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Tuesday, November 26, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Sometimes I can only groan, and suffer, and pour out my despair at the piano! - Frederic Chopin
But what incredible beauty resulted from those troubles.
Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen 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 team’s post:
A brilliant 32 wins across all three of our programs, and some truly incredible results – 2024 was a fantastic year for us as Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.
It makes us extra proud that 18 of the wins by our Men’s program this season came from riders who have graduated from our Development program; making it one of the best development pathways in the whole WorldTour peloton.
Alongside that, we can look back on a summer for the history books as the first-ever team to win the opening stage at the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes; a truly one-of-a-kind achievement which was made possible by everyone on and off the bike.
Now, let’s roll back the clock and reflect on some of our top moments…
Starting off strong
The sound of alarms blaring, wiping away sleep from the corner of your eye, debating whether to have a coffee or not – it seems like a very long time ago that many in Europe were getting up early to get their cycling fix after almost three months of no road racing action.
Fans were treated to an exciting festival of cycling with both our Men and Women programs in action. Strong team riding from our young group saw impressive riding on each day of the Tour Down Under where Nienke Vinke ultimately finished second overall after taking the same place on Willunga Hill. In the Men’s edition of the race, the team also started the year brilliantly with Oscar Onley raising his arms aloft as he took over the title as King of Willunga, gaining the team’s first victory of the season before going on to finish fourth on GC.
Oscar Onley wins Tour Down Under stage 5. Sirotti photo
This trip to Australia would be a prelude for what was to come in the rest of the season as our young talents continued to make the step up in the biggest races.\
Sprinting to success – fruitful fast finishes
As a team, one of our main pillars is working with our sprint group across our three programs and this came to the fore even more this season, as an incredible 19 of our total victories were from fast finishes in 2024.
Things kicked off with Casper van Uden in AlUla Tour where he got his debut pro win and the ball kept rolling with a spectacular Tour of Türkiye where Fabio Jakobsen and Tobias Lund Andresen, who also got his maiden win, added multiple successes to the tally. In the meantime, Johan Dorussen notched up a win with the Development program, before the beginning of June saw Casper power to three more wins – including our first on home Dutch soil at the ZLM Tour.
After a few bumps along the road and misfortune due to injury or illness, our Women’s program returned to sprint glory in the summer. Whetting the appetite with a win at the Baloise Ladies Tour, everything clicked perfectly and fell into place at the Tour de France Femmes where we romped home to back-to-back wins with Charlotte Kool; and became the first team to win in the yellow jersey in the modern version of the women’s event.
Our summer of sprint success didn’t stop there and in fact we really turned the dial up to 11 in August. Alongside the wins with Charlotte at the Tour, Pavel Bittner smashed his way to his first pro win in Burgos which was soon followed by a second, crowned by a phenomenal Grand Tour stage win at the Vuelta. The good times kept rolling as two more victories with Tobias followed in Denmark that month too, before we rounded out the year with another win in Croatia with Tobias too.
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GC growth with young talents – despite setbacks
Alongside the goal to chase success with the sprint group this year, we also truly believed in the development of our young GC talents, and that they would continue to make steps this year.
Well, we think we can safely say that happened…
Both our talented British riders Oscar Onley and Max Poole had a rollercoaster year with great success moments but also injuries they had to overcome. Both started on a high note with Oscar taking his amazing first professional win on top of Willunga Hill at Tour Down Under and Max climbing to seventh overall at UAE Tour.
After the promising start, two collarbone breaks shaped Oscar’s season, but after each disappointment he bounced back with great grit, determination and resilience. After his injuries he finished second on GC at Tour of Guangxi and Tour of Britain, eighth at the Tour de Suisse and tenth overall at the Tour de Pologne. Oscar also got his Tour de France debut and showed more signs of promise on the toughest platform in professional cycling.
A longer than initially expected injury recovery saw Max out of competition for almost five months after a crash at Tirreno forced him to miss some nice opportunities to gain valuable experiences with the GC group. Nonetheless, despite some tough times, a determined Max came back with a bang to finish second overall at Vuelta a Burgos; coming oh-so-close to the overall victory in the end. Lining up at the Vuelta a España that followed, the original plan was for Max to test the waters and see where he could go in the GC battle there. Switching the focus to stage hunting after an early crash and suffering from the impact, we’re sure you were all cheering him on as he bravely fought seemingly on almost every mountain stage in week two and three, chasing that elusive breakaway win. Admittedly learning a few things from those close calls, Max carried his form into Tour of Langkawi where he won the queen stage and with it the overall title – his first two wins of his young career.
Our Development program continued to produce the goods as well with Frank van den Broek who in his first year with the Men’s program impressed, firstly so at the Tour of Türkiye. A ride that was equally smart as it was strong, saw Frank fight to the top of the Manisa climb where he trucked his way to an uphill sprint finish; a result that saw him claim the overall title. Of course, he was catapulted into the consciousness of the wider cycling public on the opening day of the Tour de France where he played a phenomenal and integral role in the success there together with Romain Bardet.
On the women’s side of things, we’ve also seen the likes of Nienke take a step forward, but also young talents like Francesca Barale, Eleonora Ciabocco and Josie Nelson. Mostly riding in support of others, they’ve produced strong performances that may not have gotten as much spotlight, but let’s see where 2025 goes!
