EUROTRASH Monday has all the news from the men’s and women’s Elite, U19 and U23 World road championships – Results, reports, rider quotes and video action from Zurich.
Tadej Pogačar equals Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche with his solo victory in Zurich – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Muriel Furrer dies after crash in the junior World championships, UCI refuses to comment on ‘rumours’ about the Furrer crash: “accident still under investigation”, Dutch rider Bas van Belle passed away at 24 years of age, Mathieu van der Poel races once more this season, Pablo Castrillo is going to Movistar and Jakob Fuglsang has no plans to stop just yet.
Team news: Young talent Jelte Krijnsen jumps up to the WorldTour with Jayco AlUla, 18-year-old Kloe Saugrain strengthens Lotto Dstny and Israel – Premier Tech and Rik Verbrugghe part ways.
Race news: Legendary monster Classic Bordeaux-Paris will not return, Sanremo Women: The Primavera Classic is back, 2030 World championships to Brussels and there is a new date for the Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Municipality of Cittiglio.
EUROTRASH Worlds coffee time.
TOP STORY: Tadej Pogačar Equals Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche with his Solo Victory in Zurich
Tadej Pogačar has made his already successful season even more successful with his long solo at the World championships in Zurich on Sunday. With his rainbow victory, he did ‘The Triple’: The Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the World championship in the same season. In the history of cycling, only two riders have previously succeeded in this feat. Eddy Merckx was the first in 1974. After winning the Giro and Tour, the Belgian won the World championship in Montreal. Stephen Roche did the same in 1987: Giro/Tour and the Worlds in Villach. In addition to Pogačar, Merckx and Roche, five other riders have won two different Grand Tours and the World championships during their careers, although not in the same season: Jan Janssen, Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk.
“What he’s done is truly incredible. I have no words for it,” Eddy Merckx said to Le Parisien. Merckx couldn’t believe it when Pogačar attacked 100 kilometers from the finish. “You have to be crazy about that. When he attacked, I began to fear for him. I assured that Tadej had left far too early. Normally it is impossible to win after such a long attack, but Tadej did it.”
“He is the strongest rider of his generation. There is no doubt about that anymore,” said Merckx. “As you know, at my age, it takes a lot to blow me off my socks. Well, Tadej succeeded. I suspected he could become World champion, but never in this way. He really is the very best – my congratulations.”
Stephen Roche spoke to NOS: “It now feels like I’m in the sandwich between Merckx and Pogačar, that’s not bad. It’s very beautiful. It also makes it a little more human. It’s been 37 years since I did it and I was thirteen years after Merckx. Everyone said it was no longer possible, that this was another generation, but I believe records are there to be broken. For me it is very nice that a third person has realized the triple. I really like that I’m there to give him the keys to the house,” Roche laughed. “And what a ride! You can’t describe his superhuman achievement.”
Roche added: “It took 37 years, but I think other riders were also able to do it in the meantime. Froome, Thomas, Armstrong… They could have done it all. Only if you win the Giro and Tour, you are often a certain type of rider. And if you get a flat course at the World champs, you often have a disability, because as a Grand Tour winner you are often not a top sprinter. But this year it was different. You can’t have such a course every year at the World championships, because you favour a certain type of rider. This was Pogačars’ year to do it.”
Annemiek van Vleuten won Giro, Tour and the World championship in one season. The women’s Grand Tours are shorter than the mens, Van Vleuten also won the Vuelta in 2022, something the men have ever done and probably never will.
Pogačar joins Merckx and Roche:
World Road Race Championships – Men 2024
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) won the men’s World championship road race in Zurich on Sunday. The Slovenian attacked with just under 100 kilometres to go and rode the last 50 kilometres solo. Ben O’Connor (Australia) took the silver medal. The sprint for third place went to Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands).
The elite men start in Winterthur. In the first 70 kilometres the peloton has the climb to Buch am Irchel (4.8km at 4.2%), Kyburg (1.2km at 12%) and Suessblatz (1.7km at 8.5%) before they start the Zurich circuit. They cover nearly a full lap before they cross the finish line for the first time. The first part of the 26.8 kilometre circuit is the most difficult part, with two climbs in quick succession: The Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 7.4%) starts on a wide road, but after a couple of bends it narrows and the real climbing begins. The climb goes up in steps and the last bit is the hardest. The final hundred metres ramp up to 16%.
Worlds’24 men’s road race map
After the Zürichbergstrasse, there is a flat section of 1.5 kilometres, followed by the second climb on the circuit: The Witikonerstrasse (3.5km at 4.4%). This climb is all on a wide road. The first sections are not too hard, but there is a 1 kilometre section at an average of 8%. Towards the top, the climb levels off, but in the later laps the rider’s legs are going to hurt. There is a plateau of about 10 kilometres on the rolling road of the Pfannenstiel, there are the Zollikonstrasse (650 metres at 5.5%) and the Farlifangstrasse (800 metres at 3.6%), before the descent to Küsnacht. There is still the 1.5 kilometre climb of the Alte Landstrasse, at 5%, to Zollikon, which is 5 kilometres from the finish.
Worlds’24 men’s road race profile
The race then follows Lake Zurich with a gentle descent and then 2 flat kilometres to the finish line in Zurich. 273.9 kilometres with 4,470 metres of climbing, is this too hard for the Classic riders like last years winner, Mathieu van der Poel? This year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège was ‘only’ 254.5 kilometres and had 4,260 meters of climbing, so the Zurich Worlds are longer and harder, but a World championship is not ridden in the same way as a Classic. It’s not a sprinter’s race, but it’s not an out-and-out climber’s race either.
After 40 kilometres, a lead group formed o 8 riders: Silvan Dillier (Switzerland), Luc Wirtgen (Luxembourg), Piotr Pekala (Poland), Ivo Oliveira (Portugal), Tobias Foss (Norway), Simon Geschke (Germany), Markus Pajur (Estonia) and Roberto Gonzalez (Panama). Six riders were left after the Kyburg (1.2km at 12%), Pajur and Gonzalez were dropped. They built up a lead of 5:30. There was a crash in the peloton taking out Pello Bilbao and Julian Alaphilippe. Bilbao was able to continue, for a while. Alaphilippe, couldn’t. The two-time world champion was taken away by ambulance with a shoulder injury. Mattias Skjelmose, João Almeida and Mikel Landa also had to abandon. Once on the Zurich circuit, Belgium took control. Victor Campenaerts set the pace for the peloton. With help from Slovenia, the peloton closed down on the escape. The lead of the six fell below 3 minutes. They took a little more time, until the race split on the Zürichbergstrasse for the third time, with around 130 kilometres to go. Double Vuelta winner, Pablo Castrillo put in an attack, but he was soon caught by the peloton. The race was now on. On the Witikonerstrasse, an attack by Jay Vine (Australia) led to a chase group of 10 riders getting together. Jan Tratnik (Slovenia) and Laurens De Plus (Belgium) were there for their leaders, but the Netherlands had missed the move. The orange jerseys were nowhere to be seen at the front of the peloton. Nobody led the chase, so Vine, Tratnik, De Plus, Mattia Cattaneo (Italy), Magnus Cort (Denmark), Pavel Sivakov (France), Stephen Williams (Great Britain), Kevin Vermaerke (USA), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Norway) and Florian Lipowitz (Germany) soon had 3 minutes.
