@F. Machabert / www.ypmedias.com

Giro d’Italia Ganna back to his winning ways

The Time Trial World Champion, Filippo Ganna started the 2021 Giro d’Italia as he had finished it in 2020: with a victory. On the streets of Turin, the INEOS Grenadiers rider completed the 8.6 kilometer time trial with an average speed of 58.748 km / hour! “The Giro could not have started better,” Ganna said after his victory.

The day after the opening time trial, the Belgian Tim Merlier won the first road stage in a sprint. It was a particularly big victory for his Alpecin Fenix, which is racing its first Grand Tour.

*****

Tour of Rwanda: Rodriguez takes the victory

The French teams dominated the Tour of Rwanda by winning five victories out of eight stages, and the general classification. After taking the leader’s jersey at the end of the 6th stage, the Spaniard Cristian Rodriguez(Team Total Direct Energie) cemented his place in the overall classification in the African event by winning the last stage. At 26, he has posted the first two victories of his career: “I have been waiting for this moment for a long time! At the briefing, it was a question whether I could attack on the last major climb but not too early. I felt great when the time came, so I made my move and it worked.”

The results: 1. Cristian Rodriguez (Team Total Direct Energie); 2. James Piccoli (Israel Start-up Nation); 3. Nahom Zerai (Erythrée)

Stages won by: Brayan Sanchez (Team Medellin) ; Alan Boileau, Pierre Rolland (BB Hotels P/B KTM) ; Valentin Ferron, Cristian Rodriguez (Team Total Direct Energie); Jhonatan Restrepo (Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec);

*****

Races to come

Giro d’Italia (Ita), 8-30/05, www.giroditalia.it

Circuit de Wallonie (Bel), May 13, www.lecircuitdewallonie.be

Grand Prix Criquielion (Bel), May 16, www.ententecyclisteacrenoise.be

Tro Bro Leon (Fra), May 16, www.trobroleon.com

Giro d’Italia (Ita), May 8-30, www.giroditalia.it

@Tour de Romandie

Tour de Romandie: Geraint Thomas in spite of everything

The image was surprising, and the consequences could not have been more striking. A few meters from the finish line of the fourth stage at Thyon 2000, Geraint Thomas tried to sprint, but his hand slipped off his hood and the Welsh rider found himself quickly on the ground. Twenty-four hours later, the INEOS Grenadiers rider took third place of the final time trial in order to win the general classification, nine years after his victory during the prologue of the Tour de Romandie: “This time trial reminded me of the one at Espelette when I won the tour in 2018. I’m really happy to win this event, especially after what happened to me the day before.” On the podium, Thomas was joined by his teammate Richie Porte (winner 2017) and Italian Fausto Masnada.

Men’s results: 1. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) ; 2. Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) ; 3. Fausta Masnada (Deceuninck Quick Step) ;

Stage winners: Dennis, Sagan, Colbrelli, Soler, Woods, Cavagna

*****

Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo: Quintana comes good
Having had two knee operations at the end of last season, Nairo Quintana is back. The Colombian, a former winner of the Giro and the Vuelta, won the first stage of the Vuelta Asturias and in the end won the general classification of the Spanish event after three days of racing: “It is always a great joy to win. I knew that little by little things would go better after my knee operations, and the rehabilitation time that would be required.” In the general classification, he finished ahead of Antonio Pedréro and Pierre Latour, the winner of the final stage.

Men’s results: 1. Nairo Quintana (Arkea Samsic) ; 2. Antonio Pedrero (Movistar); 3. Pierre Latour (Total Direct Energie) ;

Stage winners: Quintana, Carretero, Latour

***** 

Tour du Rwanda: Sanchez takes the first stage

The race in the country of the thousand climbs began with a stage between the capital Kigali et Rwamagana. For this first day, it was the Colombian Brayan Sanchez who took the victory. The event ends on May 9 with a stage around Kigali.

