2017 Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt start list

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Dreaming the impossible dream: Quintana's bid for Giro-Tour glory

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There’s a popular theory that the Giro d'Italia - Tour de France double does no favours whatsoever to a rider's chances of reaching Paris in yellow. For evidence, most will point no further than Alberto Contador in 2015, whose tiredness in July, post his Giro d'Italia win, was palpable. Contador finished a below-expectations fifth that year in the Tour. More evidence? There was Contador in 2011 winning the Giro but, again, below-par in July with an identical fifth placing in Paris (this, of course, before he lost those latter results in any case because of his doping positive).

However, Movistar's José Luis Arrieta, one of the directors who has worked the closest with Nairo Quintana over the last few years, has a slightly different take on the question of the pros and cons of the Giro-Tour double. For instance, Quintana's combination of the Giro and Tour this year, Arrieta tells Cyclingnews, is based on the idea that Quintana aims to be in contention for the Giro, but his over-riding goal remains July. The team has hard evidence, Arrieta says, to suggest that a strong, well-fought battle for pink in May can lead to an even stronger performance in the Tour de France.

"When we decided to do the Giro d'Italia, the aim was - and is - to do it to be sure of reaching the Tour de France in good condition," Arrieta says. "If, en route, we can win the Giro d'Italia, well, that'd be great, but the Tour remains the main objective and, together with Nairo, Eusebio [Unzue, team manager], and the rest of the Movistar management, we thought doing the Giro d'Italia could be a good way forward for that.

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"With his innate qualities as a racer and with the training and buildup he's had, if everything goes well, then of course Nairo will be in the fight to win the Giro. But the big goal is do the Giro d'Italia to see if, in the process, he comes through to the Tour a little bit fresher and a little bit better than last year.

"So we've done the reconnaissance, the build-up and the training to fight for the Giro, but we are also looking at the Tour."

Movistar's logic behind this approach and their choices of Quintana's Grand Tour challenges this year, Arrieta claims, was partly inspired by how teammate Alejandro Valverde claimed a third place in the Giro and sixth in the Tour - by far the best 'combined' performance of any rider in both Grand Tours - last summer. But there's more to it than that.

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Marian, Milligan Win Varsity Omnium Titles at Collegiate Road Nationals

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Marian University and Milligan College repeat as omnium winners at Collegiate Road Nationals

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Mulally Seventh in Rainy World Cup Downhill Opener

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Defending champ Aaron Gwin crashes twice on treacherous course

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Quintana wins Vuelta Asturias queen stage

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Roldan wins opening stage at Vuelta Asturias

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Majerus takes overall victory at Festival Elsy Jacobs

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Pauwels wins the Tour de Yorkshire with final stage win

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Serge Pauwels won the third edition of the Tour de Yorkshire, taking victory on the third-and-final stage to cap a fine team display that saw Dimension Data finish with a one-two on the stage and GC through Omar Fraile.

With four short-but-tough climbs in the final 20 kilometres of the run from Bradford to Sheffield, the strongest contenders began to emerge, and Jacques Ranse Van Rensburg  (Dimension Data) put the group into difficulty on the Cote de Wigtwizzle, teeing up an attack from Pauwels over the top. The Belgian extended his advantage to half a minute over the climbs of Ewden Height and Midhopestones as Fraile marked moves, disrupted pace and generally gave a textbook demonstration of how to race behind a solo teammate.

So strong was Fraile, he was the only rider in the thinning chase group of eight riders strong enough to make it across to Pauwels after the final climb, and it was almost cruel the way he left them behind and joined up with his teammate inside the final two kilometres.

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From there the victory was in the bag, with a lead of around 10 seconds, but the question was which one of them would be taking it. Fraile quickly informed Pauwels he wouldn’t be getting in the way, and the two riders raised their arms in unison as they crossed the line.

"Omar has been a fantastic roommate this week, he’s a great guy, he basically gave me the victory today. That makes him a great person,” said Pauwels in his television interview after the stage.

Jonathan Hivert (Cofidis) won the dash for third place from the group of seven several seconds later, clinching third overall, one second behind Fraile and seven behind Pauwels, who took 10 bonus seconds for the stage win.

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Richie Porte wins the Tour de Romandie

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Richie Porte (BMC) grabbed overall victory at the Tour de Romandie on Sunday with a strong performance on the final-day time trial to depose overnight race leader Simon Yates (Orica-Scott)

Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) tore through the largely downhill second half of the 17.8km Lausanne course to win the stage and haul himself from sixth up onto the podium. 

After Porte and Yates skipped away on Saturday's queen stage, the final-day tussle for the title looked like a two-way battle, and Porte needed to make up 19 seconds on the young Brit. The former Australian national time trial champion found all that and more by the intermediate checkpoint at 6.5km, towards the top of the uphill opening section of the course, and it became clear which way the result would be going. 

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Yates still produced a strong ride - and he needed to, given the charge of Roglic. The Slovenian, who is going from strength to strength as a week-long racer, was strong on the uphill section but he covered the second half of the course in blistering fashion, taking every risk he could to hit the highest possible speeds on the downhill. He stopped the clock on 24:58, which, at the time, was an amazing 32 seconds better than the leader in the clubhouse, Tejay Van Garderen. 

If Porte was never really in trouble, himself setting 25:06, then Yates would have to start worrying about second place rather than the yellow jersey. In the end he set 25:46, leaving him 21 seconds down on Porte in the overall standings, but five seconds clear of Roglic on the podium. 

"It’s a massive shock to be honest," said Porte. "i didn't think i’d be able to claw that much time back. I tip my hat to my teammates for all the work they’ve done this week. Also Yates, he’s a super talent, he rolled my yesterday in the stage so it was sweet to get the victory today. He won the battle but I won the war a little bit there. It’s just nice to keep the momentum rolling before July."

How it unfolded

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Gaze and Huck take Whiskey Fat Tire Criterium wins

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Sam Gaze (Specialized) and Erin Huck (Scott 3Rox Racing) won the opening salvos of the Whisky Off Road Friday night, taking out the wins in the men's and women's fat tire criteriums. 

In the men's race, Todd Wells (SRAM-TLD) broke away early and was shortly joined by Gaze. The two worked well to hold off the peloton and Gaze won in a sprint finish. Wells was second and Geoff Kabush (Scott 3Rox Racing) finished third. Ninety pro men started the event.

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Huck, the US champion, was the aggressor for most of the race but could not shake off a talented lead group. She won in a sprint finish over Kate Courtney (Specialized). Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) finished third. Stan's riders Chloe Woodruff and Rose Grant both crashed on final run into the finish. Both appeared not to be seriously hurt.

 

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Tour de Romandie: UCI issue racism warning after reports

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Cycling's governing body warns that any rider found guilty of racism will be sanctioned after reports of an incident during the Tour de Romandie.

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Tour de Yorkshire 2017: Belgian rider Serge Pauwels takes overall victory

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Belgian Serge Pauwels takes overall victory in the Tour de Yorkshire after winning Sunday's final stage into Fox Valley near Sheffield.

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GB's Atherton wins 14th mountain bike event in a row

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Britain's Rachel Atherton extended her record winning run to 14 with victory in the opening round of the 2017 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup.

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Tour de Romandie: Britain's Simon Yates second as Richie Porte wins on final stage

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Britain's Simon Yates has to settle for second place overall in the Tour de Romandie after Sunday's final stage time trial.

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Leader's jersey scant consolation for Ewan at Tour de Yorkshire

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Caleb Ewan was already cloistered aboard the Orica-Scott motorhome past the finish line in Harrogate when an emissary from the Tour de Yorkshire race organisation rapped on the door to inform him that he had picked up enough time bonuses to divest Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) of the leader’s jersey.

For a sprinter, the general classification is merely an afterthought. In the here and now, Ewan was digesting a second successive second place finish, but he wore his disappointment lightly as he soft-pedalled back to the podium to accept the unexpected consolation prize of the blue jersey.

