World championship. Group race. Super veteran victory.
World cycling championship - 2018 that was held in Austrian Tirol was finished with the men's group race on Sunday. The proximity of the Alps predetermined the type of the route - riders had to drive through 258 kilometers distance, climbing seven times on the way to the Igls hill (8 kilometers, average gradient - 5.7%, maximum - 10%), and on the final lap they also had to overcome the ascent to Gramartboden (2.8 kilometers, average gradient - 11.5%, maximum - 28% !!!). As a usual in such races at the beginning a break of 11 cyclists left the peloton, the advantage of the them reached 20 minutes, but considering the distance profile, it was clear that the gap would be eliminated later. The main group began active pursuit, starting with the second lap. The advantage of leaders was reduced by approximately three to four minutes after each of the laps. Simultaneously after increasing the pace, racers began to withdraw the race. By the way, the number of withdrawals is unusually large - 188 racers stated and only 53 of them reached the finish line. The main events in the fight for the rainbow jersey turned on the last lap. Peloton closed the gap for 25 kilometers before the finish. After it numerous attacks began during the passage of the Igls hill, the most successful of which was made by the Dane Michael Valgren Andersen, who did a 30-second advantage. With such advantage he began climbing the last climb of the race - Gramartboden. Italian and French teams made their best to reach Michael and they could do it but the result of their efforts was the situation when only 3 riders were in leading gorup: Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, Frenchman Roman Bardet, Canadian Michael Woods and Dutch Tom Dumolin with Gianni Moscon from Italy lost them some seconds. Dumolin was able to join the trio of leaders two kilometers before the finish. As a result, the victory at the World Championships was played out in a sprint from a quartet in which Spaniard Alejandro Valverde won. The second was Roman Barda, Michael Woods got the bronze medal. Valverde’s victory can be called historic for several reasons: - Alejandro won at the age of 38, becoming the second in the category of the oldest winners of the world championships, losing only to the Dutchman Jop Zoetemelk a few months; - Valverde won the seventh medal of the world championships, adding the first gold medal to the three silver and three bronze medals. Thus, he won the full set of world championship medals. In the history of cycling, only seven riders, including Valverde, have a full batch of world championship medals; - The Spaniard won the World Cup just a year and three months after a terrible fall in the first stage of the Tour de France 2017, when he seriosly injured his knee.
World championship. Group race. Super veteran victory.
World cycling championship - 2018 that was held in Austrian Tirol was finished with the men's group race on Sunday. The proximity of the Alps predetermined the type of the route - riders had to drive through 258 kilometers distance, climbing seven times on the way to the Igls hill (8 kilometers, average gradient - 5.7%, maximum - 10%), and on the final lap they also had to overcome the ascent to Gramartboden (2.8 kilometers, average gradient - 11.5%, maximum - 28% !!!). As a usual in such races at the beginning a break of 11 cyclists left the peloton, the advantage of the them reached 20 minutes, but considering the distance profile, it was clear that the gap would be eliminated later. The main group began active pursuit, starting with the second lap. The advantage of leaders was reduced by approximately three to four minutes after each of the laps. Simultaneously after increasing the pace, racers began to withdraw the race. By the way, the number of withdrawals is unusually large - 188 racers stated and only 53 of them reached the finish line. The main events in the fight for the rainbow jersey turned on the last lap. Peloton closed the gap for 25 kilometers before the finish. After it numerous attacks began during the passage of the Igls hill, the most successful of which was made by the Dane Michael Valgren Andersen, who did a 30-second advantage. With such advantage he began climbing the last climb of the race - Gramartboden. Italian and French teams made their best to reach Michael and they could do it but the result of their efforts was the situation when only 3 riders were in leading gorup: Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, Frenchman Roman Bardet, Canadian Michael Woods and Dutch Tom Dumolin with Gianni Moscon from Italy lost them some seconds. Dumolin was able to join the trio of leaders two kilometers before the finish. As a result, the victory at the World Championships was played out in a sprint from a quartet in which Spaniard Alejandro Valverde won. The second was Roman Barda, Michael Woods got the bronze medal. Valverde’s victory can be called historic for several reasons: - Alejandro won at the age of 38, becoming the second in the category of the oldest winners of the world championships, losing only to the Dutchman Jop Zoetemelk a few months; - Valverde won the seventh medal of the world championships, adding the first gold medal to the three silver and three bronze medals. Thus, he won the full set of world championship medals. In the history of cycling, only seven riders, including Valverde, have a full batch of world championship medals; - The Spaniard won the World Cup just a year and three months after a terrible fall in the first stage of the Tour de France 2017, when he seriosly injured his knee.
World championship. Group race. Super veteran victory.
World cycling championship - 2018 that was held in Austrian Tirol was finished with the men's group race on Sunday. The proximity of the Alps predetermined the type of the route - riders had to drive through 258 kilometers distance, climbing seven times on the way to the Igls hill (8 kilometers, average gradient - 5.7%, maximum - 10%), and on the final lap they also had to overcome the ascent to Gramartboden (2.8 kilometers, average gradient - 11.5%, maximum - 28% !!!). As a usual in such races at the beginning a break of 11 cyclists left the peloton, the advantage of the them reached 20 minutes, but considering the distance profile, it was clear that the gap would be eliminated later. The main group began active pursuit, starting with the second lap. The advantage of leaders was reduced by approximately three to four minutes after each of the laps. Simultaneously after increasing the pace, racers began to withdraw the race. By the way, the number of withdrawals is unusually large - 188 racers stated and only 53 of them reached the finish line. The main events in the fight for the rainbow jersey turned on the last lap. Peloton closed the gap for 25 kilometers before the finish. After it numerous attacks began during the passage of the Igls hill, the most successful of which was made by the Dane Michael Valgren Andersen, who did a 30-second advantage. With such advantage he began climbing the last climb of the race - Gramartboden. Italian and French teams made their best to reach Michael and they could do it but the result of their efforts was the situation when only 3 riders were in leading gorup: Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, Frenchman Roman Bardet, Canadian Michael Woods and Dutch Tom Dumolin with Gianni Moscon from Italy lost them some seconds. Dumolin was able to join the trio of leaders two kilometers before the finish. As a result, the victory at the World Championships was played out in a sprint from a quartet in which Spaniard Alejandro Valverde won. The second was Roman Barda, Michael Woods got the bronze medal. Valverde’s victory can be called historic for several reasons: - Alejandro won at the age of 38, becoming the second in the category of the oldest winners of the world championships, losing only to the Dutchman Jop Zoetemelk a few months; - Valverde won the seventh medal of the world championships, adding the first gold medal to the three silver and three bronze medals. Thus, he won the full set of world championship medals. In the history of cycling, only seven riders, including Valverde, have a full batch of world championship medals; - The Spaniard won the World Cup just a year and three months after a terrible fall in the first stage of the Tour de France 2017, when he seriosly injured his knee.
More posts are coming soon. Write your own!