Even with Cort in the break, the Danes began to chase. The fourth time up Zürichbergstrasse, the Slovenians also began to work. The front groups had got together so there were 16 riders off the front. When they had 2 minutes, Kasper Asgreen attacked, with Wilco Kelderman on his wheel. This was neutralised by Slovenia. Quinn Simmons was the next to go. It was Vuelta winner, Primoz Roglič who closed the gap for Pogačar, who then attacked, 100 kilometres from the finish. Simmons tried to go with him, but had no chance. Andrea Bagioli was the only rider who could hold the Slovenian, but not for very long and had to let go. Pogačar got to within 40 seconds when Tratnik dropped back to help. Pogačar’s early move forced the other favourites into action, Evenepoel still had five teammates with him: Tim Wellens, Maxim Van Gils, Tiesj Benoot, Quinten Hermans and Campenaerts. They kept Pogačar and Tratnik at 1 minute. The Slovenians caught the first group, but, as you would expect. no one was willing to work with them. With 3 laps to go, the lead was reduced to 35 seconds. Belgium had some help from the Netherlands as Bart Lemmen was sent to the front. Pogačar didn’t want to wait and left the others on the Zürichbergstrasse. Pavel Sivakov was the last to hang on and Pogačar waited for his UAE teammate after the summit to let the Frenchman come back. Their lead increased to 50 seconds on the peloton. Maxim Van Gils was working hard and was able to keep the difference stable, but it didn’t get smaller. Evenepoel saw the danger and attacked. He made a small gap, but Mathieu van der Poel jump across to him and they both eased off. The thinned-out peloton was now in pieces and no team could control the race.
There were then several attacks: Michael Woods, Evenepoel again and Giulio Ciccone all tried to get away. No one could. Pogačar and Sivakov were still within reach. The Frenchman was able to help the Slovenian after a few kilometres of recovery in his wheel. Together they had 45 seconds on the chasing group, which had split into two. Mollema, Van der Poel and eventually Evenepoel were in the first group. The attacks from the group continued. Ben Healy (Ireland), Toms Skujiņš (Latvian) and Oscar Onley (Great Britain) managed to get away and chase the leaders. At the start of the penultimate lap, they were at 42 seconds. Not far behind was Van der Poel, Frederick Wandahl (Denmark), Kevin Vermaerke (USA) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway). Evenepoel was with Mollema, Marc Hirschi and David Gaudu. On the Zürichbergstrasse, Sivakov couldn’t hold Pogačar any longer. The Slovenian went solo with 52 kilometres to go. Behind him, Van der Poel jumped away from the others. The Dutchman caught the dropped Onley, but he couldn’t get to Skujiņš and Healy. He lost ground and came back to the pursuers together with Onley. It was now Evenepoel who took the initiative, but the gap Pogačar was now 1:20. Healy and Skujiņš were at 50 seconds.
At the start of the last lap, Pogačar had put 10 seconds on the other groups. Healy and Skujiņš were still fighting for the medals. Hirschi attacked from the second group. No one could follow, even Van der Poel and Evenepoel. Together with Enric Mas, Romain Bardet, Quinn Simmons, Roger Adrià, Ben O’Connor and a Mollema, they kept Hirschi in sight on the Witikonerstrasse. On the climb, Mas crossed to Hirschi, after which Evenepoel, Van der Poel and O’Connor also tried to cross. Sixteen kilometres from the finish, Mas and Hirschi joined Healy and Skujiņš and then Van der Poel, Evenepoel and O’Connor caught them. There were now 7 riders chasing Pogačar, who looked to be tiring. His lead fell to under 40 seconds. The Slovenian pulled himself together and his lead started to get bigger again. It was clear. 10 kilometres from the line that the Slovenian was on his way to history. Van der Poel hadn’t given up and gave it all he had on the last steep ramps. He escaped with Hirschi and Skujiņš, but after the descent the others came back. On the last climb, Hirschi, Healy and Skujiņš all attacked. At the front, a relieved Pogačar finished and it looked like he couldn’t even believe what he had done. Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and now the World championships, he joins only Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche with those victories in the same season. Ben O’Connor had made a move in the final kilometres and came in second. The sprint for third place was started by Skujiņš, but Van der Poel still managed to come past to take the bronze medal.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Race Report’ HERE. #
World road champion, Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia): “I cannot believe what just happened, after this kind of season, I put a lot of pressure on myself for today. I had pressure from myself, from the team, we came here for the victory. The race unfolded pretty quick and there was a dangerous break in the front, I maybe did a stupid attack, luckily Jan [Tratnik] was there with me and I never gave up until the final. It’s an incredible day, I can’t believe what happened. Of course, it was not planned. We had planned to keep race under control but the race went quite early and I don’t know what I was thinking and I just went also, I went with the flow and luckily I made it, but it was so tough. For sure I wanted this title, after many years fighting for the Tour de France and other races, I never had a World Championships as a pure goal, and this year everything went smoothly already. After a perfect season, this was a big goal to win the World Championships and I can’t believe it happened, I have to thank the whole team, without them it would not have been possible and I’m super proud of the national team.”
2nd, Ben O’Connor (Australia): “That’s good company, I also rode a good race this year, so I think it’s a suitable podium. I am very proud. I didn’t see this coming. Credits to the boys as well. They motivated me, because I didn’t feel super well during the first laps. I needed a pep talk to focus again. In the end, I had the right timing to race to second place. I wanted to sit in the back and slip through the middle, because if you go to the side, everyone can see you. This is how riding a race works. Tactics, cleverness, I don’t know what to call it, but I found the right time. And once you go, you have to give everything. I am a very, very happy man now. Well, I didn’t win. He has the rainbow jersey. But for me personally it is really a top result in a one-day. I haven’t done anything like that often. Second at the World champs, the biggest race of all, that tastes very sweet. I’ve had a tough year. This was the icing on the cake.”
3rd, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands): “I was eager to take another medal. When he (Pogacar) went a hundred kilometres from the finish and when Belgium went to ride I thought he was wasting his chances. Apparently not. I was a bit surprised. With the control at the back, I thought it wasn’t the best move, but he proved the opposite. My plan was to stay calm. Stay out of sight as much as possible and at the moments when it had to appeal to the forces. I think I did that well. Twenty kilometres from the end it was half a minute and then I thought: maybe he was at the end of his tether, but he eventually rode further away… I think I’ve ridden one of my best races ever, I can be very happy with that. I was eager to get another medal, so I’m glad I made it. It was a shit that I had to check everything, I was really looked at for the last five kilometres and I had to react a little too much. Then O’Connor rode away, but after that I made sure I would take that bronze medal. I had signed for that in advance. I was among the riders who can win climbing races, which was positive, but I don’t want to sacrifice my chances in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de Vlaanderen at the moment to possibly win Liège-Bastoena-Liège.”
4th, Toms Skujins (Latvia): “I tried it a few times before the sprint, but I think everyone tried a few times. However, everyone was broken. O’Connor made a great move, after which we sprinted for third place. With Mathieu there, you know it’s going to be difficult. He is hard to beat. It was a difficult assignment, so fourth is what it is… I did what I could.
