Archiv für den Tag: 23. Januar 2020

2020 ARDENNES CLASSICS: SMALL NOVELTIES AND CLASSIC ESSENTIALS

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, Vorschau, Weltcup und Klassiker, , , ,

2020 ARDENNES CLASSICS:
SMALL NOVELTIES AND CLASSIC ESSENTIALS

Key points:
 The world’s best puncheurs, male and female, will race the Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, April 22nd. Liège-Bastogne-Liège Hommes and Femmes will be held on Sunday, April 26th.
 La Doyenne’s finish is set on the boulevard d’Avroy, in the heart of Liège, after climbing the côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.
 The riders participating in the Flèche Wallonne will face an unprecedented climb with the introduction of the côte du chemin des Gueuses in the final loop around Huy.

The Doyenne has returned to the heart of Liège in 2019 and is ready to come back in 2020. For the second year in a row, Liège-Bastogne-Liège Hommes and its feminine counterpart will end on the boulevard d’Avroy, where Jakob Fuglsang and Annemiek van Vleuten celebrated their solo triumphs last Spring. Fuglsang was the second Dane to take victory in 105 editions of the race while Van Vleuten got a spot in the winners list alongside her Dutch compatriot Anna van der Breggen, winner of the first two editions of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes in Ans.
The riders aiming for such successes in 2020 will tackle familiar climbs. The route for the men’s race features 11 iconic ascents, from the côte de La Roche-en-Ardenne all the way to the côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, before the champions storm to the finish in the ardent city. As they ride from the côte de Wanne to the côte de la Vecquée, the women will face for the first time the côte de la Haute-Levée, a classic of the men’s route.
Four days earlier, the world’s best puncheurs, male and female, will already battle it out in the Ardennes with the Flèche Wallonne. The ascent of the côte du chemin des Gueuses (1.8km with an average gradient of 6.5%) appears on the route for the first time both for the men and the women. It comes instead of the côte de Cherave in the final circuit designed around the Mur de Huy.

The Flèche Wallonne Hommes will start from Herve, where the peloton and the whole world of cycling will admire the spring of the Six Fountains, and quickly head for the côte de Trasenster. The other challenges of the route are well known by the reigning champions, Julian Alaphilippe and Anna van der Breggen. Everything is set for a thrilling battle on the Mur.
At the announcement of the routes for the Ardennes classics, the organisers revealed the names of the teams that will take part in the next editions of the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In addition to the 19 WorldTeams and the top two teams of the UCI ProTeams rankings in 2019, Team Direct Energie (Fra) and Circus – Wanty Gobert (Bel) have been selected:

2020 Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
– Alpecin – Fenix (Bel)
– Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise (Bel)
– Team Arkéa – Samsic(Fra)
– Wallonie Bruxelles (Bel)

The races have two new partners
– The Italian National Tourist Board, founded in 1919 under the moniker ENIT, becomes an Official Partner of the Ardennes Classics in 2020. More information here: www.italia.it/en/
– Ardennes-Etape, a specialist in on-line location of holiday homes in the Ardennes, becomes an Official Partner of the Ardennes Classics in 2020. More information here : https://en.ardennes-etape.be/

The Dictée of Ardennes Classics
Following two editions of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège dictation, in 2020 this concept will also take in the Flèche Wallonne to become the Ardennes Classics Dictation. On Wednesday 18th March, in each school taking part (classes in the last year of primary school and the first year of secondary school in the Province of Liège are concerned), several hundred pupils will be trying to meet the challenge of making no mistakes. The Province of Liège will then organise an awards ceremony to be held at the official presentation of the teams in Liège, on Saturday 25th April, with awards for 200 children. The following day, the authors of the 14 best dictations will have privileged access to watch the race (seven at the start and seven at the finish)..

