GP Miguel Indurain – 198Km

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Strassenrennen, , ,


Plomi Foto

1 MCNULTY Brandon USA UAE Team Emirates 04:55:48
2 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 00:00
3 ONLEY Oscar GBR Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:02
4 IZAGIRRE Ion ESP Cofidis 00:06
5 RYAN Archie IRL EF Education-EasyPost 00:08
6 BATTISTELLA Samuele ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 00:16
7 CHAMPOUSSIN Clément FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:16
8 CRAS Steff BEL TotalEnergies 00:16
9 SCHACHMANN Max GER BORA-hansgrohe 00:16
10 BARCELÓ Fernando ESP Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 00:16
11 BARGUIL Warren FRA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:23
12 BERRADE Urko ESP Equipo Kern Pharma 00:26
13 DEL TORO Isaac MEX UAE Team Emirates 00:31
14 DE PRETTO Davide ITA Team Jayco-AlUla 00:31
15 SIVAKOV Pavel FRA UAE Team Emirates 00:34
16 ARRIETA Igor ESP UAE Team Emirates 00:34
17 BAUDIN Alex FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:36
18 DONOVAN Mark GBR Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 00:42
19 DOUBLE Paul GBR Team Polti Kometa 00:44
20 DE LA CRUZ David ESP Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 00:53
21 VERONA Carlos ESP Lidl-Trek 00:53
22 MIQUEL DELGADO Pau ESP Equipo Kern Pharma 01:05
23 GUERREIRO Ruben POR Movistar Team 01:12
24 LEEMREIZE Gijs NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 01:17
25 HAMILTON Lucas AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 01:20

ESCAPE FROM HELL-2011 : JOHAN VANSUMMEREN (III/V)

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, History, Strassenrennen, Weltcup und Klassiker, , , ,

2011: Johan Vansummeren (III/V)

In the end, it’s not always the strongest who wins. Certainly not in cycling, and most definitely not in Paris-Roubaix. On the roads of the Hell of the North, the „strongest“ can just as easily win in the legendary velodrome as get bogged down in the Trouée d’Arenberg. Year after year, the cobblestone crushers crash in the Mons-en-Pévèle sector or collapse in the Carrefour de l’Arbre – and one cannot underestimate the traps of the asphalt either. On these unique roads, an aspirant for glory needs to be strong, but also brave and lucky. Paris-Roubaix smiles on the bold, even those who have been out there the longest. In a race where chaos is always the order of the day, early attackers create unsuspected openings. Conquerors of the Hell of the North, they tell us about their heavenly day on the cobbles.

Johan Vansummeren : „At Roubaix, I knew I had a chance“
4 + 3 + 2 = 9. From 2005 to 2013, nine editions of Paris-Roubaix were dominated by three major forces. There was Tom Boonen, Flanders hero, winner of the Hell of the North on four occasions, like Roger De Vlaeminck in the 1970s. Swiss icon Fabian Cancellara also made his way into the Roubaix legend with three triumphs. The other two editions contested during their reign crowned long-distance attackers specialising in the cobbles, who eventually found an opening to upset the pre-established (but rarely respected) scenarios of Paris-Roubaix.
In 2007, Stuart O’Grady achieved his conquest by taking part in the early breakaway before he surged in the final. In 2011, Johan Vansummeren was “at the back of the pack“ when the breakaway set off. The Trouée d’Arenberg was his winning launchpad, almost 100 kilometres away from the André-Pétrieux velodrome. At the same time, Boonen was lamenting a puncture. As for Fabian Cancellara, he remained behind, alongside the other main favourites, led by world champion Thor Hushovd, Vansummeren’s teammate in the ranks of Garmin-Cervélo.
Winner in Roubaix a year earlier (ahead of Hushovd, 2nd), Cancellara eventually unleashed his power. The gap to the front of the race had shrunk to around twenty seconds with 30 kilometres to go. But Vansummeren didn’t wait for anyone en route to the greatest success of his career. The Belgian suffered right to the end, with a puncture just outside of the Vélodrome. Still, he fulfilled the prophecy of his boss Jonathan Vaughters, who was convinced that Vansummeren, even more than Hushovd, held the key to breaking the Boonen-Cancellara lock.

KM 0. TOO EARLY TO MOVE : „I wasn’t going to jostle and lose energy“
„At the start, I was free – I didn’t have to do anything for the team leaders. Thor Hushovd had two riders working for him, [Roger] Hammond and [Andreas] Klier, and I could do my own thing. Up until the first sector in Troisvilles, I stayed at the back of the pack. You have to make a choice: either you try to get into the breakaway, or you try to preserve your legs as much as possible. That’s also a risk. If there’s a lot of wind, you can’t afford to lag behind. But that day, I told myself that I wasn’t going to jostle and lose energy. My idea was not to worry about the race for the first 100 kilometres. It was only in the last ten kilometres before Troisvilles that I started to work my way up to the front of the peloton.”

