his best results could be noted stage wins at the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe in 2015 and at the Tour of Denmark in 2014 as well as two silver medals in the individual time trial of the Italian National Championships in 2011 and 2016.

“First of all, Manuele Boaro is known as a perfect helper for the team’s leader and I am sure he will strengthen our GC group. Also, Manuele is a very strong TT rider, who can perform well both in individual and team races. There is not a secret that we are looking for improving our team time trial, so this rider will help us. Boaro is a very strong rider and I am happy to see him in Astana Pro Team in the next season,” said general manager Alexandr Vinokurov.

Manuele Boaro:

Fumiyuki Beppu Renews Contract Through 2020
Trek-Segafredo is pleased to announce that it has agreed with Japanese rider Fumiyuki Beppu to extend the term of his contract by two years through 2020.

Fumy, 35, has been with Trek-Segafredo since the team’s conception in 2014, and has rightfully claimed a spot in its infrastructure. His charisma and relentless work ethic make him an indispensable teammate.

Fumy Beppu: “I’m very grateful that I could renew my contract with Trek-Segafredo until the year of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Those Olympics will be very special for me since they will be held in my home country. Of course, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be one of my big goals. It has been 18 years since I left Japan and I have spent half of my life in Europe to race on European soil, so to be able to keep on racing until the 2020 Summer Olympics, that means a lot to me. Over my whole career, I have seen many changes in cycling, but they haven’t changed my passion and belief in this amazing sport. I will continue to give it my all in the two coming years.”

General Manager Luca Guercilena: “A strong team needs a solid base; you can’t be ambitious if you don’t have a solid foundation. Just like Koen de Kort and Markel Irizar, who renewed contracts with the team recently, Fumy has a long track record as a team player; he’s a selfless worker that gives everything for his teammates. Fumy is a very versatile rider and therefore has a vital place in our team. I am pleased to have Fumy on the team for another two years.”

Fumy Beppu:

Team LottoNL-Jumbo signs Hofstede and continues with Olivier
Lennard Hofstede has signed a two-year contract with Team LottoNL-Jumbo. Moreover, Daan Olivier has renewed his contract with the Dutch World Tour team. He inked a new deal which extends his stay at Team LottoNL-Jumbo for a year.

“Lennard is a young, promising Dutch rider,” Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman says about Hofstede, who’s currently riding for Team Sunweb. “We’re looking forward to develop his talent. He’ll get an important role in the support of our GC riders.”

“I’ve chosen for this team because Team LottoNL-Jumbo has grown into one of the best teams in the world. Also, at this team young riders are guided really well,” Hofstede explains his choice. “I’m happy they showed confidence in me despite the fact that up until now my season hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. I hope I’ll be able to develop myself into an established rider in the grand tours to support the team’s leaders. Besides this, I want to ride for good results in smaller races.”

Daan Olivier crashed hard in the Tour Down Under. In May, he fell again, so the rider had to rehabilitate yet again. “Daan had a lot of setbacks this season,” Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman said. “We believe in Daan’s talent. We want to give him the time to keep growing and developing.”

Olivier is now on the right track. In the Tour of Utah, he’s the current leader in the mountain classification (photo). “After my good comeback in the peloton last year, I wanted to build on it for this season. Because of the two heavy crashes and health issues I was behind for several months,” the 25-year-old rider says. “The team stood by me through all of it. The support of the team and the good coaching are both part of me being on my way back.”

Daan Olivier – Tour de Utah’18 KOM stage 3:

Carlos Verona to Join Movistar Team in 2019
Madrilian rider, 25, returns to a Spanish squad after six years in foreign WorldTour teams; signs two-year contract with Eusebio Unzué’s organization.

The Movistar Team announces Carlos Verona (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, ESP; 1992) has signed a contract with Eusebio Unzué’s team, and will wear the Blue colors at least until the end of the 2020 season.

Despite being still very young, he will turn only 26 on 4th November, Verona is already an expert WorldTour competitor, having spent the last six seasons in top-ranked squads, four years with Quick Step; the last two with Mitchelton-Scott, after a precocious debut with the Burgos-BH continental outfit at the age of just 18.

A tall, strong allrounder (1.86m, 68kg), able to get through the biggest mountains as well as riding strong on hilly courses and flat terrain, Verona has two Giro d’Italia appearances and three Vuelta a España caps to his name. The last few seasons have seen the Spaniard support world-class leaders, such as Esteban Chaves and the Yates brothers, without leaving individual aspirations aside either.

In 2018, Carlos has notched up a 2nd place in the GP Miguel Indurain (behind future team-mate Valverde), a 4th spot on stage five of the Vuelta al País Vasco and KON jerseys at the ‘Itzulia’ and the Norwegian Tour des Fjords.

Alejandro Valverde and Carlos Verona:

Top British talent, Sophie Wright, joins Cervélo Bigla
The Cervélo Bigla Pro Cycling Team is pleased to announce the signing of Sophie Wright. Wright will join the team for the remainder of the season and her debut race will be announced in due course.
The 19-year-old is a European Junior MTB Champion and World Cup winner and is changing her focus to the road discipline.

