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The Tour de France and the Giro Donne are both in full swing – all the news, results and video. Terrible training crash for Alejandro Valverde – TOP STORY. Other news: Patrick Lefevere happy at the Tour. Rider news: Izagirre extends with Cofidis and Martin Svrcek turns pro. Race news: WorldTour teams for the Maryland Cycling Classic. Tour coffee time and don’t forget Ukraine.
TOP STORY: Alejandro Valverde in Hospital After Collision
Alejandro Valverde was hit by a motorist while training in his home region of Murcia, reports the local media, La Opinion de Murcia. Two other cyclists, who were with the Movistar rider, were also hit. The driver drove away from the scene.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident with the three cyclists happened around noon on Saturday on the RM-560 between Alcantarilla and Javali Viejo. Police and ambulance were quickly on the scene and helped Valverde and his companions on the spot. After that, 42 year-old Valverde was taken to a hospital in Murcia. It is not known exactly what the damage is, but his condition is not serious, according to the local website.
The driver concerned, according to Murcian media, which cites police sources, is 69 years old and, presumably, caused the accident premeditatedly. As reported, the alleged offender overtook the group without respecting the safety distance, this caused the riders to shout at the car. The car stopped and reversed into them. The driver, after turning himself in, has been arrested and will be made available to the National Police.
Valverde’s Movistar team has confirmed the news. “Both Alejandro and his training partners are doing well. Alejandro has undergone tests at a medical centre. There were no fractures or other serious injuries. Alejandro will remain under observation for another 24 hours to monitor his condition. After that, he can leave the hospital.”
Tour de France 2022
Belgian farmer Yves Lampaert created a huge surprise in Copenhagen on Stage 1. Instead of his star compatriot Wout van Aert who had won his duel against Filippo Ganna before it stopped raining in the Danish capital. Lampaert is the first Belgian to take the Maillot Jaune since Greg Van Avermaet in 2018 and the fourth rider from his country to win the inaugural time trial of the Tour de France after Eddy Merckx, victor of three prologues (in 1970, 1972 and 1974), Freddy Maertens (1976) and Eric Vanderaerden (1983).
Stefan Bissegger, the first TT favourite in action, crashed twice, so he didn’t better the time of Dutch national TT champion Bauke Mollema who clocked 15:34.18, at an average speed of 50.878km/h. His time was bettered by 3:56 by Mathieu van der Poel (average speed 51.097km/h). First of the GC favourites to take the start, Primoz Roglič rode in the rain and didn’t make the hot seat as he was 2:55 slower than MvdP. Stefan Küng and Geraint Thomas were seemingly hampered by the pouring rain as they didn’t approach the performance of the leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck. Wout van Aert (1:18), Filippo Ganna (2:53) and Tadej Pogacar (6:47) were also behind Van der Poel at the half-way point.
The three top guns increased their speed in the second half of the stage to set a new provisional top 3: Van Aert in the lead (average speed: 51.540km/h), Pogačar in second place 2 seconds behind and Ganna third at 5 seconds, leaving Van der Poel in fourth. It made a difference of 9 seconds between Pogačar and Roglič, the two hot favourites for the overall victory, which was possibly the difference between the drizzle and the pouring rain that the two Slovenians experienced. As the biggest names had completed the course, it seemed like a third stage victory in a row for van Aert after the Libourne to Saint-Emilion time trial and the Champs-Elysées bunch sprint last year, but the rain stopped and the road dried up slowly. His French team-mate Christophe Laporte set the best intermediate time but crashed later.
A double Belgian champion in the time trial (2017, 2021) and recent winner of the ITT in the Belgium Tour before his disqualification for dangerous behaviour in the last stage, Yves Lampaert took advantage of the dryer racing conditions to oust his compatriot from the hot-seat as he clocked in at 15:17.76, five seconds faster than Van Aert, at the average speed of 51.821km/h. Some teams had chosen to have their star riders start early as they believed the weather conditions would worsen, but it went the other way. However, none of the 71 riders who competed after Lampaert proved to be a threat for the stage victory. Another Belgian, Dylan Teuns, was the only one to enter the top 10.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner and overall leader, Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “It’s incredible, I didn’t expect this and I don’t understand how it happened. I was thinking of a top 10, those were my expectations at the start, but somehow I managed to beat the best riders in the world. I’m just a farmer’s son from Belgium, so this is something I would have never dreamed of. My mind is exploding. To beat all these guys today is unbelievable for me! The roads were wet, and I kept saying to myself on the corners ‘Yves, go faster, trust in your tyres or you’ll lose seconds in the corners’, and in the end I finished five seconds faster. I think I’ll only realise what I have done after the Tour, when I’ll return to my family. I can be proud of myself, but while on the podium I thought of the whole team and especially of Tim Declercw. He’s my best friend, but he’s home now and I miss him. I’m so happy with this victory and honoured to wear the yellow jersey.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma): “I am satisfied with my time trial. On the road, I had a good feeling. I didn’t take too much risk in the corners, but I rode good lines. It went well. I think the second time proves that. I came to win. When I crossed the line, I knew I had already beaten some strong riders. It was a bit of a shock that Yves was faster in the end. Well done to him.”
