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The UCI threatened to disqualify Tadej Pogačar if he rode in purple shorts again – TOP STORY.
Rider News: BORA-hansgrohe positive about Primoz Roglič’s progress, Arnaud Démare is ready to return and no deal yet between Lenny Martinez and Bahrain.
Team news: Visma | Lease a Bike reconnoiter the Tour de France gravel stage.
Race news: RCS Wants Milano-Sanremo for Women in 2025.
Plus: Remco’s recovery video.
Giro coffee EUROTRASH time!
TOP STORY: The UCI Threatened to Disqualify Pogačar if He Rode in Purple Shorts Again
Tadej Pogacar was nearly all in pink on Monday, with the exception of his shorts. The Giro organisers gave the overall leader purple shorts. Pogacar wanted to wear them again on Tuesday, but the UCI put a stop to it.
It was a striking image during the third stage of the Giro d’Italia. Overall leader Pogacar rode to the finish town of Fossano wearing purple pants. It turned out to be a tribute to the players of Torino FC, who died in an air disaster in 1949. The purple pants are a reference to the garnet red clothing in which this very successful team played their matches.
The top favourite for the overall victory decided to start again today with these special pants, also because it was a speed suit. Yet today Pogacar simply appeared again on the starting podium wearing black pants. The UCI has decided that it is against the rules and so the rose jersey wearer will race again today in a normal combination of pants and a shirt.
“I thought they were nice shorts. The organisers gave me the suit, so I put it on. Then we got a call from the UCI that it was not allowed. That’s why I now have my normal (black) shorts,” Pogačar told Eurosport before the start of the ride.
Some UCI commissaires were not at all pleased with the Slovenian leader’s unusual colour combination. Not only did they call UAE Team Emirates on Monday evening, according to Cyclingnews they also warned the team that Pogačar would be disqualified if he wore the purple shorts again for the stage to Andora.
RCS Sport and clothing sponsor Castelli then tried to convince the commissaires that their own rules did indeed allow the combination, but the commissaires asked more experienced officials and UCI president David Lappartient to make the final decision.
Those purple shorts:
Giro d’Italia 2024
After two days of excitement, stage 3 was a bit calmer, until 60 kilometres to go and there was a big split, but it came back together well before the sprint got organised on the run-in to the finish in Fossano. There was a small battle for bonus seconds between Ben Swift and the pink jersey, Tadej Pogačar. An attack from Pogačar on a short climb 3 kilometres from the finish nearly upset the sprinter’s plans, but in the end it was Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier who pushed his bike across the line first. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was second and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) took third. There was no change on the overall.
Novara is the start town of stage three, a relatively flat stage of 166 kilometres with 831 meters of climbing. Early in the stage, there is one categorised climb, the Lu (4.3km at 3.2%), which is a Cat.4 climb. The sprinters should all be there in Fossano, but a short, tricky climb with 3km to go, could upset the fast-finishers.
The stage was quiet in the first kilometres. The riders saw a chance to recover from two hard days. Intermaché Wanty and Alpecin-Deceuninck controlled the pace, which was not fast. In the run-up to the climb to Lu (Cat.4), there was some movement in the peloton. Lilian Calmejane (Intermaché Wanty) got away with three other riders, but they were pulled back by Daan Hoole, working for Lidl-Trek. Calmejane wanted to be off the front today and attack again. The Frenchman was 3rd in the KOM classification with 20 points and wanted more. The peloton gave up and Calmejane along with Davide Ballerini (Astana Qazaqstan) started the climb of the day with a small lead. Calmejane was only interested in the KOM points. The Frenchman took 3 mountain points and then dropped back to the peloton. Ballerini rode ahead of the peloton on his own for a little while, but soon gave up. After a slow chase, the Italian was caught and it was now a ride to the final. The tedium didn’t last long, because in the run-up to the first intermediate sprint in Masio, the pace in the peloton increased again. The sprint was perfect for Jonathan Milan and he took the full points.
The Lidl-Trek Italian, last year’s winner of the points classification took 12 points. Edward Planckaert, Kaden Groves’ lead-out man, and Olav Kooij finished second and third. The pace should have eased, but Filippo Fiorelli, the leader in the points classification, wanted to get away before the next intermediate sprint. The Italian of VF Group-Bardiani initiated a dangerous leading group. The peloton eventually realised the seriousness of the situation, the lead by then was 1:30. Polti-Kometa, Movistar and Bahrain Victorious had missed the move and had to chase. The front group of 24 riders included many fast men: Milan, Kooij, Christophe Laporte, Tim Merlier, Kaden Groves, Alberto Dainese, Caleb Ewan, David Dekker, Biniam Girmay and Danny van Poppel. The front group consisted of: Kaden Groves, Edward Planckaert, Fabio Van den Bossche & Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Filippo Fiorelli, Martin Marcellusi & Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani), Matteo Trentin, Robin Froidevaux & Alberto Dainese (Tudor), Biniam Girmay, Madis Mihkels & Adrien Petit (Intermarché-Wanty), Tim Merlier & Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step), Christophe Laporte & Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tobias Lund Andresen & Kevin Vermaerke (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla), David Dekker (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe) and Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis).
