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EUROTRASH News Round Up Monday!

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Another full EUROTRASH Monday: Race results from Oman, Provence, Murcia and Almería. Mathieu van der Poel training in Spain – TOP STORY. Other news: Collarbone fracture for Patrick Bevin, Dylan van Baarle to Roubaix and Amstel, no Roubaix for Vincenzo Nibali and Hans van Kasteren reacts to Tormans and Lefevere. Team news: Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl to Volta ao Algarve, AG2R Citroën to Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol and Tim Merlier rides Tirreno-Adriatico, Jasper Philipsen to Paris-Nice. Race news: Milano-Sanremo 2022 route, teams for the 2022 Tour de France and host regions for 2022 Tour of Britain. Chris Froome asks ‘do time trial bikes belong in road cycling’ video. Big coffee time.

top story
TOP STORY: Mathieu van der Poel Training in Spain
Mathieu van der Poel traveled to Spain last week. On the Costa Blanca he continues to work on his rehabilitation and condition building in peace. The 27 year-old Dutchman recently underwent knee surgery to remove scar tissue and also has ongoing back problems.

Van der Poel had a few training rides in Belgium last week, but on Thursday his Strava account showed he was riding in Spain. Some of Alpecin-Fenix and the women’s Plantur-Pura team are on a training camp in the same region, according to Dutch website, WielerFlits sources, Van der Poel was seen riding solo.

In the Calpe region, MvdP put in a 3 hour ride of 98 kilometres, climbing 1,432 metres on Thursday. Apparently there is no question of a possible return to competition. The Alpecin-Fenix team insists that their top rider is recovering in peace.

Nice ride:
mvdp

Adrie van der Poel has Spoken About Mathieu’s Recovery
Mathieu van der Poel traveled to Spain this week, where he continues to work on his rehabilitation, but what does this mean for his spring Classics campaign? Father Adrie van der Poel tempers expectations. “He is not training yet, but cycling.”

However, Van der Poel senior is clear in talks with Wielerrevue. “He is not training yet, but cycling. There is a big difference. He will not train again until the injury is over and that is not the case yet. It will soon be time for the classics. I hope he will start again in April, but if it doesn’t go well, he may have to skip the spring.”

“First, that back has to be perfectly in order. In any case, it is going in the right direction,” said Van der Poel’s father. So at the moment there is no question of a possible return to competition for Mathieu van der Poel.

A bit more time in Spain for Mathieu:
van der poel

 

oman
Tour of Oman 2022
Fernando Gaviria won Stage 1 of the Tour of Oman. After 139 kilometres he beat Mark Cavendish and Kaden Groves in a bunch sprint. Thanks to his victory, the Colombian took the leader’s jersey.

oman22 st1

The riders set off from Al-Rustaq for a 139-kilometre first stage in Oman. It was a relatively flat stage, so a bunch sprint was expected. The only climb of the day, Fanja (1km at 9.4%), was nearly 50km from the finish, which was probably too far out to cause any problems.

A few riders were interested in the early break, but only three tried to get away. Peio Goikoetxea (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Mohammed Al-Wahibi (Oman national team) were joined by Jan Dunnewind of Novo Nordisk. They took a maximum lead of just over 3 minutes. The peloton soon decided to reduce their lead with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, BikeExchange–Jayco and UAE Team Emirates doing the work for Mark Cavendish, Kaden Groves and Fernando Gavaria. The break started the Climb of Fanja with less than 1:30 lead. On the climb, Goikoetxea left the others behind and was first over the top, Team DSM pulled hard in the peloton for Jonas Iversby Hvideberg. Several sprinters, including Max Walscheid (Cofidis), were dropped. In the end the plan of the Dutch team did not succeed and everything came together again and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl took command. Goikoetxea was still alone in the lead.

Goikoetxea won the last intermediate sprint, with Mark Cavendish in second, taking some bonus seconds. Ten kilometres from the finish, Goikoetxea was finally caught. After an acceleration by DSM and an attack from Søren Kragh Andersen, a bunch sprint was guaranteed. In the last slightly uphill kilometre, Fernando Gaviria was piloted perfectly by his teammates. They dropped the Colombian in the right place, after which he only had to make sure that he held off Cavendish. The British sprinter came off Gavaria’s wheel, but was unable to pass him. Kaden Groves finished third. Despite the bonus seconds Cavendish took earlier in the stage, Gaviria is the first overall leader.

oman22 st 1

Stage winner and overall leader, Fernando Gaviria Rendon (UAE Team Emirates): “Yesterday I told the media I really wanted to win some stages here, I’ve been putting pressure on myself and in my head I knew I needed a victory. Last week in Saudi I came close but just missed it so to take a win today is amazing. The team did really nice work today, they worked like a big family and delivered me perfectly. I’m really happy to be here in Oman in this beautiful country and I am hungry for more wins. Let’s see how the legs are today after the massage and build towards more good results here.”

2nd on the stage and overall, Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “My speed was okay, but I had to go around the outside and couldn’t overtake Gaviria. I’m therefore happy to be back in the mix. I felt good the whole stage and I’m also happy with the speed I could make at the end. Unfortunately, on the right of the road, I was in the wrong position, so I had to go outside. Overtaking Gaviria was just out of the question. As I said yesterday, when you start your first race of the new season, you are never sure of your form. It was especially important today to get the feeling of racing back in your legs. I am confident that the condition is okay. We have a group here that has not yet raced together, so we will continue to build on that in the coming days.”

3rd on the stage and 4th overall, Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco): “It was a pretty straight forward day, there was a bit of wind around, but there was a small breakaway controlled by Quick-Step, UAE and us, so there was no real danger. The KOM got pretty hard there with around 40km to go with some attacks from DSM, but again everything just got neutralised. Then we just rolled on into the finish and things started to get hectic with about 10km to go. Considering we’ve got a new bunch of guys here working together, it’s Campbell and Kell’s first time with the team, they both did really well. We got lost a little bit but coming through 1km to go, we were all together and we did a really good job in the end. I was on Gavaria’s wheel, the winner, but I just didn’t have the legs to come round him. But I’m happy with the sensations and I think it’s going to be a really good week. I’m not unhappy with third, it’s more the performance I’m after and I didn’t have the best legs in the finish, so if we can have a smoother run to the line, I’m confident that with good legs I can get a win here.”

Tour of Oman Stage 1 Result:
1. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) UAE Team Emirates in 3:17:04
2. Mark Cavendish (GB) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
3. Kaden Groves (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
4. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkea-Samsic
5. Paul Penhoet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
6. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) UAE Team Emirates
7. Maximilian Walscheid (Ger) Cofidis
8. Hugo Page (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
9. Andrea Peron (Ita) Novo Nordisk
10. Mihkel Räim (Est) Burgos-BH.

Tour of Oman Overall After Stage 1:
1. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) UAE Team Emirates in 3:16:54
2. Mark Cavendish (GB) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:02
3. Peio Goikoetxea Goiogana (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 0:04
4. Kaden Groves (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:06
5. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 0:09
6. Jan Dunnewind (Ned) Novo Nordisk
7. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkea-Samsic at 0:10
8. Paul Penhoet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
9. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) UAE Team Emirates
10. Maximilian Walscheid (Ger) Cofidis.

