1er Florian Anderle
Alle Fotos von Plomi
Archiv für den Tag: 1. November 2022
TOUR DE FRANCE PRUDENTIAL SINGAPORE CRITERIUM
Singapore – Sunday 30th october 2022:
@ASO/Pauline Ballet
Three months after his famous victory on the Champs-Elysées, Jonas Vingegaard was once again the strongest rider to win the first edition of the 57-kilometre Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium. Greeted by a chequered flag, the Danish champion beat Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali in a royal breakaway that pulled away in the final two laps.
Although Mark Cavendish couldn’t find his way into the leading group to use his speed on the Formula One race track, he did win the green jersey as he did in his last Tour participation in 2021, thanks to the intermediate sprints. Among the attackers of the day, Singapore champion Boon Kiak’s efforts saw him win the combativeness award, whilst Cofidis riders Simon Geschke, Axel Zingle, Max Walscheid and Tom Bohli won the team time trial
Key points:
On the day before the first edition of the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, the riders have been able to enjoy a day of relaxation and sight-seeing, allowing them, for example, to take time out for a short trip through Chinatown.
The weekend in Singapore signals the end of an era in modern cycling as two exceptional champions, Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde, bring the curtain down on their careers at the two criteriums in Asia.
The preparations for the race were concluded by the presentation of the teams held at the finishing line of the Criterium, at the foot of the grandstand named The Float which each year also overlooks the finish of the Singapore Formula 1 grand prix. The programme for the evening included a concert by the Synthony philharmonic orchestra, who have created a fusion between classical and electronic music.
Tomorrow afternoon, sport will have pride of place, with first of all a time-trial then the Criterium, which will start at 4 pm, for a race over a distance of 64 kilometres.
THE FIRST PEDAL STROKES… IN CHINATOWN
Whilst awaiting to climb onto their bikes to tackle the circuit winding around Marina Bay tomorrow at the end of the afternoon, the riders were able to take time to visit Singapore and temporarily get away from the city centre. While photos of the city have widely made its sky-line famous as well as the three towers of Marina Bay Sands linked by its “sky-way” perched at a height of two hundred metres, the riders were able to discover a different face of the city by visiting the district of Albert Park, very close to Chinatown. In this neighbourhood, the buildings are much shorter and the champions were able to enjoy a quick taste of street food. For the inhabitants of Singapore, it is customary to take a snack with a “youtiao” which, according to Alejandro Valverde, resembles the “churros” found in his native Spain, but which Chris Froome gobbled down, with another reference in mind: “They are exactly like the doughnuts that we call “Mandasi” in Kenya. It takes me back to my childhood, because it’s exactly the type of thing that I would eat after a long training ride to recharge my batteries,” explained the four times winner of the Tour, before taking advantage of a small excursion in a “trishaw” among former wearers of the Yellow Jersey. This time, the usual chauffeurs of these traditional means of transport were sat in the passenger seat and left the handlebars to the experts. On completion of this small jaunt through Chinatown, Mark Cavendish showed himself worthy of his champion of Great Britain jersey by returning to the garage first, ahead of Vingegaard, Valverde, Nibali and Froome. The Manx sprinter is well and truly in form!
NIBALI AND VALVERDE COME TO THE END OF THEIR FAREWELL TOUR
One of them is closing in on his 38th birthday whilst the other reached the age of 42 last spring. Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde have battled for a long time on the world’s roads, both building up rolls of honour that give them pride of place in the history of cycling, with the Italian among the seven riders to have won the three grand tours and the Spaniard ready to leave the professional pack with a total of 133 victories, placing him in 6th place of the overall hierarchy, just behind Bernard Hinault (145). Both men enjoyed emotional farewells on the Vuelta and Il Lombardia, but will be fastening their last race numbers to their jerseys on the Asian criteriums, in Singapore and Saitama. “I’ve been very busy since Il Lombardia,” explained the Astana rider who has already got involved in the running of the Pro-Continental team created by Douglas Ryder for the 2023 season. “I’ve not really realised that it’s the end, because I’m going to stay involved in cycling. However, I’m delighted to come and ride on these Criteriums, which are excellent showcases for our sport”. As for the Spaniard, “Bala” is also looking to the future, having just taken part in the close season training block with Movistar in Pamplona, “with the desire to pass on as much of my experience as I can to the youngest riders”. The former world champion who is in the process of retiring is nonetheless delighted to be climbing back on his bike tomorrow morning: “I’m here to enjoy these last races as much as I can. I’ve been competitive from the beginning to the end of my career – I still finished 6th on Il Lombardia. However, I’ve come here with my family to share these farewells with them as well as with my team-mates. Perhaps now I’ll allow myself to eat a bit more!”
