Archiv für den Monat: Juli 2020

Comeback bei der Deutschland Tour: Jens Voigt fährt komplette Profistrecke

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Fast auf den Tag genau 13 Jahre nach seinem zweiten Gesamtsieg fährt Jens Voigt wieder die Profidistanz der Deutschland Tour. Vom 20. bis 23. August wird der 48-jährige Botschafter der „kinder+Sport mini tour“ die vier Etappen der Rundfahrt zusammen mit Fans abfahren. Hobbysportler können sich unter DeinRide.deutschland-tour.com zu einem der vier Tage anmelden. Bei „Dein Ride.“ fahren sie schon in diesem Jahr auf der Strecke der Deutschland Tour 2021. In kleinen Gruppen werden die Fans angeführt von Guides, wie Jens Voigt, Fabian Wegmann und Johannes Fröhlinger. Ein Streckentest exklusiv für Fans – ein Jahr bevor die Profis den Kurs erleben.

Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer
„Vier Tage mit Freunden quer durch Deutschland fahren: Ostsee, Thüringer Wald, Fränkische Schweiz – das klingt doch wie Sommerferien. Ich bin Ruheständler und dachte, dass meine 180-Kilometer-Tage vorbei sind. Aber bei dieser Strecke werden die Beine schnell wieder wach“, sagt Jens Voigt, der die Fan-Ausfahrt im „kinder+Sport mini tour“-Trikot bestreiten wird. Seit zwei Jahren engagiert sich der sechsfache Vater bei der Initiative, um Kinder mit Spaß an das Radfahren heranzuführen. Foto: ©HenningAngerer
Streng limitierte Plätze
Maximal 100 Hobbysportler können pro Tag dabei sein. Noch sind Plätze dieser limitierten Kontingente unter DeinRide.deutschland-tour.com verfügbar.

Ambitioniertere Freizeitfahrer werden sich für eine komplette Etappe entscheiden. Vom flachen Abschnitt über 200 Kilometer zwischen Stralsund und Schwerin (Donnerstag, 20 August) bis zum Klassikerprofil mit 150 Kilometern zwischen Erlangen und Nürnberg (Sonntag, 23. August) ist für jeden Geschmack etwas dabei. Zum Reinschnuppern bietet sich eine der Halbetappen ab 70 Kilometer an. Egal welches Angebot genutzt wird: der Spaß am Radsport und das gemeinsame Erlebnis stehen im Vordergrund, denn die Ausfahrt findet auf normalen Straßen ohne Zeitnahme oder Wertungen statt.

Fan-Ausfahrt mit Profi-Service

Bei „Dein Ride.“ werden die Fans auf Profi-Niveau betreut. Shuttlebusse inklusive Radtransport stehen für eine reibungslose An- und Abfahrt zu den Halbetappen bereit. Die Gruppen werden durch erfahrene Guides geführt und mit Fahrzeugen begleitet. Kleiderbeutel-Transport, Reparaturdienst mit Service-Wagen, medizinischer Notfallservice und ein Besenwagen geben Sicherheit. Mittagsrast an einer Verpflegungsstelle, umfangreicher Starterbeutel mit Santini-Trikot und Selfies mit den Guides runden das exklusive Fan-Erlebnis ab.
Detaillierte Informationen zu den vier Etappen von „Dein Ride.“ und zur Anmeldung sind unter DeinRide.deutschland-tour.com verfügbar.

„kinder+Sport“ bewegt Kinder bei der Deutschland Tour
Mit der „kinder+Sport mini tour“ ist die Bewegungsinitiative seit 2018 als Partner der Deutschland Tour aktiv und veranstaltet spannende Aktionen für Kinder. Das Ziel: Kinder und Jugendliche für das Radfahren zu begeistern und für mehr Sport und Bewegung zu motivieren. Die „kinder+Sport mini tour“ Laufradrennen geben Kindern zwischen zwei und fünf Jahren die Möglichkeit, sich auf den letzten 100 Metern der Profistrecke zu beweisen. Kids zwischen sechs und zwölf Jahren haben bei der „kinder+Sport mini tour“ Bike Parade die Chance, gemeinsam mit vielen anderen Kids in einem Rundkurs auf der Strecke der Deutschland Tour zu fahren. In der „kinder+Sport mini tour“ Fahrrad-Erlebniswelt können kleine und auch größere Biker ihre Fähigkeiten im Radfahren austesten und unter professioneller Anleitung verbessern. Jens Voigt begleitet alle Aktionen und gibt den Kids unter anderem Tipps & Tricks zum Radfahren sowie wichtige Hilfestellung für den sicheren Umgang mit dem Fahrrad.
Weitere Informationen zur „kinder+Sport mini tour“: www.kinderplussport.de
Pressebüro Deutschland Tour | Sandra Schmitz || sandra@flessnerschmitz.com | www.cycling-pr.com

Vuelta a Burgos – Etappe 3

Sargentes de La Lora – Picón Blanco (150 km) Bergankunft

1 Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck – Quick Step 3:59:09
2 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:18
3 Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:32
4 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:35
5 João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:45
6 Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:52
7 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Team Ineos 0:00:52
8 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
9 Joel Nicolau Beltran (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA 0:01:20
10 Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Esp) Mitchelton – Scott 0:01:20
11 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton – Scott 0:01:20
12 David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:33
13 Roger Adria Oliveras (Esp) Equipo Kern Pharma 0:01:33
14 Cristian Rodriguez Martin (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA 0:01:43
15 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team 0:02:09

Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer

Gesamtwertung
1 Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck – Quick Step 11:35:16
2 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:18
3 Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:32
4 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:35
5 João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:45
6 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Team Ineos 0:00:52
7 Ben Hermans (Bel) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:52
8 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
9 David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Esp) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:33
10 Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Esp) Mitchelton – Scott 0:01:35
11 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team 0:02:09
12 Victor De La Parte (Esp) CCC Team 0:02:19
13 Oscar Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Esp) Astana Pro Team 0:02:29
14 Louis Meintjes (RSA) NTT Pro Cycling Team 0:02:45
15 Roger Adria Oliveras (Esp) Equipo Kern Pharma 0:02:53

Vuelta a Burgos – Etappe 2

Castrojeriz – Villadiego (168 km)
1 Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) UAE Team Emirates 3:55:38
2 Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama – FDJ 0:00:00
3 Sam Bennett (Irl) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:00
4 Matteo Trentin (Ita) CCC Team 0:00:00
5 Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA 0:00:00
6 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek – Segafredo 0:00:00
7 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling Team 0:00:00
8 Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek – Segafredo 0:00:00
9 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:00
10 Mikel Aristi Gardoki (Esp) Euskaltel – Euskadi 0:00:00
11 Lionel Taminiaux (Bel) Bingoal – WB 0:00:00
12 Riccardo Minali (Ita) Nippo Delko Provence 0:00:00
13 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:00
14 Davide Cimolai (Ita) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:00:00
15 Simone Velasco (Ita) Gazprom – RusVelo 0:00:00

Gesamtwertung
1 Felix Großschartner (AUT) Bora – Hansgrohe 7:35:59
2 Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA 0:00:08
3 Matteo Trentin (Ita) CCC Team 0:00:08
4 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek – Segafredo 0:00:08
5 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling Team 0:00:08
6 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:08
7 Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:08
8 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:08
9 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:08
10 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Team Ineos 0:00:08
11 Marco Canola (Ita) Gazprom – RusVelo 0:00:08
12 Edward Dunbar (Irl) Team Ineos 0:00:08
13 Urko Berrade Fernandez (Esp) Equipo Kern Pharma 0:00:08
14 Lennard Kämna (GER) Bora – Hansgrohe 0:00:08
15 Arjen Livyns (Bel) Bingoal – WB 0:00:08

CRITÉRIUM DU DAUPHINÉ 2020 THE RACE FOR THE SUMMIT

Key points:
 Following the revision of the UCI calendar due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Critérium du Dauphiné 2020 will start on Wednesday 12 August in Clermont-Ferrand and finish on Sunday 16 August in Megève.
 The shortened five-stage race, which includes neither time trial nor prologue, will feature a series of climbs building up to Sunday’s climax in Megève. The last four stages remain unchanged from the original route, while the new first day will see the riders traversing undulating terrain between Clermont-Ferrand and Saint-Christo-en-Jarez.
 The favourites for the forthcoming Tour de France already have their sights set on the intense examination in the mountains: Primoz Roglic, Egan Bernal, Tom Dumoulin, Julian Alaphilippe, Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot have all identified the Dauphiné as a key objective in their preparations for the Tour.

The 72nd edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné has already earned its place in the history books. The race presents a new five-stage format with no time trials, in addition to an unprecedented starting point in the capital of the Massif Central. Indeed, the opening day will serve as a dress rehearsal for the city of Clermont-Ferrand, before riders gather there again for the 14th stage of the Tour de France in September. Stage 1 will offer the competitors precious little opportunity to find their legs: covering a total of 218.5 km and culminating in a final circuit around Saint-Christo-en-Jarez, the route throws up constant changes in pace and gradient – riders beware, your refuelling strategy may be crucial!
Having been partially redesigned in order to ensure the race’s integration into the revised international calendar, the 2020 route will mark a break with tradition. Gone is the sprint finish in Bourg-de-Péage, with the riders embarking from the second day on a quartet of alpine stages that are guaranteed to push the peloton to its limit. The racing on Thursday and Friday will follow a dense and cadenced itinerary featuring a succession of technical descents, including the Côte Maillet, as well as the first cols. Notable among the latter will be a new route up to the Col de la Madeleine, a climb also featuring in the Tour de France for the first time on the 17th stage of this year’s race.
The real showdown in the mountains is reserved for the weekend, however, with 4,700 metres of elevation gain to tackle on Saturday alone. In order to prevail, stage contenders will need to keep enough energy in the tank for one final flight up to the altiport of Megève. Sunday’s grand finale, also in Megève, will unfold on a loop punctuated with four major tests: the Côte de Domancy, the Col de Romme, the Col de la Colombière and lastly, in the shadow of Mont Blanc, the gruelling Côte de Cordon. The stage is set for an alpine extravaganza, played out against the backdrop of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, which will be just over the horizon on 29th August in Nice.