Like at Scarborough on Friday, Ewan was left with simply too much ground to make up in the final 300 metres in Harrogate. On stage 1, he had at least been able to close to within inches of Groenewegen by the finish, but Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) already had a winning lead by the time Ewan had launched his effort in earnest on the uphill finish here.

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“It’s pretty disappointing because I had good legs,” Ewan said. “I think we stuffed up a little bit in the finish. When there was that dip with 600 metres to go we really needed to use the speed we had and keep going but instead we hesitated and we got swamped. Once I got boxed in, it was too hard to get back, especially once the momentum was off, so it’s a bit disappointing.”

The lightly-climbing finish on Parliament Street was expected to favour both Bouhanni and Ewan, but it was perhaps the slight drop before the final kick to the line that proved decisive. Bouhanni was well-placed and then quick to respond when Jonathan Hivert (Direct Energie) went from distance, while Ewan found himself on the back foot. It was all the more frustrating given how assuredly Orica-Scott had ridden at the head of the peloton, shutting down the repeated attacks during a rather breathless final half hour of racing.

“In the last 15 kilometres there were lots of attacks. We kind of just stayed together rand we pretty much nailed it until that last bit,” Ewan said. “Instead of going in that dip and using the speed we had, we kind of slowed a little bit, and once we wiped off our speed it was way too hard to come back.

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Porte moves into contention as Romandie finale looms

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Richie Porte (BMC Racing) moved into contention for the overall win at the Tour de Romandie thanks to a decisive ride through the mountains on stage 4.

The Australian finished second to Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) on the climb to Leysin and now sits second overall, 19 seconds off Yates’ race lead with just Sunday’s 18.3km time trial around Lausanne remaining.

By the time Porte sprung into action on Saturday, Yates had flown and opened up a 45 second gap by the time the riders hit the final climb. Porte’s acceleration was so brutal no one from the group containing the GC favourites could counter. He caught Yates, and the pair drove towards the line before Yates came around the BMC rider to take the stage.

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"I showed today that I’m climbing really well," Porte told Cyclingnews on the phone after the stage. "I never thought this morning that I’d be in the position that I’m in. I couldn’t drop Yates on the climb. I gave him a few kicks but couldn’t get rid of him. When I caught him I asked him to work with me. He called me a few things but that’s racing, and we get along just fine. I congratulated him at the finish. All is fair in love and war."

Porte knew the significance of the stage, having arrived in Switzerland two days prior to the race. He rode recon with teammate Tejay van Garderen and had expected the race to stay together until the final climb. Team Sky set the pace for much of the day, but having blown the race apart they cracked on the penultimate ascent with Chris Froome even losing ground on the final run-in. With Sky unable to set the pace, several riders attempted to go clear.

"To be honest I didn’t see it turning out like it did," Porte said. "I wanted to hit them with 500m to go. Tejay and I came in here two days early to look at the climb and the time trial. I knew the climb but I didn’t expect the race to explode like it did.

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Tour de Romandie 2017 stage 4 highlights - Video

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Simon Yates' decision to roll the dice on Saturday at the Tour de Romandie with a long-range attack on the penultimate climb of the day paid off big for the Orica-Scott rider, who took the stage win ahead of BMC's Richie Porte and now leads the Australian by 19 seconds in the general classification.

Yates boldly attacked the peloton with about 20km remaining, sweeping up the early breakaway riders before Porte was able to bridge to him in the closing kilometres of the final climb. Yates' fast finishing kick proved too much for the BMC rider, however, as Yates was able to sprint past him at the line for the stage win. 

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Team Sky's Chris Froome was active early in the stage, chasing down attacks and countering moves, but he and Team Sky faded on the final climb, with the defending Tour de France champion losing 1:15 5o Porte and Yates on the day.

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Bouhanni: When you're a sprinter, the important thing is to win

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The uphill finale on Harrogate’s Parliament Street has an unspoken resonance for Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). In 2014, his final campaign at FDJ, he was part of a very public internal competition with Arnaud Démare for the role of sprinter at the Tour de France, missing out after his fierce rival won the French title in Futuroscope.

A week later, Bouhanni watched forlornly on television as the first yellow jersey of the Tour was decided by a sprint in Harrogate that seemed perfectly tailored to his characteristics. On the eve of this Tour de Yorkshire’s visit to the same site, Bouhanni watched the footage once again, examining how Marcel Kittel claimed the win, and perhaps silently cursing how he had missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

On Saturday, Bouhanni finally sampled Parliament Street for himself, and delivered a powerful sprint effort to claim a resounding victory on stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire. The victory was all the more impressive given that Bouhanni was forced to open his effort from much further out than planned after Jonathan Hivert (Direct Energie) looked to steal a march on the favourites.

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“I had to launch my sprint early. I went from a long, long way. I made my big effort with around 350-400 metres to go when I saw Jonathan Hivert had attacked. I reacted behind and got back up to him, and then I won,” Bouhanni said afterwards.

In Scarborough on Friday, Bouhanni had also been pressed into sprint action ahead of time and eventually faded to place fourth. On this occasion, the terrain was better-suited to a solo effort. He cruised up the final slope to the line, and the fast-finishing Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) was unable to make any real inroads into his advantage.

“We went from too far out yesterday. We wound up for the sprint for too long, and with 700 metres I only had one rider with me. There was a side-wind and they were able to get back up to me because I made too much of an effort before the final metres,” Bouhanni said. There were no such problems on Saturday. “Today was quite a difficult stage all the same, it was quite hilly. But in the finale, I was always well placed in the first fifteen positions.”

Tour de France

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Simon Yates: I'll take risks and ride to the max to defend Romandie lead

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Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) claimed his third win of the season on stage 4 of the Tour de Romandie and vowed to defend his race lead with everything he had on the final day's individual time trial.

Yates attacked on the penultimate climb of the Col du Pillon and opened up a sizable gap on his rivals before the final ascent to Leysin. The Orica rider was joined by Richie Porte (BMC Racing), who attacked from the bunch at the foot of the last climb, and the pair came to the line before Yates’ quicker turn of speed netted him the lead. Yates heads into Sunday’s 18.3km time trial around Laussane with a 19 second lead over Porte.

“I think tomorrow depends how my legs are responding after today. I would prefer more time, of course. The beginning of the time trial is difficult and the descent is quite technical. It might be okay but it might depend on how my legs feel at the start of the time trial. It could be difficult but I’ll give it the maximum. I’ll take some risk because it’s not very often that I arrive in the final time trial in the leader’s jersey. We’ll see. Nineteen seconds isn’t a lot to a guy like Richie.”

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Yates beat Porte in the opening prologue, but the wet conditions saw the BMC Racing leader hold back – a wise move in hindsight after his teammate Tejay van Garderen hit the deck. The Australian’s response on the final climb of stage 4 and the way in which he cut though Yates’ 45-second advantage was highly impressive, and he will be quietly confident of taking the jersey.

For Yates, though, the stage win was another significant moment in what is already turning into a highly successful career. This season he has won a stage in Paris-Nice and the GP Miguel Indurain, while his consistency in stage racing is improving as the Tour de France appears on the horizon. His attack to win stage 4 was set up by his teammates, who strung out a weary bunch before Yates accelerated away. It was a long distance move reminiscent of his stage win in Paris-Nice.

“From the moment I attacked it was very difficult. There was a lot of wind and we caught the break but they were very tired from their work. Me and Emanuel Buchmann worked but the UAE rider in the break wasn’t able to pull. Then when we arrived at the final climb I made a hard pace just to test the legs. I could hear on the radio that Richie was coming very quickly. I took it easy because if he caught me and I was already empty then it would have been hard to win or stay with him.”

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Chad Young succumbs to injuries

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Axeon Hagens Berman rider Chad Young has died almost a week after crashing heavily during the Tour of the Gila. In a post titled, 'Axeon Hagens Berman mourns Chad Young', the team confirmed that Young had succumbed to his injuries. He passed away while surrounded by his family.