Towards the second intermediate sprint in Montegrosso D’asti, the peloton got closer, mostly because the front riders were looking at each other. Milan won the second sprint, ahead of Merlier and Groves. In the following kilometres the difference between the two groups got smaller and so a regrouping was going to happen. Due to the high pace, the peloton was pulled into a long line, and there were several cracks. Not much later, the peloton split into three parts. In the first chase group had the pink jersey wearer Pogačar and most of the other GC riders. In the group of dropped riders had Cian Uijtdebroeks, the wearer of the white young rider’s jersey, Juan Pedro López and Esteban Chaves. Fortunately for them the fire went out and with less than 50 kilometres to go, everything came together again in the pursuit of the leading group. The front group was also finished, because the peloton caught them 43 kilometres from Fossano. After these skirmishes, peace returned, and the sprinters could prepare for the finale. At 22 kilometres from the finish there was a final intermediate sprint for the bonus seconds. Pogačar wanted to increase his overall lead and took 2 seconds behind Ben Swift. Thomas was third for 1 second.
After the intermediate sprint it was fast to the last 10 kilometres, where the riders still had two short climbs. On the first ramp they pushed very hard, but everything stayed together. On the second climb it was a bit faster, partly due to the pace of INEOS Grenadiers. It was Thymen Arensman who pulled out all the stops, with Thomas on his wheel, but most of the fast men managed to hold their own. Mikkel Honoré had other plans and the EF Education-EasyPost rider attacked just before the summit. The Dane was joined by Pogačar and Thomas. The man in pink saw his opportunity to fool the sprinters and shot to the front. This was too much for Honoré, who was dropped. Thomas managed to hang on to the wheel of the flying Pogačar. The two top favourites for the overall victory started the last kilometre with a slight lead. The duo didn’t have enough of a gap to stay out of the grasp of the sprinter’s teams, although Pogačar came very close to a second stage victory. The Slovenian started his sprint, but was overtaken by the fast-finishers just 300 metres from the line. In the sprint; Milan looked to be on his way to victory, but the strong Italian fell short of Tim Merlier. The Belgian won the first sprint of the 2024 Giro, and once again the best in the first sprinter’s stage of a Grand Tour. Milan had to settle for second place, Biniam Girmay crossed the line in third. Olav Kooij was boxed in and finished in 6th place. Jenthe Biermans was 4th while Fabio Jakobsen was unable to sprint.
# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “It was a hard finale, the hardest of my career. The team did a great job to put me in a good position, and that’s why I want to say a big thank you to Bert, Julian, Luke and Mauri. They brought the attackers back just in time. Once this happened, I knew I had to jump like never before and that’s what I did. For a moment there, I lost the slipstream, but I found one quickly and confident in my legs and the fast Specialized bike I have, I gave my best and I am really happy now. We knew there were going to be attacks on the last hill, but the team was amazing and made sure we had a bunch sprint today. I suffered in the finale, but I had the confidence I could get the win at the end of what was quite a strange stage. This victory is for Wouter, we miss him a lot even after all those years. It was an emotional moment, not just for me, but also for Iljo, who was in the car today.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It was a really good attack by Mikkel Honoré. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t attack. I just followed and I found myself in the leading group in the last 3km. It was a good effort by G [Geraint Thomas] and Mikkel. I was just stretching the legs at the front. I wasn’t thinking there would be a small breakaway. I thought Mikkel would stop when he’d see me on the wheel, but he didn’t and G pulled immediately, respect to them! It was good to try but I never thought we’d go for the win. It was a sprinters’ day. To gain time in the intermediate sprint was also not my intention. But I shook my shoulder and I saw Ineos moving, so I had to react. I just have to be attentive all the time. It’s always better if I take one second on Thomas than the other way round.”
2nd on the stage, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “He just had a better sprint in his legs. It was very chaotic, with that climb at the end. And also because of the attack of Pogacar and Thomas. It was really tough. It was a very chaotic final. We (his teammates) lost each other a bit, but we came back together in the last 500 metres. Matteo Trentin started next and we managed to use his speed, but Merlier simply had a better sprint in his legs. I must congratulate him. I will definitely try again tomorrow. Then a new sprint opportunity follows. I had fun today.”
2nd overall, Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadier): “This was certainly not the plan. We mainly wanted to stay out of trouble. We were already quite far from the finish from the front. The boys really did great. I hoped to be able to count on Ganna and Narváez in the final, but at some point we lost each other’s wheel. However, Thymen (Arensman) rode a great pace. I saw Mikkel Honoré attack and Pogacar responded. Then I thought: I better go for it. But Jesus, he went crazy! He’s starting to get on my nerves. I just tried to keep his wheel and take over, but phew… I was surprised we had such a big gap, but I knew they would come back. Especially because I didn’t have much left. It’s a good start to the Giro. I feel pretty good and now hope to continue building. I saw Mikkel attack Honoré and Pogacar responded. Then I thought: I better go for it. But Jesus, he went crazy! He’s starting to get on my nerves. I just tried to keep his wheel and take over, but phew… You’ve had your fun now. Let’s have a quiet day tomorrow.”