KM 98. SURVIVING THE FIRST COBBLES : „There are crashes, the peloton splits“
„The first cobbles in Paris-Roubaix are always dangerous. I was talking about it again last week with a friend: ‘We never talk about the first sectors, it’s not five stars… But there’s always tension.’ You have two hundred riders and everyone wants to be in the top ten. There are crashes, the peloton splits… OK, it comes back, but it takes energy. You have to fight beforehand and if you enter the cobbles in fifth or sixth position, you can even allow yourself to drop back a little. It’s all about being in the safety zone and staying well placed to avoid any splits.”

KM 172. ARENBERG, THE LAUNCH PAD : „Lotto pulled and pulled and pulled“
„At Arenberg, there isn’t really a safe zone any more. Even in second place, if the guy in front of you crashes, there’s no room. And if you have a mechanical… I was able to go through without having to push too hard. And as soon as we came out of the cobbles, [Jurgen] Roelandts attacked. I was on his wheel and off we went. We quickly caught up with the breakaway and then Lotto had three riders [Roelandts, André Greipel and David Boucher]. It was magnificent. They didn’t ask for anything, they just pulled and pulled and pulled… And I was around tenth place [he whistles]. They carried me for nearly 70 kilometres, until we battled it out in the finale with [Lars] Bak, [Maarten] Tjallingi… At no point did I think about the gap or the chasing riders. Anyway, the situation changes a lot. And as soon as there are only three or four of us in front, it’s a mano a mano.”

KM 242. THE RIGHT TURN ON THE CARREFOUR : „Tjallingi was five metres away“
„I felt really good. And I know the Carrefour de l’Arbre quite well, the corners, the first left-right… And after about a kilometre, there’s a left-hand bend… And that’s where I went really fast. Tjallingi was five metres from my wheel. He never came back. I had good legs, a clear head and my experience of Paris-Roubaix, the recons… Even today, you leave me in Troisvilles and I’ll take you to Roubaix, with my eyes closed! But there, I wasn’t at ease. In the last sector before Roubaix, my wheel hit a cobblestone. I thought to myself: ‘ouch…‘ And in the last three kilometres, my rim was touching the road. It was a bit of a panic, I was really stressed. On the videos, you can see that I entered the velodrome with a soft tubular. But it worked out.”

KM 256.5. ELATION IN ROUBAIX AND LOMMEL : „I bought a few tons of beer“
„It was total madness. I was so proud, so happy. When I signed my contract with Garmin, I told Vaughters: ‘I know I can’t win many races… But Roubaix, I can do it.’ Then, just because you can doesn’t mean you’re going to win! But at Roubaix, I knew I had a chance. The team organised dinner that evening, then we left around midnight. And when I arrived in my town [Lommel], there must have been 2,000 people in the streets. The police were there, the roads were blocked, there was the mayor, the TV cameras… I bought a few tons of beer, stayed for an hour, an hour and a half, and then went home. I was dead.“

Johan Vansummeren :
Born on 4th February 1981 in Lommel (Belgium)
9 participations in the Tour de France
9 participations in Paris-Roubaix :
• Winner in 2011 / 5th in 2009 / 8th in 2008 / 9th in 2012
• Winner of Tour de Pologne 2007 (stage 7 and general classification)
• Winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Espoirs in 2003

Route Adélie de Vitré – 177 Km

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Strassenrennen, , ,


Plomi Foto

1 BIERMANS Jenthe BEL ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 04:03:27
2 DUJARDIN Sandy FRA TotalEnergies 00:00
3 DELETTRE Alexandre FRA St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 00:00
4 GAUDU David FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:00
5 BEVORT Carl-Frederik DEN Uno-X Mobility 00:00
6 LABROSSE Jordan FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:00
7 BERASATEGI Xabier ESP Euskaltel-Euskadi 00:02
8 ISIDORE Noa FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:02
9 BRAZ AFONSO Clément FRA CIC U Nantes Atlantique 00:02
10 DALBY Simon DEN Uno-X Mobility 00:09
11 COSTIOU Ewen FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:09
12 DVERSNES Fredrik NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:14
13 COSNEFROY Benoît FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:18
14 HOBBS Noah GBR Groupama-FDJ 00:20
15 CARDIS Romain FRA St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 00:20
16 ABERASTURI Jon ESP Euskaltel-Euskadi 00:20
17 FOUCHE James NZL Euskaltel-Euskadi 00:20
18 COUANON Jonathan FRA Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur 00:20
19 VENTURINI Clément FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:20
20 MAGLI Filippo ITA VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè 00:20

ESCAPE FROM HELL – 2007 : STUART O’GRADY (II/V)