Best young rider, 3rd on the stage and overall, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was an excellent opening time trial for this Tour de France: even if the weather conditions were not good, the crowd was exciting and pushed me to give it my all, while enjoying the day at the same time. Some corners could have been risky, but I didn’t take any chances, still managing to put in a very good performance thanks to good legs. It was a nice result also in terms of the general classification.”
5th on the stage and overall, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I didn’t really miss anything, but I couldn’t race the wattages I had in mind. It’s great to be here, but I had hoped for better legs. I did everything I could, but I’m afraid it’s not enough compared to specialists like Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert. My goal was to try and do a good time trial and limit the losses, and hopefully get the yellow in the coming days. I don’t think I lost too much time today. If I can limit the damage to the Roubaix stage, a lot is possible.”
19th on the stage and overall, Lennard Kämna (BORA-hansgrohe): “I started not too fast and took no risk in the corners. After some kilometres I was able to push a little more as I felt more comfortable on the bike. On the flat parts my legs felt quite good, not perfect, but good and I am optimistic for the upcoming days. I think it was not my best TT, but it was a solid one.”
21st on the stage and overall, Aleksandre Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe): “It is just the first stage, and we have a long race ahead of us, so I didn’t want to take any risk. On the straights I was able to push a big gear and actually felt really good. Compared to the other GC favourites my time is ok. So, we can be happy with the day.”
24th, Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux): “This result is a little surprise for me. My feeling was good, although it didn’t feel like I took a lot of risks. I did several intense training sessions on the time trial bike this season. Of course, the feeling is always different during the race when you go through the corners under pressure. I did two laps during the recon, but this was on dry roads. I felt safe in the rain on our new Continental GP5000 TT tires, good equipment is an advantage in these conditions. The gaps between the GC riders are not big, but this performance reinforces my confidence at the start of this Tour de France.”
Tour de France Stage 1 Result:
1. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 15:17
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma at 0:05
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
4. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:10
5. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:13
6. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 0:15
7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma at 0:16
9. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo at 0:17
10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:20.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 1:
1. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 15:17
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma at 0:05
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:07
4. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:10
5. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:13
6. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:15
7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma at 0:16
9. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo at 0:17
10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:20.
Tour’22 stage 1:
On his first participation in the Tour de France, Fabio Jakobsen claimed the 50th stage victory of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl since 2001. Second over the line on Stage 2 in the bunch sprint, Wout van Aert took the yellow jersey for the first time in his career.
Denmark’s Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easypost) was the first attacker of the day. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), Cyril Barthe and Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels-KTM) joined him off the front. Their maximum advantage of 2:15 was after 12 kilometres, before the Danish riders from the sprinters’ teams took control of the peloton: Mikkel Honoré for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Chris Juul-Jensen for BikeExchange-Jayco and Andreas Kron for Lotto-Soudal.
Rolland tried to anticipate the sprint for the first KOM of the Tour after 62 kilometres, but the Frenchman didn’t manage to go clear and Cort won the sprint from Bystrøm at Asnaes Indelukke. Up the climb, the two riders from B&B Hotels-KTM lost contact with the two Scandinavians. Cort and Bystrøm worked well together and the gap on the peloton increased to 3 minutes, Rolland and Barthe failed to get back to the front. Cort fought hard to beat Bystrøm again at Hove Straede at 72.5km. It was easier at Karup Strandbakke (84km) and the Dane raised his hands in the air as if he had won the stage. All three KOMs were fourth category so the EF Education-EasyPost rider had three points to take the polka dot jersey ten years after his compatriot Michael Mørkøv.
