Schlagwort-Archive: ASO

Tour of Oman – 3. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , , ,

Al Khobar – Jabal Hatt – 152 Km


Plomi Foto

1 JORGENSON Matteo USA MOVISTAR TEAM 03:33:51
2 VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:02
3 BOUCHARD Geoffrey FRA AG2R CITROËN TEAM 00:03
4 RODRIGUEZ Cristian ESP TEAM ARKÉA-SAMSIC 00:03
5 UIJTDEBROEKS Cian BEL BORA-HANSGROHE 00:03
6 LANGELLOTTI Victor MON BURGOS-BH 00:03
7 TAARAMÄE Rein EST INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:03
8 TEJADA Harold COL ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:07
9 ULISSI Diego ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:09
10 VAN GILS Maxim BEL LOTTO DSTNY 00:11
11 HERRADA Jesus ESP COFIDIS 00:16
12 VERONA Carlos ESP MOVISTAR TEAM 00:16
13 LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:19
14 EG Niklas DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:19
15 HIRT Jan CZE SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:19
16 ZWIEHOFF Ben GER BORA-HANSGROHE 00:45
17 RIES Michel LUX TEAM ARKÉA-SAMSIC 00:49
18 MEINTJES Louis RSA INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:52
19 MONIQUET Sylvain BEL LOTTO DSTNY 00:53
20 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-HANSGROHE 00:53

Gesamt:

1 JORGENSON Matteo USA MOVISTAR TEAM 11:25:48
2 VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:06
3 BOUCHARD Geoffrey FRA AG2R CITROËN TEAM 00:14
4 ULISSI Diego ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:15
5 VAN GILS Maxim BEL LOTTO DSTNY 00:15
6 HERRADA Jesus ESP COFIDIS 00:16
7 TAARAMÄE Rein EST INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:18
8 LANGELLOTTI Victor MON BURGOS-BH 00:18
9 UIJTDEBROEKS Cian BEL BORA-HANSGROHE 00:18
10 RODRIGUEZ Cristian ESP TEAM ARKÉA-SAMSIC 00:18
11 TEJADA Harold COL ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:22
12 VERONA Carlos ESP MOVISTAR TEAM 00:31
13 LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:32
14 EG Niklas DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:34
15 HIRT Jan CZE SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:34
16 MEINTJES Louis RSA INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 01:07
17 TEUGELS Lennert BEL BINGOAL WB 01:08
18 ROCHAS Rémy FRA COFIDIS 01:08
19 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-HANSGROHE 01:08
20 MONIQUET Sylvain BEL LOTTO DSTNY 01:08

Cian Uijtdebroeks zeigt starke Leistung bei Bergankunft auf 3. Etappe der Tour of Oman

Auf der dritten Teilstrecke waren heute Kletterfähigkeiten gefragt, denn die Etappe endete mit einem 4,5 km langen und durchschnittlich 7,5 Prozent Anstieg zum Jabal Haat. Eine kleine Ausreißergruppe konnte gleich nach dem Start entkommen, doch wenige Kilometer vor dem Ziel wurde diese vom Feld gestellt. Den Schlussanstieg nahmen dann Emu Buchmann, Cian Uijtdebroeks und Ben Zwiehoff in einer 35 Mann starken Gruppe in Angriff. Im steilsten Teil mussten die beiden deutschen BORA – hansgrohe Fahrer, auch wegen eines Zwischenfalls mit Absperrungen die der Helikopter auf die Fahrbahn blies, reißen lassen, während Cian die Angriffe aus einer kleinen Gruppe bis auf die letzten Meter folgen konnte. Beim Sieg von M. Jorgenson belegte der junge Belgier den 5. Platz, nur drei Sekunden hinter dem Sieger und ist damit derzeit Neunter in der Gesamtwertung.

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Heute war ein guter Tag für mich, auch was die Gesamtwertung betrifft. Es war ein schwieriges Finish, denn der Anstieg war ziemlich punchy. Die Jungs, besonders Emu, haben mir den ganzen Tag gut geholfen, damit ich meine Energie sparen konnte. Die Anfahrt zum letzten Anstieg war nicht leicht, aber wir haben den Fuß der Steigung in einer guter Position erreicht. Am Anstieg selbst haben die Jungs mir geholfen, meine gute Position beizubehalten. Als die Attacken begannen, konnte ich ziemlich leicht folgen, aber der Sprint am Ende war ein bisschen zu explosiv. Am Ende belegte ich den 5. Platz aber am wichtigsten war, dass ich im Anstieg ein gutes Gefühl hatte und somit können wir uns auf den Green Mountain Anstieg, der mir sicher viel besser liegt, bestimmt freuen.“ – Cian Uijtdebroeks


Foto Plomi

„Das Rennen war ziemlich schnell, aber gut kontrolliert. Alles lief auf den letzten Berg hinaus. Der Anstieg begann sehr steil, wo das Feld schnell zerbröckelte. Wir hatten Emu und Cian als Kapitäne auserkoren und unser Team hat unseren Plan gut umgesetzt. Aber es scheint, dass Barrieren durch den Hubschrauber auf die Straße gefegt wurden, wodurch Emu und Ben etwas behindert waren. Cian war vorne in einer Gruppe von sechs Fahrern, eröffnete seinen Sprint aber etwas zu früh und belegte am Ende den 5. Platz. Aber es ist besser etwas zu früh zu sein als zu lange zu warten.“ – Rolf Aldag, Sportlicher Leiter


Jorgenson rises to a maiden victory

Young American talent Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) flew to his professional victory on stage 3 of the Tour of Oman 2023. The 23-year-old climber made the most of the steepest sections leading to an unprecedented finish in Al Hamra (climb of Jabal Hatt, 4.6km at 8.5%) to get the best of another young rising talent, Belgium’s Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), and France’s Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroën). Not only does Jorgenson take the stage win, he also claims the leader’s red jersey. On day 4, the penultimate stage ahead of the final showdown up Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), the peloton face another explosive finish on the Yitti Hills.