“I am very sorry to let everyone know that Chad Young did not survive his crash last Sunday. He passed away Friday evening, surrounded by his family,” wrote team manager Axel Merckx in the post on the team’s website. “We lost a friend, a teammate and a family member. I have no words that can express my pain over this loss. I can only say that I am very thankful to have known him and that I feel privileged to have been able to share in his passion for cycling.

“Thank you for the outpouring of love and support over the past few days. We ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.”

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Young crashed on a descent during last Sunday’s stage as he was chasing back to the peloton with teammate Edward Anderson. While Anderson escaped with minor injuries, Young had to be airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries. He was initially described as being in a stable condition but the team said on Tuesday that the situation had become critical. On Friday, the team said that the 21-year-old was unlikely to recover from his injuries.

Tour of the Gila added their sympathies to Young's family. “It’s a heartbreaking situation,” said race director Jack Brennan.

“The Axeon Hagens Berman team and its team director, Axel Merckx, have always recruited and mentored these incredible young men to help them mature in the sport of cycling, and Chad was certainly in that mold. As a father and grandfather myself, I want to express my sincere condolences to Chad’s family and friends.”

Young’s death comes just a week after Michele Scarponi was killed during a training ride near his home in Italy.

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Team Sky keep Moscon in Romandie despite racial abuse of Reza

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Team Sky has decided to keep Gianni Moscon in the Tour de Romandie despite the rider using racially abusive language towards FDJ rider, Kevin Reza.

The incident took place at the end of stage 3 with both riders appearing to have a heated discussion after the line. Neither Team Sky nor FDJ would confirm what Moscon said but at the start of stage 4 both parties told Cyclingnews that an apology had been issued by Moscon and accepted by Reza. The Frenchman declined to comment on the serious matter.

“The matter is closed and the apology was accepted by Kevin. There’s nothing more to say on that side from FDJ,” a member of the FDJ management told Cyclingnews. Cyclingnews understands that FDJ waited for Reza to respond before backing their rider’s decision of accepting Moscon’s apology.

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Both teams arrived at the start of stage 4 in Domdidier at the same time, meaning that their buses were parked just meters away. FDJ chose to stay on their bus until ten minutes before the start while Team Sky’s Nicolas Portal took questions from L’Equipe and then Cyclingnews.

Portal, whose first language is French, admitted that Moscon’s actions were wrong but he confirmed that Team Sky would not dismiss their rider from the race. According to Portal, and then later a Team Sky spokesperson, Moscon will be disciplined by the team internally after the race concludes on Sunday. The two remaining stages are Saturday’s queen stage and Sunday’s individual time trial.Team Sky are still in the hunt for the overall.

“There’s been an incident between the two riders,” Portal told Cyclingnews.

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Moscon racially abuses Reza at Tour de Romandie

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Team Sky has confirmed that Gianni Moscon used racially abusive language towards FDJ’s Kevin Reza at the Tour de Romandie. Team Sky’s DS Nicolas Portal called the incident ‘unacceptable’ and a team spokesperson said that the incident would be dealt with internally.

In a video posted to Team Sky’s twitter page following Friday’s stage 3 of the Tour de Romandie, Reza could be seen remonstrating with Moscon in the background. Reza’s teammate Sebastian Reichenbach later tweeted about an incident of racial abuse, although he did not name Moscon.

“Shocked to hear fools still use racial slurs in the pro peloton. You are a shame for our sport,” he wrote on Twitter.

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According to Team Sky, Reza has accepted an apology from Moscon, but the Frenchman refused to comment at the start of the stage 4. The Italian will be allowed to continue the race, which finishes on Sunday, and Team Sky will punish him after its completion. 

Cyclingnews has contacted the UCI about the incident, but is currently awaiting a response. The race organisers say that they were unaware of the incident until Saturday morning.

@reichenbach_seb Kevin a d'ailleurs failli lui régler son compte! http://pic.twitter.com/3nj7r0aMQJ

— Stéphane Combe (@Stephane_Combe) April 28, 2017

— Team Sky (@TeamSky) April 28, 2017

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Cort, Haller, Downing all break collarbones in Tour de Yorkshire crash

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As Dylan Groenewegen sprinted for victory in Scarborough on stage 1 of the Tour de Yorkshire, a scene of carnage played out behind him. A heavy fall by Orica-Scott’s Magnus Cort caused a ripple effect that resulted in a huge pile-up just a few hundred metres from the line.

ONE Pro Cycling, Team Sky, Great Britain, Katusha, Madison Genesis and JLT Condor all had riders involved in the incident. Giro d’Italia contender Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) also came down, but the Dutchman was relatively lucky and escaped without any serious injury, as did most other riders.

The same couldn’t be said for Cort, who broke his collarbone in the crash. Katusha’s Marco Haller was the second rider to crash, going over the top of Cort, and also broke his collarbone, as did JLT Condor’s Russ Downing. All three have been forced to abandon the race. A photo showed a clean break for Haller, who will have to undergo surgery to secure his injury. After the crash, riders were seen crossing the line on foot as they wheeled their bikes next to them. 

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Downing’s brother, former rider, Dean tweeted a message that he had received from the JLT Condor rider, “just waiting for x-ray to come back, but probably won't be on the start line tomorrow it's grinding a bit.”

The loss of Cort will be a blow to Orica-Scott, who took second place on stage 1 with Caleb Ewan coming close to beating Groenewegen in the sprint. Moments prior to the crash, the Dane had set up Ewan for the sprint and was a key rider for the team’s sprint train.

“Obviously we are disappointed with how it finished today,” directeur sportif Dave McPartland said. “It’s a real shame and very unfortunate to lose Magnus, not only for this race, but also for the busy period ahead and we hope that he can make a full and speedy recovery.

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Pantano vows to go full gas in Romandie mountains

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Jarlinson Pantano (Trek-Segafredo) has vowed to go full gas as the Tour de Romandie ventures into the key mountain stage of this year’s race.

The Trek-Segafredo climber sits 12th on the general classification, 15 seconds down on race leader and teammate Fabio Felline. The Italian, no stranger to performing well in mountain stages, is expected to come under severe pressure from the likes of Chris Froome and Richie Porte, both of whom need to attack in a bid to make up time in the overall classification.

“It’s is the hardest stage, but I don’t know what will happen. For sure, I’ll go full gas with Fellini,” Pantano told Cyclingnews at the end of stage 3 in the Tour de Romandie.

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“It’s important we go with the best guys. I don’t know if tomorrow is a good stage for Fabio, but he’s strong,” the Colombian added.

Pantano had a breakthrough win in the Tour de Suisse last year, and at the Tour de Romandie he has the opportunity to lead Trek-Segafredo while Alberto Contador trains, and Bauke Mollema prepares for the Giro d’Italia. Should Felline falter in the mountains, Pantano has a slight advantage over Froome and Porte, who are 29 and 33 seconds behind respectively.

Trek-Segafredo has had the leader’s jersey since the opening day of action, after Felline took a surprise win in the prologue. Their method of defending the jersey came under criticism from Froome at the end of stage 1 when questioned the level of work that they had done to bring back the breakaway.

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Lucy Garner swaps sprint for support role in Tour de Yorkshire

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The third edition of the Women's Tour de Yorkshire will be the most open one yet, according to last year's runner-up Lucy Garner (Wiggle-High5). The previous two races have ended up in a bunch gallop, but a climb smack in the middle of the 122km route is likely to spice things up says the former double junior world champion.

As with last year, the race will follow the exact same route as the second stage of the men's race. It runs from Tadcaster to Harrogate and features the 1.7km Lofthouse climb, before an undulating ride to the finish. Last year, it seemed almost inevitable that the race would end in a bunch sprint, but Garner says that there can be no such certainty this time around.

"It's hard to say because the first part of the race is pretty flat but then you have the climb in the middle, and then it's quite rolling until the finish. I think that anything can happen, it depends on what teams want," Garner told Cyclingnews before jetting off from her base in the Netherlands to the UK. "I think it is going to split a lot on the climbs, but then it might come back. Obviously, it depends on the wind too, because over the climb it is really windy so that can also play a big part and make it split even more. It's really hard to say on a course like that."

