Archiv für den Monat: Oktober 2018

Stage 5 | Stage wins for Austria and Belgium at Skybury Coffee


Today’s stage from Irvinebank to Skybury was a fast a furious 95km marathon race and resulted in two new names on the top step of the elite category podiums: the Austrian Matthias Grick wins the sprint finish in the men’s and the Belgian ex-pro road racer Sjoukje Dufoer wins in the women’s. No change overall, Urs Huber keeps a narrow 1:10min lead ahead of fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser and the Australian Sarah White increases her lead over Lucy Coldwell to 11:25 minutes.
The first section of today’s stage led the peloton across the historic mining region of Stannary Hill and the racers had to deal with extremely rough conditions, big rocks and ruts on the track.

Today had been regarded as the first ‘easy’ stage and of the race today’s fourth, Soren Nissen said, “We all thought that it would be a relaxed race, however, Urs Huber set a very high pace from the start.”
A lead group of four quickly formed: Grick, Huber, Looser and Nissen worked together all day and had “wanted to reach the finish as quickly as possible”, Nissen continued. “I tried to attack, but couldn’t break away”, he explained and added that he had underestimated the Swiss riders’ strength and that it had been difficult backing up a very busy European racing season with a tough race like the Crocodile Trophy. “Orginally the Croc was my big goal for this year and to fight for the overall win, but I have competed at so many events, I’m just not strong enough this year”, he concluded.
In the end, it was the Austrian Matthias Grick who managed to get a gap and win the stage in a sprint finish. “To win a stage at the Crocodile Trophy has always been my dream”, the 27-year old said today, who is competing for the second time this year and will claim his first boomerang at tonight’s stage winners’ ceremony. He said that it had been extremely hard and every stage so far had been brutal. “Today everything went to plan, I knew I had to ride well in the beginning and get through the rough sections”, he explained and that he was very content with how his equipment by the Austrian manufacturer KTM had held up in the extreme conditions this year. “The Crocodile Trophy is an equipment battle, everything needs to perfectly fit, like a clockwork”, he concluded.
Huber keeps the lead, says it would be a defensive race to the finish
Recovering from today’s race at Skybury Coffee Plantation today Urs Huber said that he enjoyed the landscapes and that he did notice his surrounds while racing. When Huber is not racing, he is working on his parent’s apple orchard in Switzerland and said that it was interesting for him to observe setting of the coffee and tropical fruit plantation at Skybury. Of the remaining three stages he said that he would race „defensively, keeping a very close eye“ on second overall, fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser. „I think the hardest stages are behind us now and tomorrow’s stage is probably one more chance for an attack, however, Konny and I seem to be racing a bit stronger than the rest of the field, so a solo attack will be very difficult for him“, said Huber.

Overall, the top three men’s standings remain unchanged; Huber ahead of Looser (+1:10min) and Nissen (+47:10min). Grick is still in fourth (+01:24:30) and the Czech rider Milan Damek is in fifth (+02:15:59); Philipp Wetzelberger injured his knee and is out of the race.

Belgian ex road-pro wins stage on honeymoon
The second half of the stage was predominantly flat and in the women’s it was the Belgian Sjoukje Dufoer who took advantage of her past as a pro-road cyclist. After a very successful road racing career, including finishing in 10th in the Tour de Flanders, the 31-year old said that now she was looking for more of an adventure on the bike. From the day they had met she and new husband, fellow elite racer Tom Vandenbussche had picked the Crocodile Trophy as one of their adventures together. „When we first met one of the first cycling topics that came up was the Crocodile Trophy and I said to Tom ‚Would you do the Croc with me?‘ and the rest is history“, she said today after finishing 5:31 min ahead of Sarah White and Lucy Coldwell (+15:03 min).
She had been surprised to be in front of her fellow elite women right from the start and had suddenly felt ambitious. „I wasn’t even trying in the beginning, however, I realised that I was in front and then the elevation profile just really suited me“, Dufoer explained. “This is an incredible experience – we live in an area in Belgium that is completely flat, so the first few stages were really tough”, she said of her race so far and that they would stay in Australia for bit longer after the event and travel around.
Overall, the local contender and 2015 Croc winner Sarah White increased her lead to 11:25 minutes ahead of Lucy Coldwell with three days to go.
Tomorrow’s stage will the longest on this year’s stage plan, a 127km circuit race via the recently established luxury resort, Mount Mulligan Lodge. “We are very thankful to have permission to pass through the Mount Mulligan Lodge property and we will also reach very remote areas in the Outback tomorrow past the historic Tyrconnel gold mine and Kingsburough towards the end”, said track coordinator and General Manager, Koenraad Vanschoren. “This could, with only 50 km to go, be the perfect section for an attack”, he added.

