Egan Bernal storms to Gran Piemonte victory: Daily News Digest
Welcome to your Daily News Digest. Here’s what’s happening today:
Egan Bernal and Ineos teammate Iván Sosa go one-two at Gran Piemonte, the UCI unveils the 2020 ProSeries calendar, a new off-road shoe from Sidi. Those stories and more in today’s Daily News Digest.
Story of the Day: Egan Bernal and Iván Sosa deliver an Ineos one-two at Gran Piemonte
Tour de France champion Egan Bernal (Ineos) stormed to victory at Gran Piemonte on Thursday, putting on a show of uphill power on the Santuario di Oropa finishing climb.
No one could match the 22-year-old Colombian after 183 kilometers from Agliè – and runner-up honors went to his 21-year-old compatriot and Ineos teammate Iván Sosa. Nans Peters (Ag2r La Mondiale) rounded out the podium in the 1.HC-rated race.
Egan Bernal wins Gran Piemonte. Photo: LB/RB/Cor Vos © 2019
The 103rd edition of Gran Piemonte, the last of the big Italian one-day events in the run-up to Il Lombardia, came down to a battle on the final climb, where the day’s break was caught by an Ineos-led peloton.
Ineos continued to set a high tempo as the road rose, keeping attackers in check until a big surge from Sosa with around three kilometers to go dropped one rider after another off the back. By the final two kilometers, only Bernal and Sosa remained at the front, and then Bernal pulled clear to take the solo win. Sosa held off a small group of chasers to secure the one-two finish.
“It’s great to finally win in Italy and a one day race for the first time,” said Bernal, who took the victory on the heels of several strong performances in the Italian one-days over the past few weeks.
“In leading me to the climb, Ivan Sosa showed that he was probably the strongest today. We’ve done a great job.”
Socially Speaking
There may be seven long months ahead until Grand Tour racing returns, but as both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia have pointed out on social media this week, at least some big route reveals are coming soon ..
Race Radio
ProSeries calendar unveiled
The UCI has released the 2020 road calendar, and in so doing, unveiled the list of races making the cut for next year’s ProSeries, a newly formed designation of races that will be composed of a selection of races currently ranked at the .HC or .1 levels.
The calendar begins on February 5 with the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and concludes on October 20 with the Japan Cup. Of note in the newly unveiled list of races is the presence of the Tour of Turkey, which appears to have been downgraded from WorldTour status, and the absence of a handful of events that were rated as 1.HC or 2.HC races this year. Neither the GP Bruno Beghelli nor Tre Valli Varesine, for instance, made the cut for the Pro Series.
The list does, however, confirm that the recently announced Maryland Cycling Classic will be a part of the inaugural ProSeries, one of two American events on the circuit along with the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.
The 2020 road calendar is viewable at the UCI’s website.
Bahrain-Merida fires Koren and Bozic
The Bahrain-Merida team has fired rider Kristijan Koren and sports director Borut Bozic after both received two-year bans for doping, Cyclingnews reports.
Koren and Bozic were both sanctioned for “use of prohibited methods/substances” in connection with Operation Aderlass. Koren’s ban stemmed from violations in 2011 and 2012, when he was a member of the Cannondale-Liquigas team, and Bozic’s ban was due to violations from 2012, when he rode for Astana.
Raymond Poulidor hospitalized
Raymond Poulidor is in the hospital. His wife Gisèle Poulidor told leparisien on Wednesday that the health of the 83-year-old French cycling legend was deteriorating, and he was taken to the hospital two weeks ago.
Raymond Poulidor in 2016. Photo: Cor Vos © 2016
Thursday, however, brought some more hopeful news for Poulidor, whose career palmares includes victories at the Vuelta a España and Milano-Sanremo along with eight career Tour de France podium finishes. A friend of Poulidor’s told France Bleu that Poulidor’s “condition has improved significantly,” and that he watched Milano-Torino from the hospital.
Tech News
Sidi announces new off-road shoe
Venerable Italian footwear brand Sidi may best be known for their road shoes, but they’ve got more than one string to their bow. The brand has just announced a new mountain bike shoe – the Dominator 10, a successor to the brand’s previous MTB shoe, the Dominator – which looks to us like it could be a handy race-oriented gravel shoe as well.
Borrowing features from the road range, the Dominator 10 uses the Tecno-3 dial system as a closure, with a strap/pad combo on the instep to provide adjustable support for high or low insteps.
The shoe’s sole shaves weight from the Dominator, with a new aggressive tread pattern and replaceable toe insert. The shoe is also toe-spike compatible. Its microfibre upper is interspersed with mesh panels, while a reinforced heel cup provides additional stabilization and support.
The Dominator 10s are available in black or grey, with a size run from 40-48 (half sizes from 40-46.5), and an RRP of $299.95 USD.
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Feature Image: Egan Bernal en route to victory at Gran Piemonte. Photo: LB/RB/Cor Vos © 2019
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