Route of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2020:
 Wednesday 12 August – 1st stage – Clermont-Ferrand (63) > Saint-Christo-en-Jarez (42) – 218.5 km
 Thursday 13 August – 2nd stage – Vienne (38) > Col de Porte (38) – 135 km
 Friday 14 August – 3rd stage – Corenc (38) > Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (73) – 157 km
 Saturday 15 August – 4th stage – Ugine (73) > Megève (74) – 157 km
 Sunday 16 August – 5th stage – Megève (74) > Megève (74) – 153.5 km
@ASO

LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE 2020 with FDJ : LADIES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Key points:
 The 7th edition of La Course by Le Tour de France avec FDJ will take place next month on a 96-kilometre course with the start and finish in Nice, for the first time before the Tour de France riders head into action.
 While the sprinters cannot be ruled out, the route chosen for the ladies also offers opportunities for punchers capable of breaking away and resisting the return of the peloton just until the Promenade des Anglais.
 The most prominent champions in the peloton have already circled 29 August on their calendar, starting with the four winners of La Course by Le Tour de France avec FDJ, Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, Chloé Hosking and Annemiek van Vleuten, who will have to contend with the likes of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio et Marta Bastianelli.

The women’s peloton was welcomed for the first time on the Tour de France at the conclusion of the 2014 edition and started to make the Champs-Elysées their stomping ground. They then discovered the high mountains with a finish at the Col d’Izoard in 2017, followed in Marseille by an atypical pursuit race on the time trial course. At the Grand-Bornand in 2018, then on a „championship“ type circuit format around Pau last year, the women’ race then experimented with different scenarios. In 2020, it is in Nice where the world’s elite female racers will come together this time with the honour of starting the competition even before the men set off on their Tour de France.

On the 96-kilometre course, which will use part of the route prepared for the men’s race, the women will probably not be expected to compete in a large group sprint, according to Jean-Marc Marino, the event’s sporting director. “The race will consist of a loop to be completed twice. The côte de Rimiez will allow for a solid group to break away. All the more so as after reaching the line drawn for the mountain points, there will actually be several kilometres of climb left to the village of Aspremont. This springboard is perfect for really strong girls who get along well, especially since the descent is technical and not very conducive to organizing a chase“. The four champions who have already put their names on the list of winners, namely Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, Chloé Hosking and Annemiek van Vleuten, can now start to fine-tune their strategy.
Amel Bouzoura, FDJ Director of Sponsoring and Partnerships: „with a considerable presence in French sport and as a sponsor of a men’s cycling team for over 20 years, FDJ is proud to continue its support of elite women’s cycling. Since 2017, the Group has been supporting the women’s cycling team FDJ – Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Futuroscope, and has strengthened its commitment to ensure the team’s UCI World Tour license in 2020. The team will participate in „La Course by Le Tour“, of which FDJ has been a „Major Sponsor“ since 2016. The company is committed to the promotion and encouragement of women’s sport with its „Sport pour Elles“ programme. In addition to professional cycling, FDJ supports the French Cycling Federation in the development of amateur cycling for all. »

23 teams, the leading participants (as of 29/07/2020) in alphabetical order:
ALE‘ BTC Ljubljana (ita)
Aromitalia – basso Bikes – Vaiano (Ita)
Astana Women’s Team (Kaz)
Bizkaia – Durango (Esp)
Boels Dolmans CyclingTeam (Nld)
Canyon / /Sram Racing (Ger)
CCC – Liv (Pol)
Ceratizit – WNT Pro Cycling Team (Ger)
Charente – Maritime Women Cycling (Fra)
Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling Team (Rus)
FDJ Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope (Fra)
Hitec Products – Birk Sport (Nor)
Lotto Soudal Ladies (Bel)
Mitchelton Scott (Aus)
Movistar Team Women (Esp)
Parkhotel Valkenburg (Nld)
Paule Ka (Che)
Rally Cycling (Usa)
Team Arkéa (Fra)
Team Sunweb (Ger)
Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank (Usa)
Trek – Segafredo (Usa)
Valcar – Travel & Service (Ita)

All information about La Course by Le Tour de France with FDJ on
www.lacoursebyletourdefrance.com/en/
@ASO

The Tour to the power of 10

1950: divorce Italian style (5/10)

At the turn of each decade, the Tour de France has gone through organisational changes and backstage struggles that have variously turned out to be decisive or utterly inconsequential. The journey back in time proposed by letour.fr continues in 1950, marked by the collective departure of the Italian riders after incidents that resulted in Gino Bartali being threatened and assaulted by French spectators in the Pyrenees. Between the resurgence of the old internal squabbles within the „Squadra“ and the diplomatic consequences of the Col d’Aspin affair, the 1950 Tour extended well beyond the roads of France.
A quarrel between neighbouring countries on the Tour de France is both simple and, at the same time, much more complex than an anecdotal overzealousness and wine in the ranks of the supporters of both sides. In 1950, traces of World War II remained and the memory of the Mussolini regime’s collaboration with Nazi Germany was still fresh. On the political front, there was a genuine desire to reintegrate Italy into the community of nations on both sides of the Alps, but progress was slow and sport had its place in this process. In the world of cycling, the Italian federation (UVI) was not readmitted into the UCI until 1947. In concert with the authorities, the organisers worked to bring consistency to the peloton and to provoke a maximum number of encounters between the champions of the two countries, for example with the creation of the Desgrange-Colombo Challenge, in tribute to the founders of the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. As a symbol of the newfound friendship, Sanremo hosted a stage finish on the 1948 Tour, where Gino Sciardis won ahead of Urbain Caffi… two French riders of Italian origin!