Final battles for podium positions among amateur racers
With three stages to go, the Elite front end looks very established, however, there are still quite a few amateur categories where podium battles will be happening.
In Amateur 1, Martin Plank from Austria is leading by almost 3 hours, as is Luke Zweers from Australia in Amateur 2 (30+), however, 2nd Dominic Kleijnen from Belgium and the German Stefan Schmeckenbecher in third are only 15min apart. In the 40+ Amateur 3 category Michal Lanik from the Czech Republic leads by 48 minutes ahead of the Australian Bart Duraj; third and fourth are close – only 14 min separate Gavin Scott (AUS) and Martin Wisata (AUT).
The Australian Graeme Young leads the Amateur 4 (50+) classification by almost two and a half hours, however, the overall progress race times after five stages of places two to four are within 15 min of each other. With Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi a strong Italian rider leads the Amateur 5 (60+) category by more than eight hours ahead of the British racer Dennis Warner. In the Amateur women overall Mona Van Nassauw from Belgium leads by almost three hours ahead of Teresa Dewitt from the US and Amateur 1 racer Lotte De Vet, the only one in her category.
The Crocodile Trophy also offers a Team of 2 „Adventure“ classification; Timothy O’Leary and Shaun Portegys are leading in the Men’s for New Zealand, Peggy Herold and Martin Steube in the Mixed Teams and Alexandra Hall and Kath Deed two locals are the competing female team.

This evening the Croc racers are enjoying freshly brewed coffee and delicious treats at Skybury Coffee Plantation. For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
________________________________________
Top Results | Stage 5
Elite Men
1. #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 03:23:30,5 — 28.0 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 03:23:35,1 +00:00:04 27.9 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:23:35,1 +00:00:04 27.9 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 03:23:38,3 +00:00:07 27.9 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 03:36:03,8 +00:12:33 26.3 km/h Elite Men (5)
Elite Women
1. #103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 03:59:21,6 — 23.9 km/h
2. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 04:04:53,2 +00:05:31 23.3 km/h
3. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 04:14:24,9 +00:15:03 22.5 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 5:
Overall Men after 5 Stages:
1. 1 Urs Huber 17:42:02,0 — Elite Men (1)
2. 3 Konny Looser 17:43:12,4 +00:01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 18:29:12,7 +00:47:10 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 19:06:32,8 +01:24:30 Elite Men (4)
5. 4 Milan Damek 19:58:01,4 +02:15:59 Elite Men (5)
Overall Women after 5 Stages:
1. 101 Sarah White 23:51:20,0 — Elite Women (12th overall)
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell 24:02:45,2 +00:11:25 Elite Women (14th overall)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer 28:01:07,0 +04:09:47 Elite Women (30th overall)

Overall Amateur standings after 5 stages
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 21:11:03,0
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 24:14:54,4
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 20:45:16,2
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 25:12:42,1
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 25:21:19,7
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 32:03:53,9
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 28:48:39,3

Im strömendem Regen gewinnt Pascal Ackermann die zweite Etappe der Tour of Guangxi in Qinzhou.

Es dauerte mehr als 15 Kilometer, bevor sich eine 5-Mann-Spitzengruppe gebildet hatte. Allerdings ließen die Sprinter-Teams auch heute keinerlei Zweifel daran aufkommen, dass sie das Rennen abermals kontrollieren würden. Zur Hälfte der Etappe setzte starker Regen ein und als die Fahrer den Rundkurs in Qinzhou erreichten, fiel die Spitzengruppe auseinander. Auch BORA – hansgrohe beteiligte sich an der Führungsarbeit im Feld und übernahm so Verantwortung für Pascal Ackermann. Vier Kilometer vor dem Ziel wurde auch der letzte Ausreißer gestellt und die Lead-outs waren voll im Gange. BORA – hansgrohe positionierte Pascal früh an der Spitze, heute konnte er so einen ungefährdeten Sieg vor Fabio Jacobsen und Dylan Groenewegen einfahren.

2. Etappe:
1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe)
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Floors) s.t.
3. Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) s.t.
4. Lawrence Naesen (Lotto Soudal) s.t.
5. Clement Venturini (Ag2r La Mondiale) s.t.
6. Max Walscheid (Sunweb) s.t.
7. Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) s.t.
8. Jenthe Biermans (Katusha-Alpecin) s.t.
9. Enzo Wouters (Lotto Soudal) s.t.
10. Daniel McLay (EF-Drapac) s.t.

Gesamtstand:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo)
2. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 0:04 Minuten
3. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Floors) + 0:04
4. Silvan Dillier (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 0:06
5. Andrey Grivko (Astana) + 0:06

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Das war heute wirklich nicht einfach. Durch den Regen war das Finale hektisch und mit der zwei Kilometer langen Zielgeraden war es schwierig, das richtige Timing zu treffen. Gestern haben wir das etwas vermasselt, heute hat alles perfekt geklappt. Es sind wirklich eine Menge sehr guter Sprinter hier, da braucht man auch etwas Glück. Aber heute hatte ich die Position und die Beine. Es war eine starke Teamleistung und am Ende ein verdienter Sieg.“ – Pascal Ackermann

„Wir haben die kleinen Fehler, die gestern passiert sind, heute Früh besprochen. Heute hat alles perfekt geklappt. Die Spitzengruppe war sehr stark besetzt und ich war etwas beunruhigt, da Quick-Step einen Mann vorne hatte. Aber wir haben zum richtigen Zeitpunkt mit Erik zu arbeiten begonnen und auf den letzten zwei Kilometern war jeder richtig platziert. Am Ende war das ein beeindruckender Sieg von Pascal. Ich denke, er hat nun nach den ganzen Reisestrapazen der letzten Tage seinen Rhythmus gefunden.“ – Christian Pömer, sportlicher Leiter
© BORA – hansgrohe / Bettinphoto

