Schlagwort-Archive: La Course

La Course 2021

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, Tour de France, , ,

1 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 2:50:29
2 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
3 Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
4 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx
5 Grace Brown (Aus) Team BikeExchange
6 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing
7 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing
8 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM
9 Elizabeth Deignan (GBR) Trek-Segafredo Women

Brest, Saturday, June 26th 2021 – The Race by Tour de France avec FDJ, which will be replaced next year by the Tour de France women avec Zwift, was won by Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) on Saturday 26 June between Brest and Landerneau. The Dutch rider won the first stage of the Tour de France in a sprint at the top of the côte de la Fosse aux Loups, ahead of Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and her compatriot Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma Women Team), who seemed to be on the verge of victory, as last year in Nice, before being beaten on the line.

La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ: info with one day to go

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Vorschau, , ,

Ø The 8th edition of La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ will be contested over 108 kilometers this Saturday, June 26, between Brest and Landerneau, raising the curtain of the first stage of the Tour de France. The arrival at the top of the Fosse aux Loups hill, to be climbed four times, promises a great tussle and a thrilling scenario.

Ø The winner will be the last one on the record book of the event that will give way to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, an 8-day stage race that will take place from next year onwards

An unprecedented punchy finale
This is the first time that La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ offers an uphill finish dedicated to punchy riders. After a 54-kilometer loop on a lumpy terrain, the riders will enter a circuit to be covered four times that includes the Fosse aux Loups hill (3 km at 5.7%), at the top of which the finish line will be drawn. “It really suits the girls who are strong at the Mur de Huy in the Flèche wallonne”, said Jean-Marc Marino who coordinates the race for ASO. “It’s very steep at the foot and the closer we get to the finish, the softer the gradient is.” Bad weather in Brittany in recent days should however spare the race on Saturday. The wind is expected to be moderated and should the sky be overcast, the risk of rain is low.

Marianne Vos looking for the triple crown
Beaten on the edge last year in Nice by Elizabeth Deignan, Marianne Vos would like to add her name to the La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ for a third and last time. She would then remain in the light of history the sole record-holder of the event, the Dutchwoman currently sharing the record of two wins with her compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten. A success for the leader of Jumbo-Visma would also have a symbolic meaning since she already won the first edition in 2014 on the Champs-Elysées. She can therefore come full circle in Brittany. “Since the first edition, it has been really special to compete in La Course,” said the three-time road world champion. I’m glad I won it twice already, and if there is a possibility of another success, I will not miss out.”

Audrey Cordon-Ragot: “A pretty open race”
Vos is obviously named among her peers as one of the big favorites of the day, even if the nature of the track may hold some surprises. “I think she’s the fastest girl on this kind of finish”, said Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) of Brittany, who plays at home. “We can also think of Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) who is very fast and does well with these kinds of climbs, just like my teammate Lizzie Deignan. I think it’s going to be a pretty open race.” “It will not come down to just a fight in the final climb of the Fosse aux Loups”, Vos previewed. “I expect a tough and aggressive race. It’s hard to say in advance who will have the best chance of winning if the favorites come together at the foot of the last climb.” The name of Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx), the reigning world champion and seven-time winner of the Flèche Wallonne, is also on everyone’s lips. “On such a course, she is the favorite in my mind”, said Evita Muzic (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope). “She really dominated the season, leaving no room for others. But everyone went for training camps in May to prepare for the Olympics, it’s been almost a month, if not more, that we haven’t seen some riders in any race. There are a lot of competitors whose fitness status is unknown.”

Evita Muzic: “The nicest race for wearing the tricolour jersey”
Seven days after winning her first French professional championship title at Epinal, Muzic is about to show off her tricolour jersey. “I’m really looking forward to wearing it for the first time, especially on La Course”, she continued. “It’s the best day to wear this blue-white-red tunic. There should be quite a few people on the road side, especially because we’re in Brittany where the supporters are always present. It’s going to be something exceptional, and it gives me even more motivation to compete in this race.” She finished 22nd in Pau two years ago and 26th in Nice last year. “My role will probably consist of going with the moves when the race will become hard in order to help my leaders to save some energy. We’ve got two cards to play with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (7th of the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège) and Marta Cavalli (6th of the Tour of Flanders). Our ambition is to win.”