5th, Remco Evenepoel (Belgium): “Of course I was surprised, it was still about a hundred kilometres away. Normally, this is a suicide. At some point it seemed like that, because we got closer in the last lap. But when we got to thirty seconds, we went down again. From there he could take charge, I think. It was a very special race. On this course you could stay a little on the wheels to save energy, but at a certain point the race exploded. It was a hundred kilometres of full gas. As for myself, I couldn’t do more. It was a pretty explosive course, very demanding too. The guys I ended up with, I can’t beat in the sprint. So this was probably the highest achievable today.”
6th, Marc Hirschi (Switzerland): “Tadej was by far the strongest. It was a super tough race. The final actually started from the start, because it went very fast right away. A lot of boys tried to attack. Once on the round, it went fast right away. He went on a big road, everyone saw him go. But everyone also knows: if you follow, you will probably explode. Then I hoped a bit that the Belgians would close the gap. I think Remco (Evenepoel) might have had to wait a lap longer so that he could have used his teammates a little more. I knew it was hard to beat Mathieu van der Poel in the sprint, so I tried to attack him. But everyone in our group was on the same level. Ben O’Connor then made a very good move. In the sprint for third place I tried to keep Mathieu’s wheel, but I just couldn’t keep it all those kilometres. But I did everything I could. I am happy with my performance and it was super nice to race in my own land. Sixth is a good result.”
7th, Ben Healy (Ireland): “Thank God I was with Tom’s Skujiņš, because he was extremely strong today. I did what I had to do, but I just didn’t have the legs. I would have liked to contribute a little more, maybe we would have stayed away, but I did what I could. In the final I tried to play my cards, but unfortunately it wasn’t in it. I’m very happy, I gave everything and it almost paid off. What do I think of Tadej Pogačar’s performance? What can I say? It’s insane. I don’t think anyone expected him to be a hundred kilometres away from the line.”
8th, Enric Mas (Spain): “To be honest, I felt terrible the first five hours. Then I started to feel better and better. In the sprint I was last in the group, as usual. But the good thing is that the legs are good. I want to congratulate Tadej and the other podium riders. At one point we thought he was dying, because we came to 35 seconds. But in two kilometres he ran out another fifteen seconds. Then we knew: we were fighting for second place. Ben was super good. He attacked at the right time”
Primoz Roglič (Slovenia): “I am very proud to be part of this historical moment. I think he followed his instincts. That brings him a lot of victories. It was great. Normally we race against each other, now we race together. It’s great to be part of this victory.”
World Championship Men’s Road Race Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) in 6:27:30
2. Ben O’Connor (Australia) at 34
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) at 58
4. Toms Skujins (Latvia)
5. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)
6. Marc Hirschi (Switzerland)
7. Ben Healy (Ireland) at 1:00
8. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spain) at 1:01
9. Quinn Simmons (USA) at 2:18
10. Romain Bardet (France).
Worlds’24 men’s road race:
World Road Race Championships – Women 2024
Lotte Kopecky is World road champion for the second time. The Belgian looked to be out of the top results in the final, but came back into the race in an extremely exciting finish. She then sprinted to victory. Chloé Dygert (USA) was second, Elisa Longo Borghini third.
From the wet start in Uster, the riders had a flat lap around Greifensee before the circuit in Zurich. This lap was ridden once before they crossed the finish line for the first time. The Zurich circuit had to be ridden four times before the finish. The Zurich circuit is 26.8 kilometres long with two climbs in quick succession at the start: the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 7.4%) and then the Witikonerstrasse (3.5km at 4.4%). This was followed by a rolling plateau of about 10 kilometres, a descent and a smaller climb of 1.5 kilometres with a ramp of 5%, 5 kilometres from the finish.
After a minute silence for Muriel Furrer, the Swiss rider who died on Thursday during the World U19 championships, the race got underway. The first attack came from Caroline Baur who build up a nice lead. The Swiss rider was joined by Spain’s Sara Martín and Luxembourger Nina Berton. This trio soon had a minute on the peloton. Several riders tried to cross, but these attacks were quickly closed down. The lead of Bauer, Martín and Berton increased and at the foot of the first climb, 130 kilometres from the finish, they had nearly 2 minutes. On the climb there was a split in the peloton, but none of the favourites were dropped. The top riders were still keeping their powder dry, but not for long. Lotte Kopecky hit the front 118 kilometres from the finish, but the Belgian was only testing the water and didn’t continue. The reigning World champion was maybe showing us what she had in mind for the rest of the race. It was very restless in the peloton and there was lots of action. At the back of the peloton riders were being dropped as others were attacking at the front. The three early escapees, who were caught one by one. Next a dangerous break of eleven riders formed. Riejanne Markus and Mischa Bredewold were there for the Netherlands and Justine Ghekiere for Belgium. Soraya Paladin (Italy), Sarah Gigante (Australia), Elena Hartmann (Switzerland), Franziska Koch (Germany), Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand), Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Norway), Christine Majerus (Luxembourg) and Urška Žigart (Slovenia) were with them. Not every country had gone with the move: The Polish and Americans had missed it and had to chase. With combined work, they kept the lead manageable as they crossed the Zürichbergstrasse for the second time. The break was caught after some strong work by Pauliena Rooijakkers.
The Netherlands team wanted a hard race, despite having two riders in the front group, so Rooijakkers kept a high pace for top favourite Vollering. The group of favourites was thinned out on the Witikonerstrasse. Only 42 riders remained at the start of the penultimate lap. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who was a favourite before the start, was one of the riders in trouble. The Dutch team continued putting the pressure on in an attempt to make the race even harder and more selective. Vollering also put in an attack on one of the climbs, but this came to nothing. On the penultimate passage of the Zürichbergstrasse, there was another selection. On the Witikonerstrasse the race split to pieces. After a final turn on the front by Rooijakkers, it was up to Vollering to put in a death blow. The Dutch leader put in a big attack and dropped Anna Henderson, Tour winner Niewiadoma and teammate Marianne Vos. Ten riders managed to hold Vollering, so she decided to sit up. This caused a lull in the action and gave Elisa Longo Borghini, Pieterse and Caroline Anderssson the opportunity to attack, but they couldn’t get away. A move by Markus was more successful. Ghekiere went with her, as the other riders looked at each other. They increased their lead to 50 seconds, but Markus had to do the work herself, with no help from Ghekiere. In the chasing group, Pieterse and Bredewold increased the pace again, which reduced the gap to the two leaders. Then Vos accelerated. The three-time World champion rode strongly towards Markus and Ghekiere with the Australian Ruby Roseman-Gannon, which put the Netherlands in a very good situation. There was one problem, Mischa Bredewold was leading the chase group, before realising her mistake. The other countries couldn’t chase fast enough and the lead of Vos, Markus, Roseman-Gannon and Ghekiere grew.