The understood interest of the two organizing newspapers, L’Equipe and La Gazzetta was to ensure that their races had the highest possible density, coexisting with the chauvinistic fibre that also sold newspapers. But this approach tended to heat up controversy and in the 1949 Tour, the French riders were copiously insulted, pushed and targeted by stone-throwing Italian supporters during the stage leading to Aosta. After the domination of Bartali and Coppi in the two previous editions, and a minimalist strategy that hardly made Italian riders popular in France, the 1950 Tour began in a climate of hostility towards them. Heralded as the rider to beat when Coppi was unable to ride, Gino Bartali felt threatened from the very first days, when the Italians won three of the first five stages. In the time trial in Brittany, he narrowly avoided falling after a spectator threw a stick into his wheels, but his team manager, Alfredo Binda effectively negotiated with the Italian journalists present not to worsen the situation. Gino himself declared in La Gazzetta on the eve of the Pyrenees that „it is better not to win“, just to ease tensions.

Jacques Goddet paid a visit to the Hotel de France in Loures-Barousse. The boss decided to meet the Italian delegation and convince Bartali to stay in the race. But his arguments didn’t change a thing. The leader of the „Squadra“ felt he was in danger.

The fears of the two-time winner were well-founded and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense in the Pau-Saint-Gaudens stage. On the Col d’Aspin climb, the pressure of the crowd sent both Robic and Bartali off their bikes, then the situation degenerated. Accounts of this scene of confusion varied greatly, but the limits of simple intimidation were largely exceeded and there were certainly punches thrown. In any case, Bartali, enraged, managed to get back to the leaders of the race and won the sprint in Saint-Gaudens, while his young team-mate Fiorenzo Magni claimed the Yellow Jersey, and immediately afterwards decided to leave the Tour where he felt in danger. That night, Jacques Goddet paid a visit to the Hotel de France in Loures-Barousse. The boss decided to meet the Italian delegation and convince Bartali to stay in the race. But his arguments (including financial ones, according to some…) didn’t change a thing. The leader of the „Squadra“ felt he was in danger and explained himself diplomatically in L’Equipe: „In many circumstances, I’ve been wonderfully welcomed in your country. But I think it only takes one crazy person for a disaster to happen. And that’s the madman I’m afraid of. Please understand, I have children and a family. Why take such risks? No, it’s for Italy that I’ll leave tomorrow“.

In fact, opinions were divided in the Italian camp. Fiorenzo Magni, who led the general classification, could legitimately believe in his chances of going for the greatest victory of his career. Bartali did not like this, partly because of Magni’s militia past. Alfredo Binda, who coached the team, rather thought about the need to maintain friendly relations with the French, but finally agreed with Bartali’s position and assumed the group withdrawal of the two Italian teams, taking the „Cadetti“ with him. The situation helped Ferdi Kübler, the new rider in the Yellow Jersey, but more than anything else caused a lot of upheaval. Very soon after the departure of the Italians, it was decided to cancel the arrival in Sanremo scheduled four days later for fear of reprisals from the tifosi. In the rush, Goddet and his services took on the logistical challenge of preparing a fallback arrival in Menton, with more than 1000 people to house and feed.

Practical considerations were quickly relegated to the back burner, as the Aspin affair entered the judicial arena with the opening of an investigation, and political considerations as soon as the stability of Franco-Italian relations was compromised. The diplomats of both countries were much less heated than their respective supporters and tried to calm things down. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman, first of all hastened to send a message to the Italian ambassador, expressing his „deep regret at the incidents of which the Italian riders were victims“. The issue also came up in parliamentary debates in both countries, with Edouard Bonnefous, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, solemnly declaring that „the Italians are friends who came to our country to demonstrate their class, not to be insulted. We cannot allow a handful of scoundrels to jeopardise good relations between the two countries“. In the same spirit of appeasement, the Italian Ambassador in Paris replied that „the regret expressed by the French Minister for Foreign Affairs served as a reminder that such incidents could never disrupt the friendly relations between the two governments and the two peoples, whose collaboration will increasingly develop in all areas“. As far as cycling was concerned, the presidents of the two federations, Adriano Rodoni and Achille Joinard, met in the second week of August with the Tour de France organisers to talk about the future. The Italian riders would definitely come to the 1951 Tour de France.
More information on www.letour.fr/en/
@ASO

Team Vorarlberg Santic

Erster richtiger Saisonhöhepunkt wartet in den französischen Alpen – Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc UCI 2.2 – Postalmsprint war keine Reise wert!

Es war ein Geduldskampf! Aber gestern hat der Veranstalter das OK gegeben für die Durchführung zu einer der schwersten Rundfahrten in Europa, der Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc (5. – 8. August)!
Und das Team Vorarlberg Santic ist am Start mit der aktuell besten Aufstellung. Das wird auch notwendig sein, denn man trifft unter anderem auf starke Pro Continental Teams wie Arkea-Samsic, B&B Hotels Vital Concept, Androni-Sidermec, Team Rally. Einige Teams rüsten sich dabei für die Tour de France an dieser prestigeträchtigen Rundfahrt.

Guerin ist fit wie ein Turnschuh nach Sturz in Kroatien – Thalmann und Stüssi führen Top Team an!
Nach seinem Horror Crash mit Tempo 70 in Kroatien beim GP Kranj am vergangenen Sonntag, meldet sich der Franzose fit zurück für seine Heimrundfahrt über den Col de Madeleine und weitere Alpenpässe der ersten Klasse.
Neben Guerin vervollständigen Kapitän Roland Thalmann, Colin Stüssi, Lukas Meiler, Johannes Schinnagel und Jack Burke den Kader.

