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Monday, October 21, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die. - Jean-Paul Sartre
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:
- October 27: Superpresitge Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- October 12: Il Lombardia
- October 10: Gran Piemonte
- October 8: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 7: Coppa Bernocchi
- Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
- October 6: Paris-Tours
- October 6: Coppa Agostoni-Giro delle Brianze
- October 5: Giro dell'Emilia
- October 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
- October 1: Binche-Chimay-Binche
CNN posted this bad news:
Six-time Olympic champion Chris Hoy has announced that he has terminal cancer and that doctors have given him two to four years to live.
The 48-year-old former cyclist, who is one of Britain’s most successful and recognizable Olympians, shared his diagnosis with The Sunday Times newspaper, saying that he initially went to the hospital last September after feeling some pain in his shoulder.
Chris Hoy won two of his six Olympic gold medals on home soil at the London 2012 Games. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
A scan found a tumor there, before a second scan found primary cancer in his prostate which had spread to his bones. The scans found tumors in his shoulder, pelvis, hip, spine and rib.
“As unnatural as it feels, this is nature. You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process,” he told The Sunday Times.
“Hand on heart, I’m pretty positive most of the time and I have genuine happiness. This is bigger than the Olympics. It’s bigger than anything. This is about appreciating life and finding joy,” he added.
In the interview, Hoy also revealed that his wife Sarra, with whom he shares two young children, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a month after he found that he had cancer.
“It’s the closest I’ve come to, like, you know, why me? Just, what? What’s going on here? It didn’t seem real. It was such a huge blow, when you’re already reeling,” he said.
In February, Hoy disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, though he did not announce the type or his prognosis.
Hoy made his Olympic debut at the Sydney Summer Games in 2000 where he won a silver in the men’s team sprint event.
He won his first gold medal in Athens in 2004 in the men’s 1,000m time trial, before he became a household name in Britain thanks to his exploits at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won three gold medals across three separate disciplines.
You can read the entire story here.
We posted the report from GC winner Lennert Van Eetvelt's Team Lotto Dstny with the results.
Here's the report from stage six winner Matevz Govekar's Team Bahrain Victorious:
Matevž Govekar achieved the biggest victory of his career, winning the final stage of the 2024 Tour of Guangxi in Nanning, China.
The 24-year-old Slovenian cyclist delivered a stunning performance in the reduced bunch sprint, crossing the finish line ahead of Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) and another TBV rider Robert Stannard, in third place, after a hard-fought battle from start to finish, with a reduced peloton of 55 riders contesting the sprint. This marks also Govekar’s first WorldTour victory.
Matevz Govekar wins stage six.
“I knew it was going to be a much harder stage, even though it was similar to last year’s,” said Govekar. “This time, being the final stage, we expected some GC battles. But from the start, I felt amazing, especially over the first KOM. I told myself to use my legs and survive the climb. On the last ascent, I wasn’t at the front, but I paced myself well. I knew I couldn’t blow up, or I wouldn’t make it back. I managed to catch the lead group at the end of the descent, which was enough to stay in contention for the final sprint.”
In the tense final moments, Govekar positioned himself perfectly behind Van den Berg’s wheel, waiting for the right moment to strike. “It was a small bunch sprint, so I knew who to follow. I waited until the last 150 meters to come out of the slipstream, and it worked perfectly. I’m really happy to end the week like this, after such a strong effort from everyone.”
Govekar came into the Tour of Guangxi with high expectations and strong form. “I had set a target before the race, but it’s a long week, and you need to feel good and arrive in the right condition. From the start today, I had a great feeling and was fully committed to winning a stage. I’ve had victories this year, but never at the WorldTour level. Coming to Guangxi with that motivation made all the difference.”
The team’s aggressive approach throughout the race created the right atmosphere for success. “We raced aggressively all week, and the team was fantastic. To finish the last stage with a win rounds out a great week for us. It’s a victory far from home, but it will definitely stay in my memory forever.”
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Here's the race report from GC second-place Oscar Onley's Team dsm-firmenich PostNL:
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL lined up for their final day of racing today on the last stage of the Tour of Guangxi, following yesterday’s impressive podium finish by Oscar Onley. Today’s final stage took place on a local circuit around Nanning, which included a punchy climb. The race began at a fast pace, with the peloton splitting on the first ascent, where a strong group of six riders broke away to form the day’s breakaway. To protect their position in the GC, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL helped with the chase in the peloton, showing excellent teamwork. The breakaway was caught on the final climb of the day, leading to a series of counterattacks, but Oscar and Max Poole did well to cover all the dangerous moves.
