Latest news with #SoudalQuick-Step
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Groves triumphs in sprint as Giro stage six neutralised after crash
Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 6 - Potenza to Naples - Italy - May 15, 2025 Alpecin - Deceuninck's Kaden Groves in action before crossing the finish line to win stage 6 REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 6 - Potenza to Naples - Italy - May 15, 2025 Alpecin - Deceuninck's Kaden Groves celebrates on the podium after winning stage 6 REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini NAPLES - Kaden Groves of Alpecin–Deceuninck won the sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia in a sprint finish on Thursday after the stage was neutralised following a huge crash in wet conditions on the 227 km ride from Potenza to Naples. The longest stage of this year's Giro had only a winner to celebrate as the crash which occurred with about 70 km to go forced organisers to make the decision not to award points, time gaps or bonuses. Groves crossed the finish line a few seconds shy of five hours on the road, ahead of Cofidis rider Milan Fretin. Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step, who had also crashed earlier in the stage, finished third. "It's a big relief. The team always believed in me. It's not been a great start of the season, but then with the injury I missed a lot of racing. I arrived here without a win, so getting the first one for the year is a big relief," Groves said. "These wet roads are quite slippery, knowing the cobbles starting around the two-km mark was super important to be in front. But in the end, we also needed to use some guys early to chase, close the breakaway, they did a super ride. "Once it started raining, I felt quite a bit better actually. I'm quite good in the colder, wetter conditions." The peloton was 47 seconds behind the lead duo of Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn when several riders in the bunch - including former Giro winners Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz - crashed on the slippery road. The race was neutralised and the peloton slowed down by the race director before it resumed with nothing on offer apart from a stage win. Hindley, the 2022 Giro winner, was sat by the side of the road and the 29-year-old, clearly in pain, was forced to abandon as he eventually got into an ambulance for treatment. Carapaz, whose jersey had been torn in the fall, rejoined the peloton while Soudal Quick-Step's Josef Cerny had to abandon the race as well. Bahrain Victorious' Rainer Kepplinger was taken to hospital with an injured finger, cuts and bruises while his teammate Max van der Meulen will undergo medical tests later in the day. With teams opting not to take any risks until the finale, they eventually caught up with the lead duo with less than three kilometres to go while Mads Pedersen, who has won three stages, eased up and did not sprint to the finish. However, he retained the race lead, with the Danish rider holding a 17-second advantage over Primoz Roglic. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giro over for Landa after high-speed opening stage crash
Spanish cyclist Mikel Landa has been forced out of the Giro d'Italia after fracturing vertebrae in his back after a high-speed crash in Friday's opening stage. "Mikel was immediately taken to the hospital, where examinations and a CT scan revealed that Mikel had suffered a stable fracture of the 11th (thoracic) vertebra," Landa's Soudal Quick-Step team said. "This will require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time," the Belgian team added. The accident happened as a lead group tried to distance a chasing second pack on a downhill section of the course in downtown Tirana, as Albania hosts the first three stages of this year's event. Landa was one of the riders expected to be fighting for the overall title after he finished third in two previous editions. But on Friday he hit a curb 5km from the finish and plummeted to a pavement around a metre lower than the road on a tight left turn. Landa's team said he will remain at the hospital overnight for further assessment and while plans are made for this return home. The 35-year-old Basque climber, who won the mountains classification at the Giro in 2017, was riding his 23rd Grand Tour. jk/cyj/dmc/ea
France 24
09-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Giro over for Landa after high-speed opening stage crash
"Mikel was immediately taken to the hospital, where examinations and a CT scan revealed that Mikel had suffered a stable fracture of the 11th (thoracic) vertebra," Landa's Soudal Quick-Step team said. "This will require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time," the Belgian team added. The accident happened as a lead group tried to distance a chasing second pack on a downhill section of the course in downtown Tirana, as Albania hosts the first three stages of this year's event. Landa was one of the riders expected to be fighting for the overall title after he finished third in two previous editions. But on Friday he hit a curb 5km from the finish and plummeted to a pavement around a metre lower than the road on a tight left turn. Landa's team said he will remain at the hospital overnight for further assessment and while plans are made for this return home. The 35-year-old Basque climber, who won the mountains classification at the Giro in 2017, was riding his 23rd Grand Tour.