The start from Al Khobar quickly sees five attackers jump ahead of the bunch: Johan Meens (Bingoal WB), Alejandro Franco (Burgos-BH), Said Al Rahbi (Oman National Team), Stephen Bassett (Human Powered Health) and Mohd Harrif Saleh (Terengganu Polygon).
They open a gap of 3’30’’ while Jesus Herrada’s Cofidis take the reins of the bunch to defend the leader’s red jersey.

Cofidis and UAE pull
Al Rahbi and Saleh struggle on an uphill section 45km into the stage. Saleh makes his way back to the front of the race but Al Rahbi drops back to the bunch.
Saleh goes first at the intermediate sprint (km 93.1) to defend his teammate Jeroen Meijers’ golden jersey as the leader of the most aggressive rider classification. He then drops back to the bunch.
Meens, Franco and Bassett enter the last 50km with a lead of 3’30’’. A dozen kilometres further into the race, UAE Team Emirates also send a man at the front of the bunch to participate in the chase.

Jorgenson pounces
The gap drops down to 1’40’’ into the last 20km and under a minute with 12km to go. The attackers are eventually caught just ahead of the final ascent: 4.6km at 8.5% with sections around 15% in the last 2km.
Already in the top 5 up Qurayyat, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) senses his opportunity to make a difference. Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) also wants to make it a hard race. But nobody, not even the Kazakh all rounder (a 2-time winner of the Tour of Oman), can’t resist when Jorgenson sprints to victory in the final 200m.

Tour of Oman – 2. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , ,

Muscat (Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex) – Qurayyat – 174 Km


Plomi Foto

1 HERRADA Jesus ESP COFIDIS 04:21:07
2 VAN GILS Maxim BEL LOTTO DSTNY 00:00
3 ULISSI Diego ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
4 JORGENSON Matteo USA MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
5 VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:00
6 LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:03
7 ROCHAS Rémy FRA COFIDIS 00:05
8 RODRIGUEZ Cristian ESP TEAM ARKÉA-SAMSIC 00:05
9 DEWULF Stan BEL AG2R CITROËN TEAM 00:05
10 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:05
11 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-HANSGROHE 00:05
12 LANGELLOTTI Victor MON BURGOS-BH 00:05
13 TAARAMÄE Rein EST INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:05
14 EG Niklas DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:05
15 VERONA Carlos ESP MOVISTAR TEAM 00:05

Gesamt:

1 HERRADA Jesus ESP COFIDIS 07:51:57
2 VAN GILS Maxim BEL LOTTO DSTNY 00:04
3 ULISSI Diego ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:06
4 VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 00:10
5 JORGENSON Matteo USA MOVISTAR TEAM 00:10
6 LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:13
7 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:15
8 TEUGELS Lennert BEL BINGOAL WB 00:15
9 EG Niklas DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:15
10 TEJADA Harold COL ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:15
11 ROCHAS Rémy FRA COFIDIS 00:15
12 BUCHMANN Emanuel GER BORA-HANSGROHE 00:15
13 MEINTJES Louis RSA INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:15
14 DE TIER Floris BEL BINGOAL WB 00:15
15 TAARAMÄE Rein EST INTERMARCHÉ-CIRCUS-WANTY 00:15

BORA – hansgrohe verpasst knapp die Top-10 auf zweiter Etappe der Tour of Oman

Der zweite Renntag der Tour of Oman wurde über lange Zeit von einer frühen Spitzengruppe geprägt, deren Bemühungen jedoch nach 150 km an der Spitze unbelohnt blieben. Der 3 km lange Schlussanstieg mit rund 6,5 Prozent Steigung sorgte dann für eine Selektion im Feld. Immer wieder gab es Attacken und auch Emanuel Buchmann, Giovanni Aleotti, Ben Zwiehoff und Cian Uijtdebroeks zeigten sich aktiv im letzten Anstieg, konnten jedoch im Bergaufsprint letztlich nicht in den Kampf um den Sieg eingreifen. Diesen holte sich J. Herrada während Emanuel Buchmann auf Platz 11, fünf Sekunden hinter dem Tagessieger, bester Fahrer des Rennstalls aus Raubling war.

A ferocious attack in the final metres up the ascent of Qurayyat got Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) the prizes he was aiming for: the win in stage 2 of the Tour of Oman 2023 and the overall lead. The Spanish puncheur made the most of his skills and his knowledge of this specific terrain to pounce at the perfect moment and get the best of Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) and Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates). Already a podium finisher in the Tour of Oman (3rd in 2019, a year that saw him finish 2nd in Qurayyat), Herrada says he wants to keep the red jersey all the way to Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain), the final summit of this 12th edition, on Wednesday.

As soon as the peloton leave the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, they head to the infamous climb of Al Jabal Street (3.5km at 9.2%), where riders unleash a flurry of attacks. Ivan Cobo (Equipo Kern Pharma) is the fiercest on the uphill but the peloton don’t give him much room to operate. Alone at the front, he’s caught at the bottom of the downhill.

UAE and Astana control the day

Attacks keep flying on the flat. Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X) jumps ahead of the bunch at km 15. He’s quickly joined at the front by Luca Van Boven (Bingoal WB) but Dvernes dominates the intermediate sprint of Al Amrat (km 20.1).
The two leaders are joined by four more attackers after 25km: Ivan Cobo, back on the move, Angel Fuentes (Burgos-BH), Kosuke Takeyama (JCL Team Ukyo) and the leader of the most aggressive rider classification, Jeroen Meijers (Terengganu Polygon), wearing the golden jersey after his breakaway on day 1.
The gap is up to 4’ but UAE Team Emirates and Astana Qazaqstan react at the front of the bunch. Mark Cavendish participates in the chase for the kazakh team and the gap sits between 2 and 3 minutes for most of the stage.

Cobo shows again his climbing skills as the attackers face the climb of Qurayyat (2.6km at 7%) for the first time, 52km before the uphill finish. Meijers can’t keep up, he drops back to the bunch.

