We recently brought down the curtain over one of our busiest and best weeks since the start of the season.
It’s been an action-packed week which saw us race on three fronts – Denmark, Poland and Spain – racking up a total of seven wins and strengthening our grip on the team victory classification, where Deceuninck – Quick-Step continues to lead courtesy a staggering 47 wins brought by 15 different riders.
Danmark Rundt
Remco Evenepoel pulled on the team jersey for the first time since June’s National Championships, part of a team that included Tour de France green jersey Mark Cavendish and Olympic Champion Michael Mørkøv, and went on an absolute rampage as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
A powerful acceleration on a short climb rode everyone off his wheel on the queen stage of the race, which Remco won by a huge, never-before-seen margin on the Vejle course. This astonishing solo exhibition put an end to any talks about the general classification, which he then emphatically sealed after a second victory, in the final day time trial, when he became the youngest rider ever to win the race.
Tour de Pologne
It was a week of firsts for João Almeida: first World Tour victory, first win in the leader’s jersey, first stage race triumph – all coming in the space of just a couple of days. The man from Caldas da Rainha – backed by a sensational Deceuninck – Quick-Step team – was head and shoulders above the competition, gaining time on every occasion as he showcased his wide range of skills.
Such were the dominance and the consistency displayed at the 78th edition of the Tour de Pologne that he took home, in addition to the general classification and the brace of stage wins, also the points jersey – a rare feat in modern cycling for a GC man.
Speaking of the time trial, Rémi Cavagna nailed his second victory of the year in the discipline as he continued to build up for next month’s European Championships in Trentino, his success in the stage against the clock added to Mikkel Honoré’s strong ride there – which elevated the Dane to fifth overall – helping Deceuninck – Quick-Step secure the victory in the team classification.
Vuelta a España
Ok, admit it, you too were happy to see Fabio Jakobsen back in a Grand Tour, getting involved in a bunch sprint, two years after his previous outing in a three-week race. We know we were, and Fabio had us on the edge of our seats as he fought for victory in Burgos on the second stage of La Vuelta. It wasn’t a win for him in the end, but the runner-up place marked another important step in the right direction, one which added to his confidence that he can land a victory here in the coming days.
The Spanish Grand Tour is still in its infancy, but another Deceuninck – Quick-Step youngster has already been prominent. Andrea Bagioli returned at the start after a solid debut last year and produced a flying ride in the short but demanding opening individual time trial, at the end of which he donned the white jersey on the podium set up by the organisers in front of the stunning Burgos Cathedral, where Spain’s national hero El Cid rests.
The Vuelta continues with a tasty first week that will bring more opportunities to the sprinters, but also some hard climbs where we can’t wait to see in action the likes of Andrea, James Knox or Grand Tour rookie Mauri Vansevenant – one of the youngest riders in the race.
If you want to keep up to date with everything that’s happening there, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, where we are posting pictures, videos, previews and live updates on a daily basis!
Photo credit: ©Mario Stiehl
©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