Half way into stage 2, after Rolland and Barthe were caught after 96 kilometres, the peloton was 3 minutes behind Cort and Bystrøm. 60km from the finish, Bystrøm went solo at the front with a 1 minute lead while the peloton caught Cort. The Norwegian was eventually brought back with 31 kilometres remaining and was voted most aggressive rider of the day. Wearing the Maillot Jaune, Yves Lampaert crashed on the Great Belt Bridge but made it back in the pack 16km from the finish. It took a bit longer for Rigoberto Urán but everyone was together at the 3km to go mark. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl led the run-in but many other teams were involved in the sprint. Jakobsen proved to be the fastest as he pipped van Aert on the line, but coming second was enough for the Belgian to take the Maillot Jaune for the first time.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl): “Today is an incredible day for me. Getting here was a long process, one where I took it one step at a time, with many people helping me along the way and giving me tremendous support. This win is for them, my way of saying thank you, so that they see it wasn’t for nothing. What happened two years ago is something that will forever stay with me, but I was fortunate to overcome it with the help of many incredible people. I’m happy I still enjoy riding my bike and racing, and luckily, I can still win. It’s an amazing day, and that’s why I want to thank everyone that helped me be here. The team did a great job, keeping me in a good position when we exited from the bridge, then on the tricky corners and on the finishing straight. I am grateful to them, this victory wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates. Once I was alone, I launched my sprint at 150 meters to go, passed the other two guys and took the win. When I tell it like this it sounds easy, but it wasn’t. At the same time, this is what we train for, this is why we race. We worked hard for this, not just myself, but also the team. Taking a Tour de France stage is something I have been dreaming about for 15 years, since I started cycling. It’s the biggest event in our sport and that’s why I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
2nd on the stage and overall leader, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma): “Putting on the jersey gives a great feeling. I have been close to it many times, but this time I managed. Despite my two second places in the past stages, the yellow jersey is a nice reward. I will defend and wear this jersey with pride. In any case, there are still many chances for a stage victory to come. I respect him a lot. We all know what happened, which makes this even more exciting. He’s also a very nice guy; he deserved this victory.”
3rd on the stage and 5th overall, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo): “I opened the sprint 200 meters to go. Fabio was coming so fast in the end, so congrats to him; I couldn’t do anything else. We did everything right. He was just faster. It’s chaotic to do a finish like this, always. It’s difficult to get right but I think we got it right. It’s just my lack of power in a sprint and we couldn’t do anything else. I want to win, of course, but it’s not easy for me to win a bunch sprint with a guy like Jacobsen here. I am pretty happy with it. It shows I can be in the mix of winning and if everything is going my way then I can win a sprint as well. The dream of winning in Denmark is still possible tomorrow. Absolutely crazy – the crowd is amazing. Here’s thanks to everyone who is following and supporting us on the road. It’s something that is really special and gives us goosebumps every time.”
4th on the stage, Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe): “I think it is one of my talents to find a wheel without a real lead-out and to surf from wheel to wheel. After the bridge they went full gas, and it was really hard and Groenewegen ahead of me exploded a little bit. I had the power to pass him, and I wanted to go early, but there was a lot of headwind and I just followed when the sprint started. I took fourth and I am really happy with the result.”
Best young rider and 3rd overall, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “I’m happy with how the stage went for me. Now I just hope that everyone is okay. So many people went to the ground, including some of my teammates. It was not crazy racing, but there was definitely a lot of tension and lots of people on the roadside, which immediately brought flashbacks from last year’s first stage. It was a hectic day, but there wasn’t any bad temper around – just normal racing. Christophe Laporte, par example, pushed me out of his way when we were approaching the finish line, and it’s only normal.”
KOM, Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easypost): “I already experienced the podium ceremony of the Tour but it was a dream to make it in Denmark. The goal was clear but in the breakaway there were also two B&B Hotels riders who had the same goal. It’s been a hot battle to drop them but it worked out. It’s a really big day for me and I expect to have another incredible day tomorrow with the polka dot jersey. The atmosphere is crazy on the road sides because cycling is an important part of our culture here.”
Most Aggressive Rider of the day, Sven Erik Bystrøm (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux): “I wanted the polka dot jersey as much as Magnus but he’s been super strong. I found myself in a difficult situation because he’s a faster sprinter than I am. But I still had a good day, especially at the beginning when we dropped the two Frenchmen. Of course they wanted the same thing as us and they were two. I chose to attack from far out in the first hill because that gave me more chances than if I waited for the last 200 meters. It’s incredible to race with so many people on the road sides. It’s a come-back for me because I came here for racing fifteen years ago but it wasn’t the same atmosphere. The Tour is unique.”
Aleksandre Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe): “It was definitely different than I expected. I thought there will be people at the start and finish and maybe at some points. But there have been people everywhere the whole 200km. I expected the race to be hectic, and it was hectic. But the team did a great job to keep me in position and out of trouble and actually, it was a day where I could save some energy.”
Tour de France Stage 2 Result:
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in 4:34:34
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
3. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
4. Danny van Poppel (Ned) BORA-hansgrohe
5. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
6. Peter Sagan (Slk) TotalEnergies
7. Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
8. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
9. Luca Mozzato (Ita) B&B Hotels-KTM
10. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Arkéa Samsic.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 2:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma in 4:49:50
2. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:01
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:08
4. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:11
5. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:12
6. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:14
7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma at 0:16
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma at 0:17
9. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo at 0:18
10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-Victorious at 0:21.
Tour’22 stage 2:
Three years after his last win at the Tour de France, Dylan Groenewegen claimed his fifth stage victory as he successfully sprinted in Sønderborg, beating Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen and Peter Sagan in a tight finish on Stage 3.
A Dutchman took over from Belgians Yves Lampaert and van Aert, emulating Jan Raas and Walter Planckaert who captured the first three stages in 1978. Van Aert will take the Maillot Jaune to France.
