Weekend recap: Jonas Vingegaard dominates, Mathieu van der Poel thrills, French women’s race cancelled
Plenty of drama in Europe in pro road and MTB racing
While you may have been enjoying the weekend wherever you are, a bunch of pro cyclists were tearing it up. Here’s the rundown on some of the races you may have missed.
The Great Dane Jonas Vingegaard clobbers his rivals at Critérium du Dauphiné
In a remarkable display, Team Jumbo Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard, the reigning champion, exerted complete control over the queen stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Saturday. The exceptional cyclist from Jumbo-Visma solidified his position at the top of the race leaderboard by securing his second consecutive solo triumph in a span of just three days.
Utter domination from Jonas Vingegaard on Critérium du Dauphiné queen stage
Mathieu van der Poel returns to racing and in stunning fashion
From the very start, MvdP showcased an aggressive approach, injecting excitement into the race. However, his hopes for a victory were dashed by an unfortunate puncture. Nevertheless, the Norwegian champion Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) took the win crossing the finish line ahead of Stan Van Tricht (Soudal – Quick Step) and Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Dstny). Despite luck not favoring the cyclocross world champion, his performance left a mark in his first race back.
I am once again asking you to appreciate Mathieu van Der Poel’s insane skills
Canada’s Carter Woods second in u-23 World Cup
Concluding an extraordinary World Cup weekend in Switzerland, Carter Woods from Canada achieved a remarkable feat by securing a second-place finish in the under-23 men’s XCO event on Sunday.
UCI pulls plug on disastrous CIC-Tour Féminin Pyrénées stage race
After two days of just sketchy and dangerous racing, several teams announced they wouldn’t be racing for the sake of their riders. Just before Stage 3 was about to start, the UCI intervened and said the race would be cancelled.
Tour Féminin Pyrénées director goes on rant, calls riders ‘spoiled children’ after UCI cancels race
Nino Schurter sets new record in Lenzerheide
On Sunday, Nino Schurter achieved a historic feat by clinching victory in the elite men’s XCO World Cup held in Lenzerheide. With an exuberant Swiss crowd cheering him on, the talented racer from Scott-SRAM secured his 34th World Cup triumph, solidifying his remarkable career legacy.
Küng is king in Switzerland
Stefan Küng of Groupama-FDJ claimed the top spot on Sunday’s opening time trial stage of the 2023 Tour de Suisse. Despite the stage being highly anticipated as a showdown between Belgians Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), they were forced to settle for second and third place, respectively, as Küng emerged as the victor.
Stefan Küng smokes Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert in Tour de Suisse
Lecomte repeats in dominant win
In an exhilarating clash on the World Cup course at Lenzerheide, Loana Lecomte of France emerged victorious once again. Demonstrating her exceptional prowess, Lecomte showcased her comfort on this venue, having previously claimed victory at the Swiss World Cup in 2022 as well.