Herrada’s day
The peloton up the ante after the summit. As the gap drops down to 1 minute, Cobo, Dvernes and Takeyama also drop back to the bunch. Van Boven and Fuentes remain at the front inside the last 30km.
Soudal Quick-Step move to the front of the bunch and put the hammer down with 15km to go. The two attackers remaining at the front are brought in 7km away from the finish, just ahead of the final ascent.
UAE Team Emirates, Bora-Hansgrohe and Arkéa-Samsic set a strong pace for their leaders. But nobody can contain Jesus Herrada’s acceleration in the final 200m. Maxim Van Gils and Diego Ulissi are the closest to the Spaniard.

Tour of Oman – 1. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , , ,

Al Rustaq Fort – Muscat 148km

1 [BEL] Merlier Tim Soudal Quick-Step 03:31:00
2 [NED] Dekker David Team Arkéa-Samsic + 00
3 [FRA] Zingle Axel Cofidis + 00
4 [BEL] Marit Arne Intermarché-Circus-Wanty + 00
5 [NOR] Halvorsen Kristoffer Uno-X Pro Cycling Team + 00
6 [GER] Ackermann Pascal UAE Team Emirates + 00
7 [GBR] Walls Matthew BORA-hansgrohe + 00
8 [DEN] Salby Alexander Bingoal WB + 00
9 [GER] Kanter Max Movistar Team + 00
10 [GER] Selig Rüdiger Lotto Dstny

Merlier, winning dad

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) is enjoying a great start of the year 2023: he became a father 11 days ago and was already able to dedicate a victory to his young son as he outsprinted his rivals in stage 1 of the Tour of Oman 2023. The Belgian National champion takes his first victory on the road since joining Soudal Quick-Step in the off-season (he also won a cyclo-cross in January). In front of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, he got the best of David Dekker (Arkéa-Samsic) and Axel Zingle (Cofidis). This should be the only opportunity for sprinters this week, on the eve of a first summit finish in Qurayyat.

As soon as the peloton head away from Al Rustaq Fort, three attackers get on the move: Rodrigo Alvarez (Burgos-BH), Said Al Rahbi (Oman National Team) and Jeroen Meijers (Terengganu Polygon). They bring their gap up to a maximum of 2’45’’ at km 13 but Tim Merlier’s Soudal Quick-Step quickly react to control the day towards a potential sprint.

Astana pulls for Cavendish, Meijers insists
The attackers cover 42.7km in the first hour and Alvarez dominates the first intermediate sprint of the day (km 60.1). Astana Qazaqstan also work at the front of the peloton as they try to deliver a first opportunity to sprint for Mark Cavendish, who came to Oman for his first races since he joined the Asian WorldTeam.
The gap sits between 1’30’’ and 2’ on the way to Fanja, where Meijers goes first atop the only climb of the day (km 92) to take 3 points in the most aggressive rider classification. The Dutch attacker keeps going with a gap of 2’ to the bunch. His two breakaway companions are distanced.

Merlier delivers

Meijers takes 3 more points in the intermediate sprint (km 101), followed by Al Rahbi and Alvarez. The two chasers are quickly caught by the bunch, trailing by 1’50’’. Bora-Hansgrohe also participate in the chase and Meijers is reeled in with 16km to go.
AG2R Citroën try to control the finale but Soudal Quick-Step move up to the front positions and Tim Merlier delivers the victory for his new team, ahead of David Dekker (Arkéa-Samsic) and Axel Zingle (Cofidis).

Muscat Classic 174km

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Ide Schelling Achter beim Muscat Classic

Die erste Austragung der Muscat Classic im Sultanat Oman wartete mit einigen kurzen aber recht steilen Anstiegen auf einer 173.7 km langen Strecke auf. Nachdem ein Solist maximal rund 17 Minuten Vorsprung herausfahren konnte, begann BORA – hansgrohe im letzten Renndrittel das Tempo zu forcieren. Infolge schrumpfte der Vorsprung des Ausreißers schnell, bis es nach 140 km wieder zum Zusammenschluss kam. Im letzten Anstieg attackierte Ide Schelling und errang am Ende im Sprint eines reduzierten Feldes den 8. Platz.


Archivfoto Plomi

Ergebnis:

1 [BEL] Biermans Jenthe Team Arkéa-Samsic 04:27:48
2 [BEL] Warlop Jordi Soudal Quick-Step + 00
3 [ITA] Vendrame Andrea AG2R Citroën Team + 00
4 [ITA] Busatto Francesco Intermarché-Circus-Wanty + 00
5 [BEL] Van Gils Maxim Lotto Dstny + 00
6 [ITA] Ulissi Diego UAE Team Emirates + 00
7 [ESP] Adriá Roger Equipo Kern Pharma + 00
8 [NED] Schelling Ide BORA-hansgrohe + 00
9 [BEL] Teugels Lennert Bingoal WB + 00
10 [ESP] Verona Carlos Movistar Team + 00

Reaktionen im Ziel

„Unser Plan war ein intensives Rennen zu fahren. Wir versuchten im Finale zu attackieren und Ide dann für den Sprint bereitzuhalten, falls es zu einem Sprint kommen würde. Die Jungs haben da einen wirklich guten Job gemacht. Matt hat das Team gut positioniert, dann hat Ben auf dieser Rollercoaster Straße schön attackiert. Wir haben es ziemlich schwer gemacht und im finalen Anstieg sind sowohl Ide als auch Ben losgefahren. Auch Emu hat versucht zu attackieren. Am Ende war Ide ungefähr bis 200 Meter vor dem Ziel Zweiter, aber dann kamen von hinten einige Fahrer aus dem Windschatten, sodass er vom Ergebnis zwar mit dabei war, aber es natürlich nicht zum Sieg gereicht hat. Das allergrößte Handicap, glaube ich, war einfach die Windrichtung. Wir hatten im Finale an den Bergen Gegenwind, wobei man da alleine ja leider nicht gegen eine 30 Mann starke Gruppe wegkommt. Aber wir sind zufrieden und blicken mit Zuversicht auf die Tour of Oman.“ – Rolf Aldag, Sportlicher Leiter

Jenthe Biermans (Team Arkéa-Samsic) raised a finger to the sky on Friday, as he powered to victory in the first edition of the Muscat Classic. At 27 years old, the Belgian rider claimed his first professional victory, a couple of weeks after his first podium finish. And it had a very special meaning for Biermans: “Last year, my girlfriend’s father passed away. He always said in his last words that I could win. This is for him.” He narrowly got the best of Jordi Warlop (Soudal Quick-Step) and Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroën Team) in the sprint from a reduced group. The riders will face new battles from Saturday, with the 12th edition of the Tour of Oman.