Oman’22 stage 1:

 

Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman on Friday was won by Mark Cavendish. The British Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider was the best sprinter in Suhar Corniche after a stage of more than 167 kilometres, ahead of Kaden Groves and Amaury Capiot. Cavendish also took over the leader’s jersey from Fernando Gaviria, with his first win of the season.

oman22 st2

Immediately after the start, Antonio Angulo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Stephen Clancy (Novo Nordisk) escaped. Mohammed Al-Wahidi tried to jump across, like he did on the opening day, but the home rider left it too late. He was caught by the peloton, while Angulo and Clancy pulled away for a 4 minute lead. That lead didn’t get much bigger, because Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and BikeExchange-Jayco set the pace in the peloton. For a long time the difference fluctuated around 2 minutes, but partly due to the work of DSM, the lead fell to less than a minute. Starting the last 30 kilometres, Angulo and Clancy were caught.

It was then down to the sprinter teams, but first there was an attack attempt from Gabriel Muller (Burgos-BH). He managed to take a 40 second lead, but it turned out to be a waste of energy for the Frenchman. A bunch sprint was inevitable and Mark Cavendish proved to be the fastest. Kaden Groves and Amaury Capiot were second and third. Fernando Gaviria, the winner of stage 1, was 4th and lost his leader’s jersey. Cavendish took ten bonus seconds due to his stage win and is now in the leaders red jersey.

oman22 st2

Stage winner and overall leader, Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “I was looking forward to this sprint, as it was similar to a Tour de France one, with a long finishing straight of over one kilometre. Everyone on the team was committed and did a great job, and coming into the stage I had a lot of confidence from yesterday’s good work. When the sprint started, I was a bit far back, but I had a good speed and I am happy with the way things panned out. It’s been only a few weeks since I returned on my bike following that crash on the track, so I am quite satisfied with my form. To take a win so early in the season it’s always important and we hope to get some more nice results before the Tour of Oman ends.”

2nd on the stage and overall, Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco): “I had good legs and again we put ourselves in a position to win, and I was just beaten by a faster man on the day in the end. But again, I think we’re ready for the rest of the week and it’s exciting to see how we’re doing so early in the season and with a new bunch of guys. It’s nice to be consistent, my legs were a lot better today, my shapes good, and the commitment by the team, I can’t fault it. Hopefully in the next days I can get that bit more luck and keep improving and we can get a win soon. In general it was a pretty boring day, but pretty annoying actually with the direction of the wind, it was crosswinds all day but nothing strong enough to cause any splits. The guys did a really good job, we decided to leave the run-in real late, it’s a small peloton here so we figured we could come from the back to the front quite easily, and we did that. We lined up with our full team, used all of our guys into the roundabout with around 2km to go. In the end it worked out really well, it was a little bit sketchy in the final straight because the wind was right on our side but I was able to contest the sprint well.”

4th on the stage and 3rd overall, Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates): “He is in really good shape. Cavendish was already good yesterday and today he did a really good sprint. It’s great that the old Cav is back in the pack. It means a lot if you can win, like yesterday. I am still disappointed myself, but there will be more opportunities this year. We were in a good position, but at the end it was a bit crazy. In the last two corners we were well up front and wanted to start the sprint, but then riders came over us. A rider from Arkéa-Samsic closed in on me a bit, but that wasn’t too bad. I had to hold back for a while so as not to fall. It was nothing special. I can now prepare for the final stage and the UAE Tour.”

Tour of Oman Stage 2 Result:
1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 4:10:31
2. Kaden Groves (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
3. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa Samsic
4. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates
5. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
6. Mihkel Räim (Est) Burgos-BH
7. Campbell Stewart (NZ) BikeExchange-Jayco
8. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
9. Milan Menten (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
10. Carlos Canal (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi.

Tour of Oman Overall After Stage 2:
1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 7:27:16
2. Kaden Groves (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:09
3. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates
4. Antonio Angulo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 0:13
5. Peio Goikoetxea (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
6. Amaury Capiot (Bel) Arkéa Samsic at 0:15
7. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 0:17
8. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:19
9. Mihkel Räim (Est) Burgos-BH
10. Milan Menten (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB.

Oman’22 stage 2:

 

Anthon Charmig won the Third Stage of the Tour of Oman. On the uphill finish in Qurayyat, the Danish rider was the strongest. Jan Hirt finished second, Élie Gesbert third. Charmig is also the new overall leader.

oman22 st3

After two stages for sprinters, the third stage had a bit more climbing. With an uphill finish, this was an opportunity for the explosive finishers. Six riders joined forces to form the break of the day: the Belgians Kévin Van Melsen (Intermarché) and Louis Blouwe (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB), the Italians Samuele Zoccarato (Bardiani) and Umberto Poli (Novo Nordisk) and the Spaniards Peio Goikoetxea (Euskaltel) and Ángel Fuentes (Burgos-BH).

The six attackers got 3 minutes away from the peloton in the first hour, where UAE Team Emirates where working for Rui Costa and Ryan Gibbons. With 100 kilometres to go, the large group accelerated and the leading group slowly but surely started to shrink. In addition to UAE Team Emirates, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl also led the chase. At 60 kilometres from the finish, Poli was the first rider to be dropped from the leading group and a little later Van Melsen was also distanced. At 20 kilometres out, the lead of the remaining escapees had fallen to less than 1 minute. Zoccarato, Blouwe, Goikoetxea and Fuentes all continued to work, but the battle with the peloton was an uneven one and after Zoccarato and Goikoetxea were first caught, Blouwe and Fuentes were also pulled in on the run-up to the final climb of Qurayyat – 3 kilometres long with an average slope of 7%.

The pace was high in the last 10 kilometres, which made it impossible for anyone to get away. Each team tried to position its leader as best as possible for the final climb. In the last kilometre Jan Hirt started first and the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert rider had a nice gap. Élie Gesbert then reacted, but it was Anthon Charmig who had the best final jump, to give Uno-X a nice win in Oman. Hirt held on for second place, ahead of Gesbert. Fausto Masnada and Rui Costa were the next to finish.

oman22 st3

Stage winner and overall leader, Anthon Charmig (Uno-X): “This stage suited my qualities. The third place in the Saudi Tour gave me confidence. I knew I had good legs when I came here. This stage suited my qualities, so it’s nice to be able to win. It’s very hot here, so I had to drink a lot and try to stay out of trouble. The team positioned me well for the final climb and I’m happy to finish it. We now have the leader’s jersey and the next few days will be tough, but we will do our best to defend the jersey as best we can.”

2nd on the stage and overall, Jan Hirt (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert): “The team first ensured that we started the climb in a good position. I felt very good uphill, so I accelerated several times until I finally managed to create a gap. Explosive finals like these normally don’t suit me very well, so I’m happy that I was able to battle for the victory here in Qurayyat. I’m happy with my good condition at the start of the season, which results of a three week altitude training camp in Colombia and training plans of my coach Ioannis Tamouridis.”

