Update: The fourth stage of the Tour of Poland has been neutralised and shortened. It will now be 133.9km and one final lap.
22 year old Belgian rider Bjorg Lambrecht has died following a crash in the Tour of Poland. Riding for Lotto-Soudal Lambrecht crashed during the third stage. He was resuscitated at the roadside before being taken by road to hospital after transport by air ambulance was ruled out as too risky. Unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries at hospital.
The team announced his passing in a tweet this afternoon
The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and teammates of Bjorg has happened… Rest in peace Bjorg… ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9u9LZkp2Rt
Elia Viviani stayed ahead of a big crash with 1.4km to go to take the sprint win on the Mall, beating Sam Bennett (Bora Hansgrohe) with Deceuninck – Quick Step teammate Michael Mørkøv taking third.
Elia Viviani (ITA) of Deceuninck-Quick-Step raises his arms in victory after sprinting to win the Prudential RideLondon Classic. Photo: Bob Martin for Prudential RideLondonElia Viviani (ITA) of Team Deceuninck-Quick-Step sprints to the finish line to win the Prudential RideLondon Classic ahead of Sam Bennett (IRL) of Team Bora-Honsgrohe.
Photo: Ben Queenborough for Prudential RideLondon
The win came shortly before the news that Viviani would be transferring to Team Cofidis for 2020.
Race Video (courtesy of RideLondon)
What a finish!
Elia Viviani wins the #RideLondon Surrey Classic ?♂️
Wiebes wins Classique amid dramatic finishing straight crash and disqualification.
Stage winner Lorena Wiebes (2nd from right) places 2nd ahead of Kirsten Wild before the latter is disqualified for causing the crash in the background. Copyright: Mark Sharon 2019 (Photographer)
20year old Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg) had launched a long sprint almost as soon as the peloton made the final turn in to the Mall, the sun dipping behind Buckingham Palace, after 68km of racing.
As the line loomed Wiebes could have looked left and right and seen nobody. She would not have seen but would surely have heard the scenes of carnage unfold behind her but her resolve was resolutely. Victory was surely hers until, with a couple of metres to go, WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling’s Kirsten Wild popped into sight on her left to take the win by a wheel rim. The agony of losing by such a tiny margin worse than the pain in her lungs, but wait…
Wild has put in an exhibition of the power sprinting that looked set to claim her third win on the Mall, pulling back Wiebes’ seemingly unassailable advantage, but it had come at great cost. In doing so she had deviated off her race line, clipping the front wheel of Alé Cipollini’s Chloe Hosking and putting a couple of dozen riders on the deck.
While Wild was initially declared the winner her own celebrations were non-existent and it soon dawned on riders and fans that something was amiss. A few minutes later it was confirmed that Wild had been relegated to 37th, the back of the group that had contested the sprint and a delighted Wiebes had been awarded the win and the 25,000 Euro first prize. Second spot went to Elisa Balsamo (Valcar Cylance Cycling) one step higher than her third spot in 2018, with 2017 Champion Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) in third.
The crash which occurred after Wild deviated from her line and took out Chloe Hoskings Copyright: Mark Sharon 2019 (Photographer)
Post-race interview with Lorena Wiebes
Post race interview with Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg)
The victory added a significant result to a nicely developing 2019 palmares, that included the GC at Tour of Chongming Island UCI Women’s WorldTour, and the National Championships Netherlands WE – Road Race where she beat Marianne Vos.
Classique August3rd and Classic August 4th, London
Kirsten Wild returns to defend Classique title against Marianne Vos and Coryn Riviera. Tour de France rivals Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani amongst the stars battling for honours at the Classic.
Classique 68km – 20 laps of a 3.4km Central London Circuit
Two-time champion Kirsten Wild (WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling) heads a star-studded list of entries for the 2019 Prudential RideLondon Classique – the world’s richest one-day women’s bike race – on Saturday 3 August.
Kirsten Wild winning the 2018 edition of the Classique Copyright: Mark Sharon (Photographer)
Wild will be up against previous champion Coryn Rivera (Sunweb) and Le Course Marianne Vos (CCC – Liv) who is fresh from winning La Course by Le Tour de France (1.WWT).
Coryn Rivera (Sunweb) Copyright: Mark Sharon (Photographer)2018 Classique Podium L-R Marianne Vos, Kirsten Wild, Elisa Balsamo Copyright: Mark Sharon (photographer)
Classic 1.UWT 169km
Fresh from a hat-trick of stage wins at the Tour de France Lotto-Soudal’s Caleb Ewan is looking to extend his palmares with a win in London on Sunday at the Prudential Ride London Classic. His rivals include fellow stage winners Elia Viviani (Deceuninck- Quick Step), Mike Teunissen (Team Jumbo-Visma) and Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott).
The line up also includes four former winners of the race, Arnaud Demare (Groupama – FDJ) – who returns for the first time since winning the very first edition of the race in 2013 – Jempy Drucker (BORA-Hansgrohe), Adam Blythe (Lotto Soudal) and Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates).
Other fast men include Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe), Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb), and the reigning Paris-Roubaix champion Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck – Quick Step)
