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Friday, January 31, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. - William James
Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- January 28 - February 1: AlUla Tour
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
Upcoming racing:
- February 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
- February 5 - 9 Etoile de Bessèges/Tour du Gard
Latest completed racing:
- January 30: Surf Coast Classic
- January 17 - 26: Tour Down Under
- January 26: Classica Comunitat a Valenciana 1969
- January 25: Ruta de la Cerámica - Gran Premio Castellón
- January 3: X20 Trofee Koksijde-Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Cross
- January 1: GP Sven Nys Cross
- December 30: Diegem Cyclocross
- December 26: Gavere Cyclocross
We posted the report from winner Tobias Lund Andresen's Team Picnic-PostNL with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Sam Welsford's Team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe:
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe put in a strong showing at the Surf Coast Classic, with Sam Welsford securing a hard-fought second place in the fast and challenging sprint finish. The 157km one-day race from Lorne to Torquay saw relentless attacking and crosswinds that tested the peloton, but the team worked hard to ensure Welsford was in prime position for the final showdown. Despite the demanding day, Welsford showed his strength as one of the top sprinters in the race, coming agonisingly close to victory in the final metres.
The decisive moment came after a left-hand turn into the final kilometre, where Welsford was placed near the front of the pack. With the sprint opening up early, he timed his effort to perfection, launching a powerful acceleration toward the line. However, Tobias Lund Andresen managed to edge past in the final meters, taking the win by the narrowest of margins. Welsford’s second-place finish reinforces his excellent early-season form and the team’s strong presence in the Australian summer races.
The podium, from left: Sam Welsford (2nd), Tobias Lund Andresen (1st) & Tim Torn Teutenberg (3rd).
With the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race up next, Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe heads into the weekend with confidence and momentum, determined to build on this strong performance.
Here's the Surf Coast Classic report from third -place Tim Torn Teutenberg's Team Lidl-Trek:
With no live TV coverage, and minimal updates on the race, we thought who better to explain how the race unfolded than Tim Torn Teutenberg himself:
“From the start, on the long climb we were already full gas, a lot of jumping. I think a lot of teams today wanted a fast and hard race, so it took quite a long time – one and a half hours I think – until the big group went. For a moment everybody settled down and then they went. From there on I was chasing the whole day. I think most of the sprinters were in the second part of the group and trying to get back, especially Bora, Cofidis and Astana were chasing a lot. A couple of minutes after we caught the big group, echelons started and everything split up again. I was there with the first 10 guys and it was good, but Bora brought everything back together. In the last 5-10km there was still a lot of attacking so I still wasn’t sure if it would come down to a sprint. There were a lot of teams who didn’t want a sprint today.
“There was still attacking in the final, it was pretty hectic, and in the final it was Bora again who set the leadout up and did a pretty good job. I had to go pretty early, I think with 300 [meters] to go because once Sam [Welsford, 2nd place] starts to sprint I think there’s no chance. I tried to be ahead of him, it was a bit too early and I did a leadout for Tobias [Lund Andresen, 1st place], but yeah I think it was quite good.”
The sprint, won by Tobias Lund Andresen.
Tim was determined to secure his first podium, despite only being one month into his career as a professional cyclist. After two fourth-place finishes in the Tour Down Under sprints, the German sprinter was all the more hungry to claim a coveted top-three finish, and knew it was within reach. “I hoped for a podium already last week, so I’m really happy to finally have it. It’s a really good start as a pro rider. It’s nice to stand on the podium and not be fourth,” he said with a smile.
Tim’s budding pro career is off to an extremely promising start. Not only does he have the ability and the smarts, but most importantly, he’s enjoying himself at the same time.
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Here's the Surf Coast Classic report from 11th-place Antoine Huby's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The Surf Coast Classic got off to a furious start, as many riders tried to jump from the peloton in the hilly first part of the 157km race and put some daylight between them and the chasers. One of these was Casper Pedersen – the most combative rider on the final stage of the Tour Down Under – but despite his best efforts, the bunch quickly came back and kept things together.
More accelerations soon followed, all of which were nullified until a large group – featuring three Soudal Quick-Step riders – finally managed to snap the elastic and take their advantage to one minute. The pace remained high, as both the escapees and the peloton travelled at more than 47km/h, and the catch was eventually made inside 50 kilometers to go. Things didn’t stop there, and more breakaway attempts soon came from those keen on not having a bunch sprint at the end of the day.
The Surf Coast Classic gets started.
Crosswinds split the peloton into three groups, making for an insane final 20 kilometers. Italian neo-pro Andrea Raccagni immediately booked a place in the main group, containing a total of nine riders, but behind them the peloton chased hard and managed to erase a 20-second deficit, reeling them in ten kilometers from home.
