Trek-Segafredo’s General Classification contenders will maintain their respective key goals set out at the start of 2020 once the racing season resumes this summer. Vincenzo Nibali will target the Giro d’Italia GC while Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema will share leadership roles at the Tour de France.
Multiple Grand Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali will aim to win the Maglia Rosa at Giro d’Italia for the third time in his career as he’ll focus on a predominantly Italian race schedule, lining up for several marquee events on home soil. At the Italian Grand Tour Nibali will enjoy the support of compatriot and 2019 Giro KOM jersey winner Giulio Ciccone.
“This new calendar in perspective brings a wave of positivity and optimism in a very complicated season. What awaits us, with a schedule full of events compacted in just three months, is extraordinary and we must do our utmost to be ready. Personally, I’ll focus on an exclusively Italian calendar, with the Giro still at the center of my goals, which makes me happy and proud. I’m also waiting for updates on the Worlds. With the team we have defined a measured preparation to be competitive already in the first events in August,” said Nibali.
Vincenzo Nibali during Stage 4 of the 2020 Volta ao Algarve
The re-shuffle of the racing calendar will have the professional peloton line up for key events in unprecedented dates. This could affect both the usual preparation timelines as well as the racing itself but Nibali is ready for the challenge ahead.
“There are many unknown variables, both in terms of preparation and in the races. Climbing the high mountains of the Giro in Autumn or riding the 300 km of Milano-Sanremo in August, for example, it’s something unprecedented. But I like new challenges and the desire to pin on a number is great. From the first altitude training camp in July I have four months of full immersion ahead of me. I am motivated and, above all, I’m optimistic that I can go back to doing what we, riders and fans, like: racing,” concluded the two-times Giro d’Italia winner who is scheduled to resume racing at the Strade Bianche on August 1st.
Richie Porte during Stage 7 of the 2020 Paris-Nice (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Like Nibali, Australian Richie Porte is committed to his original target of the season, in his case the Tour de France.
“The Tour de France remains my main goal for the season, and it starts with the added bonus of riding on my local roads in Nice. However, it’s definitely going to be uncharted territory racing the Tour in September. I’m not sure how different it will be, though I don’t expect it to be as hot as normal and the weather might be a bit more fickle in the mountains,” said Porte
The 35-year The 35-year-old Tasmanian started the season on a high note winning a stage and the General Classification at the 2020 Santos Tour Down Under, the first UCI World Tour race of the year and then carried his good form to Europe taking a GC podium at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var.
“It was a great start to the season for me personally, but since then it’s been such a strange period with no racing and not even being able to get out on the bike. The fact that we’re going to have some races at the end of the year is good for the sport. The team has been very good at this time, very transparent in keeping us informed about what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s finally going to be nice to put some kilometers in on the road and get the season restarted.”
Porte, who resides in Monaco during the season, endured a two-month-long lockdown before being allowed to train outdoors.
“When the revised calendar was released it definitely made it easier to get back on the trainer during the lockdown period. Now, it’s been a week since I’ve been allowed out on the road and of course the fire is burning for the Tour de France, but when you miss nine weeks of riding on the road it’s a shock to the system. With cycling being such a goal-driven sport, it’s really good to have a calendar that we can now work towards,” concluded Porte.
Bauke Mollema signs on for Stage 1 of 2020 Volta ao Algarve (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Bauke Mollema will share Trek-Segafredo’s leadership at the 2020 Tour de France with Porte. The experienced Dutchman was originally slated to contest the general classification at the Grand Boucle and will couple that goal with a participation in the Vuelta a España a month later, where he’ll target stage wins.
“My goals for the rest of the season are still more or less the same. After this break, I am really looking forward to racing again. Until now it was more about staying fit but with the new calendar, we can really start working towards our goals. It will be a busy few months, but I really hope we can give the fans a lot to cheer for again,” said Mollema.
Should racing resume according to the revised 2020 UCI calendar both Bauke Mollema and Richie Porte are aiming to re-start their season at the three-stage French race Tour de L’Ain (August 7-9).