Archiv für das Jahr: 2019

2. Etappe Tour Colombia

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen,

1 Alvaro Hodeg (Col) Deceuninck-QuickStep 3:21:40
2 Martin Laas (Est) Team Illuminate Continental
3 Juan Sebastian Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates
4 Mihkel Räim (Est) Israel Cycling Academy
5 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck-QuickStep
6 Luca Pacioni (Ita) Neri Sottoli–Selle Italia–KTM
7 Imerio Cima (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Faizane
8 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
9 Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky
10 Jonnathan Narvaez (Ecu) Team Sky

Foto Gerhard Plomitzer: Alvaro Hodeg am 23.8.18 in Bonn / www.plomi.smugmug.com

GC after stage 2:
1 Alvaro Hodeg (Col) Deceuninck-QuickStep 3:36:43
2 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First 0:00:02
3 Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First
4 Lawson Craddock (USA) EF Education First
5 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:10
6 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep
7 Bob Jungels (Lux) Deceuninck-QuickStep
8 Jonnathan Narvaez (Ecu) Team Sky 0:00:12
9 Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky
10 Ivan Sosa (Col) Team Sky
11 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
12 Sebastian Henao (Col) Team Sky
13 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team 0:00:24
14 Hernando Bohorquez (Col) Astana Pro Team
15 Rodrigo Contreras (Col) Astana Pro Team
16 Davide Villella (Ita) Astana Pro Team
17 Juan Sebastian Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:33
18 Sergio Henao (Col) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:37
19 Oscar Miguel Sevilla Rivera (Spa) Medellin
20 Cristian Camilo Muñoz Lancheros (Col) UAE Team Emirates

Tour of Colombia – 1st stage TTT

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen,


Stage 1 – TTT:
1 EF Education First 0:15:05
2 Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
3 Team Sky 0:00:10
4 Astana Pro Team 0:00:22
5 UAE Team Emirates 0:00:35
6 Medellin 0:00:40
7 Movistar Team 0:00:44
8 EPM 0:00:52
9 Coldeportes Bici Strongma 0:00:53
10 Manzana Postobon 0:00:54
11 Coldeportes Zenu 0:01:03
12 GW Shimano
13 Israel Cycling Academy 0:01:05
14 Orgullo Paisa
15 Bardiani CSF 0:01:10
16 Neri Sottoli-Selle Italia
17 Colombia 0:01:13
18 Hagens Berman Axeon 0:01:15
19 IAM Excelsior
20 Italy 0:01:16
21 Aevolo 0:01:18
22 Ecuador 0:01:21
23 Team Illuminate 0:01:24
24 Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:01:26
25 Efapel 0:01:31
26 Deprisa Team 0:01:36
27 Betplay Cycling Team 0:01:58
28 Nippo-Vini Fantini-Faizane 0:05:01

GC:
1 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First 0:15:05
2 Daniel Martinez (Col) EF Education First
3 Lawson Craddock (USA) EF Education First
4 Taylor Phinney (USA) EF Education First
5 Bob Jungels (Lux) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
6 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep
7 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck-QuickStep
8 Alvaro Hodeg (Col) Deceuninck-QuickStep
9 Jonnathan Narvaez (Ecu) Team Sky 0:00:10
10 Ivan Sosa (Col) Team Sky
11 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Team Sky
12 Sebastian Henao (Col) Team Sky
13 Egan Bernal (Col) Team Sky
14 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
15 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team 0:00:22

