Autor: Saul Miguel

Yes, it’s that time of the year. The most iconic race in Belgium is almost here, and it feels both ancient and new, classic and forward-looking. The Ronde van Vlaanderen is slowly getting its own identity back after that almost sacrilege-like move in 2012, when the Kapelmuur was removed from the race. It took a couple of years, but now it’s again the exciting show that formerly was… almost. Now, the Muur is finally back. It’s far from the finish line, but it’s there. Fans will love that. Hier is De Ronde thuis! But will it have an actual impact…

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Just four days after winning Dwars door Vlaanderen, Finnish sprinter Lotta Lepistö (Cervélo-Bigla) has been the fastest again in another classic in Flanders: Gent-Wevelgem. It was an extremely close finish between Lepistö and local favourite Jolien D’hoore (Wiggle-High5) Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb), recent winner of the Trofeo Binda, was 3rd in a reduced bunch sprint. The Belgian race showed once again to which extent the women’s peloton has increased its leven and depth compared to previous seasons. Despite the numerous attacks, none of them could stay clear, and so far each WorldTour race has had a different winner from a…

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We are in Flanders for the round four of the Women’s WorldTour, the Gent-Wevelgem, and about to enter April, which may very well be the most important month of the classics calendar, including the Ronde van Vlaanderen and the Ardennes races. But of course Gent-Wevelgem is a great race in itself and everybody wants to win here — hence the superb lineup. And there’s been some changes this year which make it feel more like a real classic. The course Gent-Wevelgem is a much longer race in 2017, which is of course a positive change. It takes advantage of the…

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It might be a growing trend. As the level and depth of the peloton increases, races get a wider variety of winners and classic courses become less selective, even though some other such as the recent Ronde van Drenthe proved otherwise. Coryn Rivera’s victory at Trofeo Binda is a good example of this. Team Sunweb’s new signing was the fastest among the 25-rider group that sprinted for the win in Cittiglio. It was a surprising winner and also a surprisingly big group for a race that seems made for climbers and the strongest all-rounders. But Rivera was mainly known as…

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Or maybe not? Looking at the race’s recent winners it’s Lizzie Armitstead (Deignan) twice and then Emma Johansson in 2014. Great riders for sure, but not exactly what one would call pure climbers. All right, Trofeo Binda might not be a true climbers’ race after all, but it’s not one for the sprinters for sure, as anyone would expect from a race in Lombardy, northern Italy. The 3rd round of the Women’s WorldTour certainly adds a very welcome turn of events after the gravel roads of Strade Bianche and the cobbled, almost flat parcours of Ronde van Drenthe. The parcours…

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No matter how good she was as a junior: it was a surprise that Amalie Dideriksen won the elite road race in the World Championships last year against the best sprinters of the world, being only 20. Such a huge win could act as a heavy burden for a young rider racing for the arguably best team in the peloton, but the Boels-Dolmans rider just showed today at Ronde van Drenthe what everybody knew – her performance in Doha was no fluke. Dideriksen was the fastest from a breakaway of four strong riders that narrowly managed to keep a small…

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After a rather exciting showing at Strade Bianche in Italy, the Women’s WorldTour 2017 moves to the Netherlands for a completely differente type of race. Gone are the gravel roads and the numerous climbs. Instead, narrow cobbled roads roaming through beautiful forests will be the key. Oh, and the infamous VAMberg, the very short but sharp manmade hill. That is the Ronde van Drenthe, which has carved a well deserved niche in the calendar thanks to its unique features. The course The Ronde van Drenthe takes advantage of the new UCI rule that allows WWT races to be up to…

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It was high time a race like this was created. Teams and cyclists love training rides along the Mediterranean coast of Spain in late winter. Weather is usually good and it creates the ideal scenario to build up form, and there’s a long tradition of men’s races in this part of the world at this moment of the season. Now, women’s cycling also has its own Mediterranean winter race: the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. Yes, it’s only a 2.2 UCI race, it overlaps Women’s WorldTour’s Ronde van Drenthe and in true women’s cycling fashion there were not much information about the…

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Elisa Longo Borghini doesn’t win many races. But, whenever she does, she wins big. Her expression at the finish line of the Strade Bianche said it all: it was a huge burst of emotion. You don’t win everyday on home roads and that was special for the Wiggle-High5 leader. But the 2017 edition of the young but already iconic Strade Bianche was also special for another reason: it was shown live. Even if it was only on Eurosport Player, which means it would only reach a limited amount of spectators, it was remarkable. Hopefully it’s only been the start of…

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It’s March 3, 2017. In less than 24 hours, the second edition of the Women’s WorldTour will start in Italy: it’s time for the Strade Bianche, the race that already feels like a classic even though it’s one of the most recent additions to the cycling calendar. But how was the first edition of the WWT? Well, that’s another story. Let’s hope some of the less positive aspects of it will improve this time. Yes, I know many of you may be thinking about TV coverage right now. We might be luckier this time. But more of that later. Here’s…