A CHANCE FOR A SINGAPOREAN?
The aim of the Criterium is also to combine the movers and shakers on the Tour de France with the cyclists who make the headlines in the discipline in their own region, within the same pack. As such, the 16 riders from the world’s elite will have the opportunity to measure themselves against the 28 riders selected by the four teams invited to Singapore. While the national federation has chosen four riders to fly the flag for their country, the hopes of shining on a circuit favourable to sprinters will perhaps be held by Malaysian Mohd Harrif Saleh, whose speed has already caused havoc on the Tour of Langkawi (with three stages won between 2019 and 2020), as well as this season on the Tours of Thailand and Taiwan. The crowds expected along the route will especially cast a knowing eye on his Singaporean team-mate at the Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team. At the age of 32 years, Goh Choon Huat will be participating in the last race of his career, marked by seven national titles in total, and he intends to go out with a bang: “I don’t know what I’ll be able to do on this circuit, but I’m determined to seize the opportunity to take the limelight for my farewell, by taking part in a breakaway, for example”. Finally, the Thailand Continental team will most likely try their luck with their two leaders, namely two times national time-trial champion Peerapol Chawchiangkwang and Sarawut Sirironchai, a four times stage winner on the Tour of Thailand.
TOUR DE FRANCE 2023
Key points:
The Tour de France 2023 will hold its Grand Départ in the Basque Country, with a first stage in Bilbao on 1st July, and will finish in Paris on 23rd July, on completion of a 3,404-km route that will tackle the difficult slopes of the country’s five mountain ranges.
The battle for the Yellow Jersey will witness a decisive and emotional episode on the Puy de Dôme, where a stage finish will be held 35 years after the victory of Denmark’s Johnny Weltz. The return to this legendary climb will be accompanied by the rise in importance of sites that will mark the Tours of the future, such as the Grand Colombier or the Col de la Loze.
The sole time-trial on the Tour de France in 2023 will take place over 22 kilometres between Passy and the Combloux ski resort in Haute-Savoie. The sprinters will also have the opportunity to express themselves on finishes in Bordeaux, Limoges, Moulins, before the grand finale on the Champs-Elysées.
Bilbao on 1st July next year is where the Tour de France will celebrate its 120th anniversary. The Grand Départ in the Basque Country precisely offers the kind of scenery and roads that will pay tribute to the pioneers of 1903, because their successors, from the beginning of the race, will be plunged into a Pyrenean sequence with many twists in store, on both the Spanish and French sides of the border. The punchers will tuck into a menu of their favourite flavours on the roads of the Clasica San Sebastian (on stage 2), whilst the sprinters will have a free rein in Bayonne (on stage 3) as well as on the Nogaro circuit (on stage 4) and the climbers will already have to get to grips with the slopes on the stages finishing in Laruns (on stage 5) and on the Cambasque plateau near Cauterets (on stage 6). The rare starts of the Tour that take place in southern climes generally give rise to a dense programme, but this time the total of 30 climbs rated category 2 and above is chiefly due to the mountainous grand slam to be tackled this year, because each of France’s five mountain ranges will be visited by the pack.
In this collection of more or less demanding climbs, the one attracting most attention is likely to be the ascension of Puy de Dôme (on stage 9) whose roads will once again be open to the riders on the Tour (but not to their fans), 35 years after the last ascent to overlook Clermont-Ferrand. This reunion with the past, which brings back memories of the duel between Anquetil and Poulidor in 1964 or recalls the victory by Fausto Coppi in 1952 on the edition of the first high-altitude finishes, especially promises an initial and extremely tense battle between the pretenders for the title. The last four kilometres of tarmac before the finishing line, with an average gradient of almost 12%, could be the fuse that awakens the dormant volcano.
The leading lights of the pack will be following in mythical footsteps on the Puy de Dôme, but will also be testing each other’s mettle on peaks that are set to play host to the fiercest contests of the future. For example, an emerging legend will have pride of place on Bastille Day, with the battle taking place on the Grand Colombier (on stage 13), where the finishing line will be set up for the second time in the race’s history. Following the summit of the Jura, the big shots will fight for supremacy on the Col de la Loze, just before soaring down to the high-altitude airstrip in Courchevel (on stage 17), to conclude a sequence in the Alps where the strongest riders will simply become untouchable. The Col de Joux Plane pass and its subsequent descent before Morzine (on stage 14), the climb up to Le Bettex the following day (on stage 15), as well as the Côte de Domancy slope which is on the programme for the sole time-trial of this edition (on stage 16), will in effect make and break the hierarchy between the handful of riders concerned by the Yellow Jersey. The temperament observed among the expected favourites on all the roads of the cycling world suggests that they will not miss any opportunity to go head-to-head. The same will again be true on the penultimate day of the race, where the relief of the stage through the Vosges Mountains to the ski resort of Le Markstein will include 3,500 metres of climbing over a distance of only 133 km, taking in the Col de la Grosse Pierre and the ascensions of the Petit Ballon and the Platzerwasel (on stage 20). The leader designated in Alsace will be honoured the following day on the Champs-Elysées, where the race will close with a sprint festival that will have also visited Bordeaux, Limoges, Moulins and Poligny, allowing prestigious victories to be enjoyed in all the classifications!