3rd on the stage, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “Right from the start, my teammates protected me well in the front of the peloton and then guided me to the first intermediate sprint. When the peloton split, we were represented with four riders in the first group. With Madis Mihkels and Adrien Petit, I had two riders of my sprint train on my side, so it was an ideal situation for us. We really enjoyed racing in the breakaway. When the peloton came back, we continued to demonstrate our collective strength by maintaining a good position in the front of the peloton. Together, just like we planned, we managed to start the final climb among the first ten riders. When Tadej Pogacar attacks you know it’s going to be difficult for everyone, as usual. The final preparation for the sprint was man against man. I was behind Jonathan Milan, but when I saw the sprint was launched on the right side with more speed against the headwind, I changes into the slipstream of Tim Merlier. The line came a little too early for me, but I’m happy with the result. Achieving a podium on the first sprint opportunity is nice. I’m looking forward to the next two stages, or even three.”
5th overall, Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike): “The stage started very quietly, which is usually not a good sign. It was very chaotic, at one point a group of 25 rode away. That was quite a good situation for us, because our sprinters (Olav Kooij and Christophe Laporte) were on board. But a little later the peloton broke into different parts again and we were in the last part. Congratulations to my teammates, they solved it. However, the chaos wasn’t over after that, because we got a stressful ending. So it was really surviving until the end. I don’t know why they do that. The sprinters also really go all out during the other intermediate sprints. It’s interesting to see. But yes, Pogacar is so strong. He can handle that, and that attack today. He enjoys it and might want to show his jersey too.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 3 Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 3:54:35
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
4. Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
5. Tobias Lund Andresen (Den) dsm-firmenich PostNL
6. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Ethan Vernon (GB) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
9. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
10. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 3:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 11:03:02
2. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:46
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:47
4. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 0:56
5. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
6. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:07
7. Juan Pedro López (Spa) Lidl-Trek at 1:11
8. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:13
9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:26
10. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
Giro’24 stage 3:
Stage four of the 2024 Giro d’Italia was a little more relaxed than the first three, but there as still the necessary excitement. After the break of the day was reeled in with 5 kilometres to go, Filippo Ganna launched himself in a bid for solo victory. His plan didn’t work and the sprinters shot past the big Italian in sight of the finish line. Jonathan Milan had the fastest legs today, beating Kaden Groves, Phil Bauhaus, Olav Kooij and yesterday’s winner, Tim Merlier.
The stage has quite a flat profile. The ascent to Colle Melogno (8km around 5%), in the central section, is followed by a lengthy descent leading to Savona. From here and until the finish, the route is the same as in Milano-Sanremo. The last 3km are mostly downhill. After cresting Capo Mele, the route descends with easy bends all the way to urban Andora. The last 800m are essentially straight and perfectly flat. The home straight (650m) is on 8m wide tarmac.
The fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia started without Bram Welten. The dsm-firmenich PostNL rider and important lead-out man for Fabio Jakobsen, had a fever during the night. The ‘break of the day’ escaped very early in the stage. The group was: Francisco Muñoz (Polti-Kometa), Stefan de Bod (EF Education-EasyPost), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Wanty) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers). With the Italian off the front, the peloton didn’t want to let them go. Soudal Quick-Step took responsibility for Tim Merlier. His teammate Pieter Serry kept the lead at around 1:30. Ganna could see what was happening and less than 30 kilometres into the attack, he decided to sit up and drop back to the peloton. De Bod, Calmejane and Muñoz decided to push on. When the peloton caught Ganna, the peloton eased off and let the break take more time. With 125 kilometres to go, their lead was almost 5 minutes. At the first intermediate sprint of the day, in Calizzano, Muñoz was the first across the line in an uncontested sprint. In the peloton it was a tight sprint, won by Kaden Groves, ahead of Tim Merlier and Biniam Girmay. Jonathan Milan didn’t take part. The Italian wasn’t interested, unlike the first days, Merlier added points to his purple jersey total.
From the intermediate sprint in Calizzano, the race went straight into the only categorised climb of the day: the Colle delle Melogno. On this 9 kilometre climb, at more than 4%, Visma | Lease a Bike decided to shake things up a bit. Jan Tratnik increased the pace considerably and some riders couldn’t hang on. The first to be dropped was Fabio Jakobsen. The dsm-firmenich PostNL sprinter was helped by two teammates. Fernando Gaviria also had some trouble. The Colombian managed to return to the peloton with the help of Pelayo Sánchez, but the Jacobsen group was further adrift. At the top of the Colle delle Melogno, the Dutchman was 1:30 behind the peloton, which was still pushing hard. The difference to the leading group decreased, but Calmejane was the first over the summit of the climb, taking 9 points in the KOM classification. Calmejane then sat up from the leading group and was caught by the peloton. Due to a crash 70 kilometres from the finish, the peloton was split into several parts. Matteo Trentin, Ben O’Connor, Damien Touzé and Biniam Girmay and others, crashed in the wet and slippy conditions. All the riders were able to continue, but Girmay was shaken by the fall.