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Change is good! Well, at least that’s what optimistic people tend to think. Those with a tendency to see the glass half full surely thought that when they read, back in September 2015, that the first edition of the Women’s WorldTour would be officially launched for the 2016 season. A Women’s WorldTour. That would mean the demise of the good old World Cup, the season-long trophy which arguably named the best one day racer of the year. Remember the men’s World Cup? Some still miss it. It was an interesting competition, that’s for sure. It’s still alive and kicking in…

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La gente optimista tiende —o tendemos— a pensar que, cuando se anuncia un cambio en algo, va a ser para mejor. Esa fue la sensación con que algunos recibieron, en septiembre de 2015, la noticia de que se iba a crear el Women’s WorldTour de cara a la temporada 2016. Women’s WorldTour. Eso significaría el final de la Copa del Mundo, el trofeo anual que abarcaba carreras de un día y que supuestamente terminaba coronando a la mejor clasicómana de la temporada. ¿Recordáis la vieja Copa del Mundo masculina? Aún hay quien la echa de menos. No cabe duda de…

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Primero fue el noruego Kristoffer Halvorsen en sub-23. Después, el danés Jakob Egholm en júnior. Hoy, la también danesa Amalie Dideriksen en élite. Nada, ni siquiera el abrasador calor, aparentemente tan poco propicio para ellos, ha sido capaz de parar el empuje de las tropas nórdicas en los Mundiales de Doha 2016. Vestirse de arcoíris no es algo precisamente nuevo para Amalie Dideriksen. Como ciclista júnior lo logró en sus dos oportunidades: 2013 y 2014. Y solo ha tenido que esperar a su segundo año en la máxima categoría para volver a conquistar la preciada prenda multicolor. Con solo 20…

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Las dos primeras carreras en línea de los Mundiales de Doha 2016 resultaron descorazonadoras. En realidad, fueron lo que todos esperábamos. O, mejor dicho, temíamos. Ni los hombres sub-23 ni las mujeres júnior lograron romper la disciplina del inevitable sprint al que una competición tipo criterium, indigna de un mundial, parece abocado. Pero entonces llegaron los corredores júnior y abrieron la puerta de la esperanza. Sí: es posible romper la carrera y evitar la llegada masiva en el circuito de Doha… aunque siempre haya que coger con pinzas los resultados de una categoría en la que la diferencia de nivel…

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La historia de la estadounidense Amber Neben no es la de una vida fácil. De niña, sufrió una grave meningitis de la que los médicos no pensaban que saldría con vida. Ya como ciclista profesional de primer nivel, en 2007, vio su carrera interrumpida por un cáncer de piel del que pudo recuperarse. En 2013, durante la disputa de una contrarreloj en California, tuvo una espeluznante caída al chocar lateralmente contra una escarpada pared rocosa en una zona de rápido descenso. Pero también ha tenido grandes éxitos, como este Campeonato del Mundo CRI que le ha llegado a los 41…

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Estamos en los días buenos de la semana de los Mundiales de Doha 2016. Después de las contrarrelojes por equipos comerciales del domingo, ya están en marcha las cronos individuales por selecciones. Y, ante el desánimo general que producen las pruebas en línea y su cuestionable recorrido, son las carreras de esfuerzo individual contra el reloj las que mayor interés parecen estar despertando. Recorrido El doble circuito en La Perla para completar un total de 28,9 kilómetros carece de cualquier tipo de desnivel, pero como contrapartida puede crear una interesante dicotomía fácil de percibir a primera vista en el mapa.…

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Porque, efectivamente, hoy era la despedida del ciclismo profesional de Evelyn Stevens, Evie, la carismática corredora del Boels-Dolmans. Haciendo buenos los pronósticos, el que ha sido el equipo dominador de la presente temporada ha finalizado su andadura en 2016 con una contundente victoria en la contrarreloj por equipos que inauguraba los Mundiales de Doha 2016. Bajo el abrasador calor del desierto, Boels-Dolmans protagonizó un esfuerzo progresivo que, en el primer punto cronometrado, no era mejor que el de Canyon-SRAM, el equipo que —en sus diferentes denominaciones— hasta el momento había dominado hegemónicamente esta especialidad mundialista. Haciendo gala de una envidiable…

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El primer Campeonato de Europa de ciclismo para categoría élite llega tras la disputa de las contrarrelojes y la prueba en línea en categoría júnior. Lo hace, quizá, sin el glamour y la expectación que unos campeonatos de este nivel deberían generar, pero sí con una exquisita participación y un circuito atractivo. Además, cuenta con el extra —como ya hicieran los Juegos Olímpicos— de otorgar una plaza adicional para los próximos Mundiales al país de quien sea la vencedora. Siempre que la misma no sea Anna van der Breggen, claro, pues ella ya logró lo propio para Países Bajos en…

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