„An dieser super schweren fünftägigen Tour sind wir in den letzten Jahren immer stark gefahren. Allerdings ist heuer alles anders. Es ist die erste Rundfahrt seit vier Monaten und man wird sehen wie die anderen Fahrer trainiert haben in der Corona Pause. Ich bin mir sicher dass wir aktiv fahren und all in geben, denn es brennen alle Fahrer und Betreuer auf den Start am Mittwoch 5. August in Annemasse. Ein Danke an den Veranstalter dass er die Rundfahrten trotz großer Covid-19 Auflagen durchführt!“ Thomas Kofler – Team Manager
Veranstalter: https://www.toursavoiemontblanc.com/
Infos zum Rennen: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-des-pays-de-savoie/2020/overview

Postalmsprint war keine Reise wert!
Der extreme Reiseverkehr und die unangekündigten Grenzkontrollen hat die Mannschaft zu spät an den Start gebracht, obwohl man zeitig unterwegs war. Aber auch das kommt vor! Ohne Vorbereitung war nicht mehr möglich als ein 18. Rang von Johannes Schinnagel.
Nichtsdestotrotz sind auch die Youngsters wieder im Rennrhythmus und wollen am kommenden Sonntag beim Einzelzeitfahren am Salzburgring (RadBundesliga) über 30 Kilometer.
Kader für Salzburgring: Dominik Amann, Maximilian Kuen, Martin und Lukas Meiler, Felix Meo

Presseservice Team Vorarlberg Santic
www.team-vorarlberg.at
office@proevent-cycling.at

Felix Großschartner gewinnt nach starker Attacke die Auftaktetappe der Vuelta a Burgos


Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer
Burgos – Burgos/Alto del Castillo (157 km)
1 Felix Großschartner (AUT) Bora – Hansgrohe 3:40:21
2 João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:08
3 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team 0:00:08
4 Alex Aranburu Deba (Esp) Astana Pro Team 0:00:08
5 Mikel Landa Meana (Esp) Bahrain – McLaren 0:00:10
6 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama – FDJ 0:00:10
7 Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Esp) Caja Rural – Seguros RGA 0:00:10
8 Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora – Hansgrohe 0:00:10
9 Matteo Trentin (Ita) CCC Team 0:00:10
10 Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck – Quick Step 0:00:10
11 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:10
12 Edward Dunbar (Irl) Team Ineos 0:00:10
13 George Bennett (NZl) Team Jumbo – Visma 0:00:10
14 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Team Ineos 0:00:10
15 Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Team Ineos 0:00:10

Felix Großschartner gewinnt nach starker Attacke die Auftaktetappe der Vuelta a Burgos

Hügeliges Terrain, starker Wind und ein schwieriges Finale mit einem steilen Anstieg auf dem letzten Kilometer – die heutige Auftaktetappe der Vuelta a Burgos 2020 war alles andere als ein einfacher Start in das fünftägige Etappenrennen im Norden Spaniens. Nach einem verhältnismäßig ruhigen Beginn dominierte eine vierköpfige Ausreißergruppe weite Teile der 157 Kilometer langen Etappe. Als der Wind in der zweiten Tageshälfte merklich auffrischte, reagierte das Peloton jedoch und reduzierte den zwischenzeitlich auf bis zu vier Minuten angewachsenen Vorsprung rasch. Mehrere Stürze sorgten für zusätzliche Nervosität im Feld, mit Rafal Majka war leider auch ein Fahrer aus den Reihen von BORA-hansgrohe betroffen. Er konnte seine Fahrt nach seinem Fall 53 Kilometer vor dem Ziel allerdings fortsetzen. Nachdem die Ausreißer gestellt wurden, brachte BORA-hansgrohe auf den letzten Kilometern Jay McCarthy in Position. Am Ende war es allerdings Felix Großschartner, der mit einer unwiderstehlichen Attacke das gesamte Peloton überraschte. Der Österreicher setzte sich am Schlussanstieg zum Mirador del Castillo schnell von den anderen Favoriten ab und holte mit acht Sekunden Vorsprung einen überragenden Auftaktsieg. Jay McCarthy komplettierte das perfekte Teamergebnis mit einem achten Platz.

Reaktionen im Ziel
„Ich freue mich riesig über diesen Sieg. Wir haben das Finale bereits gestern während des Trainings inspiziert, daher wusste ich schon vor dem Etappenstart, dass es ein guter Tag für mich werden könnte. Das Team hat mich dann auf den letzten Kilometern in eine perfekte Position gebracht. Als die anderen Fahrer für einen kurzen Moment das Tempo herausnahmen, habe ich nicht gezögert, sondern direkt attackiert und durchgezogen. Von da an habe ich alles auf eine Karte gesetzt. Glücklicherweise hat mich niemand mehr eingeholt und ich konnte die Ziellinie sogar mit einigen Sekunden Vorsprung überqueren.“ – Felix Großschartner