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, History, Strassenrennen, Weltcup und Klassiker, , , ,

2007 : Stuart O’Grady (II/V)
In the end, it’s not always the strongest who wins. Certainly not in cycling, and most definitely not in Paris-Roubaix. On the roads of the Hell of the North, the „strongest“ can just as easily win in the legendary velodrome as get bogged down in the Trouée d’Arenberg. Year after year, the cobblestone crushers crash in the Mons-en-Pévèle sector or collapse in the Carrefour de l’Arbre – and one cannot underestimate the traps of the asphalt either. On these unique roads, an aspirant for glory needs to be strong, but also brave and lucky. Paris-Roubaix smiles on the bold, even those who have been out there the longest. In a race where chaos is always the order of the day, early attackers create unsuspected openings. Conquerors of the Hell of the North, they tell us about their heavenly day on the cobbles.

O’Grady: “It was like having an out-of-body experience“
Stuart O’Grady knew everything about how to power victory in a velodrome when he lined up at the start of Paris-Roubaix 2007, his “finest road result”. His last victory before he tamed the French Monument actually came in the Athens Olympic Velodrome, during the 2004 Games, where he won the Madison. In his 33rd Spring, the Australian veteran also had a wealth of experience to share in the Classics and he approached with high confidence his 9th participation in the Hell of the North, a week after finishing 10th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
These stripes didn’t make O’Grady a favourite to raise the famous winner’s cobble in the Vélodrome of Roubaix. In these years, all eyes turned to Fabian Cancellara – especially O’Grady’s, who was a teammate of the Swiss icon – and Tom Boonen, the two of them claiming seven victories in the nine editions raced between 2005 and 2013. It appeared the only way to escape their dominance was to anticipate, as O’Grady showed and Johan Vansummeren confirmed, in 2011.
On his special day, „Stuey“ the Aussie was greeted by exceptionally high temperatures in the North of France. He made the early breakaway to launch a trailblazing conquest. A puncture and a crash got in his way, the bigger guns got back to him… But O’Grady surged again on the Carrefour de l’Arbre. „Today, I was going to win or die trying“, he said as he became the first rider from Down Under to conquer Roubaix and its iconic Vélodrome.

Km 0. Let them go : “Everybody goes full gas in the first 15 kilometres”
“Fabian [Cancellara] was the protected rider, especially as the defending champion. I was more of a plan B, along with Lars Michaelsen and Matti Breschel. My objective was to get in the breakaway with a couple of teammates, to be ahead of the race, be ready to help Fabian deep in the finale. Getting in the break is probably one of the most difficult things to achieve. Every directeur sportif tells his riders he wants one or two of them in the breakaway. It’s very fast, it’s very hard. You need a lot of experience. Everybody goes full gas in the first 15 kilometres, which isn’t the best way to go about it. It’s more about picking your opportunities from that 16, 17km mark, when the road starts taking a few little small climbs, which makes a good launchpad to create a breakaway.”

Km 19. Feel the move : “Come on, it’s a good opportunity!”
“When the breakaway initially went, it had Luke Roberts and Matti Breschel in it. I thought it was a good group but I also thought I really need to be in it as well. I used my experience to jump across at a favourable moment and we were three riders. It was a real defining moment. It was very important for us to have multiple riders in the breakaway. Obviously, we didn’t realise it would be 30 riders, which kind of worked in our favour. I remember yelling at the riders: ‘Come on, it’s a good opportunity, the further we get ahead the better’. And I managed to get the breakaway very.

Km 163. Survive Arenberg : “I thought my race was finished”
“We were hoping to get to Arenberg and in the end, the breakaway went much further… But it didn’t work out like that for me. I was always entering the sectors first or second wheel, to chose my line, try to avoid stupid crashes or incidents. I was feeling really good. Everything was coming to plan. But I punctured in Arenberg. I was devastated, I thought my race was finished. But that’s where my experience from the previous Paris-Roubaix helped me. The younger Stuart would have tried to time trial back to that group and probably explode a few sections later. The more experienced Stuart went: ‘You know what, let’s just get to the end of the section, let’s get a musette…’ It was a very hot and dusty day, which made it really difficult to eat and drink. That puncture was probably a blessing in disguise.”

Km 215. Get Cancellara’s approval : “If you can, just go”
“Once I got caught, I spoke with Fabian. We shared room the night before and we were very close friends. I was told to attack on the next section… And I crashed on a corner, which was unusual. I was usually pretty good on the cobbles but I think with the pressure, having to attack for Fabian, I had a little lapse in concentration and I crashed. I was really mad at myself. I thought I had let Fabian down. With that anger, I rode back to the peloton. And that’s when Fabian said: ‘‘I’m not on a good day. You obviously are. If you can, just go.’”