Stéphane Pallez: “A major breakthrough for women’s cycling”
A major player in the history of French cycling, FDJ is the main partner of La Course by Tour de France and is committed to the promotion and encouragement of female sports with its „Sport pour Elles“ program. Stéphane Pallez, CEO of the group, is delighted with the launch of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022: “This is the last edition of La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ, which will have offered a great exposure to women’s cycling and allowed the creation of the Tour de France Femmes. This is a major breakthrough for women’s cycling. FDJ has been involved in the promotion of women’s sport for many years and we are delighted to be a partner in this new event.”
@ASO

La course by Tour de France avec FDJ

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Tour de France, Vorschau, , ,

Key points:

● For the eighth edition of La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ, on Saturday 26 June between Brest and Landerneau as the curtain-raiser for stage one of the Tour de France, Dutch riders Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen come in as the ladies to beat.

● However, the race promises to be a wide-open affair over the 107 kilometres of action that will end with a finish at the top of the côte de la Fosse aux Loups. This final climb, which should see the punchers attack, could be won by the defending race winner, Great Britain’s Elizabeth Deignan, or Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma.

The Dutch will again be among the principal contenders for victory in the 8th edition of La Course by Tour de France avec FDJ, which will offer an undulating 107-kilometre course between Brest and Landerneau on 26 June, as a curtain-raiser to the first stage of the Tour de France. Two of women’s cycling’s best stand out on the entry list. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma Women Team) is the most successful rider in the history of the sport. She won the race in 2014 and 2019, and world champion Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx) would like nothing more than to win the race a second time, six years after her triumph on the Champs-Elysées, before retiring at the end of the season. While Vos appears a bit isolated in her squad, Van der Breggen will be able to count on a formidable team with the presence of 2021 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Demi Vollering, and 2017 world champion Chantal van den Broek-Blaak.

The stiffest competition to counter the Dutch armada will be the Trek-Segafredo team. Elizabeth Deignan is none other than the defending champion who won last year in Nice on the Promenade des Anglais. The British rider is in top form after her recent victory in the Tour de Suisse. Her teammate Audrey Cordon-Ragot will be eager to ride a strong race on home turf in Brittany. Other French challengers include Juliette Labous (Team DSM), who finished sixth in the Flèche Wallonne and recently crowned national champion Evita Muzic (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope). Muzic’s teammate and seventh-ranked rider in the world, The Netherlands‘ Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig could create a surprise.

American sprinter Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) could also compete for victory if she can stay close on the first steep slopes of the côte de la Fosse aux Loups (3km at 5,7%), which the rider will climb four times and at the top of which the race will be decided. Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) finished fourth last year and could do the same if not better. On the Flèche Wallonne in April, she did the best job of resisting the seven-time winner of the Mur de Huy, Anna van der Breggen.

22 teams, the leading riders

Australia
Team BikeExchange: Spratt (Aus), Brown (Aus)

France
Arkéa Pro Cycling Team: Kerbaol (Fra)
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope : Ludwig (Den), Cavalli (Ita), Muzic (Fra)
Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime Women Cycling: Rüegg (Swi)

Germany
Canyon//Sram Racing: Niewiadoma (Pol), Chabbey (Sui), Barnes (Gbr)
Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team: Confalonieri (Ita)
Team DSM: Labous (Fra), Rivera (Usa)

Great Britain
Drops-Le Col supported by TEMPUR: Lowden (Usa)

Italy
Ale’ BTC Ljubljana: Bastianelli (Ita), Bujak (Slo)
A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team: Ragusa (Ita)
Top Girls Fassa Bortolo: Bariani (Ita)
Valcar – Travel & Service : Sanguineti (Ita)

Spain
Bizkaia – Durango: Alonso (Spa)
Massi – Tactic Women Team: Kern (Slo)
Movistar Team Women: Biannic (Fra)

