Author: Harold Dalton

Report Australian sprinter Kaden Groves blasted to his maiden Grand Tour stage win at La Vuelta a España as Team BikeExchange-Jayco bounced back in style on stage 11. The squad put the setback of losing team leader Simon Yates to COVID-19 behind them as they delivered a sprint masterclass in Cabo de Gata, to turn disappointment into delight. The stage always looked destined for a sprint finish and the Australian outfit set their stall our early as they sent Luke Durbridge to work on the front of the peloton to set the pace behind a three-rider breakaway. The escapees were…

Report Remco Evenepoel produced one of the fastest individual time trials in Grand Tour history, ticking off his main objective of La Vuelta a España by taking a stage victory, which saw him become the first Belgian rider in the last 35 years to triumph in a stage against the clock at the Spanish race. As the last man to roll down the start ramp, Remco knew what lay ahead, having trained in the morning on the course before following Rémi Cavagna from the car as the Frenchman rode a perfect race that put him in the hot seat with…

Alex Dowsett has retired. The writing has been somewhat on the wall, but he recently indicated that he intended to race for two more seasons. He has since changed his mind, and retired with immediate effect. Note his choice of words, however: he has retired from the World Tour. Cycling may still be in his future. Hell, he might not even have to change teams next year. We still remember him as the young lad who signed for Team Sky and immediately turned up at our office driving a new Jaguar. Which means we’re officially old. Dowsett’s career has been…

Report At the end of a long breakaway, Louis Meintjes rode to a solo victory in the ninth stage of the Tour of Spain, which finished on the particularly steep climb Las Praeres after four other climbs in Asturias. The South-African rider was accompanied by eight riders in the breakaway, which was formed after a battle of more than one hour. Meintjes was also the best placed rider in the general classification. The escapees benefited from a five-minute advantage during most of the stage and started the final climb with a gap of more than three minutes. So, it was…

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Report Remco Evenepoel became the youngest rider in the last 34 years to top the Vuelta a España general classification, after delivering a jaw-dropping performance in horrendous conditions on the race’s first summit finish. Pico Jano, a Cantabrian mountain making its first appearance at the Spanish Grand Tour, not only ignited the GC fight, but will now be forever linked to the 22-year-old Belgian, who took another career-defining moment on its gruelling slopes. The 12.6km climb ended up widening the gaps between the overall contenders and also changing the red jersey wearer for the fifth time in as many days.…

Report It was a day to remember for Marc Soler, who conquered the fifth stage of the Vuelta a Espana after 187.2 km from Irún to Bilbao. The Catalan was not among the first riders to go on the attack, closing a gap of 1’45” solo, and marking himself as one of the strongest riders on the climbs. Of the 18 men in the break, they slowly dropped one by one over the last 30km , before Soler made his move on the second ascent of El Vivero climb. Soler, at first in difficulty just a few kilometers from the…