MUSCAT CLASSIC / TOUR OF OMAN 2023 INFO WITH ONE DAY TO GO

Eintagsrennen, Etappenrennen, Vorschau, , ,

Key points:
 Stars from all around the world have made their way to the Sultanate as they get ready to race the first edition of the Muscat Classic on Friday and then the Tour of Oman.
 The winner of the 2022 Tour of Oman Jan Hirt and his runner-up Fausto Masnada expressed their ambitions as they partner up with Soudal Quick-Step for more success.
 British icon Mark Cavendish is “very excited” for his first race with Astana-Qazaqstan and Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks wants to “have fun” on Green Mountain.

A new Classic and an intense Tour
The time has come for a new race to rise in the Sultanate. On Thursday, representatives from the Oman Cycling Association and Amaury Sport Organisation held a press conference to present the first edition of the Muscat Classic, the only 1.1 classic in Asia, and the 12th Tour of Oman (February 11-15). “With its explosive course, the Muscat Classic will set the tone ahead of the Tour of Oman”, race director Franck Perque described. The finish is set in Al Bustan, where champions such as Fabian Cancellara, Bob Jungels and Alexey Lutsenko have shown their strength in recent years. Then, more climbing and explosive action await the riders with five stages around Muscat and through the desert. “The Tour of Oman has been ever growing and we are hopeful and confident the 12th edition of the race and the first edition of the Muscat Classic will allow us to meet new ambitions”, said Saif Al Rashidi, president of the Oman Cycling Association. Yann Le Moënner, CEO of ASO, expressed his “pride to develop a new stage of the relationship between us”.

Hirt x Masnada: “To perform like last year”
In 2022, Jan Hirt powered to the overall victory of the Tour of Oman with a strong assault against race leader Fausto Masnada on the slopes of Green Mountain. A year later, the two climbers return to the Sultanate but this time they partner up with a Soudal Quick-Step kit on their shoulders. “It’s a pleasure to race with Jan”, Masnada said. “We were already teammates for a few months with CCC and now we are back together. I like him, he’s a strong rider and we’ll try to perform like last year.” The defending champion Hirt hinted Masnada could take over this year: “We believe we can repeat success and we have strong climbers with Fausto, and also Mauri [Vansevenant]. So we’ll try to win the race. I think Fausto is in really good shape so maybe we will support him.”

Having “fun” on Green Mountain
The demanding routes of the Muscat Classic and the Tour of Oman have attracted strong climbers willing to overthrow Hirt and Masnada. “I’m happy about my condition at the moment and Saudi showed I’m at a good level”, Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) said after he finished 2nd of the Saudi Tour. “Now I’m excited to race in Oman. It’s a new experience for me, a new challenge, and I look forward to Green Mountain. Everyone will be in his place, I just hope to be in front.” Already a podium finisher in the Tour of Oman (3rd in 2019), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) describes the iconic ascent as “the defining climb of the race. Let’s see if I can do a bit better this year. And we also want to do well from the very first day, also with Axel Zingle.” Among the best climbers of the field, Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) remembers he was “completely done” when he did Green Mountain in 2016. And the German champ hints his young teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks could show his immense talent in Oman. “I like long efforts and Green Mountain shouldn’t be too bad for me”, the Belgian 19-year-old says. “I want to have fun, try to go for GC, and if not I want to do well on the final day.”

Cavendish’s excitement and Merlier’s special celebration
Sprinters won’t have many options to shine this year in Oman but the race will nonetheless benefit from the participation of stars such as Mark Cavendish, riding his first race with Astana Qazaqstan, as well as Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) or Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates). “I’m very happy and very excited to know the guys better”, Cavendish said. “It’s a good race to do so.” As for Merlier, he won a cyclo-cross this winter with his new team. “If you can win a cyclo-cross, the condition must be good”, the Belgian national champion said. “Last week, I became a father so I’m even more motivated. Let’s see if I can do a special celebration soon.”

50 broadcasters, 190 countries and 5G
Fans from all around the world will be able to follow the action and enjoy the best images of the Muscat Classic and the Tour of Oman. Footage of the races will be available in 190 territories through 50 TV/Digital broadcasters with daily highlights and full race highlights. “The main novelty this year is we are working on providing a live feed with Oman TV through 5G, thanks to the infrastructures of the Sultanate allowing the development of this innovative option that we want to explore in other events, also in Europe”, said Yann Le Moënner, CEO of ASO. All the action and the best images will also be available on social media with live coverage on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

MUSCAT CLASSIC / TOUR OF OMAN 2023 PUNCHY TALENTS TAKE ON THE SULTANATE

Eintagsrennen, Etappenrennen, Vorschau, , ,

Key points:
 Defending winner of the Tour of Oman, Jan Hirt returns to the Sultanate with a new team, Soudal Quick-Step, where he joins forces with his runner-up from last year, Fausto Masnada.
 A 2-time winner of the race, Alexey Lutsenko is also back at the helm of Astana Qazaqstan Team alongside Mark Cavendish, participating in his first races with the Asian team.
 Fastmen such as Pascal Ackermann, puncheurs like Davide Formolo and climbers as talented as Emanuel Buchmann and Cian Uijtdebroeks also eye success on the explosive course of the Muscat Classic and the demanding roads of the Tour of Oman.