MEDELLÍN– “Rigo! Rigo! Rigo!” went the crowd, a swelling chorus of adoration for a national hero. The first stage of Tour Colombia 2.1 could not have gone any better: EF Education First Pro Cycling took the win in the team time trial by eight seconds over Deceuninck-Quick Step, with Team Sky rounding off the podium at 10 seconds down.
Rigoberto Uran crossed the line first in his hometown to deafening cheers from his Colombian fans. And you should have heard them when he pulled on the leader’s jersey.
“We’re so happy to have won, for me it makes me really happy because we’re racing in my home, and it’s what you hope for more than anything. Cycling is so big in Colombia and to win a team time trial here is so motivating for the week ahead,” Uran said post-stage.
It took the team 15 minutes and five seconds to complete the 14km circuit around Medellín. Ahead of the first stage, Uran and company were the underdogs stacked up against the likes of Sky and Deceuninck-Quick Step.
“It’s a good sign. The team came together really well today, and pulled off an upset victory which is always my favorite thing to do when nobody expects that to happen. When everyone is thinking, ‘Oh they’ll probably get third or fourth,’ and then you pull it off, it’s always fun,” team CEO Jonathan Vaughters said.
Incredibly motivated, the team set out at a blistering pace, with the newly crowned Colombian national time trial champion, Dani Martinez, showing what his legs are made of, nearly blowing the team apart.
“A couple of times I was yelling at Dani to slow down as loud as I could yell, literally I was screaming for him to slow down. I could hear Nate behind Taylor and we were all screaming at him to slow down, but he couldn’t hear us because of the noise from the crowd,” Howes said.
“He’s just super strong,” Phinney added of Martínez. “I told him [Dani] to pull longer and less intense to keep it really regular.
“I think with the excitement of everyone we started super fast. Then we lost Nate and Alex after 4km and then I was sitting behind Dani, which is the most difficult position for me to sit, because he’s the smallest, most aerodynamic guy. So when he’s pulling I’m kinda pulling at the same time. So once I was in that position I recognized that I was the punching bag of the day and my main role was just survive within the group,” Phinney said.
Sport director Juanma Garate believes that a team time trial is one of the most special in the sport: “As you can imagine a team time trial victory is the best victory that you can do in cycling. Cycling is not an individual sport, even if sometimes it looks like that. To win a team time trial is the best thing because you all go on stage together. I’m super proud and happy that this was the first race of the year for all of them to win. It’s not possible to start any better.”
Vaughters sees this not just as a victory for this race but for the team as a whole and how it is gradually rebuilding itself. “The talent’s always been there, it’s just a matter when you have years and years of doing a merger with one team and a merger with another, you’re never really building the team, you’re just treading water.
“With mergers you’ve got riders coming in from other teams, it’s not strategically built. Little by little in the last 18 months I’ve been given the opportunity to strategically build the team and we’re starting to see the fruit of that, it’ll keep getting better.”
Garate explains it’s not going to be an easy race to control for the rest of the week: “This is a special race because we are only six WorldTour (WT) teams. We have 28 teams in the race, meaning 22 teams are not WorldTour, and their style of racing is a really offensive mode. So we have to pay attention in the coming days as it’s going to be difficult for us to control the race.
“But it’s true that we now have a few seconds in the bag, so we will see. We are here to try and win the general classification with Dani. This is what we said before we came to the race, and this is something that we will keep to. We are going to protect him and at the same time defend the jersey. We respect the race and Rigo has the jersey in Antioquia, so you can imagine what this means to him and to the team.”
@Education First

Paris-Roubaix 2019: La Trouée awaits

Eintagsrennen, Vorschau, Weltcup und Klassiker, ,

Key points:
 On 14 April, the riders of the 117th edition of Paris–Roubaix will roll out of Compiègne and tackle a course of the same length (257km) and with the same amount of cobblestones (54.5km) as last year’s.
 A few adjustments have been made to the early sectors, starting in Troisvilles (96.5km), while the Trouée d’Arenberg has been shortened by 100 metres… without touching a single cobblestone!