The Netherlands
Jumbo-Visma Women Team: Vos (Ned)
Liv Racing: Bertizzolo (Ita), Paladin (Ita)
Parkhotel Valkenburg: Van Bokhoven (Ned)
Team SD Worx: Van der Breggen (Ned), Van den Broeck-Blaak (Ned), Majerus (Lux), Vollering (Ned)

United States
Rally Cycling: Doebel-Hickok (Usa), Koppenburg (Ger)
Trek-Segafredo: Deignan (Gbr), Cordon Ragot (Fra)
Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank: Stephens (Usa)

@ASO

Frauen: LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE 2020

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, , , ,

DEIGNAN DENIES VOS AND VAN VLEUTEN DUTCH HAT-TRICK
Nice – Nice (96,0 km)
1 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek – Segafredo 2:22:51
2 Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC – Liv 0:00:00
3 Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:00:00
4 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon // SRAM Racing 0:00:00
5 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton – Scott 0:00:00
6 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek – Segafredo 0:00:07
7 Emilia Fahlin (Swe) FDJ – Nouvelle Aquitaine – Futuroscope 0:01:50
8 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar – Travel & Service 0:01:50
9 Soraya Paladin (Ita) CCC – Liv 0:01:50
10 Liane Lippert (GER) Team Sunweb 0:01:50
11 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:01:50
12 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Equipe Paule Ka 0:01:50
13 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Alé BTC Ljubljana 0:01:50
14 Katia Ragusa (Ita) Astana Women’s Team 0:01:50
15 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon // SRAM Racing 0:01:50

Nice, Saturday, August 29th2020 – Britain’s Lizzie Deignan (Trek Segafredo) made the best of her current form and perfect teamwork to outwit title-holder Marianne Vos and world champion Annemiek van Vleuten and win La Course by Le Tour de France avec FDJ on Saturday. The 2015 world champion, supported by team-mate Elisa Longo-Borghini, surged on the line to narrowly upstage Vos while unheralded Dane Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg) finished third. Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon) was the 6th member of the decisive breakaway launched by van Vleuten in the second ascent of the 96-km circuit around Nice.
Six in the lead
The initial ascent of Cote de Rimiez started to skim the peloton as the pace was high until the top, where Luxembourg’s Christine Majerus (Boels Dolmans) led the way and collected three points in the KOM classification.
Former world and European champion Maria Bastianelli (Ale BTC Ljubjana) of Italy was among the first riders to call it quits while Spain’s Sheyla Guttierez, the Movistar leader, was unable to keep in touch with the front of the bunch, led by most of the favourites.
In Aspremont, at the top of the long 16-km climbing stretch, the pack had lost nearly half of the 137 riders at the start.
The technical descent to Nice split the peloton even more, as rain started to pour, and a group emerged, including Elsa Longo-Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Chistine Majerus, Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon), Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal), Cecile Ludwig (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine) and Anna Henderson (Sunweb). The six briefly led the chase by 40 seconds before the regrouped main bunch caught them in the outskirts of Nice.
Van Vleuten seizes reins
At the start of the second ascent, Annemiek van Vleuten decided to take the reins and raised the pace significantly. Lizzie Deignan was the first to take her wheel, followed by her Trek Segafredo team-mate Longo-Borghini, Marianne Vos, Niewiadoma and Dane Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg). The six held a minute’s lead at the top of the climb and 1:20 in Aspremont. Deignan tried to attack early in the descent as Van Vleuten stayed at the back and Niewiadoma led the way downhill, as she had done in the first lap, followed by Vos and Deignan.
At the bottom of the climb, the six led the pack by 1:30 and were left to battle it out for victory.
Deignan outwits Vos
With three current or former world champions in the break, the finale was an exciting one even if the slight headwind made it difficult for van Vleuten to surge and avoid a sprint finish. She tried to with 2 km left but was reeled in. Longo Borghini also tried her luck but she was also brought back by Vos. A last attempt by the Dutch world champion under the red flame was also quashed. Vos counter-attacked and looked set for victory but Deignan timed her sprint to perfection to beat her on the line. The Briton had previously finished second in La Course in 2017 while both Vos and van Vleuten had won the race twice before and were denied a treble.
Lizzie Deignan: “I’m really relieved that I won it. What a great overall performance by the team. Every one of my team-mates did a great job today. This is phenomenal because sometimes when you train hard and you don’t win you get frustrated and then when it comes at last, you’re really relieved. The period is pretty good for me. It’s pretty special because I’m close to home and I can’t wait to talk to my husband my daughter on the phone.”
@ASO

