Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, December 17, 2021
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me. - Robert Frost
Les Woodland's book Sticky Buns Across America: Back roads biking from sea to shining sea is available as an audiobook here. For the print or Kindle eBook version just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- Dec 19: Namur Cyclocross
- Dec 27: Heusden Zolder Cyclocross
- Dec 29: Diegemcross
- Dec 30: Azencross
- Jan 1, 2022: GP Sven Nys Cross
- Jan 16 - 23, 2022: Le Tour de Langkawi
- Jan 22, 2022: Flandriencross
- Jan 26 - 29, 2022: Challenge Illes Balears
- Jan 30 - Feb 6, 2022: Vuelta a San Juan
- Feb 12, 2022: Gavere Cyclocross
Latest completed racing:
- Dec 11: Ethiascross-Essen
- Dec 5:
Scheldecross Antwerp- Cancelled because of Covid-19 - Nov 13: GP Leuven
- Nov 7: Elite Men European Cyclocross Championships
- Nov 6: Elite Women European Cyclocross Championships
- Nov 1: Koppenberg Cyclocross
Route of the 2022 Vuelta a España
Here's the announcement from the race's organizer Unipublic:
This Thursday, 16th of December, Unipublic has presented the route of La Vuelta 22 that will take place between the 19th of August and the 11th of September. The Spanish Grand Tour will take off from abroad for the fourth time in its history. The peloton will begin its journey in the Netherlands, a territory that is already well-known to La Vuelta, having celebrated its official departure from Assen in 2009. On this occasion, Utrecht, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Breda will be the star cities of the race’s first three stages.
Following a rest day to allow everyone to return to Spain, the race will resume in Euskadi. Basque fans will gather along the roads to watch the peloton ride past as it comes in from Álava and heads towards Guipuzkoa, ending its journey through the Basque country with a departure and a finish-line in Bilbao. It will be the first time since 2012 that La Vuelta visits all three Basque provinces.
The route will continue through Cantabria with an unprecedented climb of Pico Jano, before crossing over to the Principality of Asturias, with two pure mountain finish-lines: a new one (Colláu Fancuaya), and a well-known one (Les Praeres).
The second week of the competition will begin in the Province of Alicante, which will host an individual time trial more than 30 kilometres long. Then, the peloton will continue to advance towards the Region of Murcia and Andalusia, where a new race milestone will take place. It will be the first time in 87 years that the race visits all eight Andalusian provinces.Andalusia will also offer a first-level mountainous triptych: Peñas Blancas, La Pandera and Sierra Nevada.
The last week is sure to provoke strong emotions. First, in Extremadura, with two unprecedented high-altitude finales, before arriving in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The second-last stage is very reminiscent of the one in La Vuelta 15 were Fabio Aru took La Roja from Tom Dumoulin. After celebrating the Jacobean year with an exceptional finale at Santiago de Compostela, the race will recover its traditional final circuit along the capital’s main arteries.
RETURN TO THE NETHERLANDS
“We finally return to Utrecht, Breda and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, without losing even an ounce of our enthusiasm. In a special year, when all of the Grand Tours are having official departures abroad, we look forward to what will be an unforgettable official start in an authentic cycling paradise like the Netherlands,” said Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta.
ANDALUSIA
Andalusia’s presence in the route is a race milestone. For the first time, the autonomous community’s eight provinces will be featured. The peloton will cross from East to West, from Almería to Huelva. “Few places are more representative of La Vuelta or of our country than Andalusia,” explains Javier Guillén. “We’re also celebrating a historical anniversary: La Vuelta will depart from Sanlúcar de Barrameda 500 years to the day from the moment Sebastián Elcano returned to Spain after completing the first circumnavigation of the globe.”
CERATIZIT CHALLENGE BY LA VUELTA 22
The presentation of La Vuelta’s route also served to announce the growth, yet again, of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta. Now in its 8th edition, the most important women’s race in the Spanish calendar will feature another stage, bringing the total to five. “In 2015, we presented a pioneering race in our country, with the hope of making it an international reference. It’s a fun and exciting race. You only have to see the extremely high level of participation in 2021 to understand its importance in the women’s WorldTour calendar. We must respond to the challenge demanded by the riders, and do so by making it the toughest route to date,” said Guillén.
