Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. - Mother Teresa
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Current racing:
- August 17 - Sept 8: Vuelta a España
- September 3 - 8: Tour of Britain
Upcoming racing:
- September 8: Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
Latest completed racing:
- August 28 - September 1: Renewi Tour
- August 25: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
- August 20 - 23: Tour du Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
- August 12 - 18: Tour of Poland
- August 14 - 18: PostNord Denmark Rundt
- August 13 - 16: Tour du Limousin
- August 11: La Polynormande
- August 10: Clasica San Sebastian
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 4 - 7: Arctic Race of Norway
- July 27 - August 4: Olympic cycling
Here's the team's announcement:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike has extended its contract with Per Strand Hagenes. The 21-year-old Norwegian rider will now stay with the team until 2027.
Hagenes joined the Development Team in 2022 and moved up to the WorldTour team this season. On Sunday, he finished third overall at the Renewi Tour.
Per Strand Hagenes wins 2023 4 Days of Dunkirk stage 5.
Grischa Niermann, speaking for the team management, sees great promise in Hagenes: "We are happy to keep him on board. He's improved every year since he joined our Development Team. This year, his first in the WorldTour Team, he's made even more progress. We see a great future for him as a strong classics rider. It's fantastic that we will be working together to achieve this."
Per Strand Hagenes: "I really feel at home with this team. From my early days in the Development Team to now in the World Tour squad. We're always improving together and I'm really happy that the team believes in me."
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Here’s the team’s news:
Lidl-Trek is thrilled to announce the signing of Danish rider Søren Kragh Andersen, who will officially join the team on January 1st, 2025. The 30-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Lidl-Trek, marking a significant addition to the team’s roster.
Kragh Andersen is set to enter his tenth season as a professional cyclist, boasting an impressive career highlighted by nine individual victories and numerous key contributions to team successes. The Dane had a standout year in 2020, claiming two stage wins at the Tour de France along with time trial victories at the Tour de Suisse and BinckBank Tour.
Søren Kragh Andersen wins 2020 Tour de France stage 20. Sirotti photo
Kragh Andersen arrives at Lidl-Trek following a successful two-year stint with Alpecin-Deceuninck, where he was a crucial team player in both the classics and Grand Tours. During his time there, he was part of a Monument-winning team on three occasions and contributed to five Tour de France stage wins. Additionally, he claimed an impressive personal victory at Eschborn-Frankfurt. Now, Kragh Andersen looks forward to continuing his journey with Lidl-Trek, eager to support his new team while also pursuing his own ambitions.
Speaking of his motivation to join Lidl-Trek, Søren Kragh Andersen said, “Lidl-Trek is one of the super teams last of the few years, and I see the team developing even further in the future. So, that makes it a very attractive and cool project for me to be part of. It’s particularly exciting to be joining some of the best Danish riders of this generation, it will be super nice to race with them.
“I’m aiming to play an important role for the team in the big spring classics. Lidl-Trek have been assembling a really strong classics team and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. Furthermore, It would be great to take a personal victory, perhaps in one of the Grand Tours. For the rest next I’m just looking forward to have fun with my new teammates and enjoy the ride with them!”
Lidl-Trek General Manager Luca Guercilena echoed Søren’s enthusiasm, stating, “We are delighted to welcome Søren to Lidl-Trek. His experience and proven capability to race at the highest level, particularly in the classics, will be a huge asset to our team. His ability to perform deep into the most important one-day races will be crucial as we try to secure a monument victory next year.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
The current New Zealand Road Race Champion, Oceania Time Trial Champion and recent winner of the Tour of Hainan, Aaron Gate (33), has signed a one-year contract with the World Tour team Astana Qazaqstan Team for the 2025 season.
Aaron Gate is having an outstanding season, with 11 victories making him the most successful rider at the Pro-conti level and placing him among the top five winningest riders in the world in 2024.
In the 2024 season, Gate won four stages and the overall classification at the New Zealand Cycle Classic, the New Zealand National Road Race Championships, the Oceania Time Trial Championships, the overall classification of the Trans-Himalaya Cycling Race and two stages and the general classification of the Tour of Hainan.
Aaron Gate wins the 3rd stage of the 2022 Tour of Luxembourg.
“I am incredibly excited about joining Astana Qazaqstan Team. The team has been around for a long time, and even when I first started in cycling, this team was already achieving big victories and was one of those teams I followed on TV. Now, having the opportunity to wear this team’s jersey means a lot to me. I am looking forward to joining the team and getting the chance to race in new, bigger races next season. I am 100% ready to do everything I can to help the team achieve as much success as possible in the new season”, – said Aaron Gate.