2020 LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE AVEC FDJ: LATEST NEWS WITH ONE DAY TO GO

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Vorschau, , , ,

Key points:
 The 7th edition of La Course by Le Tour de France avec FDJ looks more unpredictable than ever on a course around Nice especially designed to favour tactics over sheer strength. Title holder Marianne Vos and in-form Lizzie Deignan, who races at home, are excited about the 96-km event.
 In spite of the Covid-19 crisis, broadcasting of La Course is on the rise.

Jean-Marc Marino : « The most clever rider will win”
Race director Jean-Marc Marino is confident that the 7th edition of La Course by Le Tour de France avec FDJ will be exciting to watch and he warns that tactics, more than strength, will be the key on the 96-km course designed in the hills around Nice.
“It’s a pretty hard course at first, with a 5.5 km climb (Cote de Rimiez) at 5% and then it goes on climbing, it’s the Nice hinterland and we know how bumpy it is. Then there is a really steep descent, very technical and then 20 km on the flat,” he said.
“We can expect a big battle in the climbs. The big question is whether a sprinter can survive or whether a breakaway can go all the way. Nothing is written and that’s what we wanted, to have an unpredictable race. We noticed in the past that if we made too hard a course, it was always the same who won. This time, it might not be the strongest who wins, but certainly the most clever,” the former Tour de France rider added.
While Dutch riders, led by Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen, who is not taking part this year, stole the show in the past, Marino expects a tougher fight this time.
“You can expect a surprise because there are a lot of up and coming young riders who will be less closely watched than the favourites. They can sneak their way into victory. Of course we can have a solo win by Annemiek van Vleuten, and Marianne Vos, who climbs well, can win a sprint finish. Or Lizzie Deignan, who just won in Plouay and has a strong finish,” he said.

Marianne Vos: “Not for a specific rider”
Marianne Vos will be going for a hat trick on Saturday all the more confident as she feels the course suits her better than most.
“Last year’s was a fantastic win for me personally. After the first time on the Champs-Elysées, it was a different course but the same sensations and feelings crossing the line”, the Dutchwoman said.
Winner of La Course in 2014 on the Champs Elysees and last year in Pau, the three-times world road champion said the course was all the more interesting as it was unpredictable. She will obviously be among the leading favourites with compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten, also a two-times winner of the race, who was crowned European champion on Thursday.
“The course does not seem to be made for a specific type of rider. It’s not for the sprinters, it’s not for the climbers, it gives possibilities for a breakaway, it gives possibilities even for a sprinter if she survives but also the stronger climbers or classics riders can make a difference,” she said.
“I think a lot of teams will go there with an aim to win. I don’t really know the course, I’ve seen it on the Internet, which is the only possibility we have at this moment. I’ll see the course when I’m there. But the team will do the preparation and you can do a fairly good recon without being there”, she added.

Lizzie Deignan: “It’s kind of a home race”
Fresh from her third victory in the Grand Prix de Plouay, 2015 road world champion Lizzie Deignan is looking forward to La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ, almost on home truf as she lives in Monaco during the season.
“La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ it’s kind of a home race, it’s just down the road and I’ve ridden on those roads quite a lot. It’s obviously going to be a big celebration of cycling, with the Tour de France just down the road, it’s quite exciting to be part of that,” she said.
The Briton likes the circuit very much. “I think it’s actually a good course, a good racing course. this year was an easy year for A.S.O. to back out from having a woman’s race and I’m pleased that there’s still a woman race”.
“I think it’s a good racing circuit and is going to be quite aggressive”, Deignan, the Trek-Segafredo team leader added.
Deignan, who had health problems – food poisoning and a crash at Strade Bianche –, at the start of the season, showed great shape and tactical sense to win in Plouay and she will hope to improve on her best result in La Course by le Tour de France avec FDJ – second place in 2017. She can also count on the support of Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, silver-medallist ay the European Championships, who can be an outside chance for team Trek-Segafredo.
@ASO

