Quick-Step Floor's wins UCI TTT

Quick-Step Floor's wins UCI Road World Championship team time trial after rounding off day one in Innsbruck by taking victory in the men’s team time trial.

Kasper Asgreen, Laurens De Plus, Bob Jungels, Yves Lampaert, Max Schachmann and Niki Terpstra destroyed the 62.8km course with a time of 1:07:26, beating
Team Sunweb by 18 seconds while BMC Racing finished third, 20 seconds down.

How it unfolded

Like to the women’s course, the men’s ran from the Area 47 waterpark in Ötztal to Innsbruck, but there was one rather large difference – the men had to deviate to tackle a 62.8km course that including a climb two-thirds of the way in.

The 4.6km Axams climb averages 5.7%, with sections of 10% on the lower slopes, and would prove to be the vital part of the route. Checkpoints came after the initial flat 22.8km, and at the top of the climb, 44.9km in.

Results

1, Quick - Step Floors 1:07:25,
2, Team Sunweb0:00:19,
3, BMC Racing Team0:00:20,
4, Team Sky 0:00:45,
5, Mitchelton - Scott0:00:57,
6, Movistar Team0:01:32,
7, Trek-Segafredo0:02:04,
8, Bora-Hansgrohe0:02:08,
9, CCC Sprandi Polkowice0:02:38,
10, Astana Pro Team0:02:54,
11,Team Katusha Alpecin0:02:56,
12, Elkov- Author0:03:18, 13,Team LottoNL - Jumbo0:03:28,
14, Team Vorarlberg Santic0:04:47,
15, AG2R La Mondiale0:05:19,
16, Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels0:05:40,
17, Tirol Cycling Team0:06:25, 18, Hrinkow Advarics Cycleang0:07:03,
19, Sangemini - Mg. K Vis - Vega0:07:06,
20, Team Lotto - Kern Haus0:07:34,
21, Dukla Banska Bystrica0:08:10 11WSA Pushbikers

Jelle Wallays (Lotto-Soudal) powers to stage 18 victory Vuelta a Espana.

Jelle Wallays (Lotto-Soudal) nabs sprinters day in a breathless finale in Lleida, Vuelta a Espana.
He out-sprinted his breakaway companion Sven Erik Bystrom (UAE Team Emirates) just as the peloton was bearing down upon them in the finishing straight.

How it unfolded

Few anticipated anything other than a bunch sprint on stage 18 when the Vuelta route was unveiled in January, and nothing about the opening phase of Thursday's stage suggested a deviation from that script.

Wallays, Bol and Bystrom escaped from the peloton after 3km, but their freedom came with rigorously designated limits. Sprint opportunities are few and far between at the modern Vuelta – witness the 'flat' day that finished on the climb to Caminito del Rey on stage 2 – and the fast men's teams kept a tight rein on the break's advantage throughout the afternoon.

Top Ten General Classification standings

1, Simon Yates (Great Britain) Mitchelton-Scott 73:02:37,
2, Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar Team 00:00:25,
3, Enric Mas (Spain) Quick-Step Floors 00:01:22,
4, Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia) Astana Pro Team 00:01:36,
5, Steven Kruijswijk (Netherland) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:01:48,
6, Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar Team 00:02:11
7, Ion Izagirre (Spain) Bahrain-Merida 00:04:09,
8, Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 00:04:36,
9, Thibaut Pinot (France) Groupama-FDJ 00:05:31
10, Tony Gallopin (France) AG2R La Mondiale 00:06:05

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) wins stage 15 Vuelta a Espana

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) attacks to win fog-covered Lagos de Covadonga stage 15 Vuelta a Espana. Overshadowing the overrall contenders who marked each other closely, squabbled and so kept the status quo in the fight for the red leader’s jersey.
Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) took second on the stage, 28 seconds down on Pinot, with race leader Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) third at 30 seconds. Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) were just behind, meaning they are now the leading five overall contenders as the Vuelta enjoys the second rest day on Monday.

How it unfolded

The 178km stage to Lagos de Covadonga was considered the queen stage of this year’s race. It will not decide who wins the Vuelta, instead, it confirmed how closely matched the overall contenders are, despite three big days in the mountains of northern Spain.

Yet again a fast start and multiple attacks came, with a group of 12 getting away on the stage's first small climb. They held on to a gap of up to 5:30, with Mitchelton-Scott happy to let Astana take over the chase for the final 60km. Their hard work ensured the break was brought under control and gave Lopez a shot at a stage victory.