The Intermarché-Wanty rider, who finished 3rd on Monday, was at the side of the road for a while, but he eventually got back on his bike. As he was trying to get back to the peloton, he was going a little too fast in a bend and slid to the ground at high speed. This was the end of his Giro, as he couldn’t remount. Due to the crash, the peloton had split, but the race soon got back together. The riders who had fallen managed to return. As did Jakobsen, who had reconnected with the back of the peloton before the crash. After the merger, Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step took on the work in the peloton. Muñoz and De Bod were still holding a slim advantage. With 30 kilometres to go, their lead was still 1:30. The sprinter’s teams now lifted the pace and started to pull the leaders in. A regroupment came just under 5 kilometres from the finish, just before hitting the Capo Mele. This was the signal for Ganna to give it ‘full gas’. The Italian immediately opened up a good gap and started the descent with a lead.
Some riders tried to jump across to Ganna, but the fast-man from Verbania was flying. A well-organised chase started behind Ganna, and he was caught in the last kilometre and the stage would go to the sprinters. With a very good lead-out, Simone Consonni put his sprint-leader, Jonathan Milan, in an ideal position. Milan was able to complete his team’s work, and he crossed the line ahead of Kaden Groves and Phil Bauhaus in a high-speed sprint. Olav Kooij was also amongst the action, but didn’t have the speed and had to settle for fourth place. Monday’s stage winner, Merlier, finished fifth.
# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “It’s a very nice and competitive finale. I expected an attack by Filippo Ganna. My team managed to deal with it and Eddy [Edward Theuns] and Simone [Consonni] gave me a great lead out. I didn’t go for the intermediate sprints today in order to save myself for the final sprint. The first one was soon after the major climb and I wanted to keep my legs as fresh as possible. My liberating shout after the finish came out because I’m 100% focused on the Giro d’Italia. Only after this I’ll take a break and I’ll prepare for the Olympics, my next big goal. In the coming years, I’ll be back on these roads because I’d like to win Milano-Sanremo as well.”
Maglia Rosa, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s been a great day today for me and the team. Unfortunately, [team-mate Juan Sebastian] Molano crashed. He had to change bike and we lost the sprint. When Filippo Ganna attacked, unfortunately I was in a too bad position to follow him… But I’ve enjoyed this taste of Milano-Sanremo today. I knew the roads. I often train in this area.”
2nd on the stage, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It really was a super hectic sprint. We raced at a particularly high pace. All teams were fighting for position. It was quite scary at times. These types of stages are suitable for riders who can make a late attack, but the wind was in our favour. Then you have to be very strong to keep moving forward. We will get there. The team is also riding very strongly. I feel the confidence of the team. We look forward to the next few days.”
3rd on the stage, (Phil Bauhaus Bahrain-Victorious): “I was believing in the victory actually, but given the situation and everything that happened today, i think we can be happy with third place. To be honest the most important thing was that everyone stayed safe, especially as we were descending at high speeds of up to 80km/h for long periods, and I hope everyone who went down is ok. It would have been good for Andrea to be with me for a bit more slipstream in the last kilometre, but we had to try to bridge to Ganna. There had been a tailwind on the coast and everything came back together, but I had spent a bit too much energy, so as Trek have the strongest lead-out here, I tried to position myself on their last wheel and fight for 2nd or 3rd place.”
10th on the stage, Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Kometa): “Preparing a sprint downhill is always difficult. I had excellent feelings throughout the course, climb included. In the last kilometre I tried to position myself as best as possible, and in the end I achieved the team’s first top-10 in this Giro. But I’m not content…”
Late attacker, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “An impressive attack? It wasn’t that impressive, otherwise I would have won. So I am disappointed. The attack wasn’t planned, it just happened that way. But in the end the sprinters had the final say. If I had jumped away a little closer to the top, who knows… Then I might have made it.”
Break rider, Francisco Muñoz (Polti-Kometa): “My mission this morning was to get into the breakaway and I accomplished it, even though when you’re ahead until the last kilometres you hope to hit the jackpot. Realistically it wasn’t easy, with all the sprinter trains eager to catch us, anyway it’s essential to be there and get close, to be ready to seize the right opportunity when it shows up.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 4 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:16:03
2. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Phil Bauhaus Bahrain-Victorious
4. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
6. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
7. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
8. Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizané
9. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty
10. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti Kometa.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 4:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 15:19:05
2. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:46
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:47
4. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:55
5. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 0:56
6. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:07
7. Juan Pedro López (Spa) Lidl-Trek at 1:11
8. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:13
9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:26
10. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
Giro’24 stage 4:
Stage 5 looked nearly tailor-made for the sprinters, a break managed to hold off a fast finishing peloton by 11 seconds for the win. Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) out-sprinted his escape colleagues; Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Andrea Pietrobon (Polti Kometa) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ). Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the bunch sprint for 5th place ahead of Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla). there was no change on the overall lead as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished safely in the peloton.
The stage follows the Tyrrhenian coast. The 179 kilometre stage has two climbs, two intermediate sprints and should be another chance for the sprinters, with only 1,700 meters of climbing. The first climb of the day is the Cat.3 Passo del Bracco, it is 15.2 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 3.9%. It comes more than 115 kilometres from the finish, so shouldn’t affect the final. What could make a difference is the Montemagno (3km at 4.3%), but most sprinters should manage.
