Pogacar picks up where he left off: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers!
It may still be February, but there’s plenty of action to follow right now with a full slate of races going on all over the map. Seems like a great opportunity for some kind of digest, published daily, to round up the news—so we’ll get to it!
Over at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, impressive youngster Tadej Pogacar delivered another strong ride at a stage race in Spain. The 21-year-old Slovenian, who finished third at the Vuelta a España last year, took the Valenciana stage 2 victory on an uphill finish ahead of Alejandro Valverde, no mean feat. Pogacar now leads the race.
On the other side of the globe, Lucy Kennedy nabbed her second straight overall win at the Herald Sun Tour in a thrilling second and final stage of the women’s race.
And that’s only a snapshot of the action. Read on for more—and hopefully the busy slate of racing can see you through to the weekend, which isn’t far off now …
Until next time, readers.
What’s News
| Pogacar powers into Valenciana lead
Tadej Pogacar climbed to the stage 2 victory and the GC lead on Thursday at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
The 181-kilometer stage from Torrent to Cullera came down to a battle of big names in an uphill finale, with Pogacar besting Alejandro Valverde and Dylan Teuns to get the win.
| Kennedy defends Herald Sun Tour title
Lucy Kennedy nabbed her second straight overall win at the Herald Sun Tour in an action-packed second and final stage.
Ella Harris bested Sarah Gigante for the stage victory in Falls Creek, with Kennedy in third on the day but far enough ahead of her GC rivals to take a clear overall win. Jaime Gunning and Arlenis Sierra rounded out the GC podium.
In the men’s race, Jai Hindley climbed to the stage 2 win ahead of Damian Howson and Sebastian Berwick. Hindley now leads the race with a four-second advantage over Howson.
| 2020 Tour of Oman officially canceled
Some time after it initially emerged that this year’s Tour of Oman would be canceled following the death of Sultan Qaboos, organizers made the news official on Thursday.
There had been some talk of rescheduling the race, with reports of a possible March date, but that plan has apparently been abandoned.
| Bauhaus sprints to Saudi Tour stage 3 win
Phil Bauhaus out-sprinted Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Youcef Reguigui to win stage 3 of the Saudi Tour.
In so doing, Bauhaus powered into the race lead, moving three seconds ahead of Rui Costa in the overall standings.
| Cort wins Étoile de Bessèges stage 2
Magnus Cort won stage 2 of the Étoile de Bessèges. The Dane topped Edvald Boasson Hagen and Tom Devriendt in a bunch sprint.
Stage 1 winner Alexys Brunel continues to lead the race with three stages to go.
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| In allegations of institutional racism, a black-British rider’s quest for change
Russell Williams, a force on the road and track in his prime, was the kind of rider you’d expect might have been pulled onto Great Britain’s national track program, supported in his training, been called up for the world championships or the Olympics. Williams says he did not get those opportunities due to his race.
| Bikes of the Bunch: Cyfac Exostiff gravel
This week’s Bikes of the Bunch comes from French frame builder Cycaf International.
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY NEWS DIGEST PODCASTToday’s featured image of the finale of stage 2 at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana comes from Cor Vos.
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