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Saturday, October 26, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people. - Isaac Newton
Les Woodland's book The Olympics' 50 Craziest Stories: A Five Ring Circus is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- October 27: Superprestige 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
Here’s the team’s news:
After her stellar 2024 season, Noemi Rüegg confirmed that she will race in EF-Oatly-Cannondale colors in 2025 and beyond.
The 23-year-old Swiss champ and Olympian credits her 2024 success to the spirit that she and her teammates built at team camps and races right through the year and wants to keep their momentum rolling.
“The atmosphere in this team is really special and something I've never experienced in a team before,” Noemi says. “The riders and staff – everyone works so well together. It doesn't feel like we are working colleagues. We are friends. I think that makes a huge difference, especially for me. I feel so welcomed in the team. The atmosphere is always good. It makes it a lot easier to perform when you are surrounded by good people.”
Noemi Rüegg
Noemi proved that this year. She started her season with a big win at the Trofeo Felanitx-Colònia de Sant Jordi in Mallorca and kept pushing hard to the end of the year. Her win at the Swiss road race championship and seventh place at her first Olympics are her proudest achievements, but it was the way that the team came together when the going got tough at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift that really convinced her that this is the squad for her.
“We had some highs and lows, but we kept a good positive vibe and kept working together,” Noemi says. “Those moments when everything might not be going well, but you still have good people and a strong team around you make all the difference. This year, I got a lot of support from the team. They gave me the opportunity to race the finales and also to make a lot of mistakes. That's also really important, because otherwise you don't learn. The team gave me a lot of confidence and I think that's what I needed. It means a lot when the team puts trust in me.”
Noemi is excited to put the lessons she learned this year into action when the racing season kicks off again next spring. She is still figuring out what kind of bike rider she could be. She has the kick to win bunch sprints and the staying power to get over hard climbs, as she proved at this year’s world championships in Zurich.
“Noemi is a really strong classics rider with a good sprint who can survive a lot of climbs,” says EF-Oatly-Cannondale general manager Esra Tromp. “She is also a really good teammate who is happy to work for others. She made a big step coming to this team this year and got opportunities to be the leader. I'm really happy that we can continue working together to help her step into a leadership role even more in the future.”
The most important thing Noemi has learned is to keep dreaming big, never limit herself, and brush off the pressure.
“I don't doubt too much and am willing to just try now,” she says. “If it works, it works. And if it doesn't work, then you learn from it. It is important to have fun with racing. I think that's the most important thing. You don’t want to focus too much on the performance or put pressure on yourself. We ride our bikes because we love it. If you have fun, the performance will come automatically. I'm quite a punchy rider, so I like the classics, especially the races in Flanders with explosive climbs. I really want to do well there, but also in races like Liège. After the Liège Tour stage, I fell in love with that course. I see myself doing well in those kinds of races, Amstel as well. I want to win classics.”
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The team posted this:
Just weeks after concluding another campaign, our feeder squad has announced new additions for next year.
Following another successful season, which has seen them rack up a total of 16 victories – including a pair of GiroNextGen stages, the Italian ITT title and the Course de côte Herbeumont – Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team has begun planning for next year. After announcing three riders for 2025 in the past couple of months, the squad has signed other new members who will proudly wear the jersey in next season: Matthijs De Clercq, Joeri Schaper and Erazem Valjavec.
Just 18 years of age, De Clercq has had a solid junior season, scoring a total of top ten placings, including an impressive solo victory in Kruisem, on home turf. Hailing from the Netherlands, Joeri Schaper finished third overall at the Guido Reybrouck Juniors before repeating that result in the Pévèle Classics, but his standout result of the year came at the European Championships, where he took gold in the mixed relay race.
Last but not least, Erazem Valjavec enjoyed a great campaign as a junior this year, winning Giro del Veneto – where he also picked up a stage win in the mountains and the points jersey – becoming Slovenian ITT Champion and claiming podiums in both Paris-Roubaix and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
“In 2024 we had another strong season. We won many races across seven different countries, but equally important, we were protagonists in all the competitions we did, showing the Wolfpack spirit and an incredible determination of always giving our best. Our desire is to continue building upon that success, and for that reason we have brought to the team these three talented youngsters, who will find here the perfect environment to grow and discover what kind of riders they can become, step by step”, said Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team manager Bart Roosens.