Radteam Herrmann Saisonabschluß und Wiedereröffnung Fahrradecke Erlangen

Am verkaufsoffenen Sonntag (14.10.18) fand die Wiedereröffnung der Fahrradecke in Erlangen statt, deren Verkaufsräume aufgrund eines Brandschadens mehrere Wochen geschlossen bleiben mussten.
Das Radteam Herrmann nutzte die Gelegenheit für eine kleine Saison Abschlußfahrt und Teamchef Stefan Herrmann bedankte sich beim Geschäftsführer der Fahrradecke, Eberhard Schirmer, für die bewährte und hervorragende Unterstützung während der sehr erfolgreichen Saison 2018. Er übergab ihm ein großes Foto der Sieger der Deutschen Mannschaftsmeister im Zeitfahren, sicherlich der größte Triumph im Jahre 2018 für das Radteam Herrmann. Aber die Herrmänner dürfen auch auf das sehr gute Abschneiden in der Radbundesliga und die vielen Siege und Platzierungen im In- und Ausland stolz sein.

Die Ausfahrt führte bei besten Bedingungen, Sonne und 23 Grad, über Herzogenaurach, Weisendorf und Baiersdorf zurück nach Erlangen, ca. 70km lang.


Viele Rennfahrer/Betreuer des Radteams Herrmann und Freunde des Teams waren am Start aber auch schon einige Neuzugänge für die neue Saison 2019. So waren z.B. Johannes Adamietz (Team Tirol), Nils Weispfennig, Alexander Tarlton und Lennart Jung (PVD Team) mit dabei.

Lennart Jung:

Das sonnige Wochenende bot also die Gelegenheit für einen erfreulichen Saisonrückblick und einen hoffnungsfrohen Ausblick Richtung Saison 2019.


Text und Fotos
Gerhard Plomitzer
www.plomi.smugmug.com

Ackermann verpasst Podium zum Auftakt der Tour of Guangxi.


Den erwarteten Massensprint brachte der Auftakt zur Tour of Guangxi heute in Beihai. Eine 6-Mann-Gruppe konnte sich zwar zu Beginn absetzten, kam allerdings nie mehr als zwei Minuten vom Feld weg. Die Sprinterteams hatten das Geschehen immer unter Kontrolle, bis Pete Kennaugh mit einer späten Attacke BORA – hansgrohe in eine vielversprechende Position brachte. Gemeinsam mit G. Moscon an der Spitze, brachte Peter die anderen Teams unter Zugzwang. Als das Führungsduo etwa drei Kilometer vor dem Ende eingeholt wurde, war das Lead-out der Sprinter bereits voll im Gange. BORA – hansgrohe positionierte sich spät mit dem deutschen Meister Pascal Ackermann. Am Ende holte D. Groenewegen den Sieg, während Pascal als Vierter das Podium knapp verpasste.
1. Etappe:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo)
2. Max Walscheid (Sunweb) s.t.
3. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Floors)
4. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe)
5. Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott)
6. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data)
7. Arnaud Démare (Groupama FDJ)
8. Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo)
9. Enzo Wouters (Lotto Soudal)
10. Clement Venturini (Ag2R)

Gesamtstand:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo)
2. Silvan Dillier (Ag2R) +0:02
3. Max Walscheid (Sunweb) +0:04
4. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Floors) +0:06
5. Andrey Grivko (Astana) s.t.
Reaktionen im Ziel
„Bis auf die letzten 300m sah es eigentlich ganz gut aus. Aber als Lotto-Jumbo nach vorne kam, habe ich die Gelegenheit verpasst, bei Dylan ans Rad zu gehen. Ich war dann etwas eingeklemmt und konnte meinen Sprint erst spät lancieren. Da war auf den Sieg keine Chance mehr.“ – Pascal Ackermann

„Auch wenn das Resultat nicht ganz so ausgefallen ist, wie wir uns das gewünscht hätten, hat das Team heute einen tollen Job gemacht. Wir haben es am Ende mit Pete versucht, da vom letzten Anstieg, 13 km vor dem Ende, Rückenwind bis ins Ziel herrschte. Damit waren die anderen Teams in der Defensive, denn das Duo an der Spitze war wirklich sehr stark. Am Ende wollten wir Pascal spät in Position bringen, das hat nicht ganz geklappt, aber Dylan war am Ende auch sehr stark. Die nächsten Tage kommen aber weitere Chancen, für Pascal und Pete.“ – Christian Pömer, sportlicher Leiter
© BORA – hansgrohe

Joe Dombrowski re-signs with #PinkArgyle


Joe Dombrowski has re-signed with EF Pro Cycling for the upcoming season. The American finished fifth overall at the 2018 Colorado Classic and sixth overall at the 2018 Tour of Utah.
“It’s not a secret that the last couple of seasons have not been what I wanted results-wise,” said Dombrowski. “I’m focused on doing what I need to do to get back to the the level that I know I’m capable of in races.”
“It’s great to have Joe back,” said EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughers. “He knows our team and has been a great presence here over the years. Joe had a spectacular 2016 season where he was in multiple breaks at that year’s Giro and finished third in the hardest mountain stage. The last couple years have been a bit of a struggle for him, but in the end, talent doesn’t just go away. We want to give that talent an opportunity to rebuild.”
Dombrowski, 27, has raced four seasons in argyle following his move to the American-registered outfit from Team Sky, where he spent his neo-pro seasons.
“This team has a great environment, and having been here a while now, I knew that coming back I would be a part of that,” said Dombrowski. “I would consider my teammates as my friends, and I think that cohesion can go a long way in getting the the most of out of a team and an individual.”