Tour of Oman Stage 3 Result:
1. Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X in 4:19:30
2. Jan Hirt (Cze) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
3. Elie Gesbert (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic at 0:02
4. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:04
5. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates
6. Rein Taaramae (Est) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
7. Henri Vandenabeele (Bel) DSM
8. Harold Lopez (Ecu) Astana Qazaqatan Development at 0:07
9. Denis Nekrasov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo
10. Mauro Schmid (Swi) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Tour of Oman Overall After Stage 3:
1. Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X in 11:46:55
2. Jan Hirt (Cze) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert at 0:04
3. Elie Gesbert (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic at 0:08
4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 0:12
5. Rein Taaramae (Est) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert at 0:14
6. Denis Nekrasov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo at 0:17
7. Harold Lopez (Ecu) Astana Qazaqatan Development
8. Hugo Page (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
9. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) UAE Team Emirates
10. Filippo Zana (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè.

Oman’22 stage 3:

 

Fausto Masnada won Stage 4 of the Tour of Oman. The Italian Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider broke away from an elite group on the descent of the last climb and kept his lead until the finish. Masnada is also the new leader on the general classification.

oman22 st4

The peloton started from Al Sifah for a short but tricky stage. The riders immediately had to face some nasty climbs and in the second part of the race there was the triple climb of Al Jabal Street. This climb had to be conquered twice from the slightly longer side and once from the shorter side.

Samuele Zoccarato (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Michael Kukrle (Gazprom-RusVelo) and Julen Irizar (Euskaltel-Euskadi) managed to get away early and built up a lead of 2:30. On the Climb of Al Jissah after 31 kilometres, Zoccarato took the points. DSM decided to chase on this first categorised climb of the day. The peloton was thinned out to about twenty riders, which soon caught up with the leading group. DSM then sent Marco Brenner along with Mauro Schmid off the front. Schmid was 12th overall and a danger for overall leader Charmig. He had to react and joined a group of six other riders, including Fausto Masnada, Rui Costa and Jan Hirt, second yesterday.

Schmid didn’t give up and tried again on the flat towards the Al Jabal Street climbs. He got rid of Charmig and took some strong riders with him: Jonas Hvideberg (DSM), Søren Kragh Andersen (DSM), Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Marco Canola (Gazprom-RusVelo). Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert had missed the move and had to give chase. On the first ascent of Al Jabal Street, after about 70 kilometres, the difference between the two groups was less than 1 minute. Small enough for Zoccarato to jump across and take top points for the mountains classification. A climb later, the Italian still had some strength in his legs, as he was the only one to follow Schmid from the leading group. Schmid tried to go solo.

At the foot of the final climb of Al Jabal Street, the summit of which was 15 kilometres from the finish, Schmid was still riding alone. Kevin Vauquelin came up from behind and passed Schmid to get on top first. The Frenchman rode in the lead for a while, but was caught on the descent by an elite group including Charmig and Schmid. Fausto Masnada was also in this group, but the Italian left the others on the descent. The group with Charmig, Schmid, Vauquelin, Henri Vandenabeele, Jan Hirt and Kevin Vermaerke couldn’t catch Masnada on the flat final of the stage. A minute after Masnada, the new leader, crossed the line, his teammate Mauro Schmid sprinted to second place. Vauquelin was third.

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Stage winner and overall leader, Fausto Masnada (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “It’s my first victory for the Wolfpack and I can’t tell you how much I wanted to get a win for the team! Today was such a hard stage, but we rode as a team and that’s what made the difference in the end. Mauro did an amazing race, he was superb today, attacking and putting pressure on the others, before helping me in the final part of the stage, after getting caught. I can’t thank him enough for his effort and great job! I knew that the descent would be important, a key point of the race, and that’s where I made the move. I tried just one time and it turned out to be the right moment. As soon as a gap opened, I just pushed as hard as possible to increase my lead. I worked hard the entire winter, so to be rewarded for it with a win so early in the season feels incredible. The fact that now I also have the red jersey on my shoulders it’s a big bonus. Monday we will try to do our best to defend this jersey.”

Tour of Oman Stage 4 Result:
1. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 3:01:53
2. Mauro Schmid (Swi) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 1:07
3. Kevin Vaquelin (Fra) Arkea-Samsic
4. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates
5. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) DSM
6. Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X
7. Jan Hirt (Cze) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
8. Henri Vandenabeele (Bel) DSM
9. Sander Armee (Bel) Cofidis at 1:18
10. Jonas Hvideberg (Nor) DSM at 1:23

Tour of Oman Overall After Stage 4:
1. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team in 14:49:00
2. Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X at 0:55
3. Jan Hirt (Cze) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux at 0:58
4. Mauro Schmid (Swi) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 1:06
5. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates at 1:07
6. Elie Gesbert (Fra) Arkea-Samsic at 1:22
7. Kevin Vermaerke (USA) DSM
8. Henri Vandenabeele (Bel) DSM at 1:23
9. Rein Taaramäe (Est) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux at 1:28
10. Denis Nekrasov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo at 1:31.

Oman’22 stage 4:

 

provence
Tour de La Provence 2022
The Prologue of the Tour de La Provence was, as expected, won by Filippo Ganna. The reigning time trial World champion was too fast for the others over the 7 kilometres. His INEOS Grenadiers teammate, Ethan Hayter, finished second, ahead of Tobias Ludvigsson.

provence22 st1

The seventh edition of Tour de La Provence kicked off with a prologue of just over 7 kilometres around Berre l’Étang. There were quite a few roundabouts and other traffic furniture, but otherwise the route was mainly on straight, flat roads. There was some slight uphill sections, but this only amounted to 28 metres of climbing.

The first real target time was set by Tobias Ludvigsson. The 30-year-old Swede of Groupama-FDJ finished with a time of 8:17, beating former U23 World champions Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) and Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) by 2 and 6 seconds. Ethan Hayter, the promising Briton, managed to go under the time of Ludvigsson by 1 second and took the hot seat. With Hayter at the top of the leader board, the top men started the prologue.

Filippo Ganna, the two-time World TT champion, and a true prologue specialist, lived up to his favourite status. With a time of 8:04 he was 12 seconds faster than his teammate Hayter with the winning time. The only danger could come from Julian Alaphilippe. The French World road champion didn’t ride a bad time trial, finished in the top-10, but lost 17 seconds on Ganna. Alaphilippe, who tried to temper expectations before the start, did a good ride for the overall victory. Pierre Latour finished 5th. GC riders Ilan Van Wilder (8:24) and Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (8:28) can also look back with satisfaction on their race. Iván Sosa of Movistar, who was the best in the Tour de La Provence last year, lost more than a minute.

provence22 prog

Stage winner and overall leader, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “To come back to Provence and win again is really, really nice. My first victory for a WorldTour team I did here so it’s nice to come back. It’s nice to see another win after three or four days and it’s a good start to the season. Now we look to the next stages to improve and work well with the team and we cross our fingers. Tomorrow is a really hard stage as there is a lot of wind. Maybe it’s possible to split the bunch in the wind. We’ll see but we have to be ready.”

Tour de La Provence Stage 1 Result:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 8:04
2. Ethan Hayter (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:12
3. Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ at 0:13
4. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:15
5. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:17
7. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) TotalEnergies
8. Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar at 0:19
9. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:20.