Cobble-gobblers are familiar with the whirring sound of their wheels on the cobblestones of Roubaix, which start to rattle their bicycles about 100km into the race, right after the village of Troisvilles. Eagle-eyed observers will realise that the first cobbled sector is a bit shorter this time round (0.9km versus 2.2km in 2018). Although the peloton will be focused on this sequence, and it may have even started the war of attrition by this time, the second sector (no. 28, from Briastre to Viesly) will provide an opportunity for the riders to honour the memory of Michael Goolaert as they ride past the stele marking the location where he suffered a cardiac arrest last year. The effort will then enter the Cambrésis region, heading due east so that the peloton tackles the Quiévy (no. 26), Saint-Python (no. 25) and Vertain (no. 24) in the opposite direction compared to 2018. The Vertain sector is back in the race for the first time since 2017.
From the moment the riders enter the Valenciennes area (sector no. 23), the course of the Queen of Classics remains unchanged all the way to Roubaix Velodrome. However, the official map is not exactly the same. More accurate measurements taken during reconnoitring shortened the Trouée d’Arenberg (no. 19) from 2,400 to 2,300 metres… without touching a single cobblestone! The first five-star sector, where the fight between the pretenders to the crown enters a decisive phase, remains as tough as ever. Anyone who is not in the lead group at the end of the sector can wave goodbye to victory in Roubaix. Later on, the Mons-en-Pévèle (no. 11) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (no. 4) five-star sectors will set the scene for further attacks and dramatic twists.
Paris-Roubaix Challenge – Saturday, April, 13th
24 hours before the elite race, some 7,000 amateur riders will measure themselves on this legendary Spring classic and its fabled cobblestone sectors. Three distances are on offer to cyclists, in order to accommodate all the preparation levels: 70, 145 and 172 kms. Every rider will find an appropriate legend.
Information and registration on www.parisroubaixchallenge.com et timeto.com.
Paris-Roubaix Challenge in figures:
• 9th edition of Paris-Roubaix Challenge
• 7,000 participants
• 3 routes of 70 km, 145 km and 172 km
• 67 nationalities at the start
@ASO

Amgen Tour of California 2019 route revealed

Etappenrennen, Vorschau, ,

Key points:
 Throughout 7 stages over 7 days (May 12-18), the world’s elite professional cyclists will contest mountain roads, highways and coastlines from Sacramento to Pasadena. The 1251km course through 13 Host Cities will ante up 14 Sprints, 25 King of the Mountain climbs, the most in race history, and a fan-favorite Mt. Baldy summit finish.
 With 7 new courses between them, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race empowered with SRAM will run concurrently May 16-18, using many of the same routes as the men’s course. Also the longest women’s race in event history, the 285km, three-stage road race course will see the athletes climb eight Queen of the Mountain.

©Casey Gibson “The Amgen Tour of California is the pinnacle of cycling in America. The 2019 race course is incredibly demanding – there’s more climbing and more long road days than ever before. With the best of the best in cycling coming to California to contest it, we are in for another memorable race,” said Kristin Klein, president of the Amgen Tour of California and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “We look forward to shining a spotlight on the beauty of California and the dedication of these athletes for fans, in person and via the worldwide broadcast, in what will be one of the most exciting sporting events in the country this year.”
2019 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA ROUTE ANNOUNCEMENT
PRESENTED BY VISIT CALIFORNIA
Sunday, May 12th, stage 1 presented by Amgen: Sacramento – Sacramento = 143km

Sacramento is known as one of the most sports-friendly cities in the country, and this year will mark its 10th time hosting the race. Stage 1 will begin with the men rolling out of Sacramento across the iconic Tower Bridge, passing through West Sacramento, then hugging the Sacramento River into the city of Woodland. From there, the race will travel across several rural roads in Yolo County. A quick dash and sprint in the Town of Winters will see the race turn east and heading back downtown for the fast finish.

Monday, May, 13th, stage 2 presented by Visit California: Rancho Cordova – South Lake Tahoe = 194,5km
The ATOC welcomes the City of Rancho Cordova as a new stage host. The stage will start at sea level. Heading east from the start, the route will follow White Rock Road through El Dorado Hills. Once again, racers will enjoy the huge crowds and warm hospitality in Placerville before heading onto the picturesque Mormon Emigrant Trail and Hwy 88, where the peloton will zip through lush forests and past bass-laden lakes.
They will also encounter some serious elevation. The KOM at Carson pass tops out at 2627m, the highest point the race has ever reached in its 14 years. A long descent will allow the riders a short rest, but a left turn onto Hwy 89 will take them to the top of Luther Pass and into South Lake Tahoe. For those that have raced to South Lake Tahoe in previous years, they know that a brutal finish up the steep roads to the Heavenly ski area finish looms ahead.

Tuesday, May, 14th, stage 3 presented by TAG Heuer: Stockton – Morgan Hill = 207km
The City of Stockton returns for its third stage start, near the waterfront and Stockton Arena. The race route will wend its way through the city as it heads southwest toward Morgan Hill. Heading east of Livermore, the riders will turn onto Mines Road and toward the HC climb up Mt. Hamilton. Over the next 35km of climbing and descending, the racers will encounter two climbs with a total of 25 switchbacks and two very technical descents with another 25 hairpin turns. The race will then return to the eastern slopes of San Jose and into Morgan Hill, site of the 2018 time trial stage. Spectators will line the streets as they await the teams to tee up their sprinters for a classic field sprint to finish near the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center.

