Pascal Ackermann Wins UAE Tour Opener
Pascal Ackermann of the BORA-hansgrohe team has won Stage 1, the Dubai Silicon Oasis Stage, of the second edition of the UAE Tour, ahead of Caleb Ewan and Rudy Barbier. Pascal Ackermann is the leader of the GC and was awarded the Red Jersey and the Green Jersey.
“I’m super happy with this victory because almost all the top sprinters are here and I wasn’t sure if my shape was good enough to beat them all,” said Ackermann at the finish. “Now I know that my shape is good and I can take it easy the next few days. It was a hectic sprint in which I was jumping from one guy’s wheel to another one. I took my chance at the right time.”
Bigla Pro Cycling Excels at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana
Going into the final stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana with four riders in the top 10 in the GC, Bigla – KATUSHA had a good chance to complete the four-day race in excellent standing.
Leah Thomas emerged victorious in Vila-Real and took the final stage of the race, while in the overall general classification, Clara Koppenburg finished second, Thomas fourth, and Marlen Reusser fifth.
In addition, the team also took home the team classification, after several days of consistent performances by several riders.
After her stage win, Leah Thomas commented: “We had some strong tactics coming into the stage today, and we all went into this 100 per cent. We made the race hard right from the beginning and wanted to have no regrets by the end of the day. It was really special to see how the whole team gave it their all and worked so well together to achieve our common goals. It was great that we were able to take the stage win, as a reward for all the riders’ enormous efforts today. I’m really proud of the whole team, and if we continue like this we’ll have a fantastic season.”
Jakob Fuglsang wins the 66th edition of Ruta del Sol
Entering the closing 13km individual time trial as race leader, Jakob Fuglsang went up the road as the last rider of the day, at 15:20 and put in a strong performance. The Danish rider set the second-best time at the intermediate checkpoint and crossed the line after 17:57 minutes to take second only 0.8 seconds behind Dylan Teuns.
With two stage wins, Jakob Fuglsang made it back-to-back wins at the Ruta del Sol, winning the race two years in a row.
“It was a good time trial and, in the end, it was super close. I am really happy that I could repeat my overall win here. It’s amazing to start the season by winning this race again,” said Fuglansg. “Last year I had the best season of my career so far and I hope that repeating this win means I can do the same again. It’s been a very hard race and we had a lot of hard competition to defend the jersey from the first day but the team has been amazing. I am the winner but so is the team. Of course, for me it was important to keep the jersey but with a short and intense TT, you have to give everything and I didn’t want to take to many risks on the descent so to finish second, I am really happy. I hope it will be a good season and starting like this with a good result here gives me confidence and I can now work towards my next goals.”
Remco Evenepoel seals Volta ao Algarve overall win
Remco Evenepoel demonstrated again not just his knack to thrive under pressure, but also his prowess against the clock, producing a flying ride on his Specialized Shiv over the testing 20.3km up-and-down course around Lagoa, the site of the final Volta ao Algarve day. The last rider to roll down the ramp, Remco bested the reference time at both intermediate checkpoints before stopping the clock in a stunning 24:07, a time ten seconds faster than the benchmark set by the world champion.
For Evenepoel, this was the second individual time trial of the season, after the one in Argentina four weeks ago, and the 20-year-old averaged over 50km/h on Sunday’s stage, putting more than half a minute between him and the two riders who rounded out the overall podium.
“I went full gas today, and by the time I finished I knew the GC was safe, but nobody knew what was the stage result. It was only when Tom told me the result in the radio that I was relieved and could celebrate this win, which was important, as it came against the World ITT Champion and after a hard week of racing, where I went all out on both summit finishes, but also on today’s hard course,” said an emotional Evenepoel at the finish.
“What I feel right now? A lot of emotion and happiness, I can tell you that. It’s the perfect way to conclude the race, as I really wanted to wrap up the general classification as a way to say a big thank you to the entire team. They worked a lot for me, were so strong, did a perfect job and showed that incredible all for one, one for all Wolfpack mentality that has become a defining trait of our squad. I am happy I won this beautiful event, a result which only adds to my confidence ahead of the next goals”, concluded the prodigious Belgian, who took home also the best young rider jersey.
Caleb Ewan Takes Over UAE Tour Lead
Caleb Ewan of the Lotto-Soudal Team has won Stage 2, the Dubai Municipality Stage, of the second edition of the UAE Tour, ahead of Sam Bennett and Arnaud Démare. Ewan is the new leader of the GC and was awarded the Red Jersey and the Green Jersey.
Speaking seconds after the stage finish, the winner and new Red Jersey Caleb Ewan said: “It’s great to win here again one year later. We thought it would be a harder stage this time but due to the absence of the wind it was a pretty straightforward race. My team positioned me perfectly. I wasn’t worried when Sam Bennett went before me because I knew this race was to be won in the last twenty meters. Now I lead the UAE Tour after I led the Santos Tour Down Under early this year. It always feels good leading a stage race even if it might last for only one day.”
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
Websites:
Bike World News
Ron’s Bike Garage
Current Bike Quiver:
Bird Bikes Zero 29 29″ hardtail mountain bike
Commencal Absolut 26″ Dirt Jump/Pump Track bike
Commencal Tempo 29″ full suspension mountain bike
Felt ZA 700c race bike
Kona Kilauea vintage 26″ mountain bike
Niner RLT9 700c road/gravel bike
Specialized Stumpjumper vintage 26″ mountain bike
Day Job: Digital Marketing
Night Job: Digital Marketing, eCommerce Consultant, Web Consultant, Bike Shop Operator, Husband, Dad, Tenor