Primoz Roglič has been chipping away at Ben O’Connor’s Vuelta a España Lead – We catch up with all the news from the Spanish Grand Tour and Renewi Tour in Belgium, all the results, reports, rider quotes and video.
Double Vuelta stage winner Pablo Castrillo to transfer to INEOS Grenadiers – TOP STORY.
Rider news: Patrick Lefevere talks transfers and Jan Hirt and Ben O’Connor deletes his X account after criticism of race jury.
Team news: Soudal Quick-Step signs Dries Van Gestel, Diego Ulissi signs with Astana Qazaqstan, Israel – Premier Tech welcomes Jan Hirt, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team welcomes Sjoerd Bax, Marco Frigo signs two-year extension with Israel-Premier Tech, CANYON//SRAM Racing announce contract extensions for two standout riders and British talent Robert Donaldson to step up into the WorldTour peloton with Jayco AlUla.
Race news: ITV4 to screen live coverage of every stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men this September.
And the sad news of the sudden death of 21-year-old Italian talent.
TOP STORY: Double Vuelta Stage Winner Pablo Castrillo to Transfer to INEOS Grenadiers?
With two stage wins, Pablo Castrillo is the sensation of the Vuelta a España. The Spanish climber from the small Equipo Kern Pharma surprised twice with a victory from the early break and that has not gone unnoticed by the big teams. It is rumoured that Castrillo will transfer to INEOS Grenadiers.
Spanish web-site, Ciclo 21 reported on Saturday that according to reliable sources, the deal between Castrillo and INEOS Grenadiers has been completed. The 23-year-old climber, who only turned pro last year and is now on his first Grand Tour, will sign a contract for three seasons. In that case, he would be tied to the British team until the end of 2027.
The rumour about the transfer to INEOS Grenadiers has been circulating in Spain for several weeks, even before Castrillo took his two stage wins in his home tour. According to Ciclo 21, the contract was signed before the Vuelta, something that Castrillo and his manager Giuseppe Acquadro may say in retrospect was ‘too early’.
Castrillo officially has a contract with Equipo Kern Pharma until the end of 2025, but there is a clause that he can leave if a WorldTeam offers him a contract. Pablo’s brother Jaime Castrillo (28-years-old) was a professional with Movistar in 2018 and 2019 and then for Equipo Kern Pharma for three years. Since this summer, Jaime has been racing for Sabgal-Anicolor in Portugal.
Castrillo to INEOS?
Vuelta a España 2024
Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma) claimed an emotional victory on Stage 12 of La Vuelta’24. Not only did the young Spaniard take his first professional victory and his team’s first ever Grand Tour stage win, he did so on the day after the founder and leader of their team, Manolo Azcona passed away, at the age of 71. Some 70 riders turned professional through Azcona’s teams and Castrillo is one of the latest to have done so, a couple of years ago. A fierce battle on the slopes leading to the Manzaneda mountain resort saw him get the better of his break companions, with Max Poole (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) coming second, ahead of Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), another disciple of Azcona. The GC contenders finished together ahead of another stage over the Galiacian summits.
Stage 12 of La Vuelta’24 is the third in Galicia. After Pontevedra and A Coruña, the riders visit the province of Ourense, where Carlos Canal (the only Galician rider in the 2024 Vuelta) hails from. The riders head to a summit finish at the Manzaneda ski resort. There were no categorised climbs prior to the final ascent but the day was demanding nonetheless, with constant ups and downs adding up to a total elevation of 3,100 metres.
The terrain inspired the early attackers, who quickly initiate a fierce battle for the break. Ten riders go clear after they had covered 42.1km in the first hour, on a rolling terrain: Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Jhonatan Narvaez, Oscar Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers), Mauri Vansevenant (T-Rex Quick-Step), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty), Max Poole (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) and Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma).
Three of them: Soler, Rodriguez and Castrillo, rode for the iconic development team Lizarte (now Finisher), built by Manolo Azcona, founder of the Asociacion Deportiva Galibier in 1993, the structure that also gave birth to Equipo Kern Pharma. A moment of silence was observed at the start in the memory of Azcona, who passed away on Wednesday at 71-years-old.
Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale drove the bunch and the gap went up to 10:12 at 86km. The pace gradually picked up towards the decisive climb, but the ten attackers still had 7:15 at the bottom. Soler attacked with 14 kilometres to go, but his rivals reacted. Verona counter-attacked, but it wasn’t enough either. And then, Castrillo jumped with 10km to go. He only looks back inside the last kilometre to see he could hold off Poole and raise a finger to the sky, for Manolo Azcona. The GC contenders finished together at 6:30.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma): “No, I don’t realise (that he had won). It’s an amazing victory, it’s unbelievable. It’s for the team and for the staff.The breakaway was very hard to make. The other guys were very strong. I was nervous for the finale but I decided to attack on the flat and it led me to the stage victory. I thought about attacking with 7 or 8 kilometres to go but I saw the other guys looking at each other so I went with 10 kilometres. It really is a very special day. I can’t believe I’ve won in my first Vuelta a España. I dedicate this win to my team, to my family and above to all to a very special person, Manolo Azcona, who unfortunately passed away last night. I thought about him the whole stage, to win as a tribute.”
Overall leader, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale): “It was a tricky start, it was actually really hard. And then we just controlled the race, made some pace on the final climb. It was quite fast so it wasn’t really ideal for being aggressive but yeah, I felt pretty good today. I never lost confidence! I was annoyed but it doesn’t mean I don’t believe in myself. Tomorrow is an extremely hard finish. It will be one of the most important days since the start of this race.”
2nd on the stage, Max Poole (dsm-firmenich PostNL): “I am disappointed, but we tried again today. Well… disappointed. You always feel disappointed so soon after the race when you haven’t won. Maybe when the emotions have subsided a bit I can be satisfied with this result. I have come so close for two days now. INEOS Grenadiers had two men left, so it makes sense that everyone is looking to them to close the gap. I actually thought it was their responsibility. Although it was slow to get going. I didn’t quite understand what the others were doing. Schmid had of course already been ahead, so I could understand that. What the other two were doing, I have no idea. In the end I rode full throttle to the finish line. I don’t think I should have attacked earlier. In my opinion, there was no point in attacking earlier.”
3rd on the stage, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates): “We all wanted to win today but Pablo was the strongest and I’m pleased for him. It was good to be out front another day fighting in the breakaway but with desire to try again for a victory in the coming days. The sensations are good personally and also the team in general are strong so we’ll aim to be on the attack again for sure.”
Points leader, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It’s really nice [that Kern Pharma got the win]. They attack every day, they always try to be up there in the breakaways and it’s really deserved that they get rewarded with a stage win, especially today. This morning, I learned that [Manolo Azcona] passed away in their team. Congrats. I really tried to be in the breakaway but I missed a bit of punch to actually make it. No regrets. When the guys got up the road I was actually happy to take a bit more easy in the bunch. I tried to save myself a bit and hope for better days in the week-end.”
Best young rider and 6th overall, Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers): “Yes, I’m happy to see [Pablo Castrillo] win, also in a special day with the death of Manuel [Azcona]. I think it was hard for them and for the team, and I’m happy for them to get the stage win. It’s difficult to win a stage, everybody knows that. But the important thing is that we are trying, and hopefully one day, we will get there. It was a good day. I was feeling good, and I managed to arrive with the others in the end, so I’m happy.”
Vuelta a España Stage 12 Result:
1. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma in 3:36:12
2. Max Poole (GB) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 0:08
3. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 0:16
4. Mauro Schmid (Sui) Jayco AlUla at 0:23
5. Jhonnatan Manuel Narvaez (Ecu) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:34
6. Mauri Vansevenant (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:40
7. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:49
8. Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Spa) Lidl-Trek at 1:03
9. Louis Meintjes (SA) Intermarché-Wanty at 1:14
10. Oscar Rodriguez (Hon) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:52.
Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 12:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale in 47:37:35
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 3:16
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 3:58
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 4:10
5. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 4:40
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 5:23
7. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 5:29
8. Adam Yates (GB) UAE Team Emirates at 5:30
9. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale
10. George Bennett (NZ) Israel-Premier Tech at 5:46.
Vuelta’24 stage 12:
The brutal summit finish at Puerto de Ancares saw Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech) fly to victory and Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) open significant gaps to his GC rivals. At 37 years old, the Canadian climber got the better of his break companions to take his 4th Grand Tour stage win, the 3rd in La Vuelta, a year after he tamed the brutal slopes up Puy-de-Dôme in the Tour de France. In the GC group, Roglič put pressure on all his rivals and especially Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale), who lost almost 2 minutes. The Australian retained La Roja, with a lead of 1:21 to the Slovenian and 3:01 to Enric Mas (Movistar), who also lost 58 seconds to Roglič.