Wednesday, May, 15th, stage 4 presented by Lexus: Raceway Laguna Seca – Morro Bay = 212,5km
This stage will be a celebration of a massive achievement by Caltrans to reopen the iconic coastal stretch.
After a short climb out of the start at Laguna Seca, the race will pass through Seaside, Monterey and Carmel. Hwy 1 typifies the beauty of the state and features a gentle rolling landscape that drivers may not register, but the cyclists will certainly feel the 3584m of climbing on this stage. A fan-favorite, the Morro Bay finish will follow the route from 2017, where Peter Sagan won the sprint finish. After passing through Morro Bay State Park, riders will get their first glimpse of the iconic Morro Rock. A right turn off the Embarcadero, with Morro Rock over their shoulders, will put the racers onto a steep sprint to the finish on Harbor Street.

Thursday, May 16th, stage 5 presented by Lexus: Pismo Beach – Ventura = 218,5km
stage 1 women’s race presented by Lexus: Ventura – Ventura = 96.5km
This stage will highlight the best of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, which have long been the cornerstone of the Amgen Tour of California. Within a few kilometers, the race will reach Foxen Canyon and the home of countless world-class vineyards and wineries. As the race leaves the vineyards and jumps onto Hwy 154 in Los Olivos, the riders will enter the feed zone to replenish some calories. Ahead lays the grueling category climb up San Marcos Pass. After leaving Hwy 192, the stage’s final two categorized climbs lie ahead on Casitas Pass. The finish will be within a few miles once the cyclist enter Ventura, which hosted its first stage last year. Riders will contest the final sprint at the summit of a short 12% climb up Fero Drive. The final kilometers to the Ventura finish line will be intense as the teams set up their sprinters for a field sprint along the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, the women will contest a punchy day of racing with five QOMs. The out and back course starts and finishes in Ventura. The final 56km of the route is the same the men will use coming into Ventura for their Stage 5 finish later in the day.

Friday, May, 17th, stage 6 presented by Visit California: Ontario – Mt. Baldy = 127,5km
stage 2 women’s race presented by Visit California: Ontario – Mt. Baldy = 74km
This “Queen Stage” has seen legends made and winners decided. A return to the Mt. Baldy a finish that thrilled so many fans in 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017, this is the top training ground for many Southern California racers.
This will be the fourth time the City of Ontario has hosted the men’s Mt. Baldy stage, and the first time the women will contest it. Because of the complexities of men’s and women’s races sharing an “out and back” course, the women will use a slightly different route to Mt. Baldy. The final 20.5 miles of their course is the same to reach the common finish.
This year’s route will head north into the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Upland. From there, the riders will start an 11-mile climb to the Village of Mt. Baldy. They will cover 33km of narrow and twisting roads that lead to a fast and technical descent down the backside of Glendora Mountain Road. At Ice House Canyon, the route will make a hard left turn where the sign to the ski area points. With 1.6km to go, the road will straighten out but still climb at 15%. At 400m to go, the route will make a hard left and the racers will face the final five switchbacks to the finish line.

Saturday, May 18th, stage 7 presented by AMGEN: Santa Clarita – Pasadena: 141km
stage 3 presented by AMGEN: Santa Clarita – Pasadena: 115,5km
Santa Clarita and Pasadena have a storied tradition of hosting the ATOC grand conclusion. There will be challenges from start to finish as teams protect their GC riders from attacks and set up their sprinters to win the stage. The race’s traditional start in Santa Clarita will be at the Town Center Mall. The first climb will come at Mill Creek Summit, then downhill and left onto Upper Big Tujunga to the final climb of the race at the intersection with Angeles Crest Highway. A quick dash through La Canada Flintridge will take the race down Rosemont Avenue to the famed Rose Bowl for the ultimate race finish.
This stage shares a common start and finish for the women and men, with two slight differences. Whereas the women will come straight up Angeles Forest Highway to Angeles Crest Highway, the men will turn on Upper Tujunga to add mileage and one final climb. The women conclude the day first, coming to the finish line and completing one lap. Just as they began the week with three Capitol circuits during Stage 1 in Sacramento, the men will blaze through three circuits of the Rose Bowl to conclude the race.
@ASO