Mattia Bais (Polti-Kometa) and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) were the first rider to attack. They had Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) with them, but the Frenchman was dropped. His place at the front was taken by Simon Geschke (Cofidis) and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè). In the peloton, Lidl-Trek, Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck took control. The gap was held at 2 minutes as the sprinter’s teams didn’t want to give the leaders too much time, it was eventually reduced to 1 minute. On the long climb of the Passo del Bracco, Alpecin-Deceuninck took the lead for Kaden Groves. The first victim among the sprinters was Fabio Jakobsen. On the last 5 kilometres of the Bracco, Caleb Ewan and Tim Merlier were also in trouble, but they limited the damage and were able to rejoin the peloton. Simon Geschke took the most points at the summit, but the peloton wasn’t far behind and caught them on the descent. The early break of the day ended more than 100 kilometres before the finish, but that wasn’t the end of the story
After the descent of the Passo del Bracco, Alpecin-Deceuninck eased off, causing the peloton to come to a standstill. This gave Jakobsen, Julius van den Berg and Gijs Leemreize to close in on the peloton. At one point the Dutch riders were at 4 minutes behind. At 90 kilometres from the finish they made contact. Jakobsen didn’t fight in the next intermediate sprint. Kaden Groves beat Olav Kooij and Jonathan Milan. There was a bad crash involving Christophe Laporte, who hit a hole in the road. The Frenchman was able to continue, but had a long chase to catch the peloton. Shortly after the intermediate sprint, there was a new break of four riders: Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Andrea Pietrobon (Polti Kometa). The four never had more than 2 minutes and started the Montemagno (3 km at 4.3%) with less than a minute. Lidl-Trek did everything they could to close the gap on that climb, but it didn’t work. After the descent, there was no help for Milan’s teammates. Soudal Quick-Step, Jayco AlUla, Visma | Lease a Bike and Intermarché-Wanty eventually saw the danger and 10 kilometres from the finish, started to work. The difference to the four leaders was still 45 seconds.
The lead didn’t come down quickly, because Valgren, Thomas, Paleni and Pietrobon were working well together. At 5 kilometres from the finish the gap was still 40 seconds. The peloton was having a lot of difficulty catching the leaders and at the 1K red flag it was clear that one of the riders in the beak was going to win. Pietrobon, who had not done any work in the last kilometres, tried to jump away in that final kilometre. The Italian opened a big gap and maybe had the win in his pocket, but Paleni closed the gap for the others. In the end it was a sprint between Valgren and Thomas. The Dane was the first to jump, but was passed by the French track rider, taking the first victory for the season for the Cofidis team. The peloton was only 11 seconds behind at the finish line, with points leader Jonathan Milan first in 5th place. The other top fast men, Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij, finished 8th and 9th.
# You can see lots more photos in the full PEZ ‘Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis): “Honestly, I had bookmarked a few stages but not this one. I followed my instinct and asked around if anyone wanted to come along. Michael Valgren was up for it. I’ve spent four years at Groupama-FDJ so I asked Olivier Le Gac who replied that Enzo Paleni was the man for that. It was like a team pursuit since we were four riders swapping turns. But I didn’t believe much that we’d make it. It’s something crazy that happened to me. When we entered the cobbled sector with 3km to go, then I’ve thought we could play for the win. In cycling, I like to play, otherwise I would have quit by now and that’s why I enjoy track cycling so much more than stages with 5000 metres of difference in altitude. When I mimicked the Italian Zitti e Buoni (shut up and be good). I’ve been living in Italy for seven years. I’m glad I get my first big win here.”
Maglia Rosa, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): “Tomorrow, it gives me a little bit of help that I know some roads from Strade Bianche. But it’s not going to be another Strade Bianche, it’ll be a stage of a Grand Tour with small traps, for which you need to be well prepared and in this team, we are. And we are fully focused. I must say that I really like to spend my month of May at the Giro d’Italia and if I finish like this, I’m happy.”
2nd on the stage, Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost): “I wanted to increase the pressure in the sprint, but Benjamin Thomas is also very good. I heard along the way that a few guys wanted to escape after the intermediate sprint. But I fell on my knee yesterday, so I didn’t want to attack at first. In the end we rode away with four men, or actually three and a half, because that boy from Polti-Kometa did some short turns. But we worked well together with those other two strong guys. That’s why we made it to the finish line. And Benjamin is very strong. That’s a shame for me, but I’m happy to be competing for the win again. With 3 or 4 kilometres to go, you know it can happen. They can make up 10 seconds per kilometre, but the final was in our favour. So kudos to our collaboration at the front, for not playing games. Pietrobon’s attack made it difficult, because I had to do a long sprint. It’s the Giro, so this means a lot to me. The team has helped me very well and I would like to repay that. I am grateful that I am still a cyclist and I would like to thank everyone for that.”