At the start of the last lap with 26 kilometres to go, the lead was 1 minute. It was looking good for the two Dutch rider, but Roseman-Gannon and Ghekiere also had a chance. The chasers had not given up and after an acceleration the last time up Zürichbergstrasse, a second group formed with Kopecky, Vollering, Longo Borghini, Chloé Dygert and Liane Lippert. Apart from Vollering they all worked hard and closed the gap to within 20 seconds. Longo Borghini saw her chance and took Vollering and Lippert with her. Kopecky looked to be on an off day and had to chase with Dygert. Vollering attacked several times, but was unable to get away alone. Vollering kept trying to escape, but without success. The pace dropped completely and this allowed Dygert, Kopecky and Markus to come back. There were now nine riders in contention for the World title. Vollering didn’t want to wait for the sprint because of Kopecky, and put in yet another jump. She couldn’t dislodge the Belgian, but her teammate Vos and Markus were gone. Vollering kept pushing hard at the front, which launched Longo Borghini. The Italian felt her moment had come 5 kilometres from the finish. With a big jump she soon had a gap and had the World title in her sights. It was Vollering again who pulled her back. Lippert and Kopecky followed and before the start of the last kilometre, Dygert and Roseman-Gannon rejoined. there would now be six riders sprinting for the rainbow jersey. Kopecky had at one point looked to be out of the running for the victory, but she came alive again in the finale. With a long sprint the other riders stood no chance. Dygert took the silver medal and Longo Borghini was third. After a tough battle Vollering finished in fifth place behind liane Lippert.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Race Report’ HERE. #
World road champion, Lotte Kopecky (Netherlands): “I can’t believe it. First of all, I want to express my condolences to Muriel Furrer’s family. The minute’s silence at the start was harsh with the Swiss riders crying. You don’t want to see that. It must be really hard on them and the family. You can say this is also a title for Muriel, yes. It was an enervating day. It rained and was cold. On the climbs you were too hot, but downhill you got cold again. The key was to keep a ‘cool’ head, despite the fact that I was freezing a few laps from the end. I tried not to let it creep into my head. Also, I tried not to panic when I got into trouble on the longer climb when Demi Vollering attacked. I had to ride my own pace and hoped to get back that way. It was a strong group in front and there was a chance they would work together and so stay in front. But I couldn’t give up. I had seen how Alec Segaert rode to the bronze medal from a lost position in the U23 on Friday. Once I got to the front again, the mental games started and it was again important to stay cool and spend my energy wisely. When Elisa Longo Borghini returned from the background and immediately attacked, there was a moment of fear for a moment. Demi was maybe just a bit too nervous, because she closed the gap, which was ideal for me. In the sprint I tried to time well, Ruby Roseman-Gannon went, Demi immediately took over and then it was my moment to go. This is the win of the head. A second world title in a row, unbelievable.”
2nd, Chloe Dygert (USA): “Pain was sometimes an eleven out of ten. Sometimes I wonder: can I continue like this? To be honest, at the beginning of the race I didn’t expect a medal, but now that I’ve won silver I’m a bit irritated. I wanted to win”“I’m honoured and it means a lot to me. This year hasn’t been a good year for me. To have silver now is amazing. I assumed they would look at each other and hoped I could come back like that. I’ve fallen a few times this year and after the accident with my leg I’m still not very confident on the descents. So I tried to race safely and give it my all at the same time. Silver is the result of that. It’s the way my leg is now. I have to learn to live with that. I had some convulsions in my leg. When it’s so cold and I’m sweating a lot, there’s not much you can do. There’s hardly any blood circulation and my leg doesn’t recover well. At times it’s also tough on the bike. Then I wonder: can I continue like this? The pain was sometimes an eleven out of ten.”
3rd, Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy): “I had a lot of fun racing this race, I really enjoyed it. Despite the weather I felt good and I also felt like I could make it to the end, when I attacked with five kilometres to go, but unfortunately I got caught and then I said to myself: ‘Ok, I will race for the podium, no matter what happens’. If I have to think about all the bronzes I have won it hurts a bit because I already have a lot, but it is still a medal and it is very important to be on the podium for my nation and for all the people around me. I am very proud of our race today, because as a team we race to win and I raced to win this race and the result was a bronze medal and that was the best I could get. So I am very proud of my team and myself.”
5th, Demi Vollering (Netherlands): “In retrospect you can always say: if only we had done it like this. It is a bit difficult to analyse now. It is so cold and I do not really know what to think and feel at the moment. One thing is for sure: we fought all day. In the end the final was not difficult enough to really get away. It was a shame that I could not really do anything on the last climb (the Witikonerstrasse). We had Marianne (Vos) and Riejanne (Markus) in front. So it was not up to me. That was a shame, because the pace was a bit too low and it was too easy on the climb. But in retrospect it is a nice place to live. You can always say: if only we had done it like this. That’s always hard to say. Maybe I should have started earlier. Of course I have to shoot my own arrows somewhere and maybe I did that too late now. But it’s always easy to say something after the race.”
7th, Justine Ghekiere (Belgium): “I panicked for a moment when I could no longer see Lotte and I thought that maybe I would have to try to finish it myself. They shouted from the sidelines that Lotte had fallen behind, so I thought, ‘That can’t be.’ I was already at the limit, but then, luckily, Lotte came back. Today was simply beyond expectations, and I felt like I had ten lives. The hardest part was at the beginning of the race, with 200 riders still in the group. I told myself to stay at the front and keep an eye on every orange jersey. I’m extremely happy with today’s performance. When I crossed the finish line and saw that Lotte had won, I felt very relieved and happy. It was cold and humid, so now I really want to take a hot shower.”
Women’s U23 World champion, Puck Pieterse (Netherlands): “A waffle and a cup of tea! It’s the little things that make me happy. It was especially cold on the laps in the final. I was shivering and shaking the last laps. You don’t want to accelerate too hard, because your legs are already completely done. On the other hand, you want to keep peddling hard in the cold. Although warming up was impossible today. I certainly enjoy racing like today. It was full throttle all day. The off-road disciplines are like that too. No one could hide or wait. It was just go and see how far you get. It’s a shame of course. We had a strong team today. We were also at the front with a lot of people. I finished fourth among the Dutch women and I was in the top 15. That says enough. I don’t know exactly how it went in the final, but it’s a shame that we didn’t win a medal.”
World Road Race Championships – Women Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) in 4:05:26
2. Chloe Dygert (USA)
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
4. Liane Lippert (Germany)
5. Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
6. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Australia)
7. Justine Ghekiere (Belgium) at 1:06
8. Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
9. Riejanne Markus (Netherlands)
10. Kata Blanka Vas (Hungary) at 3:00.
U23 Women’s World Champion:
Puck Pieterse (Netherlands).
Worlds’24 woman’s road race:
World Road Race Championships – Men U23 2024
Niklas Behrens won the men’s U23 World championship on Friday. The German, who will ride for Visma | Lease a Bike in 2025, escaped with Martin Svrček in the final and beat the Slovakian in the sprint. Alec Segaert finished in third place at nearly 30 seconds.
The men’s U23 race started in Uster for 174 kilometres. After two flat laps around the Greifensee, they then finished on circuit in Zurich. This 26.8 kilometre circuit was ridden five times. The start of the lap was the most difficult, with the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 8%) and the Witikonerstrasse (2.3km at 5.7%). There was also the less difficult climb of 1.5 kilometres with a ramp of 5%, 5 kilometres from the finish.