With one round to go, Wright has won the Elite British National Road Series as a first-year U23.
“My short-term goal was to join a professional road race team – which can now be ticked off the list,” Wright said. “I’m sure I’ll soon learn vast amounts about UCI racing which will further progress my development and provide useful experience. I look forward to the guidance from Thomas [Campana] and fulfilling the role he thinks my strengths can be of most benefit to the team.”

The Cervélo Bigla Pro Cycling Team is one that is passionate about rider development.

Lotta Lepistö has been with the team for five years and developed into one of the top sprinters in the world. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio is ranked third in the world and has had her best results with the team. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig last year won the youth classification in the UCI Women’s WorldTour and is continuing her upward trajectory. 19-year-old Emma Norsgaard Jørgensen is known to be one of the biggest talents in the peloton.

These are just some examples of the success the team has had when it comes to development.

“Sophie comes from the mountain bike discipline and is the lead rider in the national road series in England,” team manager, Thomas Campana said. “Since she’s decided to focus mainly on the road, we were in contact with the national coach in the UK who recommended her. After several talks, it was clear that this was the kind of rider we needed and wish to develop as we see a lot of potential. We’ve already seen confirmation of her ability on the road during the European championships road race where she was on the front for almost 80 kilometers. We’re looking forward to working with her.”

Wright continued: “I’m a very focused, dedicated and competitive athlete, always trying to make myself better and aiming for the top. If I believe in something I will give it 110%, and am a very attentive listener willing to learn anything that will help me. I respect the people I work with, individually and in the team. My strengths are climbing, descending and endurance and I always focus on winning although I understand with Cervélo Bigla I will have to support the top rider.”

Sophie Wright:

Geoffroy Bouchard Joins AG2R-La Mondiale for Two Seasons
Geoffrey Bouchard: “Signing with one of the world’s biggest teams is a big point of pride. It’s all the more so since I’m from Voiron, in the Isère region, and I live in Roanne. AG2R-La Mondiale is the team of my region. After winning my road race champion of France title, I told myself that at my age, I will have only one chance to move up to the pro levels, and that I had to grab it. I have tried my best, and to be taken on as a stagiaire with the team beginning on August 1 gave me even more motivation. I consider myself more of a punchy climber, but my victory at the Tour of Alsace, with mountainous stages, opened my eyes to greater possibilities. I am looking forward to joining the team, and to discover new and better ways to race at the Tour de Poitou-Charentes (August 21-24). For me, who has never once been selected for a French team, it is an incredible opportunity.”

Bouchard in brief:
Born on April 1, 1992. 26 years old
Height / Weight: 177cm / 63 kg
Twitter / Instagram
Main results:
Amateur French Champion (2018)
Tour d’Alsace winner (2018)
Ten victories in 2018 (Before August 7th).

DS, Vincent Lavenu: “This is a rider who has really come into his own this year. In addition to the title of champion of France, his recent victories, and in particular the Tour of Alsace, have proved that he has real qualities. He also is a man with high moral values and a real sense of the team spirit. He is an experienced rider who will be able to integrate immediately into the operations of a UCI WorldTour team.

Geoffrey Bouchard – French amateur champion:

Alessandro De Marchi to Remain with Continuum Sports in 2019
Vuelta a España stage winner Alessandro De Marchi has extended his contract with Continuum Sports beyond the 2018 season, building on his four years with the organization.

The 32-year old Italian joined BMC Racing Team in 2015 and won a stage at the Vuelta a España in his debut year with the team.

“Alessandro De Marchi is one of the most versatile riders in our roster so we are delighted to re-sign Alessandro for the coming seasons. Alessandro takes every opportunity given to him and it’s never a surprise to see him in the breakaway of a stage race or Grand Tour, giving it everything he has to go for a stage win. He has had some very close calls in recent years and it’s only a matter of time before we see him on the podium again,” General Manager Jim Ochowicz said. “Alessandro can time trial well and has been part of seven of our team time trial victories over the years. Some of Alessandro’s greatest assets are his determination and motivation, as well as his selflessness when it comes to working for his teammates, so his attitude and experience will be essential for Continuum Sports in the coming years.”

Alessandro De Marchi is excited to welcome Polish shoe and bag manufacturer CCC as title sponsor and the changes that will generate in the team.

“During the spring, I was starting to look around for other teams and I was quite certain that I would be with another team in 2019 despite all of the things I have enjoyed during my time with BMC Racing Team. Then, CCC was announced as the new title sponsor and Jim Ochowicz explained to me the new direction of the team. I was really excited by this opportunity and I realized that I could find the change I was looking for whilst remaining with Continuum Sports. So, I am very happy to stay with the team and I appreciate Jim’s honest approach and the team’s desire to extend my contract,” De Marchi said. “I think we have an exciting opportunity to retain the team’s core structure and welcome some changes, and I think this will help me to find new motivation and new goals. Without having a big leader for the Grand Tours, we will have a different approach to races and this will work in my favor and probably give me more opportunities at stage races. I am also really happy to stay in the same team as Greg Van Avermaet. I have always appreciated and enjoyed the races I have done with Greg, he likes to race in a way in which I can help him, and it’s motivating to race with a leader like him.”

