Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
Catch, then, O catch the transient hour. Improve each moment as it flies! - St. Jerome
Upcoming racing, according to UCI revised calendar:
- August 1: Strade Bianche
- August 5-9: Tour of Poland
- August 8: Milano-San Remo
- August 12-16: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 1-3:
Vuelta Asturias - May 1:
Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt - April 22-26: Digital Swiss 5
Team Deceuninck-Quick Step recon Gent-Wevelgem
Here's the team's update:
Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini, Sam Bennett, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Remco Evenepoel, Fabio Jakobsen, Bob Jungels, Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Michael Mørkøv, Florian Sénéchal, Pieter Serry, Stijn Steels, Jannik Steimle, Zdenek Stybar, and Bert Van Lerberghe, together with several staff members, have all gathered in Belgium this week to prepare the Classics.
Before attending the training camp, everyone was tested by Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s medical team for COVID-19, as part of the team’s highly structured internal protocol, which will be in place throughout the week and see everyone respect the health rules that will be implemented for the remaining of the season.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been together. It’s going to be strange, but it was time to start again. Every rider followed his individual program, some outside, some on their Tacx, but now the time has come to work together and get again that team feeling”, explained sports director Tom Steels. “It’s good that the guys are back together and they get to see each other, they needed to be with the group, as it’s good for their morale. It also gives us an opportunity to see some of the measures that will be implemented once the season resumes, but also to do a recon of the cobbled Classics parcours, which will be a bit strange to do in the summer.”
The team’s last outing in a classic before the season was stopped came at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, where 25-year-old Kasper Asgreen rode to glory after an astonishing show of strength and mental power. The Danish powerhouse was the first to arrive in Belgium on Monday and he didn’t lose any time.
Kasper Asgreen wins 2020 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Sirotti photo
“These last few months have been quite boring, so I was looking forward to this training camp and seeing everybody again. As soon as I came, I went for a spin and rode up the Oude Kwaremont. It was really fun to be there and it brought back memories of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, where we split the field on that great day.”
“You know, after this long break, it feels like going into a new season. It’s nice to be with the guys and work towards August, although I don’t like the rain which welcomed us here upon arrival, as I had the same weather back in Denmark. The calendar is very crowded now, so it will be about timing your shape to be good in general, not just for a couple of races”, concluded Kasper Asgreen.
Tuesday was the first day that the large Deceuninck – Quick-Step contingent in Belgium hit the roads for a 210km recon of Gent-Wevelgem, the prestigious cobbled Classics which is set to take place on October 11. Divided into two groups, the riders took on the famous plugstreets and the iconic Kemmelberg, although there were also some unfamiliar roads, as Yves Lampaert pointed out.
“A lot of things have changed in the parcours and getting to know these new roads should help us in October. It felt a bit strange to go out on this route in June, but I must say I enjoyed it, especially as I did it with my teammates, whom I missed so much.”
“As Yves said, on the day of the race knowing the roads can make a big difference, so we can be happy with our day out on the bike. It was both tough, but also fun, because we got to take our Specialized bikes for a nice spin, test ourselves and just spend some relaxing time together. Gent-Wevelgem is a beautiful race that I like a lot – when I have good legs – and I am glad I could do this test”, added Irish Champion Sam Bennett.
Peter Sagan to ride Tour & Giro, skip Classics
Here's the report from AFP
Paris (AFP) - Cycling superstar Peter Sagan will race the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, but will skip the majority of the one-day classics this season, he told a press conference on Tuesday.
The Bora-hansgrohe leader said an eighth green points jersey at the Tour was the key target this season, while respecting a promise to race the Giro just 13 days later was important to him as a man.
Another green jersey for Peter Sagan? Sirotti photo from the 2019 Tour de France.
"Yes, it's green and pink," Sagan confirmed when asked if his main season came down to the bold Tour and Giro decision.
The programme means Sagan, known for exceptional endurance, will race a staggering 42 Grand Tour stages in just 58 days.
"I promised them (the Giro) before the date changed, and I really want to respect that promise," added the 30-year-old Slovak.
The Tour, where Sagan will target a record eighth sprint points green jersey, runs from August 29 to September 20, with the Giro, whose leader wears the pink jersey, embarking October 3.
Sagan's German team have emerged as a major player in cycling just behind Britain's Ineos and the Dutch Jumbo-Visma outfit.
At the Tour Bora will be led by German climber Emanuel Buchmann after his fourth place overall result in the 2019 Tour, and will also field the 2020 Paris-Nice winner Maximilian Schachmann.
"It's the Tour then the Giro, if the world championships are in Switzerland in between that will be too hard for me and I'll skip it."
The former three-time world champion said he may change his mind on the world championships if the location of the race is moved away from the mountains, which is a possibility.
"You cannot have everything in this world, sometimes you have to make hard decisions," Sagan said.
He confirmed his first competitive race would be the Strade Bianche classic in Italy on August 1, and hinted his main one-day racing target would be to win the Milan-San Remo on August 8.
"The Strade, I'm going as part of my preparation, If I can try something I will. I'll be really ready for Milan."
Bora team manager Ralph Denk said earlier in the day "We want to win a monument". Sagan has twice come second at the ultra-long Milan San Remo.
Speaking via a Zoom conference call with lush mountains from Bora's Austrian training camp in the background Sagan was relaxed and slim.
Sagan will skip the Belgian classics that will be held during the Giro, and also the French mud-fest Paris-Roubaix, which Sagan won in 2018 and which takes place on the last day of the Giro.
Often described as nonchalant or carefree, Sagan said it had been strange staying inside after self-quarantining following Paris-Nice in March.
"I met a lot of people so I had to do the right thing when I got back to Monaco, I didn't want to infect my ex or my son.
You can read the entire story here.
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