A familiar face with a new kit. The defending winner of the Tour of Oman Jan Hirt returns to the Sultanate, which will now host two races with the maiden edition of the Muscat Classic (February 10) on the eve of the 12th Tour of Oman. But the Czech climber comes to defend new colors: Soudal Quick-Step’s, where he joins forces with one of his main rivals from last year’s Tour of Oman, Fausto Masnada, winner of a thrilling stage 4 in Muscat and runner-up in the final overall standings. The Wolfpack is once again expected to shine in the desert, with other assets such as Mauri Vansevenant to shake the race and Tim Merlier to show his speed.

Some of the strongest opposition should come from Hirt’s former team, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. In 2022, Rein Taaramäe was an essential asset to propel the Czech climber towards victory. This time, the Estonian veteran partners up with South-Africa’s pocket climber Louis Meintjes, who made history again last year with a stage win in La Vuelta and a place in the top 10 of the Tour de France… just ahead of Alexey Lutsenko, whose mix of punch and power have already granted him many successes in the Sultanate.

A 2-time winner of the overall standings of the Tour of Oman (2018, 19), Lutsenko has notably won stages up Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain) and in Al Bustan, where the finish of the Muscat Classic is set. Will he launch another furious attack? Or will Astana Qazaqstan Team play one of their other strong cards to claim more success in Oman? The Asian team are used to shining in the Sultanate and they’re coming with the British icon Mark Cavendish (2 stage wins in the Tour of Oman) as well as the Under 23 world champion Yevgeniy Fedorov. Lutsenko also won the U23 rainbow jersey, in 2012, and so did Kristoffer Halvorsen (2016), the road captain for Uno-X as the Norwegian keeps growing towards their first participation in the Tour de France.

Among the strongest teams in the world, UAE Team Emirates also line up an elite sprinter, Pascal Ackermann, along punchy options such as Diego Ulissi and Davide Formolo. Classic experts like AG2R Citroën’s Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen will also be willing to bring battle on any occasion while climbers such as Ivan Sosa (Movistar) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) eye the final battles up Green Mountain, where Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) hopes to shine again (3rd in 2018, 6th in 2019).

Buchmann will join forces with the winner of the 2022 Tour de l’Avenir, Cian Uijtdebroeks who, on the eve of his 20th anniversary, appears ready to battle with the best riders in the world. The Belgian wonderkid won’t be the only young talent taking on the desert, as he faces the likes of Andrii Ponomar (Team Arkéa-Samsic), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Roger Adria (Equipo Kern Pharma), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar)… As for the Oman national champion, Faisal Almammari, he turned 23 years old last month and is more than willing to show the world the local grit.

18 teams: the main participants

Belgium
Bingoal WB: Kenneth Van Rooy
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty: Louis Meintjes
Lotto Dstny: Thomas De Gendt, Maxim Van Gils
Soudal Quick-Step: Jan Hirt, Tim Merlier

France
AG2R Citroën Team: Greg Van Avermaet, Oliver Naesen
Cofidis: Jesus Herrada, Axel Zingle
Team Arkéa-Samsic: Jenthe Biermans, Andrii Ponomar

Germany
Bora-Hansgrohe: Emanuel Buchmann, Cian Uijtdebroeks

Japan
JCL Team Ukyo: Benjamin Prades

Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan Team: Mark Cavendish, Alexey Lutsenko

Malaysia
Terengganu Polygon Cycling: Jambaljamts Sainbayar

Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: Kristoffer Halvorsen

Oman
Oman National Team: Faisal Almammari

Spain
Burgos-BH: Miguel Angel Fernandez
Equipo Kern Pharma: Roger Adria
Movistar: Ivan Sosa, Matteo Jorgenson

United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Pascal Ackermann, Davide Formolo

United States of America
Human Powered Health: Stanislaw Aniolkowski

Saudi Tour – 5. Etappe

Allgemein, , , , , ,

AlUla Old Town – Maraya – 143 Km

1 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 03:10:13
2 MALUCELLI Matteo ITA BINGOAL WB 00:00
3 ACKERMANN Pascal GER UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
4 GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:00
5 KANTER Max GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
6 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:00
7 LOBATO Juan Jose ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:00
8 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:00
9 SAJNOK Szymon POL Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
10 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:00

Endstand:

1 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 20:20:04
2 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:08
3 BUITRAGO Santiago COL BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:09
4 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:18
5 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:24
6 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:32
7 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:33
8 BARTA William USA MOVISTAR TEAM 00:37
9 AZPARREN Xabier ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:38
10 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:43

Last stage for Consonni, Guerreiro wins the Saudi Tour

After visiting some of the most spectacular sites of AlUla including the UNESCO world heritage site of Hegra, the final stage of the Saudi Tour came down to a bunched sprint. Just above the mirrored Maraya concert hall, Simone Consonni (Cofidis) made the best of his punchy sprint to beat Matteo Malucelli (Bingoal WB) and Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates). The final general classification and this 2023 Saudi Tour was won by Portugal’s Ruben Guerreiro who finished safely in the bunch.

It was time for the final showdown. Before the start of the fifth and last stage of the Saudi Tour the first three of the general classification were within ten seconds, Ruben Guerreiro (MOV) leading the way with a slim 8” advantage over Formolo (UAE) and 9” over Buitrago (TBV). In other words anything could still happen especially with a gravel section through the UNESCO World heritage site of Hegra on the menu of the day’s 143-km race where a puncture could occur at any time. There would indeed be quite a possibility for some drama.

BATTLE FOR BREAKAWAY
For this final day of the event, the 102 remaining riders all gathered together at the start in the old town of AlUla. With still a lot at stake in all the different standings, the battle was intense to get into the day’s breakaway. Desal (BWB) was the first man to go clear of the pack at km 15. The Belgian was soon caught by five other men: blue jersey Hansen (UXT), Malecki (Q36), Juaristi (EUS), Iacchi and Van Empel (both COR). At the first intermediate active sprint (km 21) won by Hansen ahead of Juaristi and Malecki, the front six could enjoy a 2’25’’ advantage.