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Garner will be one of the big home favourites, along with Boels Dolmans' Lizzie Deignan, after finishing second to Kirsten Wild in the bunch sprint into Doncaster last season. While she'd like to pull out another solid result on home turf, the course is far from ideal for Garner - who fits more into the mould of a pure sprinter – and she says that she is likely to play the support role for new Madison world champion Jolien D'hoore.

"It's a very testing the course, and my weakest point is climbing. I'm not very good at it. I try to but I'm not," Garner explained with a laugh. "[I'll try] to get over that climb as well positioned as possible and see from there. We've not had a team tactics meeting yet but I'm guessing that I'll probably be playing more of a role to support Jolien because she's probably got a better chance of getting over the climbs fresher than me.

"I think Jolien has got a good chance of getting a result because she's obviously targeted a lot of the Classics early on, so she knows that she can climb pretty well at the moment. Obviously, after the world title she's buzzing, so that's only a positive for us going into Saturday. Audrey [Cordon-Ragot] has been doing fantastic on the climbs, and she's going to want to go on the climb in the middle."

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Adam Yates: Attacker-friendly racing at the Giro could suit me

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In all the fuss about Geraint Thomas' latest bid to use the Giro d'Italia to prove he really can fight for a Grand Tour, it sometimes feels as if another British rider's battle to go for the GC in the Giro this May has been overshadowed. The ironic thing is, of course, that in terms of GC contention, Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) has already been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. Or in Yates' case, some nice white maillots as the 2016 Tour's Best Young Rider.

 If you discount team prizes, Yates is one of just three currently active British riders together with Chris Froome (Sky) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) to have made it onto the race's final podium in Paris – or the final podium of any Grand Tour for that matter. Yet, despite Yates' breakthrough fourth-place ride in the Tour, such is the range of Orica-Scott's GC talent that Yates' brother Simon, sixth in the 2016 Vuelta, and Giro and Vuelta podium finisher Esteban Chaves will be taking on the Tour in 2017. Adam, meanwhile, is looking to make his mark in the one Grand Tour neither he nor Simon have raced before: the Giro d'Italia.

It's a sign of his youth – he's still only 24 – that Yates first memory of the Giro is, he tells Cyclingnews, "2009 and the Rome time trial over the cobbles, when [overall winner Denis] Menchov crashed, a big dramatic finish. Before that, I don't really remember much."

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Even so, eight years of watching the Giro d'Italia on and off since then has been ample time for Yates to reach his own conclusions about how it is raced, particularly after he started doing reconnaissance for the 2017 Giro d'Itala. That recon largely consisted of watching old race videos of the Giro's big climbs and being an armchair critic: "Sitting on my arse on the sofa and saying 'what's he doing attacking there?'" as he puts it with a grin.

But he's reached some important conclusions, too. Just as Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) recently told sister-publication Procycling, the far less structured, haphazard style of racing that seems to flourish at the Giro compared to the Tour couldn't fail to strike home – although he is guarded about whether that is to his advantage.

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Yates replies when asked if he liked that kind of more anarchic racing in real life as well as from a couch potato's point of view. "But I think it could suit me. In the Tour, I did a good ride, I was pretty consistent, but the guys that were ahead of me were just better than me. There was never any opportunity to attack that comes with the kind of carnage you don't get when the racing is more controlled, like in the Tour.

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Women's Tour de Yorkshire 2017 start list

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Collegiate Road Titles Earned in Grand Junction

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Erica Allar, Robert Squire, Erica Clevenger and Cyrus Pearo win road races

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Majerus wins stage 1 at Festival Elsy Jacobs

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Tour de Yorkshire: Bouhanni wins stage 2

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The consensus beforehand was that the uphill finish in Harrogate lent itself perfectly to the talents of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), and the Frenchman lived up to his billing with a resounding sprint victory on stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire.

By reputation, only Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) might have expected to live with Bouhanni on this kind of a finale, and the Australian duly came through to take place second on the stage and move into the blue jersey of race leader, even if his grip is a tenuous one with the tough final stage to Sheffield still to come.

For the second day running, Bouhanni opened his sprint from further out than he would have liked, but the scales were tipped in his favour by the terrain. On Scarborough’s windswept seafront on Friday, Bouhanni floundered to finish fourth, but he made light work of Parliament Street’s incline on Saturday, punching his way past Jonathan Hivert (Direct Energie) to take the win. Hivert managed to hold on for third place, while Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) took fourth ahead of Christopher Lawless (Great Britain).

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“I had good legs yesterday too, but it was more tactical and I had to launch my sprint from too far out,” Bouhanni said. “Today the sprint was just about having the legs.”

Bouhanni’s confidence in his strength was obvious. Hivert had looked to surprise the favourites by jumping his way clear with more than 400 metres to go, but where the other sprinters hesitated, Bouhanni moved swiftly and decisively. He cruised up to Hivert and then scorched past him with 200 metres to go.

“I made my big effort with around 350 or 400 metres to go when I saw Jonathan Hivert had attacked. I reacted behind and got back up to him, and then I won,” Bouhanni said. As simple as that.

How it unfolded

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Tour de Romandie: Simon Yates wins stage 4 in Leysin, takes race lead

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Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) seized control of the Tour de Romandie during stage 4 on Saturday, playing the long game by jumping away from the peloton with about 20km remaining and then out-kicking Richie Porte at the finish in Lesyn after the BMC rider bridged to him in the closing kilometres.

Yates and Porte finished 30 seconds ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe’s Emanuel Buchmann and 43 seconds ahead of Porte’s teammate, Tejay van Garderen. The rest of the overall contenders were nearly a minute in arrears.

Yates now leads the general classification by 19 seconds over Porte and 38 seconds over Buchmann. Race leader Fabio Felline, who led the race since the opening prologue, dropped to fourth, 44 seconds down.

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Yates and Porte both had time to make up after losing crucial seconds earlier in the week. The Orica-Scott rider jumped away from the peloton on the penultimate climb, mopping up the remnants of an early breakaway as he made his way to the final 5km climb to the finish.

Porte waited longer to make his move, attacking with about 5km to go as the road pitched upward again toward the finish. Although Yates won the stage and the leader’s jersey, Porte’s blistering acceleration away from his potential Tour de France rivals may have been the most significant statement of the day.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome was active earlier in the stage chasing down moves on the penultimate climb of the day, but the defending Tour de France champion ended up 33rd on the day, losing 1:15 to Yates and Porte. He’s currently 33rd overall, 1:36 down on Yates.

How it unfolded

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Deignan wins women's Tour de Yorkshire

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Lizzie Deignan (Boels Dolmans) delighted home crowds in Harrogate when she soloed across the finish line at the Tour de Yorkshire on Saturday. The Otley-born rider won the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire by nearly a minute off the back of a late race attack and brilliant team tactics.

Behind Deignan, Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) emerged from a nine-rider chase group to take best of the rest in front of 2010-2011 road world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-High5).

It’s been 10 months since Deignan last stood atop podium (save team time trial wins) at the Aviva Women’s Tour where she parlayed a stage win into overall victory. She was Lizzie Armitstead then, yet to marry Team Sky professional cyclist Phil Deignan, and the world champion. It was before the missed test fiasco and a failed bid for Rio Olympic gold.

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“It was really special for me to finish here and feel so much support,” said Deignan. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a victory. It’s been a tough year. To crown it like this, to move on and to move on with local support was very special.”

Deignan finished second behind teammate Anna van der Breggen in each of the three Ardennes classics. Early season illness hampered her preparation and fitness, but it was clear that a return to top form was imminent for the 2015 road world champion. It was no surprise then when Deignan’s teammates began to launch attacks from kilometre zero.

“The plan was to get someone in the breakaway – we had Amy Pieters there – and for me and Anna to bridge on the main climb,” explained Deignan. “Hopefully we’d have a small group in the finish.”