Tour of Oman 2019

Etappenrennen, Vorschau, ,

Greg van Avermaet: « Green Mountain is a test of how deep you can go »

With eight participations out of a possible nine in the Tour de Oman, and a stage win and two day spell in the lead last year, Greg van Avermaet is one of the Tour of Oman’s most frequent participants. And this time round, after a blistering sprint victory already in the Volta a la Comunitat Valencia, the CCC Team leader is clearly ready to hit the ground running once again in the Tour of Oman.
Greg van Avermaet, you have been in every Tour of Oman bar one, in 2012, since it began in 2010. From a racer’s point of view, why is this event so appealing for you?
„It’s a good preparation, a relaxing event, good weather with some nice stages, I think it’s good for a rider like me – except for the Green Mountain finish! It’s a nice way to build up for the season, I like the way many of the stages are prepared for punchy riders. Plus after each stage you can ride to the hotel and get in a few more kilometres.
So I can get extra train as well as race, there are at least three stages, sometimes four, which have the kind of terrain that suits me. So I get some results. Sometimes stage races only offer me one day at most where I can do something, but that’s not the case in Oman. I have more chances. And that’s why I keep on going back.
Green Mountain is a very tough mountain for you. How much can you use it to see how good your form will be on terrain that is more suited to you, like in the Classics in Belgium?
A lot of Classics riders use it like that. In my case, on a couple of editions I was working for a GC rider there, so I’d get him to the bottom of the climb, then I’d go hard up it for one or two kilometres anyway, and then take a couple of minutes to recover. Then I’d pick up the pace, just to do a kind of test inside the rest, to see how good you are and how deep you can go.
So Green Mountain operates as a testing ground after you’ve made the big efforts in the rolling stages?
For me this is the perfect place to do it, of course the weather is always super nice and they’ve created a bit more space too on the calendar between the Tour of Oman and my big first Classics goal, Het Nieuwsblad, so that gives me some more time to adapt to the cold weather when I go back in Belgium.
You’ve already had one great result this year, a stage win in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in Spain. Does that lower the pressure for you to get a good result in the Tour of Oman or will you still be fighting as hard as ever?
For sure as a rider you try to win everywhere. But with a new team like CCC it’s even more important to try and get the wins so you can build up the team’s self-confidence. And the stage win I got in Valencia was against a strong field and on a very difficult day’s racing. So these kinds of results are very important to get early in the season. But let’s hope we try to get a stage win in every stage race, make a habit of it, and that’s the most important thing for me, to have certain days in races like this where I can be good.
So that is the goal in Oman, to get another stage victory like you did last year?
Yes, that would be ideal, to win a stage or at least to get a top three position in a few different days.
But in any case you must be very pleased with how the team is coming together this season, with wins in Spain, Australia and New Zealand, and next, hopefully in Oman!
Yes, for sure. It’s always hard, we have a completely new rider line-up so we have to see how it goes, but for now we are where we wanted to be and expected to be. It was a great moment, to see a guy like Patrick [Bevin] taking that World Tour win in Australia [in the Santos Tour Down Under] for us and hopefully that kind of success will give us all motivation on the team to keep on winning in the races to come.
@ASO

Lucas Carstensen (Bike Aid) gewinnt GP Alanya

Eintagsrennen, Teamnews,

Nach der Mallorca Challenge vergangene Woche, hält sich ein Teil des Team BIKE AID derzeit in Alanya an der türkischen Riviera auf, um die kommenden Tage ein weiteres Trainingslager einzulegen.
Doch zudem finden in der türkischen Urlaubsregion auch sehr gut organisierte Profirennen des UCI-Status 1.2 statt, bei denen die Jungs von BIKE AID am Start standen.Beim gestrigen, schweren Grand Prix Gazipasa konnten bereits Nikodemus Holler und Adne van Engelen nach 153 bergigen Kilometern mit den Plätzen 10 und 15 überzeugen.
Das Rennen gewann der Weißrusse Bransilau Samoilau, der bereits 7 Grand Tours bestritten hat aus einer 3-köpfigen Spitzengruppe.