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

Frauenradsport, Tour de France, Vorschau, , ,

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

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

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

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

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

Sélection des équipes 2020 /2020 teams selection La Course

Etappenrennen, Frauenradsport, Vorschau, , , ,

LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE 2020 avec FDJ :
SÉLECTION DES ÉQUIPES / TEAMS SELECTION

In accordance with the Union Cycliste International’s regulations, the eight UCI Women’s WorldTeams automatically entered are:

ALE‘ BTC LJUBLJANA (ITA)
CANYON / /SRAM RACING (GER)
CCC – LIV (POL)
FDJ NOUVELLE – AQUITAINE FUTUROSCOPE (FRA)
MITCHELTON SCOTT (AUS)
MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN (ESP)
TEAM SUNWEB (GER)
TREK – SEGAFREDO (USA)

As well as the eight teams already selected, the organisers have extended invitations to the following fifteen UCI Women’s Continental Teams:

AROMITALIA – BASSO BIKES – VAIANO (ITA)
ASTANA WOMEN’S TEAM (KAZ)
BIZKAIA – DURANGO (ESP)
BOELS DOLMANS CYCLINGTEAM (NED)
CERATIZIT – WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM (GER)
CHARENTE – MARITIME WOMEN CYCLING (FRA)
COGEAS METTLER LOOK PRO CYCLING TEAM (RUS)
HITEC PRODUCTS – BIRK SPORT (NOR)
LOTTO SOUDAL LADIES (BEL)
PARKHOTEL VALKENBURG (NED)
PAULE KA (SUI)
RALLY CYCLING (USA)
TEAM ARKEA (FRA)
TEAM TIBCO – SILICON VALLEY BANK (USA)
VALCAR-TRAVEL & SERVICE (ITA)

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

La Course – Pau

Eintagsrennen, Ergebnisse, Frauenradsport, Tour de France, , ,

1 Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC-Liv 3:15:20
2 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:03
3 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) Bigla Pro Cycling Team
4 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 0:00:04
5 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv 0:00:06
6 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
7 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:00:07
8 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Ale Cipollini
9 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling
10 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam

Pau, Friday, July 19th 2019 – A year after Annemiek van Vleuten pipped Anna van der Breggen at the last in Le Grand-Bornand, La Course by Le Tour delivered another thrilling finish that saw the race get turned on its head metres before the line. Right when Australian Amanda Spratt thought she had it in the bag after a long solo breakaway, she was caught and overtaken by CCC-Liv’s Marianne Vos with 350 metres to go, at the top of the final wall. The 32-year-old Dutch rider’s attack made it look like the rest of the peloton was standing still. The three-time world champion, who had already emerged victorious in 2014, is the winner of the sixth edition of the event, held on the same circuit around Pau as the Tour de France time trial over a distance of 121 kilometres.
@ASO

Foto: Gerhard Plomitzer (AGR 2018)

2019 La Course by Le Tour de France: Latest news with one day to go

Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, Tour de France, Vorschau, , ,