Km 234. Go go go : “What have I done?”
“I followed Steffen Wesemann and Roger Hammond, who had just attacked. They rode me to the front of the race. At that moment, something inside my head just said: ‘Go’. I didn’t know how many kilometres were left to go, I didn’t know anything… I just saw the moment that everyone was really tired and they all kind of sat up. And at that moment, my head just said ‘attack, just go’. I saw an opportunity and then I saw the sign that said 25 kilometres to go… Holy shit, what have I done? But I felt really good on the Carrefour. My goal was to get a one-minute advantage. Then, the riders behind would start looking at each other and racing for the places of second and third.”

Km 259.5. Feel the legend : “Is this really happening?”
“It was like having an out-of-body experience. You’re racing, you’re off the front in Paris-Roubaix, and you’re kind of asking: ‘Is this really happening?’ Your legs are on the verge of cramping. Your arms are absolutely wrecked. Your neck, everything is hurting. But I guess that desire, that will to win, is just screaming at you: ‘Just keep going there, this is your day!’ It doesn’t happen very often in your career, at least it didn’t happen very often in my career! So I pushed as hard as I could push and it worked. The winner’s cobble is the only trophy I have on display at my home, in Australia. It’s in the entrance and I still touch it most days. It brings back a lot of incredible memories.”

Stuart O’Grady :
• Born on 6 August 1973 in Adelaide (Australia)
• Director of the Santos Tour Down Under

17 participations in the Tour de France :
• 2 stage wins (1998, 2004) / 9 Yellow jerseys (1998, 2001)
14 participations in Paris-Roubaix :
• Winner in 2007 / 5th in 2008
• Track Olympic Champion in 2004
• 3rd of Milano-Sanremo 2004
• 3rd of the Ronde van Vlaanderen 2003
• 3rd of Paris-Tours 2003 and 2006

Dwars door Vlaanderen 2024

Allgemein, Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frühjahrskassiker, , , , , ,

Elite Männer 189km:

1 JORGENSON Matteo USA TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 04:07:44
2 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas NOR UNO-X MOBILITY 00:29
3 KÜNG Stefan SUI GROUPAMA-FDJ 00:29
4 BENOOT Tiesj BEL TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 00:29
5 DE BONDT Dries BEL DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 00:29
6 TARLING Michael Joshua GBR INEOS GRENADIERS 00:44
7 MILAN Jonathan ITA LIDL-TREK 01:47
8 VALGREN Michael DEN EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST 01:47
9 JØRGENSEN Norsgaard Mathias DEN MOVISTAR TEAM 01:47
10 GACHIGNARD Thomas FRA TOTALENERGIES 01:47
11 GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 02:07
12 POLITT Nils GER UAE TEAM EMIRATES 02:07
13 MADOUAS Valentin FRA GROUPAMA-FDJ 02:07
14 VAN POPPEL Danny NED BORA – HANSGROHE 02:07
15 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK 02:07
16 TURNER Ben GBR INEOS GRENADIERS 02:07
17 MATTHEWS Michael AUS TEAM JAYCO ALULA 02:07
18 MOZZATO Luca ITA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 02:07
19 TEUNISSEN Mike NED INTERMARCHE – WANTY 02:07
20 DEGENKOLB John GER TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 02:07

Frauen 130km:

1 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 02:52:08
2 VAN ANROOIJ Shirin NED Lidl-Trek 00:00
3 PATERNOSTER Letizia ITA Liv AlUla Jayco 00:19
4 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 00:19
5 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:19
6 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:19
7 CONSONNI Chiara ITA UAE Team ADQ 00:51
8 SIERRA Arlenis CUB Movistar Team 00:51
9 BRAND Lucinda NED Lidl-Trek 00:51
10 DE WILDE Julie BEL Fenix-Deceuninck 00:51
11 BERTEAU Victoire FRA Cofidis Women Team 00:51
12 DE JONG Thalita NED Lotto Dstny Ladies 00:51
13 SWINKELS Karlijn NED UAE Team ADQ 00:51
14 BARALE Francesca ITA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:51
15 JASKULSKA Marta POL Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling 00:51

Paris-Camembert-206 Km

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, , ,

1 COSNEFROY Benoît FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 04:26:11
2 VENTURINI Clément FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:00
3 DELETTRE Alexandre FRA St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 00:00
4 MARCELLUSI Martin ITA VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè 00:00
5 DVERSNES Fredrik NOR Uno-X Mobility 00:00
6 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:00
7 COSTIOU Ewen FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:04
8 DELBOVE Joris FRA St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93 00:08
9 TOWNSEND Rory IRL Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 00:14
10 KOPECKY Matyas CZE Team Novo Nordisk 00:14
11 ALBANESE Vincenzo ITA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 00:14
12 PEREZ Anthony FRA Cofidis 00:14
13 RETAILLEAU Valentin FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:14
14 GRUEL Thibaud FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:14
15 BERASATEGI Xabier ESP Euskaltel-Euskadi 00:14