Lucas Carstensen
Am heutigen Sonntag stand der Grand Prix Alanya auf dem Programm und nach erneut 153 aber diesmal flachen Kilometern, vollendete Lucas Carstensen die Vorarbeit seiner Teamkollegen und gewann das Rennen. „Das Team hat toll für mich gearbeitet und vor allem Nikodemus Holler und Aaron Grosser haben im Finale eine entscheidende Rolle gespielt und großen Beitrag zu dem Sieg geleistet“, so Carstensen.Neuzugang Grosser, der Lucas Carstensen den Sprint auf den letzten 400m lancierte kam selber noch auf einen tollen Rang 6.

Aaron Grosser
Text: Bike Aid
https://www.bikeaid.de/racing

Fotos: Gerhard Plomitzer – www.plomi.smugmug.com

Team Bike Aid bei der Mallorca Challenge 2019

Etappenrennen, Teamnews,

Wenn die Freizeitradler nach ihren Touren im Hotel beim Abendessen sitzen, ist die Stimmung meist euphorisch, jeder berichtet von den Heldentaten des Tages, freut sich seiner Leistungen. Aber wie sieht es aus, wenn sich die Fahrer kleinerer Teams wie BIKE AID mit den besten der Welt messen müssen?
Der Unterschied wird schon weit vor der Küste Mallorcas deutlich, draußen auf dem Meer
Wer in den Tagen vor der Challenge Mallorca in Barcelona eine Fähre betritt, der glaubt inmitten der Tour de France zu stehen. Im Laderaum stehen die großen Reisebusse und LKW´s der Teams, schiffen Unmengen an Material und Bequemlichkeiten für die Radprofis auf die Insel. Dazwischen ein kleiner Kombi mit saarländischen Kennzeichen, auch voll gepackt. Der Fahrer: Timo Schäfer, Teamorganisator und selbst Fahrer hat sich von Sankt Wendel aus auf den Weg gemacht. Es fühlt sich ein wenig bedrohlich an in diesem Laderaum der Fähre.
Die anderen Fahrer des Teams dürfen es sich derweil im Flugzeug bequem machen, neben den Kittels, Degenkolbs und Greipels. Aber diese Gleichheit besteht nur kurz. Wer glaubt, Weltklasse Sportler kommen im Januar nach Mallorca um sich etwas einzurollen, der irrt gewaltig. Die Profis haben hier nur ein Ziel: Maximal an die Schmerzgrenze zu gehen, zu testen wie die Form ist, den Teamchefs zu beweisen, dass sie bereit sind für die großen Frühjahrsklassiker. Und die Strecken alles andere als einfach: Das Tramuntana Gebirge wird kreuz und quer durchritten, alle großen Pässe stehen auf dem Programm.

Einzig das erste Rennen war in den vergangenen Jahren etwas flacher, es kam meist zu einem Sprint. Aber Spanien stellt aktuell den amtierenden Straßenweltmeister und zu dessen Ehren verlegte man das Ziel kurzerhand auf den legendären San Salvador. Besagter Weltmeister wollte auch gleich vorab klarstellen, wer hier den Ton angeben soll. Bei Strava pulverisierte er am Vortag des Rennens die Bestzeit (den sogenannten KOM), an dem sich bisher nicht weniger als 30.000 Radsportler eingetragen haben.
Auch BIKE AID wollte im Rahmen seiner Möglichkeiten an diesem Tage etwas erreichen, hat mit Adne van Engelen einen ausgewiesenen Bergspezialisten am Start. Er ist auch ein ganz kleiner Weltmeister, wenn auch nur der Studenten. Es wäre Blasphemie, dies mit dem offiziellen Weltmeistertrikot zu vergleichen. Und dennoch, wenn auch mehr im Spaß, waren die Vortage des Rennens teamintern bestimmt durch die Gespräche über das Aufeinandertreffen der Weltmeister.