Tour de La Provence Overall After The Prologue:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 8:04
2. Ethan Hayter (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:12
3. Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ at 0:13
4. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:15
5. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:17
7. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) TotalEnergies
8. Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar at 0:19
9. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:20

Provence’22 stage prologue:

 

Elia Viviani won Stage 1 of the Tour de La Provence. In Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the Italian was the best in the final sprint from a leading group. This is Viviani’s first win for INEOS Grenadiers since his return to the squad. Filippo Ganna retained the leader’s jersey.

provence 22 st2

The Tour de La Provence continued on Friday with a nearly flat stage from Istres to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. The route first went north to the Col de la Vayède for the first mountain points of the race. Via Arles, the riders passed through the Rhône Delta and the Camargue to a final circuit of almost 24 kilometres, which had to be covered twice. This was a stage for the sprinters, but on the open plains of the Camargue the wind could play a role.

Several riders immediately tried to get away. A leading group of six riders was formed with Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels), Viktor Verschaeve (Lotto Soudal), Stéphane Rossetto (St Michel-Auber93), Tom Mainguenaud (Go Sport), Tristan Delacroix and Jean Goubert (both Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur). The group had a maximum lead of 5 minutes. Mainguenaud was first over the top of the only climb to secure the mountain jersey. INEOS Grenadiers controlled the peloton for prologue winner Filippo Ganna. After the Col de la Vayède, there was the chance of echelons. The lead of the attackers slowly but surely decreased until they were caught. Eighty kilometres from the finish the peloton split into pieces. A first group of around 25 riders, including Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Samuele Battistella, Elia Viviani, Richard Carapaz, Filippo Ganna, Julian Alaphilippe, Mattias Skjelmose Jensen, Sep Vanmarcke, Pierre Latour and Nairo Quintana, had a gap. With 47 kilometres to go, the first group crossed the finish line for the first time. The lead over the second group including Bryan Coquard, Arnaud Démare and Philippe Gilbert was more than 1 minute.

Alaphilippe beat Paret-Peintre and Louis Vervaeke in the first intermediate sprint for a three-second bonus. The leader of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl was after the overall lead, as he also took the second intermediate sprint, this time ahead of Latour and Maxime Bouet. With 23 kilometres to go, the lead of the first group had risen to more than 2 minutes, the stage winner would come from this group. As the finish got closer, the nervousness in the leading group increased. Seven kilometres from the finish, Maciej Bodnar attacked and had Alaphilippe chasing him down. The World champion was unable to close the gap, after which INEOS Grenadiers, which had four men in the front with Viviani, Carapaz, Ganna and Luke Rowe, led the chase. Bodnar proved no match for Ganna, who closed the last gap a kilometre from the finish. Mads Würtz Schmidt also tried in vain to get away. INEOS Grenadiers positioned Viviani perfectly for the sprint and the Italian rider didn’t disappoint. Vanmarcke finished second, Alaphilippe was third.

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Stage winner, Elia Viviani (INEOS Grenadiers): “It was not an easy flat stage because of the wind. We moved really well and we have some experienced guys from the Classics like Luke Rowe. When we saw we had four in front, and also Richie with us for the GC, we thought it’s good and we kept pushing all day. When we saw there weren’t any other sprinters in the front (group) of course we were happy about that. I felt a bit of pressure but the guys did an amazing job. Ganna closed the gap on Bodnar which was a dangerous attack in the last few km. Then Luke Rowe did a perfect lead-out for me. Thanks to the whole team for their great job today. We had some tactics for today. The first was attack in the wind, and then once we’d seen the finish line the guys wanted to know from me what I wanted for the proper lead-out. It’s what we talked about in the last 10km, how to approach the final few metres. I finished the season really well last year and that’s important. For sure I’m really happy to be back with team INEOS Grenadiers. It’s really important for a sprinter winning at the start of the season. From Valenciana we knew I had a good condition and then coming here to Provence with a big goal to win the first race of the season.”

Tour de La Provence Stage 1 Result:
1. Elia Viviani (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 3:17:58
2. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech
3. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
4. Martijn Tusveld (Ned) DSM
5. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
6. Cedric Beullens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
7. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
8. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Tour de La Provence Overall After Stage 1:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 3:26:05
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:04
3. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:10
4. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:12
5. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:17
6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:21
7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar
8. Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
9. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:22
10. Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkéa Samsic at 0:23.

Provence’22 stage 1:

 

Bryan Coquard won Stage 2 of the Tour de La Provence. The Frenchman beat Julian Alaphilippe in the sprint from a thinned out group. Filippo Ganna finished third and retained the overall lead.

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The 180.5 kilometres from Arles to Manosque did not have any major climbs, but the route wasn’t flat and the last kilometre was up hill.

Five men attacked early: Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels-KTM), Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies), Tony Hurel (St Michel-Auber93), Evaldas Šiškevičius (GO Sport-RLM) and Kevin Besson (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur) had a maximum of 5 minutes on the INEOS Grenadiers led peloton, which had to do without Richard Carapaz due to a positive corona test. The men of overall leader, Filippo Ganna, were helped by Cofidis, and they ensured that the difference did not increase further. When Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and Groupama-FDJ started to get involved in the pursuit, the peloton picked up the pace and slowly the gap came down. On the Col de la Mort D’Imbert (5km at 3.6%), of which the summit was 60 kilometres from the finish, Ourselin took the points. The Frenchman took more points on the Col de l’Aire Dei Masco (6.3km at 4.6%), for the mountain jersey. At that moment he had only Gougeard with him. The other three escapees were dropped one by one. Cofidis continued for a strong Bryan Coquard. Several sprinters got into trouble. Elia Viviani, yesterday’s stage winner, among others, were dropped.

Ourselin and Gougaerd entered the descent with a 1 minute lead. From that point it was still 27 kilometres to the finish. Ten kilometres later, with 17 kilometres to go, Gougeard decided to leave Ourselin behind. The Frenchman tried to go solo. Despite the work of the Cofidis men and Jullian Alaphilippe’s Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, he was still 30 seconds ahead with 6 kilometres to go. In the end, 30 seconds turned out not to be enough. Partly due to an acceleration by Ilan Van Wilder, Gougeard was caught in the last 2 kilometres, after which Pierre-Luc Périchon tried his luck. Due to Van Wilder again, who kept the pace high for Alaphilippe, the Frenchman’s attempt was unsuccessful. It was going to be a sprint and Bryan Coquard was the fastest. Alaphilippe could hold his wheel, while Filippo Ganna finished in 3rd place, taking enough bonus seconds to keep his leader’s jersey.

provence22 st2

Stage winner, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis): “Of course, I’m delighted to raise my arms for the second time this season. We’re getting a taste for it, it’s a great feeling! We were really good collectively today and we were keen to catch up with yesterday. With my teammates, we toughened up the race in order to be able to eliminate as many riders as possible and increase our chances of winning. It was a great day, I just had to finish the job!”

Tour de La Provence Stage 2 Result:
1. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis in 4:19:42
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
3. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers
4. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies
5. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
6. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic
7. Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Israel Start-Up Nation
8. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar
9. Aurélien Paret Peintre (Fra) AG2R Citroën
10. Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) TotalEnergies.