Monumental podium results
We’re sure that you all can remember two pretty special moments from this year: Romain smiling to the TV camera as he rode his way to second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège to take a result that almost felt like a win, and the dejection turned jubilation on Pfeiffer Georgi’s face after she saw on the big screen in the Roubaix velodrome that she “won” the photo finish for third place.
These are results that put a smile across everyone’s face, as Romain and Pfeiffer are two of the hardest working and humble people you can expect to meet, and the sheer joy that they showed in those moments was reflected across the whole team.
It was all yellow
Of course, how can we reflect on the year without mentioning those incredible opening Tour de France days?
We really have no words that can briefly sum up just how much those moments in time meant to everyone within the team.
The first ever team to win the opening day of the Tour de France with both their Men and Women programs – now that is something truly remarkable.
We can’t do it justice in this recap alone, so next month we’ll do a deep dive into how those days went and everything surrounding it – so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Goodbye 2024, hello 2025
Looking back on this year we can take pride in some top results and exceptional highlight moments, and some things that might not be repeated for a very long time!
We kept pushing each other and believing each other, and it gives us great pride to see both the riders and staff within the team lift each other up; both in the tougher moments and sharing in the great successes.
After a nice off-season, we’re already back and beginning to put in the early training kilometres ahead of 2025, and we can’t wait to see what it has in store for us!
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Here’s the team’s news:
Danish domestique signs one-year deal
UAE Team Emirates have finalised their 2025 roster with Johansen being the last rider incorporated into the 29 rider Emirati squad for the upcoming season.
The 25-year old has had an established road career to date with prior experience at World Tour level and will add horsepower to the teams engine room.
Julius Johansen
Mauro Gianetti (Team Principal & CEO): “We’re very pleased to welcome Julius into the team. He has a lot of experience already at World Tour level and we feel his profile can add strength to the team when it comes to supporting our leaders.”
Julius Johansen: “I’m incredibly grateful for the trust UAE Team Emirates has placed in me and for giving me this amazing opportunity. Joining such a professional and successful team is a dream come true. I know this is the perfect environment for me to grow and develop as a rider with the guidance of the team’s experts. Being part of such a winning culture is truly inspiring, and I’m excited to help the team achieve many victories. I can’t wait to get started and meet everyone—I’m ready to give it my all.”
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Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:
At Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal, we understand that nutrition on race days is crucial for the performance of our teams.
With the insights of one of our new nutritionists, we tailor the nutrition of our cyclists to each phase of the race. From the pre-race meal to energy management during the race and recovery afterwards – nutrition plays a significant role in ensuring our cyclists are at their best when it matters.
Nutrition and energy management in different phases of race day
Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for cyclists. They are converted into glucose, which the body can quickly use for energy. These carbohydrates play a crucial role in each phase of race day.
Preparation begins several days in advance, with an increased intake of carbohydrates to maximize glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. This strategy, known as “carb-loading”, ensures a strong start. The breakfast or pre-race meal focuses on replenishing glycogen stores and consists of easily digestible carbohydrates, such as Alce Nero pasta.
During the race, it’s essential to maintain a constant intake of carbohydrates in the form of quick sources of fructose and glucose, such as gels, sports drinks, and energy bars of our partners at 6D. By consuming these foods at specific times, cyclists can keep their energy levels stable. Our nutritionist also advises them to eat carbohydrates immediately after the race to replenish glycogen stores, combined with proteins to support muscle recovery.
Supplements and natural energy boosters
Supplements play a significant role in cycling. At AG Insurance – Soudal and Soudal Quick-Step, we apply these strategically, depending on each individual’s needs. There are three main categories of supplements: health, performance enhancement, and recovery, with 6D offering a wide range of products that cover all three of these key areas.
Health supplements such as vitamin D, omega-3, and iron are often used to support overall health. Vitamin D is especially important during the winter months when sunlight is limited. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, fish oil, nuts (such as walnuts), and seeds (such as flaxseed and chia seeds), help reduce inflammation. Iron contributes to oxygen transport in the body, which is essential for good endurance.
Performance-enhancing supplements
Supplements like 6D beta-alanine, creatine, and caffeine support performance at specific times. Beta-alanine acts as a buffer against muscle acidity, delaying fatigue. Creatine helps with short, intense efforts, such as sprints, and caffeine increases alertness and reduces the feeling of fatigue, making it ideal for time trials and intense race moments.
Recovery supplements
We are often asked what the deep red drinks that our riders take once they finish a race, and the answer is simple: 6D cherry juice. Protein shakes and cherry juice are effective for muscle recovery. Proteins support muscle protein synthesis, essential for recovery, while cherry juice, rich in antioxidants, can reduce oxidative stress and muscle damage from exercise. While many of these nutrients are also found in natural foods (such as dairy for proteins and fruits and vegetables for antioxidants), supplements often offer a quick, precise intake of specific nutrients.
Electrolytes and fluid balance
Electrolytes like those in 6D ORS or electrolyte drink help maintain fluid balance on race days, especially with high sweat production. Electrolytes are taken before, during, and after the race to maintain this balance. Within the teams, we often tailor electrolyte intake personally, as sweat production varies per cyclist.
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