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Moolman-Pasio wins Elsy Jacobs prologue

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Simon Yates leads going into Romandie finale

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Britain's Simon Yates leads the Tour de Romandie heading into Sunday's individual time trial after winning the penultimate stage.

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Deignan wins Tour de Yorkshire in home county

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Home favourite Lizzie Deignan breaks away from the field to win the women's Tour de Yorkshire.

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Specialized makes limited edition Allez Sprint frames for Red Hook Crit

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This article originally appeared on BikeRadar

A decade ago, the Red Hook Criterium was organised to celebrate David Trimble's 26th birthday and was held with no sponsors, promotion, prizes or permits. Now, it has become one of the most hyped and exciting unsanctioned events; known for high octane, gearless and brakeless racing, and of course, the epic crashes, with races in the US and Europe.

This year, Specialized has teamed up with designer Dylan Buffington and Team Specialized/Rocket Espresso to produce some of the most eye-catching frames for the series to date.

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The special team edition Allez Sprint rolls on Roval's CX64, Shimano Dura-Ace track cranks and the frame features Specialized Smart Weld technology at the bottom bracket and head tube. This process moves the joint away from high-stress areas to maintain the best possible strength and rigidity, something that’s particularly important on a track frame.

According to Buffington, the concept for this Red Hook edition Allez Sprint was inspired by the techniques and motifs used by designers for the BMW Art Car series.

“These artists, who were used to their respective mediums, adapted to the form of the cars as well as to the public's eye who viewed them,” he said.

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Riders struggle with news of Chad Young's critical injuries

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Coming on the heels of the loss of Steve Tilford and the more distant tragedy of Michele Scarponi's death, the US peloton is reeling from news that Axeon Hagens Berman's Chad Young is not expected to recover from injuries sustained in a crash at the Tour of the Gila.

The team issued a press release late Thursday saying that the 21-year-old suffered severe head injuries in the crash that came on a descent during the final "Gila Monster" stage – a course that has been beset by bad crashes over the years. Riders are regularly warned to take caution, but this crash happened on a section of the course that seemed relatively innocuous, rather than the steep, tight switchback from Pinos Altos that has taken out so many riders in the past.

Medical teams were quick to take action after the wreck, but despite their efforts, Young's condition is dire. His friends and competitors are struggling to come to terms with this reality.

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Tom Petty, the manager of Mobius Future Racing, whose rider Peter Livingstone was caught up in the same crash, praised the quick work of the medics who arrived at the scene.

"The crash itself was really no different or remarkable to any other, a small bunch of riders came into the corner, it was a bit deceiving, they realised they'd misjudged it and in the correction, lost control and crashed. We don't feel the course or anyone particularly is at fault," Petty told Cyclingnews.

"The medics at the scene, especially Dr. Brian Robinson were excellent. They quickly assessed Chad, made a decision and went about getting him to helicopter landing spot. It's my opinion that he had the best response time at the scene."

 

 

— Chris Norvold (@ChrisNorvold) April 28, 2017

— Ben Ryan (@Ben_Ryan113) April 28, 2017

— Liam Holowesko (@LiamHolowesko) April 28, 2017

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Portal plots Froome's comeback in Tour de Romandie

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From the moment Chris Froome lost time in the prologue at the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday, Nicolas Portal began drawing up battle plans for Team Sky's comeback.

The seconds Froome lost to race leader Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) were not the most pressing matter but the 20 seconds conceded to danger man Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) certainly were a concern. A number of other GC rivals including Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida), Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) and Simon Yates (Orica-Scott), also put time into Froome with the Tour de France winner unwilling to take risks on the wet course.

"He started as one of the first in the prologue as we tried to gamble with the weather. He had in mind the Tour de France so he didn't take too many risks on the corners. He lost some time and that's affected the way we've been riding. It means that we need to make some moves and make the race hard," Portal said at the finish of stage 3.

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Since the prologue, Sky have ridden a measured race, opting to stay off the front until necessity called for it, or like on stage 3, when they successfully sealed a sprint win with Elia Viviani. This is not Team Sky's Tour squad and Portal's riders have saved their powder for the final mountain stage. If Froome is to win the Tour de Romandie for the third time in his career, his team will need a show of force on stage 4 as the race moves into the mountains before the final individual time trial.

The 163.5km slog from Domdidier to Leysin holds four climbs: the Jaunpass, Saanenmoser, Col du Pillon and final ascent to Leysin. All are positioned inside the second half of the stage and the terrain flips between bearable and severe. None of the four climbs stretch out to longer than 7km but the 10.5 per cent pitches on the Jaunpass will stretch the peloton towards its breaking point, while the final climb – 4km in length – averages around 8.5 per cent before the final kilometre levels off at a more manageable 3.4 per cent. This is not Team Sky's ideal terrain – they would argue for longer climbs – but it's the best they have to play with.

"Some of the climbs we know from the past editions of Romandie. We know it's going to be a GC day before the time trial. We need to use that stage as much as we can. We're not the only team to think that way and there's still some gaps with three climbs to come," Portal told Cyclingnews after stage 3.

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Finish line arrives too soon for Ewan at Tour de Yorkshire

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Sprinters, like gamblers, tend to have a binary view of their occupation. They either win or they lose, and there is nothing between those two extremes. With sprints of rather higher stakes to come in the weeks ahead, however, Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) could at least draw solace from the manner of his second place finish behind Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) at the end of stage 1 of the Tour de Yorkshire.

At the end of a rugged afternoon of racing in North Yorkshire, Ewan closed a sizeable gap to the Dutch champion in the dying metres of the sprint along Scarborough's windswept seafront, but the finish banner simply arrived a couple of beats too soon. The Australian was second across the line, ahead of the surprising Chris Opie (Bike Channel-Canyon) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), while the spoils fell to Groenewegen.

"There weren't many people left to lead out so it was a super slow sprint and I think Dylan just got a massive jump on all of us," Ewan told Cyclingnews after he had wheeled to a halt past the finish. "I was coming back at him but I didn't get there in time."

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On the eve of the race, opinion was divided as to whether the three categorised climbs on the opening leg would suffice to burn off the fast men ahead of the Scarborough finale. The last ascent, the short but steep climb at Robin Hood's Bay, threatened to splinter the peloton, but Ewan climbed with teammates around him and always managed to stay within touching distance of the front. Once the road flattened out once more, he was safely back towards the head of the race. He is aware that he will need to produce similar feats of climbing to maximise his sprint opportunities at the forthcoming Giro d'Italia, where he lines up for the second time in his career.

"The last climb was pretty tough, but I got over it in the front group so I was pretty happy with that. It was alright," Ewan said. Winner of four stages at the Tour Down Under and another at the Abu Dhabi Tour, the youngster's glut of wins was interrupted by an early abandon at Tirreno-Adriatico, but he is pleased with his condition precisely a week from the first stage of the Giro in Sardinia.

"I think it's pretty good. It was a good sign that I got over the climb in the front group. I suffered but I got there, and I still think I did a pretty good sprint after that. Dylan got the jump on me, but my form is pretty good."

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Tour de Yorkshire: Groenewegen continues winning streak on British roads

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Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) is beginning to enjoy his raids across the North Sea. In a repeat of the corresponding day a year ago, the Dutch champion claimed victory in the bunch sprint on the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire, once again edging Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) into second place for good measure.

It was Groenewegen's third victory on British roads in the past twelve months – he also won in Builth Wells at the Tour of Britain in September – and it was arguably the hardest earned. There was no gentle introduction to the fray at this year's Tour de Yorkshire, with the peloton facing three categorised climbs and scarcely a metre of flat as the race rode through North Yorkshire en route to a finish on Scarborough's seafront.

The final ascent, the short but stiff Côte de Robin Hood's Bay, almost did for the fast men, as the peloton fragmented on its slopes, with Groenewegen among those caught behind. Having spent so much of the day setting the temp on his behalf, however, LottoNL-Jumbo's yellow and black guard were not minded to let their work go to waste, and they duly restored order to the race on the run-in to Scarborough, and the scene was set for a sprint.

