Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, November 25, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous. - Frederick Douglass
Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
Latest completed racing:
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 27: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 15 - 20: Tour of Guangxi
- October 20: Japan Cup Road Race
- October 20: Veneto Classic
- October 16: Giro del Veneto
- October 13: Chrono des Nations
Here’s the report from van Empel’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Fem van Empel has done it again. Just a day after her win in Kortrijk, she claimed the opening round of the World Cup series, crossing the finish line solo in Antwerp.
Early in the race, Van Empel blew the competition apart in the Belgian port city. A rival managed to stay on her wheel briefly, but it didn’t last long. Ultimately, Van Empel had plenty of time to celebrate her fifth cyclocross victory of the season.
Fem van Empel on her way to winning in Antwerp.
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Fem van Empel:
“The conditions weren’t easy,” Van Empel admitted after her win. “The wind made it really tough. I had to stay focused throughout the entire race, and I think I managed that well. It was all about giving everything until the finish line. In these conditions, it’s not ideal to ride solo because you’re constantly battling the wind, but I can’t complain. I think I delivered an excellent performance today. Now, the focus shifts to next weekend.”
Women's race results:
- Fem van Empel (Visma| Lease a Bike) 50min 33sec
- Luciana Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) @ 31sec
- Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) @ 1min 31sec
- Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon) @ 1min 27sec
- Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) @ 1min 41sec
Here's the UCI's men's race report:
Eli Iserbyt claimed victory in the first World Cup race in Antwerp. The Belgian champion broke away with a long, relentless attack and maintained his lead to secure the win.
Eli Iserbyt wins in Antwerp.
Sand specialist Laurens Sweeck (Crelan – Corendon) made it clear from the start that he deserved his favorite status. Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) also got off to a strong start, taking the first corner just ahead of Sweeck. A group consisting of Nys, Sweeck, teammates Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal), and van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) pulled away from the pack at the beginning of the second lap.
The pack stayed close together until Sweeck launched the first attack at the end of the second lap, putting a small gap on the other top riders. A minor mistake by Nys gave Iserbyt the opportunity to make the jump to Sweeck. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin – Deceuninck) found his way back to the chasing group, setting the stage for a potential regrouping of the favorites.
Iserbyt then took the lead, putting pressure on the group and forcing Nys to close the gap once more. With a long, powerful surge, Iserbyt thinned out the lead group, leaving only Sweeck and Vanthourenhout within striking distance.
Before long, they too had to let go. The Belgian champion showed boldness, while the favorites behind him regrouped again. Vanthourenhout played the role of a blocker for his teammate, giving Iserbyt the chance to ride out of sight of his competitors.
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After five laps, Iserbyt held a 13-second lead over the first chasers. Nys stayed active but eventually dropped from the group of favorites on the challenging sandy course. Sweeck, with Vanthourenhout still in his wheel, tried to close the gap to the leader.
With two laps to go, the Scheldecross podium seemed decided. Behind them, Toon Aerts (Deschacht – Hens-FSP), starting from the fifth row, put in an impressive recovery to climb into the top 10.
Just before the pit zone, Sweeck capitalized on a flat tire for Vanthourenhout to secure second place. Eli Iserbyt remained flawless, needing only one scorching attack to seal the win. The Belgian champion is now the first and dominant leader of this World Cup series.
Men's race results:
- Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 58min 56sec
- Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) @ 17sec
- Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) @ 28sec
- Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) @ 34sec
- Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) @ 44sec
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Morichon's Team Arkea-B&B Hotels posted this:
Anaïs Morichon won the 5th round of the French Cyclo-cross Cup in Troyes on Saturday.
Anaïs Morichon on her way to winning in Troyes
Anaïs Morichon:
"
I took the option of being in the lead from the start of the race in order to be in front in the technical sections, because I know that I'm comfortable and that I can make a difference. I tried to stay clean throughout the race, and I succeeded. I'm delighted to have achieved this success."
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