© Mathilde L’Azou / Chrono des Nations

Chrono des Nations Men: Tarling beats the world champion

Only nineteen years old! Joshua Tarling (Ineos – Grenadiers) confirmed at Les Herbiers this Sunday that he is already among the best riders in the world.

The Briton had already defeated Stefan Bissegger (EF Education – EasyPost) and Wout Van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) at the recent European time trial championships, but for the 41st edition of the Chrono des Nations, he was up against the reigning world time trial champion, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – QuickStep), whom he also beat to win.

With a time of 52:02 and an average above 52.3 km/h, Joshua Tarling out-paced the Belgian by 12 seconds, and Stefan Bissegger by more than a minute.

The results: 1. Tarling (Ineos – Grenadiers) ; 2. Evenepoel (Soudal – QuickStep) ; 3. Bissegger (EF Education – EasyPost)…

*****

Chrono des Nations Women: An Austrian duel which ends in Kiesenhofer’s favor

Competing as a member of the Austrian national team, Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria) won the Chrono des Nations by just a second against her compatriot Christina Schweinberger (Fenix – Deceuninck).

Kiesenhofer, the current and frequent Austrian champion in this discipline, rode at an average speed of more than 44.9 km/h over the 27.2 km course.

This is the third victory for Kiesenhofer this season, all of which have come in individual time trials, though she is also the reigning Olympic champion… in the road race.

Valeriya Kononenko (Ukraine) took third place, 19 seconds behind.

The results: 1. Kiesenhofer (Austria) ; 2. Schweinberger (Fenix – Deceuninck) ; 3. Kononenko (Ukraine)…

© Il Lombardia

Il Lombardia: Pogacar gets his hattrick

Unstoppable! Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) won Il Lombardia for the third time in a row, the final monument of the season.

After a 2023 season already rich in successes, including wins at the Tour of Flanders, Paris – Nice, the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne and podiums on the Tour de France and the world championships, the Slovenian rider showed the extent of his talent by achieving another prestigious victory.

Pogacar took off 30 kilometers from the finish and despite cramps in the final 13 kilometers, he managed to open up a sufficient gap to be able to celebrate his 63rd professional success.

Andrea Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step) beat Primoz Roglic (Jumbo – Visma) to take second place, 52 seconds later in the streets of Bergamo.

“It is a dream. Three victories in three participations,” Tadej Pogacar explained. “I wanted to win solo, so once I managed to open up a small gap, I pushed as hard as I could on the pedals. It was incredible.”

The results: 1. Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) ; 2. Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step) ; 3. Roglic (Jumbo – Visma)…

*****

Coppa Bernocchi: Van Aert finishes off the Jumbo – Visma masterclass

The Belgian Wout Van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) won the 104th edition of the Coppa Bernocchi in Legnano (Lombardy), thus posting the fifth success of his season. Escaping with eight other riders, the winner of Milan-San Remo in 2020 won in the sprint ahead of the Italians Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) and Andrea Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step) at the end of the 186.65 km course.

Perfectly launched by his compatriot Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo – Visma), the 29-year-old rider was also able to count on the good work of his Slovenian teammate Jan Tratnik (Jumbo – Visma). He succeeds on the list of winners another Belgian, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step), who won in 2021, and the Italian Davide Ballerini (Soudal – Quick Step), who won last year. “It’s nice to win, especially after my season where I missed a lot of chances to win,” explained Van Aert, who took 2^nd notably at the World Championships. “It feels good to raise my arms again, especially after the amazing team performance.”

The results: 1. Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) ; 2. Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) ; 3. Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step)…

*****

Sparkassen Münsterland Giro: the surprise triumph of Hagenes

Per Strand Hagenes (Jumbo-Visma) won the 18th edition of the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro. With the rain and the wind, the race was brutal. A group of 30 riders, including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin- Deceuninck), managed to escape from the main peloton. The main favorites like Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin- Deceuninck) and Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) as a result found themselves caught out. Two kilometers from the finish, Per Strand Hagenes took advantage of the numerical superiority of the Jumbo-Visma to escape. At 20 years old, the Norwegian secured the third victory of his career… but did not raise his arms, thinking that there was still one lap to complete. Kaden Groves and Mads Pedersen completed the podium. “The teamwork was still good after the climb and we were confident of being able to win,” recalled Hagenes, the hero of the day. “In the last kilometers, Christophe told me that I had to try something. I only realized I had won when I saw the staff applauding. I’m already looking forward to next season. The classics should suit me, and these are the races where I can progress. I hope to race a lot, but above all, I hope to learn a lot.”

The results: 1. Hagenes (Jumbo-Visma) ; 2. Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) ; 3. Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)…

*****

Tre Valli Varesine: Van Wilder surprises the favorites

Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step) surprised the favorites to win the Tre Valli Varesine which takes place between Busto Arsizio and Varese. The Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) took 2nd place ahead of the Russian Alexandre Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe), 3rd, to complete the podium.

Eight riders spent the day in front but the peloton, once the chase started, made the catch 30 kilometers from the finish.

The Dutchman Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma), the Frenchman Warren Barguil (Arkéa Samsic) and the Italian Walter Calzoni (Q36.5) then tried to escape from the peloton. The trio remained ahead for around twenty kilometers.

The last climb of 2.5 km (5%), although costly in energy, was not enough to make the ultimate selection. The favorites, including Pogacar, Roglic, Carapaz, showed themselves to be the strongest. The rivalry between the big names then benefited Van Wilder who managed to drop everyone, adding a third victory to his record after his success at the Deutschland Tour, where he won the first stage and the overall in August.

