©ASO 

Tour de France femmes avec Zwift: Vollering and Team SD Worx dominate the second edition

She was the favorite given her exceptional start to the season and she did not disappoint. Demi Vollering (Team SD Works) won the second edition of the Tour de France femmes avec Zwift thanks in particular to her victory at the top of the Tourmalet during the seventh stage.

Well supported by a dominating Team SD Works (four victories in eight stages), the 26-year-old Dutchwoman finished ahead of her teammate Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Works), who wore the yellow jersey for six days, and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon / SRAM Racing).

“It’s amazing what we’ve accomplished this week. It’s really good to show, in the eyes of the world, that I have a team around me, wonderful people who motivate me and allow me to accomplish so much,” said Demi Vollering.

The world champion and winner of the first edition in 2022, Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar Team) finished just off the podium in 4th, ahead of the Frenchwoman Juliette Labous (Team DSM Firmenich). 

With eight different stage winners and suspenseful scenarios, the week had its share of spectacle and delighted the many spectators by the side of the roads who came to encourage the best cyclists in the world.

The results: 1. Vollering (Team SD Works) ; 2. Kopecky (Team SD Works) ; 3. Niewiadoma (Canyon / SRAM Racing)…

Stages won by: Kopecky (Team SD Works), Lippert (Movistar Team), Wiebes (Team SD Works), Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Bauernfeind (Canyon / SRAM Racing), Norsgaard (Movistar Team), Vollering (Team SD Works), Reusser (Team SD Works).

*****

Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa: Remco Evenepoel takes a third victory

Following his victories in 2019 and 2022, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step) won for the third time in Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, thus joining Marino Lejarreta, winner in 1981, 1982 and 1987, on the list of riders who have won the most editions of the classic Spanish World Tour race.

Having made his first attack 73 kilometers from the finish, the 23-year-old Belgian raised his arms after dropping all his opponents with the exception of Pello Bilbao (Bahrain – Victorious), whom he beat in the sprint. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora – hansgrohe) took third place.

“Winning the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa three times in four editions makes me incredibly proud,” he said. “I love this race, I love the fans, I love this place, and I’d like to give my thanks to the team for their incredible work.”

One week away from putting his world title back into play, the world champion has proven that a rider will have to be strong to take the rainbow jersey away from him.

The results: Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step) ; Bilbao (Bahrain – Victorious) ; Vlasov (Bora – hansgrohe)…

*****

Vuelta a Castilla y Leon: Sepulvelda’s return 

Eduardo Sepulvelda (Lotto Dstny) scored twice. Winner of the second stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, the Argentinian climber on Lotto Dstny managed to earn the general classification to win ahead of Felix Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), winner of the 1st stage.

“I almost can’t believe it. It’s fantastic to win the stage and the general classification,” Sepulvelda said. “It was a very difficult race and in the last 30 kilometers we had to be vigilant against the many attacks. I guess maybe I was a bit lucky to be there at the right time. It is simply fantastic.”

The results: 1. Sepulveda (Lotto Dstny) ; 2. Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla) ; 3. Molenaar (Electro Hiper Europa)…

Stages won by:  Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), Sepulveda (Lotto Dstny).

*****

Prueba Villafranca – Ordiziako Klasika: A first for Hirschi and Switzerland

Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) became the first Swiss rider to win the Prueba Villafranca – Ordiziako Klasika by taking the victory ahead of Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Hirschi’s teammate Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), who was the victim of a crash at 500 meters from the finish while he was in the lead.

With this result, the current Swiss champion took his fifth victory of the season, and the forty-fourth for his team UAE Team Emirates.

The results: 1. Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) ; Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) ; Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)…

*****

Circuito de Getxo – Memorial Hermanos Otxoa: Lutsenko solo

Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) dominated the Circuito de Getxo – Memorial Hermanos Otxoa to take his thirty-sixth career victory.

Frenchman Tony Gallopin (Lidl – Trek) and Italian champion Simone Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan Team) completed the podium.

“It’s a great day for us. We were focused and motivated from the start and in the end the hard work of the team paid off,” said Lutsenko, current Kazakhstan champion, at the finish.

The results: Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) ; Gallopin (Lidl – Trek) ; Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan Team)

*****

Czech Tour: Lipowitz in front of Zwiehoff, doubled up for Bora – hansgrohe

Florian Lipowitz (Bora – hansgrohe), 22, won the general classification of the Czech Tour after winning the second stage. These are his first two professional victories.

“I do not know what to say. This is my first professional year, I did not expect to finish this race at the top of the general classification. This gives me great motivation for the future,” Lipowitz said.

The German rider finished ahead of his compatriot and teammate Ben Zwiehoff (Bora – hansgrohe), and the Czech Jakub Otruba (ATT Investments) in third.

The results: 1. Lipowitz (Bora – hansgrohe) ; 2. Zwiehoff (Bora – hansgrohe) ; Otruba (ATT Investments)…

Stages won by: Einhorn (Israël – Premier Tech), Lipowitz (Bora – hansgrohe), Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma), Toupalik (Elkov – Kasper).