Kein Erfolgserlebnis für geschwächtes Team Vorarlberg beim Rad Bundesliga Auftakt in Leonding – Lukas Meiler auf Rang sechs

Eintagsrennen, Strassenrennen, Teamnews, , , ,

Es war mit dem Startschuss klar! Heute ganz vorne mitzufahren, wird schwer. Denn man musste auf Moran Vermeulen, Colin Stüssi und Felix Stehli krankheitsbedingt verzichten. Das 153 Kilometer lange Rennen in Leonding entwickelte sich zum Ausscheidungsfahren.
Lukas Meiler und Lukas Rüegg konnten bis ins Finale ganz vorne mitmischen. Meiler attackierte im Finale und wird im Sprint aus der kleinen Spitzengruppe Sechster. Rüegg, ebenfalls angeschlagen, wird heute Zwölfter.
Sieger nach knapp vier Stunden und wechselhaften Wetter der Slowene Jaka Primozic (Hrinkow Adavarics).

Eine bewegte Zeit liegt nun hinter der Mannschaft. Nach der Rückkehr vom Trainingscamp das Team Meeting, Fotoshooting, Filmaufnahmen mit unseren neuen Brillenpartner react, Fachvortrag bei unserem Recovery Partner Samina und die eindrucksvolle Team Vorstellung vor breitem Publikum am Freitagabend. Nun heißt es gut zu regenerieren, fit zu werden und weiter im Plan. Die Saison ist noch lange und mit vielen Rennen garniert.

Line-up Team Vorarlberg: Dominik Amann, Laurin Nenning, Daniel Heidegger, Nikolas Riegler, Jannis Peter, Lukas Meiler, Jon Knolle, Pirmin Benz, Lukas Rüegg, Alexander Konychev, Tomoya Koyama;

„Time out“ – Moran Vermeulen nimmt sich eine Auszeit!

Es wurde still an der Team Präsentation vergangenen Freitagabend in Bregenz. Moran Vermeulen, seit 2023 im Team Vorarlberg, erklärte in seiner gewohnt offenen, direkten Art, dass er sich eine Pause nehmen muss auf unbestimmte Zeit. Der Grund: anhaltend psychische Probleme.
Worüber viele nicht sprechen, jedoch speziell gerade im Spitzensport allseits präsent ist, dafür fand der 26-jährige Ramsauer klare Worte und zog nun die Handbremse.

Auszug Interview und Statement von Moran Vermeulen: https://k19.at/player/da604069-2618-413a-80ad-0d97478c050f

Das gesamte Team Vorarlberg steht felsenfest hinter Moran. Er wird sich nun die Zeit geben, und über die weiteren Schritte entsprechend informieren, wenn er dazu bereit ist!

Die gesamte Radsportfamilie wünscht dir Moran viel Zuversicht und alles Beste für deine schwere Etappe!

Infos zu Moran Vermeulen: https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/moran-vermeulen

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

Escape from Hell – 1988 : Dirk Demol (I/V)

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, History, Strassenrennen, Weltcup und Klassiker, , ,

1988 : Dirk Demol (I/V)

In the end, it’s not always the strongest who wins. Certainly not in cycling, and most definitely not in Paris-Roubaix. On the roads of the Hell of the North, the „strongest“ can just as easily win in the legendary velodrome as get bogged down in the Trouée d’Arenberg. Year after year, the cobblestone crushers crash in the Mons-en-Pévèle sector or collapse in the Carrefour de l’Arbre – and one cannot underestimate the traps of the asphalt either. On these unique roads, an aspirant for glory needs to be strong, but also brave and lucky. Paris-Roubaix smiles on the bold, even those who have been out there the longest. In a race where chaos is always the order of the day, early attackers create unsuspected openings. Conquerors of the Hell of the North, they tell us about their heavenly day on the cobbles.

Dirk Demol : “When De Vlaeminck told me we were gonna stay away…”