Tour de La Provence Overall After Stage 2:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers 7:45:43
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:02
3. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:14
4. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:16
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:25
6. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar
7. Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic at 0:27
8. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
9. Damien Touze (Fra) AG2R Citroën at 0:30
10. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic at 0:32.

Provence’22 stage 2:

 

Nairo Quintana won the Tour de La Provence for the second time in his career. The Colombian Arkéa-Samsic rider turned out to be by far the strongest on the final climb of Montagne de Lure, taking the final stage win and also the overall victory.

provence22 st3

With 3,251 metres of climbing and an uphill finish on the Montagne de Lure, the final part of this seventh Tour de La Provence promised to be a spectacle. The peloton started in Manosque, then twice over the Col de Buire (6km at 3.7%) and then the final climb (13.4km at 6.7%) to the ski station of Montagne de Lure.

Five riders were in an adventurous mood and decided to set up an early break: Alexis Gougeard was joined by Romain Combaud (DSM), Nicolas Debeaumarché (St Michel-Auber93), Jonathan Couanon (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur) and Luke Rowe (INEOS Grenadiers). The latter as leader Ganna’s watchdog. Gougeard, Rowe, Combaud, Debeaumarché and Couanon took 7 minutes from the peloton on the run-up to the Col de Buire, the first climb of the day. Gougeaurd was the first to get to the summit for some mountain points, but was dropped before the final climb to Montagne de Lure. The four remaining escapees reached the foot of the final climb with a small lead. The peloton followed with fourteen kilometres to go at 1 minute.

In the peloton, the work was done by Arkéa-Samsic, Groupama-FDJ and Trek-Segafredo. On the final climb, the peloton was gradually thinned out by the Groupama-FDJ. Rowe and Couanon were swallowed by the favourites group with 11 kilometres to go. Combaud and Debeaumarché were still ahead, but the lead had now shrunk to 30 seconds. The pace of Groupama-FDJ rider Bruno Armirail shrunk the group even further, although the big favourites were still at the front of the group, ready to strike. Leader Filippo Ganna was also still with them, although the Italian rider was at the back of the front group of about 40 riders. Combaud dropped Debeaumarché. The DSM Frenchman tried to hold out as long as possible on his own, but with 5 kilometres to climb he was also caught by the favourites group.

With more than 4 kilometres to go: Nairo Quintana attacked and only Julian Alaphilippe was able to follow the Colombian. Quintana did not leave it at that and managed to drop Alaphilippe with several attacks. The World champion watched an unleashed Quintana disappear. Alaphilippe was caught by another Colombian; Iván Sosa, who was well down on the general classification, but was still keen on a stage victory. No one could compete with Quintana, who, in his characteristic style, managed to get further and further away. Alaphilippe turned out to have gone too deep in his reserves. Quintana had no pity and soloed to the stage and overall victory.

Quintana crossed the finish line with more than a 30 second lead and that proved more than enough for his second overall victory in the French race. The Colombian had a perfect start to the season for Arkéa-Samsic. The promising Dane Mattias Skjelmose Jensen managed to overtake Sosa in the final and crossed the line in second, ahead of American Matteo Jorgenson. Alaphilippe cracked in the last kilometre and came seventh, 0:45 seconds behind Quintana. Ganna was also strong in the final and managed to finish twelfth. However, the Italian was disqualified after an unauthorised bike change. Towards the final climb, Ganna took on a bike that was put by the side of the road by his team, which is not allowed.

provence22st3

Stage winner and final overall winner, Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic): “It’s an important victory for me and for the team. I wanted to repay their dedication and faith in me. And the win is for a friend of mine who left us, he’s now in the sky. I want to send a hug to his family.”

7th on the stage and 2nd overall, Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “I think I made a small mistake when I tried to follow Quintana. In hindsight, maybe it would have been better to ride my own tempo and wait some more time before making a move, because in the last kilometres I exploded. Nevertheless, I am still happy, because I tested myself and had fun. I am satisfied with this week and with my first race of the season. Now I will take some time to recover before lining up for Ardèche and Drôme two weeks from now, where I hope to have some good outings as well.”

5th on the stage and 5th overall, Ilan Van Wilder (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “The team did a great job today. Dries, Pieter and Louis protected us the entire stage, which allowed us to start the final climb as fresh as possible. Quintana was the strongest out there, so there was nothing to be done, but I did my best and in the last kilometre I raced full gas to reduce the gap. We did everything we could do and we can be content with our effort. I am happy with the week and with how things went in my first race with the Wolfpack.”

Tour de La Provence Stage 3 Result:
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic in 4:23:06
2. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:37
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar
4. Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Movistar at 0:39
5. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:41
6. Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri) Trek-Segafredo at 0:46
7. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:47
8. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:50
9. Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Trek-Segafredo at 1:00
10. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroen at 1:03.

Tour de La Provence Final Overall Result:
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic in 12:09:11
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:27
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:34
4. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:36
5. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:46
6. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:59
7. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:21
8. Aurélien Paret Peintre (Fra) AG2R Citroën at 1:45
9. Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkea-Samsic at 1:56
10. Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 2:55.

Provence’22 stage 3:

 

murcia
Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia – Costa Calida 2022
Alessandro Covi won the Vuelta a Murcia on Saturday. The Italian broke away from a group of about twenty riders, five kilometres from the finish and managed to hold them off until the finish. Matteo Trentin completes a good day for UAE Team Emirates by winning the sprint for second place. Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) was third.

murcia22

Without home favourite Alejandro Valverde, who was missing due to a corona infection, the peloton left Fortuna for a race of 183.2 kilometres. A leading group of three was formed: Two from Euskaltel-Euskadi, Xabier Azparren and Asier Etxeberria, were joined by Anton Palzer, the ex-skier, for BORA-hansgrohe. On the Alto Collado Bermejo (17.2km at 5.3%), the toughest climb of the day, Palzer was dropped and by half-way through the race the other two were also caught. A new leading group emerged on the climb, This included: Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Nils Politt (BORA-hansgrohe), Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) and Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic). Their lead went from 30 seconds to almost 2 minutes, but the peloton saw the danger and started to chase.

At the foot of the Alto el Cedacero (5.1km at 5.6%), the last climb of the day with the summit 20 kilometres from the finish, the four had a lead of about 50 seconds. McNulty increased the pace and dropped Politt immediately. Goossens was unable to follow, then it was Barguil who finally had to let go. Last year’s winner, Antonio Jesús Soto, crashed in the peloton and had to continue on a teammate’s bike as McNulty was on a solo ride off the front. Things looked good for the American as he soon extended his lead on the peloton to 1 minute. Miguel Ángel López started riding in a chase group and the gap started to shrink again. The Colombian rode so hard that hardly anyone could follow him. Barguil managed to hold on the longest, but at the top López was alone. It looked like it was going to be a chase between López and McNulty.

