Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
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2018 Tour de France | 2018 Giro d'Italia
I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio. - Rodney Dangerfield
Upcoming racing:
- May 30 - June 3: Tour de Luxembourg
- June 3 - 10: Critérium du Dauphiné
- Jun 3: GP di Lugano
Latest completed racing:
- May 4 - 27: Giro d'Italia
- May 23 - 27: Tour of Belgium
- May 22 - 24: Tour des Fjords
- May 16 - 20: Tour of Norway
- May 18 - 20: Tour de l'Ain
- May 13 - 19: Tour of California
- May 8 - 13: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 3 - 6: Tour de Yorkshire
Lovely video about cycle-touring
Our favorite cycling writer Les Woodland helped make a video about cycle-touring. With the Giro d'Italia in our rear view mirror, it's something a little different and a lot of fun.
Team Sunweb's upcoming races:
The team sent me this update:
RACE PREVIEW: MAY 28 - JUNE 5
BOUCLES DE LA MAYENNE (UCI 2.1)
Team Sunweb coach Sebastian Deckert (GER): "Boucles de la Mayenne is a challenging race for our young development team. We have a technical prologue followed by three road stages, with stage two a decisive day for the GC. We start the race with a young line up and the goal to continue our learning process in a race of this level. With Max we have a fast sprinter so will search for results on the fast stages with him. We also line up with Jarno who has recently performed really well and consistent at the Tour de Bretagne, a race that takes place on similar terrain."
RACE: Boucles de la Mayenne (UCI 2.1)
DATE: 31/05-03/06/2018
COACH: Sebastian Deckert (GER)
LINE-UP
Max Kanter (GER)
Niklas Märkl (GER)
Jarno Mobach (NED)
Martin Salmon (GER)
Leon Heinschke (GER)
Jens Vanoverberghe (BEL)
HAMMER LIMBURG (UCI 2.1)
Team Sunweb coach Luke Roberts (AUS): "On Friday we return to Sportzone Limburg where the inaugural Hammer race was in 2017, this will be the second round of the 2018 Hammer Series after the team put in a great to effort to finish 2nd at the opening event in Norway. For the Hammer Climb we line up with Tom and Sam, who just finished 2nd and 9th respectively in the Giro. Louis also comes from the Giro and is joined by the two young Australians Michael and Jai. For the Hammer Sprint and Hammer Chase we will replace the climbers Tom and Sam with two fast men in Max and Edward. Max is showing great form of late with a victory in Yorkshire and getting very close again in California. Both Edward and Michael were part of the successful team in Hammer Stavanger and can bring that experience with them."
Tom Dumoulin has just finished an exhausting Giro d'Italia and he'll be back racing June first. Sirotti photo
RACE: Hammer Limburg (UCI 2.1)
DATE: 01-03/06/2018
COACH: Luke Roberts (AUS)
LINE-UP
Tom Dumoulin (NED) (01/06)
Jai Hindley (AUS)
Sam Oomen (NED) (01/06)
Michael Storer (AUS)
Edward Theuns (BEL)
Louis Vervaeke (BEL)
Max Walscheid (GER)
CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ (WT)
Team Sunweb coach Aike Visbeek (NED): "We line up at the Dauphiné on the hunt for stage results with our German sprinter Phil Bauhaus. It's a tough course with the race getting harder as it goes on, for the sprints we bring a strong lead out team with the experience of Johannes and Roy to help the younger guys on the road. Both Lennard and Roy are fresh out of playing a successful role in the team's Giro d'Italia success and the rest of the team are just back from California so all are motivated to continue the good form into the Dauphiné."