176 riders started stage 3 in Vejle. KOM, Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easypost) attacked from the gun, but nobody followed him. He reached an advantage of 6:40 after 20km. Mikkel Honoré for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl seized the reins of the peloton to set a steady tempo, later relayed by veteran Philippe Gilbert for Lotto-Soudal. Sprinter’s teams maintained the difference at around 3 minutes for most of the race while Cort extended his lead in the KOM classification on Koldingveg (27km) and Heljsminde Strand (82km), both cat. 4 climbs in which he took one more point each.
Cort passed the line of the intermediate sprint at Christianfeld (90km) 1:45 ahead of the peloton. Wout van Aert won the bunch sprint with Fabio Jakobsen in third place, the Belgian extended his lead in the points classification. Following that effort, the time gap went below one minute, but the pack decided to slow down and let Cort lead for some more kilometres. The Dane took the sixth and last KOM point up for grab in his country and extended his lead in the climber’s competition. He was reeled in with 52km to go after 130km at the front by himself.
There was no breakaway attempt for the rest of the stage. Alpecin-Deceuninck and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl led the peloton in the run-in to the bunch sprint after a crash split the peloton in two. All the top sprinters were up front. Michael Mørkøv was in perfect position in the final 800 metre long finishing straight, but Fabio Jakobsen had lost his wheel, so it was Christophe Laporte who gave the perfect lead-out to van Aert. Peter Sagan tried to pass on the yellow jersey’s right side but the gap was in the middle of the road and Groenewegen chose the right route to his fifth Tour de France victory after his successes in 2018 and 2019. It’s his big come back after the horrendous crash of the 2020 Tour de Pologne that involved him and Jakobsen.
Stage winner, Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco): “It means a lot to me. I want to say thank you to my team, to my family and my friends, for bringing me back to the Tour de France in good shape. It’s beautiful. Physically it was not a struggle to come back, but mentally it was a difficult period of course. After everything that’s happened, including my family. This is for my wife and son. It means a lot to me. Yesterday I was a little mad at myself. Today we were closed in for a long time, I was also involved in a crash nine kilometres before the finish. But they got me back in position and we kept calm. At the end I was on the right side, I was brought into the left corner in good position. In that corner I had some problems, but on the line it was enough. I still can’t believe it. I came with a lot more speed, but it was close. Wout asked me: ‘Are you sure?’ In the 2019 Tour we always joked that you just have to claim victory if you win with one centimetre difference, like Mike (Teunissen), myself and Wout did.”
Overall leader and 2nd on the stage, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma): “I’m missing it again (the stage win). This time I had it in my own hands. I got a fantastic lead out by Chrstiophe Laporte, but I did’t use him enough. We were already past 250 meters and I was afraid to wait too long. That they would come from behind. If I use his slipstream more, I’ll win. It’s about centimetres. I made a big mistake there. At the finish line I already had the feeling that Dylan was past it. You always have that feeling that you are losing. And now my feeling came true. It’s very nice to have the yellow jersey. But yeah… I’m here to win, when you’re so close it’s disappointing.”
3rd on the stage, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I think I had the legs to win anyway. It was still tight at the end. But when I started, I saw Wout with his lead-out (Christophe Laporte) still freewheeling, while I was already sprinting full into the wind. At that moment I knew it was going to be very difficult to win. I started a little too early, but I had no choice. In the last corner they came in, very quickly. I was in the wheel with Jakobsen, I hoped maybe he would start early, but that didn’t happen. Because I was stuck on the right, I had to turn left. I did what I couldn’t have done yesterday because then I was frustrated that I couldn’t really sprint. Now I was forced to start. I knew then that it would be difficult to finish first I think I had the legs to win anyway. I don’t think I should be inferior to those men in the sprint, but it all has to go well.”
4th on the stage, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo): “I’m glad I’m still whole after this sprint.” Did Van Aert close the door on you? “I can’t decide on that. We have a jury for that. But you can see it on the TV images. Of course I’m not happy, but we have a jury in the Tour de France and they have to decide that. I started my sprint and the gap got smaller and smaller. I found myself again close to the barriers. Nothing else happened. That was it.” Van Aert responded: “I saw him coming alongside and he was trying to say something to me. But I couldn’t understand him because of all the noise. Not sure what he was complaining about. I also don’t know what exactly happened and how close he was to the fence.”
KOM and solo break rider, Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easypost): “I was a little bit surprised to find myself alone in the lead, but it was nice anyway. I got a big lead as soon as I broke away, but it was hard to keep the peloton at bay when it got stressed. I spent an amazing day out there, enjoying the crowds. I knew what to expect after what we experienced yesterday, but it turned out to be even better because I was on the polka dot jersey. It was a perfect day. Life-changing? For sure. The Tour de France is such a big race that it goes well beyond the cycling scene. Everything that happens here transcends the general public. These days have been a dream for me. Huge, unbelievable. I never imagined them this way.”