„Während unseres heutigen Teammeetings habe ich den Jungs gesagt, dass wir durchziehen müssen, wenn wir eine Chance auf dem letzten Kilometer bekommen. Unser eigentlicher Plan war, für Jay McCarthy zu fahren, dem solche Zielankünfte ja liegen. Zudem wollten wir mit Felix Großschartner, Lennard Kämna und Rafal Majka keine Zeit in der Gesamtwertung verlieren. Auf dem letzten Kilometer war Felix schließlich in einer sehr guten Position und hat seine Chance genutzt. Er hat wirklich einen fantastischen Job gemacht und wir sind sehr glücklich über seine Leistung. Auch Jay hat seine gute Form mit Platz acht unter Beweis gestellt. Morgen ist nun ein Tag für die Sprinter, danach geht es wieder in die Berge. Wir werden versuchen, das Leadertrikot so lange wie möglich zu verteidigen.“ – Steffen Radochla, Sportlicher Leiter

Deutschland Tour 2021 kommt zurück nach Thüringen – Ilmenau wird Etappenort

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Die Deutschland Tour und Thüringen verbindet die Begeisterung für den Radsport. Bei der letzten Ausgabe boten der Thüringer Wald, die Wartburgstadt Eisenach und die Landeshauptstadt Erfurt eine eindrucksvolle Final-Kulisse für Deutschlands größtes Radsportfestival. Grund genug für eine Rückkehr in den Freistaat. Im August 2021 begrüßt Ilmenau die Profis der Deutschland Tour. Die Goethe- und Universitätsstadt wird Gastgeber für den Zieleinlauf der zweiten Etappe und den Start der dritten Etappe, die in Erlangen endet.

Von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern über Thüringen nach Bayern – die Deutschland Tour 2021 verbindet den Norden mit dem Süden und verläuft über vier Etappen von der Hansestadt Stralsund nach Nürnberg. Das Mittelstück der Rundfahrt ist voller Höhepunkte: historische Momente, sehenswerte Durchfahrtsorte, wie die Kulturstadt Weimar, und ein Etappenprofil, das erneut Spannung bis zum Schluss verspricht. Ein ständiges rauf und runter auf dem Weg nach Ilmenau sowie zwei knackige Runden mit ansteigender Zielgerade werden den Sprintern den Freitag der Deutschland Tour schwer machen.
Dass Ilmenau am Fuße des Thüringer Waldes liegt, bekommen die Profis auch am Samstagmorgen zu spüren. Direkt nach dem Start im Ilmenauer Zentrum sind Kletterbeine gefragt. Es geht hinauf in den Ortsteil Frauenwald zum Rennsteig – dem höchsten Punkt der Deutschland Tour 2021. Ein würdiger Auftakt für das Finalwochenende, das die Profis von Thüringen nach Franken führt.

„Es waren beeindruckende Bilder, wie sich die Radprofis bei der letzten Tour durch den Thüringer Wald kämpften oder sich das Feld durch die vielfältige Landschaft und Städte wie Erfurt, Oberhof oder Eisenach bewegte. Die Tour zeigte Thüringen nicht nur medial in vielen seiner wunderbaren Facetten, sondern sorgte auch für zahlreiche Fahrrad-Festivals in den Etappenorten. Umso mehr freut es mich, dass die Deutschland Tour 2021 wieder durch den Freistaat Thüringen führen und mit Ilmenau als Etappenort einmal mehr für unsere Region werben wird. Ich drücke nach der Corona-bedingten Absage in diesem Jahr die Daumen für eine umso bessere Tour in 2021“, betont Wolfgang Tiefensee, Minister für Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Digitale Gesellschaft des Freistaates Thüringen.

„Bei uns ist die Vorfreude auf die Deutschland Tour sehr groß, denn wir können unsere Goethe- und Universitätsstadt weltweit in Szene setzen. Von der idyllischen Natur des Thüringer Waldes, die neben den Profis auch unsere vielen aktiven Gäste zu schätzen wissen, bis zu unseren kulturellen Höhepunkten, wie dem weltberühmten Goethehäuschen. Wir sehen uns im nächsten Sommer!“, sagt Dr. Daniel Schultheiß, Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Ilmenau.

„Wir haben sehr schöne Erinnerungen an das vergangene Jahr in Thüringen – es war eine perfekte Kulisse. Die Bilder der Topstars, die sich im Thüringer Wald spannende Duelle liefern und von den Fans gefeiert wurden, gingen um die Welt. Es ist diese Begeisterung, auf die wir uns in Ilmenau freuen. Und auf dem Weg nach Ilmenau wird die Deutschland Tour einen weiteren Teil Thüringens entdecken“, sagt Claude Rach, Geschäftsführer der Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Radsports.

Mit Stralsund, Schwerin, Ilmenau, Erlangen und Nürnberg sind fünf der sechs Etappenorte der Deutschland Tour 2021 bekannt. Auch im kommenden Jahr wird die Rundfahrt in der zweiten Augusthälfte über vier Etappen von Donnerstag bis Sonntag stattfinden. Das genaue Datum wird vom Welt-Radsportverband voraussichtlich im Herbst bekanntgegeben.

DEIN RIDE – STRECKENABFAHRT FÜR FANS
Bereits ein Jahr, bevor die Topstars die Straßen Thüringens erleben, können Hobby-Radsportler bereits in wenigen Wochen die Strecke der Deutschland Tour abfahren. Gemeinsam mit ehemaligen Profis um Fabian Wegmann, Jens Voigt und Johannes Fröhlinger erleben Fans die vier Etappen der Deutschland Tour. Am 21. August 2020 führt der Weg von „Dein Ride.“ nach Ilmenau und am Samstag, den 22. August, fahren die Fans das Teilstück von Ilmenau nach Erlangen. Die Anmeldung für die stark limitierten Plätze ist unter DeinRide.deutschland-tour.com möglich.
Pressebüro Deutschland Tour | Sandra Schmitz | sandra@flessnerschmitz.com | www.cycling-pr.com

The Tour to the power of 10

1940: The Tour that wasn’t (4/10)

At the turn of each decade, the Tour de France has gone through organisational changes and backstage struggles that have variously turned out to be decisive or utterly inconsequential. The journey back in time proposed by letour.fr continues in 1940: when the country entered the war, Henri Desgrange tried to keep the 34th edition of the Tour alive until spring, but had to resign himself to its cancellation. Before July France was already under German occupation, and Desgrange left the Tour orphaned in August.