La Vuelta’24 is in Galicia for a fourth and last day, although the stage also passes by Castilla-y-Leon. Puerto de Ancares is on the border between the province of Lugo (Galicia) and the province of Leon (Castilla-y-Leon). The different climbs of the day add up to a total of 3,420 metres of elevation.
In line with the frantic action of the last few days, the attackers initiate a fierce battle from the gun. Kasper Asgreen (T-Rex Quick-Step), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Victor Campenaerts, Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Simon Guglielmi, Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Enzo Leijnse (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) and Ruben Fernandez (Cofidis) were first to get away. Marc Soler, Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Kim Heiduk (INEOS Grenadiers), José Felix Parra (Kern Pharma), Nicolas Vinokourov (Astana Qazaqstan) and Xabier Isasa (Euskatel-Euskadi) join them, and they’re quickly followed by Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Sam Oomen (Lidl-Trek), Michael Woods, Dylan Teuns (Israel Premier Tech), Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Mikel Bizkarra and Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel-Euskadi) eventually make it a 24-man breakaway. But Isasa was dropped.
With no threat for La Roja in the break, Ben O’Connor’s Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale set the pace in the bunch and the gap goes up to 16:50 when Enric Mas’ Movistar react, after 130km. Wout van Aert, already wearing the green jersey as the leader of the points standings, chases the KOM points on the first ascents of the day, the Cat.3 Alto Campo de Arbre (33.9km) and the Cat.2 Alto O Portelo (75.2km). The break started attacking each other into the last 50 kilometres. The group explodes. Van Aert, Vine, McNulty, Soler, Asgreen, Oomen, Woods, Schmid and Leemreize were together at the bottom of the Cat.2 Puerto de Lumeras. Again, Van Aert was first at the summit (155.6km). Vine and McNulty suffer a nasty crash on the descent. Both of them get back up but they’re out of contention for the stage win. Van Aert, Soler, Oomen, Woods and Schmid were set to battle it out on the final ascent.
Schmid set off with 5km to go. Woods was on his wheel and the Canadian went solo 500 metres later. In the GC group, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe up the pace and O’Connor was dropped with around 4 kilometres to go. Roglič took matters in his own hands and eventually gained 35 seconds on Mikel Landa (T-Rex Quick-Step), 0:38 on Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), 0:44 on Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), 58 seconds on Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Enric Mas (Movistar) and 1:55 on Ben O’Connor, who retained La Roja by 1:21.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech): “I’m on cloud 9 right now. My big goal was to win a race with this Canadian jersey. I’ve had a tough season this year with illness and I’ll have a tough race with some bad luck, a lot of mechanicals, crashes, and mistimed moments. So, this is a big moment of catharsis, a big moment of relief. The pressure has been building and to get this win now, I’m on cloud 9. I was super lucky to get in the break with Dylan Teuns, and Riley Sheehan did a great job and helped me a lot to get into the break. I was a bit isolated later on when we had Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty, and Marc Soler attack me but I just tried to keep fighting with them. Then when Brandon and Jay crashed it really scared me and I hope they’re ok, but I knew that I was the guy to beat on that climb. I had Puy de Dôme in the back of my head. I knew that as long as I was in striking distance of the other guys, I had a shot of winning on the final climb because it’s a good climb for me. I didn’t want to go as early as I did but with Mauro Schmid attacking me, I had to go then. It was a long four kilometres. It’s my third Vuelta stage win and I’m really proud of that. Just the Giro d’Italia stage win is missing. I’m not getting any younger so it’s always nice to win at this age. I’m going to savour this one.”
Overall leader, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale): “I was pretty cooked. Sad times but I’m still in red so at least it’s a good thing. To be honest, I was already dropped [when Roglič attacked] so I didn’t really see it. I was trying to manage my effort as I didn’t really have much going on today. Who knows how it will be in the coming days? In Granada, I felt good, today I didn’t really have anything. Tomorrow, I’ll just try to do my best to recover, have another day in the red jersey and see how Sunday goes.”
2nd overall, Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “Sometimes you win something, sometimes you lose something. Today I was on the right side. The only thing I can influence is myself. I try to do my best, together with the team. And it was enough. Like I said: let’s enjoy this first. It’s nice to gain some time, it’s nice when it goes well, but hard efforts like this I also feel. We have to take it day by day. I don’t have full confidence yet. That’s why we rode a bit conservatively. We’ll take it day by day and see how it goes.”
2nd on the stage, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla): “I wasn’t expecting that, I knew the finish wasn’t very suitable for me, but somehow, I ended up in the break today and if I’m in the break then I’m always trying, at least. I tried to attack a few times before and I thought that if I could get a little gap, I had a better chance, but I knew that when it came to the last climb my chances were quite slim. I knew the chance for me to get into the breakaway was early because I still had quite tired legs from yesterday but I had a little feeling because the last few days it always took so long so maybe that was the reason nobody was expecting it so when Victor [Campenaerts] went from the start then I knew I had to be in the wheel and it turned out to be a good idea. I just tried to survive [on the last climb] and do my own pace from the bottom. When Mike went, I knew it would be difficult to stay in the wheel and then I just tried to do my rhythm.”
3rd on the Stage, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates): “We gave it everything. Today the legs were a bit heavy and the idea was to collaborate with Brandon and Jay to go for a win for the team but unfortunately they crashed and the plans changed a bit. I did a big effort to close a gap after Campenaerts and Van Aert attacked and used up a lot of energy. Jay in particular was feeling good so we wanted to set something up for him in the final. Everybody is suffering in this Vuelta, it has been very hard one and we have a hard weekend ahead but we’ll try again.”
5th on the stage, points leader and KOM, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike): “Even this morning, I was not interested in [the KOM jersey]. But then I saw Kaden Groves going in an early breakaway. He’s still an opponent for the green jersey, so I decided to make the jump. Once I found myself in the breakaway, I knew it would be a hard day anyway, so I thought it was better to try and grab everything there was on the road! Sometimes, in the Tour I was also close to being leader in the polka-dot jersey, and I actually kind of regret that I never really tried it. So today was a good day to go for it, and I’m really proud to wear it. To be honest, I never believed that [the stage win] was possible. Especially with riders like Vine, McNulty or Woods in the front group, I knew they were way better on the steep uphill finish. Also, I was too much focused on all the intermediate points on the road, where I wasted too much energy to compete on the final climb. As long as there’s gradients below 6-7%, I can climb quite well. But when it’s steep, then I have no chance. Tomorrow is a good stage where we will definitely try to survive the climbs. Let’s see if that is possible.”
6th overall and best young rider, Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers): “It was a hard climb for sure. We were expecting it to be hard with the percentages that appear in the roadbook and it was indeed. I think I managed pretty well the effort. I knew more or less how hard I could push and I tried to maintain the same pace from the bottom. In the end, I lost some time to Primoz [Roglic] but I was close to the other favourites and I gained time on some so, yes, I’m happy with the result, and hopefully I can keep these good feelings for the rest of the stages.”
Vuelta a España Stage 13 Result:
1. Michael Woods (Can) Israel-Premier Tech in 4:19:51
2. Mauro Schmid (Sui) Jayco AlUla at 0:45
3. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Team Emirates at 1:11
4. Sam Oomen (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 1:25
5. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 2:56
6. Gijs Leemreize (Ned) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 3:33
7. Jose Felix Parra Cuerda (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma at 5:19
8. Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 5:38
9. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 5:59
10. Mathis Le Berre (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 6:15.
Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 13:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale in 52:10:15
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:21
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 3:01
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 3:13
5. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:20
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:12
7. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:29
8. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale at 4:42
9. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 4:44
10. Adam Yates (GB) UAE Team Emirates at 5:17.
Vuelta’24 stage 13:
Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) survived many climbs, again on Stage 14, to take his second win in La Vuelta’24, on Saturday in Villablino. Two weeks after he powered to victory in Ourem (stage 2), the Australian star went over the longest climb of this edition, the 22.7km Puerto de Leitariegos, summited with 16.5km to go, to sprint for victory. It was a tight battle against Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), but Groves narrowly edged his Belgian rival, who was hunting a fourth Vuelta stage win. Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) made it safely over the summits of the day to retain La Roja on the eve of a gruelling finish at Cuitu Negru.