On the descent of the Cedacero López got a cramp, causing him to drop back into the chasing group, which immediately left him behind. McNulty certainly didn’t have the victory yet as the chasing group grew into a small peloton and BORA-hansgrohe and Arkéa-Samsic did everything they could to pull back McNulty. It looked like McNulty ran out of steam, but UAE Team Emirates didn’t give up. The moment the American was caught, 5 kilometres from the finish, his teammate Alessandro Covi attacked. He immediately got a good gap and looked like he was going to win by a considerable margin. In the last kilometre the pursuers almost caught the Italian. In the end, Covi had just enough time to take his first professional victory. The UAE Team Emirates rider was also the first Italian since Marco Pantani in 1999 to win the Vuelta a Murcia. Matteo Trentin finished second, just ahead of the chase group.

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Race winner, Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates): “We had a plan from the start that Trentin would stay for the sprint and I would attack if Brandon was brought back. I managed to arrive alone for my first win in the pro ranks and I’m very, very happy. It was a hard last 5km but when I could sense the victory I was able to push hard and go full gas for the win. Trentin did well to take second and McNulty also put in an amazing ride. I’m really happy with all the team and the staff, I owe a lot to them.”

Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia – Costa Calida Result:
1. Alessandro Covi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates in 4:34:50
2. Matteo Trentin (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 0:01
3. Matis Louvel (Fra) Arkea-Samsic
4. Jonas Koch (Ger) BORA-hansgrohe
5. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
6. Orluis Alberto Aular Sanabria (Ven) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
7. Warren Barguil (Fra) Arkea-Samsic
8. Thibault Ferasse (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
9. Jesus Ezquerra Muela (Spa) Burgos-BH
10. Marco Tizza (Ita) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB.

Murcia’22:

 

almeria
Clásica de Almería 2022
Alexander Kristoff has his first win of the season with his new Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert team. The strong Norwegian was the fastest in the bunch sprint in the Clásica de Almería, ahead of Nacer Bouhanni and Giacomo Nizzolo.

The Clásica de Almería is a typical sprinter’s race and there were many fast men at the start. Giacomo Nizzolo, Alexander Kristoff, Juan Sebastián Molano, Martin Laas, Nacer Bouhanni, Niccolò Bonifazio were ready at the start. On the route had some small climbs and the final along the Spanish coast was easy.

Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Gilles De Wilde (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and Lukas Pöstlberger (BORA-hansgrohe) formed the break of the day. The Spaniard, Belgian and Austrian managed a maximum lead of more than 4 minutes, but there was no panic in the peloton. The sprinter’s teams managed to keep the lead of the three escapees within limits and prepare for a bunch sprint.

With 15 kilometres to go the escape were pulled in and it was up to the sprinter’s teams to control the race. Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert remained well-grouped for Kristoff and Arkéa-Samsic for Nacer Bouhanni, Israel-Premier Tech for defending champion Giacomo Nizzolo. In the fast and at times dangerous final, there was a high chance of crashes. In the final kilometres several riders did crash, but the top sprinters survived the finalé unscathed and were able to sprint for the win. Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert had Adrien Petit and Andrea Pasqualon set up an ideal lead-out for sprint leader Kristoff. The Norwegian was in an ideal position to start his sprint and proved strong enough to keep Bouhanni and Nizzolo behind him. Kristoff was good for his first win of the season and first triumph on Spanish soil. For his new Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert team, the victory is the second of the early season.

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Race winner, Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux): “A great day. We have a good team for these kinds of races. In the final we managed to stay together. It was a technical final with a lot of roundabouts and bends, but we were always in the right position. We rode in front all day to keep the escapees within striking distance and in the final I got support from Pasqualon, Petit and Claeys. I started the last straight in the best position. It was only a headwind and it was difficult to start the sprint itself. However, I still had good legs. Last year I only had two victories. To start like this, that gives confidence for the upcoming races and the classics. I am very happy and proud of this victory. It is also my first win in Spain.”

Clásica de Almería Result:
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux in 4:22:39
2. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Arkéa Samsic
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
5. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates
6. Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis
7. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost
8. Jules Hesters (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
9. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) EOLO-Kometa
10. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar.

Almería’22:

 

israel premier
Collarbone Fracture for Patrick Bevin in the Tour de La Provence
Patrick Bevin will be sidelined for the next weeks. The New Zealander of the Israel-Premier Tech team was involved in a crash in the first road stage of the Tour de La Provence and suffered a broken collarbone.

Bevin had an unfortunate crash in the stage from Istres to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer and was unable to continue. His injuries were examined and X-rays showed that he had a broken left collarbone from the fall. Bevin will need surgery and will likely be out of action for at least four weeks. His injury is a major setback for the rider, who had started the stage race well. Bevin finished twelfth in the opening time trial.

Patrick Bevin out for a month:
Bevin Worlds

 

ineos
Dylan van Baarle to Roubaix and Amstel
Dylan van Baarle will ride the Volta ao Algarve (2.Pro) next week. After the Portuguese stage race, the Classics specialist will have two more weeks of training at his home in Monaco. He will skip the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. The 29-year-old Dutchman explained to WielerFlits he will not travel to Belgium.

Van Baarle wants to lay the foundation for a long spring in those weeks. It may start on Wednesday 2 March with the Trofeo Laigueglia. From Van Baarle’s hometown, it is less than an hour and a half by car. However, participation has not yet been decided. The following weekend he then starts in Paris-Nice.

There is also a question mark over the first race after the Nice. Originally, the GP de Denain was on Van Baarle’s program. That race was added on the Dutchman’s own initiative as he was going to show Egan Bernal the tricks of racing on cobbles. The classics specialist believes that you can only test the cobblestone stage of the Tour de France yourself in France. Paris-Roubaix was not an option, Van Baarle suggested the race in and around Denain.

The Dutchman assumes that he will still ride that race, but now that Bernal is sidelined with his serious injury, he is now not entirely sure. He then travels north to prepare for the rest of his program which includes: E3 Saxo Bank Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he won last year, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Amstel Gold Race and Paris-Roubaix.

The Amstel Gold Race and Paris-Roubaix have swapped dates this spring, due to the French elections on the original date. Still, Van Baarle takes the Dutch classic, because he wants to try with his team INEOS Grenadiers whether that works. The French monument was removed last year due to corona restrictions. The South Hollander then had a race-less weekend and then no longer reached the same level in the Amstel as in Flanders. He now wants to prevent that, so that he is also in top form at the start in Roubaix.

Dylan van Baarle Race Schedule:
16-02 Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta
02-03 Trofeo Laigueglia
06-03 Paris-Nice
17-03 Grand Prix de Denain – Porte du Hainaut
25-03 E3 Harelbeke
27-03 Gent-Wevelgem
30-03 Dwars door Vlaanderen
03-04 Tour of Flanders
10-04 Amstel Gold Race
17-04 Paris-Roubaix
01-07 Tour de France

Dylan van Baarle won’t be teaching Bernal how to ride the cobbles:

 

astana 2022
Nibali Will Not Ride Paris-Roubaix
Nibali has removed Paris-Roubaix from his schedule. The Italian was planning to make his debut in the Hell of the North this year, but he has changed his mind, he told Cyclingnews. In order to prepare as best as possible for the double Giro-Tour, he will also not rode the Tour of Flanders.

The Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France are Nibali’s main goals this year, and everything else has to give way to that. “We talked about my race schedule with Astana Qazaqstan management for a long time and the idea of ​​riding all five monuments was really cool. But after a detailed evaluation, we realised that it was not possible if I still wanted to ride the Giro and the Tour.”

