Truly enjoyed the UAE Tour commentary job this week.
It will be a while before I am back so I will use this period of Lent to cut down on social media use, read books, walk dogs, clean home and cook good food, ride my bike and watch all the spring classics!
Enjoy all the cycling coming up!!
Race ReShort Tour de la Provence stage 1.
Another horrible day in south France. Break from start of three riders only. Walton, M. Bais and Tendon.
Bais & Tendon stayed clear two seconds and Tendon takes second season win for Van Rysel-Roubaix.
He only missed out by meters in Besseges last week.
Race Reshort stage 5 Oman.
Strong break of five with Dversnes being the last caught. Yates paced most of the final 3km alone with 3xAST, 3xJAY and some MOV close.
In the end Plapp attacked with 500m to go but Scaroni overtook for the stage win and GC.
Remarkable: 20-yr-old Niels Driesen /Lotto
Race ReShort Valencia, stage 5.
Short stage and huge fight for break. 21 riders that becomes smaller on climbs. Herzog tried a solo but back to 9 leaders. Bernard tried and crashed!!
Big chase in final 10km but breakaway made it! Raúl Garcia Pierna wins the stage. Remco E wins the overall.
Tour of Oman, stage 2. A breakaway of three riders with Goszczurny, Marsman and Veistroffer.
And the peloton times it wrong! Veistroffer who is part of virtually doomed breakaways in 50% of all races he does, even all alone in Muscat Classic, finally gets it!
A first pro win and leader's jersey
Race ReShort, UAE Tour, stage 3.
We had a break of five women that was caught around 40km, at the sprint. Then Nina Berton tried solo but caught at 5km.
Lorena Wiebes seemed blocked in at 1,5km to go but went left, right, through the wind and wins by half a bike length.
Race ReShort Tour of Oman, stage 1. We had a breakaway of just three riders in this flat stage: Faura, Díaz & Goszczurny but a sprint was inevitable at the Bimmah Sink Hole (🤣)
Alpecin & Lotta had a good train but Juan Sebastian Molano was just the fastest today. Win nr.7 for UAE
Race ReShort Etoile de Bessèges st. 3. Full gas from the start. Break of 10 got only 1m30. Caught at 30km.
Many attacks on the two climbs. All big teams super active but it became a bunch sprint in the end.
Amazing teamwork Rockets for Kubis with MVP Kopecky but Uhlig was faster. First pro win!
Race ReShort UAE Tour stage 2. Breakaway of four riders today but yet again it was a bunch sprint.
Lorena Wiebes came into final corner in 15th-ish place but on the wheel of Guarischi she won with ease again.
Sadly we saw a high speed crash in final kms. Hope everyone is okay.
Race ReShort Muscat Classic.
Baptiste Veistroffer was our one-man break today. It all came together before final climb (1.1km/9,3%).
Plapp, Schmid and Yates attacked on the steep climb after Double set up the attack for Jayco.
Team played it perfectly. Plapp leads Mauro Schmid to victory.
Race ReShort Etoile de Besseges stage 2. We had a break of 4: Guégan, Tendon, Leroux and Bouquet, max lead 3m20.
Very wet and cold conditions. Tendon attacked solo in final 5km and caught at 200m. Mathieu Kockelmann took his lead-out for Grysel all the way to the line to win.
Tom Crabbe leads GC.
Race result stage 1 UAE
Race ReShort UAE Tour, stage 1. Not enough wind to cause splits but nervous races as always. A few attacks but this would always be a bunch kick.
Lorena Wiebes just jumped unto the 4-woman-strong UAE lead-out (they did a lot of work), beats Gillespie by two bike lengths.
45,5km/h average speed!
Race ReShort Valencia, stage 1. RBBH accelerates at 28km to go. Catches original break of 4. First group of 20-ish with 4x RBBH, 3xUAE and 3x MOV.
After last climb flat finale. Pellizzari last man standing caught at 1,5km.
Bini Girmay takes first win since TDF2024!
M. Pedersen crashed hard.
Race ReShort Etoile de Bessèges stage 1. Break of 4 with Vercouillie, Huck, Aebersold and Hänninen. Max lead 5 minutes.
Vercouillie last to be caught at 200m.
Kubis launches the sprint but Tom Crabbe takes the better line to the finish.
First pro win and 1st Flanders Baloise win since Aug 2024
Celebrating life and health on World Cancer Day. And thinking of those who still struggle or lost someone.
Also celebrating 47 laps around the sun today and my first day of commentary of the season!