3rd overall and Best Young Rider, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s been quiet for me today, even though flat stages are always nervous and can be dangerous. I wasn’t affected by the crash in the finale. The first three days have gone well. Tomorrow it will look like a recovery day in the middle of the training camps.”
10th on the stage, Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe): “I had to break slightly in the last corner and lost momentum there. I still found a good wheel again but was already a little too far back and also had to accelerate early. Still, it’s another top ten result and I am happy. Also, the team did a great job again protecting Aleks and that is always priority number one here for us.”
Tour de France Stage 3 Result:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco in 4:11:33
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
4. Peter Sagan (Slk) TotalEnergies
5. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
6. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Jumbo-Visma
7. Alberto Dainese (Ita) DSM
8. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Arkéa Samsic
9. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Soudal
10. Danny van Poppel (Ned) BORA-hansgrohe.
Tour de France Overall After Stage 3:
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma in 9:01:17
2. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 0:07
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates at 0:14
4. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 0:18
5. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:20
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma at 0:22
7. Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma at 0:23
8. Adam Yates (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:30
9. Michael Matthews (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:32
10. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers.
Tour’22 stage 3:
Giro Donne 2022
Kristen Faulkner pulled on the first pink jersey of the 2022 Giro Donne. The 29 year-old American of BikeExchange-Jayco set the fastest time in the Prologue in Cagliari, Sardinia. Georgia Baker completed the good day for BikeExchange-Jayco by finishing second, Elisa Balsamo was third.
The Giro d’Italia Donne started on the island of Sardinia with a short time trial in Cagliari on Thursday. The route didn’t run through the beautiful centre, but through the Poetto district. The route was flat and fast, made for the pure specialists. Kristen Faulkner had clearly set her sights on the first pink jersey and posted the best finishing time. The 29 year-old American of BikeExchange-Jayco, who is having an excellent season and just missed the overall victory in the Tour of Switzerland, managed to use her time trial skills and stopped the clock at 5:45. This turned out to be a very good time, too good for top time trialists Elisa Longo Borghini and Lucinda Brand.
There were still some top riders to finish, so Faulkner had a nervous time on the ‘Hot Seat’. Annemiek van Vleuten, the two-time Giro winner rode a fast prologue, but was 9 seconds short of Faulkner’s time. Lotte Kopecky also missed the stage win taking fourth place. Only Lonneke Uneken could do something about Faulkner’s lead as the SD Worx rider was the last to start, she didn’t get close though. Faulkner was 3 seconds ahead of her teammate Georgia Baker, while World champion Elisa Balsamo was at 5 seconds. Kopecky finished fourth at 6 seconds and Elisa Longo Borghini completed the top 5. With Van Vleuten in 6th, Brand 7th, Riejanne Markus 8th, American Leah Thomas (Trek-Segafredo) 9th and Anouska Koster 10th. Faulkner will start on Friday in the pink jersey for the first stage of the Giro Donne.
Stage winner and overall leader, Kristen Faulkner (BikeExchange-Jayco): “I’m thrilled, I never thought I’d be wearing the pink jersey at this race, so it’s a huge surprise, but it’s a great surprise and it’s definitely something that was one of my dreams, I just didn’t think it would come this soon. I did not come in thinking about holding onto the pink jersey, I have strong teammates who can climb and sprint, so I came into the Giro hoping to support them in this race. I don’t know what the strategy will be now, but I know that we have a deep squad and a lot of cards to play, so hopefully we can play numbers and being in pink only makes our options stronger. I feel really proud of all the work my teammates and I and my coach have put in and I’m just really happy that I could bring home the pink on the first day for the team. I think stage two and three are probably likely a sprinter’s finish and then stage four is a day that you might not win the GC, but you might be able to lose it. I think there’s some punchy climbs, so hopefully we can hang onto the jersey for the next few days.”
Giro Donne Prologue Result:
1. Kristen Faulkner (USA) BikeExchange-Jayco in 5:45
2. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:03
3. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:05
4. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx at 0:06
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:09
6. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar
7. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
8. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:11
9. Leah Thomas (USA) Trek-Segafredo
10. Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma.
Giro Donne Overall After The Prologue:
1. Kristen Faulkner (USA) BikeExchange-Jayco in 5:45
2. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:04
3. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:06
4. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:09
6. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 0:10
7. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
8. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:11
9. Leah Thomas (USA) Trek-Segafredo at 0:12
10. Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma.
Giro Donne’22 prologue:
Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Balsamo won the First Stage of the Giro Donne. In Tortolì, the 24-year-old World champion was the best in a bunch sprint. She narrowly defeated Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) on the finish-line.