Key points:
 The sixth edition of La Course by Le Tour de France will be held in Pau on Friday, 19 July, just a few hours before the Tour de France stage 13 time trial takes place on the same course. The start is scheduled for 9:30.
 Watch the race live on France Télévisions and Eurosport from 10 am to 12:50 pm.
A circuit race where anything can happen
After the sprinters in Paris and the climbers on the Izoard and Le Grand-Bornand, the time has come for a different breed of riders to shine in La Course by le Tour de France. Punchers will have the upper hand on the undulating circuit around Pau, on which the elite of women’s cycling will have to complete five laps for a total of 121 km. Expect fireworks on the Gelos (1.1 km at 7.8%) and Esquillot (1 km at 7.2%) climbs. However, sprinters will still have 12 kilometres between the top of the last climb and the finish line to latch back onto the peloton and fight for the win. Will it be enough to lead to a bunch sprint? Race coordinator Jean-Marc Marino says that anything can happen, pointing out the short but super-steep section (70 m at 17%) that comes 400 m before the finish. „Smart riding will be key. Will there be a team that tries to keep a lid on the race in the hope that its leader can survive the climbs and take the sprint? We’ll see. At any rate, expect a war of attrition, a thrilling race. We want to show the public that women’s cycling is more than just girls sprinting on the Champs-Élysées or climbing mountains. Our aim this year was to underline the wealth of diversity of women’s cycling.“
All previous champions on the start line after Van Vleuten confirms
Fresh off her second victorious Giro campaign, Mitchelton–Scott’s Annemiek van Vleuten will be chasing her third triumph in a row. She will have to work harder for it this time round. The two-time world time trial champion from the Netherlands brought her climbing prowess to bear to win the previous two editions, but she is hardly the most explosive rider in the peloton. The same holds true for another Dutch champion, Anna van der Breggen, who has some accounts to settle with the race despite having won the 2015 edition. Last year, the leader of the fearsome Boels–Dolmans team was pipped on the line by Van Vleuten in Le Grand-Bornand. If she is to win on Friday, she will have to pull off something similar to the solo exploit that got her the rainbow jersey last year. Jean-Marc Marino still sees Marianne Vos, the most prolific rider of the last decade and winner of the inaugural edition in 2014, as the big favourite: „She’s the fastest sprinter among all the climbers.“ The CCC Liv leader will first need to knock Chloe Hosking out of contention. The Australian winner of the 2016 edition, the only non-Dutch rider to have won the race so far, will be banking on a bunch sprint.

Franck Vandenbroucke’s daughter on the start line
Australia’s Amanda Spratt, riding for the same team as Van Vleuten and fourth in last year’s race, Amstel Gold Race winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma, British 2015 world champion Lizzie Deignan and Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, third in 2017, are the most notable outsiders. Franck Vandenbroucke’s daughter Cameron will be making her debut in La Course by le Tour at the age of 20.
French riders eager to spring a surprise
The local girls are facing long odds again this year. However, Jean-Marc Marino, sports manager of the event, still believes in their chances: „The race will be wide open, we could get a little French surprise. They’ll be racing as outsiders, so it’s up to them to upset the favourites with a long-range attack.“ Aside from Juliette Labous (Sunweb), Aude Biannic (Movistar) and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek–Segafredo), who finished sixth in last year’s Amstel Gold Race, neo-pro Jade Wiel (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) is another rider to watch. The 19-year-old from Provence recently became French champion. Her first participation in La Course by le Tour will also be her first outing in the tricolour jersey: „I hope it gives me that extra oomph. I want to prove that I deserve this jersey and do the best possible race for the team to finish as high as possible. It is a circuit that could play to my strengths.“
Fun all day round
Stage 13 of the Tour de France, a time trial held on the same circuit, will start an hour after the finish of La Course by le Tour de France. The crowds lining the roads are in for a special treat. „It will be fun all day round, from the presentation of the women’s teams at 8 am to the men’s podium at 6 pm“, promises Jean-Marc Marino. You won’t regret coming.“
– TV broadcast in 190 countries
– TV coverage information on www.lacoursebyletourdefrance.com on the official broadcasters area
@ASO

2019 LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE: LATEST NEWS WITH 3 DAYS TO GO

Frauenradsport, Vorschau, ,

Key points:
 The sixth edition of La Course by Le Tour de France will be held in Pau on Friday, 19 July, just a few hours before the Tour de France stage 13 time trial takes place on the same course.
 La Course’s first ever foray into hilly terrain will make it an even more thrilling and suspenseful race, with punchers, climbers and sprinters in with a shot at getting their hands on the trophy. The riders will have to complete five laps of the circuit for a total of 121 kilometres.