As the race entered the final ten kilometres, the pace steadied, and Max Poole, in collaboration with other teams, set a high tempo in the reduced peloton to set up a sprint. He ensured that Oscar was in a safe position for the sprint, allowing him to finish securely in the bunch and secure his first GC podium at the WorldTour level – a fantastic achievement for the graduate of Development Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.
2024 Tour of Guangxi stage five finish: Lennert Van Eetvelt finsihes ahead of Oscar Onley. Photo: PhotoNews
After the finish, Onley expressed: “The boys did another great job today, controlling the race and ensuring nothing got out of hand. Max was really helpful on the last lap with all the attacks, as we stayed calm and tried to follow the moves in a smart way. I’m happy to come away with my first WorldTour podium, and it gives me a lot of motivation for the coming season.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Callum Ferguson added: “We can be pleased with taking a second place on GC at the Tour of Guangxi. We’ve worked really hard all week to keep Oscar and Max in contention, and we did that at a very high level. We also focused a lot on the sprints and had some constructive discussions. I’m happy with what we’ve achieved this week; overall, it’s been very positive. To see one of our Devo graduates podium in another stage race is incredibly exciting, and we look forward to what’s to come.”
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Here's the Guangxi Tour report from Team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe:
In the final WorldTour race of the year, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe secured another top result. For Giovanni Aleotti, sixth place in the overall standings marked his first-ever top-ten finish in a WorldTour stage race.
The final WorldTour race of the season — today’s sixth stage of the Tour of Guangxi offered riders and teams one last chance to fight for top results and WorldTour points. Indeed, the 134-kilometer route around Nanning was filled with numerous attacks, but there were no significant changes in the overall standings anymore. The good news for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe: Giovanni Aleotti held onto his sixth place in the general classification, finishing 25 seconds behind the overall winner Lennert Van Eetvelt. This secured another top result for the German team at the season’s end.
Giovanni Aleotti
For Aleotti, the sixth-place finish was one of the highlights of his career so far — and his first-ever top-ten result in a WorldTour stage race. The joy of the 25-year-old Italian, who has been riding for our team for four years, was evident at the finish line: “It’s been a long season, so I’m happy to end it with a good result. I’m also pleased that I was able to prove to myself that I can compete at the front when I get my chance,” said Aleotti. This year, he raced on a total of 85 days, including the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. In June, he also clinched the overall victory at the Tour of Slovenia.
Shane Archbold, who was the Sports Director on-site, also expressed his satisfaction: “We’re happy to end the season with a positive result. I’m personally pleased for Giovanni. He’s a fantastic rider who is very dedicated to the team, and this year, he competed in two Grand Tours, among other races. Achieving his first top-10 result in a WorldTour race is something special. Now, we’re looking forward to the off-season before preparations for 2025 begin.”
Here’s the Tour of Guangxi report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
The Gree-Tour of Guangxi has come to an end, marking the close of the 2024 road season. In the final stage of the Chinese race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike once again went on the offensive, but a bunch sprint was inevitable.
Tosh Van der Sande joined an early breakaway of six riders. However, with Tim Wellens in the group who was just under a minute behind in the overall standings, the escapees never gained a significant lead. With about five kilometers to go, Van der Sande and his breakaway companions were reeled back in.
The conclusion of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi also marks the end of the cycling season. For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, it was a season with highs and lows, ultimately delivering 32 victories and numerous podium finishes.
Koen Bouwman in 2015.
In China, Johannes Staune-Mittet (who finished fifteenth in the overall standings), Milan Vader, Mick van Dijke, and Koen Bouwman raced for the final time in the yellow-black jersey. “Racing for the final time in Team Visma | Lease a Bike colors was something special,” Bouwman said. “I've had a fantastic time over the past ten years and have always been warmly welcomed by everyone in the team. Of course, I’ll miss that. One thing I will never forget is winning the grand tours, in which I was fortunate enough to play a role twice. That’s a unique feeling. The personal successes I’ve achieved wouldn’t have been possible without the team, and I’m still grateful to them. Fortunately, I was able to close this chapter in Guangxi, as this race was uncertain for me due to an earlier injury.”