The Independent
20-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Tadej Pogacar pipped to victory by Mattias Skjelmose in thrilling Amstel Gold Race
Danish youngster Mattias Skjelmose took the biggest win of his fledgling career, outsprinting Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel in a nail-biting photo finish at the Amstel Gold Race. Pogacar went solo with over 40km to go, with the world champion's decisive attack in any race usually signalling the end of the battle for first place. This time he had met his match. The chasing pair of Skjelmose and Evenepoel, who has been in blistering form since his return from a serious crash in December, reeled the UAE Team Emirates rider in with 8km to go in the hilly Limburg region of the Netherlands. A cagey end to the 255km race was guaranteed as the trio rolled towards the finish in Berg en Terblijt, with Lidl-Trek rider Skjelmose just pipping Pogacar to glory in a photo finish, and Evenepoel a fraction further behind. 'I really don't [believe it], I was telling Remco all the time that I was f***ed, I was on the limit,' Skjelmose said afterwards. 'I was riding for the podium, a podium would be a really big result for me. I thought I was going to cramp or see them go on the horizon. 'In the end, I don't know what happened. I didn't believe it [when I passed Pogacar], I was like, something is wrong. 'It means so much, I had so much bad luck this season already and it was super hard mentally,' Skjelmose continued, becoming visibly emotional. 'I lost my granddad a bit more than a month ago and I really wanted to give him a win, so this is for him.' It looked like the result was already set in stone when former world champion Julian Alaphilippe accelerated on the Gulperberg climb with just shy of 50km left to race, rolling back the years to his prime attacking form, with only Pogacar able to follow him. The pair pulled out a ten-second advantage over the chasing bunch, with many of the favourites, including Soudal Quick-Step's Evenepoel, caught out of position further down the climb. Pogacar inevitably went solo shortly after, dropping Alaphilippe on the short, sharp slopes of the Kuisberg with 43km to go. The Frenchman was absorbed by the bunch and an elite group of chasers, including Skjelmose, Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, set off in pursuit of the 2023 champion. Skjelmose escaped up the road first, pulling out a small gap but unable to claw back much time on Pogacar, with Evenepoel joining him at the 25km to go mark. The stage was set for a thrilling showdown between the world champion and the double Olympic champion, as Evenepoel - making his debut at Amstel Gold and in just his second race of the season - and Skjelmose caught Pogacar with 8km left to race to go. Behind them the group containing Pidcock and van Aert failed to cooperate, hovering around 50 seconds off the pace. With the catch made the cat and mouse games began. Skjelmose refused to work in the closing kilometres, with his patience rewarded as he conserved his energy for the inevitable sprint finish. Evenepoel responded to Pogacar's acceleration but faded in the final metres as the Dane came round the left to nick victory on the line. Van Aert was fourth for the third time this season after finishing just off the podium in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, and Pidcock ninth, crossing the line 34 seconds back in the chasing group. Young British talent Joseph Blackmore was 14th, continuing an impressive start to his Ardennes Classics campaign after he was in the breakaway along with Van Aert and eventual winner Evenepoel at Brabantse Pijl on Friday.
NBC Sports
15-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Remco Evenepoel returning to cycling after serious crash
BRUSSELS — Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel will return in the Brabantse Pijl race at home in Belgium after a serious crash last year. Evenepoel, who swept golds in the road race and the time trial at last year's Paris Olympics, sustained multiple fractures, a dislocated collarbone and lung contusions in December when he crashed into a vehicle while training in Belgium. 'I am counting the days until I can race with the guys again for the first time in more than six months,' Evenepoel said in a statement provided by his Soudal Quick-Step team. 'I've worked hard all these months, I've been on a solid training camp in Spain, and I feel good and motivated for Brabantse. I'm not going there with any specific goals, as the most important thing will be to get the race rhythm back after all this time.' The 25-year-old Evenepoel crashed into the open door of a postal van on Dec. 3. The impact was heavy enough to break the frame of his bicycle. Evenepoel's main goal this season is the Tour de France in July. He was third last year at cycling's biggest race, before going on to become the first cyclist to sweep both road golds at an Olympics. A two-time world champion, Evenepoel also won the Spanish Vuelta in 2022.