The pace was high from the start on the flat opening section. Three riders got away in the wet conditions: Cole Kessler (USA), Lewis Bower (New Zealand) and Robert Donaldson (Great Britain). They had a 1 minute lead at the Binz (1.5km at 9.2%), the climb towards the final lap. Here Alastair Mackellar counter-attacked, but the Australian was stuck between break and peloton. He was caught soon after. With 120 kilometres to go, Kessler, Bower and Donaldson were also caught. When they crossed the finish line for the first time the peloton was all together, although many riders had already been dropped, including European champion Huub Artz. The first time up the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 8%), top favourite Isaac Del Toro put in a hard effort. This led to an elite group, but the peloton came back. Callum Thornley (Great Britain) and Artem Shmidt (United States) created a gap. They held on at the front for a while, but were caught at the second passage through the finish. On the next climb of the Zürichbergstrasse, Antonio Morgado made a move. The Portuguese rider, who was fifth in the Tour of Flanders this year, had Davide de Pretto (Italy) with him, but they didn’t hold out for long. The peloton, which was thinning out further and further, returned and the attacks didn’t stop. Tibor del Grosso put the others under pressure on a technical descent. This led to a split, but the Swiss rider didn’t keep it going and it was all together again just after the start of the penultimate lap.
On the Zürichbergstrasse, Jan Christen continued the work of his Swiss teammates. He attacked with 50 kilometres to go. No one was able to follow him. Giulio Pellizzari chased on his own, while a group of 13 riders formed behind the Italian with 5 Belgians: Jarno Widar, Robin Orins, Emiel Verstrynge, Alec Segaert and Junior William Lecerf and one Dutchman: Del Grosso. Joseph Blackmore (Great Britain), Igor Arrieta, Iván Romeo (Spain), Niklas Behrens (Germany), Martin Svrček (Slovakia), Isaac Del Toro (Mexico) and Darren Rafferty (Ireland) also joined them. Mainly due to the work of the Belgians, they caught Pellizzari with just over 30 kilometres to go. Christen’s lead had increased to 50 seconds at the bell for the last lap. On the last time on the Zürichbergstrasse, Christen’s lead did shrink, due to an attack by Widar. The Belgian, together with Svrček and countryman Segaert, broke away. Segaert then rode for Widar. A few riders came back from behind: Blackmore, Del Toro, Behrens and Del Grosso. They hooked up with Widar, who gave it his all on the Witikonerstrasse. Segaert let the rest go and it too fast for Del Grosso.
The five remaining pursuers got closer to Christen. The gap was only 20 seconds with 19 kilometres to go. Before the last steep part of the circuit, 10 kilometres from the finish, Behrens and Svrček sprinted to close the gap and just before the top, the German attacked again. That was the final blow for Christen, but Svrček was able to hold on. The two descended together and extended their lead on Widar, Del Toro, Blackmore and Christen. The championships would be between Behrens and Svrček as the two didn’t attack each other. Behrens started a long sprint and surprised Svrček, who reacted too late. The German won by several bike lengths. Svrček had to settle for silver. Segaert had returned to the four pursuers and then the Belgian attacked. Christen tried to go with Segaert, but was unable to close the gap. Segaert took the bronze. Christen crossed the line in fourth place, after which Blackmore sprinted to fifth, ahead of Del Toro and Widar.
2nd, Martin Svrček (Slovakia): “The race was hard and I suffered in the first two hours. But I raced in a smart way, I didn’t go over the limit and made sure of keeping enough energy for the final laps. I attacked with around ten kilometres left and the two of us went clear and worked well together until the finish. I am of course disappointed I didn’t win, but at the same time, I am satisfied with being on the podium again after such a brutal race because I know that I did everything and gave my best today.”
3rd, Alec Segaert (Belgium): “Even though I was practically lost, after a gruelling race I managed to get a medal. We had a good team race, with many of us still in the final. Personally, I managed it well tactically. Although the pace on that climb was fast at every start, I could feel that each attack became less explosive as the race went on. I held back a bit and that paid off in the end. I was able to use my experience and my race instinct to go out at the right time and get bronze. It’s a nice reward for me, but then you cross the finish line and hear the news – about the passing away of junior rider Muriel Ferrer. That brings up emotions. Emotions that I felt last year too – when my teammate Tijl De Decker passed away. Suddenly, that third place seems very relative.”
World Road Race Championships – Men U23 Result:
1. Niklas Behrens (Germany) in 3:57:24
2. Martin Svrček (Slovakia)
3. Alec Segaert (Belgium) at 0:28
4. Jan Christen (Switzerland) at 0:39
5. Joseph Blackmore (Great Britain) at 0:46
6. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mexico)
7. Jarno Widar (Belgium) at 0:50
8. Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands) at 1:25
9. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spain) at 2:27
10. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spain) at 2:45.
Worlds’24 U23 men’s road race:
World Road Race Championships – Men U19 2024
Lorenzo Finn is the new men’s junior World road champion. The Italian finish solo in Zurich after a wet 127 kilometres. Sebastian Grindley (Great Britain) finished second, more than 2 minutes behind, Senna Remijn sprinted to bronze for the Netherlands. Last year’s winner, Albert Philipsen, had a chance of victory, but crashed with 25 kilometres to go.
The junior road race started in Uster. After thirty kilometres and the climb of the Blinz (1.5km at 9.5%), the riders hit the circuit in Zurich. The 26.8 kilometre circuit is the same as the one the elite men and women will use at the weekend. It has three climbs: the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 8%) and the Witikonerstrasse (2.3km at 5.7%). Then after a rolling plateau of 10 kilometres, there a 1.5 kilometre climb with a ramp of 5%. From there, it’s 5 kilometres to the finish.
The peloton stayed together in the first flat kilometres. Tural Israfilov (Azerbaijan) attacked in the pouring rain, but the Danish team of defending champion Albert Withen Philipsen chased him down. A big crash caused the peloton to split in two. Belgium’s Jasper Schoofs was on the wrong side of the split and didn’t see the front again. Many other riders did rejoin, but on the Blinz the peloton split up again. At 91 kilometres, Philipsen made a move. The 18-year-old attacked on a slope. Patryk Goszczurny (Poland), who will be with Visma | Lease a Bike Devo team next year, then took over. The pace remained high and around 20 riders split off the front. The next attacks cut the group to 13 riders with 70 kilometres to go. At the front were Zomermaand and Remijn (The Netherlands), Matisse Van Kerckhove (Belgium), Goszczurny, Paul Seixas, Paul Fietzke and Philipsen, who kept attacking.
Philipsen was unable to get a gap, but Lorenzo Finn did, he attacked just after a descent where Remijn and Zomermaand were in trouble. At the start of the penultimate lap, Finn had a lead of 20 seconds on the chasing group, but that group split. Philipsen attacked and a group of five went clear after the Zürichbergstrasse: Philipsen, Remijn, Seixas, Héctor Álvarez (Spain) and Sebastian Grindley (Great Britain). They soon got away from the others, but didn’t catch Finn immediately. With 40 kilometres to go, they were together, although Remijn and Seixas had lost a little ground on the descent. That gap got bigger and with one lap to go, Remijn was more than 30 seconds behind. The Dutchman rode Seixas off his wheel and he came within 20 seconds of the leaders, but they were just starting the last time up the Zürichbergstrasse. Philipsen put in another attack. Finn was able to follow, but Grindley and Álvarez had to let go. It was going to be a battle between the Dane and the Italian.