HANSEN CLOSES IN ON BLUE JERSEY
Eager to try and win a second stage on this Saudi Tour, team Jayco AlUla started chasing down the escapees. At the second Intermediate active sprint (km 71) Hansen moved a step closer to the final blue jersey by again beating Juaristi and Malecki. Meanwhile the pack remained 1’50’’ adrift. With UAE team Emirates and Movistar helping out at the front of the pack, the gap carried on dropping as the riders went through the gravel section of the spectacular Hegra site. As the pack excited the UNESCO world heritage site, Donovan (Q36) took off on a counter-attack. With 25kms to go, the front 6 had a 25’’ lead over the British rider and 55’’ over the pack. Just before the bonus sprint, Donovan stopped his vain solo effort. That all important sprint (km 122) was to be claimed by Juaristi ahead of Hansen, guaranteed of winning the blue jersey.

THIRD PRO WIN FOR CONSONNI
With 15kms to go, the gap has dropped down to 35’’. Seeing the pack move dangerously closer, Malecki gave it a final go on his own. He would be the last man standing of the breakaway but was caught with just under 2 kilometres to go. The pack remained bunched for the final uphill straight just by the Maraya concert hall. On this punchy type finish, Simone Consonni (COF) flew to victory, beating Malucelli (BWB) and Ackermann (UAE). The Italian Olympic and World team pursuit champion conquers his third professional win, his first of 2023.

FIRST STAGE RACE WIN FOR GUERREIRO
Finishing safely among the peloton in 16th position, Ruben Guerreiro (MOV) wins this third edition of the Saudi Tour ahead of Davide Formolo (UAE) and Santiago Buitrago (TBV). The Portuguese conquers his first ever stage win. Thanks to his fourth position on the final stage, Dylan Groenewegen (JAY) wins the points classification (red jersey) while Buitrago finishes best young rider (white jersey) and UAE is crowned best team.

Saudi Tour – 4. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , ,

Maraya – Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid – 164 Km


Foto Plomi

1 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 03:45:01
2 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
3 BUITRAGO Santiago COL BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:00
4 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:04
5 BARTA William USA MOVISTAR TEAM 00:22
6 MUHLBERGER Gregor AUT MOVISTAR TEAM 00:23
7 MARIAULT Axel FRA COFIDIS 00:23
8 AZPARREN Xabier ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:23
9 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:28
10 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:28
11 HINDSGAUL MADSEN Jacob DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:28
12 EDMONDSON Alex AUS TEAM DSM 00:28
13 GIBBONS Ryan RSA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:28
14 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:28
15 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:28
16 SAINBAYAR Jambaljamts MGL TERENGGANU POLYGON CT 00:28
17 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:28
18 PEYSKENS Dimitri BEL BINGOAL WB 00:28
19 DONOVAN Mark GBR Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:28
20 JUARISTI Txomin ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:28

Gesamt:

1 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 17:09:51
2 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:08
3 BUITRAGO Santiago COL BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:09
4 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:18
5 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:24
6 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:32
7 BARTA William USA MOVISTAR TEAM 00:37
8 AZPARREN Xabier ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:38
9 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:43
10 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:43
11 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:43
12 HINDSGAUL MADSEN Jacob DEN UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:43
13 DONOVAN Mark GBR Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:43
14 PEYSKENS Dimitri BEL BINGOAL WB 00:43
15 SVESTAD-BÅRDSENG Embret NOR HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 00:48

Stage 4 of the Saudi Tour was promised to a climber or at least a man with GC ambitions and it delivered. The decisive and extremely steep climb to the Skyviews of Harrad Uwayrid saw four strong men pull away: Buitrago (TBV), Formolo, Grossschartner (UAE) and Guerreiro (MOV). They managed to keep a decent enough gap on the green jersey group to make it clear to the line and battle for the overall lead. Ruben Guerreiro proved to be the fastest beating Formolo and Buitrago to the line. The Portuguese who joined Movistar from EF during the winter break wins his fourth ever pro win and captures the green jersey with one day to go.
A clear sky, very little wind and mild temperatures. The scene was perfectly set for what promised to be the queen stage of this third edition of the Saudi Tour. After what seemed to be an appetizer yesterday with the final climb up to Abu Rakah crowning young Norwegian prince Soren Wearenskjold and Italian king Jonathan Milan, the new green jersey, stage 4 was designed for the GC contenders. With the demanding finish to the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid where Maxim Van Gils conquered the 2022 title last year, all eyes were on the climbers. The superb Maraya Concert Hall designed in the Ashar Valley to blend into the surrounding landscape was the host of a picturesque start for the 105 remaining riders. On the menu : 163.4kms including two large loops before a final climb and a long straight towards Harrat Uwayrid.

4 ESCAPEES
After a visit of the splendid Banyon Tree resort during the neutralised start, a fierce battle started straight from the gun. Despite quite a few attempts, it wasn’t before km 24 that three men managed to break away: Engelhardt (JAY), Zukowsky (Q36) and Barac (COR). These three were rapidly caught by Mohd Zariff (TSG) and the gap reached 2’10’’ at km 30. The first Intermediate active sprint was claimed by Barac while the pack started chasing led by team Bahrain Victorious of green jersey Milan and title contender Buitrago. Shortly after, white jersey wearer and 9th overall, Andoni Lopez de Abetzuko (EUS) was forced to retire after an incident with another rider that saw him crash out.

ZUKOWSKY LAST TO BE CAUGHT
The second intermediate active sprint (km 106) was again claimed by Barac while the pack had the escapees under control (1’45’’). At the end of the second of two big loops around AlUla, the pack led by UnoX pushed hard. With 15kms to go, Zukowsky was the last man at the front while his companions were caught. The Canadian was finally caught after 150kms.

FOUR MEN POWER AWAY
As soon as the first kilometres of the final climb the heavy sprinters were dropped: Groenewegen (JAY), Ackermann (UAE), Waerenskjold (UXT). At the front four men managed to power away: Buitrago (TBV), Formolo, Grossschartner (both UAE) and Guerreiro (MOV). At the summit where Guerreiro won the bonus sprint and its precious 3 seconds, the front group had an advantage of 20’’ over the first chasers and 1’ over the green jersey group of Jonathan Milan. There were still eight kilometres to cover until the finish line but the front four managed to remain clear. The stage win eventually went to Ruben Guerreiro ahead of Formolo and Buitrago. The Portuguese who won a stage of the Giro back in 2020 as well as the KOM jersey that same year claims his first win of the season under his new Movistar colours.