The peloton of La Vuelta’24 faced another stage with lots of climbing (2,883m of elevation. It was possible some fast men could dream of surviving the Puerto de Leitariegos to battle for the win in Villablino.
The battle for the break was on from the start, but it takes an hour of battle, with almost 50 kilometres covered, for six riders to emerge at the front: Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates), Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin Deceuninck), Marco Frigo (Israel Premier Tech), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) and Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan). Del Toro, the youngest rider in La Vuelta’24, has already found success on these roads, as a winner of the Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo earlier this season. But it will be hard for him to win again as Wout van Aert’s Visma | Lease a Bike quickly take the reins of the bunch to control the gap at around 2 minutes.
The attackers’ lead is down to 1 minute as they start the main climb of the day, the 22.7km Puerto de Leitariegos. Narvaez, Frigo and Tejada drop their break companions while Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike) upped the pace in the bunch. Narvaez went solo in the last 7km of the climb. Steven Kruijswijk (Visma | Lease a Bike) took over at the front of the bunch. His effort means the end of Narvaez’s assault with 19.5km to go, 3km before the summit. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) suffered a puncture at the summit, but he quickly got back to the bunch, led by Alpecin Deceuninck for Kaden Groves, who powered to his sixth La Vuelta stage win, the second this year, just ahead of Wout van Aert.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It feels really good. I didn’t expect it to be a sprint as it was but Jumbo controlled it and to have a one on one sprint against Wout [van Aert] is awesome. The climb was quite okay in the wheels. It might have been a bit hard if they start attacking but thankfully Jumbo rode a really hard pace, no one attacked and my teammates also got over with me so we could control the finish. The team did a great job. Edward [Planckaert] again did a good lead-out like he did in Sevilla but today I didn’t hesitate and I think I did a really good sprint. It felt quite a bit like a drag race against Wout and in the end it was good enough to beat him. It’s obviously really nice [to be up to 6 La Vuelta stage wins]. I love racing here. It’s my third Vuelta and my sixth win. It’s good to see the consistency and the hard work paying off.”
Overall leader, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale): “There was a couple of attacks anyway [after Roglic had a mechanical]. The stage was still there for grabs, and some guys tried to get away. I don’t really know to be honest, it was quite pretty fast down there. For me, yes, it was [a quiet stage]. It look a long time for the break to go, and then Visma did a really excellent job controlling. It wasn’t simple anyway, so harder than I expected. I wouldn’t have been surprised [because of Kaden Groves’ win]. He can climb so well. He’s really incredible. He’s a talent, he’s a class, and I’m happy that he has won today. I watched the replay of [Cuitu Negru] from 2012. It’s pretty epic. It’s pretty hard. We’ve done some hard climbs and this will be another one to the list.”
2nd on the stage, KOM and points leader, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “[The difference was made by] Kaden [Groves] being a tiny bit stronger. I think I didn’t make mistakes in the sprint. I knew it was an uphill sprint, it was important not to go too early so I think I went on the right moment. I thought I got in front of him but in the last few metres my legs cramped and Kaden passed me again. I wouldn’t dare to say [we should have made the race harder before] otherwise my teammates would kill me! It was a super hard race. I’m extremely proud of how we tried to control the race, especially at the beginning, with a lot of riders interested in the breakaway. We were the only ones trying to keep control of the race and tomato the race a sprint. Also, on the last climb, I needed my teammates to keep the bunch together. It makes it an extra pity that I couldn’t finish it off but it was definitely a hard day. These [KOM] points were basically there for free. Nobody was sprinting for it so I went for the points.”
Best young rider and 6th overall, Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers): “I don’t know [if the peloton has waited for Primoz Roglic]. They kept attacking, for sure. We didn’t want to make the race fast, because it’s not fair that, because of a puncture in an unlucky moment, he loses time. But in the end, we all arrived together. This is what matters in the end. We were expecting a hard fight for the breakaway, and it was like that. Maybe we expected Wout [van Aert] to be on it, but he wasn’t, and they controlled all day. It was a pretty fast stage. In the end, I think everyone arrived tired. Hopefully, it will be good for me tomorrow that there’s fatigue in the legs. We’ll see.”
Vuelta a España Stage 14 Result:
1. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 4:21:34
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Corbin Strong (NZ) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Mathias Vacek (CZ) Lidl-Trek
5. Pau Miquel Delgado (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
6. Filippo Baroncini (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
7. Simon Guglielmi (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
8. Arjen Livyns (Bel) Lotto Dstny
9. Xabier Berasategi Garmendia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
10. Carlos Canal Blanco (Spa) Movistar.
Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 14:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale in 56:31:49
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:21
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 3:01
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 3:13
5. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:20
6. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:12
7. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:29
8. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale at 4:42
9. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 4:44
10. Adam Yates (GB) UAE Team Emirates at 5:17.
Vuelta’24 stage 14:
Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma) has left an unforgettable mark on La Vuelta’24, with a second stage win. Three days after he honoured the memory of Manolo Azcona powering to victory at the Manzaneda mountain resort, the 23-year-old Spaniard tamed the infamous Cuitu Negru at the end of a fast paced Stage 15. Castrillo eventually got the better of Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates) while the GC contenders battled on the same brutal slopes. Enric Mas (Movistar) and Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) were the strongest, again. But Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) retained La Roja with a lead of 43 seconds (a 20 seconds penalty was added, now 1:03) on the Slovenian 3-time winner of La Vuelta.
La Vuelta’24 stays in Asturias for two major mountain showdowns, on Sunday en route to Cuitu Negru and on Tuesday with a summit finish at Lagos de Covadonga. Stage 15 was relatively short (142.9km) but there were four categorised climbs, with a total of 3,545 metres climbing.
There was a big battle to get in the break from the start. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Kasper Asgreen (T-Rex Quick-Step), Marco Frigo, Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech), Jonas Gregaard (Lotto Dstny), Max Poole (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) and Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma) led the way to the summit of the first ascent of the day, the Cat.1 Alto de la Colladiella (37.6km). But they’re caught by a very small bunch with 95 kilometres to go! Attacks keep flying. Some 21 riders manage to get away towards the second ascent of the day, the cat-3 Alto de Santo Emiliano.
The peloton, led by T-Rex Quick-Step, don’t give them much room and the break, paced by Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) explodes on the second ascent of the Alto de la Colladiella (summit at km 87.6).
Seven riders emerge at the front: Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates), Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Stefan Küng, Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma). Vine worked hard to build a gap of 3:05 at the bottom of the final climb, the mighty Cuitu Negru: 18.9km at 7.4% with slopes up to 24% in the brutal final 3 kilometres. Vine sat up at the bottom of the climb. Sivakov set the pace and only Vlasov and Castrillo could follow him.
Behind; the GC group exploded. Mattia Cattaneo (T-Rex Quick-Step), Mikel Landa’s last teammate, finished his work with 6km to go after he brought the gap down to 2 minutes. Castrillo attacked with 3km to go. But Vlasov bridged the gap as they entered the last kilometre. The Spaniard accelerated, again and again and Vlasov couldn’t compete. Among the GC contenders, Primoz Roglič made the first move inside the last 3km, but Enric Mas (Movistar) got back to him and distances him at one point. They eventually finish together, 1:04 behind Castrillo and 38 seconds ahead of Ben O’Connor.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Pablo Castrillo (Kern Pharma): “The truth is I didn’t expect it. This morning, I came with the intention to make the break and see how it would go but I didn’t expect to get there in a position to win. The first victory was unbelievable but to get a second one is a dream. I think it’s the best Vuelta possible. I don’t know what else to say.”
Overall leader, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale): “Yes I was optimistic today. I guess I’ve proven wrong the people who expected me to lose the jersey. I had a pretty good day. It’s a bit of a shame that I exploded a bit at the end but that’s gotta be one of the most horrible endings to a climb that I’ve ever done, it was disgusting! It was kind of only one attack and that was Primoz [Roglic], super impressive, then it was very much man against man that climb. You just felt like you were going nowhere, you couldn’t see anything with the fog as well. It was rough. I’m still in the lead so I’ll take it. I’m gonna rest tomorrow, try to enjoy it if I can and then tackle Lagos de Covadonga on Tuesday. I’m proud. It’s 10 days now. It’s pretty special, it means almost the half of the course. I can just be happy with myself, happy with the boys and I think it’s really a magical moment for myself.”
