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Sunday, October 6, 2024

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them. - Lawrence Welk

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Current racing:

• Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
• October 6: Paris-Tours
• October 6: Coppa Agostoni-Giro delle Brianze

Upcoming racing:

• October 7: Coppa Bernocchi
• October 8: Tre Valli Varesine
• October 10: Gran Piemonte
• October 12: Il Lombardia

Latest completed racing:

• October 5: Giro dell'Emilia
• October 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
• October 1: Binche-Chimay-Binche
• September 22 - 29: World Road Cycling Championships
• September 18 - 22: Tour de Luxembourg
• September 21: Super 8 Classic
• September 20: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
• September 18: GP de Wallonie
• September 15: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
• September 15: Trofeo Matteotti
• September 14: Memorial Marco Pantani
• September 13: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
• September 12: Coppa Sabatini

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Giro dell'Emilia reports

We posted the report from second-place Tim Pidcock's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.

Here's the report from winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates:

Tadej Pogačar today can add the Giro Dell’Emilia to the list of career honours with a commanding victory in the Italian one-day classic.

The World champion did not wait too long before making his mark wearing the rainbow jersey for the first time. Under bad weather conditions he attacked on the first of five passages on the San Luca hill, on the most demanding section of the climb, replying at 35 km to go to an attempt by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step).

The UAE Team Emirates captain built a good advantage on the chasers (Matteo Jorgenson from Visma-Lease a Bike was the only rider who tried to reply) and then he could focus his attention on increasing the gap on the opponents exploiting his form that appeared to be still good one week after the World Championship.

The Slovenian rider crossed the finish line, welcomed by the chants of the cycling fans shouting his name, with 1’55” on Thomas Pidcock (Ineos-Grenadiers) and Davide Piganzoli (Polti-Kometa).

Tadej Pogacar on the San Luca climb, alone, and headed to the finish. Sirotti photo

Today Pogačar obtained the 87th victory as pro rider, success 78 for UAE Team Emirates in the 2024 season.

Pogačar: “I must admit I felt really good all week since the Worlds and then when the rainbow kit arrived I felt a bit of pressure to perform but thankfully it went well. I gave my all today to show off the jersey. I’m very thankful to all the fans who were out there cheering in the rain for everybody. It was really amazing. Today we had a plan to keep it hard until the last two lap but in the end Remco moved and it unfolded a lot earlier. Then there was attacks and I responded and pushed on but didn’t think it would go as it did. There are just two races leftnow this season and I’m looking forward to them.”

Here's the Giro dell'Emilia report from Wilco Kelderman's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Wilco Kelderman finished seventh in the Giro dell’Emilia. Battling heavy weather conditions, the 33-year-old Dutchman crossed the line a little over two minutes behind an unstoppable Tadej Pogacar.

The Giro dell’Emilia is one of the oldest Italian classics. The peloton had to cover roughly 215 kilometers, facing several challenging climbs along the way.

Heavy rain made for a tough race. After the start in Vignola, six riders formed an early breakaway, but their effort was neutralized well before the finish. Kelderman, Matteo Jorgenson, Attila Valter, and Johannes Staune-Mittet were among the riders in the reduced peloton.

Wilco Kelderman on the San Luca climb. Sirotti photo

In the final, the riders completed several local laps in Bologna, each featuring the steep climb of San Luca. On the first of five ascents of San Luca, Pogacar launched an attack. Jorgenson was quick to follow the world champion, but the American couldn’t maintain the pace. Pogacar rode solo to victory, while Kelderman finished seventh after an exhausting effort.

“The course itself was already tough, but the rain made it extra challenging today,” said team leader Marc Reef afterwards. “We were in a great position at the crucial moments. Wilco and Matteo were both alert when the peloton split after 150 kilometers. Matteo tried to follow Pogacar on San Luca, but he pushed just beyond his limit, which he couldn’t fully recover from.”

“It was a fair and honest race,” Reef added. “Given the strength of the field, we knew it would be difficult to compete for the win. We certainly gave it our best shot, but ultimately every rider ended up where they belonged. With his seventh place, Wilco showed that his form is good.”

