Author: Henri Giroud

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Fifty years of pro cycling journalism and television commentary. It gets easier after the first forty years.

Highlights Report While it started with a climb, stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia was predicted to end with a bunch sprint. The 139km parcours – the shortest road stage of the race – had only one categorised climb to contend with, a fourth category ascent cresting a little less than 40km from the finish in Foligno, which would be no trouble for a sprinter with their eye on the prize. With less road on which to make an impact, the break went out as soon as they could, a group of five heading away from the start, and soon…

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Highlights Report Egan Bernal launched an emphatic late attack to win stage nine and move into the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia. The Colombian burst clear of the GC favourites on the gravel roads of Campo Felice, winning solo by seven seconds, and elevating himself into the maglia rosa.Bernal’s first stage win at a Grand Tour couldn’t have come in more dramatic fashion, with the break caught inside the final kilometre on the steep, traction-limited slopes.Egan was set up perfectly by his team-mates on the day, with the team taking it up on the Ovindoli climb with Salvatore Puccio and…

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Highlights Results Stage 1Victor Lafay (Fra) Cofidis4:06:472Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team0:0:363Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team DSM0:0:374Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar Team0:0:415Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’0:0:44 General Classification 1Attila Valter (Hun) Groupama-FDJ31:10:532Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep0:0:113Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers0:0:164Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech0:0:245Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo0:0:38 Points 1Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix832Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Team Qhubeka Assos763Elia Viviani (Ita) Cofidis69 Mountains 1Gino Mäder (Swi) Bahrain Victorious262Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team183Kobe Goossens (Bel) Lotto Soudal18 Young Riders 1Attila Valter (Hun) Groupama-FDJ31:10:532Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep0:0:113Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers0:0:16

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Highlights Report Two days after his stage win in Cattolica, Lotto Soudal rider Caleb Ewan was again victorious in the Giro d’Italia. After a technical final in Termoli and impressive lead-out work of Jasper De Buyst, Ewan sprinted to his second stage victory in this Giro. This brings Ewan’s tally to eleven Grand Tour stage victories. Between Notaresco and Termoli, the riders faced a hilly course. However, with a predominantly flat final, stage seven was destined to be one for the sprinters. A technical and tricky final awaited, but once again Caleb Ewan was kept at the front by his…

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Highlights Report After yesterday’s shock of losing Mikel Landa on Stage 5, today Team Bahrain Victorious turned their fortunes around with Gino Mäder winning from the breakaway. The 160-kilometre stage started in Grotte di Farassi and finished on the summit of San Giacomo. An early breakaway of five riders formed, including Gino Mäder and Matej Mohorič, on another day in tough conditions. Gino was able to stay clear in the break coming onto the final climb of the stage with only two other riders with him after great help from Mohorič. With 3.5 kilometres remaining, Gino launched his attack to…

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Highlights Report Caleb Ewan has won the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia after a powerful sprint delivered him the victory in Cattolica. In the much anticipated bunch sprint, the 26-year-old Australian proved to be the fastest and beat Italians Nizzolo and Viviani. Exactly four years after his first, Caleb Ewan sprinted to his fourth ever Giro stage win. “After the disappointment of missing out on the first sprint opportunity, this victory gives me great satisfaction”, Caleb Ewan said. “There was quite some pressure on myself and the team to get a good result today, so this win kind of feels like a…

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Highlights Report Joe Dombrowski tasted his first victory for UAE Team Emirates with an impressive win on stage 4 of the Giro D’Italia. The 29-year old formed part of the early escape of 25 riders along with teammate Valerio Conti, which broke away in the early stages of the rainy transfer from Piacenza to Sestola (187km). The group slowly built up a gap which reached a maximum of 7’ on the peloton as the tough conditions and arduous terrain fractured the lead group. With the final climb coming at 6km to go, Dombrowski emerged in a select bunch of surviving climbers…

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Highlights Report The peloton of the Giro d’Italia (2.UWT) started the third stage in the rain. On the program this Monday, a crossing of the Piedmont region of 190 kilometers from Biella towards Canale in the north-west of the country. Four climbs, spread over the last 70 kilometers, offered the prospect of an uncertain stage. Like the day before, the first attack turned out to be the right one for the breakaway. After 5 kilometers, eight men received the green light from the peloton. Among them, the Dutchman Taco van der Hoorn, who had already distinguished himself at the forefront this season during…

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