Men’s results: 1. Brayan Sanchez (Team Medellin) ; 2. Alex Hoehn (Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling); 3. Weimar Alfonso Roldán (Team Medellin)

*****

The races to come
Tour du Rwanda (RW), 02/09-05, www.tourdurwanda.rw

Giro d’Italia (Ita), 8-30/05, www.giroditalia.it

@A.S.O.  / Aurélien Vialatte

Flèche Wallonne: Alaphilippe shines the rainbow jersey

After having skipped the race last year after taking an emotional victory at the World Championships, Julian Alaphilippe returned to his winning ways at the Flèche Wallonne. The Deceuninck Quick-Step rider now ties with Moreno Argentin, Davide Rebellin, Eddy Merckx and Marcel Kint, all of whom have three wins a piece. This time, he beat the Slovenian Primoz Roglic and the veteran Alejandro Valverde, quintuple winner of the event: “Thanks to my team I was able to save my energy all day, I am happy to win here wearing the rainbow jersey.” 

The women’s event saw the seventh consecutive victory for the Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen. Since 2015, no one has been able to overcome the cyclist of SD Worx on the steep slopes of the Huy. Great !

*****

Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Pogacar adds a monument to his tally

Tadej Pogacar has dreamed of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Slovenian did not take long before taming la doyenne! At the end of a very difficult race, the 22-year-old rider won the sprint in front of Julian Alpahillippe and French David Gaudu. “It has been a dream of mine to win here and now it becomes a reality. After my victory last year at the Tour de France, I am very proud to win this monument.”

A few hours earlier, the management for the SD Worx team must have been rubbing their hands with delight that they had hired the young Demi Vollering at the beginning of the season. The 24-year-old Dutch rider won the greatest victory of her career and paid tribute to the work of her teammate van der Breggen in the final. Van Vleuten and Longo Borghini completed the podium.

Men’s results: 1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo, UAE Team Emirates); 2. Alaphilippe (Fra, Deceuninck Quick Step); 3. David Gaudu (Fra, Groupama FDJ);
Women’s results: 1. Demi Vollering (SD Worx); 2. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned, Movistar); 3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita, Trek Segafredo);

*****

Upcoming races :

Tour de Romandie (Sui), 27/04-02/05 : https://www.tourderomandie.ch/?lang=en

Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo (Esp) : 30/04-02/05, www.lavueltaasturias.com

Tour du Rwanda (RW), 02/09-05 : www.tourdurwanda.rw

De Brabantse Pijl – La Flèche Brabançonne: Pidcock loses no time

Thomas Pidcock knows how to do everything. World Champion on the Road, Cyclocross and MTB, the British prodigy joined the Ineos Grenadiers team on February 1st. And at age 21, he did not wait a long time to take his first classic by winning the Flèche Brabançonne in front of Wout van Aert and Matteo Trentin. “I know that sprints like these are particular, but I was confident,” he said after his Belgian victory. 

In the Women’s event, the victory was taken in a close sprint by the US Champion, Ruth Winder (Trek Segafredo).

Men Results. 1. Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) ; 2. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma); 3. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates).
Women Results. 1. Ruth Winder (Trek Segafredo); 2. Demi Vollering (SD Worx); 3. Elisa Balsamo (Valcar Travel e service)

*****

Amstel Gold Race: Van Aert missing nothing

Take the same protagonists and start again! Four days after the Flèche Brabançonne, Pidcock and Van Aert were again the ones to play for the victory. And this time it was the Belgian’s turn to raise his arms. It was his first victory at the Amstel Gold Race: “I launched my sprint from the first position. It was to my advantage to have a little extra speed at that moment, and I did not want to wait too much longer,” he said. But it took a photo finish to decide which of the two men had succeeded in winning. As at Gent Wevelgem, Jumbo Visma scored the double after the success of Marianne Vos in the women’s event, which was the 233^rd success of her spectacularly successful career.

Men Results. 1. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma); 2. Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers); 3. Maximilian Schachmann (Bora Hansgrohe)

Women Results. 1.Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma); 2. Demi Vollering (SD Worx); 3. Annemiek van Vleuten (Team Movistar)

*****

This following week :

21.04 : La Flèche Wallonne : https://www.la-fleche-wallonne.be/en/ 

21.04 : La Flèche Wallonne Women : https://www.la-fleche-wallonne-femmes.be/en/ 

25.04 : Liège-Bastogne-Liège :   https://www.liege-bastogne-liege.be/en/ 

25.04 : Liège-Bastogne-Liège Women https://www.liege-bastogne-liege-femmes.be/en/