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"It was a hard stage. I was dropped on the climbs sometimes, but luckily the team was there to protect me all day long," Groenewegen said afterwards. Indeed, even after the categorised climbs were digested, he was almost caught out by the stage's sting in the tail on the final approach to Scarborough. "I felt my legs and dropped back. Fortunately, Tom Leezer was there and dropped back from the front."

The finish line was shifted forward 400 metres on the eve of the race due to concerns that the crashing waves and high spring tides along Royal Albert Drive would soak spectators at the roadside, and it was perhaps fitting that a Dutchman emerged victorious on a sprint finish that was all but reclaimed from the sea.

Cofidis led out for Nacer Bouhanni, but the Frenchman was perhaps exposed too soon, and he faded in the sprint, coming home in fourth place. Groenewegen timed his effort rather better, and he opened what proved to be a winning gap when he ripped clear inside the final 200 metres. Ewan was making real inroads into Groenewegen's lead by the finish, but he left himself with too much to do and had to settle for second place.

Kruijswijk crash

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Kruijswijk: I didn't lose the Giro d'Italia because I wasn't good enough

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A miscue atop the Colle dell'Agnello may have cost Steven Kruijswijk overall victory at last year's Giro d'Italia, but it did not undo the value of the work that had broAught him to the brink of becoming the first Dutch Grand Tour winner since Joop Zoetemelk claimed the 1980 Tour de France.

When Kruijswijk sat down ahead of 2017 and steeled himself to begin all over again, he charted a path to the Giro that closely mirrored his build-up to the corsa in each of the past two seasons. After racing Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya in March, Kruijswijk spent much of April training at altitude in Tenerife, and, for the third year in succession, the LottoNL-Jumbo man has slotted the Tour de Yorkshire into his schedule ahead of the Giro.

"This is the last bit of racing, getting into the mix of racing before I start again," Kruijswijk told Cyclingnews in Bridlington ahead of the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire." After a block of one month of training, it's good to do just before the start of the Giro. It helps build a bit of rhythm and maybe brings some confidence as well."

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While Tour de France contenders can afford to reach a peak of sorts in the spring and then relent before building back up towards July, the Giro's place on the calendar typically requires a steadier period of preparation. In keeping with the tenor of the past two springs, Kruijswijk's early outings were solid rather than spectacular, but seventh overall at the Volta a Catalunya was a welcome confirmation of progress.

"It's possible to get results early in the year even when you're preparing for the Giro and I tried to, but the main goal was always the Giro," Kruijswijk said. "I tried to focus and stay healthy, and then I had to do a lot of preparation in the last month in Tenerife. I think that is the most important thing of the spring."

In each of the past two editions of the Giro, Kruijswijk has seemed to hold firm in the final week just as those around him are beginning to flag. Despite the distinctive, broad-shouldered riding style that earned him the nickname of De Kleerhanger – 'the clothes hanger' – this is not merely a visual impression. In 2015, Kruijswijk impressed Alberto Contador with his display on the Mortirolo stage en route to seventh overall, while a year ago, the Dutchman showed few signs of weakness right up to his crash on the Agnello.

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Ion Izagirre: Time trial, not mountains, will decide Romandie winner

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Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) goes into the two most important stages of this year's Tour de Romandie within touching distance of the yellow jersey but was keeping his cards close to his chest as he looks to secure another consistently high place in a WorldTour stage race.

The 28-year-old finished seventh in a brutally tough Paris-Nice and followed that up with third overall at País Vasco before securing three top 12 finishes in the Ardennes. He is the personification of WorldTour consistency but with one stage in the mountains to Leysin and then the 18.3km time trial around Lausanne, he has every opportunity to turn another top 10 into a win.

"I've been feeling good in the first few days and I've recovered well since the Classics," he told Cyclingnews after his Bahrain-Merida teammate, Sonny Colbrelli, finished second on stage 3.

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"We're going to see how things go with the hardest stage as to what we can do as a team. We've a strong squad and we saw that today with how we rode on the front. I hope that we can do the same tomorrow."

Izagirre's Romandie began with a respectable 12th place in the prologue. Although he conceded 12 seconds to the current race leader, Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo), he put time into all his GC rivals other that Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) who remains a real threat for the overall, and who beat Izagirre in the long time trial in País Vasco.

"At first I wasn't happy when I looked at my time. Then I analysed how I did against the other teams and the other riders and it was a bit better."

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Viviani puts Giro d'Italia non-selection aside with Romandie win

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Elia Viviani (Team Sky) responded to his non-selection for the Giro d'Italia by taking his first win of the season on stage 3 of the Tour de Romandie. The Olympic Omnium champion edged out compatriot Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) and Michael Schwarzmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) hours after Team Sky announced that they would not be taking him to the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia.

"Finally I've taken my first win after six second places. I almost lost the feeling of winning so today I'm really happy. All the team believed in me and from the start we had a plan," Viviani told Cyclingnews after his win.

Before the start of the stage, Team Sky announced their Giro roster. The big surprise was that Viviani has missed out as the team drew up a line of nine riders to support their GC ambitions. Viviani took it on the chin, telling Cyclingnews that while he was disappointed to miss out, he understood the reasoning behind Team Sky's decision. Not one to let the news get him down Viviani put his hand up and delivered the perfect sprint.

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"We didn't pull at the start, and we just waited to see how I felt. The hardest part was after 120 kilometres when we had the two consecutive climbs when Orica also attacked. That was the hardest part but we managed it really well. Owain Doull stayed with me and David Lopez and Peter Kennaugh did the pace on the front of the peloton," he added.

With the finish in sight, it was Chris Froome who hit the front for Viviani. He helped stretch out the peloton before the rest of the team's lead out delivered Viviani to the line.

"Froome started the lead out. Moscon was my second man and Owain was my last man. When Edmondson from Orica went with 300 to go I was a bit worried that I might lose the chance. I kept trying and believed that it would be my day. It's been a long time since my last win on the road, but I'm back in my top form now. I hope to take more wins."

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2017 Tour de Romandie stage 3 highlights - Video

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Elia Viviani (Team Sky) finally claimed the first win of his 2017 season after half a dozen near-misses, taking out the bunch sprint on stage 3 of the Tour de Romandie.

Viviani topped Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) and Michael Schwarzmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the dash to the line in Payerne after the early breakaway and a number of later attacks were all brought to heel.

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Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) kept his race leader's jersey for the fourth straight day, still with eight seconds on Max Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) and Jesús Herrada (Movistar).

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Burghardt: Coming home with Bora-Hansgrohe

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After seven years with the BMC Racing team, it seemed like Marcus Burghardt had found a happy home – one that he might just stay with until he retired. However, a phone call from a friend made him think about starting afresh.

With nothing holding him back, Burghardt didn't have to think twice about taking up the opportunity to join Bora-Hansgrohe in their first season at the WorldTour, and working for a friend adds an extra dimension to this new adventure.

"Ralph Denk is my neighbour, and we are also friends. I was out of contract with BMC, so he got in touch and we spoke about whether I might think about joining Bora-Hansgrohe," Burghardt explained to Cyclingnews after taking part in a motorsport event organised by the team's car supplier Auto Eder. "I said yes. If it's coming to the WorldTour with a lot of young talent, then it might be nice to join the team and help the team develop quicker.

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"Now, one of my friends is my boss, and I'm working in his company. It's more pressure on me because you want to do extra good."

If that wasn't enough pressure for Burghardt, he would also be slotting into the Classics set-up behind world champion Peter Sagan, having plied his trade for Greg Van Avermaet for the best part of a decade. The spring campaign was of mixed success, with victory at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and second place at Milan-San Remo early on followed by a couple of mechanical problems and a crash that kept him out of contention in the latter part of the spring.

At times, the team was criticised for not being strong enough to support Sagan. However, Burghardt says that the team worked well together and that it was just bad luck that prevented them from having a much stronger Classics campaign. "I think the Classics we did quite well. We did a good job in Flanders, and we were in the game in Gent-Wevelgem," he said.