3rd on the stage and 10th overall, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates): “Jay and Marc did an amazing job to build a gap and gave everything. For the move to stay away. Unfortunately there were a couple of guys who were strong enough to stay in the wheel and were able to sit-in on my wheel in the valley but that was to be expected. We showed ourselves well in the front and go into the final week full of confidence.”
Points and KOM leader, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It’s nice [to lead the KOM standings after this big mountain showdown] but today I definitely didn’t feel like a good climber! It’s a bit of a surprise that I still have the [polka-dot] jersey. I thought Vine would take all the points but it’s a nice feeling to go in the second rest day with the two jerseys. We’ll see what’s possible in the last week. It was a very uncontrolled race and to be honest I didn’t have the legs that I wanted. Quite early in the race I had to decide to take it a bit easier and then I finished in a nice group but with these gradients it’s never easy so it was still a hard day.”
Best young rider and 6th overall, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe): “The whole day was super hard. It was a super hard pace from the beginning. In the last climb, I tried to stay with the best guys. Then, in the last 3km I launched an attack for Primoz [Roglic]. I gave everything I could, because I completely exploded afterwards. I tried to ride to the finish as good as possible, but in the end I was completely on my limit. But I think Primoz did a good job and we had also Vlasov on the front, so I think we did well today, and we are already much closer to the red jersey now.”
Vuelta a España Stage 15 Result:
1. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma in 3:45:51
2. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:12
3. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Team Emirates at 0:31
4. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 1:04
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Lidl-Trek at 1:09
7. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education – EasyPost at 1:13
8. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:22
9. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:27
10. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 1:37.
Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 15:
1. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale in 60:19:22
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:43 + 0:20 = 1:03
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 2:23
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 2:44
5. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:05
6. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:33
7. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 4:39
8. Carlos Rodriguez Cano (Spa) INEOS Grenadiers at 4:40
9. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Lidl-Trek at 4:51
10. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Team Emirates at 5:12.
Vuelta’24 stage 15:
Renewi Tour Stage 2024
The Stage 2 individual time trial in the Renewi Tour was won by Alec Segaert. The 21-year-old rider of Lotto Dstny defeated Magnus Sheffield and Stefan Bissegger. Segaert also took over the leader’s jersey from Jonathan Milan.
On day two of the Renewi Tour was an individual time trial, starting and finishing in Tessenderlo. The time trial was 15.4 kilometres on a relatively flat course. After 9.3 kilometres, the riders passed the first and only timing point. Among others, Olav Kooij (too badly injured after a crash), Dylan Groenewegen (broken collarbone) and Filippo Ganna (overtired) would not be at the start. For them, the Renewi Tour was over after only one day.
Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) was there and the Swiss rider clocked a very good time in the opening hour. He was a full minute better than Julien Vermote, who had been in the hot seat for a while. Josef Černý and Ryan Mullen came closer to Bissegger, but they still had to give up (almost) half a minute. Florian Vermeersch, Sjoerd Bax, Rémi Cavagna, Maximillian Schachmann and Filip Maciejuk also couldn’t beat the top time, although they lost less ground.
Tobias Foss made it even more exciting. The Norwegian looked to beat Bissegger for a while, but eventually finished just 1 second behind the Swiss rider. It was ultimately Alec Segaert who managed to dethrone Bissegger. The Lotto Dstny rider was 10 seconds faster than the EF Education-EasyPost rider. That would also make him 36 faster than Mathieu van der Poel, who came in not much later. The Dutchman clocked the provisional thirteenth time. He would eventually finish seventeenth.
Magnus Sheffield took second place, 7 seconds behind Segaert. There was still Tim Wellens, but the Belgian time trial champion was 16 seconds behind his compatriot. The riders who came in after that, including overall leader Jonathan Milan, lost more ground. Segaert won the time trial and he is also the new leader of the general classification.
Stage winner and overall leader, Alec Segaert (Lotto Dstny): “I immediately had a good feeling and took the right pacing. I studied the course well and did a good recon, so I knew where I had to make the difference. Everything ran as planned, I didn’t know any intermediate times though as I was fully focused on myself. It went great. I couldn’t have dreamed of this result this morning, as a lot of top riders are at the start. I will always keep that picture of the top 10 with me”, a very happy Segaert said after his win. I also lead the general classification now. I will try to keep this jersey, especially in the last stage to Geraardsbergen that will not be easy. It’s my first WorldTour victory and I will enjoy this first now.”
Renewi Tour Stage 2 Result:
1. Alec Segaert (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 16:59
2. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
3. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:10
4. Tobias Foss (Nor) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:11
5. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 0:16
6. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:22
7. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:23
8. Filip Maciejuk (Pol) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:26
9. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:27
10. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:28.
Renewi Tour Overall After Stage 2:
1. Alec Segaert (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 3:58:00
2. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
3. Tobias Foss (Nor) Ineos Grenadiers at 0:12
4. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 0:16
5. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:22
6. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:24
7. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:28
8. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
9. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Movistar at 0:31
10. Per Strand Hagenes Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:33.
Renewi’24 stage 2:
Jonathan Milan won Stage 3 of the Renewi Tour. The Italian convincingly beat Jasper Philipsen and Max Walscheid in a bunch sprint. Milan took his second victory in three days. Alec Segaert remains in the overall lead.
The start of stage 3 on Friday morning was in Blankenberge, with a stage of 185.5 kilometres to Ardooie. Just like on day one, a flat stage, so the expectation was that there would be a bunch sprint for the victory.
TDT-Unibet had Jordy Bouts and Axel Huens in the early break again. The two were joined by Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step), Aaron Van Poucke and Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise). After 80 kilometres of racing, Huens was dropped. The lead of the four remaining was never big. The sprinter’s teams had taken the lead in the peloton: Alpecin Deceuninck, Lidl-Trek and Lotto Dstny were working for Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan and Arnaud De Lie. Soudal Quick-Step didn’t chase, as they had Vangheluwe in the break and they didn’t have their sprinter, Tim Merlier.
The four leaders started the last 20 kilometres with a lead of 40 seconds and could fight for the bonus seconds in the green kilometre. There was never any question of a battle, because Vanhoof was allowed to take all the points by his fellow escapees, although he doesn’t play a significant role in the general classification. The peloton was also getting close and Bouts, Van Poucke and Vanhoof were caught. Not Vangheluwe, who still had something left. Vangheluwe, who earlier this season took his first professional victory in the Four Days of Dunkirk, put in a big acceleration. The Soudal Quick-Step rider extended his lead, so the peloton still had to work hard in the last 10 kilometres. Vangheluwe impressed and held on for a bit, but eventually had to admit defeat to the chasing peloton.
For the second time in the 2024 Renewi Tour, we would see a bunch sprint. The preparation for the sprint was chaotic. Mathieu van der Poel and Philipsen had lost each other, Lidl-Trek had too few men and De Lie was once again not well positioned. Van der Poel did managed to do a lead-out for Philipsen, who was on Milan’s wheel. Philipsen then saw Milan start the sprint first, after which Philipsen was at a disadvantage. He came close, but it was too late. Milan beat Philipsen for the second time this week. Max Walscheid was third.
Stage winner, points leader and 7th overall, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “We are very happy. I really wanted to win here. I have to thank my teammates. It was a chaotic final, but they helped me a lot. I am proud of us. Jasper Stuyven did indeed take the lead very early (2 kilometres from the finish), but that was perfect. We knew we had to take that chicane in first position. Last year there was a crash there, so it was good work from Jasper. I was perfectly dropped off. I don’t know how big the gap was, but I think I did a nice sprint. Will I also go for the general classification? I will take it day by day. Tomorrow there will be some wind, so we will have to be careful. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. It’s one of my main goals.”
Renewi Tour Stage 3 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:57:17
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Max Walscheid (Ger) Jayco AlUla
4. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
5. Gleb Syritsa (-) Astana Qazaqstan
6. Jules Hesters (Bel) Team Flanders-Baloise
7. Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Davide Persico (Ita) Bingoal WB
9. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) EF Education-EasyPost
10. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny.
Renewi Tour Overall After Stage 3:
1. Alec Segaert (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 7:55:17
2. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
3. Tobias Foss (Nor) INEOS Grenadiers at 11
4. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 0:16
5. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:22
6. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:23
7. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
8. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:27
9. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:28
10. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Movistar at 0:30.
Renewi’24 stage 3:
Jasper Philipsen won Stage 4 of the Renewi Tour on Saturday. The Belgian of Alpecin-Deceuninck, who had previously been beaten by Jonathan Milan, was the fastest in a bunch sprint. He had a phenomenal lead-out from World champion Mathieu van der Poel. Christophe Laporte was second, Arnaud De Lie third.
