In today’s road racing news, Jakobsen repeats in Algarve, Fuglsang starts 2020 with a win and increased interest in Boucles Drôme-Ardèche
Fabio Jakobsen repeats in Algarve
Sporting the beautiful Dutch Champion jersey he conquered in the summer of 2019, Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Fabio Jakobsen made it two victories this season after a dominant sprint at the Volta ao Algarve, which took the peloton from Portimão to Lagos, over 195.6 kilometers.
Deceuninck – Quick-Step again controlled the final part of the stage, and Florian Sénéchal – who started his season here – made sure of bringing Fabio Jakobsen in a perfect position as they rounded the final corner.
“I really like the finish here in Lagos, it’s a straight line and you have enough space, so if you’ve got the legs, you can nab the win. I had them today, but most importantly, I had an amazing team around me, who controlled all the attacks on that short and steep climb and helped me hang in there, before putting me in position with the line in sight. I’m very happy, we couldn’t have had a better start to the race”, said Jakobsen.
Jakob Fuglsang wins opening stage of Vuelta a Andalucía
Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang of Astana Pro Team started his season with an incredible stage win on Grazalema with a lead of six seconds over his former breakaway companions. Fuglsang now leads the overall ranking as well as the sprint and mountain classification. Teammate Ion Izagirre crossed the line in a strong sixth place.
“I am really happy to take the win. It is always nice to start the season with a win and I like Vuelta a Andalucía. The team did an amazing job and as Landa attacked we knew we couldn’t wait so I followed him and on the last meters I just went. The stage was not easy with all that climbing and luckily, it did not start to rain. It will be difficult to defend the jersey as we have just 6 riders here but of course we will do our best. I want to thank my whole team for their support, this victory means a lot to me, I was really motivated to achieve a good result today,” said Jakob Fuglsang after his first season win.
Top Cyclists Confirm for Boucles Drôme-Ardèche
The 20th staging of the Boucles Drôme-Ardèche, now under a UCI Pro Series rating, is just ten days away and the level of competition promises to be extremely high.
Some of the best cyclists in the world have confirmed their participation in the Faun Classic de l’Ardèche on Saturday February 29, 2020, and in the Royal Bernard Drôme Classic on Sunday March 1, 2020.
- Vincenzo Nibali (Trek Segafredo), winner of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana
- Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo), winner of the Tour of Lombardy 2019
- Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling), winner of the Tour of Flanders 2019
- Roman Kreuziger (NTT Pro Cycling), winner of the Amstel Gold Race, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie
The race will also feature some of the best French cyclists in the international peloton:
- Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick Step), wearer of the yellow jersey at the 2019 Tour de France for 14 days, and the winner in 2019 of the Flèche Wallonne, Milan San Remo, and Strade Bianche.
- Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), silver medalist at the Road World Championships in 2018, 2nd in the Tour de France in 2016, 3rd in 2017, King of the Mountains in 2019, and winner at the Boucles Drôme-Ardèche in 2014 and 2018.
- Lilian Calmejane (Total Direct Energie), winner of a stage at the Tour de France and two-time winner at the Boucles Drôme-Ardèche.
- Warren Barguil (Arkéa Samsic), King of the Mountains at the Tour de France 2017 and the National Champion of France 2019.
Bernard Vallet, who comes from the Drôme, was the King of the Mountains in the 1982 Tour de France, and now works as technical advisor for the Boucles Drôme-Ardèche alongside Charly Mottet, explains: “It is a beautiful stage that promises a show of spectacle beauty. The puncheurs will really be able to ride in terrain that they love, especially over the new Ardèche course that we have carved out for them, with a last circuit in the hills around Cornas. That should really ensure a beautiful finish. When I was a racer, I would have really liked to be able to show myself on this kind of terrain. I cannot wait to see it.”
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