GUERREIRO IN GREEN
Thanks to the 13 bonus seconds he captured on the day (10” at the finish + 3” at the bonus sprint), Guerreiro takes command of the general classification with an 8” lead over Formolo and 9” over Buitrago. The 28-year-old will be wearing the green jersey on the final day of the event with the hope of keeping it for good. Meanwhile Buitrago becomes the best young rider (white jersey) and Milan keeps the lead of the points classification (red jersey). Marcus Hansen (UXT) also keep the blue jersey of the most active rider.

Saudi Tour – 3. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , , , ,

Al Manshiyah Train Station – Abu Rakah – 160 Km

1 WÆRENSKJOLD Søren NOR UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 04:23:18
2 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:00
3 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:00
4 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:00
5 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
6 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
7 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
8 FEDELI Alessandro ITA Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
9 KANTER Max GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
10 CÔTÉ Pier-André CAN HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 00:00
11 LOPEZ DE ABETXUKO Andoni ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:00
12 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:00
13 FERNANDEZ Ruben ESP COFIDIS 00:00
14 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:00
15 BUITRAGO Santiago COL BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:00

Gesamt:

1 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 13:24:46
2 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:08
3 KANTER Max GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:16
4 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 00:17
5 GROSSSCHARTNER Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:18
6 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:19
7 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:19
8 CÔTÉ Pier-André CAN HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 00:19
9 LOPEZ DE ABETXUKO Andoni ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:19
10 TIZZA Marco ITA BINGOAL WB 00:19
11 FORMOLO Davide ITA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:19

FIRST PRO WIN FOR WAERENSKJOLD

After two stages designed for sprinters, it looked like it would be the GC specialists’ turn to battle for glory at the Saudi Tour.

But despite the steep final climb before the finish in Abu Rakah, young Norwegian wonder boy Sören Waerenskjold managed to conquer his first ever pro victory after winning the decisive group sprint. The 2022 U23 time trial World Champion beat yesterday’s winner Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious) to the line while Cees Bol (Astana Qazaqstan Team) finished third. In the general classification, Milan captures the leader’s Green jersey.
For some, exhausted, it was good news, for others a disappointment, but as they woke up this morning, the wind had suddenly calmed down and the temperature slightly dropped. As they took off for the third stage of the Saudi Tour, the 106 remaining riders of the peloton could expect a slightly calmer day in the sun. On the menu: 159.2kms from the Al Manshiyah Train Station to Abu Rakah. After battling it out during the first two stages, the sprinters knew that it would probably be the turn of the GC boys to shine on the final climb of the day.

5 MEN AT THE FRONT
As soon as km 0 was passed, four men broke away: Alabdulmunim (SAU), Juaristi (EUS), Barac and Masotto (COR). They would rapidly be caught by a fifth rider, Yamamoto (JCL). Not too concerned, the peloton let the front men go clear. After only 10kms, the gap had reached 2’30’’. It even went up to 8’30’’ at km45 when team Jayco AlUla of race leader Dylan Groenewegen decided to push harder. The Aussie squad even managed to split the pack into two but a left hand turn and the resulting headwind calmed things down.

JUARISTI LAST MAN STANDING
At the first intermediate active sprint (km72) won by Juaristi, the pack had moved closer (6’10’’). The Spaniard would also be the last man to remain in the lead while all his breakaway companions were gradually caught. After capturing 3 seconds and points at the bonus sprint (km 122) he was finally caught. From then on a new race started. The pack at a very fast pace made it bunched to the second intermediate active sprint (km153) where Juaristi beat Rajovic and Kepplinger.

FIRST PRO WIN FOR WAERENSKJOLD
On the final climb of the day heading towards the heights of Abu Rakah, Zdenek Stybar (JAY) managed to pull away before being caught, first by Buitrago (TBV) and then by a group of around twenty men. Victory was finally decided in a small bunched sprint. Fourth of the opening stage of this Saudi Tour, Soren Waerenskjold (UXT) flew to his first ever professional success. The rising star of Norwegian cycling who conquered the U23 World time-trial title last year in Wollongong managed to beat Jonathan Milan (TBV) and Cees Bol (AST) to the line.

MILAN NEW LEADER
In the new general classification, Milan captures the leader’s Green jersey with an 8’’ lead over Bol and 16’’ over Kanter (MOV) with two more stages to go. The Italian also remains the best young rider (White jersey) and takes command of the points classification (Red jersey) while Marcus Hansen (UXT) keeps his most active rider’s Blue jersey.

Saudi Tour – 2. Etappe

Ergebnisse, Etappenrennen, , , ,

Winter Park – Shalal Sijlyat Rocks – 184 Km


Plomi Foto

1 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 04:53:35
2 GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:00
3 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:00
4 BLIKRA Erlend NOR UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:00
5 KANTER Max GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:00
6 WALSCHEID Max GER COFIDIS 00:00
7 GIBBONS Ryan RSA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:00
8 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:03
9 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:03
10 SAJNOK Szymon POL Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:03

Gesamt:

1 GROENEWEGEN Dylan NED TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 09:01:28
2 MILAN Jonathan ITA BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 00:06
3 WALSCHEID Max GER COFIDIS 00:12
4 BOL Cees NED ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM 00:12
5 KANTER Max GER MOVISTAR TEAM 00:16
6 GIBBONS Ryan RSA UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:16
7 BLIKRA Erlend NOR UNO-X PRO CYCLING TEAM 00:16
8 MEZGEC Luka SLO TEAM JAYCO-ALULA 00:19
9 CÔTÉ Pier-André CAN HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 00:19
10 CONSONNI Simone ITA COFIDIS 00:19
11 GUERREIRO Ruben POR MOVISTAR TEAM 00:19
12 GROSSSCHARTNE Felix AUT UAE TEAM EMIRATES 00:19
13 LOPEZ DE ABETXUKO Andoni ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:19
14 AZURMENDI Ibai ESP EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 00:19
15 VAN UDEN Casper NED TEAM DSM 00:19