According to the tautological principle that you can’t suppress something that doesn’t exist, the 1940 edition of the Tour de France is the only one in history to have been cancelled. Although its detailed route was never published and its dates were not officially announced, its organisation was well thought out, envisaged and programmed in the offices of the organising newspaper, in a France that was nevertheless at war and whose youth had been drafted in September 1939. It would be far-fetched to suspect L’Auto of existing naively in a sports bubble ignoring the major issues in the balance on the battlefield, quite the contrary. From mid-September, the newspaper even assumed a total commitment by changing its title to L’Auto-Soldat, and its editorial line then split between news of the world conflict, analysis of the competitions that continued to take place and news of the champions called up to serve in the armed forces. On 16 September, the headline was accompanied by an unequivocal quote from Voltaire: „Every man is a soldier against tyranny“. It is in this line that Henri Desgrange, who, although seriously ill, did not let go of his pen but distanced himself from sport, multiplied patriotic editorials and caricatures, for example Hitler, whom he described as a „house painter“.

In its services, all the assistants were active and strove to give shape from the very beginning of winter to a cycling season that could also sustain the idea that France continued to live on. In December, discussions began with the heads of the bicycle manufacturers to try to come up with a calendar and invent a new formula. How can a bunch of riders of at the same skill level be formed when most of the riders in the 1939 Tour were fighting? Were foreign cyclists from non-belligerent countries going to be accepted? Who would therefore have their best people available? Where can we get bicycles when the entire industry is focused on the war effort? The debate was launched, and even initiated in the columns of the newspaper, which transcribed the content of the negotiations like a soap opera. Alcyon’s boss was optimistic, but not as determined as Colibri’s: „I’ve come, like all my colleagues, to put a white ball in to get unanimous congratulations,“ read the 16 January edition of L’Auto. On the other hand, Genial-Lucifer had more misgivings („Maurice Evrard felt that in his own opinion the uselessness of certain road races was obvious“, L’Auto of 13 January), and the tone was also very cautious from the head of Dilecta. However, we manage to get everyone to agree year after year on a formula published on 6 February which, among other measures, only admits riders who are not yet old enough to carry weapons and limits the number of foreigners to 33% of the peloton.

On 11 July, on the BBC, an anonymous columnist chose sport to make the voice of London heard. „Today, if Mr. Hitler had agreed to let Europe live in peace, the 34th Tour de France would have set off joyfully.”

Everything seemed more or less in place, but while it was business as usual at the velodromes throughout the winter, there were great difficulties at the start of the road racing season. Paris-Roubaix, whose route was initially validated by military authorities, was transformed into Roubaix-Paris and finally saved in-extremis as Le Mans-Paris! It looked like there was also going to be course reversal for Paris-Tours, and the clouds were particularly threatening on the Race to the Sun, which L’Auto was exceptionally associated with the Le Petit Niçois newspaper in an attempt to save the organisation. Above all, Henri Desgrange published a paper with a very pessimistic tone for the future of the 1940 Tour de France. He evoked a course in the form of a „deflated bladder“, listed all the constraints he faced, and concluded as follows: „It would be enough, wouldn’t it, for you to expect this article to end with the announcement that the 1940 Tour de France will not take place? Well! It is not enough for us and we still have one last hope of being able to triumph over all these difficulties, and we want to give it a try“. The sentence was not long in coming. Four days later, the announcement was posted on the front page: „The Tour de France will not take place this year. It is postponed to 1941. See the explanations provided by its creator, Henri Desgrange, in the 13 and 14 April issues.”

Events then precipitated the country into the dark sequence of the German occupation following the signing of the armistice of 22 June 1940 by Philippe Pétain. Meanwhile, Charles De Gaulle launched his 18 June appeal on the BBC, the Free France timidly structured itself behind the „Leader of the French who continue the war“. It so happened that from London, the following 11 July, a small French enclave decided to act as if the Tour de France had started. The programme „Ici la France“ was broadcast daily for half an hour on the BBC. That day, an anonymous columnist whose name remains unknown chose sport to make the voice of London heard. „Today, if Mr. Hitler had agreed to let Europe live in peace, he would have set off joyfully on the 34th Tour de France*. A completely fictitious story began, as a way to reunite the divided country and to find itself in a shared and happy wistfulness. This was far from reality, but in the legend of the Tour, the story is as important as the race.