L’ÉTAPE DU TOUR DE FRANCE 2023 : DESTINATION MORZINE
The 31st edition of L’Étape du Tour de France will be held on Sunday, 9 July 2023 on the same routes as stage 14 of the Tour de France, stretching for 152 km from Annemasse to Morzine for a total altitude gain of 4,100 metres.
Five mountain passes will test the peloton on the roads to the finish line in Morzine: col de Saxel, col de Cou, col du Feu, col de la Ramaz and the hors catégorie col de Joux Plane.
@ASO
TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT 2023
Key points:
• The route of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, whose second edition will take place from 23 to 30 July, has been presented at the Palais des Congrès in Paris by Marion Rousse.
• „Even higher“, says the event director, who detailed the programme of the eight stages, totalling a distance of 956 kilometres, and which will pose new difficulties to the champions.
• The handover concept with the Tour will continue, but this time the riders will meet in Clermont-Ferrand to start the exploration of the Massif Central range. At the end of the week, the Pyrenees will begin the weeding out process among the most efficient climbers: the finish line of the col du Tourmalet will be the goal of all the contenders for the Yellow Jersey. They will have to defend their ambitions again the following day in the final time trial in Pau.
A giant step forward each year. After the inaugural edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which saw the peloton set off from the Champs-Élysées to complete its route over the hills of Eastern France, crossing the Ballon d’Alsace as the 1905 pioneers did. The race will now head for the Massif Central and then the Pyrenees to offer new challenges to the female riders. By gathering the peloton in Clermont-Ferrand, the link remains between the women’s race and the Tour’s history. They won’t climb the Puy de Dôme this time. But they will experience the roughness of the Auvergne geology from the very first days. Perhaps not so much on the first stage, which might not see the peloton dispersed; then in a more marked way on the road to Mauriac, where they will have to deal with a positive altitude change of 2,500 meters before fighting for the stage win.
The sprinters will most likely take centre stage in Montignac, where the Lascaux caves are situated. But they will probably be more in the wings on the longest stage of the week (177 km), where the Aveyron ascents will work in favour of the most resilient riders of a breakaway or the strongest punchers for the finish in Rodez. The thin air of the Pyrenees will begin to take its toll on the Albi and Blagnac stages, but it will be on the weekend that the Yellow Jersey candidates will battle for the first time in the high mountains. The legendary Col du Tourmalet, where the Tour riders had their first taste of altitude in 1910, at 2,115 metres, will again be the place to be. The finish line of stage seven has been set five metres lower, in a setting where only the best female climbers in the world can hope to win. Whoever manages to do so will probably be among the contenders for the final time trial, which will take place around Pau, but partly in the opposite direction, on the same course where Julian Alaphilippe defended his Yellow Jersey in 2019.
RAD DM der Profis, Frauen und U23 vom 23. bis 25 Juni 2023 in Bad Dürrheim & Donaueschingen
Deutsche Straßenmeisterschaften 2023 zurück im Südschwarzwald – Bad Dürrheim und Donaueschingen mit knackigem Rundkurs
Donaueschingen/Bad Dürrheim:
Es werden die deutsche Titelkämpfe der kurzen Wege, wenn vom 23. bis 25.Juni 2023 die deutschen Männer-Elite, die Elite der Frauen und auch die U23-Fahrer in Donaueschingen an den Start gehen und in Bad Dürrheim durch das Ziel jagen. Nicht nur wegen des zuschauerfreundlichen Rundkurses. Ruckzuck legen auch die Teambusse die knapp zehn Minuten vom Start zum Zielbereich zurück. Ein nicht zu unterschätzender, ganz spezieller Vorteil für die Mannschaften.
Auf die eigentlichen Protagonisten der Frauen-Elite, Elite-Männer, Frauen und Männer U23 wartet am Freitag ein Einzelzeitfahrkurs von Donaueschingen über die Ostbaar nach Bad Dürrheim bei dem man vor allem Rollerqualitäten haben muß.