Live at 2.05pm Etoile de Bessèges with Robbie McEwen - digital only
Race ReShort Trofeo Palma. No Evenepoel today :-) Break with Johannink, Hessmann, Sutterlin and Herregodts.
Johannink and Herregodts last to be caught at 4km. Traditional bunch kick followed. Sprint trains derailed by crash. Garcia Cortina opened and Marit followed his pace to win. For RedBull :-0
Race ReShort GP La Marseillaise. Early break of 6 caught at 60km already and a break of 11 followed with the likes of Lapeira. Peloton came back at 25km and Lapeira tried alone. A very active Mifsud, Mariault and Hardouin tried but it became a bunch kick.
Thijssen / Kubis relegated in sprint
Mathieu van der Poel - EIGHT TIMES 🌈
2015 Tabor
2019 Bogense
2020 Dübendorf
2021 Oostende
2023 Hoogerheide
2024 Tabor
2025 Liévin
2026 Hulst
Race ReShort Alula Tour stage 5.
Break of 7 caught at the lower slopes of Harrat Skyviews climb. Higuita attacked on steepest part. Vansevenant and Munton (wow) joined him at top.
Jan Christen bridged across on the plateau and attacked solo at 3km to go. He wins the stage and the GC.
Race ReShort Trofeo Andratx. Early break caught on Puig Major. That's where Evenepoel attacked and some riders followed: Scaroni, Van Gils, Rondel, Romeo, Pescador, Kulset, Steinhauser, Morgado.
At start finish climb Pollenca only Rondel left but at 3km Evenepoel left him behind. 100% season score.
Race ReShort CEGORR. Early break of 3 who never got much room and caught at 69km. From then on it was attack after attack.
Harper/Skaarseth start final lap together but caught on last Challambra. Group of 20-ish goes clear. Brennan chases, catches group, starts sprint and loses to Andresen.
Race ReShort CEGORR. Solo break Stiasny who took 8 minutes max. There was wind. Some echelon attempts.
Lots of attacks on Challambra incl the world champion at 10km. Reijnhout attacked downhill. Wollaston dropped on climb but returned. A very active Garcia tried and tried but Wollaston wins.
Race ReShort.
Trofeo Serra Tramuntana had all of Mallorca's big climbs. Super active race with many attacks. Seven in original break with Pericas (19), Cort, Castrillo & others.
Evenepoel attacks from peloton at 56km. Many counter attacks behind but all for second place. Evenepoel wins by 1m38
Race ReShort AlUla Tour stage 4. There was a large breakaway early on in the race but caught with just under an hour to go.
Headwind sprint and Milan ended up in the wind too soon. Matteo Malucelli countered him perfectly.
Voisard keeps lead in GC.
Race ReShort Trofeo Ses Salines, a 23,8km TTT.
Jayco-Alula were fastest at timing point 1 with MOV, RBH and Tudor hot on their heels. Fast start for the Rockets too.
Red Bull-Bora-HG brings home the win with Evenepoel, Lipowitz, Finn, Denz, Cattaneo, Moscon, Van Gils.
Average speed 59,7 km/h
Race ReShorts Alula Tour, st. 3 saw some usual suspects in doomed break of 3 but it would all come down to the finish climb.
Jan Christen attacked and Garofoli followed.
In final km Eulalio, Higuita, Arrieta and Voisard bridged across.
Higuita opened the sprint from far but Voisard passed him.
Race ReShort Trofeo Calvia (1.1).
Abysmal weather conditions on Mallorca. We had a break of five that became three: Steinhauser, Boichis, Holter.
Morgado attacked at 30km. H. Alvarez joined him. They caught the break and left them.
Morgado wins sprint a deux. On his 22nd birthday 🎈 🎂
Race ReShort Alula Tour stage two was a repeat of yesterday. Echelons a volonté from early on in the race.
Jakobsen cramped out in final and Bauhaus had a flat but none would have been a challenge to another superior win by Milan. Great lead-out Consonni.
Sketchy final. Corners and curbstones
Timeline cleanser.
Elsy handed her stick to Ella but then throws a tantrum because Ella has her stick.
Race ReShort Alula Tour, stage 1.
It was a windy day with some crashes, J. Christen even twice.
Both Cofidis as Lidl-Trek had 3 riders in the first echelon of 18. Fabio Jakobsen had Timo de Jong and Matteo Moschetti had Mark Donovan who took some bonus seconds.
Jonathan Milan won the stage.