"I went through everything with German cycling"

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Stetina’s final hit-out at Romandie before Giro link-up with Mollema

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Peter Stetina’s build-up to the Giro d’Italia continues apace at the Tour de Romandie with the American taking part in his last race before the Corsa Rosa.

Trek-Segafredo announced their Giro d’Italia team earlier this week with the focus on supporting Bauke Mollema in his bid to win the race. Stetina heads to the Giro d’Italia for the first since 2013, and although he has mixed experiences with the race, he will be key to Mollema’s challenge in the mountains.

One of Stetina’s best ever rides came in the 2012 Giro d’Italia when he, along with Christian Vande Velde, defended Ryder Hesjedal’s hopes on an epic stage that finished atop the Passo Stelvio.

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“I’ve done three Giro during my time with Slipstream. 2012 was one of the best races of my life when we won with Ryder and 2013 was one of the worst when we had all the snow days and I was on antibiotics the whole time. Hopefully we’ll go back to the good times. I swore never to go back after 2013 but now I’m going again,” Stetina told Cyclingnews at Romandie.

“The general form is good although I had to stop Catalunya with food poisoning but I’ve been at Lake Tahoe doing altitude prep before getting my race rhythm here for the Giro d’Italia. The plan is to go there and fight for the pink jersey with Mollema. He and I work really well together.”

Fine-tuning at the Tour de Romandie

The opening four days at the Tour de Romandie were dominated with bitterly low temperatures, snow and rain but Stetina believes that the race serves a vital purpose as he puts the finishing touches to his condition.

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Viviani: I’m disappointed to miss the Giro d’Italia but I understand Team Sky’s decision

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Elia Viviani (Team Sky) had looked a shoo-in for Team Sky’s Giro d’Italia squad but the Italian sprinter has been surprisingly left out, with the squad entirely built around the overall hopes of Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa.

Viviani, who is currently racing at the Tour de Romandie and chasing his first win of the season, told Cyclingnews that he was disappointed to miss the 100th edition of the race but that he fully understand the team’s decision to support their GC ambitions with a climber-based team.

“For sure I’m disappointed and I’m not happy to miss the Giro d’Italia but the team tactic is to go 100 per cent for Thomas for the GC,” Viviani told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 3.

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“You know the tactics with Team Sky. When we go full for the GC, like we do at the Tour de France, I understand. I understand the tactic from the team. I wanted to be there but that’s the decision. I’ll do Tour of California and I go for stages there.”

“It’s a special Giro and the Ciclamino points jersey is back for the sprinters. It’s the 100th edition and it’s a special one to miss. This is the team’s decision and we’ll go 100 per cent for Thomas. After the Tour of the Alps he’s really confident of winning or being on the podium. I hope to see them on the front for the Giro.”

Climbers ready to back Thomas and Landa 

Team Sky head to the Giro d’Italia with Thomas in fine fettle after winning the overall at the Tour of the Alps last week. Landa appears to be the British team’s Plan B, although he has finished on the podium at the Italian Grand Tour in the past and has the pedigree to repeat the performance. Diego Rosa and Kenny Elissonde form part of the climbing back up.

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Simon Yates’ Tour de France build-up gains momentum at Tour de Romandie

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Simon Yates’ Tour de France build-up continues at the Tour de Romandie with the British climber set to test his form on the key mountain stage on Saturday.

Yates’ originally race programme did not include Romandie but an injury to Esteban Chaves saw Orica-Scott realign their Grand Tour ambitions. Yates was moved off the Giro d’Italia squad earlier in April and will line up alongside Chaves in July. Adam Yates remains on the Giro d’Italia roster and will lead the team in Italy.

“It’s all fairly last minute and there were a lot of discussions going around but it’s not a problem. It’s still early enough for me to change the programme without any problems,” he told Cyclingnews at the Tour de Romandie.

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Race programmes weren’t the only changes for Yates in the last few weeks. Despite the riders and staff reaching consensus over the Grand Tour plans, Yates admitted that he changed his mind several times over whether to skip the Giro d’Italia in order to race the Tour de France. He also confirmed that both he and his brother Adam were given the option to drop the Giro d’Italia for the Tour de France.

“He was also asked,” Yates told Cyclingnews.

“We talked about how things were going and over several weeks. It wasn’t just a quick decision and a ‘how do you feel?’ It wasn’t like that. Eventually we came to the decision that I would do it. There were various factors in it. I changed my mind a lot because I was going very well in the Basque Country and I thought I was in very good form before the Giro. It’s also the 100th Giro so that’s something disappointing to miss but I’m a young rider and I’ve got plenty of time to go back and do it.”

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Team Sky name Giro d'Italia line-up devoted entirely to Thomas and Landa

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Team Sky has named its final line-up for the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia, selecting a team geared exclusively around the bid for the general classification, led jointly by Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa.

Despite being a ‘protected’ rider at last year’s Tour de France, this is Thomas’ first real shot at Grand Tour leadership, while Landa will be hoping for a repeat of the form that led him to the podium in 2015.

“Our focus for the race will be to compete on GC,” said Dave Brailsford in an announcement from the team on Friday, and indeed there is no room for sprinter Elia Viviani, who has competed in the last four editions and had outlined the race as a key target of his 2017 season.

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There are two lengthy time trials on this year’s route but equally important in terms of the fight for the pink jersey are the mountains of the second and third weeks. Kenny Elissonde, Diego Rosa, Sebastian Henao, and Philip Deignan will support the leaders in that terrain.

Salvatore Puccio and Michael Golas are domestiques who are expected to work on the flat and in the early phases of key stages, while Vasil Kiryienka, a tireless workhorse as well as a potential winner of road and time trial stages, returns for his 17th Grand Tour.

“We’ve looked at the challenges this edition of the Giro presents and picked a team which we believe can fully support both of our leaders,” added Brailsford. "The last week of this Giro will be particularly demanding and the severity of those stages will be determining factors, so making sure we have climbing support in the high mountains has been a key consideration.

“Both Mikel and Geraint are coming into the race in excellent form and it’s exciting that they will be leading Team Sky into the 100th Giro d’Italia. They are two different types of rider and we see this as creating a real opportunity for us. In Grand Tour terms the first serious tests come early on and so we will arrive in Sardinia focused and ready to race from kilometre one.”

Thomas and Landa confident after the Tour of the Alps

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Chad Young 'not expected to recover' from Tour of the Gila crash

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The Axeon Hagens Berman team have said that Chad Young is "not expected to recover" from the injuries he suffered in a crash at the Tour of the Gila on Sunday.

The 21-year-old, along with teammate Edward Anderson, crashed on a descent when chasing the peloton. Anderson suffered minor injuries and was able to remount and finish the stage. Young was transported to a Tuscon hospital with severe facial injuries. He was described as in a stable condition, but on Tuesday the team announced that he was in a critical condition.

There have been conflicting reports concerning Young’s condition since then, and so the Axeon Hagens Berman team issued a brief statement. 

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“At this time, his family asks for privacy,” team manager Axel Merckx said. "We at Axeon Hagens Berman respect the family's wishes and want them to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers during this devastating and difficult time."

Cyclingnews would like to extend its thoughts and prayers to Young's family, friends and teammates.

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Chris Froome's Pinarello Dogma F10 – Pro Bike Gallery

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Chris Froome continued his preparations for his Tour de France title defence at the Tour de Romandie in the Swiss Alps. Only in his third block of racing in 2017, Froome is equipped with a new frame, wheels and groupset for the season as he mounts a challenge for his fourth yellow jersey. With only one more planned block of racing to go until July, Froome is using the Tour de Romandie as an opportunity to get a solid week of racing in ahead of Le Grand Boucle.

Launched at the 2016 edition of the Tour de France, Shimano's new Dura-Ace 9100 series groupset features on the Team Sky rider's bike. The 24mm deep carbon wheels feature subtle decals, which begin the theme of a generally blacked-out bike. The wheels are paired with Continental Competition ALX 25mm tubular tyres.

