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Friday, May 3, 2024
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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia
We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. - Epictetus
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Upcoming racing:
- May 4: GP du Morbihan
- May 4 - 26: Giro d'Italia
- May 5: Tro-Bro Léon
Latest completed racing:
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 21 - 28: Tour of Turkey
- April 23 - 28: Tour de Romandie
- April 26 - 28: Vuelta Asturias
- April 21: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 15 - 19: Tour of the Alps
- April 17: La Flèche Wallone
Here’s the update from Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates:
As UAE Team Emirates gear up for the 107th edition of the Giro d’Italia, the cycling world is filled with excitement, anticipation, and expectation. Known for its ferocious hills and breathtaking scenery, this iconic race promises to push riders to their limits and beyond. Against the backdrop of Italy’s stunning landscapes, talisman Tadej Pogacar enters the race as the red-hot favourite. Fresh off the back of his dominant win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Pogacar is currently riding the crest of an immortal cycling wave that shows no sign of breaking, as the eyes of the world descend upon the start line in Venaria Reale on Saturday May 4th.
Pogacar is no stranger to the demands of Grand Tour glory having already secured two Tour de France victories in 2020 and 2021. Over the last few years, he has truly cemented himself as the single dominant force in professional cycling and is ready to add the ever-famed Giro d’Italia to his palmarès. Producing another Grand Tour victory would further cement Pogacar’s legacy as one of cycling’s all-time greats, if not making him the greatest of all time.
Tadej Pogacar riding the final stage of the 2021 Tour de France in Yellow. Sirotti photo
Unlike in Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, this will be no solo domination by Pogacar for the entire three weeks. The Slovenians efforts will be bolstered by an impressive UAE Team Emirates line-up, with every member playing a pivotal role in his quest to secure the Maglia Rosa. Trusted domestiques Domen Novak and Rafal Majka will be by his side in the mountains, with Vegard Laengen, Mikkel Bjerg and Felix Grossschartner prepared to tirelessly contribute to the team’s efforts from the front of the peloton. Rui Olivera will assume the role of lead-out man for seasoned sprinter Sebastian Molano, aiming to secure victory in one of the six sprint stages.
Tadej Pogacar: “Stepping onto the grand stage of the Giro d’Italia for the first time fills me with a lot of pride. The route is filled with breathtaking challenges, but I have a formidable team by my side. I’m ready to embrace all the twists and turns that Grand Tour racing brings. The route itself is one that should suit me and the team, but this is World Tour Cycling, and anything can happen. We’ll be taking it day-by-day, stage-by-stage, ensuring we give ourselves the very best chance of success. It’s truly an honor to debut in this legendary race.”
UAE Team Emirates will face strong competition in the general classification from several different teams and riders. Among them is Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner and 2023 Giro d’Italia runner up, who brings a wealth of experience to the table as he aims to go one better than last year. French veteran Romain Bardet poses another significant threat, known for his strength in the mountains and consistency in Grand Tour Racing. Emerging talent Cian Uijtdebroeks, of team Jumbo Visma-Lease a Bike, will pose a stern test to the rest of the GC after an impressive start to the 2024 season. Looking to build on a fine 8th place finish in 2023 when riding for Bora-Hansgrohe, the talented Belgian will be spearheading the charge for Jumbo Visma in the absence of Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert.
Each stage will offer its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. The Giro promises a grueling 3320 kilometers of racing, incorporating 5 mountain stages, 8 hilly stages, 6 sprint stages and 2 Individual Time Trials.
Pogacar will have his first serious test on stage 2, with a favoured 11km uphill sprint finish awaiting the Slovenian and the rest of the pack, tackling gradient’s peaking at 13% atop the Santuario Di Oropa. Pogacar will seek to draw inspiration from his Strade Bianche heroics during the gravel sections across stage 6, a new addition to the route for 2024. Another uphill sprint finish awaits the peloton, with Pogacar looking to distance his GC rivals by the culmination of week 1.
In what promises to be one of the most exciting Grand Tour seasons in living memory, Tadej Pogacar will be looking to lay down an early marker as he pursues glory in the eternal city of Rome, further etching his name into the annals of cycling greatness.