The fourth stage of the Renewi Tour started in the Dutch town of Oostburg and finished 178.5 kilometres later in Aalter in Belgium. There were no climbs for the riders, making a bunch sprint the most likely scenario. Although the wind could also play a role.
In the opening hour was at ‘full gas’, causing the peloton to split several times. Each time, there was a regrouping, but it remained nervous. This also led to a crash involving Fabio Jakobsen. The Dutchman initially continued, but eventually gave up. A leading group formed: Jordy Bouts (TDT-Unibet), Alex Colman (Flanders-Baloise), Ayco Bastiaens (Soudal Quick-Step), Luca De Meester (Bingoal WB), Simon Pellaud (Tudor) and Jack Rootkin-Gray (EF Education-EasyPost) gained a good minute on the peloton. However, their adventure was short-lived. With a new acceleration in the pack, everything came together again with 80 kilometres to go.
Colman then went on the attack again, now with Luca Van Boven (Bingoal WB), Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R), Stefan De Bod (EF Education-EasyPost), Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jan Maas (Jayco AlUlA). Alpecin-Deceuninck, Lotto Dstny and Lidl-Trek led the chase and kept the difference to 1 minute. The lead then decreased a bit further, but at the Green Kilometre, almost 20 kilometres from the finish, the escapees were still ahead of the peloton. There was no battle in the leading group at the three intermediate sprints. De Bod, who was 49 seconds behind leader Alec Segaert before the fourth stage, collected the maximum 8 bonus seconds. Not much later, most of the leading group were caught. Only De Bondt struggled on for a while before he was pulled in.
The last kilometres to Aalter were quiet. Only at 2.5 kilometres from the finish did the speed really start to pick up again. Alpecin-Deceuninck initially had the lead, but at the start of the last kilometre, Lidl-Trek had the lead. Not far behind there was a big crash, with Benoît Cosnefroy the biggest victim. The big favourites for the day’s victory were in front. Mathieu van der Poel did the lead-out for Jasper Philipsen. Jonathan Milan was a few places further back. It turned out to be the perfect situation for Philipsen, who won by a large margin. Christophe Laporte was several bike lengths behind in second. Third place went to Arnaud De Lie. Alec Segaert finished in the peloton and, with one tough stage still to go, remains in the overall lead. Magnus Sheffield is at 7 seconds. Mathieu van der Poel is 36 seconds behind.
Stage winner and 6th overall, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It’s really nice to be here today. The goal was to win a stage this week. I’m glad we managed that today. What went wrong the first two times? In the first sprint I had a flat tire in the final phase, in the second sprint I had my chain off. But I was able to do my sprints there. I was just beaten by a very strong Milan. I’m glad we were able to win today. The team deserved it. We rode hard. I’m glad we can end the day with a win. The last corner was 450 meters from the finish. If I still have Mathieu in front of me there, and he can use his power to the full, then I know it’s going to be hard to beat us anyway. Today it went well. I’m glad we were able to play it out like that. I think it had been pretty nervous all day. I think we were riding an average of almost fifty. So I can’t say we were dawdling today. But in the last few kilometres the peloton put the block on, to keep the teams in position. Those who were there, were good. I heard a crash in the last kilometre, I hope everyone is okay. I think we are still quite close in the rankings with three riders: Mathieu, Søren (Kragh Andersen) and me. Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult day anyway, with very warm temperatures. I expect some time differences tomorrow.”
Renewi Tour Stage 4 Result:
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 3:37:08
2. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny
4. Paul Penhoet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
5. Bram Welten (Ned) dsm-firmenich-PostNL
6. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
7. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor
8. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
9. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
10. Sebastian Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates.
Renewi Tour Overall After Stage 4:
1. Alec Segaert (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 11:32:25
2. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
3. Tobias Foss (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:11
4. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 0:16
5. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:17
6. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:21
7. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:22
8. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:23
9. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 27
10. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:28.
Renewi’24 stage 4:
Tim Wellens is the overall winner of the Renewi Tour for the fourth time. After previous overall victories in 2014, 2015 and 2023, he also won the 2024 edition on Sunday. The Belgian took the leader’s jersey from Alec Segaert in a spectacular Final Stage 5 to Geraardsbergen. The stage was won by Arnaud De Lie.
The Renewi Tour fifth and final stage to Geraardsbergen on Sunday was one for the cobble riders. In a ‘mini-Tour of Flanders’ the Overall classification was expected to be completely shaken up.
After a short circuit near Menen, the peloton headed to the Flemish Ardennes. The climbing started after about 60 kilometres, but the decision had to be made on a three-time lap of about 25 kilometres. The circuit started with the old finale of the Tour of Flanders: first the Muur van Geraardsbergen (1.2km at 7.8%) and then the Bosberg (1.4km at 5%). Later on the circuit, two more climbs that shouldn’t be underestimated followed: the Onkerzele Berg (2.3km at 3.2%) and Denderoordberg (0.7km at 7.5%). Before the start, Mathieu van der Poel was a favourite, but the World champion didn’t start, due to hitting his knee in the TT stage on Thursday. “I cannot and will not take any risk of the injury getting worse. It’s a shame, because I was really looking forward to the last stage on the Muur van Geraardsbergen”, Van der Poel said in a team press release.
Seventeen riders managed to set up an early break: Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates), Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek), Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Dstny), Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor). Hagenes was the best placed rider in the leading group, just 32 seconds behind leader Alec Segaert. Once on the local lap in and around Geraardsbergen, the leading group completely fell apart. Only seven riders remained at the front of the race, with Trentin, De Bondt, Van Moer, Hagenes, Marco Haller, Jonas Rutsch and Tomáš Kopecký. These riders had a lead going into the final passage over the Muur van Geraardsbergen, although the differences were small. The peloton, led by Lotto Dstny and UAE Team Emirates, for Segaert and Tim Wellens, got very close. On the Vesten in Geraardsbergen, the remaining leaders were caught at the passage at the finish and before turning onto the Muur. This was the signal for Tim Wellens to really give it his all and only Arnaud De Lie was able to get with him on the way to the Kapelmuur. In the subsequent flatter kilometres, the exceptionally strong Strand Hagenes, despite his day in the breakaway, also managed to make the crossing.
These three riders then rode to the foot of the Bosberg. Wellens proved to be the driving force in the leading group and also set the pace on the cobbles of this climb. The UAE Team Emirates rider took 8 bonus seconds in the three intermediate sprints of the Groene Kilometre. The Belgian was now closer to Segaert, who was chasing in the chasing group. The difference between the two was now a mere 8 seconds. But the lead of Wellens, De Lie and Strand Hagenes was not decisive. With 15 kilometres to go the leaders were joined by three chasers: Matej Mohorič, Stan Dewulf and Rick Pluimers. Not far behind, a group including leader Segaert, Jasper Philipsen and Alberto Bettiol. These riders also still had a chance, as the difference continued to fluctuate around 15 seconds. One of these chasing riders managed to jump to the leading group with a strong jump. Valentin Madouas, who has been on the podium of the Tour of Flanders two years ago, crossed to the six leaders. In the chase group the co-operation was not good. Several riders tried to get away on their own, but were caught. Due to the disagreement, the chasers lost more ground.
With 6 kilometres to go, it was clear that the winner of the stage and the Renewi Tour was in the front group. On the cobbles of the Denderoordberg, Wellens put the pressure on once again and again De Lie was the only one who could follow. Wellens took care of the work in the last kilometres, in order to secure his final victory. De Lie wanted the stage victory and saved his last bit of strength for the sprint on the Vesten in Geraardsbergen. Once on the Vesten, De Lie went past Wellens and crossed the finish line first. Wellens was second and after previous final overall victories in 2014, 2015 and 2023, he won the Renewi Tour for the fourth time. Madouas finished in third place, ahead of Pluimers and Dewulf, who complete the top 5. In the final classification, Wellens was the winner, Segaert finished second, Hagenes was third.
Stage winner, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny): “It’s super special to win here in this jersey in Geraardsbergen. I felt very strong but the first goal was to defend the GC of Alec. It was my job to follow and there I also took away some boni seconds. Tim Wellens was really strong as well and with the weather it was even harder. I didn’t wait for the sprint, but I chose my moment and won. Alec becomes second in the GC in the end, which still makes a very successful week for the team.”