Numbers hardly break down the brutality and magnificence of Paris-Roubaix. 120 editions held since the first one, in 1896. Some 250 kilometres of racing, with over 50 kilometres of cobblestones in the modern version of the „Hell of the North“, featuring sectors classified from one to five stars, based on the challenge they represent. Countless feats and even more dreams shattered. And extraordinary breakaways, since the French Monument ignites a special fire within the most daring attackers. How long was the longest successful breakaway in the history of Paris-Roubaix? „We did 222 kilometres at the front“, the winner of the 1988 edition Dirk Demol recalls. That year, his team AD Renting had come with a hot favourite: Eddy Planckaert. They had stellar rivals: Sean Kelly, Laurent Fignon, Marc Madiot, Eric Vanderaerden… But it was the „manneke“ („little guy“) Demol – hailing from Kuurne, some 25km away from Roubaix – who surged to an unexpected triumph, getting the better of his breakaway companions while resisting the bigger guns. „Numbers are unforgiving“, Jean-Marie Leblanc wrote on his way to Kuurne, as he pondered for L’Équipe the mathematical impossibility for Fignon to bridge a gap of 2’52“ in the very last kilometres. The Frenchman eventually crossed the line in 3rd position, 1’55“ after Demol. Fignon never got the numbers right in Roubaix while Leblanc went on to steer the French Monument, as well as the Tour de France. As for Demol, he now shares his unique insights as a sports director for Lotto Dstny after he worked with icons such as Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.

KM 0. Go to the front : “I was covering the early breaks for Planckaert”

“Roubaix has always been my favourite race. I remember doing it with the Belgian national team as an Under 23 in 1980. Back then, you had to wait for a letter in the mail and I was so happy when I read I was gonna do Roubaix! I finished 2nd in a sprint against Stephen Roche, with a similar scenario to my victory in 1988. It was a long breakaway, gone before the first cobblestones, and we had the same number of riders at the front – 13 – until it gradually came down to only two. Then, I got to do it as a professional. In 1988, I was covering the early breaks with another Belgian teammate, Luc Colyn, for our leader Eddy Planckaert, who had won the Tour of Flanders a week earlier. We wanted to have somebody up there so we could avoid chasing in the bunch. There were many attempts and I was somehow lucky because I was eventually part of it when the breakaway went after some 40 kilometres of racing.”

Km44. Make the most of the break : “I was lucky to be with Thomas Turbo”

“We had quite a big group and I was already thinking my director would be happy with the job I had done. Of course, you pull. But you stay on the reserve, because you have to be able to help your leader if he comes later. I wasn’t strong enough to be a leader, not physically, not mentally. When I was on a good day, I made the top 10 of several semi-classics. But I never raced the finale of a big Classic, except for that year in Roubaix. I was lucky to be up there with Thomas Wegmuller. We used to call him Thomas Turbo, or Terminator, because he was always going full gas. A couple of years later, he attacked with Jacky Durand in the Tour of Flanders and they stayed away as well. But I was also the only one able to go with him. Gerard Veldschoten was in the breakaway, Allan Peiper… When these guys were dropped, I figured we were going really fast.”

KM 220. Listen to Mr Paris-Roubaix : “I can do it!”

“My first leader when I turned professional, in 1982, was Roger De Vlaeminck, Monsieur Paris-Roubaix. If he liked a young rider, he would teach you. In Roubaix, positioning is essential. I also learned from Roger how to go smooth over the cobbles. In 1988, with about 45 km to go, press cars moved past them. One of them slowed down as they passed us… Roger was their guest. He rolled down his window and told me: ‘‘Dirk, you know, you’re gonna stay away! It’s still three minutes. It’s the chance of your life to win.’ From that moment, I went all in. In races, I was often doubting. But that day… For some reason, I was thinking: ‘Ok, Roger said we can stay away, I feel good… I can do it!’ On every level, physically, mentally, it was the kind of day a rider likes me maybe gets once in their career. I also knew Thomas couldn’t sprint at all while I could defend myself, especially in small groups. And the wind had blown a plastic bag in his derailleur. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and everything came together.”

KM 266. Step into the legend : „It’s true, I won Roubaix!”

“When you cross the line, you don’t really realise. Especially someone like me, a gregario, a domestique… It was already my 7th year as a pro. I went to the podium, then I had to speak to the media, do the doping control… My best supporter was there, picking me up to bring me home. We had a small fan club in a café. And it was incredible how excited everyone was. At some point in the night – I stayed celebrating with them until 3 or 4 AM, even Jean-Marie Leblanc was there as a journalist for L’Équipe – they brought me the newspapers from Monday. I was on the front page and then I said: ‘Yes, it’s true, I won Roubaix!’ I went to bed, I was so tired but I couldn’t sleep: ‚is it true? did I dream?‘ It was a dream indeed.”