The team’s newly announced alternative race program appeals to Dombrowski, who is has been an occasional participant in non-road cycling events throughout his career.
“Joe was sort of our first index, the first rider we dipped into alternative races, at the 2016 Leadville 100,” said Vaughters. “He competes in some cyclocross, too. We felt like he would be a great fit for some of the alternative racing we’d be doing next season and beyond. We’re all pretty excited about that.”
“My first focus is, of course, on the traditional road calendar, but the alternative race program is also quite interesting. I got my start racing mountain bike and cyclocross. I still jump in the odd cyclocross race in the off-season and in 2016 I raced Leadville with this team,” said Dombrowski. “Cycling’s fan base, particularly in America, is a participatory one. It’s not the same as the traditional American sports in that sense. Professional road cycling can be quite insular and convoluted. With a participatory fan base, watching races is not what creates a feeling of engagement in the sport.

“My motivation to race in other events in the past has always been as a fun outlet, but I have also found that they develop a strong connection to the cycling community,” Dombrowski added. “It’s something I like to see as a way of giving back and engaging with the community that has allowed me to have a career in this sport. I think this project can be just that on a much larger scale, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.”
Like his teammates, Dombrowski has enjoyed the introduction of EF Education First into the team and the sport.
“EF has changed things for us in the sense that they feel less like a ‚partner‘ or a ’sponsor‘ in a traditional sense. They feel more integrated. Almost as though we are truly co-workers,” said Dombrowski. “You get that feeling especially when they bring employees to races and we coordinate on events. It’s been an interesting change. I’ve never been in a team where there hasn’t been a separation between team and sponsor. It’s nice that as owners they’re invested in bringing in some of the positive aspects of a company their size and scope into our smaller team.”
CONNECT WITH EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE

Changing of the guard at the Crocodile Trophy


Urs Huber and Sarah White take over the elite leads with stage victories in today’s time trial. The multiple Swiss National Champion and four-time Crocodile Trophy winner Urs Huber claims today’s stage in 1:23:49 and takes over the overall lead by 1:11 minutes in the men’s. Sarah White, who won before in 2015, takes over the women’s lead after a strong 2-hour race. Lucy Coldwell is now in second with a gap of 1:53min overall.

For the 16th time in the 24-year history of the event this small mining town with a population of 85 residents is hosting a Crocodile Trophy stage. „We feel very welcome here and all the residents have been so supportive“, said Race Founder Gerhard Schönbacher today.

Of Urs Huber fellow riders said, that he had been a „man on a mission“ and „hungry for the win“ on the 38 km time trial course from Herberton to Irvinebank. With an elevation change of only 525 meters it was a fast and determined race by Huber and it all went to plan for the 33-year old. He added that a few long and flat stages were coming up and that those should suit his style of racing. An endurance specialist and with years of Outback racing experience he was confident for the next few days he concluded.

Today’s and overall second, the Swiss elite racer Konny Looser says he was happy about two stage wins this year but also very realistic. He had taken notice of the extremely strong form by Urs Huber and that he wasn’t surprised by Huber’s win in the time trial. „I saw yesterday that Urs is very strong and two minutes is not a big gap. There are still four days to go and a lot of long and flat stages coming up where a lot of things can happen like technical problems and then two minutes is nothing”, he said.

He added that Urs was very strong on the flat stages and that he expected him to “put the hammer down”. Today’s route had suited Huber well and Looser concluded that he was happy with second place and ready to “carry on” and that he would “try to keep the fire burning until the end”.

In fourth today was the Austrian Philipp Wetzelberger in 01:34:32 ahead of the Czech rider Milan Damek who finished five minutes behind him. The 26-year old said that he enjoyed “the beautiful and exotic land, landscapes and nature” in Australia. He had participated in many marathostage races overseas and experienced extreme weather and racing conditions and this event was the ultimate highlight of his racing season.

Sarah White overtakes Lucy Coldwell
A shake-up also in the women’s: Lucy Coldwell suffers a mechanical issue and looses a lot of time repairing a flat tyre. Sarah White has a strong day and pushes herself into the overall women’s lead by 1:53 minutes ahead of tomorrow’s fifth stage, a classic and relatively flat marathon to Skybury Coffee Plantation. The question will be if the the strong marathon endurance racer White will defend her lead against road specialist Coldwell across the 1200m of elevation.