10th on the stage, Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty): “In my first Grand Tour I am particularly impressed about the way of racing. For the sprint stages for example, the fight for positioning begins with 50 kilometres to go. Collectively, we have always managed to position ourselves well and achieve a top ten. After the loss of Biniam Girmay yesterday it was not easy to shift focus. I felt ready to give everything for him again after his podium on Monday, until suddenly I was given the responsibility of last man myself. Suddenly changing roles and feeling the pressure on my shoulders is not trivial. But like in the Scheldeprijs, during which our sprinters Gerben Thijssen and Arne Marit crashed, I took over and managed to obtain a good result. Today, as the final approached, Roel van Sintmaartensdijk made sure that I could start the climb to Montemagno in a good position. Lilian Calmejane then took responsibility alongside the other sprint teams in pursuit of the breakaway. But unfortunately, the four strong leaders resisted. In the sprint for fifth place I opted for Caleb Ewan’s wheel, after which I found myself a bit stuck between Phil Bauhaus and the barriers. But I’m happy to finish among the six fastest riders in the peloton. The level of sprinters is very high, even from the right slipstream it would be difficult to achieve a victory. Together we have done a great job in the sprint stages so far, we are determined to continue getting the most of this Giro despite our bad luck.”
Break rider, Mattia Bais (Polti Kometa): “This morning my goal was to get into the breakaway, but after the KOM there was nothing to do, however there will be many other opportunities and now we enjoy a great result, already focusing on tomorrow’s stage with the gravel roads.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 5 Result:
1. Benjamin Thomas (Fra) Cofidis in 3:59:59
2. Michael Valgren (Den) EF Education-EasyPost
3. Andrea Pietrobon (Ita) Polti Kometa
4. Enzo Paleni (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:03
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:11
6. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Jayco AlUla
7. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Victorious
8. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
10. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 5:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 19:19:15
2. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:46
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:47
4. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:55
5. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 0:56
6. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:07
7. Juan Pedro López (Spa) Lidl – Trek at 1:11
8. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:13
9. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan at 1:26
10. Esteban Chaves (Col) EF Education-EasyPost.
Giro’24 stage 5:
Navarra Women’s Elite Classic 2024
Hannah Ludwig finished off a great day for Cofidis. After Benjamin Thomas took a stage victory in the Giro d’Italia, the German rider managed to win the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic. Behind a solo Ludwig, Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) sprinted to third place, behind Arlenis Sierra (Movistar).
The Navarra Women’s Elite Classic, starting and finishing in Pamplona, was raced over 135 kilometres and had nine climbs. The final 30 kilometres had the Muro de Tirapu (3.4km at 5.8%), Muro de Biurrun (2.4km at 4%) and the Muro de Arlegui (3.4km at 3.4%). After that last summit, there were 10 kilometres to the finish in Pamplona.
With Shirin van Anrooij, Liane Lippert, Erica Magnaldi and Arlenis Sierra, several well-known names were at the start of this Basque one-day event, part of the UCI ProSeries. They were surprised by Cofidis rider Hannah Ludwig. The German escaped from an elite group 23 kilometres from the finish. Counter-attacks by Van Anrooij, Lippert, Sierra, Cédrine Kerbaol and Brodie Chapman, failed, so Ludwig won solo. The 24-year-old Ludwig is the 2024 winner after 2023 winner, Riejanne Markus, who also soloed to victory in Pamplona.
10th, Iurani Blanco (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi): “I am happy with the result and the sensations after a time without competing. The result was not the best, we wanted to play Ane’s trick in the final climb, but she did not have the best day, and we took a chance on the sprint. It was an important day for me, I wanted to see my feelings, and they have been good, so I hope to achieve good results with the team in the next races.”
Ane Santesteban (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi): “The race was very hard because of the wind. The team has been impressive because in a group of 40-50 riders there were all of us on the team and when it broke up we were still four. The sensations as a block have been magnificent and we have been rewarded with Iurani’s top 10. Personally, I knew that today was surely going to be the worst day of all those that come because I came from a mandatory break due to a respiratory infection and in the end those days with fever and in bed have been noticed. At least, we have removed that carbon, the legs have started and I think I will go further because in Ardennes I was very fit and I had to stop. I believe that, with the days, with the rhythm, I’m sure the body will get better.”
Navarra Women’s Elite Classic Result:
1. Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Cofidis in 3:50:16
2. Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Movistar at 0:08
3. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek
4. Dominika Włodarczyk (Pol) UAE Team ADQ
5. Julie Bego (Fra) Cofidis
6. Elena Pirrone (Ita) Roland
7. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek
8. Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) CERATIZIT-WNT
9. Cédrine Kerbaol (Fra) CERATIZIT-WNT
10. Iurani Blanco (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi.
Navarra’24:
Elfstedenronde Brugge 2024
Alexander Kristoff won the Elfstedenronde of Bruges. The Norwegian was the fastest in the sprint of a peloton that had been thinned by a crash. He beat Jarne Van der Paar (Lotto Dstny) and Rudy Barbier (Philippe Wagner/Bazin).
Big names, Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen and Fabio Jakobsen had ridden this race in previous years, this year the field was a bit more modest this time. Gerben Thijssen was the top favourite in this sprinters’ race, that started and finish in Bruges. The riders had to cover 200 kilometres on mainly flat roads.