Pinarello also launched a new model of the Dogma frame towards the end of last year and was first raced at the Tour Down Under by Froome's teammates in January of this season. The Dogma F10 draws design features such as the concaved down tube and tabs to the rear of the fork dropouts from the Pinarello Bolide and Bradley Wiggins' Pinarello Hour Record bike respectively. The combination of bladed, oversized carbon fibre tubing continues from the previous incarnation of the bike, the Dogma F8.

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As Team Sky changed technical apparel suppliers after a four-year relationship with British brand Rapha, a new kit design from Castelli was borne and the design continues on the frame and forks of Chris Froome's bike. The dot/dash design represents all of the British team's victories since their inception, with the dots representing one-day victories, the dashes representing stage races and the blue and white colour scheme differentiating the WorldTour races. Froome's bike also features the subtle outline of a rhino on the head tube cluster, paying homage to Chris Froome's upbringing in Kenya.

Chris Froome's bike is equipped with Shimano's Dura-Ace 9150 electronic groupset. A gear combination of 52/38 chainrings and an 11-28 cassette is relatively normal for Froome, whilst the Team Sky leader is known to swap out his elliptical custom chainrings depending on the parcours of the race. The custom chainrings have become synonymous with Froome and the blacked-out parts don't have any branding.

The crankset is paired with a Stages power meter and completed with Dura-Ace 9100 carbon pedals.

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Giro d'Italia 2017: 10 riders to watch - Video

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The Giro d'Italia is now just one week away, and Cyclingnews' countdown continues with this video of 10 riders to watch at the 100th edition of the Corsa Rosa. 

This special edition of the race has attracted one of the deepest general classification fields in years, and there was no shortage of space in our video for bona fide contenders for the famous maglia rosa. 

Vincenzo Nibali leads his new Bahrain-Merida team with number one on his back after winning last year's race – his second victory at his home Grand Tour. Movistar's Nairo Quintana is arguably his biggest rival and is attempting the Giro-Tour de France double this year. He is the only other former winner on the start line after becoming the first Colombian winner in 2014. 

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Joining them are a host of other candidates hoping to win their first Grand Tour, from those who have previously shone at the Tour de France to those who are still in the early phases of their careers as three-week racers. 

Watch the video above to see our pick of riders to watch, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. You can subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel here.   

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Marian University Earns Three Time Trial Titles

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Marian University dominated the time trial competitions on Friday at the Collegiate Road Nationals

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Groenewegen wins Tour de Yorkshire opener

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Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) claimed a repeat sprint victory on the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire, netting the race's first leader's jersey for the second year in a row.

The Dutch champion powered to the line, fending off a late challenge from Orica-Scott's Caleb Ewan, with Bike Channel-Canyon's Chris Opie taking a surprise third in the sprint ahead of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).

With 30 kilometres to go, it looked as if Groenewegen was out of contention when the final climb to Robin Hood's Bay split the peloton into pieces. But the Dutchman wasn't the only sprinter caught out, and his LottoNL team, Orica and Cofidis worked together to bring the race back together.

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"We knew the last climb was very hard, but the team were ready to bring me back so I could sprint for the win," Groenewegen said. "It was a good choice, and a good day."

The stage was marred by a massive crash behind the stage winners, with Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica) touching wheels and taking out Marco Haller (Katusha-Alpecin). Others such as Russ Downing (JTL Condor) and Yoeri Havik (Team Raleigh GAC) couldn't avoid the fallen riders and dozens hit the deck in Scarborough.

How it unfolded

It took some time for the breakaway to form on the Tour de Yorkshire's opening 174km stage from Bridlington to Scarborough, but after 15 kilometres or so the peloton let eight men forge clear, thanks to the presence of Direct Energie, the team of defending champion Thomas Voeckler, who were represented by Perrig Quéméneur (Direct Energie).

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Tour de Romandie: Viviani sprints to stage 3 victory

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Elia Viviani (Team Sky) turned disappointment into success by winning the third stage of the Tour de Romandie.

The Italian sprinter was not selected for Tem Sky’s squad for the Giro d’Italia on Friday morning but bounced back to win the sprint in Payerne after an excellent lead out from his Team Sky teammates, including Chris Froome, who pulled Viviani up into perfect position with help from Owain Doull.

After Bora-Hansgrohe wound up the pace, Viviani dived onto the wheel of late attacker Alex Edmondson (Orica-Scott) and then made his move at the right moment, holding off Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) to win his first sprint of 2017. Michael Schwarzmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was third, while Edmondson hung on to finish fourth.

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Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) finished safely in the peloton and so kept the overall race lead before Saturday’s queen stage in the mountains.

How it happened

After two days of cold and wet racing, many riders and teams awoke in Bulle to see a thick covering of snow. Some riders were perhaps hoping for a day off as the posted photos on social media but the conditions were much better down the valley near Lake Neufchatel for the twisting circuits and 187km of racing around Payerne.

By the time the riders lined up for the start at lunchtime, the sun was breaking through and the peloton enjoyed a day on dry roads. Of course, with temperatures still in single figures, the riders made sure they were wrapped up for the cold.

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Tour de Romandie: Elia Viviani wins stage three as Fabio Felline retains lead

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Team Sky's Elia Viviani wins stage three of the Tour de Romandie in a sprint finish as Fabio Felline retains the overall lead.

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Tour de Yorkshire: Dylan Groenewegen takes stage one win and overall lead

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Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen claims the opening stage victory in this year's Tour de Yorkshire.

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Landa & Thomas to lead Team Sky at Giro d'Italia

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Mikel Landa and Geraint Thomas will lead Team Sky in the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia when it begins next week.

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InCycle: Inside Philippe Gilbert's Classics renaissance

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InCycle take an in-depth look into the Classics campaign of Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors), who had a renaissance in his new team, winning the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race. They look into the qualities of a rider can win on both the cobbled Classics and in the Ardennes.

The inCycle crew also check in on Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and his preparations for the 100th Giro d'Italia.

But first, they spend a week in the Ardennes with the Canyon-SRAM team.

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Voeckler happy to enjoy the ride in final weeks of his career

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Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) has thus far been spared the kind of intense public countdown endured by Tom Boonen over the spring, but the Frenchman is quietly burning the days as he nears the end of his career. When the Tour de France reaches the Champs­-Élysées on July 23, Voeckler will hang up his wheels, though he will not step away from professional cycling altogether.

Public relations, television work and team management each hold their own allure for the 37-year-old, and he is reluctant to decide on the direction of his cycling afterlife until the summer. "The only thing I can say for sure is that I'll stay in cycling. What my role will be, I don't know and I haven't decided yet, though I have been talking about it," Voeckler said in York on Thursday on the eve of his final appearance on British roads at the Tour de Yorkshire.

"One thing is sure: the guy who wins on the last day in Sheffield won't be far from the overall victory. But in a three-day race like the Tour de Yorkshire, if you focus too much on one stage you can lose everything on the other ones."

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Voeckler won the race a year ago by overpowering Nicolas Roche on the final leg to Scarborough, and as a consequence, this weekend marks the last time in his career that he lines up wearing dossard number one. He has been passing his jersey onto various team sponsors after each race this season, but he admitted that he was minded to hang onto this one as a memento.

While Boonen's spring was taken up by the all-encompassing crusade to win a fifth Paris-Roubaix, there is a more valedictory feel to Voeckler's final weeks in the peloton. After seventeen years as a professional, two French titles and twenty days in the maillot jaune on the Tour, Voeckler has little left to achieve. His emphasis is on enjoying the moment rather than seizing it.

"I already have a lot of victories in my career. I'd be happy to have another win, a nice one, but it won't be a big regret if I don't," Voeckler said. "It's my last season as a professional. I'm enjoying it. I'm just trying to draw pleasure from it. I have no goals in terms of results. I don't say to myself, ‘I have to win this race' or ‘I have to win a stage on the Tour de France.' I don't think like this. I just take pleasure in riding for my team, spending most of the time as a road captain and a teammate. Then, when the legs are good, I can try to make breakaways."

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