Tom Dumoulin wins Eneco Tour stage 3 ITT

Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano) has won the stage three time trial at the Eneco Tour, completing the flat and fast 9.6km course in a time of 10:55:32 (average 52km/h) to win by two seconds. The result puts Dumoulin into second place overall.

“I am super happy, could not have done it better,” said Tom after the finish. “I was really focussed on this race and I did it as perfect as possible, focusing on my position and [the] corners.

“This is my first WorldTour win. I’ve had some bad luck and then I have been denied a few times by Tony [Martin] but now it’s great to get the win finally and to move back into contention for the overall.”

Swiss powerhouse Fabian Cancellara (Trek) finished second with Commonwealth Games gold medalist Geraint Thomas (Sky) in third. A ninth-placed finish for Tour de France stage winner Lars Boom (Belkin) was enough to put the Dutchman into the overall lead, four seconds clear of Dumoulin.

Four stages remain in the 2014 Eneco Tour, including today’s 183km fourth stage which runs from Koksijde to Ardooie.

Stage 3 (ITT): Breda > Breda - Stage Result

Wednesday 13th August 2014

1. nl
DUMOULIN Tom
Team Giant-Shimano
 00:10:55
2. ch
CANCELLARA Fabian
Trek Factory Racing
0:02
3. gb
THOMAS Geraint
Team Sky
 0:10
Startlist
View full results

Text adapted from a Giant-Shimano press release.

Kirsten Wild wins stage 4 of the Route de France

Kirsten Wild has taken Team Giant-Shimano’s second stage of La Route de France in four days, winning the bunch sprint on day four of the race.


The 137.1km stage proved largely uneventful, apart from a brief split in the peloton during a crosswind section midway through the race. The race then came back together, setting things up for a bunch sprint.

“I knew that I wanted to be in the first five into the final corner to be in the best position to sprint”, Wild said after the stage. “Willeke [Knol] and Claudia [Lichtenberg] helped to put me into position and through the corner I was in fourth position so the plan worked out well. From here I was able to give it everything.”

Team coach Hans Timmermans added: “The team did a great job today and they were really focused again on doing what they had to do – control the race in defence of Claudia’s overall lead and keeping it together for a bunch sprint.

“Claudia punctured with around 30km to go and we learned our mistake of not being prepared for this at La Course so the team were all at the rear of the peloton to wait for her.

Giant-Shimano’s Claudia Lichtenberg finished safely in the bunch to maintain the overall lead she took with her solo victory on stage 1.

Stage 4: > - Stage Result

Wednesday 13th August 2014

1. nl
WILD Kirsten
Team Giant-Shimano
 03:19:02
2. it
BRONZINI Giorgia
Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
 -
3. it
GUARISCHI Barbara
Alé Cipollini
-
View full results

Text adapted from a Giant-Shimano press release.

Juanjo Lobato wins Vuelta a Burgos opener

Juanjo Lobato (Movistar) has won the opening stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, putting in a late attack on the uphill finish to win just ahead of Daniel Mareno (Katusha).

Image: Movistar

A four-rider breakaway got clear early in the stages but was caught before the first of two ascents of the day’s main climb. Attacks came thick and fast from within the main field once the race was back together but it wasn’t until 200m to go that Lobato attacked from the back of the lead group and got clear.

“I worked out my distance to attack from the finish into the first climb - I was confident I could keep a strong pace if I jumped away with 300m to go”, Lobato said. “I might have relaxed a bit when I saw I had won, but the goal was achieved.”

Lobato will wear the leader’s jersey into today’s second stage; a 152km stage from Briviesca to Villadiego.

Stage 1: Burgos > Burgos - Stage Result

Wednesday 13th August 2014

1. es
LOBATO Juan José
Movistar Team
 03:29:37
2. es
MORENO Daniel
Team Katusha
-
3. fr
DAMUSEAU Thomas
Team Giant-Shimano
 0:03
Course Profile Startlist
View full results

Text adapted from a Movistar press release.

