Nibali to Trek, Mas to Movistar, GC shake-up in Poland: Daily News Digest
Welcome to your Daily News Digest. Here’s what’s happening today:
Vincenzo Nibali will race for Trek-Segafredo next season, Enric Mas signs with Movistar, Jonas Vingegaard wins stage 6 and takes the race lead at the Tour of Poland. Those stories and more in today’s Daily News Digest.
Story of the Day: Vincenzo Nibali will join Trek-Segafredo in 2020
Vincenzo Nibali is on the move. The 34-year-old Italian, who counts four Grand Tour titles and three Monument wins on his career palmares, will head to Trek-Segafredo next year after three seasons with Bahrain-Merida, confirming rumors that have been swirling since the spring.
“I followed my heart and chose for this team, knowing that their project is very serious and competitive,” Nibali said via Trek-Segafredo’s announcement. “The great confidence Trek and Segafredo and all the other sponsors are showing in me is very motivating.”
Vincenzo Nibali wins stage 20 of the Tour de France. Photo: ©kramon
Nibali will join Trek on a two-year deal, as will his brother Antonio Nibali, who has raced alongside Vincenzo since he joined Bahrain-Merida in 2017.
“Vincenzo is obviously a great champion and like always, having such riders on the team gives a lot of opportunities to the other riders, to learn from his experience and excel themselves as well,” said Trek-Segafredo’s Luca Guercilena.
“We are all very excited to have him with us as of next year, and we are confident he will battle again for an overall victory in a Grand Tour.”
Moving Pictures
Kate Courtney has followed up her mountain bike world title with an impressive 2019 season, and her “Rising” video series goes behind the scenes of her preparation and the results.
Race Radio
Vingegaard leads the Tour of Poland after winning stage 6
Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) rode to his first ever WorldTour victory on stage 6 of the Tour of Poland, and the 22-year-old Dane now leads the race with only one stage to go.
Vingegaard out-sprinted fellow up-and-comers Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) and Jai Hindley (Sunweb) in Ko?cielisko after a challenging day of racing.
The sixth stage of the Tour of Poland covered 160 kilometers from Zakopane to Ko?cielisko with an undulating profile that featured seven categorized climbs. Following several sprinter-friendly days at the race, stage 6 brought the GC hopefuls to the fore.
As a much reduced peloton near the penultimate climb, Ben Swift (Ineos) put in an attack with around 16 kilometers to go and rode solo for the next 10 kilometers. Aggressive racing behind, however, ultimately saw the select group of Hindley, Sivakov, and Vingegaard catch and then drop him.
That trio hit the final climb together and worked well to keep some distance between themselves and a larger group of chasers in pursuit. Hindley, Sivakov, and Vingegaard crested the climb with a handy advantage and then began the descent toward the finish.
Hindley opened a small gap on the downhill run to the finishing town, but Sivakov and Vingegaard closed the gap to the 23-year-old Australian to set up a sprint for the stage victory and the race lead. Vingegaard launched first with a powerful dig on the finishing straight held on to take a convincing win.
Evenepoel, van Dijk win European Continental time trial titles
Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) added another victory to his 2019 haul on Thursday, winning the individual time trial at the European Continental championships.
Remco Evenepoel wins the European Continental time trial championship. Photo: Cor Vos © 2019
Just five days after he picked up his first WorldTour race win at the Clásica San Sebastián, The 19-year-old Belgian was the fastest rider on the 22.4-kilometer time trial course in Almaar, Netherlands, and he dedicated his victory to Bjorg Lambrecht, who died after a crash at this week’s Tour of Poland, and Stef Loos, who was killed in a collision with a van during a race in March.
Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen, Evenepoel’s trade teammate at Deceuninck-Quick-Step, took second in the Continental championship time trial, with Italy’s Edoardo Affini in third.
In the women’s race, Ellen van Dijk took an impressive fourth career European time trial title. The 32-year-old Dutchwoman has won every title since 2016.
German’s Lisa Klein and the Netherlands’ Lucinda Brand rounded out the podium.
Mas will join Movistar in 2020 on a three-year deal
Enric Mas will transfer from Deceuninck-Quick-Step to Movistar in 2020, his new team announced on Thursday.
As Movistar put it in the signing announcement, Mas will be the squad’s “main pillar for the future.” The 24-year-old Spaniard, who rode to second overall at the 2018 Vuelta a España, will give Movistar a new Grand Tour threat to build around with Nairo Quintana and Richard Carapaz both expected to leave the team and Mikel Landa reportedly weighing his options as well.
Enric Mas at the Tour de Suisse. Photo: VK/PN/Cor Vos © 2019
After racing with Deceuninck-Quick-Step since the 2017 season, Mas’s new deal with Movistar will run for the next three years.
Martínez and Dygert win time trials at Pan-American Games
Colombia’s Daniel Martínez, who rides for EF Education First for most of the year, won the men’s individual time trial title at the Pan-American Games on Wednesday. Martinez took a dominant win in Lima, Peru, with a mark that was nearly two minutes faster than that of runner-up Magno Nazaret (Brazil). Jose Luis Rodriguez (Chile) took third.
Chloe Dygert (United States) triumphed in the women’s time trial, 1:15 faster than second-placed Teniel Cambpell (Trinidad and Tobago). Laurie Jussaume of Canada finished third.
Tech News
Vitus launch new Cyclocross race bikes for 2020
Vitus – the bike brand owned and sold by powerhouse retailers Wiggle and ChainReactionCycles – has a new range of carbon cyclocross race bikes for 2020. All models in the Energie Carbon range share the same frame which offers improved tyre clearance (exact unknown), greater stiffness, full-length fender compatibility, and refined shaping for fewer mud shelves and easier shouldering.
Available in five frame sizes, the bikes come stock with 1x gearing, but can be setup with 2x. Complete bikes are priced from US$2,200 / AU$3,000 (SRAM Rival 1 spec), through to the range-topping SRAM Force eTap AXS at US$3,800 / AU$5,000 (add shipping). See the Vitus Energie Carbon range.
In case you missed it …
Inside the ten days, two hours it took Fiona Kolbinger to ride across Europe
Everesting goes pro: Richie Porte and Cameron Wurf’s party of pain
Feature Image: Jonas Vingegaard wins stage 6 of the Tour of Poland. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski/ Cor Vos © 2019
The post Nibali to Trek, Mas to Movistar, GC shake-up in Poland: Daily News Digest appeared first on CyclingTips.