In keeping with team policy, no other details of the contract were released.

Alessandro De Marchi:

Mark Padun Will Renew his Contract with Team Bahrain-Merida
After the first season in the Team Bahrain Merida, young Mark Padun from Ukraine showed a great performance and, for sure, is one of the most talented young cyclist in the World Tour. His solo victory on the Tour of Alps in April showed his strength and self confidence that even so young and first-yearly in World Tour cycling can perform a stage victory. In the team they are sure Mark will grow as a rider. He feels good in the team and trainers are satisfied with his progress.

Mark Padun commented: “My first year with this team is going amazing and I am very happy to stay here for the next 2 years.”

General Manager of the team Brent Copeland commented: “Mark is a rider we at Bahrain Merida have worked exceptionally well with since the start of our working relationship. He is one of the biggest assets and one of the most talented young riders in the pro peloton and we know his worth. For this reason, all team management believes in him and has extended his contract. We believe Mark has so many areas which he can cover as a rider, he can climb as well as TT and he’s a very intelligent rider who knows how to manage himself well, even though he is still at a very young age. One of his strongest points is his positive and hard working attitude which never seizes to amaze us. We certainly looking forward to continuing the next few years together with him.”

Mark Padun winning in the Tour of the Alps:

“Pierre Rolland Attacks!”… And Gets The Glaz and Black Jersey
More than ever turned towards the offensive, the 31-year-old Frenchman will be one of the leaders of the Vital Concept Cycling Club in 2019. A talented climber, winner of two mountain stages on the Tour de France and a Giro stage last year, «Pierrot» will become a Man in Glaz with clear ideas: find back the pleasure of cycling and the joys of victory.

Professional since 2007 and after three seasons in the Cannondale and Education First-Drapac team, the French rider comes back home with enthusiasm. “When it came to making my choice for the next two seasons, joining the Vital Concept Cycling Club was obvious. It was a project that really picked my attention, the one that excites me the most. I have already participated in nine Tour de France, two Giro, three Vuelta and I still have many dreams to accomplish.” Already in contact last year with Jérôme Pineau, general manager of the Breton team, the former winner at Alpe d’Huez decided to make the leap. “After seeing the birth of the team and the way it went through the first part of the season, I know that I fit perfectly to the project. I come for the group that is being formed, for the atmosphere that reigns there and to bring it an added value.”

In the Glaz and Black jersey, Pierre Rolland will meet his former teammates Kevin Reza, Bryan Coquard, Julien Morice and his great friend Cyril Gautier. “The arrival of Cyril in the team has reinforced the evidence. He’s a real buddy, we go on a family vacation together, it’s a great pleasure to be part of the same squad again. Thanks to the Vital Concept Cycling Club, we will once again be able to race and laugh together… it’s a great gift that we can make the whole group enjoy. Cycling is such a difficult sport that it’s essential to practice it surrounded by people we love.”

Jerome Pineau already has a plan to allow his recruit to perform at the highest level. “I know Pierre since the Beijing Olympics, where we teamed up in the tricolor jersey. He has matured a lot and now needs to race more, especially at the beginning of the season, in the south of France or anywhere else, on one-week races for which Pierre is cut. He is only 31 and is a rider of very high level, who’s still a man to watch in the biggest races. With the Vital Concept Cycling Club, he will start each race to make the most of it. He still has beautiful pages to write and will be surrounded by a squad he will enjoy, which fits him. Pierre is a pack man, who has no problem making sacrifices and pulling other ones up, a great professional who will set an example to the youngest.”

Support Adrien Costa’s Amputation Injury Rehabilitation
On July 29, our friend and former teammate Adrien Costa was involved in a serious accident while climbing in Mono County, California. The incident occurred on the north ridge of Mount Conness, where Adrien was climbing at around 11,400 feet, near the base of the Conness Glacier. He was scrambling up a talus field to the base of the climbing route when a large rock, weighing around 4,000 pounds, gave way and pinned his leg against a boulder below.

Thanks to the efforts of two hikers who were nearby, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue were able to locate Adrien, and after some difficulty launching their own helicopter due to heavy smoke in the area, they were able to free Adrien and evacuate him, with the help of a National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk that was close by on fire assignment.

When Adrien arrived at the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, he was in critical condition, but thanks to the hospital’s medical staff, and the quick thinking of the hikers who first reported his location, his life was saved. Tragically, they had no choice but to amputate his right leg above the knee.

Everyone at Hagens Berman Axeon is deeply saddened by the news and our thoughts and prayers are with Adrien’s family and friends at this difficult time. We have set up a GoFundMe Page to help with medical expenses and are asking the cycling community to join our efforts. Any donations, or help you can offer in terms of sharing this link would be greatly appreciated.

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