At the half-way mark Croc rests in Irvinebank
With four days to go tomorrow’s stage will be a ‘old-school’ marathono to Skybury Coffee Plantation, said eight-time Crocodile Trophy finisher, Martin Wisata from the NSW Central Coast near Sydney. The 41-year old said that it had been a furious start to the race, “This year the first stage caught a lot of riders out, we didn’t expect it to be that humid and hot from the start, however, it seems to be that now that we’re half-way everyone has found a good rhythm.” He said that stage racing and the Crocodile Trophy in particular demanded not only everything of the racers out on track, but that the recovery time after each stage and the preparation for the following day were critical. “This is a very challenging race, you cannot come here unprepared. And, you really have to look after yourself and your equipment and after all these years of racing I know how to react when things don’t go to plan, you learn to adapt and be flexible and listen to body… and bike”, he explained.

He said that he had known about the Crocodile Trophy since watching footage every year on TV from when he was growing up in Austria since the mid-nineties and that the camp life was an aspect that he immensely enjoyed, “I noticed that a lot of riders are using the hotel packages offered, however, we still all get together for the communal breakfasts and dinners and that’s a lot of fun, chatting about the day’s racing and just coming together as a group of people who love riding. Being able to do this out here in so beautiful parts of Tropical North Queensland is unique and very special.”

Skybury Coffee Plantation will host the Crocodile Trophy for two nights from tomorrow after a 95km and 1200vm marathon via some old mining trails near Stannery Hill with race start at 8am.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/

________________________________________

Top Results | Stage 4

Elite Men
1. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 01:23:49,8 — 27.1 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 01:25:01,2 +00:01:11 26.8 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 01:30:04,0 +00:06:14 25.3 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. # 5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 01:34:32,5 +00:10:42 24.1 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 01:39:43,2 +00:15:53 22.8 km/h Elite Men (5)

Elite Women
1. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 02:02:25,9 +00:38:36 18.6 km/h Elite Women (1)
2. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 02:31:24,3 +01:07:34 15.0 km/h Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 02:42:00,5 +01:18:10 14.0 km/h Elite Women (3)

Stage 4 Amateur Category Stage Winners:
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 01:46:07,2 +00:22:17 21.4 km/h
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 01:59:24,6 +00:35:34 19.0 km/h
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 01:44:40,5 +00:20:50 21.7 km/h
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 01:56:38,3 +00:32:48 19.5 km/h
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 01:59:44,3 +00:35:54 19.0 km/h
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 02:34:01,5 +01:10:11 14.8 km/h
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 02:44:24,2 +01:20:34 13.8 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 4:
OVERALL Men Elite after 4 Stages
1. 1 Urs Huber 14:18:26,9 — Elite Men (1)
2. 3 Konny Looser 14:19:37,3 +00:01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 15:05:34,5 +00:47:07 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 15:43:02,4 +01:24:35 Elite Men (4)
5. 5 Philipp Wetzelberger 15:47:18,8 +01:28:51 Elite Men (5)

OVERALL Women Elite after 4 Stages
1. 101 Sarah White 19:46:26,9 — Elite Women (1)
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell 19:48:20,3 +01:53.40 Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer 24:01:45,4 +04:15:18.50 Elite Women (3)

Imposanter Solosieg für Sam Bennett in Istanbul bei der letzten Etappe der Tour of Turkey.

Ein schneller Start und ein harter Kampf um die Fluchtgruppe des Tages bestimmten zunächst die 164km lange Flachetappe von Bursa nach Istanbul. Nach mehr als 50km im Rennen setzten sich acht Fahrer vom Feld, in dem BORA – hansgrohe immer wieder die Kontrolle übernahm, ab. Als das Peloton dem Ziel in Istanbul entgegen rollte, konnte das Hauptfeld auf die Ausreißer aufschließen, und wie erwartet sollte ein weiterer Massensprint auf dem Programm stehen. Doch BORA – hansgrohe Sprinter Sam Bennett entschied anders, nachdem seine Teamkollegen den mehrfachen Giro d’Italia Etappensieger perfekt in Position gebracht haben, attackierte er bei der Flamme Rouge. Schnell hatte der Ire einen Vorsprung gegenüber seinen Kontrahenten, die mit diesem Überraschungsangriff nicht gerechnet haben. Sam Bennett hatte sich genügend Vorsprung gesichert und konnte ab der 50m Marke seinen imposanten Etappensieg feiern. Mit diesem weiteren großartigen Etappensieg war ihm auch das Sprinttrikot der 54. Tour of Turkey sicher.

Für Matteo Pelucchi und Alex Saramotins war die Türkei Rundfahrt das letzte Rennen im BORA – hansgrohe Trikot. Wir bedanken uns bei ihnen für ihre Einsätze und wünschen beiden alles Gute für ihre Zukunft.
6. Etappe:
1. Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe)
2. Eduard Prades (Euskadi-Muria) + 0:05 Minuten
3. Jempy Drucker (BMC) + 0:05
4. Mike Teunissen (Sunweb) + 0:05
5. Szymon Sajnok (CCC Sprandi Polkowice) + 0:05
6. Gonzalo Serrano (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) + 0:05
7. Tom Bohli (BMC) + 0:05
8. Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) + 0:05
9. Ruben Guerreiro (Trek-Segafredo) + 0:05
10. Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) + 0:05
Endstand:
1. Eduard Prades (Euskadi-Murias)
2. Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) + 0:00 Minuten
3. Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) + 0:04 Minuten