RACE: Critérium du Dauphiné (WT)
DATE: 03-10/06/2018
COACH: Aike Visbeek (NED)
A couple more Giro d'Italia final team reports
Here's Team Movistar's post:
Briton Chris Froome (SKY) claimed overall honours at the end of Sunday’s closing stage in the 2018 Giro de Italia, getting safely through an urban circuit (10 laps, 115km) in Rome whose times were neutralized by the organisers and the race jury after the first three passages through the finish. Sam Bennett (BOH) pipped Elia Viviani (QST) for the day’s victory at the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
The Movistar Team’s arrival to the ‘Eternal City’ put an end to a fine race led by an extraordinary performance from its designated leader: Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian -who received before the start a recognition from his country’s Consulate in Rome– make the Blues shine immensely during the race, the Carchí native obtaining three major achievements. Carapaz wore the Maglia Bianca as best under-26 competitor for eight days (he finished 2nd to Miguel Ángel López); won stage eight of the race, with a brutal attack to win atop Montevergine’s climb; and completed a splendid progression overall through the last two Alpine stages, from ninth place after the long ITT to fourth, only behind López (AST, 3rd) himself, Tom Dumoulin (SUN, 2nd) and Froome.
Richard Carapaz winning Giro stage eight. Sirotti photo.
Carapaz extended in this year’s Giro a streak of stage wins by the Telefónica-backed squad in Italy to eight consecutive years and prolonged a run which speaks volumes about the Movistar Team’s implication in the Giro: for the fifth time on a row, a rider in Eusebio Unzué’s ranks -represented in 2018 by Betancur (15th in the GC), De la Parte, Fernández, Pedrero, Dayer Quintana, Sepúlveda and injured Rafa Valls– finishes within the top five overall, after Quintana -winner in 2014; runner-up in 2017-, Valverde -3rd in 2016- and Amador -4th in 2015-.
Team Quick-Step had a good Giro. Here's what they had to report:
Quick-Step Floors enjoyed another victory-packed Grand Tour, the fifth consecutive in which our squad nabbed multiple stage wins, a fantastic run that took the team's season tally to an astounding 36 victories, 20 of these coming on the World Tour.
Three weeks ago, we arrived at the start in Jerusalem with a strong team – comprising Eros Capecchi, Rémi Cavagna, Michael Mørkøv, Fabio Sabatini, Maximilian Schachmann, Florian Sénéchal, Zdenek Stybar and Elia Viviani – keen on leaving an indelible mark over the the Corsa Rosa, which was turned out to be again a happy hunting ground for the Wolfpack, whose admirable teamwork and determination landed victories in Tel Aviv, Eilat, Nervesa della Battaglia, Iseo and Pratonevoso.
Four of these wins were signed by Elia Viviani, the most successful rider of the season so far in terms of victories, while the other one was notched up by 24-year-old Schachmann, the 30th different rider in the history of Quick-Step Floors to win a Grand Tour stage and the first German to wear the white jersey at the Corsa Rosa.
As for Viviani, his superb consistency was rewarded in Rome, in the shadow of the Coliseum, with the prized cyclamen jersey, which Elia wore for 19 consecutive days. Second in the Eternal City – the seventh top 3 finish of Quick-Step Floors at the first Grand Tour of the season – the Italian concluded more than 50 points clear of his nearest rival in the classification.
Elia Viviani winning Giro stage 17. Sirotti photo
"Winning three stages and the ciclamino were my big goals before the start of the race, and arriving in Rome with four victories and the jersey makes for a perfect Giro d'Italia, one which wouldn't have been possible without my phenomenal teammates", Viviani said after the finish on the scenic Via dei Fori Imperiali.
"On the flat, they gave me a perfect lead-out, while in the tough mountain stages they stayed by my side and helped me arrive safely at the finish. The past three weeks have been unforgettable, an outstanding experience, and for this I have to thank to everyone, from my teammates and staff and to the amazing fans which cheered for us every single day!"
Patrick Levefere, Quick-Step Floors' CEO, was a delighted man after the big finale in Rome: "We couldn't have asked for more, as we enjoyed a magnificent string of successes while sticking to our aggressive approach and showing the same tenacity and brilliant team spirit which have earned us the respect of so many cycling fans. For this, we were rewarded handsomely. Taking five stage victories and the iconic maglia ciclamino it's a remarkable feat, one which gives us great pride and motivates us to keep working so we can remain at the top also in the second half of the season and enjoy many more beautiful moments."
After 22 of the calendar's 37 events, Quick-Step Floors has a firm grip on the World Tour team standings, having amassed an astonishing 7979 points with 23 different riders since the start of the year. Ahead of the next appointment – the Critérium du Dauphiné (3-10 June) – Quick-Step Floors is more than 2500 points clear of the second-placed squad.
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