It is unlikely that Henri Desgrange could have heard this report, which would have certainly given him chills, perhaps even drawn a few tears. For the 1940 Tour de France, even if it had been able to take place, would also have been the first without him. Operated on a few months earlier and seriously weakened, the father of the Tour de France died on 16 August, at the age of 75. His successor and spiritual son, Jacques Goddet, took over the reins of the newspaper and the following year he opposed the organisation of a Tour de France whose prestige would be claimed by the Vichy regime. The return of the real Tour de France had to wait until 1947.
@ASO

The Tour to the power of 10

1930: The Tour revolutionizes (3/10)

At the turn of each decade, the Tour de France has gone through organisational changes and backstage struggles that have variously turned out to be decisive or utterly inconsequential. The journey back in time proposed by letour.fr continues in 1930, the year of a major revolution when, Tour boss and editor-in-chief of L’Auto, Henri Desgrange decided riders would compete in national teams and no longer for bicycle manufacturers. To pay for this costly reform, the newspaper also found a new source of income with the creation of the advertising caravan.

Tensions between the bicycle brands and the organisers were a common thread that followed and forged the history of the nascent Tour de France and then the interwar period. Henri Desgrange, who was a purist and uncompromising in his conception of sporting competition, despised and fought against any form of agreement likely to contaminate the simple athletic confrontation between the heroes of the Grande Boucle. Since the resumption in 1919, following the First World War, the Tour de France boss introduced regulations to reduce the influence of the most powerful manufacturers in the industry, which had a tendency to dictate race scenarios. The situation even began to disgust Desgrange following the 1929 Tour, won by Maurice De Waele, a Belgian champion who was certainly solid and exemplary, but in the end wasn’t challenged nearly enough by the competition on his victorious ride to Paris.

For the 1930 edition, Desgrange decided to radically change the format. Teams were no longer formed by bicycle manufacturers, but were made up of national selections whose composition was also decided by L’Auto. In order to be in complete control, he committed to supplying the bikes to the Tour riders, at least those entered in the Aces category, even if it meant making the “tourists-routiers” wait a few years. The great project quickly developed in the mind of Desgrange, who announced precisely his plans and objectives in L’Auto on 25 September 1929: „The major change is the suppression of commercial rivalries that have been significantly shattering the success of the race every year since 1903. With only one brand available for the Aces, we can say that there is no longer a commercial battle, and that the race will be able to take place in a sporting manner. From now on, nothing will prevent the best from winning“.

The change to national teams must not be considered as a declaration of war, as the brands retain their riders in all other competitions throughout the year and could, for example, require them to boycott the Tour.

The transformation wanted by the organizing newspaper implied major constraints since the bicycles, accommodations and provisions were fully taken care of. The financial expenditures to be made were significant and had to be paid for by some income if the reform was to be feasible. This is where a genius idea was born to balance the accounts. Desgrange was assisted by an advertising director, Robert Desmarets, who had noticed that for several years, brands had taken advantage of the exceptional crowds around the peloton to set up commercial ventures. Vehicles in the colours of Menier chocolates, for example, were already handing out thousands of bars to the public in 1929. “Grand Bob”, as he was nicknamed, decided to officially accept them at the opening of the race, in return for a fee covering most of the extra expenses for the year. Menier, Fromagerie Bell (Vache Qui Rit), Biscottes Delft and Montres Noveltex formed the Tour’s first publicity caravan.

The power struggle between Desgrange and the bicycle manufacturers can, however, be put into perspective, as the co-dependent relationship remained very real. The move to the national teams should not have been seen as a declaration of war, as the brands retained their riders all year round on all other the competitions, on the roads of France as well as on the velodromes, and could for example require them to boycott the Tour. This context of more or less harmonious cohabitation partially explained the tone adopted by Desgrange in his opening article on the day of the race’s start: „It will be the honour of the bicycle manufacturers to have accepted this experience, which may seem to deprive this or that of a profitable advertisement, but which must benefit the entire bicycle industry. (…) They did not accept this experience passively; they followed it and will follow it, for a month, with great interest. (…) Yes, we owe André Leducq and Delannoy to Alcyon, Marcel Bidot to La Française, Demuysère to Génial-Lucifer, Bonduel to Dilecta, and the Magne Brothers to the Société Française de Cycles. Our great brands have lent them to us, or better said… they gave them to us without any restrictions. What a guarantee of success that such a gift, and what recognition for such a gesture do we not owe to our major cycle manufacturers?”. The recognition was also that of a businessman, well aware that these firms were also huge advertisers who contributed to the financial health of the newspaper throughout the year.

In any case, in the Aces category there were five national teams of eight riders at the start. Belgium’s black jerseys, Italy’s green, Spain’s red, Germany’s yellow and France’s blue-white-red were about to spark phenomenal enthusiasm among the public… and among the readers. Desgrange naturally found that the patriotic fibre was working to full effect with the French Tennis Musketeers, who were taking the entire country by storm in their matches with the Australians and Americans in the Davis Cup. He found his Musketeers on wheels with André Leducq, Antonin Magne and Charles Pélissier. As if by magic, while the French were generally outclassed during the 1920s by the Belgians, Luxembourgers and Italians, the collective force of the French squad was impressive. Pélissier won a total of eight stages, a record that still stands, while „Dédé gueule d’amour“ won the general classification after a hard-fought battle with Alfredo Binda and Learco Guerra among others. The success of the French clan was also a tremendous victory for Henri Desgrange, who concluded the Tour with these words: „This is now, indisputably, the National Bicycle Holiday. From now on, we will celebrate it every year under the same conditions, to the greatest glory of this divine machine and to the glory of our great cycling industry. (…) Thus the Tour de France will henceforth be a great international and peaceful competition where cycling nations will come every year to measure the value of their champions“.
@ASO