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Als Erstes, möchte ich mich bei meinen BORA – hansgrohe Jungs bedanken, sie haben heute eine fantastische Fahrt hingelegt. Das ganze Team kam zusammen und brachte mich genau dahin, wo ich sein musste, um zu attackieren. Ich kann ihnen nicht genug danken. Mit den Top10 so nahe zusammen, wusste ich, ich muss einfach fahren. Und es hat sich ausgezahlt! Attacken standen an und meine Beine fühlten sich gut an, daher wollte ich sichergehen den Sieg und das Trikot für das Team heimzubringen. Ich bin so glücklich meine Saison 2018 so beenden zu können.“ – Sam Bennett

„Ein beeindruckender Sieg und das Sprinttrikot, ich bin sehr stolz auf das Team. Sie haben alle perfekt zusammengearbeitet und Sam hat diese tolle Teamleistung mit einem weiteren grandiosen Sieg abgerundet. Es ist auch für Sam eine schöne Art seine Saison zu beenden. Nun werden wir uns erholen und starten motiviert in die Saison 2019.“ – Enrico Poitschke, sportlicher Leiter

Stage 3 | Lucy Coldwell and Urs Huber claim elite wins marathon in Herberton


Lucy Coldwell and Urs Huber claim elite stage wins in Herberton

Today the Crocodile Trophy had planned an 80km and 2,650 m of elevation circuit marathon in the Herberton National Park with start and finish in the historic town of Herberton. However, the start had to be and the race track shortened this morning due to a military ordnance that was found overnight on the first 10km of today’s race track. Lucy Coldwell (AUS) and Urs Huber (SUI) claim elite stage wins marathon in Herberton, Konny Looser keeps overall race lead by one second ahead of Huber.

Originally scheduled at 80km, the event’s General Manager Koenraad Vanschoren confirmed that due to the unforeseen track emergency, the race track was shortened to 68km, however, that despite the change the stage remained a huge challenge, „This stage might still well be the hardest climbing stage ever in the Crocodile Trophy.“ He thanked QLD and Herberton Police who escorted the peloton in neutral on a detour past the risky section that had been closed off and secured to re-enter the originally planned track safely.

Swiss domination continues
The Elite riders are keeping the overall classification very tight: the Swiss endurance specialists Urs Huber and Konny Looser once again crossed the line together with Huber claiming the stage win. In the overall standing, Looser keeps the incredibly narrow lead of only 1 second. All eyes will be on the clock during tomorrow’s time trial and how it will affect the the overall standings.

“An individual time trial can always shake things up”, says Crocodile Trophy founder Gerhard Schönbacher, reminscing about his own past as a road racing professional at some of the major events, including the Tour de France, in Europe. “Tomorrow the riders will be started in one-minute intervals and in reverse order of the general classification. So you actually get to chase a ‘physical target’, which is a huge incentive to make up time, but you are also in a wild race against the clock”, he explained.

Philipp Wetzelberger and Matthias Grick, the two Austrians also finished together. Of the race today Grick said it had been like a „rollercoaster through the bush“ and that the heat had been intense. „I’m very motivated and let’s see what the next days bring“, he said of his fourth overall place. Wetzelberger stay’s in fifth overall.

In an upset today, Soren Nissen missed a turn towards the end of the race and was given a 29 minute time penalty. However, Nissen keeps his overall third spot, albeit with an increased time gap of 41 minutes to the Swiss leaders.

In the women’s the overall result remains unchanged as well with Lucy Coldwell winning at Herberton today ahead of Cairns rider Sarah White and the Belgian rider, Sjoukje Dufoer.

In the Amateur age categories, Michal Láník from the Czech Republic leads the line honour ranking so far ahead of Markus Beck from Germany and Bart Duraj from Cairns.

Tomorrow’s stage will be a 38km individual time trial to Irvinebank and the first rider will be released onto the race track at 9:20am. With only 1,000 m of elevation it might be a ‚rest day‘ for some in the peloton, while for others this will be the chance to fit for podium positions. It might just be the deciding stage after all.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
________________________________________

Top Results | Stage 3

Elite Men
1. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 03:35:12,9 — 22.3 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:35:13,2 +00:00:00 22.3 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 04:04:23,6 +00:29:10 19.6 km/h Elite Men (3)
3. # 6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 04:04:23,6 +00:29:10 19.6 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 04:04:24,0 +00:29:11 19.6 km/h Elite Men (5)

Elite Women
1. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 05:01:51,5 — 15.9 km/h
2. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 05:04:45,6 +00:02:54 15.7 km/h
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 06:53:58,0 +01:52:06 11.5 km/h

Stage 3 Amateur Category Stage Winners:
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 04:47:18,1 — 16.7 km/h
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 05:04:45,6 — 15.7 km/h
Amateur Men 3 | 310 Markus Beck (GER) 04:31:05,6 — 17.7 km/h
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 04:43:04,8 — 16.9 km/h
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 05:26:23,8 — 14.7 km/h
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 06:54:26,2 — 11.5 km/h
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 06:31:46,1 — 12.2 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 3:

OVERALL Men Elite after 3 Stages
1. 3 Konny Looser 12:54:36,1 — Elite Men (1)
2. 1 Urs Huber 12:54:37,2 +00:00:01 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 13:35:30,6 +00:40:54 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 14:02:56,9 +01:08:20 Elite Men (4)
5. 5 Philipp Wetzelberger 14:12:46,3 +01:18:10 Elite Men (5)

OVERALL Women Elite after 3 Stages
1. 102 Lucy Coldwell 17:16:56,0 +04:22:19 Elite Women (1)
2. 101 Sarah White 17:44:01,1 +04:49:25 Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 21:19:44,9 +08:25:08 Elite Women (3)

Mit Rang drei in Hongkong klettert BORA – hansgrohe zum ersten Mal auf das Podium bei der Hammer Series.