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Here's the team's news:
Team Polti Kometa is holding its first preseason training camp in Malta, spending five days laying the groundwork for next year. This is an opportunity to conclude this season, which ended last Sunday with the Veneto Classic, while meeting with Maltese authorities, holding technical meetings, product fittings and doing a Social Ride on Sunday where team members can explore Malta in depth.
Polti Kometa rider Manuel Penalver
From today to Sunday 27th, Team Polti Kometa will be in Malta to begin preparations for the 2025 season. With satisfaction from the results achieved, excitement for the future of the project, and many new developments yet to be revealed, these will be intense days of preparation, but also a well-deserved rest in the beautiful setting of Malta.
Additionally, on Friday, a press conference will be held with the presence of authorities and cyclists, which will serve as an official welcome to the squad in Malta, with important announcements about the upcoming season.
Team Polti Kometa’s manager Fran Contador describes this camp as “a special moment in the season, where we reflect on 2024 and dive into preparations for 2025. To return once again to Malta, with the excellent treatment we always receive, the opportunity to explore the island’s wonders, and offer our sponsor Visit Malta special visibility, is a great satisfaction for the team. Next season will bring many new developments, and we’re already working on shaping a project that keeps growing.”
Alongside the usual product and component tests, the team members will have the chance to explore Malta and participate in activities like the Social Ride with the cyclists scheduled for Sunday. A season-end camp with a different purpose, bringing together all team members to lay the foundations for the 2025 season.
“I have an excellent memory of last year’s camp in Malta,” explains Polti Kometa’s rider Davide Bais. “A moment like this is ideal for laying the groundwork for next season’s planning, testing materials, and of course, visiting a beautiful place that we continue to discover.”
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The team posted this:
Team Jayco AlUla wrapped up a successful 2024 season on Sunday, racking up a total of 25 UCI wins with 12 different riders, showcasing its consistency and variety throughout the year.
From national championship triumphs, sprint wins and breakaway successes, the squad scored a victory each month from April through to September, including three memorable Grand Tour stage wins across the Tour de France and La Vuelta a España.
Dream Start
New recruit Luke Plapp made it a dream start to life in GreenEDGE Cycling colours as he secured the Australian ‘double’ in the national time trial and road race championships. The 23-year-old went on to do the green and gold proud during the season with standout rides at the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice, where he enjoyed two days in the race lead, plus a memorable stint in the white jersey at the Giro d’Italia.
Luke Plapp in yellow at Paris-Nice. Sirotti photo
Simon Yates continued the early season winning spirit in February as the British rider delivered a special and meaningful win at the AlUla Tour, sprinting to a stunning stage win on the final day of racing to seal the overall title in the home of the team’s co-title sponsor.
Sprint Success
Sprint star Dylan Groenewegen began his year with a win on day one at the Gran Premi València in January and the Dutchman produced another consistent season, highlighted by an impressive stage with at the Tour de France, the sixth of his career.
In total, the man from Amsterdam claimed five wins and a further eight top three finishes throughout a demanding year of racing. The season also saw him fight back from a broken collarbone in September to take second place behind teammate and fellow sprinter Max Walscheid at Omloop van het Houtland.
Australian Caleb Ewan also got his hands in the air on his return to the team, starting out with the national criterium title and a stage at the Tour of Oman, before wins in consecutive races at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and Vuelta a Burgos in August.
Young Talent
The 2024 season saw the team’s young talent step up once again, delivering strong performances and victories throughout the year. New signings, Davide de Pretto and Anders Foldager both celebrated wins in their debut pro seasons, with their triumphs coming in the Tour of Austria and Okolo Slovenska respectively. Italian De Pretto was a consistent threat during the season with his aggressive style of racing delivering 11x top-five finishes.
Despite a delayed start to the season due to injury, Mauro Schmid eventually unleashed his true potential midway through the campaign as he claimed the Swiss road race title before winning the overall at Okolo Slovenska. Fourth overall at the Artic Race of Norway was then followed up with a series of second place close-calls and daring rides at La Vuelta as the 24-year-old showcased his talents.
Dunbar’s Delight
Eddie Dunbar showed his grit and determination in a season of highs and lows for the Irishman. The 28-year-old was forced to abandon the UAE Tour with a broken hand in February before stepping off the bike ahead of stage three of the Giro following an unlucky crash on day two.