“It would break up an altitude camp with the other riders, or I’d have to skip this one altogether. Maybe I should even miss Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In any case, my preparation for the Giro would be turned upside down and it wouldn’t have been worth it. We decided to focus on my strengths. That means I’ll do the Giro and then probably the Tour as well,” explained Nibali.

In addition, the Tour of Italy is a special race for him. “I always want to be good in the Giro. This year the race is about Sicily and there is even a stage that finishes in Messina, my hometown. That will be emotional. I noticed that when I won the Giro di Sicilia last year,” said the 38-year-old rider.

Competing for the win in the Grand Tours probably won’t be possible anymore, the Shark of Messina admits, but he wants to get the most out of it. Exactly what the maximum is remains to be seen. “I don’t want to say that I want to win that race, or that I want to take a podium there. Such goals may be out of my reach right now, but I’m going to work hard and see what happens. I am optimistic and enthusiastic.”

No cobbles for Nibali:
nibali

 

alpecin fenix
Hans van Kasteren Reacts to Jan Tormans and Patrick Lefevere
Hans van Kasteren, the Dutch manager of Joran Wyseure and Emiel Verstrynge, and others, has responded to Jan Tormans’ statement, that Van Kasteren’s most recent actions smell like human trafficking. “I am portrayed as if I am a profiteer, I am not,” said the Dutchman in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. He also said that he has approached a lawyer.

Tormans accuses Van Kasteren that he has placed his riders with Alpecin-Fenix, and not with Patrick Lefevere. Tormans-CX, which Wyseure and Verstrynge currently ride for, were thought to be joining Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl next year, but the two will now not make the switch. Quinten Hermans and Corné van Kessel, two other Van Kasteren rider, will also not be going to Lefevere.

Tormans suggested that Van Kasteren engages in human trafficking. “Anyone who knows me a little bit knows that I don’t need the percentages that could be earned in the cross,” the Dutchman responds. “I can live like that. I have not yet charged Joran Wyseure and Emiel Verstrynge, with whom I have been working together for two years. I won’t either. I’ve always had a heart for the sport, I know what I’m doing.”

“Once they are professional cyclists, it’s a different story. Then I will ask for a fee. Then it is only minimal, but then I want to be able to pay my expenses. Until today I have seen zero euros from those guys. Then I think human trafficking is a very rude word,” says Van Kasteren. The Dutchman does not intend to leave it at that. “I think that’s a serious accusation. I blame Tormans for that statement. I also contacted a lawyer, asking if we are going to do something about it. You can’t say this. This is the opposite of what I do.”

In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Van Kasteren also responds to Patrick Lefevere, who called Van Kasteren “a Dutchman with a big mouth”. “Patrick thinks everyone wants to ride with him. Well, those guys are big enough to make their own decisions. They have chosen Alpecin-Fenix,” is the answer of the Dutchman.

Wyseure off to Alpecin and not Quick-Step:
cross22

 

quick-step-alpha
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl to Volta ao Algarve
The 47th edition of the Portuguese race will take place between 16-20 February

Two flat stages, two hilly ones both concluding with a summit finish (Alto da Foia and Alto do Malhão) and a 32.2km individual time trial – one of the longest of the entire season – will make up the course of the Volta ao Algarve. The race was won by our team on four occasions, most recently in 2020, when Remco Evenepoel put in a dominant display that netted him a comfortable victory in the general classification.

The young Belgian will be back at the start, just two weeks after an impressive Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, the first race for which he pinned on a number this season. Victorious on the first stage, Evenepoel went on the finish second in the overall standings and took home the best young rider jersey, after five days of racing during which he played an important role also in the lead-out train that catapulted Fabio Jakobsen to a pair of wins.

The 25-year-old Dutchman, winner of the Algarve points jersey two years ago, will return at the start and target the two flat stages (Lagos and Faro), part of a strong Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team that is set to include also two ITT National Champions Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert, Tim Declercq, Bert Van Lerberghe and Louis Vervaeke.

“We start again with a very good team. Remco will try to get a good result on the two uphill finishes, but also in the individual time trial, which will be a really nice test. But he isn’t the only one we look forward to see what he can do there, also for Yves and Kasper it will be important, and we’re curious to discover what Louis can do in such a long ITT. For the flat stages, Fabio will be our leader; he has shown his form already in Valencia and will count on Bert to lead him out. And, of course, there’s Tim, who did a very good Saudi Tour and can show his good condition again by controlling the race”, explained sports director Tom Steels.

16.02–20.02 Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta (POR) 2.Pro
Riders:

Kasper Asgreen (DEN)
Tim Declercq (BEL)
Remco Evenepoel (BEL)
Fabio Jakobsen (NED)
Yves Lampaert (BEL)
Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL)
Louis Vervaeke (BEL).
Sports Director: Davide Bramati (ITA) and Tom Steels (BEL).

Evenepoel in action again:
evenepoel

 

ag2r cirtoen
Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol (February 16-20)
Oliver Naesen is competing in his first race of the season. In 2021, he started his season at the Etoile de Bessèges on February 3rd. Suffering from shoulder contusions following a crash during the last stage of the Volta a Communitat Valenciana, Lawrence Naesen is making his return to competition at the Ruta del Sol.

Ben O’Connor: “My winter preparation went well. I’m happy to return to the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del sol. I never raced too much in Spain in the past, so I can’t wait to discover these roads. We have a great AG2R CITROËN team at the start with Benoit Cosnefroy and Greg Van Avermaet, and several finishes that will suit puncheurs like them. For my part, I will certainly do my best. After this race, Paris-Nice and the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya will be my first big goals for the start of the season. These are races that suit me well with a lot of climbs on the program. The month of March is very important for me with a view to the rest of the season. The goal is to perform well.”

ag2r

 

alpecin fenix
Tim Merlier Rides Tirreno-Adriatico, Jasper Philipsen to Paris-Nice
This spring, Alpecin-Fenix will give sprint leaders Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen as many opportunities as possible. Merlier will focus on Tirreno-Adriatico and Philipsen rides Paris-Nice in March.

Alpecin-Fenix shares the program of both sprinters for the first two race months via social media. The 29-year-old Merlier, who rode a few cyclocross races last winter, will start in the Volta ao Algarve. He then rides Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Le Samyn, before starting Tirreno-Adriatico.

The 23-year-old Philipsen has a completely different run-up to the Flemish spring classics. He will start his season in the UAE Tour at the end of February and will then contest Paris-Nice two weeks later.

Tim Merlier to Tirreno:
benelux21st4

 

sanremo22
Milano-Sanremo 2022: The Turchino is Back. For the First Time the Race Starts From the Historical Velodrome Maspes Vigorelli in Milan
Saturday 19th March the first Monument of the season displays again the traditional route including the Turchino, the Capi, the Cipressa and the Poggio before the finish in via Roma after 293 km of racing. The great novelty will be the start from the historic Milanese velodrome Maspes-Vigorelli. After the city parade, the km 0 will be as usual in via della Chiesa Rossa.

sanremo
Sanremo’21 finish

The 113th Milano-Sanremo presented by Eolo will be raced, on Saturday 19th March, on its classic route. The Passo del Turchino is back after two years. 293 kilometres will take the riders from the start proper in Via della Chiesa Rossa, Milan, to the home straight in Via Roma, Sanremo.