And here's the report from Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Michael Leonard and Artem Shmidt animated the final WorldTour stage of the year with a combative display in Guangxi.
The 166 kilometre stage saw the bunch tackle the tough ascent of the Qingxiu Mountain five times in a lapped circuit of Nanning.
Leonard was quick to hop into a strong breakaway, driving the pace, before being caught on the final ascent of the day.
In an effort to disrupt the sprinter’s teams, Shmidt launched an attack with some five kilometres remaining on the flat run in to the line, but was caught by the numerous lead out trains.
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We posted the report from race winner Neilson Powless's Team EF Education-EasyPost with the results.
Here's the Japan Cup report from second-place Ilan Van Wilder's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Soudal Quick-Step produced some great racing at the Japan Cup, putting two riders in the top five of this 31st edition, after an action-packed day in Utsunomiya. Consisting of 14 laps, each of which featured an ascent of the hard Mt. Kogashi, Sunday’s event came to life more than 100 kilometers from the line, when Fausto Masnada and Pieter Serry went on the offensive part of a strong nine-man group.
Japan Cup finish. Second-place Ilan Van Wilder can be seen behind winner Neilson Powless with his head down.
The peloton came back, but that move was a sign of what was to come later in the day. With around eight laps to go, Serry was again on the attack, this time together with Ilan Van Wilder and Mauri Vansevenant. More riders followed, forming what soon became a strong leading group, from which the winner of the race eventually came. The gap quickly ballooned to more than a minute, which soon led to more accelerations that whittled down the group to just five riders – including Mauri and Ilan – for the last 50 kilometers.
Dropped on the final climb of the day, Van Wilder produced an outstanding effort to make it back to the front just as they were preparing for the uphill finish. There, the 24-year-old combined superbly with Vansevenant, launching separate attacks as they tried to split up things, and this tactic netted Van Wilder a solid second, just behind Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), who kicked clear within sight of the line. Mauri rounded out Soudal Quick-Step’s great team effort by concluding fifth for his 12th top ten of the season.
“We were extremely motivated before this race, because we wanted to finish the season on a high note. That’s why we went early on the attack and tried to be present in all the important moves and shape the race. Eventually, a group got away, and being there together with Mauri was a great situation for us. We did our best to increase the gap on the chasers, as we were confident in our chances of getting a good result at the end of the day.”
“I suffered a bit on the penultimate climb, but managed to come back on the descent, and then, on the final ascent, me and Mauri tried to put pressure on the others. Looking back, I think we did our best and don’t have any regrets. It’s been a long season and a hard race, but I am delighted with the fact I finished in the top three, especially as it gave me great pleasure to do it in front of these amazing fans”, said Ilan, who became the first Belgian rider in 23 years to conclude on the podium of the Japan Cup.
And here's the Japan Cup race report from third-place Matej Mohoric's Team Bahrain Victorious:
Bahrain Victorious concluded the Japan Cup with a strong performance, as Matej Mohorič secured a podium finish, taking third place in a five-rider sprint behind Neilson Powless of EF Education-EasyPost and Ilan Van Wilder of Soudal Quick-Step.
The 141-kilometer race in Utsunomiya featured 14 laps of a 10.2-kilometer circuit, with a 185-meter elevation gain per lap, including the Mt. Kogashi climb. With three laps to go, a strong group of five riders broke away on the climb, and Mohorič was part of the move. He battled hard in the finale, ultimately sprinting to third place.
The 2024 Japan Cup race gets started.
Mohorič reflected on his performance:
“I was feeling pretty good today. It was a super hard race from the start, with plenty of attacks and very aggressive racing, without a moment to relax, especially with it being a relatively short race. When Woods (IPT) made his move two-thirds into the race, it was just down to the five of us. We came together into the sprint, with a lot of attacks in the last 2 km. I tried to play my cards right, but I lacked a bit of speed to go with Powless, who proved to be the strongest and deservedly won. Still, I am happy with my performance. The season is finished now, but I can take this good result into the off-season and prepare well for 2025.”
After the race, SD Franco Pellizotti added:
“In the end, it’s not a bad result. With three laps to go, five strong riders made a move on the climb and managed to ride clear. Matej did well to stay in contention and secure third place, which is a positive way to close the season.”
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