It wasn’t going to be Philipsen’s day as he slipped on the wet descent, and didn’t get up for a long time and was taken to the hospital. Finn was now solo, but Álvarez joined him. The two did not stay together for very long the Spaniard was dropped. Finn, who then decided to leave him behind. Finn went solo again. No one could catch the Italian. The rider of the Bull-BORA-hansgrohe feeder team continued to increase his lead and won by over 2 minutes. Behind him, Grindley took silver. The Briton had passed Álvarez and the Spaniard, who was in trouble, was passed by the Dutchman together with Ashlin Barry (USA) and Paul Fietzke (Germany). A sprint between the three would decide who would take the bronze. Remijn beat Fietzke and Barry for the medal.
2024 World road race champion, Lorenzo Finn (Italy): “It still needs to sink in, it still feels like a dream. I felt great today. I’ve probably never had such good legs. When I went alone the first time, I thought: this might be a bit early. But Philipsen and some other guys crossed. Then I just wanted to go all out on the climb. Albert fell behind me. I hope he’s OK. But when I rode away again, I knew it was over. I like 35 degrees and sun, but today it was perfect. We’ll see what happens in the coming years. I’ll be riding with the U23s for the next two years. That’s where I want to continue to develop. I’m just enjoying the moment now.”
World Road Race Championships – Men U19 Result:
1. Lorenzo Mark Finn (Italy) in 2:57:05
2. Sebastian Grindley (GB) at 2:05
3. Senna Remijn (The Netherlands) at 3:06
4. Paul Fietzke (Germany)
5. Ashlin Barry (USA)
6. Hector Alvarez Martinez (Spain) at 3:44
7. Paul Seixas (France) at 4:11
8. Jurgen Zomermaand (The Netherlands)
9. Theodor August Clemmensen (Denmark) at 6:45
10. Håkon Eiksund Øksnes (Norway) at 7:04.
Worlds’24 U19 men’s road race:
World Road Race Championships – Women U19 2024
Cat Ferguson (Great Britain) took the woman’s U19 road race, to go with her World title in the time trial. The British rider was too fast for Paula Ostiz (Spain) and Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia).
The U19 women had a 73.6 kilometre race on Thursday. The race started on flat roads from Uster, followed by one lap of the 26.8 kilometres circuit around Zurich, with the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 7.1%, maximum 16%) and Witikonerstrasse (3.5km at 4.4%).
Due to the rain, the course was slippery and treacherous, but this didn’t stop the attacks. There was a lot of attacking in the first part of the race and the favourites were involved. Messane Bräutigam was one of them, but the attack of the German favourite was quickly closed down. Five other riders did get away shortly afterwards. The Italians; Eleonora La Bella and Silvia Milesi were joined by the Frenchwoman Nina Lavenu, the Britain’s Arabella Blackburn and the Pole Weronika Wąsaty. The difference with the peloton, where Germany was working, increased to 30 seconds. On the first climb, everything came back together. Led by Megan Arens, the group of favourites was thinned out and only eight riders remained: Arens, top favourite Cat Ferguson, Célia Gery, Kamilla Aasebo, Paula Ostiz, Viktória Chladoňová, Giada Silo and La Bella.
Ferguson must have felt at home in the rain and attacked several times, hoping to wear down her competitors. Due to the acceleration of the World time trial champion, La Bella was dropped. Behind: Imogen Wolff, who had crashed earlier, crossed to the leading group at the start of the local circuit in Zurich. More riders returned from the group behind and so there was a group of about 20 riders at the start of the Zürichbergstrasse (1.1km at 7.4%, maximum 16%). Arens once again took the lead and after an acceleration by Chladoňová, another elite group formed. Chladoňová, Ostiz, Gery, Ferguson, Silo and Arens managed escape again, but this time Wolff was ready and decided to attack before the Witikonerstrasse (3.5km at 4.4%), but couldn’t get away. On the climb, Chladoňová kept the pressure on, which put Wolff and Gery in trouble, Arens also had to pay for her earlier efforts. Silo was also dropped, leaving three riders at the front.
Ferguson, Ostiz and Chladoňová increased their lead in the last kilometres to the finish. Chladoňová tried to get away on the climb, but Ferguson and Ostiz held her. On the flatter final kilometres, the leaders were waiting for a sprint. Ferguson, Chladoňová and Ostiz started to look at each other and Arens almost caught them in the last few hundred metres, but she was just too late. Ostiz started the sprint with 200 metres to go, but the Spanish woman was no match for Ferguson. The British rider was too fast in the sprint for her second world title of these World championships. Ostiz took second with Chladoňová a very close third. Arens crossed the line in fourth.
2024 World road race champion, Cat Ferguson (GB): “To win now is just incredible”“I’m really over the moon. I always wanted to be world road champion”“Last year I came second (in Glasgow) and that really hurt. To win now is just incredible.”“I didn’t know exactly how big our lead was on the first chasers. I knew we had about a minute with five kilometres to go. We were just going so slowly…”“I suddenly saw Megan (Arens, ed.) looming up and then I thought: I’ve just got to sprint myself. I didn’t want to take any more risks and it worked out well. I knew I was the fastest. I had confidence in my sprint.”“I’m really incredibly happy and also grateful to my teammates. They really helped me. It’s not just my victory, it’s also a victory for the team.”
World Road Race Championships – Women U19 Result:
1. Cat Ferguson (GB) in 1:54:48
2. Paula Ostiz Taco (Spain)
3. Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia)
4. Megan Arens (The Netherlands) at 0:09
5. Célia Gery (France) at 0:53
6. Imogen Wolff (GB) at 1:26
7. Kamilla Aasebø Norway)
8. Amandine Muller (France)
9. Lara Liehner (Switzerland)
10. Lucy Benezet Minns (Ireland).
Worlds’24 U19 women’s road race:
Muriel Furrer Dies after Crash in the Junior World Championships
The 18-year-old Swiss rider, Muriel Ferrer, crashed on Thursday morning during the Junior Women’s World Championships. She was taken to the University Hospital in Zurich with serious injuries. She died due to her injuries on Friday morning.
“It is with great sadness that the UCI and the organising committee of the World Championships in Zurich learned today of the tragic news that the young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer has passed away. With her passing, the cycling community has lost a rider with a bright future ahead of her. She fell heavily on Thursday and suffered a serious head injury before being flown to hospital.”
The UCI and the organising committee offer their sincere condolences to her family, friends and the Swiss Cycling Federation. The Furrer family has asked for privacy during this extremely painful time for them. The UCI and the organising committee held a press conference on Friday afternoon. The UCE are investigating the cause of her crash.
Died too young – Muriel Furrer:
UCI Refuses to Comment on ‘Rumours’ about the Furrer Crash: “Accident still under investigation”
The UCI held a press conference on Friday following the death of Muriel Furrer. The 18-year-old Swiss woman died after a crash during the World championships on Thursday. According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the seriously injured Furrer lay undiscovered on the course for a long time, but the UCI does not want to comment on these ‘rumours’, reported Sporza.
“I can’t say anything about it yet,” replied Olivier Senn, general manager at the UCI, to questions about the assistance provided after Furrer’s fall. “An investigation is ongoing and we don’t have the information ourselves yet. Everything that is circulating now is rumour. Out of respect for the family, I would like to ask you to focus solely on the facts.”
Peter Van den Abeele, sporting director at the UCI, added: “The accident itself is still being investigated by the competent authorities. The UCI and the Organising Committee respect the family’s wishes for the World championships to take place as planned.”