Stars of women’s cycling have confirmed their participation with just three days to go until the sixth edition of La Course by le Tour de France. Although the hegemon of the last decade, Marianne Vos, stands out as the big favourite to win in Pau, the race looks more open than ever. CCC Liv’s Dutch rider is back after skipping last year’s edition with her sights set on what would be her second triumph in La Course by le Tour, five years after taking the inaugural edition on the Champs-Élysées. World champion Anna van der Breggen (2015) and American Chloe Hosking (2017) are another two former winners on the start line. Two-time winner Annemiek van Vleuten, on the other hand, is currently racing in the Giro Rosa and will decide whether to take part in the coming days. For now, Mitchelton–Scott has pencilled in the Dutch rider as a substitute. At any rate, the team from Down Under has a plan B in the shape of Aussie Amanda Spratt, who finished sixth last year. Other big names on the start line include the British 2015 world champion, Lizzie Deignan, the third-placed rider in the 2017 La Course by le Tour, Elisa Longo Borghini from Italy, and Amstel Gold Race winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma from Poland. The home girls are outsiders but eager to surprise, with riders such as Juliette Labous (Sunweb), Audrey-Cordon Ragot (Trek–Segafredo), who finished sixth in the Amstel Gold Race, and Aude Biannic (Movistar), who is in her element in circuit races. The French FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope outfit will be banking on Aussie veteran Shara Gillow (fifth in 2017) as well as the home-grown talent of 20-year-old Evita Muzic and 19-year-old Jade Wiel, who will be taking part in her first race in the French champion’s jersey. Charente-Maritime Women Cycling is the other French team invited to La Course. A total of 21 six-woman teams will start the race in Pau in the morning of Friday, 19 July.
All information about La Course by Le Tour de France on www.lacoursebyletourdefrance.com/en/
@ASO

2018 La Course by le Tour de France with FDJ : From the lake to the mountains

Eintagsrennen, Frauenradsport, Strassenrennen, ,

Key points:
 La Course by le Tour de France will this year be a one stage race between Annecy and Le Grand-Bornand. The first 28 kilometres and final 50 kilometres will be the same used on stage 10 of the men’s race.
 In addition to the race win, a prize for the best climber and most combative rider will be awarded at the arrival. Like in years past, the best riders will battle for the win just a few hours before the Tour de France peloton arrives.
 Twenty teams have been chosen by the organiser, representing the best female cyclists in the world.

Today’s best female riders will race on a stage tailor-made for champions, Tuesday July 17, in edition 5 of La Course by Le Tour de France. As was the case last year with the col d’Izoard serving as the finish line, this will be a mountain race between Annecy and Le Grand-Bornand. However, this year there will be just one stage. The 112.5 kilometres will be anything but a Sunday morning stroll. The Bluffy, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, Romme and the Colombière climbs will count for the best climber category.

La Course by Le Tour de France will be contested on 78 kilometres of the men’s stage, which will be run the same day, with 28 kilometres between Annecy and Thônes then the final 50 kilometres between Bonneville and Le Grand-Bornand. While the opening kilometres will be picturesque as the peloton riders along the shore of Europe’s purest river, the road will rise in the first 20 kilometres with the col de Bluffy (1.5 km at 5.5%). This could be the first opportunity for a breakaway. Something new this year is the award for the most combative rider of the day that will be rewarded after the race. After passing through Thônes, a category 2 climb will be the next challenge for the peloton with the côte de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt (5.5 km à 4.9 %). La Course by le Tour will then use the same road as the men that heads to the col des Glières, but will continue straight towards Bonneville to arrive in the Arve valley. At this point the peloton will be back on the Tour de France route and will head to the Romme and Colombière climbs, where no doubt, the top climbers will try to attack on the steep slopes of these climbs in the Haute-Savoie. From there it will be a fast downhill run to Le Grand-Bornand, where La Course by Le Tour de France will be decided.

The organisers of La Course by Le Tour de France have selected 20 teams to participate in edition 5:

Ale Cipollini
Astana Women’s Team
Bepink
Boels Dolmans Cycling Team
BTC City Ljubjana
Canyon // SRAM Racing
Cervelo – Bigla Pro Cycling Team
Cylance Pro Cycling
FDJ Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
Lotto Soudal Ladies
Mitchelton Scott
Movistar Team Women
Team Sunweb
Team Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank
Team Virtu Cycling
Trek – Drops
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
Valcar PBM
Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team
Wiggle High5

@ASO