Jordan Jegat pips Guillaume Martin and Felix Gall to second place Source link ..read more

Biniam Girmay will return to the Giro d’Italia next month, his Intermarché-Wanty team announced on Saturday. The Eritrean made history at the race two years ago when he became the first rider from sub-Saharan Africa to win a stage at a Grand Tour. Girmay claimed a fine sprint victory ahead of Mathieu van der Poel in Jesi on stage 10, though he was unable to start the following day after being struck in the eye by a prosecco cork during the podium ceremony. After making his Tour de France debut in 2023, Girmay has opted to return to the Giro this year. The 24-year-old has been training at al ..read more

Patrick Lefevere has revealed that his Soudal-QuickStep squad held a “crisis meeting” in the wake of their disappointing cobbled Classics campaign. The Belgian also acknowledged that their prospects in the Ardennes have been dimmed considerably by Remco Evenepoel’s absence. For the third year in succession, Soudal-QuickStep made little impact at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, races they had dominated over the previous decade. The only solace from their Classics campaign was provided by Tim Merlier, who won Scheldeprijs and Nokere Koers. “Last Tuesday, I called a meeting. A crisis m ..read more

Visma-Lease a Bike team manager Richard Plugge can be outspoken but is rarely angry. Yet the recent spate of high-speed crashes and injuries have hit his riders hard and left the Dutch manager sad and angry about the lack of progress in improving safety in professional cycling. The Visma-Lease a Bike team leaders are amongst an estimated 40 WorldTour riders who have suffered serious crashes in the opening months of the 2024 season. Wout van Aert missed the biggest cobbled Classics and will not recover in time to ride the Giro d’Italia due to his Dwars door Vlaanderen crash, while Jonas Ving ..read more

Defending champion Tyler Stites set the fastest time on  Toyota of Redlands Lake Perris time trial at the Redlands Classic for the third year in succession. His Project Echelon teammate Brendan Rhim was second and Joe Laverick (Ribble Rebellion) rounded out the podium. The relatively flat technical 11.7-mile loop included a pair of sharp left-hand corners near the start and then two out-and-back sections near the finish as the route navigated around the lake in a counter-clockwise direction. Stites solidified his lead in the general classification on his quest to win his third consecut ..read more

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 went 1-2 on stage 3 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic as Emily Ehrlich won the Toyota of Redlands Lake Perris ITT, ahead of teammate Marlies Mejias. Alia Shafi (Fount Cycling) was third. Defending champion Ehrlich was the only rider to crack the 25-minute mark on the technical 11.7-mile loop at Lake Perris State Park. “It was good. I’m really glad I got to ride the course a few times. It’s just a course where if you know it well, you can gain a lot of time,” said Ehrlich who enjoyed that she couldn’t get into a rhythm. “That’s the fun part, you don’t get into a ..read more

There has been a lot of media buzz around Tour de France champion Demi Vollering during the spring racing block after reports of a €1 million contract offer, her potential departure from SD Worx-Protime, and public statements from team manager Erwin Janssen about the negotiation process between the team and Vollering’s agent.  Speculation about Vollering’s future at SD Worx-Protime has led to some curiosity about whether it already has, or might become, a distraction during races and if it could potentially affect the team’s overall performance at the upcoming Ardennes Classics.  Ja ..read more

Ineos Grenadiers team owner Jim Ratcliffe has called for professional cyclings’ governing bodies to take “real action” to improve safety after the Itzulia Basque Country high-speed crash and other race incidents that have left a number of riders out of action and Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard reportedly still in hospital in Spain. Ineos Grenadiers have been one of the driving forces in the creation of SafeR (SafeRoadcycling), the independent entity created and funded by the sport’s stakeholders to improve race, and Ratcliffe is the first team owner to publish an open letter about s ..read more

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Start list powered by FirstCycling Get The Leadout Newsletter The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Source link ..read more