Running from 19 August to 11 September 2022, La Vuelta 22 will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3280.5 kilometers.
6 flat stages
2 flat stages with high-altitude finales
4 hilly stages
7 mountain stages
1 team trial stage and 1 individual time-trial stages
3 rest days
Here’s the team’s post:
At the first 2022 preseason training camp in Altea, Spain Astana Qazaqstan Team has determined the provisional racing program of the team leaders.
Thus, all Astana Qazaqstan Team leaders will begin their 2022 season in Europe, in Spain or Portugal.
Miguel Angel Lopez, Vincenzo Nibali and David De La Cruz will ride the Giro d’Italia, while Alexey Lutsenko together with Vincenzo Nibali, Miguel Angel Lopez and Gianni Moscon are planning to make part of the team roster at the Tour de France. David De La Cruz is going to lead the team at the Vuelta a España.
Vincenzo Nibali (shown racing in the 2021 Vuelta a España) is scheduled to ride the Giro d'Italia in 2022. Sirotti photo
Alexey Lutsenko will start his season with Jaen Paraiso Interior and Vuelta a Andalucia. Through Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elit and Paris – Nice he will make his preparation towards the cobbled classics and the Ardennes classic, while the Tour de France will become his biggest goal of the season.
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Vincenzo Nibali will wear the Astana Qazaqstan jersey again at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Tirreno – Adriatico, Milano – Sanremo and Tour of the Alps will make his road towards the Giro d’Italia, while later he may take part in the Tour de France too.
Starting his season with Jaen Paraiso Interior and Vuelta a Andalucia Miguel Angel Lopez will be aiming the Giro d’Italia as the team leader. Also, he can take part in the Tour de France.
Gianni Moscon will lead the team at the Northern Classics. Thus, he will start the season at Volta ao Algarve and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elit and after Tirreno – Adriatico he will concentrate on the cobbles and the Ardennes classics. The Tour de France will be his Grand Tour of the season.
Davide De La Cruz will go into the new season at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana followed by UAE Tour and Paris – Nice. At the Giro d’Italia he will support the team leader, while will take the leading role at the Vuelta a EspañaContent continues below the ads
Valgren’s EF Education-Nippo team posted this:
Anyone who followed cycling in 2021 knows that Michael Valgren had a special year. Not only did the 29-year-old represent Denmark at the Olympics, but he also made his country proud when he finished third at the World Championships.
And right before all of that occured, he had two incredible days of racing in Tuscany where he racked up two stunning victories. He was the first Danish winner of the Giro della Toscana and carried that winning momentum with him to the Coppa Sabatini.
Michael Valgren wins the 2021 Giro della Toscana
“One just wasn’t enough, huh?” said his teammate Ruben Guerreiro at the finish. Pulling off back-to-back wins in Tuscany is no easy feat, but not everyone has the racing skills and commitment to teamwork quite like Valgren. Once he saw how riders like Neilson Powless, Rigoberto Urán, and Ruben Guerreiro were setting him up for major success, the only option was to cross that line first.
“I dedicate those victories to the whole team,” said the Dane after his stretch of good fortune in Tuscany.
Those two days set him up beautifully for the rest of the season and catapulted his confidence. Valgren hadn’t seen success like that since 2018 after he won both the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race.
Clearly good things come in twos for this rider, so his second year with this team should be a good one. So we thought we’d ask him about his best moments in his very first (and unforgettable) year with the team. More from Michael himself below:
1. The Tour de France
The Tour de France was definitely a big moment for me. It was my best Tour de France yet in terms of how I raced and how much fun I had. I’ve done seven already, so I know what I’m talking about. It was such a special group, from the staff to the riders. I actually really enjoyed the Tour for once. It’s normally so hectic! We didn’t get what we came for, but we did so well until the very end. We were so close. That being said, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
2. Double victory in Tuscany
My two days in Italy were just of course really nice for myself and I got very nice results, but there was just perfect racing from the whole team. From the tactics and team meetings, everything was so great. Matti Breschel encouraged us to race hard and aggressively. Those were some of the best days of my cycling career.
3. Another year with EF
My contract extension is the third! I only came here on a one-year deal and I really wanted to stay here. I signed on during the Dauphine, before I had any really big results this year, so it was really encouraging that the team trusted me without me even winning yet. So that was a big self confidence boost for the rest of the season.
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