Final overall winner and 2nd on the stage, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates): “Today was a very nice victory. From the start of the week we knew the TT and today with the Queen stage would be the decisive stages so we planned our tactics around that. The whole week I was feeling good so I was confident that I could deliver today. The whole team did a great job on the lead in to the final time up the Muur where I made my move. It was ideal to be up the road with De Lie so we would split the stage and the GC. I’m very proud to have won now for a fourth time.”
2nd overall, Alec Segaert (Lotto Dstny): “We expected the chaos and tried to control. It wasn’t a bad situation with the big breakaway and Brent being part of it. They didn’t get a very big advantage, so I was quite confident we would take them back. In the end it was very hard, I can handle the warm weather quite well so that was good. Until the last time the Muur I felt strong, I came up there as fifth. In our group it was difficult to get it organised, in the end Tim wins the GC for the fourth time. It has been a fantastic week in any case and I will definitely come back and try again in the future.”
Renewi Tour Stage 5 Result:
1. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Dstny in 4:30:56
2. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates at 0:05
3. Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:17
4. Rick Pluimers (Ned) Tudor at 0:20
5. Stan Dewulf (Bel) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale
6. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
7. Per Strand Hagenes (Nor) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Axel Zingle (Fra) Cofidis at 0:39
9. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:41
10. Paul Penhoet (fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:43.
Renewi Tour Final Overall Result:
1. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Team Emirates in 16:03:42
2. Alec Segaert (Bel) Lotto Dstny at 0:26
3. Per Strand Hagenes (Nor) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0.31
4. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:37
5. Stan Dewulf (Bel) Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale at 0:41
6. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:43
7. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:44
8. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious at 0:47
9. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:49
10. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan at 0:50.
Renewi’24 stage 5:
Patrick Lefevere Talks Transfers and Jan Hirt
Patrick Lefevere has his team for next season almost complete. In his column in Het Nieuwsblad, the manager of Soudal Quick-Step gives a major update on the transfers, including the departure of Kasper Asgreen. He also says that his team was also interested in the services of Tim and Mick van Dijke. “When we approached that type of rider in the past, it was almost an automatic yes.”
Lefevere, who now largely leaves the negotiations to COO Jurgen Foré, says that the market has changed a lot compared to the past. “What is striking: the market is extremely competitive. Don’t get me wrong: attracting good riders has never been easy, but in recent years a lot of ‘new’ money has come into the race with Israel, Decathlon, Tudor, Red Bull, Lidl… Teams that used to have a specific ‘orientation’, broadly speaking Classics or Tour work, now have the budgetary space to focus on the two.”
“An example: we were particularly interested in the brothers Mick and Tim van Dijke from Visma | Lease a Bike. Very talented riders, with whom we also sat around the table. When we approached that type of rider in the past, it was almost automatic yes. Now, after a good conversation, they sign for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Without any reproach towards them. They played it correctly.”
“So we missed a few ‘targets’, but with Pascal Eenkhoorn, Dries Van Gestel and Ethan Hayter, the spring team for next year has been strengthened. To be clear: Jurgen nor I assume that they will beat Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders, but it certainly gives us more midfield”, says Lefevere.
Lefevere then says that in addition to Julian Alaphilippe and Jan Hirt, Kasper Asgreen and Fausto Masnada will also be leaving the team. There were already some rumours that the two riders were leaving, but nothing had been confirmed yet. “I spoke to Kasper in Lisbon at the start of the Vuelta. I put my opinion on the table: for me, the performances were no longer in proportion to the salary. He was prepared to make concessions, but we did not reach an agreement. Julian and Kasper are riders you say goodbye to with a heavy heart.”
“With other riders, it is a very businesslike no-brainer. In that category is Fausto Masnada, who we have had very little pleasure from. That had a lot to do with injuries, but also with his headstrong racing behaviour. In Lombardy 2021 he was really good, but he ignored Davide Bramati’s instructions by riding with Tadej Pogačar.”
“Jan Hirt is also leaving the team and I think that’s a shame. Of course, he has every right to cash in his eighth place in the Giro with Israel-Premier Tech, but his explanation was strange. ‘I want to stay, but my agent sees it differently.’ Well, I thought it was the riders who decided their own future,” Lefevere is critical. Finally, he indicates that Gianni Moscon will most likely sign a new contract. The experienced Italian is in principle the last rider who will sign a contract with Soudal Quick-Step for 2025.
Lefevere nearly has his 2025 team ready:
Ben O’Connor Deletes his X (Twitter) Account after Criticism of Race Jury Decision
The decision of the race jury of the Vuelta a España to punish four Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale riders with a yellow card for blocking the road, didn’t go down well with the team leader of the French team, Ben O’Connor, who clearly did not agree with the punishment and addressed the UCI via several critical tweets on X. These tweets have since been removed. The X account of the then leader of the Vuelta a España has gone. The Australian wrote on X: “What dangerous action did my teammates deserve the yellow card for?”
“We blocked the road as in every race after the breakaway. The yellow card should be applied in the event of dangerous racing behaviour. For example, if we are riding at the front of the peloton and a rider passes in the gravel. Are you not creating danger, UCI?”
What exactly happened in the 11th stage of the Tour of Spain was that the riders of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, race leader Ben O’Connor’s team, had had enough of the battle for the early break of the day with 92 kilometres to go. The French team put the block on the peloton, as is often done, but they did so very aggressively.
The Decathlon AG2R riders tried to block the path for new attackers, but when Richard Carapaz wanted to squeeze past, an AG2R rider tried to prevent him. The former Olympic champion crashed. Jonathan Vaughters, the team manager of EF Education-EasyPost, Carapaz’s team, spoke out against the incident afterwards on X (Twitter). “Well, that was very mean,” was the initial response. Twenty minutes later he was more aggressive: “Accidents happen in racing, we all know that. It is a tough sport. But this was no accident.”
The jury apparently agreed with Vaughters, because afterwards the riders Victor Lafay, Bruno Armirail and Geoffrey Bouchard as well as DS Cyril Dessel, all received a yellow card. For Lafay there was also a deduction of 1 point in the mountain classification, 6 points in the mountain classification, 10 penalty seconds in the general classification and a fine of 500 Swiss francs. For Dessel the fine was increased to 1000 Swiss francs. According to the jury report, the reason for the penalty was ‘the obstruction by a rider, to prevent or delay the movement of another rider or vehicle’, which clearly referred to this incident.
A day after the collision between Richard Carapaz and Geoffrey Bouchard, the Ecuadorian is still very upset by the actions of the French team. In the eyes of the EF Education-EasyPost leader, Bouchard’s team was responsible for the crash. However, it was mainly the reaction afterwards that really bothered Carapaz.
Before the twelfth stage, Richard Carapaz was asked in an interview about who was to blame for the incident during the eleventh stage. “In the end, it was very clearly their fault,” said the Ecuadorian, who believes the blockade of the French team was illegal. “There are many ways to defend a jersey, but the way they do it I find very sad. There is a lack of respect. I can’t judge it, everyone does what they do.”
Carapaz is not happy: “Nothing happened, and that is the worst,” he continues. “We are waiting for that to happen. If you make a mistake, you should at least talk about it and say you are sorry. It was not intentional. There is a lot of arrogance, because I have not heard anything from them.”
Ultimately, Carapaz lost 15 seconds on his closest competitors Primoz Roglič and Enric Mas on Wednesday. Although Carapaz reported no damage as a result of the incident. “Physically, there is nothing, but respect is lost in the peloton. That is a trend that cannot continue.”
Carapaz no pleased with O’Connor’s team:
Soudal Quick-Step Signs Dries Van Gestel
The Belgian is set to reinforce our team’s Classics department
Dries Van Gestel will sport the Soudal Quick-Step jersey in the next two seasons, after the 29-year-old from Turnhout has signed an agreement until the end of 2026.
A rider made for the demanding one-day races, Dries has built himself a nice palmarès in the past couple of years, which includes a solo victory in Ronde van Drenthe, an impressive podium finish at Gent-Wevelgem, as well as top ten results in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Scheldeprijs, Paris-Tours, Brussels-Cycling Classic and the National Championships. By joining our team at the start of next year, he will make a well-deserved step to the World Tour, after nine seasons as a pro.
“I’m really happy to sign for Soudal Quick-Step. Ever since I was young, this team was one of those who were excelling in the Classics, with riders like Tom Boonen, who wrote history in this jersey. I think it’s the dream of every young Belgian rider to compete for such a successful team like Soudal Quick-Step. I am hoping to be part of a winning squad in the biggest races. If I take the victory, great! If I help my teammate to win, even better. I can’t wait for next year”, an enthused Dries Van Gestel said.