For the first time in its history, the Milano-Sanremo will start from the Maspes-Vigorelli Velodrome which hosted already the Giro d’Italia, the Giro di Lombardia and many Six Days, but never the start of the Classicissima.

sanremo22

The Route
Milano-Sanremo runs along the classic route that for more than 110 years has connected Milan with the western Riviera through Pavia, Ovada, the Passo del Turchino that leads into Genua Voltri. From there, it rolls westwards through Varazze, Savona, Albenga to Imperia and San Lorenzo al Mare where, after the classic sequence of the Capi (Mele, Cervo and Berta), the athletes will deal with the two climbs added in recent decades: the Cipressa (1982) and the Poggio di Sanremo (1961). The Cipressa is just over 5.6 km long with a gradient of 4.1%. The highly testing descent leads back down to SS 1 Aurelia.

sanremo22

Last kilometres
The ascent of Poggio di Sanremo begins with 9 km remaining to the finish (3.7 km, average gradient less than 4%, maximum 8% in the segment before getting to the top of the climb). The road is slightly narrower, with 4 hairpin turns in the first 2 km. The descent is testing, on asphalt switchback roads, narrow at points and with twists and turns as far as the junction with SS 1 Aurelia. The final part of the descent enters urban Sanremo. The last 2 km are on long, straight urban roads. There is a left-hand bend on a roundabout 850 m from the finish line. The last bend, leading into the home straight in Via Roma, is 750 m from the finish line.

sanremo22

 

tdf
Tour de France 2022 Team Selection:
tdf22

 


Host Regions Announced for 2022 Tour of Britain
A much-anticipated return to Yorkshire and first-ever full stages in Dorset and Gloucestershire will feature in the 2022 Tour of Britain, the first details of which have been revealed today.

The host regions for this year’s edition of Britain’s leading cycle race (Sunday 4 – 11 September) combine a return to areas familiar to the Tour with those that will see the free-to-watch event continue to break new ground in 2022.

This year’s Tour of Britain will visit the following regions:
Stage one Sunday 4 September Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
Stage two Monday 5 September Scotland
Stage three Tuesday 6 September North East of England and Sunderland
Stage four Wednesday 7 September Redcar & Cleveland and North Yorkshire
Stage five Thursday 8 September Nottinghamshire
Stage six Friday 9 September Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire
Stage seven Saturday 10 September Dorset
Stage eight Sunday 11 September Isle of Wight

Never before will the Tour of Britain have started so far north than when Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire hosts the race’s Grand Départ on Sunday 4 September, one year on from the region welcoming the final stage of the 2021 race. The Tour will start in the city of Aberdeen, where a full weekend of activities to run alongside the race, including the Scottish Cycling Criterium Championships, is planned. The stage will finish in spectacular style in Aberdeenshire, taking a different route to the one raced in 2021, which will bring the event into the heart of brand new communities.

For the third edition running, Scotland will host multiple days of the race as a part of the country’s continuing commitment to hosting world-class racing ahead of the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds, with more details and the location of the second stage to be announced in due course. The Tour’s first foray into England comes on stage three, which will take in the North East and Sunderland. While a new venue to the modern race, Sunderland has recent experience welcoming cycling events, having hosted a round of the Tour Series domestic racing event last year.

The race’s fanbase will be buoyed by the news that the Tour will return to Yorkshire for stage four (Wednesday 7 September) for the first time since 2009, when York welcomed the opening day’s finish. A hotbed of cycling in the UK, a large crowd is anticipated for this stage, which will begin in the seaside town of Redcar, before finishing in North Yorkshire, and promises to be a must watch.

The Tour returns to familiar terrain on day five as it heads to Nottinghamshire for the first time since 2018. The county has an acclaimed list of stage winners to its name, with former world champion Tom Boonen (2004); Tour de France stage winners Matteo Trentin (2015) and Fernando Gaviria (2017); and British rider Ian Stannard (2018) all previously victorious in Robin Hood Country.

While the 2016 race passed through the county, and the penultimate day of the 2017 event culminated in Cheltenham, picturesque Gloucestershire will host an entire stage of the Tour for the first time on Friday 9 September with a route that will also take in South Gloucestershire. Stage six will mark the first of three-consecutive stages to take place in regions entirely new to the race, as he historic county of Dorset makes its race debut on the penultimate day.

This will be followed by a spectacular finale to the 2022 Tour of Britain across the Solent on the Isle of Wight. Known worldwide for its annual music festival, the island will host its biggest-ever sporting event when this year’s overall champion is crowned on Sunday 11 September. The 2022 finale has been two years in the making, having first been announced in July 2020, with today’s announcement confirming that the seaside town of Ryde will host the start of the final stage.

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: “Announcing the locations of the Tour of Britain stages is always a day I look forward to greatly, as I know how much people want to watch the race from their own doorsteps! The 2022 race is shaping up to be another unforgettable edition of the race, particularly since we’re mixing familiar regions, with new areas, places we’ve never fully explored and those we’ve been unable to visit for many years. Hopefully today’s announcement whets the appetite while we finalise the routes of the eight stages – rest assured we’ve got some more surprises to come!”

Brian Facer, British Cycling chief executive, added: “I’m really excited to see the regions which will be hosting the Tour of Britain later this year. The race will go through both existing heartlands of the sport, along with other areas of the country which will give us the opportunity to introduce cycle sport and British Cycling to new people of all ages. Meanwhile those regions, from the north of Scotland to the Isle of Wight, will have a showcase which will be watched by a global TV audience.”

“Over the last few years the Tour of Britain has become one of the world’s leading races, with global superstars coming to compete in our country. It has also given our up-and-coming young British riders the opportunity to test themselves against the best. 2022 will be no different, and it will be a brilliant eight days of racing in September.”

While spectators can watch all the action by the roadside for free, race day hospitality packages offer guaranteed prime views of stage starts and finishes, complete with fine dining experiences. Visit sportsbreaks.com/Cycling for more information.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast live flag-to-flag coverage of every stage, as well as a nightly highlights show, allowing fans in the UK to watch wherever they are. The race will also be shown in over 150 countries worldwide, in part thanks to the event’s partnerships with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network.

Last year’s star-studded race was won by Belgian rider Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo – Visma), with reigning world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe finishing third overall.

A roadside crowd of over one million spectators resulted in the Tour of Britain generating £29.96m of net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline. The race is a finalist in the Sporting Event of the Year category at the Event Production Awards, which takes place in London next Thursday (17 February).

With the cycling industry enjoying a continued boom in the UK, there are hundreds of thousands of new and returning cyclists taking to two wheels with the Tour of Britain, the nation’s flagship race. A number of partnership opportunities remain available in 2022 including the coveted naming rights title sponsorship of the Tour of Britain, and prestigious jerseys and daily awards.

 

israel premier
Do Time Trial Bikes Belong In Road Cycling?
In the light of Egan Bernal’s recent crash, Chris Froome asks the question: “Should we continue using time trial bikes in road cycling?” He also shows us around his garage and takes us through his Grand Tour bike collection.

 


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