The results: 1. Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step) ; 2. Carapaz (EF Education-Easy Post) ; 3. Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe)…

*****

Gran Piemonte: Bagioli keeps Soudal – Quick Step’s momentum rolling

After Ilan Van Wilder’s (Soudal – Quick Step) victory at the Tre Valli Varesine, Andrea Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step) won two days later at the Gran Piemonte, thus bringing home the 55th bouquet of the season for the Belgian team.

Bagioli broke away 17km from the finish with his fellow escapees and got the better of his opponents in a four-man sprint to beat Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) and Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) at the end of the 152km race. 

Between Borgofranco d’Ivrea and Favria, the Italian rider scored his third success since July.

“I wanted to end my story with the team by taking a victory in one of these final races of the season,” explained Andrea Bagioli. “I was very wary of my opponents in the final because I knew they were fast. Finally, I gave everything in the last 200 meters and managed to get ahead of them. As a team, we want to give everything until the end of the season and these two consecutive successes do us a lot of good.”

The results: 1. Bagioli (Soudal – Quick Step) ; 2. Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) ; Aranburu (Movistar Team)…

*****

Paris – Bourges: Démare wins again

Arnaud Démare (Arkéa Samsic) liberated himself by raising his arms during the Tour de Vendée, his first victory with his new team Arkéa – Samsic.

A few days later, the Frenchman did it again at the Paris – Bourges by winning with a very strong sprint ahead of another in-form rider, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny). Jordi Meeus (Bora – hansgrohe), who recently won the final Tour de France sprint on the Champs-Élysées, took third.

With this new success, Arnaud Démare notched up his 95^th win among professionals. It was the first time he had won this particular French race, after having taken second place three times.

“I have had many podiums here in Paris-Bourges, it really makes me happy to be able to add this race to my list of achievements. All my teammates did a great job. There was strong competition. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I succeeded and I’m very happy for the team,” said the 32-year-old rider.

The results: 1. Démare (Arkéa Samsic) ; 2. De Lie (Lotto Dstny) ; 3. Meeus (Bora – hansgrohe)…

*****

Paris – Tours: a successful internship for Sheehan

What a feeling! Riley Sheehan (Israel – Premier Tech) has been a stagiaire for the Israel – Premier Tech team since August 1st and quickly scored a magnificent victory in this UCI Pro Series event.

The 23-year-old American slipped away from the peloton 23 kilometers from the finish in the company of three other riders. Over the last difficulty, the escapees joined Lewis Askey (Groupama – FDJ), the only remaining survivor of the morning breakaway.

In the streets of Tours, it came down to a sprint between the five men and Sheehan proved to be the fastest ahead of Askey and the Norwegian Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team).

With this victory, Riley Sheehan showed that he deserved his place among the professionals. It was certainly a successful Sunday.

The results: 1. Sheehan (Israël – Premier Tech) ; 2. Askey (Groupama – FDJ) ; 3. Johannessen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team)…

*****

Upcoming races:

15 October: Chrono des Nations, https://chronodesnations.com

©Tour de Pologne 

Tour de Pologne: Matej Mohoric takes a second UCI WorldTour stage race victory 

Sometimes it can come down to the smallest margin. And no one knows that better than Matej Mohoric (Bahrain – Victorious). By just a small second, the Slovenian rider secured the general classification victory at the Tour de Pologne at the expense of Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates).

Racing at home, Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) completed the podium.

Following his overall victory at the BinckBank Tour in 2018, Mohoric has now won his second UCI WorldTour stage race.

“I am very happy and proud of this success,” Matej Mohoric said. “This is one of our best team performances. The Tour de Pologne is a race that suits me perfectly. I want to thank everyone for an incredible week of cycling.”

The results: 1. Mohoric (Bahrain – Victorious) ; 2. Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) ; 3. Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers)…

Stages won by: Merlier (Soudal – Quick Step), Mohoric (Bahrain – Victorious), Majka (UAE Team Emirates), Kooij (Jumbo-Visma), Van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Cattaneo (Soudal – Quick Step), Merlier (Soudal – Quick Step).

*****

World Championships: Mathieu Van der Poel crowned World Champion

After a thrilling race from start to finish, Mathieu Van der Poel (Netherlands) clinched the title of elite Road World Champion for the first time in his career.

The rider from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team adds this title to an already exceptional season marked by two victories in the monuments (Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix) and his fifth title of Cyclocross World Champion.

His eternal rival Wout Van Aert (Belgium) and Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) completed this five-star podium.

The results: 1. Van der Poel (Netherlands) ; Van Aert (Belgium) ; Pogacar (Slovenia)…

*****

Upcoming races:

5-13 August: World Championships in Glasgow

15-18 August: Tour du Limousin – Nouvelle Aquitaine, http://www.tourdulimousin.com

15-19 August: PostNord Danmark Rundt – Tour of Denmark, http://www.postnorddanmarkrundt.dk

15-19 August: Vuelta a Burgos, www.vueltaburgos.com/es/

17-20 August: Arctic Race of Norway, https://www.arctic-race-of-norway.com/fr

19-27 August: Tour de l’Avenir, https://tourdelavenir.com

20 August: Bemer Cyclassics Hamburg, http://www.cyclassics-hamburg.de

©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/