When Covid-19 struck the world in January 2020, no one could guess the impact that it would have on the entire planet. Any activity that requires in-person, physical engagement has been severely hit. Countries have had to put many things on hold; naturally, international, and national sporting events are no exception. In its 125-year-old history, the Olympics has been cancelled only three times, during World Wars I and II. Covid-19 forced the postponement of the Olympics for the first time in history. A cursory glance at the list of sporting events that have been impacted by the pandemic gives just…
Author: Henri Giroud
Henri Giroud
Fifty years of pro cycling journalism and television commentary. It gets easier after the first forty years.
Highlights Results Stage 1Ben O’Connor (Aus) NTT Pro Cycling5:50:592Hermann Pernsteiner (Aut) Bahrain McLaren0:00:313Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal0:01:104Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) CCC Team0:01:135Kilian Frankiny (Swi) Groupama-FDJ0:01:556Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Lotto Soudal0:02:497Davide Villella (Ita) Movistar Team0:03:298Oscar Rodriguez Garaicoechea (Spa) Astana Pro Team9Amanuel Gebreigzabhier (Eri) NTT Pro Cycling0:03:3010Jesper Hansen (Den) Cofidis0:04:32 General Classification 1Joao Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-Quickstep71:41:182Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb0:00:173Jai Hindley (Aus) Team Sunweb0:02:584Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers0:02:595Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain McLaren0:03:126Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe0:03:207Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek-Segafredo0:03:318Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling0:03:529Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe0:04:1110Fausto Masnada (Ita) Deceuninck-Quickstep0:04:26 Points 1Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ2212Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe1843Joao Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-Quickstep904Diego Ulissi (Ita)…
Report Yves Lampaert couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to pull down the curtain over his sixth season with the Wolfpack, which helped him make for the disappointment of having to sit out for several weeks due to a collarbone injury and the absence of Paris-Roubaix, cancelled due to the pandemic. Part of a strong seven-man squad that lined out for the 44th edition of Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne, the 29-year-old finished off the team’s excellent job with a canny attack to add to his palmares the last one-day race of the season. Results 1Yves Lampaert (Bel) Deceuninck-Quickstep3:57:122Tim Declercq (Bel)…
Highlights Report Primoz Roglic has won the overture of the Vuelta a España in an impressive way. The Slovenian leader of Team Jumbo-Visma arrived solo on the Alto de Arrate. The winner of last year’s Vuelta a España could therefore immediately put on the red leader’s jersey. It is the nineteenth victory of the season for Team Jumbo-Visma. Roglic’s victory came about through fantastic work by his teammates. Team Jumbo-Visma, together with a few other teams, controlled the entire stage and never let a group of escapees get a big margin. Robert Gesink took the lead in the final phase…
Highlights Report The Giro d’Italia resumed after the second rest day with an epic stage for Team Bahrain McLaren. Jan Tratnik did not miss his chance at the beginning of the third and last week. The Slovenian rider was part of the daily breakaway on the hilly course of stage 16 – from Udine to San Daniele del Friuli (229km) – and after also a solo attack, he went clear on the last steep section just before the finish to take the most important victory in his career. His teammate Enrico Battaglin – who was in the break too – proved…
Ed’s note: We are living through a new golden age of cycling. That is all. Highlights Report An exceptional edition of the Tour of Flanders got an exceptional final. Van der Poel and Van Aert were so daring that a very close sprint had to decide on the victory. Van der Poel won the 104th edition of Flanders’ Fienst before Wout Van Aert. Kristoff sprinted to third place in the chasing group. An atypical Tour of Flanders, that’s what awaited the riders today. In an edition in which the general public was invited to follow the race from home, a…
Highlights Report Tao Geoghegan Hart put in one of the finest performances of his young career to claim victory on stage 15 at the Giro d’Italia. The Brit rode his way to the front of the race on the Piancavallo summit finish, before out-sprinting Wilco Kelderman and claiming his biggest victory to date – and a fifth stage win for the INEOS Grenadiers. That success also moved Geoghegan Hart up seven places to fourth overall, 2:57 off the maglia rosa but just two seconds off an overall podium place. In the closing kilometres Tao was joined by Team Sunweb duo Kelderman and Jai…
Highlights Report Filippo Ganna put in a blistering performance to win his third stage of the Giro d’Italia and the team’s fourth stage victory of the race. Ganna led home an INEOS Grenadiers 1-2 as Rohan Dennis finished second, 26 seconds behind the world time trial champion in Valdobbiadene. The gap from second to third-placed Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) was over a minute, with Ganna and Dennis dominating the second time trial of the race. Tao Geoghegan Hart put in a strong performance to finish 13th on the stage, which saw the Londoner move up to 11th overall ahead…