However, the man from Banteer bounced back with a victory in the Irish time trial championships before an unforgettable and emotional debut Grand Tour win at La Vuelta on stage 11. Not content with the one stage win, Dunbar doubled up as he climbed to his second stage victory on a gruelling Queen Stage to cap off a memorable final Grand Tour of the year for the team.
Battling Matthews
It was a season of ups and downs for Michael Matthews as the experienced Australian kicked off the year with a victory on day two at the Gran Premio Castellón. Illness and injury then disrupted his preparation for Milano-Sanremo, but that couldn’t prevent him from sprinting to a superb second place on the famous Via Roma. The 34-year-old then looked to have secured his second Monument podium of the year at the Tour of Flanders, only to be cruelly relegated from the third place for an apparent sprint deviation.
Matthews returned to winning ways in familiar surroundings in Canada as he powered to his third win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec in classic style. A gold medal for Australia in the Mixed Relay TTT at the World Championships then capped off a testing but rewarding season.
Matt White (Director of High Performance and Racing):
“Summarising a season is always hard because it’s such a long journey over 10 months of racing. But one thing we can be very proud of this year is our young riders, we’ve had a lot of new guys step up this year and 12 different winners out of the 30 riders. 25 wins is the most victories we’ve had in five years, and they were spread out and varied over the season.
"It’s hard to pick out a standout result, but probably because it’s still fresh in my memory, the double victories of Eddie Dunbar at the Vuelta have to be noted, definitely. Dylan Groenewegen’s win at the Tour de France as the national champion of the Netherlands was a highlight, it’s always special winning at the Tour. Also, Simon Yates’s crucial win on the final stage to take the overall victory in AlUla is one we won’t forget, that’s for sure.
"It’s been exciting to see a lot of the young guys get their first wins as professionals too. That’s a great sign moving forward for the next couple of seasons, to have these young guys that are hungry and have already proven that they can win races, and they’ll only be hungrier for more in the coming seasons.”
Brent Copeland (General Manager):
“It has been a successful season for the men’s team with 12 different riders taking 25 victories along with numerous podium placings, it really shows the great diversity and talent we have.
"We’re proud to see that all six of our new signings for 2024 were able to take wins, this is really rewarding and for young, upcoming riders Anders Foldager and Davide De Pretto to both get their first professional victories is very special. It bodes well for the future as they continue to grow, and the development of fresh talent is an important aspect of our organisation.
"Of course, winning at the highest level is always the main goal, and Dylan and Eddie’s wins at the Tour de France and La Vuelta are huge highlights for us this year. We also came very close in two Monuments with Michael Matthews.
"It is not only the results this season but the way the team has worked through adversity and the great teamwork between riders and staff, this gives us a lot of confidence and motivation for 2025 and beyond as we continue to grow as an organisation. Of course, none of this would be possible without the loyal support from team owner Gerry Ryan and all of our valued partners who we have to thank.”
Team Jayco AlUla 2024 Race Victories (12x riders)
Australian Time Trial Championships – Luke Plapp
Australian Road Race Championships – Luke Plapp
Gran Premi València – Dylan Groenewegen
Gran Premio Castellón – Michael Matthews
AlUla Tour Stage 5 – Simon Yates
AlUla Tour Overall – Simon Yates
Tour of Oman Stage 1 – Caleb Ewan
Tour of the Alps Stage 2 – Alessandro De Marchi
Ronde van Limburg – Dylan Groenewegen
Tour of Slovenia Stage 1 – Dylan Groenewegen
Irish Time Trial Championships – Eddie Dunbar
Netherlands Road Race Championships – Dylan Groenewegen
Swiss Road Race Championships – Mauro Schmid
Okolo Slovenska Stage 1 (TTT)
Okolo Slovenska Stage 2 – Anders Foldager
Okolo Slovenska Stage 5 – Felix Engelhardt
Okolo Slovenska Overall – Mauro Schmid
Tour of Austria Stage 1 – Davide De Pretto
Tour de France Stage 6 – Dylan Groenewegen
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon – Caleb Ewan
Vuelta a Burgos Stage 2 – Caleb Ewan
La Vuelta a España Stage 11 – Eddie Dunbar
La Vuelta a España Stage 20 – Eddie Dunbar
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec – Michael Matthews
Omloop van het Houtland – Max Walscheid
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