Gent-Wevelgem 2024

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MEN – 253 Km

1 PEDERSEN Mads DEN Lidl-Trek 05:36:00
2 VAN DER POEL Mathieu NED Alpecin-Deceuninck 00:00
3 MEEUS Jordi BEL BORA-hansgrohe 01:16
4 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 02:16
5 MILAN Jonathan ITA Lidl-Trek 03:16
6 KOOIJ Olav NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 04:16
7 GIRMAY Biniam ERI Intermarché-Wanty 05:16
8 MERLIER Tim BEL Soudal Quick-Step 06:16
9 GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED Team Jayco-AlUla 07:16
10 TRENTIN Matteo ITA Tudor Pro Cycling Team 08:16
11 NAESEN Oliver BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 09:16
12 BISSEGGER Stefan SUI EF Education-EasyPost 10:16
13 MOHORIC Matej SLO Bahrain Victorious 11:16
14 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 12:16
15 MOZZATO Luca ITA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 13:16
16 REX Laurenz BEL Intermarché-Wanty 14:16
17 STRONG Corbin NZL Israel-Premier Tech 15:16
18 MAYRHOFER Marius GER Tudor Pro Cycling Team 16:16
19 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 17:16
20 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas NOR Uno-X Mobility 18:16
21 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 19:16
22 LIENHARD Fabian SUI Groupama-FDJ 20:16
23 TILLER Rasmus NOR Uno-X Mobility 21:16
24 DUJARDIN Sandy FRA TotalEnergies 22:16
25 TURNER Ben GBR INEOS Grenadiers 23:16
26 PITHIE Laurence NZL Groupama-FDJ 24:16
27 POLITT Nils GER UAE Team Emirates 25:16
28 RENARD Alexis FRA Cofidis 26:16
29 ALLEGAERT Piet BEL Cofidis 27:16
30 MALECKI Kamil POL Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 28:16
31 WALSCHEID Max GER Team Jayco-AlUla 29:16

Jordi Meeus sprintet bei Gent-Wevelgem auf Platz 3

Mit Gent-Wevelgem (UCI 1.UWT) stand heute der nächste Kopfsteinpflaster-Klassiker im Rennkalender der UCI WorldTour. Das 253km lange Rennen war geprägt von schwierigen Windverhältnissen und ständigen Attacken. Am Ende kamen M. van der Poel und M. Pedersen als Duo zur Ziellinie, wobei sich Pedersen den Sieg sicherte. Dahinter leistete BORA – hansgrohe perfekte Vorarbeit für Jordi Meeus, der im Sprint um Platz 3 der Schnellste war.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Ein schönes und wichtiges Podium für mich. Ich konnte während der Windstaffel in die erste Gruppe springen und so etwas Energie sparen. Danach hieß es für mich einfach, die Kemmelberg-Überfahrten zu überleben. Ich wollte sehen, wie weit ich dieses Jahr bei den Klassikern kommen kann. Ein 3. Platz hinter Mathieu und Mads bei Gent-Wevelgem fühlt sich ziemlich gut an!“ Jordi Meeus

„Speziell aufgrund der Windverhältnisse war es ein sehr stressiger Tag. Heute hat für uns sehr viel geklappt, die Jungs sind richtig schlau gefahren. Wir waren vor jedem Anstieg gut positioniert und konnten so einige Körner sparen. Mathieu und Mads waren wieder in einer anderen Liga unterwegs; dahinter haben wir versucht, deren Vorsprung in Grenzen zu halten, um im Finale noch die Chance auf den Sprint ums Podium zu wahren. Mit Jordi auf Platz 3 können wir mehr als zufrieden sein – ich bin stolz auf die Jungs!“ Heinrich Haussler, Sportlicher Leiter

Women – 171 Km

1 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx-Protime 04:16:19
2 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:00
3 CONSONNI Chiara ITA UAE Team ADQ 00:00
4 KOOL Charlotte NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:00
5 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ITA Uno-X Mobility 00:00
6 SIERRA Arlenis CUB Movistar Team 00:00
7 PIETERSE Puck NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:00
8 DE JONG Thalita NED Lotto Dstny Ladies 00:00
9 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT Fenix-Deceuninck 00:00
10 COLES-LYSTER Maggie CAN Roland 00:00
11 VANPACHTENBEKE Margot BEL VolkerWessels Pro Cycling Team 00:00
12 RIEDMANN Linda GER Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:00
13 LE COURT Kim MRI AG Insurance-Soudal Team 00:00
14 BERTEAU Victoire FRA Cofidis Women Team 00:00
15 BERTON Nina LUX Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling 00:00
16 BOILARD Simone CAN Uno-X Mobility 00:00
17 DRONOVA Tamara RUS Roland 00:00
18 MACKAIJ Floortje NED Movistar Team 00:00
19 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 00:00
20 BUJAK Eugenia SLO UAE Team ADQ 00:00

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya – 7. Etappe:

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Barcelona – Barcelona – 145Km