Top Ten General classification

1, Simon Yates (Great Britain) Mitchelton-Scott64:13:33,
2, Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar Team 0:00:26,
 3, Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar Team 0:00:33,
4, Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia) Astana Pro Team0:00:43,
5, Steven Kruijswijk (Netherland) LottoNL-Jumbo0:01:29,
6, Enric Mas (Spain) Quick-Step Floors0:01:55,
7, Thibaut Pinot (France) Groupama-FDJ0:02:10,
8, Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale0:02:27,
9, Ion Izagirre (Spain) Bahrain-Merida0:03:03,
10, Emanuel Buchmann (Germany) Bora-Hansgrohe0:03:15 

Simon Yates (Mitchellton-Scott) 14 victory and takes red in vuelta a Espana

Simon Yates (Mitchellton-Scott) solo's to stage 14 victory atop Alto Les Praeres and the overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana. He breakaway from a select group that formed on the steep climb and jumped within the last kilometer. Second went to Mikel Lopez (Astana) and third to Alejandro Valverde at two seconds.


How it unfolded

A six-rider break formed early on this difficult mountain stage, unexpectedly featuring Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky), a threat to the overall leader. The hard climbs took their toll and near the end, Kwiatkowski took off solo. With some 35 km to go, the peloton split, with red jersey Herrada on the wrong side. Vincenzo Nibali pulled the lead front part of the peloton, with Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana, Simon Yates and the other top favourites all in the group.

Top General Classification standings

1, Simon Yates (Great Britain) Mitchelton-Scott 59:11:18,
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar Team 59:11:38,
3, Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar Team 59:11:43,
4, Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia) Astana Pro Team 59:12:05,
5, Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 59:12:41,
6, Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale 59:12:46,
7, Ion Izagirre (Spain) Bahrain-Merida 59:12:58
8, Enric Mas (Spain) Quick-Step Floors 59:13:05,
9, Tony Gallopin (Fr3a) AG2R La Mondiale 59:13:13,
10, Emanuel Buchmann (Germany) Bora-Hansgrohe 59:13:26

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) wins stage 10 Vuelta a Espana.

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) sprints to stage 10 victory Bermillo de Sayago, Vuelta a Espana. 

He described it as his most perfect lead-out of the season, and it was hard to argue with that assessment after the Italian champion scored an emphatic victory in the bunch sprint.

Meanwhile overrall race leader Simon Yates (Mitchellton-Scott) finished safely in the main peloton to retain the red jersey, though the Briton was one of a number of overall contenders to suffer a late scare when there was a spate of punctures in the closing kilometres.

How it unfolded

The Vuelta resumed after its first rest day with a 177km leg that brought the race to within touching distance of the Portuguese border, and it was perhaps no surprise to find Minho native Tiago Machado (Katusha-Alpecin) among the riders chasing earlier escapee Jesus Ezquerra (Burgos-BH).

Top Ten General Classification Standings

1, Simon Yates (Great Britain) Mitchelton-Scott41:03:00,
2, Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar Team0:00:01,
3, Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar Team0:00:14,
4, Emanuel Buchmann (Germany) Bora-Hansgrohe0:00:16,
5, Ion Izagirre (Spain) Bahrain-Merida0:00:17,
6, Tony Gallopin (France) AG2R La Mondiale0:00:24,
7, Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia) Astana Pro Team0:00:27,
8, Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale0:00:32,
9, Steven Kruijswijk (Netherland) LottoNL-Jumbo0:00:43,
10, George Bennett (NewZealand) LottoNL-Jumbo0:00:47

Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar) wins stage 8 vuelta a espana

Alejandro Valverde  (Team Movistar) out sprints world road race champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)

to win his second stage victory on Saturday in Almadén, Vuelta a Espana.

Danny van Poppel, whose LottoNL-Jumbo team had dominated the tricky final kilometre - which also included a near-180-degree switchback on a roundabout - finished a more distant third.

How stage 8 unfolded

The 195km stage from Linares to Almadén was one of the flattest of the whole Vuelta, with just one categorized climb in the form of the Cat-3 Alto de Españares. However, the heat - nearing 40 degrees - combined with the distance to make it another tough day in the saddle, made all the more complicated by the finale, which included gradients of four per cent that started biting with two kilometres to go.

A breakaway formed after just a few kilometres, containing Thiago Machado (Katusha-Alpecin), Jorge Cubero (Burgos-BH), and Hector Saez (Euskadi-Murias). With just three representatives, it never posed much of a threat to the peloton, and the gap was allowed to yawn out to more than 12 minutes.

Top Ten General Classification Standings

1 Rudy Molard (France)Groupama-FDJ 31:20:34,
2, Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar Team 00:00:37,
3, Emanuel Buchmann (Germany) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:48,
4, Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 00:00:51,
5, Tony Gallopin (France) AG2R La Mondiale 00:00:59,
6, Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Team Sky 00:01:06,
7, Ion Izagirre (Spain) Bahrain-Merida 00:01:11,
8, Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Movistar Team 00:01:14,
9, Steven Kruijswijk (Netherlands) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:01:18,
10, Enric Mas (Spain) Quick-Step Floors 00:01:23