Highlights Report Mark Padun secured his first WorldTour win on Stage 7 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, showing impressive climbing on La Plagne. The Queen stage was set to be a decisive fight in the GC, with the riders taking on 3,980 vertical meters, including two Hors Categorie climbs. An early breakaway managed to stay away until the final climb, with around 10 kilometres remaining by a reduced peloton. An attack from Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) sparked the GC fight, but it was Mark Padun who latched onto the move with Sep Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) and Enric Mas (Movistar). Padun and Kuss pushed…
Author: Henri Giroud
Henri Giroud
Fifty years of pro cycling journalism and television commentary. It gets easier after the first forty years.
Highlights Report The Movistar Team got back to winning ways, in a big, pre-Tour event like the Critérium du Dauphiné, with the talent of his biggest reference for two decades, Alejandro Valverde, following a great collective exhibition on the final stretch of the 163km stage six, from Loriol-sur-Drôme to the Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, on the first of three Alpine routes in this year’s French race. In a day covered at a whopping 43kph average, despite the last four categorized climbs -riders finished more than half an hour ahead of schedule-, the Movistar Team saved all of its power for the decisive…
Highlights Report Geraint Thomas launched an audacious late attack to catch a reduced peloton off-guard to win stage five of the Critérium du Dauphiné. With just over a kilometre remaining, Thomas attacked out of a tight right turn, stealing a march on the chasing pack in a technical finish, leaving the chasing pack scrambling to close the gap. Sonny Colbrelli was the only rider close to catching him, with Thomas edging the onrushing Bahrain Victorious man on the line to secure his first stage win of the season to move up into the top 10 overall. Thomas rounded off what…
Highlights Report Alexey Lutsenko blitzed the field in the Crtierium du Dauphiné stage 4 time trial to take an impressive win on a day when Astana – Premier Tech went one-two with Ion Izagirre taking second place. Izagirre set a flying pace on the 16.4km course to cross the line in 21’44” and move into the hot seat for a few minutes before Lutsenko stopped the clock eight seconds faster. The Kazakh time trial champion started well to set the provisional third fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint but it was in the second half of the 16.2km course when…
Highlights Results Stage 1Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious3:56:362Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech3Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates4Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo5Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe General Classification 1Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe12:35:082Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious0:00:023Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech0:00:184Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team0:00:205Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-QuickStep0:00:236Quentin Pacher (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM0:00:247Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe8Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers9Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Team DSM10Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Points 1Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious692Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech383Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-QuickStep38 Mountains 1Matthew Holmes (GBr) Lotto Soudal132Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe123Brent Van Moer (Bel) Lotto Soudal10 Young Riders 1Ilan Van Wilder…
Highlights Report With more than 3000m of elevation stage two of the Critérium du Dauphiné was already a real test for the riders. Especially the last climbs before the finish in Sauges within the last 20 kilometers offered a launchpad for attacks. With Lukas Pöstlberger also today BORA – hansgrohe was present in the break of the day. Ineos controlled the race early with Bahrain joining the chase with about 50km to go while at the front Lukas and S. Archbold remained in the lead until the very final of the stage. It was Lukas who went on his own…
Highlights Report Brent Van Moer put on a serious show in the opening stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The 23-year-old Lotto Soudal rider went on the attack immediately after the start, left his breakaway companions behind at 15 kilometres from the finish, held off the reduced bunch and soloed to a fantastic first professional victory. By winning the opening stage, the Lotto Soudal rider is also the first leader of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Besides, Van Moer realised a clean sweep as he also took the mountain, points and young rider’s jersey! “I almost can’t believe it. My first…
Highlights Report Egan Bernal put the finishing touches to a rousing Giro d’Italia victory on a special final day in Milan. The Colombian took a comfortable advantage into the time trial and had time to savour the moment as he raised his arms in victory, with an eventual winning margin of one minute and 29 seconds. Also celebrating on the day was Filippo Ganna, with the world time trial champion securing a phenomenal fifth Giro time trial stage victory in a row. The first rider in history to do so. It was far from straightforward for the Italian, who had…