“We are aware of Dries’ quality, fighting spirit and determination. He is the kind of rider who never gives up and always gives his all in a race, and this mentality is a perfect match to that of our team. We are delighted that he will be a member of the Wolfpack from next year and we are confident we can do some beautiful things together”, added Soudal Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere.
Dries Van Gestel to Soudal Quick-Step:
Diego Ulissi Signs with Astana Qazaqstan
Italian rider Diego Ulissi has signed a two-year contract with the WorldTour team Astana Qazaqstan Team, where he will race during the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Diego Ulissi (35) is one of the strongest one-day riders in the professional peloton, capable of excelling in races of nearly any level of difficulty. Additionally, Ulissi is traditionally strong in smaller stage races. Among the major achievements in his highly successful professional career are the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (2017), Milano-Torino, Giro dell’Emilia (2013), GP Industria & Artigianato (2022), overall victories in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (2017), Tour of Slovenia (2011, 2019), Tour de Luxembourg (2020), and many others. Diego Ulissi has also won 8 stages of the Giro d’Italia between 2011 and 2020.
In 2024, Diego Ulissi is having another successful season. The Italian rider has claimed a stage win and third place overall at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, a stage win and overall victory at the Tour of Austria, second place overall at both the Tour de Pologne and the Czech Tour, third place at the Giro dell’Appennino, and fourth place overall at the Tour of Oman and Tour de Hongrie.
“I am truly excited to become a part of the Astana project next year; this is a team with an impressive history. It’s an honour for me to join this team. Over the years, I’ve been able to achieve good results, and of course, in the new season with Astana Qazaqstan Team, I’d like to continue winning and competing for top places. I believe that together with the team, we can achieve great things. I’m familiar with many of the riders and staff, so I expect the transition to go smoothly. All that remains is to keep working 100%, set new goals, and strive for success”, said Diego Ulissi.
“Diego needs no introduction – he is one of the most successful and consistent riders in the peloton. As far as I know, since 2010, Ulissi has never finished a season without at least one victory – this is an incredible achievement. We can see that 2024 is shaping up to be another successful year for him, with strong results in both one-day races and week-long stage races. This is exactly what our team needs. I am confident that Diego will strengthen Astana Qazaqstan Team, becoming a leader in many races, while also being able to support his teammates when needed”, said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team.
Diego Ulissi to Astana Qazaqstan:
Israel – Premier Tech Welcomes Jan Hirt from 2025
Jan Hirt is set to strength Israel – Premier Tech’s roster from 2025 having signed a two-year deal to start the next chapter in his career.
The 33-year-old brings a wealth of experience from his ten-year career and will be an asset to IPT’s Grand Tour and stage race teams says General Manager Kjell Carlström.
“Jan Hirt is a great addition to Israel – Premier Tech,” says Carlström. “He is the kind of rider who works selflessly for his teammates but also takes on a leadership role when given the opportunity. His second overall at the this year’s Tour of Oman and eighth place at the Giro d’Italia are a testament to that. We are looking forward to giving him more opportunities when he joins us next year, especially when it comes to the Grand Tours and stage races. Jan will also be a great mentor to the up-and-coming riders in the team.”
Hirt’s palmarès includes a stage win and sixth overall at the Giro d’Italia and a stage and the overall victory at the Tour of Oman in 2022, clearly two races that suit the Czech rider.
Having raced for multiple teams throughout is career, Hirt is excited to be part of Israel – Premier Tech’s growth in the years to come.
“I see how Israel – Premier Tech is getting better every year and I believe in the future of the team,” explains Hirt. “I’m really glad to be a part of it for the next two years. I would like to support the team in difficult stage races where I can apply my previous experience. My main goal will be to strengthen the team in the Grand Tours so I’m looking forward to the next chapter with IPT.”
IPT owner Sylvan Adams is looking forward to seeing Hirt in the team’s colours over the next two seasons. “I am delighted to welcome Jan Hirt to IPT,” added Adams. “Jan is a talented and versatile rider that brings depth and experience to our team. Jan will race classics, one week stage races, and Grand Tours, where he can contend for stage victories and high GC placements, like he did in this year’s Giro d’Italia. Adding a strong rider like Jan will surely make us a better squad next year.”
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team Welcomes Sjoerd Bax
We are thrilled to announce that Sjoerd Bax, one of the rising talents in professional cycling, will join the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on a two-year deal beginning in 2025. Bax brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of results that will undoubtedly strengthen our squad.
The 28-year-old Dutch rider has made a significant impact in the peloton, with standout performances including his impressive victory at the 2022 Coppa Agostoni, where he showcased his powerful finishing sprint. Currently in his third season as a pro and racing for UAE Team Emirates, Bax has cemented his reputation as a versatile all-rounder with a strong flair for the hard Classics, namely Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia, and Ronde Van Vlaanderen, where he provided valuable support to his leaders. In joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Sjoerd is looking to take a step up and target personal glory: “I’m really happy to join the team! For me, it looks like a really interesting project and the perfect team to take the next step in my career. In the last two years, I worked diligently for UAE Team Emirates in support of teammates, and instead of chasing the breakaway, I now want to be in the breakaway myself or be in the final myself. I’ve won some races in the past, and I want to have this feeling back because it’s the best there is. I want to be in the finals and fight for the win again and to just have fun on the bike,” said Sjoerd Bax.
Sjoerd Bax’s ability to excel in one-day races, combined with his growing proficiency in stage races, makes him a perfect fit for our team’s ambitions. “I would describe myself as an all-rounder. I’m good in the little hills, not the real climbs as I’m too big for that. I also have quite a decent sprint, so in essence, I can survive some hills with the climbers and then out-sprint them. I would say those are my main qualities. I would also like to focus on time trials which, in theory, would allow me to ride a good GC. My main goals for next year are to focus on the hard, undulating races, some short stage races where I can maybe compete for the win, and then I’m also committed to helping my teammates in longer races, where, if there is an opportunity, I could also target a result from the breakaway,” concluded Sjoerd.
As the first Dutch rider to join Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Bax’s arrival marks a significant milestone for our squad. His WorldTour experience and versatility will be invaluable as we continue to build a competitive team capable of achieving top results across various terrains and disciplines.
“We’re delighted to welcome Sjoerd Bax to our team for the upcoming season! As a versatile all-rounder, he excels across all terrains and is capable of achieving top results in both challenging classics and stage races. Sjoerd is our first Dutch rider, bringing with him invaluable WorldTour experience. We’re excited about the success we can achieve together over the next two years,” said Doug Ryder, General Manager of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
Sjoerd Bax is the first new signing announcement for the 2025 Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team squad in what will be our third season as a Swiss-registered team.
Bax to Q36.5:
Marco Frigo Signs Two-Year Extension with Israel – Premier Tech
Marco Frigo is set to stay with Israel – Premier Tech through to 2026 having signed a two-year contract extension which will see the Italian hit the five-year mark with IPT.
The 24-year-old is currently racing the Vuelta a España where he has showed the determination and talent that captured IPT’s interest from 2022 when Frigo made his debut with the IPT Academy before turning pro one year later.
Now, three years later, Frigo didn’t hesitate when it came to making a decision about his future.
“It was really an easy decision to stay with my IPT family,” explains Frigo. “The way I’ve seen the team and myself grow the last few years made it an obvious choice. Last year, I think we started a new chapter with the team and I’m really proud to be part of that. We’ve got a great environment here with all the riders and the staff creating a very special atmosphere.”
“This is only my second year as a pro and, of course, I still want to grow. I’ve already learned a lot since last year and now I want to be more consistent in my performances; to help my teammates and to go for my own results. I just really want to be a strong factor in the success of the team and be one of the riders who can help this team become one of the best in the world.”
Whether it’s Frigo’s tenacity in breakaways or stopping on the roadside for a taste of grappa with his family as he did at the Giro d’Italia last year, it’s no surprise Frigo has won many fans both in the cycling world and within IPT.
“Marco Frigo is one of our most exciting up-and-coming riders,” says IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström. “Having started with our Academy in 2022, Frigo has quickly proved what a talented bike rider he is. From the Giro d’Italia last year, where he narrowly missed a stage win on multiple occasions, to his performance at this year’s Vuelta a Espana, where he animated the breakaway on stage 6 and finished in second place, Frigo is knocking on the door of a big win. Marco has an unbelievable engine, which we saw on stage 11 when he basically singlehandedly rode at the front of the breakaway for the whole day. It’s only a matter of time before he puts his hands in the air.”