Another group went clear, but the field managed to control also this gap and to absorb the breakaway not far from the line, and the race came down to a bunch sprint, won by Tobias Lund (Team Picnic PostNL). Having been involved in many of the day’s main moves, Antoine Huby still had enough left to produce a strong turn of legs at the finish against many pure sprinters, rolling over the line just outside the top ten – an encouraging result ahead of Sunday’s Cadel Evans Road Race.
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And here's the Surf Coast Classic report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
Four days after the Tour Down Under, and three before the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, the Australian campaign brought the riders to the Surf Coast Classic this Thursday, in the State of Victoria. After a livelier race than expected, a sprint still concluded the day and Tobias Lund Andresen grabbed victory. Matt Walls couldn’t make it into the top 10 and took thirteenth, just ahead of his teammate Quentin Pacher. Next stop: Geelong, on Sunday, to conclude this trip Down Under.
After a transfer from Adelaide to Melbourne, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team opened its second week of racing in Australia with the Surf Coast Classic, between Lorne and Torquay, two coastal towns. However, the 157-kilometre course barely followed the coastline and even began with a ten-kilometre climb averaging 4%. “There was a small peloton of only 94 riders at the start this morning,” Jussi Veikkanen explained. “Usually, this race suits the sprinters, but several teams today did not have any. This gave everyone other ideas, and that was quickly confirmed. There was a big fight from the start, and almost until kilometre sixty”.
The Surf Coast Classic's profile.
No breakaway was able to establish in the first hour of racing, and a small hill eventually made the peloton explode. “A group of forty got away,” Jussi reported. “We had Quentin and Rémy at the front, which was a good thing, but all the main sprinters were caught in the back. Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe chased with Cofidis for almost sixty kilometres and the gap was never more than a minute. It was an intense race! The average speed was almost 50 km/h after two hours of racing.”
Eventually, with a bit more than thirty kilometres to go, everything came back together. It lasted just a few moments though since new attacks broke out in the final. “We saw in particular an attempt with several riders from Ineos Grenadiers and we had Sven in this group”, added Jussi. “The boys were really active. When this group was caught, a trio went away with Rémy, but they were reeled in four kilometres from the finish”. Despite the continuous attacks, a bunch sprint still decided the winner after some three hours of racing. Tobias Lund Andresen claimed victory.
“It seems that Lewis positioned Matt on the Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe’s lead-out train, but Matt didn’t have the legs to finish it off today,” commented Jussi. The Briton then took thirteenth place, while Quentin Pacher took fourteenth. “The positive thing is that Sunday’s crash left no after-effects for Rémy and Lewis, which is good,” concluded Jussi. “As it has been since the beginning of the trip, the group is in good shape, we just need to get THAT result. After paying the effects of his flu on the Tour Down Under, Quentin is getting better and better and that’s a good sign. Rémy is still in the mix and Sunday’s course suits several of our riders. We’ll have to take advantage of it to try to have numbers in the final”.
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We posted the report from stage winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Dylan Groenewegen's Team Jayco-AlUla:
Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to a strong second place despite a slow puncture and echelons on stage three of the AlUla Tour.
The day always looked set for a bunch sprint finish, but crosswinds inside the final 30km wreaked havoc on the peloton and split it to pieces.
Team Jayco AlUla had numbers in the front group as they amassed around Groenewegen ahead of the anticipated fast finish. As the pack raced into town, the squad positioned themselves well through the technical run-in, guiding their sprinter onto the wheel of stage one winner Tim Merlier.
The duo then went head-to-head out of the final corner, with Groenewegen unable to overhaul his rival with the 31-year-old hampered by a slow puncture in the finale.
Tim Merlier wins the third stage.
Dylan Groenewegen:
“I was on the limit but in the roundabout, I could feel that my front wheel was slipping a bit and I saw that the tyre was flat. That’s also a part of cycling. It’s a bit annoying but I think that everything else we did really well and the only problem was with the front tyre. It is what it is but we have one more chance so it keeps the motivation high. We have the GC left and then one more sprint stage. It’s coming closer and next time hopefully we have no bad luck and we can get the win.”
And here's the AlUla Tour stage three report from third-place Sebastian Molano's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Sebastian Molano continued his consistent start to the year with a solid 3rd place on stage 3 of the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia today.
Molano fought for the wheel of Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) inside the final 500m but a gap was opened on the last corner and Merlier moved away to victory ahead of Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), while Molano had to settle for 3rd.
The stage was held under gusty conditions which provoked echelons and saw a peloton of just 40 riders arrive on the trek from Hegra to Tayma Fort (180.6km).
Another shot of the stage finish.
Molano: “It was a hard and fast day with a lot of wind which caused big splits. Myself and Ivo (Oliveira) were attentive and managed to stay in the first group and fight for the sprint.
It was a technical finish with a lot of speed bumps and rough surface which made it quite hectic. A wheel was lost in front of me on the last bend which made it very hard to close the gap to the two guys. At this level of sprinting everything needs to go perfectly. The form is good and we’ll have another go on the final stage.”
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