1 POGACAR Tadej BEL UAE Team Emirates 03:15:23
2 GODON Dorian FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:00
3 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 00:00
4 WILLIAMS Stephen GBR Israel-Premier Tech 00:00
5 KONRAD Patrick AUT Lidl-Trek 00:00
6 HIGUITA Sergio COL BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
7 GONZÁLEZ David ESP Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 00:00
8 TIBERI Antonio ITA Bahrain Victorious 00:00
9 VLASOV Aleksandr RUS BORA-hansgrohe 00:00
10 POELS Wout NED Bahrain Victorious 00:00
11 HARPER Chris AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 00:00
12 VALTER Attila HUN Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:00
13 LANGELLOTTI Victor MON Burgos-BH 00:00
14 BAUDIN Alex FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 00:00
15 MARTINEZ Lenny FRA Groupama-FDJ 00:00
16 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 00:00
17 FORTUNATO Lorenzo ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 00:00
18 LANDA Mikel ESP Soudal Quick-Step 00:00
19 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 00:00
20 ALMEIDA Joao POR UAE Team Emirates 00:00

Endstand:

1 POGACAR Tadej BEL UAE Team Emirates 28:21:29
2 LANDA Mikel ESP Soudal Quick-Step 03:41
3 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 05:03
4 VLASOV Aleksandr RUS BORA-hansgrohe 05:56
5 MAS Enric ESP Movistar Team 06:01
6 HARPER Chris AUS Team Jayco-AlUla 06:01
7 MARTINEZ Lenny FRA Groupama-FDJ 06:02
8 TIBERI Antonio ITA Bahrain Victorious 06:33
9 ALMEIDA Joao POR UAE Team Emirates 06:33
10 FORTUNATO Lorenzo ITA Astana Qazaqstan Team 07:27
11 POELS Wout NED Bahrain Victorious 07:41
12 RODRIGUEZ Cristian ESP ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 08:18
13 KUSS Sepp USA Team Visma | Lease a Bike 08:20
14 RUBIO Einer COL Movistar Team 09:04
15 BENNETT George NZL Israel-Premier Tech 09:35
16 DE PLUS Laurens BEL INEOS Grenadiers 11:25
17 VERONA Carlos ESP Lidl-Trek 11:46
18 BERTHET Clément FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 12:27
19 CARUSO Damiano ITA Bahrain Victorious 13:56
20 HIRT Jan CZE Soudal Quick-Step 14:07

Volta a Catalunya: Aleksandr Vlasov beendet die WorldTour Rundfahrt auf Rang vier


Plomi Foto

Nach seiner starken Performance vor zwei Wochen bei Paris-Nizza (Etappensieger und Gesamt-Fünfter) war Aleksandr Vlasov mit hohen Ambitionen in die Volta a Catalunya gestartet. Am Ende bestätigte er seine gute Frühjahrsform mit einer weiteren Top-Platzierung.

Trotz zahlreicher Attacken gab es auf der heutigen siebten Etappe keine größeren Veränderungen mehr in der Gesamtwertung der Volta a Catalunya. BORA – hansgrohe Fahrer Aleksandr Vlasov beendete die Rundfahrt durch Katalonien damit auf Rang vier in der Gesamtwertung, 5:56 Minuten hinter dem Gesamtsieger Tadej Pogačar.

“Das war eine wirklich harte Woche, vor allem die letzten Tage waren sehr intensiv. Am Ende habe ich das Podium leider knapp verpasst”, erklärte Vlasov im Ziel. Zur Halbzeit des Rennens hatte der 27-Jährige noch den dritten Rang im Klassement belegt, am Ende musste er der harten Belastung allerdings Tribut zollen. “Trotzdem kann ich mit meiner Form in diesem Frühjahr sehr zufrieden sein. In den letzten Wochen hatte ich wirklich gute Beine.”

In der Tat setzte Vlasov in Katalonien seine beeindruckende Frühjahrs-Serie fort: Nach drei Podiumsplatzierungen bei der Mallorca Challenge beendete er auch die Valencia-Rundfahrt auf Rang drei. Es folgten ein Etappensieg und ein fünfter Gesamtrang bei Paris-Nizza sowie die erneute Top-Platzierung in Katalonien.

“Nach Paris-Nizza hatte Aleks eine ausgezeichnete Form. Auch zu Beginn der Volta a Catalunya war er top drauf. Am Ende hat er allerdings der hohen Rennbelastung etwas Tribut zollen müssen. Das Podium hat leider nicht geklappt, aber Platz vier ist auch ein gutes Ergebnis”, so das Fazit von Christian Pömer, der in Katalonien für BORA – hansgrohe als Sportlicher Leiter im Einsatz war. Pömer hob in diesem Zusammenhang auch die Leistung der restlichen Mannschaft hervor: “Florian Lipowitz beispielsweise. Er ist sensationell gefahren und hat Aleks sehr geholfen”, fügte er an.

Für Aleksandr Vlasov steht nach den anstrengenden Renntagen nun Erholung auf dem Programm. Danach wird er sich auf seine nächsten Renneinsätze beim Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège und der Tour de Romandie konzentrieren. “Dort hoffe ich dann erneut auf gute Beine”, so Vlasov.