Arguably the MVP of the Vuelta a España stage 11 breakaway, having ridden himself inside out to help the breakaway stay away in support of teammate George Bennett, Frigo is the ultimate team player, as highlighted by IPT owner Sylvan Adams.
“I’m pleased to have renewed Marco’s contract with IPT,” adds Adams. “Marco is a strong rider, who has proven to be a breakaway specialist, and I’m sure we’ll see good results from him in the future. Marco is also an exceptional teammate, as he’s shown at this year’s Vuelta and last year’s Giro, working selflessly for team goals. Marco is a bright young man, and a delightful spirit on the team. His future looks bright.”
Marco Frigo to Israel-Premier Tech:
CANYON//SRAM Racing Announce Contract Extensions for Two Standout Riders
CANYON//SRAM Racing is excited to announce the contract extension of two standout riders, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka and Maike van der Duin, for another two years. The two riders have demonstrated remarkable growth and exceptional race instincts, solidifying their places as integral team members. The team is thrilled they have signed through to the end of 2026.
Maike van der Duin has quickly made her mark within CANYON//SRAM Racing, thanks to her impressive progress in her first two years with the team. From her debut, Van der Duin has felt a strong sense of belonging, describing the team as her “second family” and appreciating the unwavering trust and support she’s received. “With all the trust and support in good and bad times the team gave me, I didn’t have to think long to extend my contract,” Van der Duin says.
“With the best equipment and our performance and sport directors, I made big steps in my first year with CANYON//SRAM Racing. That support continued during a challenging season this year. I’m looking forward and excited for the coming years and to continue my development to be the best possible rider.”
One of her standout moments was securing a podium finish at the classic Gent-Wevelgem, a performance that confirmed she was in the right place to continue her development. “With the trust the team gave me from the beginning and getting a World Tour podium in the first three months after joining the team, I immediately knew I was in the right place.”
As she looks ahead to the upcoming seasons, Van der Duin is focused on playing a key role during the spring campaign, particularly in sprint finishes and stage races. “The team is so strong that we have more cards to play,” she says, excited to contribute to even greater successes in the coming years. “I want to be one of the best riders during the spring campaign by having an important role during the sprint finishes. I also aim to be a supportive teammate for our leaders during stage races.”
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka extends for two more seasons
Reflecting on her decision to stay with the team, Skalniak-Sójka emphasised the team’s positive environment and strong support system. “First of all, I feel very comfortable in the team. We have a great atmosphere, everyone is nice and helpful, and we have a good rapport on and off the bike. Everyone believes in success, and I think that’s one of the most important factors,” she shared.
Since joining the team in 2023, Skalniak-Sójka has added a win in the sprint classification at UAE Tour Women, seventh in the 2023 UCI ITT World Championships, and twelfth at the Paris Olympic Games ITT to her palmarès, as well as being an integral part of many of the team’s successes.
Looking ahead, Skalniak-Sójka has her sights on even greater achievements, particularly in key stage races. “My small dream is to stand on the podium of one of the stages of the Giro or the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift,” she said. “There are a lot of changes coming up. I want to work through the winter very well so that the beginning of the season goes as well as possible.”
“I had already signed the contract extension earlier, but this year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was the standout race where I saw all the commitment of the team and a huge belief in success. This belief motivates us to work beyond our limits,” Skalniak-Sójka remarked.
Contract extensions for Skalniak-Sójka and Van der Duin reinforce their commitment to the team and promise an exciting future filled with continued growth and achievements. CANYON//SRAM Racing is confident that their talent, instinct, and determination will lead to more exciting results in the world’s most prestigious races and is thrilled to have both riders on board for another two years.
Two more years for Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka:
British Talent Robert Donaldson to Step Up into the WorldTour Peloton with Team Jayco AlUla in 2025
British talent Robert Donaldson will make his debut in the UCI WorldTour peloton next season having signed a two-year contract with Team Jayco AlUla after showing great potential over the past few seasons at U23 level.
The performance staff have been closely following the 22-year-old and his impressive second place finish in the U23 Paris-Roubaix earlier this year confirmed to the team his great pedigree and strength, particularly in the one-day classic style races.
As for all young riders, it is a steep learning curve making the transition into the elite WorldTour peloton and Team Jayco AlUla management believe that the team’s top support network will provide the Briton with the right tools and environment to grow and reach his full potential in the coming years.
U23 national champion Donaldson is the second British rider to be added to the team’s 2025 roster following the announcement of 28-year-old Paul Double earlier in August.
Robert Donaldson: “I am super happy to be joining such a strong WorldTour team. I am looking forward to stepping up as a professional rider as I feel that I am ready for it. I am grateful to have four years of U23 racing and experience and having been supported by one of the best development teams over the past two seasons. I look forward to meeting the whole team, getting stuck into racing and learning the craft from so many experienced riders.”
Brent Copeland – General Manager: “We have been following Donaldson’s progress closely and he is a rider with a lot of potential and talent. We are thrilled that he will be joining us next season and with our elite performance group, we believe we can help nurture Donaldson and enable him to reach his full potential. Within the team roster for 2025 we still have a lot of older experienced riders, and everybody will play an important role in Donaldson’s and other younger rider’s progression, teaching the ins and outs of the pro peloton. We are very intrigued to see what he can achieve in the coming years.”
Robert Donaldson
New Contract: 2025 & 2026
Nationality: British
Age: 22
Key Results:
1st Orlen Nations GP – Stage (2023)
1st U23 British Road Race Champion (2024)
2nd Paris Roubaix Espoirs (2024)
4th GC Tour d’Eure-et-Loir (2022)
6th Elite British Road Race Champion (2024).
Robert Donaldson to Jayco AlUla in 2025:
ITV4 to Screen Live Coverage of Every Stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men this September
All the action from this year’s Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men will once again be broadcast live on ITV4, with flag-to-flag coverage of all six stages of Britain’s national tour for the seventh consecutive year.
Joining presenter Matt Barbet will be ITV’s commentary duo of Ned Boulting and David Millar, as ITV4 broadcasts live coverage of the UK’s biggest professional cycle race for the 12th year, and the 16th edition in total that has been televised by the channel.
Coverage gets underway with stage one in Kelso and the Scottish Borders on Tuesday 3 September, going live at 10:15, with the likes of double Olympic gold medallist Remco Evenepoel, double world road race champion Julian Alaphilippe (both Soudal Quick-Step) and Olympic mountain biking star Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) all confirmed to participate.
In addition to the free-to-air live coverage on ITV4, viewers will also be able to catch a one-hour highlights programme each evening on the same channel, with live coverage and highlights also available on demand via ITVX.
Commenting on the news, Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said; “Bringing the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men to as many people as possible whether at the roadside or at home on television, is of huge importance to us. We’re delighted to once again have full live free to air coverage of every stage, and with the riders announced so far we know it will be one to remember so fans can look forward to six exciting days of action.”
International viewers will be able to enjoy the live coverage free via the British Cycling YouTube channel (YouTube.com/BritishCycling) with no geo-restrictions.
Further details of the international broadcast distribution for the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men will be published ahead of the start of the race on 3 September.
The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men begins in the Scottish Borders on Tuesday 3 September followed by stages in the Tees Valley, South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and West Northamptonshire, before concluding in Suffolk on Sunday 8 September after six stages of action-packed racing.
Fans wanting to see the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe, and Tom Pidcock in action firsthand at the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men can now book and enjoy a range of premium hospitality opportunities and experiences, available via Sportive Breaks here.
Tour of Britain on TV:
21-Year-Old Italian Talent Dies Suddenly
Simone Roganti, 21, died on Friday evening. The young Italian was a promising rider, who was competing in his third season at Continental level for the Mg.K Vis – Colors for Peace team.
According to Tuttobiciweb, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Pescara has opened a file to investigate the death of Simone Roganti. The public prosecutor, Luca Sciarretta, has ordered an autopsy of the rider to determine the cause of death. At around 10:30 p.m., Roganti’s heart stopped at his home in Spoltore, a ‘sudden death’.
The young Italian was in his third season at continental level, mainly on Italian roads. The previous two seasons he competed for D’Amico-UM Tools. Roganti was also enjoying the best season of his career. He finished seventh in the Italian U23 championships and tenth in the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta-Mont Blanc (2.2U), won by Jarno Widar.
Riposa in pace, Simone Roganti:
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