After the prologue won by Kirsten Faulkner (BikeExchange-Jayco) in Cagliari, the Giro Donne continued on Friday with a road stage. On the second day of three in Sardinia, the 106.5 kilometre stage was from Villasimius, in the south of the island, to Tortolì, further north. Early in the stage, Castiadas was the first climb that counted for the KOM. Then it was over the hills behind the Tyrrhenian coast to the finish, where the fast-finishers were the favourites.
Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit-WNT) was first at the top of the only categorised climb to secure the mountain jersey at the end of the day. The German, Olympic and world champion on the track, rode on for some time with the Australian Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM), but they were caught soon after the first hour of racing. Another attack was not long in coming. Italian Matilde Vitillo (Bepink) escaped together with Cristina Tonetti (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) and at 50 kilometres from the finish they were joined by Inga Češulienė (Aromitalia), Beatrice Rossato (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria), Marta Jaskulska (Liv Racing Xstra) and Francesca Pisciali (Mendelspeck). The leading group of six took a 3 minute lead, but at 30 kilometres from the finish the peloton accelerated and the gap slowly but surely started to decrease.
With 20 kilometres to go, the difference had fallen to 30 seconds. Pisciali went solo for a while, but the six escapees had no chance against the peloton. At 10 kilometres from the finish everything was back together. From that moment on it was up to the sprinter’s teams to position their leaders as best as possible. Jumbo-Visma was well ahead with Dutch champion Riejanne Markus to place Marianne Vos for the bunch sprint. The final was tricky, with a tight corner 700 metres out. Vos made a long sprint and made a gap. Elisa Balsamo was still able to jump to her wheel and then come alongside. The World champion, third in the prologue in the green KOM jersey, finally pushed her front wheel across the finish line just ahead of Vos, who had to be satisfied with second place. Charlotte Kool (DSM) came third. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) and Chiara Consonni (Valcar) completed the top five. Balsamo also took the pink leader’s jersey.
Stage winner and overall leader, Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo): “Don’t wake me up! It was a really hard sprint. My teammates did a great lead-out. They worked from the first k to the last. I know that Marianne (Vos) is such a strong rider, she has been a rider I have looked up to and sprinting against her is always a pleasure. [The time trial] was important, I was only six seconds behind Faulkner and we really believed in this pink jersey today. As a child I always went to the men and women’s Giro, and of course for an Italian rider this is a dream to wear the pink jersey – it’s a dream coming true. We were here in Sardinia for the pink jersey, and we did it! I am super happy. We will try to keep it, but our biggest goal was to win it today. So now we will see.”
Giro Donne Stage 1 Result:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo in 2:39:13
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
3. Charlotte Kool (Ned) DSM
4. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
5. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
6. Isotta Barbieri (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
7. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
8. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
9. Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Bepink
10. Lea Lin Teutenberg (Bel) Ceratizit-WNT.
Giro Donne Overall After Stage 1:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo in 2:44:54
2. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:09
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx at 0:10
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:12
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:15
6. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar at 0:18
7. Kristen Faulkner (USA) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:19
8. Charlotte Kool (Ned) DSM at 0:21
9. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo at 0:23
10. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar.
Giro Donne’22 stage 1:
Stage 2 of the Giro Donne was won by Marianne Vos. The Dutch rider was the fastest in the bunch sprint finish. Charlotte Kool came in second, Balsamo finished in third place.
The second stage of the Giro Donne was the last on the island of Sardinia. The riders were presented with a stage of 113 kilometres, from Dorgali to Olbia. The expectation was that there would be another sprint finish, like stage 1 where Marianne Vos was narrowly beaten by Elisa Balsamo. Balsamo also had the pink leader’s jersey. After the official start, it was downhill for the first few kilometres. The attacks started, but in the end everything came together again. Subsequently, three riders managed to get away. Marketa Hájková, Asia Zontone and Alice Palazzi eventually took more than 3 minutes on the peloton. Eight riders gave chase. Giulia Marchesini, Gemma Sernissi, Giorgia Vettorello, Lucía González, Jennifer Ducuara, Katia Ragusa, Alessia Missiaggia and Alessia Vigilia were stuck between the bunch and the front riders for a long time.
In the end, only Vigilia and Ragusa were able to connect with the front three with 23 kilometres left. At that point, the pack, where Trek-Segafredo had been controlling all day, started to pick up the pace for Elisa Balsamo. Mainly due to their work and that of Jumbo-Visma, especially Dutch champion Riejanne Markus, who rode many kilometres on the front for Marianne Vos, the last escapee was caught with 7 kilometres to go and we were ready for a bunch sprint. Towards that sprint, we saw Annemiek van Vleuten, among others, on the front of the bunch. In the end it was Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini, who took the lead entering the sprint. Balsamo was in third position, but was surprised by Vos, who went for a long sprint. The Dutch rider held out strongly, beating Kool and Balsamo.
