The Daily Peloton

Imola, Italy, 26 Sept 2020.

Netherlands/Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team’s Anna van der Breggen took her second 2020 UCI World Champion Gold Medal with the win in the Road Race to go with her Individual Time Trial victory on Thursday.

“It’s incredible”, Anna van der Breggen rejoiced after her victory. “It was a really hard race, we were fighting from the beginning. The climbs were really tough. In the fourth lap, I felt strong. We made the race hard and I just went for it. I felt good but it was really hard. The circuit had some flat parts but it was very hard. I never expected this. This season is pretty good for me so far.”

Imola continued to be deliver success for Anna van der Breggen and Dutch cycling as she dominated the Elite Women road race of the 2020 UCI Road World Championships. The Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team star took her third gold medal at the Worlds in Italy, after claiming victory in the 2018 road race in Innsbruck and in the individual time-trial this Thursday in Imola. She’s only the second rider to win both events the same year, 25 years after France’s Jeannie Longo’s double triumph in Duitama (Colombia).

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A 145-rider peloton started from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari with a beautiful sun shining along their first pedal strokes. They immediately tackled the circuit that would later crown the 2020 UCI World Champion: a 28.8km loop with two climbs to be faced five times, for a total of 143km of racing and 2,800m of elevation.

The climbs up Mazzolano (2.8km at an average of 5.9%, with 13% slopes at the bottom) and Cima Gallisterna (2.7km at 6.4% and a maximum of 14%) wore down a peloton which was quickly reduced to around 100 riders.

A group of nine riders eventually got away with Jackson accompanied by Amy Pieters (Netherlands), Katia Ragusa (Italy), Lisa Brennauer (Germany), Christine Majerus (Luxembourg), Tayler Wiles (USA), Hannah Barnes (Great Britain), Mavi Garcia (Spain) and Juliette Labous (France). Italy started pacing behind them with 63km to go and a gap up to 2’. Meanwhile, Eugenia Bujak (Slovenia) bridged the gap to the front group on her own.

The Orange train increased the tension in the penultimate lap. First, Anna van der Breggen seriously upped the tempo in the Mazolano climb. Over the top, the gap was down to 10” and some 30 riders were still in the bunch. The attackers were caught in the next climb, with Marianne Vos (UCI Road World Champion in 2006, 2012, 2013) and Annemiek van Vleuten (winner in 2019) accelerating.

Van der Breggen launched an attack with 42km to go, and never looked seriously challenged despite a concerted effort by Annemiek van Vleuten and Elisa Longo Borghini, eventually winning the race with a gap of 1’20’’.

Annemiek van Vleuten and Elisa Longo Borghini continued their duel right to the line in a sprint that saw Borghini throwing an elbow at The Dutchwoman. Van Vleuten held her line and, despite a cast on her arm from a crash ten days ago that saw her abandon the giro Rosa, took the silver medal. Marianne Vos held off a four-woman group at 2’01” to make it three Dutch in the top four.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) has dominated the re-start of the 2020 Women’s Elite season with four wins and leads the UCI rankings.

Two wins came from the Vuelta Navarra. In the first race, 2nd Emakumeen Nafarroako Klasikoa (1.1), 118 km from Pamplona to Lekunberri, she took a solo win 18 seconds ahead of Mavi Garcia (Alé BTC Ljubljana) with Anna van der Breggen (Boels – Dolmans Cycling Team) third.

Win number two came at the second of the two-race Navarran series, the 2nd Clasica Femenina Navarra (1.1), 122.9 km Pamplona to Pamplona. This time the win was even more emphatic with van Vleuten soloing 1’14” ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo Women) with the peloton led in by Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) at 2’06”.

The Dutch runner Van Vleuten is crowned again in Navarra

The passage of the cycling world champion through Navarra has been tremendous. The Dutch rider has won the two classic UCI World Tour for women that have been held in the Autonomous Community. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) won yesterday with authority in Lekunberri and today she did the same in Pamplona, ​​on a 122.9 kilometer stage with the beginning and end in the Navarran capital. The current world champion has once again entered the finish line alone, this time ahead of the Italians, Elisa Longo (Trek-Segafredo), second at 1’14 ”, and Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Cera Tizit-WNT) , third, at 2’06 ”.

The day began with 24 teams in the race and a peloton made up of 143 runners. With several walls of great unevenness and the height of El Perdón near the finish line, a restless day was expected. And so it has been. Nervous stage, with a lot of heat and wind and some runners who were flying. The average speed of the first hour of the race was 40 kilometers. The steep slopes, the walls and the wind have been breaking the group over the kilometers. The race has been broken from the wall of Tirapu. Ane Santesteban was the first to leave until Elisa Longo caught up with her.

With the Italian runner ahead, Van Vleuten jumped out of the pack and both, after a beautiful passage through the cobbled slopes of Artajona, continued paired. It was at kilometer 100 when the world champion took an energetic blow to leave alone on the way to Pamplona. The distances were increasing each time and a new victory for Van Vleuten was a matter of time. With impeccable authority, she has crossed the finish line in Pamplona alone, thus achieving her second consecutive victory and crowning herself in Navarra as what she is, the cycling world champion.

