Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, July 17, 2020
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2019 Tour de France | 2019 Giro d'Italia
My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. - Orson Welles
Current racing:
- July 4-19: Virtual Tour de France
Important upcoming racing, according to the UCI revised calendar:
- August 1: Strade Bianche
- August 5-9: Tour of Poland
- August 7-9: Tour de l'Ain
- August 8: Milano-San Remo
- August 12-16: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 1-3:
Vuelta Asturias - May 1:
Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt - April 22-26: Digital Swiss 5
2020 Il Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) route announced
Here's the plan for the race to be run August 15:
We'll start with the map
And here's the profile
The race organizer (RCS Sport) added this description:
THE ROUTE
After departing Bergamo in a southerly direction, the route crosses the Bergamo plain in its first 40km to head up the Cavallina valley to Casazza where the Colle Gallo – the first ascent of the race – is tackled. Colle is followed by a fast descent returning from the Seriana valley to Bergamo, then the route re-enters lowland roads that lead to Brianza. There’s a short passage to Colle Brianza and a descent to Pescate heading towards Valmadrera and then towards Oggiono and, finally, through Pusiano, Asso and down the descent to Onno and on to Bellagio. This is where the Ghisallo ascent – with gradients of up to 14% on wide roads with hairpin bends – begins.
The following very fast descent is on long straights and ends at Maglio where, immediately after a right turn, the climb of the Colma di Sormano begins. After a few kilometers of medium slopes, and a few hundred meters after Sormano, the route heads up the Muro di Sormano on a narrow, very steep road – 2km long with a gradient up to 15%. It’s partly inside a small wood, with very narrow bends and slopes that, for around 1km, exceed 25% up to almost 30%.
Once past the Colma, the route follows the descent to Nesso, where the riders then take the coastal road to reach Como. Next they face the hard climb to Civiglio (614m) with slopes almost always around 10% – and with a marked narrowing of the roadway at the top of the climb – before going back down and through Como to hit the last climb of San Fermo della Battaglia (397m). There are two feed zones: the first at km 94-97 and the second at km 151-154.
LAST KM
The last 10km start inside the area of Como on wide avenues, up to the railway underpass where the final ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia begins. The slope is around 7% (max 10%). The route passes several hairpin bends up to the brow at around 5km from the finish. The descent, on a wide, well-paved road ends at the last kilometre.
We have complete results for every edition posted here.
Jasper Stuyven renews with Trek-Segafredo through 2022
Here's the team's announcement:
Trek-Segafredo is pleased to confirm that Omloop het Nieuwsblad winner Jasper Stuyven has extended his contract through 2022.
Jasper Stuyven signed a two-year extension to his contract and will stay with Trek-Segafredo until the end of 2022. The Classics specialist has been with the team since the launch of Trek Factory Racing in 2014 and is now the longest-serving rider of the team.
After a successful period as a junior, which saw Stuyven win the World Championships and Paris – Roubaix, he stepped up to race with Axel Merckx’s Bontrager-Livestrong development team and has raced on a Trek bike ever since.
The next step was a move to the WorldTour with Trek Factory Racing in 2014. Stuyven spent his early years with the Team learning under the peerless leadership of Fabian Cancellara.
During that time he helped ‘Spartacus’ to victory at the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche, while also bagging a solo win at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne for himself and a stage of the 2015 Vuelta a España. Over the last few seasons Stuyven has developed into a team leader and one of the peloton’s top one-day riders. His 2017 Classics campaign showcased his potential to be one of the big players with a fourth place at the Queen of the Classics and second at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.
Stuyven followed up the next year with an impressively consistent display. The Belgian achieved top-10 finishes in seven of the spring Classics. A big Classics win eluded Stuyven, but he was certainly knocking on the door. Fast-forward to 2020, now in his seventh year with Trek-Segafredo, and Stuyven took his big win in the Opening Weekend at Omloop het Nieuwsblad. This made the Leuven native one of the few riders to have notched a one-day victory before the season was put on hold. Taking the early-season win was a key milestone in the Belgian’s trajectory, and placed him as a favorite for the eagerly awaited continuation of the cobbled campaign.
Jasper Stuyven wins 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Sirotti photo
Stuyven now heads the Trek-Segafredo Classics team alongside World Champion Mads Pedersen, with both riders capable of delivering big wins in the rescheduled ‘autumn’ Classics.
Stuyven is particularly fond of the current Classics group and explained that the atmosphere within the team made him all the more pleased to renew his contract.
“I’m really thrilled to continue racing with Trek-Segafredo because I feel at home in this team. We have a great group of riders and staff and we have a team that is 100% committed to each other. Here, we are not just colleagues but also friends on and off the bike.
“I have known Trek even before the launch of Trek Factory Racing, from back when I was on the development team. It’s nice to be the longest-serving Trek-Segafredo rider; I think that shows that I’m happy and at home, and I feel valued and respected in this team.”
Trek-Segafredo General Manager Luca Guercilena was also pleased to see the relationship continue: “It’s rare to see a rider and a team stay together for so long – it’s seven years now that we have enjoyed with Jasper. We saw his potential from the start, so it’s particularly rewarding to have seen him develop both as a rider and a person. After a difficult spring last year, it’s especially satisfying to see Jasper step up and take a big Classics win already this season. Jasper has the qualities to win the biggest races, and we are confident we will enjoy more success with him when racing resumes.”
Stuyven’s goals for 2020 have not changed due to the interrupted season: success at the Classics and hunting stage wins at the Tour de Francewhile supporting Bauke Mollema and Richie Porte in their GC ambitions.
“I hope to resume this season where we left off and make some great results, especially with the Classics, but I also want to be competitive and chase wins in other big races,” Stuyven concluded.
Upcoming Programme:
- Vuelta a Burgos (28 July – 1 August)
- Tour de Pologne (5-9 August)
- Tour de France (29 August-20 September)
- Belgian National Championship (22 September)
- EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg (3 October)
- Gent – Wevelgem (11 October)
- Scheldeprijs (14 October)
- Tour of Flanders (18 October)
- Driedaagse Brugge – De Panne (21 October)
- Paris – Roubaix (25 October
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