Sunday’s Alfredo Binda 2019 will be the 44th edition, a surprisingly large amount of editions for a top level women’s race. Throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s the race was won mainly by Italians with few exceptions. Since the turn of the millenium, the race has only been won by home riders twice in 2000 and 2013. Indeed the dominant country on the top step...
This Saturday’s Milan – San Remo is a beast, 291 kilometres long, it’s one of the longest professional races on the calendar. A relatively flat parcours sees the riders cover a lot of flat ground until the mid-race climb of the Turchino and the final sequence of climbs involving the Cipressa and the Poggio. The Cipressa often thins out the bunch and the Poggio can...
Compared to some of more recent races, this Sunday’s Ronde van Drenthe (17th March) has more of a history in the women’s racing calendar having been raced since 2007. There’s only been one multiple winner in all that time – Marianne Vos (unsurprisingly). The pretty much flat parcours has seen sprinters often finish highly although if a strong enough group gets away on the double...
Strade Bianche is a new-ish race on the men’s calendar but has had even less editions on the women’s calendar. First run in 2015, the Women’s Strade Bianche has had 4 different winners in 4 years so far and 3 different riders have each finished on the podium 3 times. Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini won’t be racing Strade Bianche in 2019 so we...
After a weekend in Belgium, the WorldTour moves on to Italy, with Strade Bianche taking place on Saturday 9th March. This relatively new classic will see its 13th edition in 2019 – it’s captured the imagination through its use of energy sapping white gravel roads which require strength and good bike handling to negotiate. Last year’s Strade Bianche saw heavy snowfall happen in the days...
I was out on course for both of today’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad races – managed to see the men and women on the Haaghoek cobbles, before seeing the men again at the top of Leberg and also on the Rakelberg. The men’s race was ultimately won by Zdenek Stybar after he escaped from a break of 5 riders with 3km or so to go. Chantaal...