*****

Upcoming races:

29 July – 4 August: Tour de Pologne, https://www.tourdepologne.pl/en/

© ASO / Pauline Ballet

Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar engage in a historic duel

Anyone who knows the name of the person who will parade in yellow on Sunday evening on the Champs-Élysées, raise their hand?

Though Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar have been locked in a merciless fight to take control of the 110th edition since the grand départ in the Basque Country, the Tour de France remains more undecided than ever. At the start of the 16th stage this Tuesday (a mountainous time trial between Passy and Combloux), only 10-seconds separate the two men in the general classification.

The Dane and the Slovenian have not stopped elbowing each other during a breathless second week. And the 14th stage which arrived in Morzine after the ascent of the Col de Joux-Plane gave rise to a new thrilling mano-a-mano battle between the two men where Vingegaard recovered a small second thanks to gaining a bonus second ahead of Pogacar.

The next day’s stage between Les Gets and Saint-Gervais did not change the general classification, so on the rest day the final victory remains exceedingly uncertain. “I felt more in control today than the previous days. We can be happy with how the stage went. The team worked very well despite the big crash we suffered at the start of the stage. Anyway, it was again a good fight with Tadej Pogacar today,” Vingegaard, still in the yellow jersey, said at the end of the stage.

The week was also marked by the continued domination of Jasper Philipsen in the sprint stages. The Dutchman picked up a fourth victory this year and took an almost definitive lead in the fight for the green jersey.

Stages won by: A. Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Lafay (Cofidis), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Izagirre (Cofidis), Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadier), Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadier), Poels (Bahrain-Victorious).

*****

Upcoming races:

Until 23 July: Tour de France, https://www.letour.fr/fr/

23-30 July: Tour de France femmes avec Zwift, https://www.letourfemmes.fr/fr

© ASO / Pauline Ballet

Tour de France: duel at the top between Vingegaard and Pogacar

A thrilling duel. An intense struggle. The first week of the Tour de France delivered a merciless battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. The two favorites of this 110th edition put on an intense show full of twists and turns. And if the Dane is in yellow on the rest day in Clermont Ferrand, his Slovenian rival has not given up yet. Sunday, on the slopes of Puy de Dôme, the leader of UAE Team Emirates still grabbed a few seconds… which could prove to be precious on the Champs-Élysées in 15 days. There are no small profits at this Tour de France. Especially when there is barely a hair’s width between first and second. Now the Slovenian is 17 seconds behind the defending champion.

“It’s not a real victory… but a small one anyway,” ‘Pogi’ summed up with a smile.

The week was also marked by the stranglehold that Jasper Philipsen has had on the sprints. He’s already won three stages and is on track to secure the green jersey as the best sprinter on the Champs-Élysées.

Stages won by: A. Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Lafay (Cofidis), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Woods (Israel-Premier Tech).

*****

Giro d’Italia Donne: Van Vleuten elevates her farewell tour

The Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) assuredly won her fourth Giro, with the final two stages taking place in Sardinia. This time she won ahead of the Frenchwoman Juliette Labous (Team DSM-Firmenich).

At 40, Van Vleuten added an eighth Grand Tour overall victory to her palmarès, her fourth at the Giro d’Italia, after winning already in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Following her victory at the Vuelta a España in May, Van Vleuten, who will retire at the end of this season, will have the opportunity to achieve the same hat-trick as she did in 2022. Now all she needs to do is win the Tour de France, which begins in two weeks (July 23- July 30) in Clermont-Ferrand.

“Winning a stage race is always something very special,” Van Vleuten exclaimed. “And an achievement like this is always done with a whole team. I’ve won quite a few throughout my career. It was my second overall victory in the Giro with Movistar. Last year we had a great party with the team after my win, and we’re going to do the same today. My next goal will be the Tour de France. I will stay in Italy for the moment and rest for a few days to recharge the batteries. Now I’ve won the Giro d’Italia four times. My greatest victory? All four were beautiful, but the first had something special. And I learned to love this country because it’s so nice to race here.”

Behind the Dutchwoman, who took the pink jersey on the second stage, the Frenchwoman Juliette Labous (Team DSM-Firmenich) posted the best result of her career at a Grand Tour with a second place overall, at 3 min 56 behind Van Vleuten.

The 24-year-old rider is the first tricolor to climb on the final podium of the “Giro Donne”, the Italian name of the race, since Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in 2014 (2nd).

The results: 1. Van Vleuten (Movistar) ; 2. Labous (Team dsm-firmenich) ; 3. Realini (Lidl-Trek)…

Stages won by: Van Vleuten (Movistar), Van Vleuten (Movistar), Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Niedermaier (Canyon/Sram Racing), Van Vleuten (Movistar), Van Vleuten (Movistar), Vas (Team SD Worx), Consonni (UAE Team ADQ). 

*****

Upcoming races:

Until 23 July: Tour de France, https://www.letour.fr/fr/