Senn said the UCI is struggling to cope with the loss of Furrer. “But we have to continue to support everyone as best we can,” the Swiss said. “The podium ceremonies have been modified, with flags at half-mast and a tribute to Furrer. At the moment, we are focusing on the events of this weekend.”
Following Furrer’s crash, the safety of the course has been re-examined. “We have reviewed the situation on the downhill, adjusted it and believe that – as we always try to do – we have increased safety to the maximum for the riders.”
The U19 women’s race was held in terrible conditions:
Dutch Rider Bas van Belle Passed Away at 24 Years of Age
It is a sad day for Dutch cycling. Bas van Belle, club cyclist for the Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam, has passed away at the age of 24. The KNWU reports this on its website.
“With great sadness and sorrow, the KNWU learned of the unexpected death of Bas van Belle,” writes the Dutch cycling association. “We mourn his loss, Bas leaves a great void in the world of cycling. Our thoughts go out to his family – especially his parents and sister and brother Lisa and Loe – his friends and everyone who knew Bas. We will remember him as a warm-hearted and friendly person, as well as a talented cyclist.”
Van Belle rode for the Luxembourg Continental team Leopard Pro Cycling in 2019 and 2020. He then took a step back to the Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam. He achieved several honorary places for this club team. In 2023, he was third in the Tour de Okinawa (1.2) in Japan, also third in a stage of the Course Cycliste de Solidarnosc (2.2) in Poland and fifth in the National Championship for elite riders without a contract. His last race was last weekend. He finished 65th in the Ronde van Midden-Brabant on Sunday.
Bas van Belle was the older brother of Loe van Belle. The latter currently rides for Visma | Lease a Bike. Lisa, the younger sister of Bas and Loe, races for Proximus-Cyclis CT.
RIP Bas van Belle:
Mathieu van der Poel Races Once More this Season
There has been rumours that Mathieu van der Poel was considering riding the Tour of Lombardy on October the 12th, but that will not happen. After the finish of the World Championship road race in Zurich, the Dutchman announced that he will not participate in the Italian autumn Classic.
The season for Van der Poel is almost over after the World championships in Zurich. His last race on the calendar is the World Gravel championship in Leuven on October the 6th. After this event, the leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck will go on holiday. To race in Lombardia, Van der Poel would have to extend his season by another week and the ex-World champion doesn’t want to do that.
Gravel Worlds last event for MvdP in 2024:
Pablo Castrillo is Going to Movistar
There has been a lot of rumours about the future of 23-year-old Pablo Castrillo, but the two-time stage winner in the 2024 Vuelta a España has now finally made a decision about his future and it will be with Movistar, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Castrillo, who only turned pro last year and rode his first Grand Tour this year, la Vuelta, has a contract until the end of 2025 with his current team Equipo Kern Pharma, but there is said to be a clause in it that he can leave if a WorldTeam offers him a contract. Marca reported a month ago that Castrillo was already in negotiations with INEOS Grenadiers, although there was talk of competition from Movistar.
Eusebio Unzué’s Spanish team previously signed Pablo’s older brother Jaime Castrillo in 2018 and 2019, but he left after two seasons. Interest in younger brother Pablo also came from Astana Qazaqstan, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Cofidis, making him one of the most sought-after riders on the transfer market.
Pablo Castrillo to Movistar:
Jakob Fuglsang has No Plans to Stop Just Yet
Jakob Fuglsang has no plans to hang up his wheels yet. The Danish climber, who will be 40-years-old in March 2025, will extend his contract with Israel-Premier Tech by one year. He announced the news to Bornholms Tidende.
The signatures are not on the contract yet, but there is a verbal agreement between Fuglsang and the Israel-Premier Tech team. Earlier this year, the Dane was thinking of ending his cycling career, but he has now changed his mind. Fuglsang has not achieved any impressive results in recent seasons, but he was a top performer in the Tour and Classics for many years. His palmarès include two monuments. In 2019, he soloed to victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and a year later he was the best in Il Lombardia. In 2016, he won an Olympic silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro road race.
He also won the Critérium du Dauphiné twice (2017 and 2019) and the Tour of Denmark (2008, 2009 and 2010), Ruta del Sol (2019 and 2020), Tour of Luxembourg (2012) and Tour of Slovenia (2009). Fuglsang has 27 professional victories. In recent years, his role within the team has changed and Fuglsang works for the leaders.
Jakob Fuglsang not stopping yet:
Young Talent Jelte Krijnsen Jumps Up to the WorldTour with Team Jayco AlUla in 2025
Team Jayco AlUla is pleased to confirm the signing of up-and-coming Dutch talent Jelte Krijnsen for the 2025 season, having been impressed with the youngsters’ hunger and motivation following some eye-catching results this season.
Despite only stepping up from national club team to continental team level in March, Krijnsen quickly found his feet claiming a stage win at the UCI 2.2 level French race, Tour du Loir-et-Cher, in April.
The 23-year-old transitioned into the sport from a speedskating background and has since enjoyed a stand-out second half of the 2024 season, with stunning victories at the UCI 2. Pro level Tour of Denmark and UCI 1.1 level Druivenkoers Overijse in August. Here the youngster displayed great talent and determination to come out on top against some of the best WorldTour professionals.
Currently riding as a stagiaire with a ProTeam for the remainder of the year it is clear to see that the Dutchman is hungry for more and is a fast learner. Settling into the elite peloton, Krijnsen recently fought to an impressive fourth place on stage three of the Tour of Britain and claimed sixth overall signalling his natural ability on the climbs. GreenEDGE Cycling hopes that the Flemish Classics will be an area where he can shine in the future.
Having followed his progression closely, team management believe that the rider from the Netherlands is ready to join the WorldTour in 2025. The team are confident that with the right tools and professional environment to grow in, that Krijnsen will thrive and continue with his promising trajectory having displayed himself as an exceptional talent throughout 2024.
Jelte Krijnsen: “Joining a WorldTour team truly is a dream for me. I still can’t believe this dream is coming true next year. With Team Jayco AlUla I have found myself a team which has a lot of confidence in my abilities as a rider and this really motivates me to strive for the best. Together with the team I want to do well in the spring classics, these kind of races suit me quite well. My goal is to get the best out of myself and compete at a good level in the WorldTour.”
Brent Copeland – General Manager: “We believe that we have found a raw talent here with Jelte. He is young and inexperienced when it comes to racing in the elite WorldTour peloton and yet he has had some very impressive results with minimal support. We are therefore very exciting to see what Jelte can achieve over the next years with the right environment and support of a WorldTeam and we hope that he will grow with us and become a big talent of the future.”
Jelte Krijnsen
Age: 23
Nationality: Dutch
New Contract: 2025
Key Results:
1st Druivenkoers Overijse (2024)
1st Tour of Denmark – stage 4 (2024)
1st Tour du Loir-et-Cher – stage 3 (2024)
3rd Olympias Tour – GC (2024)
4th Tour of Britain – stage 3 (2024)
6th Tour of Britain – GC (2024)
18-Year-Old Kloe Saugrain Strengthens Lotto Dstny Ladies
The Lotto Dstny Ladies Team is being reinforced by Kloe Saugrain. The 18-year-old French rider has signed a two-year contract.