Zwei Bewerbe – Sprint und Chase – wurden heute beim Hammer Hongkong absolviert. Im Hammer Sprint, einem Kriterium mit Punktesprints, setzte sich für BORA – hansgrohe vor allem Rudi Selig in den letzten Runden in Szene, um am Ende Rang drei zu sichern. Damit ging das Team in das entscheidenden Hammer Chase mit nur 40 Sekunden Rückstand auf Mitchelton-Scott. Während die Australier ihre Führung verteidigen konnten, begann BORA – hansgrohe das Rennen mit einem gleichmäßigen Tempo. Zwar verlor das Team etwas Zeit zur Spitze, konnte allerdings die Teams dahinter auf Distanz halten. Am Ende holte sich Michelton-Scott den Gesamtsieg vor Quick-Step Floors. BORA – hansgrohe konnte auf den letzten Kilometern den Angriff von Team Sunweb noch abwehren und erreichte Rang drei beim Hammer Hongkong.
Ergebnis
01 Michelton-Scott
02 Quick-Step Floor
03 BORA – hansgrohe

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Ich muss sagen, dass das Rennen viel härter war, als erwartet. Der Kurs, mit einigen langsamen Kurven, hat immer wieder Unruhe ins Feld gebracht, zudem wurde eigentlich ständig attackiert. Obwohl es also sehr hart war, hat es dennoch Spaß gemacht. Das Format ist sehr interessant, eröffnet viele Möglichkeiten. Wir haben unseren Job heute sicherlich sehr gut gemacht. Ich wollte mich im Sprint auf die Wertungen mit doppelten Punkten konzentrieren. Das hat ganz gut geklappt, am Ende war das ganze aber eher ein Ausscheidungsrennen. Da hat Rudi heute für uns die Kohlen aus dem Feuer geholt. Alles in allem können wir sehr zufrieden sein. Auch im Chase war unsere Leistung heute Top. Das gibt uns noch zusätzliche Motivation für die Rennen nächste Woche.“ – Pascal Ackermann

„Im Sprint haben einige Teams das Rennen heute sehr aggressiv ausgelegt. Wir wollten mit Erik und Pascal auf die Wertungen mit doppelten Punkten gehen, während die anderen das Rennen kontrollieren sollten. Rudi war heute sehr stark. Er hat es am Ende die Spitzengruppe geschafft, um dort die entscheidenden Punkte zu sichern. Im Chase wollten wir schnell beginnen, um zu sehen, wo wir im Rennen stehen. Den Mittelteil sollten die Jungs dann mit etwas Reserve fahren, um am Ende noch zulegen zu können, falls Teams zu uns aufgeschlossen hätten. Diese Renneinteilung hat perfekt funktioniert, wir konnten den Angriff von Sunweb abwehren und uns so Rang drei sichern.“ – Christian Pömer, sportlicher Leiter
© BORA – hansgrohe

Crocodile Trophy: Stage 2 | 1-2-3 Repeat at Herberton: Looser wins ahead of Huber and Nissen

Konny Looser defends his overall lead at the Crocodile Trophy in today’s Queen Stage from Lake Tinaroo to Herberton, finishing in first ahead of fellow swiss racer and four-time Croc winner Urs Huber and Soren Nissen from Luxemburg. The two Swiss racers now have a 11:44min lead overall ahead of Nissen. 2015 Croc women’s winner Sarah White wins the stage in the women’s; Lucy Coldwell keeps the overall women’s lead.

This year’s Queen Stage will no doubt remain a memorable one for everyone – with 118km and 3,450 meters of elevation it was one of the toughest this year and the hot and humid conditions in Tropical North Queensland have been challenging the entire racing field, including the top riders.

Today the riders had an 8am start to avoid weekend traffic along Lake Tinaroo and first up were 13 flat kilometers. The scenic Kauri Creek 4WD track winds its way through a section of the Lamb Range and offered an amazing transition of vegetation from tall open
forest to wet hard-leaved forest as well as rainforest covering the first 600vm until the first feedzone. Passing the so iconic gum trees the raced then looped around and towards Mount Edith and a regular feature on the Crocodile Trophy stage plan. Passing Atherton and heading South the race arrived at Atherton, covering more long and often steep climbs with technical difficulties.

“A proper Croc stage”- Huber
After more than five hours of racing once again the day’s result was decided in a Swiss sprint finish with Konny Looser defending his overall lead ahead of four-time Croc winner Urs Huber. Of today’s race Huber said, “This was definitely the Queen Stage today. More than five hours, up and down, steep climbs and downhills and really long, but it was a nice track. A proper Crocodile Trophy stage.” Huber added that despite the challenging terrain and hot weather he and Looser had been able to ride well and stay together all day and that they didn’t really have to go to the limit. “We saved some energy for the next few days, it’s still a long way, but this is a hard race, whether you go fullgas or not…. It’s always hard”, he admitted.