Sunday 26 July 2020: BORA – hansgrohe dominate the standings at the 2020 Sibiu Cycling Tour with Pascal Ackermann triumphs on Piața Mare to take final stage and Gregor Mühlberger securing the overall.

Gregor Mühlberger (BORA – hansgrohe) has won the 2020 Sibiu Cycling Tour. The 26 year old Austrian who secured the race lead with his second stage win at the morning’s Stage 3a ITT stayed out of trouble through the final stage 3b, 109 kilometres around Sibiu to finish 1’01” over teammate Patrick Konrad with Matteo Badilatti (Israel Start-Up Nation) third at 1’52”. It is the first general classification victory in his professional career.

The final stage ended with an uphill sprint on the cobblestones of the Historical Centre of Sibiu, and it was Pascal Ackermann who had the best kick to win ahead of his lead-out man Michael Schwarzmann (BORA – hansgrohe) and Eduard Michael Grosu (NIPPO DELKO One Provence).

Stage 3b and Final General Classification

Full Results here

PornPedallers is inviting all cyclists to join them in a virtual charity ride in support of Pride on Saturday 13 June 2020.

London, Friday 12 June 2020

PPCC, the adult industry cycling club formed over a beer in Amsterdam in September 2016, joins Cycling UK, Emily Chappell and Pride Out in their call to get people out on their bikes nationwide on Saturday to spread a socially-distanced message of love, alliance and inclusivity.

Club founder Chris Ratcliff stated: “‘Our Pride Ride’ is open to everyone. No bike, distance, or level of sporting endeavour is stipulated. So, dust off your boneshaker, pump up the tyres and hit the road in rainbow colours… In line with current guidance, Porn Pedallers is simply asking people to ride solo or in small socially-distanced groups. Everyone is encouraged to post their ride to social media with the hashtags #OurPrideRide #RideTheRibbon4Pride. “

Saturday’s event follows on from the club’s successful 2019 ‘Ride The Ribbon’ World AIDS Day fundraiser and sees Porn Pedallers renew its commitment to leading HIV charity, Terrence Higgins Trust. Last year, PPCC rode an ambitious season of endurance events and raised £15,000 for THTto promote better sexual health for all, fight HIV stigma and raise awareness of the fact that people on effective treatment can’t pass it on.

“All of us at Terrence Higgins Trust are so very grateful to the Porn Pedallers for their consistent support – needed more than ever in the current climate!” says Terrence Higgins Trust CEO, Ian Green.

The porn peloton, and cycling pornstar Tindra Frost, will also be ‘Riding The Ribbon 4 Pride’ on virtual cycling platform, Zwift, at 18.00 BST on Saturday 13 June. Follow Chris Ratcliff (PPCC) on Zwift for an open invitation to join the meetup. The Zwift ride will be streamed live on Twitch www.twitch.tv/ppcyclingclub.

You can support their fundraising efforts by making a donation:https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RideTheRibbon4Pride

Chalette-sur-Loing  ›  La Châtre   (212.5k)

García Cortina pips Sagan in bunch sprint to take first Paris Nice win

Bahrain-McLaren’s Iván García Cortina erased his close run second on Stage 2 in 2019 to take the top step of podium in this year’s edition’s first bunch sprint. He held of Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) who is still looking for a first win in 2020, with Andrea Pasqualon (Circus-Wanty Gobert) taking third. The closing kilometres saw a few main sprint rivals ruled out of the fight, notably Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick Step) going down in a crash with 500m to go, and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) suffering a mechanical.

Continue reading “Paris – Nice 2020: Stage 3”

Maz Schachmann won a cold and wet opener in Plaisir to the lead ‘The Race to the Sun’ on his first participation.

Bora-Hansgrohe’s Maximilian Schachmann seized Stage One of the Paris-Nice in a four-way sprint against Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-McLaren) and Tiesj Benoot (Sunweb) and Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) after he and Tuens linked up with the others with just a couple of kilometres to go. In the overall standings, Schachmann leads Benoot by two second and Teuns by four.

Continue reading “Paris – Nice 2020: Stage 1”

The cycling world is mourning the loss of Nicolas Portal, the former pro and director of Team Ineos who died at his Andorran home yesterday of a heart attack.

Team Ineos announced Portal’s passing in a tweet on Tuesday 3 March:

It is with the greatest sadness that we announce the passing of our much loved team mate, colleague and friend Nico Portal who died suddenly this afternoon at his home in Andorra.

— Team INEOS (@TeamINEOS) March 3, 2020

Continue reading “Cycling World mourns Portal”

Vuelta San Juan, 26 Jan – 2 Feb 2020

20 year old prodigy Remco Evenepoel ended a week long party to celebrate his birthday with a nice addition to his rapidly growing palmares, which before the start of the season counted five victories, including Clasica San Sebastian and the European ITT Championship.

Continue reading “Evenepoel crowned champion at Vuelta San Juan”

Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo Women) took her first GC win since 2017 with victory at the Women’s Santos Tour Down Under.

The 26 year old American, born in Keighly, Yorkshire, took the four-stage race by five seconds over Liane Lippert (Team Sunweb) with new Aussie Champion Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) just a second adrift.

Winder, who is also the American National Champion, went into the final Adelaide stage as race leader after giving Trek-Seagfredo its first 2020 win on stage three (Nairne to Stirling, 109.1km).

Continue reading “Winder is the winner at the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under”