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Here’s the post from Kooij’s team:
On Saturday, the Giro d'Italia starts in Turin. At team Visma | Lease a Bike, Olav Kooij will make his debut in a grand tour. The sprinter from the own development team has had an excellent spring and has already won four times this season. Kooij's goal is clear: "giving it a hundred percent for a stage win".
Olav Kooij wins 2024 Paris-Nice stage five. Sirotti photo
In recent weeks, the Dutchman has been preparing for the Giro near the Spanish town of Denia, together with teammates Affini, Uijtdebroeks and Laporte. "So far, everything is going well. I took a rest after the spring classics and then slowly built back up towards the Giro. That has definitely helped me," said Kooij.
This Tour of Italy offers not only chances for climbers, but also opportunities for sprinters. "I see around six to seven chances for myself. If I look very optimistically maybe even eight," Kooij says. A nice number that besides the Dutchman has enticed many other top sprinters to start in Italy. "It is a very nice and strong field of participants. It won't be easy, but I believe I can beat them. My stage victory in the UAE Tour is a nice proof of that," Kooij explains.
The rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike will have to sprint without Wout van Aert, who crashed in Dwars door Vlaanderen a month ago. Van Aert would have acted as Kooij's last man in the flat sprints and gone his own way in the trickier stages. "It is of course incredibly frustrating that he cannot be there. Both for him, for me and the team. We were looking forward to this moment and had made a goal out of this Giro. But is is what it is," said the Dutchman.
The Belgian will be replaced in the Giro selection by Christophe Laporte. A rider who can also handle the lead-out role superbly. "Christophe is an experienced rider who knows what to do. Someone you can absolutely count on. We have already achieved great results together," Kooij is positive.
Kooij has been part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike since 2020. The young Dutchman joined the Development team in 2020 and one year later already transitioned to the WorldTour team. The opportunity to make his grand tour debut in this Giro at the age of 22 makes Kooij happy and proud. "Great that I can start at the Giro with this team. I have always felt very good here and together we have already shown some great things. Year after year, I can take big steps here in all aspects of the sport. I knew this year's Giro would be my first grand tour and I am looking forward to it immensely," the sprinter gloats.
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Here’s the team’s news:
In Italy, a pink cycling jersey is reserved for one person only during the months of May and July: the leader of the Giro d’Italia.
Our 2024 Giro changeout kit is a homage to Italian bike racing culture. We have traded bright pink for a classy black strip with yellow and pink emblems that celebrate the nation that is home to these beautiful, brutal races. Up the Dolomites, the Apennines, and Alps, and across the fertile countryside of the Italian peninsula, we’re going to attack this Giro with style and grinta. Watch out for our 2024 Giro changeout kit off the front of the peloton.
EF Education-EasyPosts's Giro kit
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Here’s the post from Zabel’s Team Israel-Premier Tech:
After 13 years as a pro, the last four and a half spent with Israel – Premier Tech, Zabel has called time on his career to concentrate on other challenges and spend more time with his family. Paris – Roubaix was his last race with IPT, where he was met in the Roubaix velodrome by his wife Leonie and sons Oscar and Fritz. He will bid farewell to road cycling at Rund Um Köln, in his hometown of Cologne, with the German National Team.
Rick Zabel before the start of the 2023 Bemer Cyclassics. Sirotti photo
“After 13 years as an active professional cyclist, this journey ends this year,” Zabel explains. “On May 26, at Rund Um Köln, I will ride my last race as a professional cyclist. It was an incredibly cool time. I’m proud of my career, happy for all the things I was able to experience, the people I was able to meet. I can’t wait to put on my jersey and bib shorts one last time and truly race a bike in my home race around Cologne. And after that, a new life begins for me which I am also excited about.
“For me, it’s time to move on. I am happy with my decision and I’m looking forward to all the new adventures and challenges that are yet to come. Of course, I also hope that I will remain a part of the cycling family in other roles and capacities. It was an amazing time. Thank you all. Yours, Rick.”
Having sat down with IPT management following Paris – Roubaix to discuss his next steps, Zabel and the team mutually agreed to end his contract prematurely. “Rick can be proud of all he has achieved in his long career,” added IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström. “Rick has been able to end his career on his own terms and I have no doubt he will thrive in his next chapter. I want to thank Rick for being an integral part of the team over the last four and a half years, both in his role as a teammate and the fun he brought to the team. Thank you, Rick.”
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