Today’s third across the line, the Luxemburg National Champion Soren Nissen, admitted that he had really been suffering in the intense and humid heat of the first two days and that he will try keeping up the pace, “I am hoping that Konny and Urs will get tired and just keep trying to do my best.” He also added that today’s stage had been an extremely difficult one. “Yes, it was really hard, I wonder how some of the ‘fun’ riders are feeling out there, they are going to have a long day in the office today”, he said.

In fourth and fifth was the Austrian duo with Matthias Grick (+29:37.50 min) and Philipp Wetzelberger (+31:43.30 min), respectively. The two Swiss racers now have a 11:44min lead overall ahead of Nissen.

Local contender Sarah White wins the women’s stage title
The 2015 Croc women’s winner Sarah White from Cairns wins the stage today in the women’s and said that she enjoyed racing through the dense rainforests today. The experienced ultra-endurance racer said that course had been great and so varied. Fellow Australia Lucy Coldwell from the Gold Coast still keeps the overall women’s lead with a gap of about 24 minutes ahead of White and the Belgian Sjoukje Dufoer.

For the first time Herberton will be hosting the Crocodile Trophy and the event will spend two nights in the historic town on the Atherton Tablelands. So no packing and moving tomorrow for Stage 3, however, a leg-burning circuit awaits that will include a mammoth 2,650 vertical meters across the relatively short distance of 80km. However, the ‘rest day’ with a 38km time trial is only two sleeps away for Stage 4.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
________________________________________

Top Results | Stage 2

Elite Men
1 #3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 05:19:34.7
2 #1 Urs Huber(SUI) / Team Bulls / 05:19:35.2
3 #2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 05:26:50.7
4 #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM / Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 05:49:12.2
5 #5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 05:51:18.0

Stage Plan 2018
01 STAGE Cairns – Lake Tinaroo | 89 (100) km/2500 (2900) m
02 STAGE Lake Tinaroo – Herberton | 118 km/3450 m
03 STAGE Herberton – Herberton | 80 km/2650 m
04 STAGE Herberton – Irvinebank | 38 km/1000 m
05 STAGE Irvinebank – Skybury | 95.5 km/1200 m
06 STAGE Skybury – Skybury | 127 km/1550 m
07 STAGE Skybury – Wetherby | 102 km/1350 m
08 STAGE „Greg Parr Stage“ Wetherby – Port Douglas | 51 (62) km/835 (925) m

Starker Rafal Majka erkämpft Rang sieben bei der Lombardei-Rundfahrt.

Überraschend früh im Rennen zeigten sich heute die Favoriten, weshalb die Fluchtgruppe des Tages auch schon etwa 60 Kilometer vor dem Ziel gestellt wurde. An der Muro di Sormano setzten sich zuerst Nibali und Pinot ab, bevor in der Abfahrt Roglic und Bernal aufschließen konnten. Dahinter präsentierte sich Rafal Majka in bestechender Form in der Verfolgergruppe. Immer wieder attackierte der Leader von BORA – hansgrohe um die Gruppe zu verkleinern, während an der Spitze Roglic und Bernal den Anschluss verloren. Als Pinot die entscheidende Attacke setze, um auch Nibali zu distanzieren, befand sich Majka nur mehr mit Martin, rund 40 Sekunden hinter der Spitze im Rennen. Doch während Pinot dem Solosieg souverän entgegenfuhr, wurden Majka und Martin noch einmal eingeholt. Im Sprint um Rang drei belegte Rafal am Ende den guten siebenten Rang.
Ergebnis
01 T. Pinot 5:53:22
02 V. Nibali +0:32
03 D. Teuns +0:43
07 R. Majka +0:43
18 P. Konrad +3:33
22 E. Buchmann +3:33
23 D. Formolo +3:33

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass die Vorentscheidung heute schon so früh fällt. Ich habe den Moment als Pinot attackiert hat etwas verpasst, dachte aber dann auch, dass es noch sehr weit ins Ziel ist. Einige Fahrer vorne haben am Ende auch für die Attacke bezahlt, aber Pinot war einfach zu stark. Ich hatte sehr gute Beine, habe wirklich alles versucht, aber alleine in der Gruppe war es schwierig. Bahrain hat viel neutralisiert. Ich bin aber wirklich stolz, wie ich und meine Kollegen heute BORA – hansgrohe präsentiert haben. Es ist auch schön die Saison in so guter Form zu beenden, das gibt viel Motivation für nächstes Jahr.“ – Rafal Majka

„Das Ergebnis am Ende spiegelt leider nicht die hervorragende Leistung von Rafal wider. Er war heute wirklich sehr stark und hat es immer wieder versucht. Als er mit D. Martin hinter Nibali war, dachte ich, dass es mit dem Podium klappen könnte. Aber nach der Abfahrt kam die Gruppe wieder ran, und Bahrain hat mit drei Mann alles neutralisiert. Leider lagen Patrick, Emu und Davide schon etwas zu weit zurück. Aber mit der Art und Weise wie wir uns heute präsentiert haben können wir sehr zufrieden sein.“ – Jens Zemke, sportlicher Leiter
© BORA – hansgrohe