Stage winner and 2nd overall, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “I wanted to try again after yesterday’s second place, so I’m happy it worked out. We knew there was a big chance of a bunch sprint today. The final was pretty technical. The team put me in position perfectly, but it was hard to hold the position in the corners. I followed Romy’s wheel and she delivered me well in the last kilometre. I’m going to enjoy this win and tomorrow, during the rest day, we’ll see what opportunities are left.”
Giro Donne Stage 2 Result:
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma in 2:48:22
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) DSM
3. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
5. Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
6. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
7. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
8. Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Bepink
9. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
10. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service.
Giro Donne Overall After Stage 2:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo in 5:33:12
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma at 0:06
3. Georgia Baker (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:12
4. Kristen Faulkner (USA) BikeExchange-Jayco at 0:14
5. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:17
7. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar at 0:18
8. Charlotte Kool (Ned) DSM at 0:19
9. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar at 0:20
10. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo at 0:24.
Giro Donne’22 stage 2:
Patrick Lefevere: “Rain or no rain, it was wet”
Yves Lampaert won the opening time trial of the Tour de France on Friday. While Wout van Aert was racing in the rain, it had decreased during Lampaert’s ride. According to Patrick Lefevere, however, that did not affect the result. “What kind of bullshit is that? Rain or no rain, it was wet,” the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team manager told Sporza.
“Riders fell before Wout and after Wout,” Lefevere said about Wout van Aert’s ride, the Belgian finished second in the time trial. Stefan Bissegger, Steven Kruijswijk and Christophe Laporte, among others, all crashed during their TT rides. “I am glad that tomorrow the newspapers will no longer be yellow for Jumbo-Visma, but for us. Just to be clear, I have nothing against Wout.”
Lefevere was especially happy for Lampaert. “He’s from my area, he’s a farmer’s son. He was second in the Belgian time trial championship, after Remco. I also saw that he was very good in the road race on Sunday, but it was difficult in Middelkerke. I know he can ride a bike. I think Yves kind of lost faith that he is a good time trialist because he was always beaten. But today it was fantastic.”
Although Lefevere was convinced of Lampaert’s qualities, he admits that he did not see the victory coming. “I actually didn’t have much faith in winning today, to be honest. We knew that Asgreen was not okay after his bad crash. We all know Yves as a good, sympathetic rider. But getting yellow here in the first stage of the Tour, for the first time in my life I’m almost without words.”
Lampaert’s contract has not yet been extended, but Lefevere will have to dig deeper into his pocket to keep him after this victory. “I should really become a stockbroker. Every time I talk to riders, from Quinten Hermans to everyone, they always win and the prices go up. I should change jobs tomorrow. But after all the bad luck Yves has had, from last year to last Paris-Roubaix, he finally got what he deserves. I hope the contract extension will be in order, if those managers don’t get too crazy.”
And on after stage 2:
Patrick Lefevere was of course very happy with the second victory in two days by his team. “The team has ridden fantastically and Fabio is finishing it. All is right.” Lefevere said just after Jakobsen’s winning sprint to WielerFlits in a video interview.
“We thought he was the best sprinter in the world, but that crash might have lost him a year. On the other hand, this made him stronger in his head. He is now even more confident. Before the Tour there was a lot of criticism of our selection, but I’m an old man and I’m usually right,” Lefevere answered his critics with a wink.
Michael Mørkøv, the last man in Jakobsen’s sprint train, was also very happy. “We all know the story of Fabio and now winning at the highest level. He’s such a great guy and I’m really delighted that he’s now won a stage in the Tour. It is already so special to ride here in Denmark, but that two very good friends (Lampaert and Jakobsen) are now winning here… It is unbelievable.”
Lefevere happy at the Tour:
Izagirre Extends with Cofidis Until 2024
Ion Izagirre has extended his expiring contract with Cofidis for two years. The Spaniard, second in the Tour of the Basque Country, will race with the French WorldTeam until at least the end of 2024.
Last winter, Izagirre made the step from Astana-Premier Tech to Cofidis. At the start of the season, the 33-year-old Spaniard finished 6th in the Gran Camiño and seventh in Paris-Nice. He then finished 7th in the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain and took second place in the Tour of the Basque Country, where he won the final stage to Arrate. He is now riding his eighth Tour de France.
“I am very happy to stay with Cofidis for the next two seasons,” said Izagirre. “After these first months in the team, I feel good. I feel comfortable with my teammates and with the staff. I feel that everyone believes in me and that is a very good feeling. This allows me to face each race with more serenity and confidence. I can focus on my performance without having to worry about anything.”
Ion Izagirre to stay with Cofidis:
Martin Svrcek: “I can’t wait to put on the jersey!”
The young Slovakian talent turns pro today with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and is eager to race for The Wolfpack and continue his development.
In the first part of the season, Martin Svrček rode with the Biesse Carrera Continental squad in the U23 category, where he had a good environment and the chance to take it step by step in his learning process. That next step isn’t a dream anymore, but reality. Joining the pro ranks with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl – the most successful team of this century.