Raymond Kreder wins Tour de l’Ain stage 1 bunch sprint

Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Sharp) has capitalised on a rare chance to lead the Garmin-Sharp sprint train, winning the first road stage of the Tour de l’Ain in a bunch kick. Mark Cavendish, in his first race back after his Tour de France crash, rode in support of his Omega Pharma-QuickStep teammate Gianni Meersman who was third on the stage and maintains his overall lead.


Frederic Brun (BigMat) and Roman Semyonov (Continental Astana) made the early running, building a maximum advantage of 4:25 over the peloton after 20km of racing. But Omega Pharma-QuickStep wasn’t about to let them sneak away for the stage win, sitting on the front of the peloton to control the gap.

After a couple of riders attempted to bridge across to the ailing escapees, the race came back together with 53km to go. There was only one real attack from that point on — from Rudy Kowalski (Roubaix) with 14km to go — but he was soon caught and the race was set for a bunch sprint.

Meersman will wear the leader’s jersey again on stage 2 on a day that is completely flat with no categorised climbs. Another bunch sprint looms ahead of two days in the mountains to close out the race.

Stage 1: Lac de Chalain > Montrevel-en-Bresse - Stage Result

Wednesday 13th August 2014

1. nl
KREDER Raymond
Garmin Sharp
 03:44:30
2. fr
SARREAU Marc
FDJ.fr
-
3. be
MEERSMAN Gianni
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
 -
Course Profile Startlist
View full results

Click here to read more at CyclingQuotes.

Kerrison sprints into Great South Coast Tour lead

Queensland’s Jesse Kerrison (Budget Forklifts) has sprinted his way into the Campolina-Fulton Hogan Tour of the Great South Coast yellow leaders jersey, just one week after he claimed the Tour of the Murray River. Kerrison took out the tough 65 kilometre stage 2 road race around Blue Lake in Mt Gambier ahead of Brenton Jones (Avanti Racing) and Alistair Donohoe (Health.com.au/Search2Retain) in a bunch sprint.

Image: Con Cronis/Cycling Australia

“I don’t think the Budget Forklifts team could have asked for a better day”, Kerrison said. “I will be working hard to retain the yellow jersey, that’s my major goal, and as I work towards that, I may hang on to the rising star and sprint titles as well.”

Earlier in the day, Melbourne’s Shannon Johnson (CharterMason) took first blood in the sixth event on the Subaru National Road Series calendar. Johnson took out the event’s opening stage ahead of Warragul’s Jones and teammate Raphael Freinstein.

“To come out and start the tour with a win here is great,” said Johnson. “I really needed it, and the team really needed it so it’s nice to reward the boys for all their hard work.

The 30 lap criterium was animated by many riders trying to earn precious bonus seconds available throughout the race, with Sam Witmitz (Budget Forklifts) donning the Tour leaders jersey as a result of his aggression.

The Tour continues today with a 135 kilometre road race from Mount Gambier to Port MacDonnell.

Follow the link for results from stage 1 and stage 2 of the Tour of the Great South Coast.

Eight WorldTour squads, five ProConti teams confirmed for Tour of Britain

by Shane Stokes

The Sky team of defending champion Bradley Wiggins plus seven other WorldTour teams have been confirmed for next month’s Tour of Britain, which begins in Liverpool on Sunday 7 September and finishes eight days later in central London.

Sky – which is expected to include Wiggins in his lineup after the team confirmed he would not do the Vuelta a España – will be joined by Belkin Pro Cycling, the BMC Racing Team, Garmin Sharp, Movistar, Omega Pharma-QuickStep, Giant Shimano and Tinkoff Saxo. The BMC Racing Team and Team Novo Nordisk are both making their debuts in the event.

Also confirmed by the organisers on Wednesday are the ProContinental teams Bardiani CSF, IAM Cycling, MTN Qhubeka, NetApp Endura and Team Novo Nordisk.

Six of the world’s top ten teams will participate; four of those are ranked in the top five squads in the world.

Race director Mick Bennett said that there was high demand for the race, which will be ranked a 2.HC event for the first time.

“Not only do we have a very strong line-up of teams, half of whom raced in the Tour de France, but we are confident that they will be bringing their best possible squads. It means fans can look forward to seeing the world’s top riders, some exciting racing and maybe a few surprises this September.”

Click here to read the full article at CyclingTips.