10th edition of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge: Saturday 25th April 2020
The day before the elite race, more than 8,000 amateur riders are expected to take the same roads as the professionals and test themselves on the legendary slopes of the Ardennes, with some of the climbs against the clock. Participants will be able to tackle three different distances in order to satisfy all levels of cycling ability: 266 km, 147 km and 70 km.
Information and registration on www.lblchallenge.be
@ASO

Teams selected for 2020 Paris-Roubaix

Frühjahrskassiker, Vorschau, Weltcup und Klassiker, ,

The organisers of Paris-Roubaix have chosen the teams for the 118th edition of the “reine des classiques” (Sunday, April 12nd).
In accordance with Union Cycliste Internationale rules, the nineteen UCI WorldTeams are invited:

AG2R La Mondiale (Fra)
Astana Pro Team (Kaz)
Bahrain – McLaren (Brn)
Bora – Hansgrohe (Ger)
CCC Team (Pol)
Cofidis (Fra)
Deceuninck – Quick-Step (Bel)
EF Pro Cycling (Usa)
Groupama – FDJ (Fra)
Israel Start-Up Nation (Isr)
Lotto Soudal (Bel)
Mitchelton – Scott (Aus)
Movistar Team (Esp)
NTT Pro Cycling Team (Rsa)
Team Ineos (Gbr)
Team Jumbo – Visma (Ned)
Team Sunweb (Ger)
Trek – Segafredo (Usa)
UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

Furthermore, the first two teams according to the 2019 UCI ProTeams ranking, Total Direct Energie (Fra) and Circus – Wanty Gobert (Bel), will participate by right to Paris-Roubaix.
The organisers have invited the following teams:

Alpecin – Fenix (Bel)
B&B Hôtels – Vital Concept (Fra)
Nippo Delko Provence (Fra)
Team Arkéa – Samsic (Fra)

@ASO

Saudi-Tour: Bouhanni et Cavendish back to work

Etappenrennen, Vorschau, ,

Key points:
 The 1st edition of the Saudi Tour, which will take place between 4th and 8th February, offers a programme combining desert scenery and skyscrapers, with five stages around the capital Riyadh.
 The alternation between flat profiles and more undulating stages promises for battles between sprinters, interspersed with exploits by punchers or even breakaway specialists.
 Among the specialists of the final straight, the Saudi Tour will be hosting the return to business of Mark Cavendish in his new colours of the Bahrein-McLaren team, whilst Nacer Bouhanni will be trying on his Arkea-Samsic jersey for the first time. As regards attacks from far out, a watchful eye will have to be kept on Niki Terpstra, Enrico Gasparotto, Rui Costa or also Angel Madrazo, all of whom will be eager to try their luck.

A new territory is ready to welcome the elite of cycling with the first edition of the Saudi Tour to be held from Tuesday, February 4th until Saturday, February 8th. Over five stages set between the skyscrapers of the capital Riyadh and the Arabian desert, the route aims to highlight the cultural history and the modernity of the Kingdom, outlined by its sporting facilities.
The 1st stage will start in front of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee headquarters, where the country’s sports federations are hosted. The riders will get a first taste of the desert while riding on leg-sapping roads leading to an uphill finish in Jaww.
The 2nd stage, the longest, will bring more spectacular views with a start next to Sadus Castle, a first loop on open roads that could lead to echelons and a finish on the modern Riyadh Turky Road.
The 3rd stage, from the King Saud University to Al Bujairi, may be the most challenging with a demanding circuit and a total of nine climbs. The riders will be on the edge again as they ride into the desert the next day and tackle a 5-km climb with a gradient around 5% in Qiddiya, where the 2020 Dakar also finishes. Eventually, the 5th stage will start in front of the Princess Nourah University and finish at the Masmak fort after travelling through Riyadh, in the shadow of the skyscrapers.
Each stage will feature several intermediate sprints, on the flat or atop climbs, and the participants will score points in a single classification rewarding the most aggressive rider of the Saudi Tour. These sprints may also influence the race for the overall victory with time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds up for grabs in the last intermediate sprint of the day, set inside the last 25 kilometres.
18 TEAMS: THE MAIN PARTICIPANTS
Bahrein
Bahrain-McLaren: Cavendish (GB), Bauhaus (Ger)
Belgium
Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles: Vanendert, Planckaert (Bel)
Circus-Wanty Gobert: Offredo (Fra)
Denmark
Riwal Readynez Cycling Team: Havik (NL)
France
Arkea-Samsic: Bouhanni (Fra), McLay (GB)
B&B Hotels-Vital Concept: Debusschere (Bel)
Nippo Delko One Provence: Navardauskas (Lit)
Total Direct Energie: Terpstra (NL), Bonifazio (Ita), Gaudin (Fra)
Germany
Bike Aid: Carstensen (Ger)
Great Britain
Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling: Lampier (GB)
Kazakhstan
Astana Pro Team: De Vreese (Bel)
Malaysia
Terengganu Inc. TSG Cycling Team: Reguigui (Alg)
Russia
Gazprom-RusVelo: Chernetskii (Rus)
South Africa
NTT Pro Cycling: Gasparotto (Swi), Kreuziger (Cz), R.Janse van Rensburg (SAf)
Spain
Burgos-BH: Madrazo (Spa)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA: Malucelli (Ita)
United Arab Emirates
UAE-Team Emirates: Costa (Por), Conti (Ita)
USA
Rally Cycling: De Vos (Can)
@ASO

