©Giro dell’Appennino
Giro dell’Appennino: Make it three for Hirschi
Now it’s three for Marc Hirschi. After taking the overall and a stage of the Tour of Hungary, the UAE Team Emirates puncher grabbed himself the win at the Giro dell’Appennino to post his third victory of the season. In the last kilometers, Tadej Pogacar’s teammate bridged back up to the leading rider, who attacked on the last ascent, Christian Rodriguez (Arkéa-Samsic). The Swiss left no chance in the sprint to Rodriguez and easily took the win in the streets of Genoa ahead of the Spaniard. Behind, Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) took third place by winning the sprint from a small group.
“It’s very special to take the victory,” Hirschi said. “After Hungary, I took things quite calmly and rested because, for a race like this, it is important to arrive as fresh as possible. I had to trust my good form from previous races. The last climb was very difficult and I had to do a long chase to catch up with Rodriguez. Crossing the line first was spectacular; there were a lot of people and a good atmosphere.”
The results : 1. Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) ; 2. Rodriguez (TotalEnergies) ; 3. Mulurbrhan (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè)…
*****
Brussels Cycling Classic : Démare wins again
The sprinters, who have been unable to compete for victory on the Avenue Houba de Strooper since 2020 when Tim Merlier won, were eagerly awaiting the 104th edition of the Brussels Cycling Classic to try to take the reins of the Belgian event. And despite a big breakaway and a few attacks from punchy riders, it was Arnaud Démare who narrowly won the sprint. The Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ snatched victory ahead of Tobias Lund Andresen (Team DSM), who took second. Jordi Meeus (Bora – Hansgrohe) completed the podium.
“This is my second victory here in Brussels, though it was a much more difficult edition with the climbs and the cobblestones,” Démare, the former champion of France, explained. “I’m always happy to win and raise my arms. It’s only my second victory this year. I wasn’t in good shape at the start of the season, I wasn’t at my usual level. But now I feel good, I’m getting back to my level. In the Mayenne, things were already better. There, I feel that it’s finally coming together!” Will this success allow Démare to win his ticket to the upcoming Tour de France?
The results: 1. Démare (Groupama-FDJ) ; 2. Andresen (Team DSM) ; 3. Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe)…
*****
Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia Ruta del Sol women : Aalerund turns everything upside down!
Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (Israel Premier Tech Roland) finally cracked! Winner of the first two stages and overall leader of the general classification at the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia, the Russian lost everything on the roads of the 5th and last stage, taking place over 95.6 km between Estepona and Castellar de la Frontera.
Even if Dronova-Balabolina wearing the yellow jersey took 5th place on the line, she was more than a minute behind the Norwegian duo Katrine Aalerud (Movistar) and Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Norway), respectively 2nd and 3rd overall at 47 and 58 seconds at the start of the stage. If the stage win went to Mie Bjorndal Ottestad in a sprint in front of her compatriot, it was Katrine Aalerud who grabbed the overall victory of the second edition of the Andalusian event, and succeeds the previous winner, Cuban Arlenis Sierra. She leads Ottestad by 5″ and Dronova by 29″, who had to content herself with the last step of the podium.
The results: 1. Aalerud (Movistar) ; 2. Ottestad (Norvège) ; 3. Dronova-Balabolina (Israel Premier Tech Roland)…
Stages won by: Dronova-Balabolina (Israel Premier Tech Roland) ; Dronova-Balabolina (Israel Premier Tech Roland) ; Romeu (Laboral Kutxa Fundacion Euskadi) ; Martin (Movistar) ; Ottestad (Norvège).
*****
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