Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
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2018 Tour de France | 2018 Giro d'Italia
Good artists copy, great artists steal. - Pablo Picasso
Current racing:
- June 5 - 9: Tour de Luxembourg
Upcoming racing:
- June 9: G.P. di Lugano
- June 9 - 16: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 11 - June 2: Giro d'Italia
- May 28 - June 2: Tour of Norway
- June 2: Rund um Köln
- May 24 - 26: Tour de l'Ain
- May 14 - 19: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 12 - 18: Tour of California
- May 10 - 12: Vuelta de Madrid
Vincenzo Nibali will move from Bahrain-Merida to Trek-Segafredo for the 2020 season
Here's the report from Cycling Weekly:
A boss of Trek-Segafredo has confirmed Vincenzo Nibali will be joining the US-based team next season.
Massimo Zanetti, owner of the coffee giant and second team sponsor Segafredo, has said in an interview he was determined to sign the Italian Grand Tour star, who will move from Bahrain-Merida at the end of the year. Nibali, runner-up in the 2019 Giro d’Italia, will bolster the Italian contingent in the squad.
Vincenzo Nibali finished second in the 2019 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
Zanetti told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport: “In 2020, Vincenzo Nibali will be riding for Trek-Segafredo.
“I’ve wanted this very strongly and finally I did it. Vincenzo is the best Italy has and one of the best in the world.”
Trek-Segafredo is currently built around Grand Tour hopeful Richie Porte and sprinter John Degenkolb, with Bauke Mollema also offering strong Grand Tour performances and Jasper Stuyven their leader in the classics.
You can read the entire story here.
UCI's post-Giro d'Italia rider rankings
Here are the top 40:
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | ALAPHILIPPE Julian | DECEUNINCK-QUICK STEP | 3745.95 |
| 2 | ROGLIČ Primož | TEAM JUMBO-VISMA | 3695.28 |
| 3 | FUGLSANG Jakob | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 2991 |
| 4 | VALVERDE Alejandro | MOVISTAR TEAM | 2943 |
| 5 | VAN AVERMAET Greg | CCC TEAM | 2666.57 |
| 6 | THOMAS Geraint | TEAM INEOS | 2615.82 |
| 7 | PINOT Thibaut | GROUPAMA-FDJ | 2526 |
| 8 | ACKERMANN Pascal | BORA-HANSGROHE | 2450 |
| 9 | MATTHEWS Michael | TEAM SUNWEB | 2331.86 |
| 10 | VAN DER POEL Mathieu | CORENDON-CIRCUS | 2278 |
| 11 | NAESEN Oliver | AG2R LA MONDIALE | 2277 |
| 12 | DUMOULIN Tom | TEAM SUNWEB | 2232.86 |
| 13 | KRISTOFF Alexander | UAE TEAM EMIRATES | 2172.5 |
| 14 | YATES Simon | MITCHELTON-SCOTT | 2145 |
| 15 | VIVIANI Elia | DECEUNINCK-QUICK STEP | 2126 |
| 16 | YATES Adam | MITCHELTON-SCOTT | 2093.45 |
| 17 | KWIATKOWSKI Michal | TEAM INEOS | 2067.65 |
| 18 | BARDET Romain | AG2R LA MONDIALE | 2043 |
| 19 | LOPEZ Miguel Angel | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 2010 |
| 20 | SAGAN Peter | BORA-HANSGROHE | 1982 |
| 21 | WELLENS Tim | LOTTO SOUDAL | 1924.29 |
| 22 | SCHACHMANN Maximilian | BORA-HANSGROHE | 1905.47 |
| 23 | NIBALI Vincenzo | BAHRAIN-MERIDA | 1704.86 |
| 24 | MOLLEMA Bauke | TREK-SEGAFREDO | 1699 |
| 25 | QUINTANA Nairo | MOVISTAR TEAM | 1697 |
| 26 | KRUIJSWIJK Steven | TEAM JUMBO-VISMA | 1684 |
| 27 | CARAPAZ Richard | MOVISTAR TEAM | 1628 |
| 28 | IZAGUIRRE Ion | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 1584 |
| 29 | DEGENKOLB John | TREK-SEGAFREDO | 1569 |
| 30 | ŠTYBAR Zdeněk | DECEUNINCK-QUICK STEP | 1567 |
| 31 | WOODS Michael | EF EDUCATION FIRST | 1509 |
| 32 | MARTIN Daniel | UAE TEAM EMIRATES | 1507 |
| 33 | LUTSENKO Alexey | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 1504 |
| 34 | MAS NICOLAU Enric | DECEUNINCK-QUICK STEP | 1366.43 |
| 35 | MOHORIC Matej | BAHRAIN-MERIDA | 1359 |
| 36 | DEMARE Arnaud | GROUPAMA-FDJ | 1353 |
| 37 | JUNGELS Bob | DECEUNINCK-QUICK STEP | 1335.28 |
| 38 | GROENEWEGEN Dylan | TEAM JUMBO-VISMA | 1327.54 |
| 39 | POGAČAR Tadej | UAE TEAM EMIRATES | 1322 |
| 40 | TRENTIN Matteo | MITCHELTON-SCOTT | 1304.33 |
Fabio Aru returns to competing after his operation