Team Groupama-FDJ Posted this Giro dell'Emilia report:

The 2024 edition of the Giro dell’Emilia proved to be particularly challenging on Saturday due to difficult weather conditions. While Tadej Pogacar won for the first time as world champion, Rémy Rochas was the only rider from the Groupama-FDJ cycling team to reach the finish, in twenty-first position. The Italian campaign continues on Sunday with the Coppa Agostoni.

As usual, and as it had been earlier this year on stage 2 of the Tour de France, the climb to San Luca was set to decide the winner in the Giro dell’Emilia this Saturday, especially since it had to be done no less than five times in the last forty kilometres. Before that, an early breakaway made of Dimitri Peyskens, Benjamin Thomas, Roberto Carlos González, Ander, Alessio Martinelli and José Ramón Muñiz led the way, but the peloton caught them before the first climb of San Luca, following an acceleration in Montechiaro, twenty kilometres earlier. A selected peloton eventually entered Bologna for the last hour of racing. “The weather conditions made the race very hard with the rain and the cold”, explained Thierry Bricaud. “It came down to the legs when we got to the finishing circuit. David was not having a great day. He was caught in a split before the circuit, and even if the group came back a little later, it was not worth pushing it given the final ahead”.

Groupama-FDJ rider David Gaudu heads to the race start. Sirotti photo

The Breton abandoned a bit later, like many competitors, while Tadej Pogacar took advantage of the very first time up the San Luca climb to go solo. The Slovenian put on another show, while a group of about twenty riders battled for the remaining places in the last thirty kilometres. “Rémy was in a good position, it was a good return to racing, a month after the Vuelta”, added Thierry. “He just ran out of energy in the end, the last half hour was a bit hard for him, but it’s promising for the future, and he will continue to progress for the last races”. Still in contention for the podium at the start of the last lap, the French climber eventually took twenty-first place, almost three minutes behind the winner. Only about fifty riders actually finished the race. On Sunday, the Italian campaign will continue with the Coppa Agostoni. “We will take the start with Romain, who will be fresh, with the winner of the Il Lombardia U23, Brieuc, and we will remove David from the group as was planned,” concluded Thierry.

And here's the Giro dell'Emilia report from Team Polti Kometa:

Third place for Piganzoli in a very hard rainy edition of the Giro dell’Emilia, won by Pogacar (UAE) after a solo attack 30 kilometres from the finish line, where the Italian rider of Team Polti Kometa not only held with the favourites, but also move to the front. On the final climb, he gave his all to make it to the podium.

A day to remember in Emilia Romagna. An adverse race in terms of weather but full of satisfaction for Team Polti Kometa and for Davide Piganzoli, who continues to make great strides in his career, taking third place today in a Giro dell’Emilia that had the name of Tadej Pogacar.

Riders on the San Luca climb. Sirotti photo

The rain didn’t seem to stop the favourites on the final circuit, with the climbs to San Luca and also the dangerous descent. Practically at the beginning of these decisive loops, the world champion wanted to debut his rainbow jersey, while behind an active Piganzoli showed that he had the legs to be among the best. And so he confirmed it at every climb to San Luca, with the ability on the final climb to change the pace by his own, withstand the final attack of Pidcock (INEOS) and sign a third position that tastes like glory in this Giro dell’Emilia.

Davide Piganzoli: ‘It’s a race that I really like and I’m looking forward to it. The team worked perfectly and in the end I gave everything to get the best possible result. I’m really happy to be on the podium of the Giro dell’Emilia’.

Stefano Zanatta, sport director: ‘In a race of enormous prestige, Piganzoli has shown what he can achieve. I think that seeing him 30 kilometres from the finish with the best, with the support of De Cassan and Fabbro, especially on the final circuit with the climbs to San Luca, shows his potential. The last climb was decisive and then he had the strength to make it to the podium, congratulations!

The competition for Team Polti Kometa in Italy now faces the three races of the Trittico Lombardo, starting tomorrow with the Coppa Agostoni. The team also competes in the final stages of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia and the CRO Race in Croatia.

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