Kloe Saugrain currently races for the French club team Avesnois, but she is truly made for the Flemish classics. She also knows the Flemish cobblestones well, as from her hometown of Neuville-En-Ferrain, near Tourcoing, she can cross into Belgium in no time. “I often train there and really enjoy it,” says Saugrain. “Joining a Belgian team is a logical step for me.”
Last season, Kloe Saugrain finished second in the Boucles Guégonnaises and third in the BayWa.re Classique Féminine. She describes herself as a sprinter-puncher. “Though it’s certainly too early to put myself into a specific category, I mainly want to keep learning. But a race like Paris-Roubaix is already high on my wishlist.”
Sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer is pleased with Kloe Saugrain’s arrival. “In terms of her racing program, she will get what she’s looking for with us, Flemish races suit her well. She’s still young and will be able to grow with us. Saugrain definitely deserves her place in our team. We always search for new young talent, so these new signing fits perfectly into this story.”
Kloe Saugrain joins Lotto Dstny:
Israel – Premier Tech and Rik Verbrugghe Part Ways
Israel – Premier Tech and Rik Verbrugghe have amicably agreed to part ways and as such, Rik will step down from his role as Sporting Manager with immediate effect.
After four years together, both parties felt it was time to go in a different direction.
Verbrugghe: “It has been a pleasure to be part of IPT over the past four years. Between the highs and lows, successes and challenges, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team. I will announce my plans for the future in due course.”
IPT’s leadership team will continue to guide the team on the current upwards trajectory with the aim of returning to the WorldTour in 2026 and Verbrugghe’s responsibilities will be reallocated under a revised management structure, explains General Manager Kjell Carlström.
Carlström: “With the 2024 season coming to an end, Rik’s role as Sporting Manager would require him to focus on the upcoming season so with that in mind, the decision was made to allow Rik to leave with immediate effect. We want to thank Rik for his work over the past four years and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Rik Verbrugghe leaves Israel – Premier Tech:
Legendary Monster Classic Bordeaux-Paris Will Not Return
After an exceptionally long absence, Bordeaux-Paris looked to be returning to the cycling calendar this season, but the organisers of the race has bad news. Due to a lack of interest among the (French) professional teams, it has been decided to cancel the Classic.
Organiser Eric Ramos announced on social media on Wednesday. The ‘2.0 version’ of Bordeaux-Paris was to take place on Sunday, October 20. “But no French professional team decided to register,” Ramos pointed out. “I have to thank the foreign riders for their interest. They were planning to take part in the race.” The absence of the French professional teams is a thorn in the side of the partners involved, who make a return of Bordeaux-Paris possible. “It is clear that this legendary event no longer has its place on the international cycling calendar,” the organiser wrote.
The Bordeaux-Paris bike race was first organised in 1891 and has been raced 86 times. The last professional edition took place in 1988. In 2014, the race returned once as an amateur race. It occupied a unique place among the cycling Classics, due to its exceptional length of 550 to 620 kilometres. Also the last 300 to 350 kilometres were ridden behind a derny.
The Bordeaux-Paris honours list includes many big names, including Maurice Garin (also the first winner of the Tour de France), François Faber, Henri Pélissier, Heiri Suter, Wim van Est (3 times), Louison Bobet, Jo de Roo, Tom Simpson, Jacques Anquetil, Jan Janssen and Walter Godefroot. The main character of Bordeaux-Paris was Herman Van Springel – Monsieur Bordeaux-Paris. The Belgian, who died in 2022, won the Classic seven times: 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1981.
Bordeaux-Paris not coming back – Seven times winner Herman Van Springel:
Sanremo Women: The Primavera Classic is Back
The return of the women’s Primavera Classic, already organised by RCS Sport from 1999 to 2005, was made official today, with its entry on the UCI Women’s World Tour 2025 calendar. The race will be held on 22 March, the same day as the men’s Milano-Sanremo.
The Sanremo Women joins the Strade Bianche Women Elite, which reached its tenth edition in 2024, and the Giro d’Italia Women, which RCS Sport organised for the first time last July, and enriches the offer of major events aimed at enhancing and promoting women’s cycling. The route and all the details of the event will be revealed soon.
Elisa Longo Borghini and Lotte Kopecky during the Strade Bianche Women Elite:
2030 Cycling World Championships to Brussels
The 2030 Cycling World Championships will be held in Brussels. The UCI announced at a congress in Zurich. Copenhagen will host the world championships in 2029.
This is the eleventh time that Belgium will host the World championships. The last time was in 2021, when Leuven hosted the event. Elisa Balsamo won the elite women’s race and Julian Alaphilippe won the men’s race. The Cycling World championships have never been held in Brussels before. However, the Belgian capital was the setting for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2019.
In 2030, Belgium will also host the Cyclocross World championships in Namur. Belgium is also celebrating its bicentennial that year.
In 2029 Copenhagen will be the host city. The Danish capital organised the World championships six times before: In 1921 (the first World championships), 1931, 1937, 1949, 1956 and 2011. In 2011, Mark Cavendish won the elite men’s road race on a flat course. In the elite women’s race, the title went to Giorgia Bronzini, who beat Marianne Vos in a bunch sprint. In the next years, the Worlds are in Kigali, Rwanda (2025), Montreal (2026), Haute-Savoie (2027) and Abu Dhabi (2028).
Brussels in 2030:
There is a new date for the Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Municipality of Cittiglio: the 2025 edition will take place on Sunday, 16 March
“We are moving our traditional date forward by one week; the world calendar will benefit from it” says President Mario Minervino.
The Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Municipality of Cittiglio and the Mini-Trofeo Binda – Valli del Verbano 2025 will take place on Sunday, 16 March. This is the news that everyone who follows women’s cycling competitions was waiting for: “We have moved our traditional date forward by one week in the World Tour calendar, which is growing significantly, year after year,” explains Mario Minervino, President of Cycling Sport Promotion, which organizes the double event. “The event in the province of Varese in Italy is the most historical event in the calendar and we feel the responsibility to encourage the birth of other events. The decision,” continues Minervino, “was made after the cancellation of a race in Holland. So, Italy will now host teams at three different highly prestigious events over two particularly attractive weeks. The earlier date for our event has facilitated the World Tour calendar but I think the Italian calendar and organisers will also benefit. I thank the International Cycling Union (UCI) for supporting the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the various communities that back it. Cycling Sport Promotion has always been committed to growing the competitions it organizes but we work together to enhance the entire women’s cycling movement”. The 2025 calendar has been made official, the organisational machine of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Municipality of Cittiglio and the Mini-Trofeo Binda – Valli del Verbano 2025 can thus resume its own race. Watch this space for the official announcement of the new starting location in the next few weeks. Then the date to mark on the calendar to see the athletes compete is Sunday, 16 March 2025.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio 2024 – arrivo elite:
Piccolo trofeo Binda – Valli del Verbano 2024 – arrivo junior: – foto Flaviano Ossola
Watch the PEZ YOUTUBE Channel here
Follow PEZ INSTAGRAM here
The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.
Any comments, drop me a line, at: alastair@pezcyclingnews.com or Twitter. And check the PezCyclingNews Twitter and Facebook Page. And say hi on Zwift when you pass me.
The post EUROTRASH Monday: All the World Champs Road Battles! appeared first on PezCycling News.