The 19-year-old Slovak just came back from a broken collarbone and will now be joining the squad at the training camp in Livigno to put in some work with his new teammates for the second part of the season.
“It was my dream, from when I was a kid I wanted to become a professional cyclist. I can’t even imagine how it will feel to ride with The Wolfpack. I’m ready for the hard work and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again at the training camp we will have this month in Livigno. I already spent time with the squad on the training camps in December and January, but now I want to become more of a friend with my teammates and the staff and to train together.”
Eager to learn
“If there’s one thing I can say for sure it’s that I just want to learn, to become more professional. I don’t set any specific goals, I’m only 19 years old. I had a crash a while ago when a car overtook me and broke my left collarbone. After the operation, the first few training sessions were okay, but then when I started to train harder, I hit a hole in the road and felt a bit of pain again, so I stopped for two days. After that I restarted and everything is good now.”
“I raced the Giro di Sicilia in April where there were some WorldTour teams, but I think there will still be big differences coming up for me now concerning team work for example. Also the material I’ll have is different and the best of what you can get, I’m in awe of what means to be in a World Tour outfit.”
“I can’t wait to train and race in the team’s jersey every day, it will be awesome. My family is also very proud; when I had my test at Bakala Academy they were already really happy. Afterwards we needed to wait to know if I would get a spot, and then hearing I could start in this team brought so much happiness to myself and my family. I want to take advantage of this opportunity and give my best every single time.”
Martin Svreck:
WorldTour Teams EF Education-EasyPost and Israel-Premier Tech Added to the Line-up for September’s Maryland Cycling Classic
ProTeam Team Novo Nordisk, U.S.A’s Team Skyline, South Africa’s ProTouch, Panamá es Cultura y Valores and the U.S. National Team also added to the field.
The Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare, America’s top-ranked professional road cycling race and highest-ranked UCI event, today announced seven additional teams for the inaugural event, scheduled for September 4, 2022, bringing the field up to 16 total teams.
WorldTour teams EF Education-EasyPost, Israel-Premier Tech will be joined by ProTeam Team Novo Nordisk, U.S. Pro Continental Team Skyline, South Africa’s Team ProTouch, Panamá es Cultura y Valores of Panama, along with the U.S. National Team, comprised of top domestic Elite riders, for the 120-mile race, which starts in Baltimore County at Kelly Benefits headquarters in Sparks, and routes into Central Baltimore for four circuits and a finish in the Inner Harbour area. One additional team is expected to be added in July to round out the 17-team field.
“The addition of two quality WorldTour teams further solidifies the Maryland Cycling Classic as the top one-day pro cycling race in the U.S.,” said Event Chair John Kelly. “The composite U.S. National Team joining the field also provides an exciting opportunity for young U.S. talent. The line-up is rounding out very well and we’re thrilled to see a strong international mix of teams with riders from more than 20 countries. It’s truly a world-class international field.”
The Maryland Cycling Classic is part of the prestigious UCI Pro Tour and is already one of the top-ranked events in North and South America. Previously announced: WorldTour teams Trek-Segafredo and Australia’s Team BikeExchange-Jayco, America’s top ProTour team Human Powered Health, U.S. Pro Continental Teams L39ION of Los Angeles, Hagens Berman Axeon, along with international squads Team Medellin-EPM of Colombia, Yoeleo Test Team p/b 4MIND of Canada, Team Corratec of Italy, and EvoPro of Ireland.
Several teams could feature riders from respective national championships held around the globe last weekend, including newly crowned U.S. National Champion Kyle Murphy of Human Powered Health and individual time trial champion Lawson Craddock of Team BikeExchange-Jayco. The race could also feature various former national champions, including American fan favourite Alex Howes of EF Education-Easypost.
“I’m super excited to be racing in Baltimore,” said Howes, the 2019 US Road Race Champion who races professionally for EF Education-EasyPost. “With top teams and a super strong international field, this is the biggest road race in the USA. The proximity to some of the largest metropolitan areas in the states means I’ll have plenty of friends and family making the trip to come cheer us on!”
“After having the event delayed because of the pandemic for two years, USA Cycling is excited to bring a team of world-class Elite and U23 racers to the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic. We’re proud to have a team in the red, white, and blue at the only one-day UCI race in North America and can’t wait to show the United States, and the rest of the world, what we can do,” said Michael Sayers, USA Cycling’s Road Director.
Host partners of the Maryland Cycling Classic supported by UnitedHealthcare include the City of Baltimore, Visit Baltimore, Baltimore County, and the State of Maryland. The event is sanctioned by the UCI and USA Cycling and is managed and marketed by Medalist Sports, LLC of Peachtree City, Ga., and KOM Sports Marketing of Colorado Springs, Colo., professional road cycling leaders the past two decades. The event is a production of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, led by President Terry Hasseltine.
To learn more or volunteer, please visit www.marylandcyclingclassic.us.
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