Corsica to host new one-day race in 2015

Following on from the success of last year’s Tour de France Grand Depart, Corsica is looking to host a new one-day race in early 2015.

A photo from stage 3 of last year’s Tour de France on Corsica.

Race organisers, the Corsican Regional Authority (CRA) and five-time Tour de France champion Bernard Hinault, reportedly met last week to discuss the UCI registered race. The race will be called the Corsica Classica and is likely to be held on March 26, putting it in the same week as E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and the Volta a Catalunya.

The 2015 Corsica Classica route is 203.8 kilometres long and goes from Ajaccio to Bastia.

Organisers hope the race will grow to replace the defunct stage race, the Tour de Corse.

Click here to read more at Corse Net Info.

Team Belkin extends contract with Gesink, Kelderman and Kruijswijk

The Belkin Pro Cycling Team, which recently signed a declaration of intent with De Lotto, BrandLoyalty and speed skating Team BrandLoyalty, has announced contract extensions for three riders: Robert Gesink, Wilco Kelderman and Steven Kruijswijk. All three will remain with the setup for the next two years.

Wilco Kelderman, one of three Belkin riders to extend his contact for two years.

General Manager Richard Plugge is very happy with the contract extensions. “With Robert, Wilco and Steven we keep the top GC riders with us. We’re proud that they have chosen for our vision. Along with Laurens ten Dam, Moreno Hofland and Sep Vanmarcke we now have a strong core in our team.”

Text adapted from a Belkin press release.

Edvald Boasson Hagen to leave Sky

Edvald Boasson Hagen has been with Sky since the team began back in 2010 and now, in an interview with Norwegian cycling website procycling.no, Boasson Hagen has announced he won’t be at Sky in 2015.

“I had to think carefully about when the contract was about expire.[The discussion of a contract] has gone back and forth, and I could just as easily have ended up staying a few more years at Sky. It has been very good.”

Boasson Hagen’s agent, Birger Hungerholdts said: “There are still five to six teams that are possible [for next year]. We have not made any final decisions yet. The teams are in a period where they count how many new riders they can get and how big names they can afford. There is also uncertainty about which teams continues and various mergers.”

Boasson Hagen explained what he is looking for in a new team:

“It is important to find a team I think I can get [my own] opportunities and to try for my own chances,” he said. “A good support system, equipment and riders are also important. There must be a project I believe in.”

Click here to read more at Procycling.no.

Giampaolo Caruso extends with Katusha

Italian rider Giampaolo Caruso will stay with Russian team Katusha for the next two years after a new contract was signed with the rider this week.

Caruso is currently preparing for the last Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a Espanã, where he will support Katusha’s leader Joaquim Rodriguez.

“Giampaolo is a valuable rider in the team’s roster at stage races and grand tours; he has repeatedly reaffirmed this. In addition, in the last Liège – Bastogne – Liège he proved that he can achieve high personal results”, general manager Viacheslav Ekimov said. “I am happy that Giampaolo will continue his career in our team and I hope we will see the realisation of his high potential at the Vuelta, which starts next week.”

Text adapted from a Katusha press release.

Enrico Barbin hit by a car in training

Italian ProContinental team Bardiani-CSF has announced that its rider Enrico Barbin was hit by a car while training on roads near his home. The 24-year-old Italian reportedly fell on his face and was taken to hospital after the incident.

Barbin will remain under observation in hospital for the next couple days.

Barbin rode his first Grand Tour earlier this year at the Giro d’Italia. He hasn’t raced since the Italian National Championships in June.

Text adapted from a Bardiani-CSF press release.

On-board camera footage of Giorgia Bronzini’s RideLondon Grand Prix win

Here’s a cool angle on Giorgia Bronzini’s race-winning sprint from the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix last weekend.

Trailer: Race to the World’s End

And here’s a trailer for a documentary about Ed Pickup’s attempt to ride unsupported for more than 11,200km along the Andes, across six countries, attempting to cover the length of South America in a record-smashing 40 days.

The Rocacorba Recap

And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed at CyclingTips:

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Today’s feature image comes from Jered Gruber and was shot in the Dolomites of Italy.