Alle wollten diesen Berg als erster bezwingen und so kam es, wie es kommen musste
Nervosität, Gedränge, Windkante und ein hohes Tempo bis zum Massensturz kurz vor dem Ziel. Für viele war die Weiterfahrt damit beendet, da sie sich in einem Knäul aus Carbon und menschlichen Gliedmaßen am Boden wiederfanden. So auch Mikel Landa, vierplatzierter der Tour de France 2017, welcher mit Blaulicht ins Krankenhaus verfrachtet werden musste.
Die BIKE AID Fahrer kamen zwar ohne große Blessuren durch, konnten aber nur noch mit erheblichem Rückstand das Ziel erreichen. Enttäuschung bei Adne van Engelen, der seine Chance nicht nutzen konnte, vielleicht mit einem Platz unter den ersten 20 zumindest ein kleines Ausrufezeichen inmitten der Weltelite zu setzten. Aber auch besagter Weltmeister verfehlte den Sieg.
Es folgten zwei Renntage, deren Herausforderungen schlicht nur Weltklasse Athleten meistern können. Lediglich Adne van Engelen konnte, zumindest auf der Etappe von Andratx über den höchsten Pass der Insel, den Puig Major von Soller aus, mithalten und erreichte als 39. das Ziel.
Erst am letzten Tag sollte es eine Chance für die Sprinter geben. Für BIKE AID mit Aaron Grosser und Lucas Carstensen eine berechtigte Hoffnung auf ein Top Ergebnis. Doch auch hier stellt sich kurz vor Palma der Coll de sa Creu in den Weg. Aber wenn Sprinter wie Marcel Kittel über den Berg manövriert werden, profitieren auch andere davon.
Auf den Schlussrunden rast das Feld durch Palma, vorbei an der Kathedrale und dem Jachthafen
Wenige Kilometer vor dem Ziel spricht der spanische Fernsehkommentator von einem Justin Wolf. Der BIKE AID Neuzugang hat sich genau den richtigen Moment ausgesucht, um seine Tempohärte aus den Bahnweltcups auf der Straße zu zeigen. So steht er einige Minuten im Fokus der Kameras, bis ihn das Feld kurz vor der Ziellinie einholt und Marcel Kittel seinen ersten Sieg seit langer Zeit feiern kann. Nur kurz dahinter aber dennoch auf einem undankbaren 21. Platz erreicht Lucas Carstensen das Ziel.

Im letzten Jahr gelang Lucas Carstensen noch ein Traumstart in die Saison, als er direkt die erste Etappe der Tropical Amissa Bongo in Gabon gewann. André Greipel benötigte dieses Jahr bei seinem Debut in Gabon sechs Etappen Anlauf, bis er Lucas Carstensen mit einem Etappensieg gleichziehen konnte.
Mit der Challenge Mallorca hat sich BIKE AID einen schweren Saisonstart herausgesucht, von Siegen war hier sicher nicht zu träumen. Dennoch werden sich diese Erfahrungen in den nächsten Rennen auszahlen.
Text: @Bikeaid
https://www.bikeaid.de/racing

Fotos: Gerhard Plomitzer
www.plomi.smugmug.com / @plomiphotos

Ion Izagirre (Astana) gewinnt Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen,

5. Etappe:
1 Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma 01:50:17
2 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
3 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott
4 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott
5 Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits
6 Michele Gazoli (Ita) Cometa Cycling Team
7 Sondre Enger (Nor) Israel Cycling Academy
8 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
9 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
10 Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Faizane

Gesamtwertung Endstand:
1 Ion Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Astana Pro Team 16:08:44
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 00:00:07
3 Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Astana Pro Team
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:16
5 Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain-Merida 00:00:18
6 Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis, Credit Solutions 00:00:29
7 Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott 00:00:33
8 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 00:00:34
9 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 00:00:46
10 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:48

Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) gewinnt Zeitfahren und Gesamtwertung des Etoile de Besseges 2019

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, ,

4. Etappe Zeitfahren:
1 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits 0:15:39
2 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ
3 Jimmy Janssens (Bel) Corendon-Circus 0:00:13
4 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
5 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First 0:00:18
6 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education First 0:00:20
7 Yoann Paillot (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:23
8 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:30
9 Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
10 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles 0:00:32
Gesamtwertung:
1 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis Solutions Credits 10:29:35
2 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:16
3 Jimmy Janssens (Bel) Corendon-Circus 0:00:29
4 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
5 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First 0:00:34
6 Yoann Paillot (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93 0:00:36
7 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education First
8 Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:43
9 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:46
10 Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Wallonie Bruxelles 0:00:48

Tour of Oman 2019: Number 10!