“Aaron is having an amazing season at the Pro-continental level, and overall, his performance in races over the past few years has been very high – lots of victories and podium finishes. Bringing such a rider into the team is primarily an opportunity to fight for serious results in numerous races in Asia, where we need to maintain our status as one of the strongest Asian teams. Additionally, we would like to see Aaron Gate perform in some races in Europe, where he also has experience, both in classics and in week-long stage races”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Britain’s first winners of the men’s Tour de l’Avenir and Flèche Wallonne, alongside a silver medalist from the recent Olympic Games in Paris, will feature in Israel – Premier Tech’s line-up for the Tour of Britain.
Joe Blackmore, Stevie Williams, and Ethan Vernon have been named in IPT’s squad for the 20th edition of the modern race, which begins in southern Scotland on Tuesday (September 3).
They will be joined by Jake Stewart – the fourth British rider in the team – and Australians Simon Clarke and Nick Schultz.
Britain’s biggest race has been good to IPT in recent years: Corbin Strong won the opening stage of the 2022 edition, while Mike Woods (2021) and Dylan Teuns (2022) both finished fifth overall.
Corbin Strong wins stage 1 of the 2022 Tour of Britain.
The key to repeating those strong GC results will be good performances in Stages 2 and 3. The former, a 152.1-kilometer leg from Darlington to Redcar, features two ascents of the uncategorized Saltburn Bank. The second of these comes within the final 10 kilometers of racing. Taking place in South Yorkshire, Stage 3 features 2,736 meters of elevation, including an uphill final kilometer.
Furthermore, two stage finishes should look familiar to riders in the IPT squad: Clarke finished eighth in Kelso (which hosts the opening stage this time around) in 2019, while Vernon won the bunch sprint for second in the seaside town of Felixstowe, where the 2024 edition culminates, last year. For the record, this will be Clarke’s fifth participation in the race, a run that dates back to 2008.
“We’ve got a good team for Britain, with objectives and opportunities across the whole week,” says Sports Director Sam Bewley.“It’s important to have depth in the squad, especially when it comes to the GC. While there aren’t many WorldTour teams coming to the race, those who are are very strong, so having more than one card to play across the week will be key.
“There will definitely be days when it’s a full bunch sprint, and others when it’s a smaller group that comes to the line. So, depending on how Ethan’s bouncing back from his big Olympic campaign, we can look at him or go to Jake if we need to.”
A long-distance break on the final day almost earned Williams a podium place in last year’s race. Although the 2024 edition doesn’t venture into his home country of Wales, the Tour Down Under winner is targeting another strong GC performance.
He says: “This will be my third Tour of Britain and, after coming close to getting a really good result last year, I’m even more motivated to do well. I love racing in the UK and going there with three other British riders, it doesn’t get much better than that. Hopefully it’ll be a good week with the boys.
“It’s almost like a reverse of last year, as the first three days will be key for GC this time around. That makes it exciting, we’ll be going straight into the action. Then, if it goes as expected, there’ll be opportunities for our sprinters. I think we’ve got somebody for every stage, it’s a multi-talented team.”
After a busy summer preparing for the Olympics, the Tour of Britain marks Vernon’s first race back with the team since the Giro d’Italia.
“I’m really excited to be back racing on home roads,” says Vernon. “We don’t get many opportunities to race in the UK anymore so to be able to race with the full team support will make for a special week.
“I’m just coming back from the Olympics so I’m still building my form, but I am excited to get back racing with my mates again. If a result comes along the way then fantastic but, if not, then a good solid week to help re-find the legs for the rest of the season will also be good.”
The closest any rider gets to a home stage is on day five, which passes near the birthplaces of Vernon (Bedford) and Stewart (Coventry). This year marks the latter’s third start in the Tour of Britain, and Stewart will go into the race with momentum.
He says: “Coming out of the Tour of Poland and Bretagne Classic, the form has been really good. I feel in good shape and the sensations are good, so that’s really exciting heading into the Tour of Britain. It’s the first time I’ll have done the race with my trade team as opposed to a national one, and we’re coming with a really strong squad that can be competitive across all the stages and the GC, especially with Stevie and Joe.
“I’m going to bring everything I’ve learned from the lead-outs in the Tour de France for the link up with Ethan. Also, I was so close to a stage win in 2022, so if the opportunity arises it would be amazing to get my hands up in the air. With the strength of the squad we’ve got it’s going to be a good week.”
In the car alongside Bewley is IPT Academy Manager Tim Elverson, who is also no stranger to the race. Riders on his previous teams won jerseys in the 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 editions.
IPT at the Tour of Britain (September 3 – 8)
Riders: Joe Blackmore (GBR), Simon Clarke (AUS), Jake Stewart (GBR), Nick Schultz (AUS), Ethan Vernon (GBR), Stevie Williams (GBR)
Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (AUS), Tim Elverson (GBR)
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