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Friday, July 31, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. - Marie Curie
Current racing:
- July 28 - August 1: Vuelta a Burgos
Important upcoming racing, according to the UCI revised calendar:
- August 1: Strade Bianche
- August 1 - 4: La Route d’Occitanie / La Dépêche du Midi
- August 5-9: Tour of Poland
- August 7-9: Tour de l'Ain
- August 8: Milano-San Remo
- August 12-16: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- July 4-19: Virtual Tour de France
- April 22-26: Digital Swiss 5
Team Bora-hansgrohe reports on Vuelta a Burgos stage three
Here's the team's update:
Following 150 kilometres of racing, the third stage of the Vuelta a Burgos concluded with a tough ascent to Picón Blanco. The 7.8 km-long final climb, with an average gradient of 9 percent, played into the hands of the climbers. However, it was not only the demanding parcours, but also the searing temperatures that caused the riders difficulties.
In the first half of the race, the peloton let a nine-man group escape with a maximum gap of 9 minutes, but in the second part of the race, BORA - hansgrohe pushed the pace and broke the field apart. Together with Team Ineos, the squad from Raubling managed to form a small group, which included the current overall leader Felix Großschartner as well as teammates Rafal Majka, Lennard Kämna and Matteo Fabbro.
With only 15 km to the finish, a soloist managed to escape from the breakaway, but the final climb saw a series of attacks from the group of favourites. With only 6 km to the summit, Felix and his teammates were unable to follow this group and were forced to drop back. In the end, Remco Evenepoel made a decisive attack which netted him the stage as well as the lead in the overall standings.
Remco Evenepoel wins the stage and takes over the GC.
From the Finish Line:
"We went into the stage with confidence, because the team has been working so well at the race so far. We pushed hard and even tried to split the field in the crosswinds. We had some success with that tactic, but eventually we were reeled back in. The weather was relentless today, it was extremely hot and none of us had the legs on the final climb. It’s honestly a bit disappointing, because we had been doing so well in the race, but we’re fully motivated for Saturday’s stage now.“ - Felix Großschartner
"On a stage such as this, it was to be expected that a larger group would get away, and our guys were part of the pace-setting efforts to control the tempo. It was incredibly hot today and there was also quite a lot of crosswind, which at times pulled the field apart. However, when this happened, almost all of our team was at the front, which was a phenomenal effort, but of course took quite some energy out of them. The final 9 km-long climb was hard and steep, and we wanted to ride well here with Rafal, Lennard and Felix and lose as little time as possible in the overall classification. But it ultimately didn't go that well, with the guys not having the best of legs today. The extreme heat, reaching up to 40 degrees, also played a big factor, and our guys likely didn't fare as well as some others in these conditions. We simply weren’t able to mix it up in the finale today, and now we'll see what we can achieve on the last two stages." - Steffen Radochla, Sports Director
And here's Jumbo-Visma's Vuelta a Burgos report:
George Bennett has climbed to second place in the third stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. After an exciting stage, the leader of Team Jumbo-Visma only had to give in to the talented Belgian Remco Evenepoel on the steep final climb of the Picón Blanco. After three stages, Bennett is also second in the overall standings at eighteen seconds from the Belgian.
In the short but tough stage with the necessary climbs along the way, a leading group of nine got away fairly quickly and got a maximum lead of eight minutes on the peloton that controlled the break all the way. In the last fifty kilometres, there was some chaos because the weather suddenly changed and the wind strongly picked up. Due to this the peloton split to bits in echelons. Team Jumbo-Visma initially missed the front group, but managed to bring their two leaders back to the front group, bringing them in an ideal position to the final climb. Bennett rode a strong climb, kept his pace but had to give in to Evenepoel in the final kilometre.
Geroge Bennett ready to start stage 19 of the 2019 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
“That was a great stage. I am happy with this result”, Bennett said. “It was a fast stage, very hot and very hard. The guys did a really good job at guiding Sepp and me through the echelon chaos and getting us in a good position to the final climb. In the echelons, we were in a good group and I had some great support from the team. As a result, I was certainly able to save a lot of energy. It was a first class ride to the bottom of the climb, so to say. On the climb Mitchelton-Scott had a very high pace. It was a matter of keeping my rhythm and trying to follow them. When Chaves attacked, I didn’t hesitate for a moment, but Evenepoel was just too strong today. We will see what is in store for us in the coming days. It are going to be two more hard days.”
Sports director Arthur van Dongen thought it was a thrilling stage. “We have ridden a very good stage as a team. The breakaway was perfectly controlled by Team Ineos and Bora. We rode attentively in the front of the peloton all day to limit the risks. But when the wind picked up and the peloton was split to bits in the echelons there was a lot of chaos and spectacle. The guys remained calm and supported George and Sepp as well as possible. George was very, very strong today. It was a good final climb for him. During the next two days we need to stay sharp and focused, especially with the wind here in Burgos.”
Citroën to co-sponsor Ag2r team
Here's the team's short press release:
The cycling team and his official partner AG2R LA MONDIALE are delighted to welcome CITROËN, an iconic global automotive brand belonging to the French popular culture (Pop Culture), as co-title sponsor.
From January 2021, the team will therefore bear the name “AG2R CITROËN TEAM”.
The team will get a new sponsor for 2021.
Vincent Lavenu, the racing cyclists and the members of the team, accompanied by their two official partners, share common values such as exemplarity,humanity, audacity and performance. Together, they will write a new chapter in the history of the team.
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