There was an early leading group of six. Jelle Johannink (Tour de Tietema-Unibet), Mike Bronswijk (Diftar CT), Thimo Willems (VolkerWessels), Ceriel Desal (Bingoal WB), Arne Santy (Tarteletto-Isorex) and Kay De Bruyckere (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) built up a lead of 3 minutes. Thanks to the work of Intermarché-Wanty, Uno-X Mobility and Israel-Premier Tech, the leaders only had 1 minute with 55 kilometres to go. There were attacks in the peloton, but it was very difficult to open a gap on the flat roads. The pace of the sprinter’s teams was very high. Lars Vanden Heede (Soudal Quick-Step Devo) and Guillaume Visser (Diftar) were able to get away. They tried to cross to the leading group, where Santy had been dropped. But they couldn’t manage.
At the start of the final lap of 28.9 kilometres, there were five leaders with a 45 second lead. They managed to hold the peloton off until 3.5 kilometres from finish line, Desal was the last escapee to be caught. There was a crash on the run-up to the sprint, which meant there was only a small group fighting for the win. Alexander Kristoff started a long sprint. Jarne Van de Paar tried to get past, but the strong Norwegian maintained his effort and held off the young Belgian. This was Kristoff’s first victory of 2024.
Race winner, Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility): “I had to wait a while for it this year. I would have liked to win a little earlier, but now I have finally won that victory. Winning in Belgium is also nice, because it is a beautiful country to race in. It was a good lead-out. We checked all day. I am grateful to the boys, without them I would not have won. It was great teamwork. I was in for it. But it was a big fight in the final. There have already been a few near falls, so I wasn’t surprised when I heard that there have been falls. I haven’t had a good spring. Certainly not. For the Classics it was quite okay and in Tirreno-Adriatico I was quite good. But then I got sick. I didn’t feel good until Paris-Roubaix. It wasn’t that bad in Roubaix, but I fell early there. Now the shape is coming back. I will do some more races in May and hope to achieve some victories there. The Tour de France is the big goal this summer.”
2nd, Jarne Van de Paar (Lotto Dstny): “Kristoff started from 180 metres out, he executed a perfect sprint, and I couldn’t pass him. Still, I’m very happy with this second place. The final stretch was quite hectic, with another roundabout where perfect positioning was crucial. The team did a fantastic job. Cedric Beullens positioned me perfectly, and I tried to give it my all. This gives me confidence after a few weeks without racing. Tomorrow I’m heading to the Tour of Hungary. There are also some great opportunities waiting there, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Elfstedenronde Brugge Result:
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility in 4:04:06
2. Jarne Van de Paar (Bel) Lotto Dstny
3. Pierre Barbier (Fra) Philippe Wagner/Bazin
4. Simon Dehairs (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
5. Laurenz Rex (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty
6. Warre Vangheluwe (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step Devo
7. Oded Kogut (Isr) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Itamar Einhorn (Isr) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Tord Gudmestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
10. Jake Stewart (GB) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:04.
Elfstedenronde Brugge’24:
BORA-hansgrohe Positive about Primoz Roglič’s Progress
Primoz Roglič’s build-up towards the Tour de France is going well. Rolf Aldag, sports director with BORA-hansgrohe, told Cyclingnews. Roglič had to retire from the Tour of the Basque Country at the beginning of April, but his training shows that he is on the right track.
Roglič skipped the Walloon Classics so as not to jeopardise his first altitude training camp towards the Tour de France. It is now clear that he will be at that training camp, according to Aldag. “I will see him soon for a reconnaissance of the Pyrenees stages (of the Tour de France) and then we will go to altitude. Then we will go to the Criterium du Dauphiné together,” said the German.
“It all looks very positive. Of course he has fallen behind in his preparation and of course we would have liked to win the Tour of the Basque Country with him, but at the moment things are going very well.”
Roglič’s big goal this year is the Tour de France, the only Grand Tour he has not yet won. “We are not afraid of the start of the Tour, the result in the Tour or anything else,” says Aldag, who emphasises that the crash in the Tour of the Basque Country has had no lasting consequences for Roglič. “He produces good numbers in training. So we don’t just base ourselves on what he says about his feelings, we also have objective figures. And he’s doing pretty well.”
Roglič was on the home training:
Arnaud Démare is Ready to Return
Arnaud Démare is about to make his return to the peloton. The Frenchman from Arkéa-B&B Hotels suffered from severe fatigue and decided to take a rest period. “I feel like I’m getting better every day,” said Démare, who will participate in the Four Days of Dunkirk (May 14-19).
Démare was having a disappointing spring campaign. The 32-year-old rider still achieved top-5 finishes in the Trofeo Palma and the Volta ao Algarve, but that was all. What now turned out was that the sprinter was suffering from symptoms of fatigue. “Research has shown that Arnaud suffers from severe fatigue complaints, which also explains his poorer feelings and performance.”
Démare now feels ready to race again. “I had complete rest for two weeks. I felt my body needed it. I took the opportunity to run some tests. The conclusion: I suffered from general fatigue. So it was the right decision to hit the pause button and rest.”
“After such a break you always go back to basics. This starts with general training, followed by specific training sessions. It’s a bit like building a house. You start with the foundation and then continue building. I feel like a runner who starts training again and gets better every day.”