Am Samstag folgt das rund 125 Kilometer lange DM-Straßenrennen der Frauen, das nach Einschreibung und Team-Präsentation vor dem Donaueschinger Rathaus auch dort gestartet und zunächst neutralisiert aus der Donau-Quell-Stadt hinausgeführt wird. Fünf Mal müssen die Elite-Frauen den knackigen ca. 25-Kilometer Rundkurs mit Ziel Bad Dürrheim absolvieren.
Hier wird Liane Lippert (Movistar 2023) aus Friedrichshafen versuchen ihr DM-Leibchen aus diesem Jahr erfolgreich zu verteidigen, gejagt von der Konkurrenz. Allen voran Ricarda Bauernfeind. Die zweifache U23-Bronzemedaillengewinnerin der Straßenweltmeisterschaften 2022 in Australien fühlt sich auf den Straßen im Südschwarzwald sehr wohl.
Am Sonntag, wie immer rund eine Woche vor der Tour de France, nehmen die Elite-Männer den Kampf um das begehrte Trikot auf. Der anspruchsvolle 25-Kilometer-Runde wird vom Feld der deutschen Radsport-Crème de la Crème acht Mal in Angriff genommen. Jedesmal mit den drei Anstiegen zur Hirschhalde, nach Öfingen und jenem mit rund 15 Prozent Steigung in Aasen. Nach 200 Kilometer und rund 2500 Höhenmeter steht dann der Nachfolger des Deutschen Meisters 2023 Nils Politt (BORA-hansgrohe) fest. Ein erneuter Sieg von Politt nicht ausgeschlossen. „Simon Geschke (Cofidis) dürften die Anstiege wohl eher zu kurz und einen Tick zu leicht sein“, vermutet Strecken-Planer Rik Sauser von der ausrichtenden Sauser Event GmbH. Der Wahlfreiburger Geschke kennt die Ecke im südlichen Schwarzwald bestens, denn der „Bergkönig der Herzen“ der diesjährigen Tour de France war schon mehrfach beim „RiderMan“ in Bad Dürrheim zu Gast, eines der ältesten deutschen Jedermannrennen. Im Rahmen dessen trug dort der Bund Deutscher Radfahrer auch schon die Finale der Frauen-Bundesliga 2021 und 2022 aus.
Der Kurort war nicht nur bereits Ziel- und Startort bei der Deutschland Tour (2000 und 2002), sondern richtete bereits 2001 eine Straßen-DM aus. Damals hießen die Deutschen Meister Jan Ullrich und Petra Rossner. „Das war auf einer deutlich kürzeren und nicht so schweren Runde“, erklärt Rik Sauser für den die DM eine absolute „Herzensangelegenheit“ ist. „Zusammen mit den beiden Städten Bad Dürrheim und Donaueschingen sind wir stolz und heiß auf die Rad DM 2023. Wir werden die Weltelite des Radsports der Frauen und Männer bei der DM am Start haben.“
„Nach der Corona-DM am Sachsenring 2020, Stuttgart und Öschelbronn 2021 und den diesjährigen Titelkämpfen im Sauerland, sind wir glücklich, dass wir Bad Dürrheim und Donaueschingen gewinnen konnten, die mit der sehr erfahrenen Sauser-Eventagentur schon viele großartige Veranstaltungen auf die Beine gestellt haben“, kommentiert BDR-Vizepräsident Günter Schabel,„Hier sind wir bestens aufgehoben.“
Lokalmatador Jan Hugger vom Kontinentalteam „Lotto Kern-Haus“ kann „direkt von der Haustüre per Rad zum Start fahren.“ 2001 stand der Schwenninger schon als dreijähriger Knirps an der Strecke, fuhr 2004 in Bad Dürrheim sein erstes Anfänger-Rennen. Der Student kennt – wie auch Bora-hansgrohe-Profi Jonas Koch aus dem benachbarten Rottweil – die Straßen in der Umgebung in und auswendig. „Es ist durchaus drin, dass jemand aus unserem Team am Ende vorne ist“, gibt sich der 24-Jährige daheim hochmotiviert und freut sich auf ein „tolles Radsportfest mit vielen Freunden und Bekannten am zuschauerfreundlichen Rundkurs“.
„Es wird ein Highlight für die Städte werden“, sind sich Erik Pauly, Oberbürgermeister von Donaueschingen, und der Bad Dürrheimer Bürgermeister, Jonathan Berggötz, einig. Auch Markus Spettel und Andreas Haller, beide für das Marketing ihrer Gemeinden zuständig, freuen sich über „das große, gemeinsame Event“ und sehen in der Ausrichtung der Titelwettbewerbe einen „Imagegewinn“, sind doch beide Städte auch im Tourismus sehr radsportaffin.
################################################
Sportliche Grüße,
Kai & Rik Sauser
– Sauser Event GmbH –