Tour Down Under – Etappe 3

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, Teamnews, , , ,

Die dritte Etappe der Tour Down Under von Unley to Paracombe war zwar nur 131 km lang, wartete aber im Finish mit einem anspruchsvollen letzten Kilometer auf. BORA – hansgrohe fuhr für Jay McCarthy, der sich heute Hoffnungen auf eine gute Platzierung machen konnte. Leider stürzte der australische Fahrer in einer Abfahrt rund 12 km vor dem Ziel. Obwohl er das Rennen fortsetzen konnte, verlor er viel Zeit und damit auch seine Chancen in der Gesamtwertung. Im Schlussanstieg lancierte R. Porte die entscheidende Attacke und holte den Tagessieg.
Reaktionen im Ziel
„Es ist natürlich sehr enttäuschend, dass ich nach der gestrigen Etappe heute wieder gestürzt bin. Wir glaubten, wir hätten heute eine gute Chance gehabt, das Team hat sehr gut für mich gearbeitet und so ist das wirklich sehr schade. Ich ging in der Abfahrt etwa 10 km vor dem Ziel zu Boden. Obwohl es ein schwerer Sturz war, konnte ich das Rennen zusammen mit Erik Baska beenden. Ich musste allerdings einen großen Zeitverlust hinnehmen. Beim Sturz habe ich mir viele Wunden und wohl auch Prellungen zugezogen.” – Jay McCarthy

„Der Sturz hat sich im Finale mit hoher Geschwindigkeit ereignet und entsprechend sind diese Stürze immer gefährlich. Nach ersten Untersuchungen hat er viele Wunden, Abschürfungen und Prellungen. Alles Weitere werden wir zurück im Hotel bei einem intensiveren Check erfahren.“ – Jan-Niklas Droste, Team Doktor
@BORA-hansgrohe

Unley – Paracombe (131,0 km)
1 Richie Porte (Aus) Trek – Segafredo 3:14:09
2 Rob Power (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:05
3 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:05
4 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Team Ineos 0:00:05
5 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:05
6 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:05
7 Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Team Ineos 0:00:05
8 Simon Geschke (GER) CCC Team 0:00:05
9 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:05
10 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:13
11 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:15
12 Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:15
13 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:15
14 Hermann Pernsteiner (AUT) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:15
15 Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:15
16 Eduard Prades Reverter (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:15
17 Chris Harper (Aus) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:23
18 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Pro Cycling 0:00:23
19 Jai Hindley (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:23
20 Kilian Frankiny (SUI) Groupama – FDJ 0:00:23
21 Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Team Ineos 0:00:23
22 Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:23
23 Nathan Haas (Aus) Cofidis 0:00:23
24 Omar Fraile Matarranz (Esp) Astana Pro Team 0:00:27
25 Luis León Sanchez (Esp) Astana Pro Team 0:00:27

Gesamtwertung
1 Richie Porte (Aus) Trek – Segafredo 10:10:24
2 Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:06
3 Rob Power (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:09
4 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:11
5 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:14
6 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:15
7 Simon Geschke (GER) CCC Team 0:00:15
8 Rohan Dennis (Aus) Team Ineos 0:00:15
9 Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Team Ineos 0:00:15
10 Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:23
11 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:25
12 Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:25
13 Hermann Pernsteiner (AUT) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:25
14 Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:25
15 Eduard Prades Reverter (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:25
16 Nathan Haas (Aus) Cofidis 0:00:28
17 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Pro Cycling 0:00:33
18 Kilian Frankiny (SUI) Groupama – FDJ 0:00:33
19 Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Team Ineos 0:00:33
20 Jai Hindley (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:33