SWEET REVENGE FOR MILAN

A year after struggling in the echelons of a similar stage on the Saudi Tour, a day after suffering a mechanical incident in the final moments of the opening stage, Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious) concluded a windy day in style. A sweet revenge for the Italian who beat Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco AlUla) and Cees Bol (Astana Qazaqstan Team) in a final bunched sprint. Thanks to his second spot, Groenewegen keeps the overall leader’s Green jersey.
After a first demanding stage to the south-east of the ALUla region, the 107 remaining riders were offered another grueling test on day 2. On the menu : a rectangular course from the Winter Park to Shalal Sijlyat Rocks over 184kms. With the wind picking up and the changes in direction it would promise to be an exciting day, a frightening one for those not to used to echelons.

4 AND THEN 2 IN LEAD
While many were expecting fireworks straight from the start, the pack took off at a fairly quiet pace allowing four men to break away: Azparren (EUS), Vacek (COR), Mohd Zariff (TSG) and Ishibashi (JCL). The front four would drop down to two after 10kms, Vacek suffering mechanical issues and Mohd Zariff struggling after all his efforts in yesterday’s breakaway. At the bonus sprint (km 18,9) won by Azparren, the pack had a deficit of 6’10. The gap would grow to a maximum 7’30’’ before dropping down under the influence of teams Jayco AlUla and Bingoal WB.

ECHELONS OF COURSE
While the peloton moved closer to the escapees, three teams (DSM, Jayco AlUla and Uno X) moved to the front and “put the hammer down”. The pack rapidly broke into several echelons at km 68 leaving only 20 men in the first part of the peloton (including the likes of Groenewegen, Stybar, Milan, Formolo, Degenkolb, Walscheid, Waerenskjold). Meanwhile the front two were eventually caught at km 83.
After enjoying a 30’’ lead over a group including Rajovic and Ackermann, the leading Green jersey group was finally caught and the entire peloton bunched up together after a left turn into headwind. The first intermediate active sprint (km 123) was then claimed by Walscheid (COF) ahead of Hansen (UNO) and Goikoetxea (EUS). The situation calmed down for the next 50kms before the big teams again powered to the front shattering the pack into several groups. At the front just under 40 riders took off leaving in a second echelon riders like Rajovic (TBV), Buitrago (TBV), Ackermann (UAE) and white jersey Hansen (UNO). Just after Walscheid again captured the most points at the second intermediate active sprint (km 160), the front group could enjoy a 30’’ advantage with 15kms to go.

NORSGAARD POWERS AWAY
Another change in direction saw the second group catch the leaders with just under 10kms to go. That was the moment chosen by Mathias Norsgaard (MOV) to try his luck in a solo breakaway. The Norwegian had a 10” lead with 5kms left but he would later be gobbled up by the pack. It finally all came down to a bunched sprint by the Shalal Sijlyat Rocks. With his team mate, red jersey wearer and second yesterday Dusan Rajovic (TBV) out of contention, Jonathan Milan flew to his first win of the season, the third of his career after two successes at the Cro Tour last year. The young Italian beat Dylan Groenewegen (JAY) and Cees Bol (AST) to the line.

GROENEWEGEN STILL LEADER
Thanks to his second spot, yesterday’s stage winner Groenewegen keeps his overall leader’s green jersey. He also stays in command of the points classification while 22-year-old Milan captures the white jersey for the best young rider. Marcus Hansen keeps the blue jersey for the most active rider.

TRO BRO LEON 2023: A LAND AND SEA MENU

Eintagsrennen, Frühjahrskassiker, Vorschau, ,

Key points:
 The 39th edition of the Tro Bro Leon will be held on 7 May on a 203.1 km course starting and ending in Lannilis, with 28.9 km of ribinoù, the dirt and gravel roads that give the Breton race its special flavour.
 This escapade through the Pays de Leon, in the far south-west of the Finistère department, will take the field to Pointe Saint-Mathieu on a course with almost no respite from the wind.
 Any favourites and outsiders who withstand the fury of the elements will have to contend with the toughest of the tough on the final circuit around Lannilis, which has the „ribin du château“ as a sting in the tail.

As with kouign-amann and, especially, the kig ha farz in the Pays de Leon, a winning recipe should never be changed, but it is perfectly fine to tinker with the amounts and origins of certain key ingredients. This is how Jean-Paul Mellouët, the chef at the helm of the Tro Bro Leon since its launch in 1984, sees it: „I have never cooked up the same course twice“, he explains at the unveiling of the menu that will be served to runners on 7 May. The race will still be centred on the town of Lannilis, but the first change for the 2023 edition has to do with the direction of the loop, with the field heading south at the beginning, then cutting through the middle of the mini-peninsula to reach its tip in Le Conquet, and tackling the return trip largely on coastal roads. „The course is a bit less steep than usual, but it is much more exposed to the wind, which will blow sideways if it comes from the west, as is often the case“, explains Mellouët, also raising the possibility of splits near the halfway point.
However, the dirt and gravel roads that put the riders‘ acrobatic skills to the test —27 in total— remain the calling card of the Tro Bro Leon. Coming into the decisive phase of the race, the peloton will tackle one of the five brand-new sectors on the menu: „The Saint-Mathieu lighthouse ribin is the longest on the course, at 2.3 kilometres. The exit of the sector is 115 km from the finish line, but an early selection is on the cards“. Much further down the road, the Meshuel ribin will turn the screws on the peloton and knock out many other pretenders before the final circuit. However, the final contenders will have to wait until the exit of the famous Keroüartz Castle ribin, stretching for 1,600 metres and culminating under the tunnel of ambition, to play their ace cards. „This is the make-or-break moment“, admits the cook and designer, always eager to watch the last tussles, in which the last men in contention for the win will clash with less than 7 kilometres to go.
© A.S.O.