Etappenrennen, Vorschau, ,

Key points :
 The Sultanate of Oman will be welcoming the elite of world cycling for the 10th edition of the Tour of Oman, a favourite race for the perennial spring classics specialists. Among them, sprinters such as Nasser Bouhanni, André Greipel and Bryan Coquard will try to distinguish themselves, but also to do battle on more demanding finishes with Alexander Kristoff and Greg van Avermaet.
 Traditionally, the climb up Jabal Al Akhdhar (the “Green Mountain”) proves to be decisive in the fight for the title. It should be an ideal playing ground for climbers like Domenico Pozzovivo or Mathias Frank.

There is an ambiance of a return to business in Oman, despite the summer temperatures that will welcome the riders between 16th and 21st February. At this stage of the season, nobody has yet attached their first race numbers nor worn their new jersey in a competitive context for those who have changed team. Be that as it may, the reflexes are still a bit rusty but the winter preparation is well and truly over. It is time to get to the heart of the matter, namely direct confrontation between rivals who will be battling to be the best throughout the year. On the Tour of Oman, the struggle will see all types of riders involved, whether they are more inclined to shining on the spring classics, specialists of stage wins on grand tours or pretenders for general classification triumphs on week-long races, or longer.
The Tour of Oman, appreciated for its alternation between flat and hilly finishes, will put the cream of the sprinting clan in the spotlight from the first stage on the Suhar Corniche and without a doubt at the end of the race on the Matrah Corniche. These seaside finishes should give rise to tough clashes between Nacer Bouhanni, André Greipel, Bryan Coquard and Sonny Colbrelli. However, the riders will have to display a different type of power on the undulating routes leading to Al Bustan (stage 2) and Qurayyat (stage 3). Alexander Kristoff, who boasts the most stage wins in Oman with 8 victories in 9 participations, will be one of the men to watch, as will Greg van Avermaet, who will be looking to improve his roll of honour in preparation for his campaign in Flanders. Nonetheless, the two favourites could be left in the wake of Gasparotto, Magnus Cort-Nielsen or, should the race take a slightly different turn, Niki Terpstra, Oliver Naesen or Nathan Haas. As is often the case, the “Green Mountain” is likely to be crucial in the battle for the title, the day before the race comes to its conclusion. The 5.7-km climb will be the steepest of the week (with an average gradient of 10.5%) and could be used as a springboard to triumph by a climber such as Domenico Pozzovivo, Mathias Frank or Jesus Herrada. However, the winning ticket might also go to the title holder Alexey Lutsenko if, like in last year’s success, he contents himself with keeping with the pace on this climber’s test.
18 teams: the main participants
Bahrain
Bahrain-Merida: Pozzovivo, Colbrelli (Ita)
Belgium
Wanty-Gobert Cycling Team: De Clercq (Bel), Minaard (Nld)
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise: Capiot, Van Hecke (Bel)
Wallonie Bruxelles: B. Planckaert, Dehaes (Bel)
France
AG2R La Mondiale: Frank, Dillier (Che), Naesen (Bel)
Cofidis, Solutions crédits: Bouhanni (Fra), Jes. Herrada (Esp)
Direct Energie: Petit (Fra), Terpstra (Nld)
Team Arkea-Samsic: B. Feillu (Fra), Greipel (Deu)
Vital Concept-B&B Hotels: Coquard, Reza (Fra)
Delko Marseille Provence: Moreno (Esp), Jones (Aus)
Kazakhstan
Astana Pro Team: Lutsenko (Kaz), Cort-Nielsen (Dnk)
Netherlands
Roompot-Charles: Lammertink, Van Poppel (Nld)
Poland
CCCTeam: Van Avermaet, Van Keirsbulck (Bel)
South Africa
Team Dimension Data: Gasparotto (Ita), Slagter (Nld)
Spain
Euskadi Basque Country-Murias: Bizkarra, Aristi (Spa)
Switzerland
Team Katusha Alpecin: Haas (Aus), Boswell (Usa)
United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Kristoff (Nor), Costa (Prt), Laengen (Nor)
USA
Rally UHC Cycling: Huffman, McNulty (Usa)
@ASO