Aru's UAE-Team Emirates sent me this update:
The Sardinian climber will participate in the GP Lugano on June 9
“I’ve followed the prescribed rehabilitation program to recuperate physical strength after the surgery. I’ve had nothing but good sensations and I haven’t encountered any problems,” says Fabio Aru. “In light of this and in agreement with the medical and technical staff, we have decided that it will be useful to participate in the GP Lugano to try out my racing rhythm. After that we will evaluate the situation to see what our next step should be.”
Fabio Aru at the 2018 Giro team presentation. Sirotti photo
UAE Team Emirates will have plenty of strong members lining up for the start of the 185.6-km race next June 9. In fact, after the surgery to his iliac artery, Aru will be accompanied by Pogačar (in his first race after his success in the Tour of California) and Polanc (who has spent two days in the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia), in addition to Diego Ulissi.
Here is the complete formation being led by coach Rubens Bertogliati (Sui):
– Fabio Aru (Ita)
– Tom Bohli (Sui)
– Marco Marcato (Ita)
– Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
– Jan Polanc (Slo)
– Aleksandr Riabushenko (Blr)
– Diego Ulissi (Ita)
Brent Van Moer moves from Lotto-Soudal U23 team to World Tour squad
Lotto-Soudal sent me this:
One month earlier than initially planned, the 21-year-old Brent Van Moer trades the Lotto Soudal U23 division for the WorldTour team. Van Moer signed a two-year professional contract and makes his debut in the Hammer Series Limburg (7 – 9 June) and will later take part in the Baloise Belgium Tour (12 – 16 June).
Van Moer already showed his talent in the past few years. The reigning Belgian U23 champion against the clock took the silver medal during the time trial World Championships in Innsbruck last year. Also in the Classics, Van Moer already caught attention with some nice results. The young Belgian was runner-up in the U23 edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, a race he already won in the junior ranks. Just like in 2018, Van Moer finished - despite bad luck in the finale – sixth in Paris-Roubaix U23 this year. Of course, Brent Van Moer is looking forward to joining the WorldTour outfit.
Brent Van Moer: “Of course, it is an exciting feeling to turn pro. But Lotto Soudal is already a familiar environment and I will encounter a lot of Belgian riders. Also, I already know some guys with whom I worked within the U23 team.”
“My strengths are in the time trials and the Classics. Therefore, Lotto Soudal is the perfect environment to further develop myself in those areas. Especially what concerns time trialing, I already worked with Kevin De Weert at the national team. So it is nice that he is now part of Lotto Soudal as the performance manager. Of course, I hope to learn a lot from Victor Campenaerts, one of the world’s best time trialists. Strong and experienced riders like Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens can teach me a lot about the Classics. In the future, races like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders should really suit me thanks to the level of difficulty and my big engine.”
“We have to wait and see a bit how fluent everything goes. In the U23 category, I was able to perform at the highest level but with the pros, everything is just a little different. I hope to take some steps in the time trial area but I certainly don’t want to leave the Classics aside in favour of the work against the clock. I want to get a taste of everything during my first years as a pro.”
“My first race for Lotto Soudal will be the Hammer Series Limburg. I don’t really know what to expect but it will mainly be about learning from the big guys. During the Baloise Belgium Tour, especially in the time trial, it will be interesting to compete against some of the best like Victor Campenaerts. Then I will soon know how much work I have ahead of me.”
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