Démare is looking forward to racing again, in a special race for him. “The Four Days of Dunkirk is an important race, it brings back beautiful memories. I will start the race as a classic and race at full speed every day. My goals for the coming weeks and months remain as high as ever.”
Dèmare back in the peloton:
No Deal Yet Between Lenny Martinez and Bahrain
At the beginning of April, RMC Sport said they knew for sure that Lenny Martinez would race for Bahrain Victorious from 2025. However, Lenny Martinez’s father, former professional Miguel Martinez, now contradicts this. According to him, three other teams are angling for his son’s services, including Visma | Lease a Bike and INEOS Grenadiers.
“Nothing is final yet with Bahrain Victorious,” Miguel told Ouest France. Along with Visma | Lease a Bike and INEOS Grenadiers, there are others interested. There is also the option for Martinez to stay with his current Groupama-FDJ team. “There are a total of three other teams that want him, and nothing is certain yet. In addition to Bahrain, INEOS Grenadiers and Visma | Lease a Bike. If it were up to Lenny, he would prefer to stay with Groupama-FDJ.”
Groupama-FDJ offers ‘really less’ financially, said Miguel. “But there is the support of riders like David Gaudu, and that is very important. They really do their best.” A decision about Lenny’s future has not yet been made.
The 20-year-old Frenchman is considered a great climbing prospect. After turning professional with Groupama-FDJ last year, he has already won five races. In 2023 he won the CIC – Mont Ventoux and this year he was the best in the Classic Var, Trofeo Laigueglia, Classic Grand Besançon Doubs and Tour du Doubs. In 2024 he also finished 2nd in O Gran Camiño, 8th in Strade Bianche, 7th in the Tour of Catalonia and 8th in the Tour de Romandie.
Where will Lenny Martinez go in 2025?
Visma | Lease a Bike Reconnoiter the Tour de France Gravel Stage
A number of riders from Visma | Lease a Bike explored the gravel stage of the Tour de France on Monday afternoon. Richard Plugge and Patrick Lefevere, have stated several times that they are against the gravel stage.
The various gravel sections are on stage 9 of the Tour de France. In total there are 14 gravel sections in the Aube department, around the city of Troyes. During the presentation of the course, Plugge told WielerFlits that he is not a fan of the gravel stage. “That doesn’t make sense, I don’t understand why they’re looking that up again now.”
“As a result, you introduce the bad luck factor too much into the race,” said Plugge. “It’s about road cycling. Gravel can have such an impact on the result, purely through bad luck. The same applies to cobblestones, but that is not that common and is historically more common in that region.”
Plugge and the team management of Visma | Lease a Bike decided that a number of their riders could explore the gravel stage well in advance. Matteo Jorgenson, Dutch champion Dylan van Baarle, Steven Kruiswijk, Tiesj Benoot and Sepp Kuss all rode the gravel.
These riders must be on the team’s short list for the Tour de France. There is still a question mark over Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, as they are still recovering from their crashes.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the Tour de France:
Jonas Vingegaard (Den)
Sepp Kuss (USA)
Tiesj Benoot (Bel)
Matteo Jorgenson (USA)
Steven Kruijswijk (Ned)
Jan Tratnik (Slo)
Dylan Van Baarle (Ned)
Christophe Laporte (Fra).
Sepp Kuss on gravel:
RCS Wants Milano-Sanremo for Women in 2025
RCS has plans to organise a Milan-San Remo for women from 2025. This was reported by Het Laatste Nieuws. An agreement still needs to be reached with the Trofeo Binda, which will be held on the same weekend as La Primavera.
The Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, all have a race for women. Of the spring monuments, only Milan-Sanremo is missing from the list, but that could change next year. RCS would like to push through plans for a La Primavera for women in the coming weeks.
The only problem is the date. The RCS would like to organise the women’s match on the third Saturday of March, on the same day as the men’s match. However, this would put the race in the same waters as the Trofeo Binda. This prestigious one-day event for women, which has been organised since 1974, is scheduled a day later.
The organisers of the Trofeo Binda would not be happy with a situation in which Milan-Sanremo is held on the same weekend. Riding both races will not be easy logistically and physically for the riders. Although both events take place in Italy, it would involve a transfer of 350 kilometres on Saturday evening. After Milan-Sanremo, taking on the tough Trofeo Binda would not be easy. According to HLN, it is an option for the Trofeo Binda to be held a week earlier. However, no final decision has yet been made.
For the men, Milan-Sanremo is almost 300 kilometres long. The women will not have to ride such a distance. According to HLN, the entire race would take place in the Liguria region and will go along the Italian Riviera. Genoa has been mentioned by the newspaper as ‘the most ideal location’ for the start, but it has not yet been confirmed that this city will indeed be the starting point. With a start in Genoa, the women could complete the well-known final, with the climbs of the Cipressa and Poggio.
Sanremo for women in 2025?
A Day in the Life on the Road to my Recovery – Remco Evenepoel
Minor setback for a major comeback. In this video, I take you with me on my recovery journey. Thank you for your unconditional support in this period. See you soon!
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