Sagan’s plans, extensions at Boels, hospitalizations: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers.
Tuesday’s headlines featured updates on quite a few notables from both the men’s and women’s pelotons.
For starters, Bora-Hansgrohe confirmed that Peter Sagan is sticking to his pre-season plan to make his Giro d’Italia debut—which unfortunately means he is set to miss both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as the cobbled Monuments now overlap with the Italian Grand Tour in the UCI’s reshuffled calendar. On the bright side, Italian fans will finally get to see the three-time world champ hunting for the maglia ciclamino this season.
Meanwhile, Boels-Dolmans has extended the contracts of Jolien D’hoore and Christine Majerus. A few months ago, the team’s future was shrouded in uncertainty with both title sponsors departing at the end of the year. Now, with SD Worx moving into that role in 2021, the team seems to be on much firmer ground, announcing renewals for many of its marquee riders over the past few weeks.
And then there’s the not-good news of the day, with multiple riders spending time in the hospital. Two-time Monument winner Niki Terpstra has suffered multiple injuries in a training crash, and so too has Japanese national road champ Shotaro Iribe, while former Giro winner Damiano Cunego has spent the week in the hospital dealing with a brain infection. Hopefully they’ll all recover soon.
Read on for more …
Dane Cash
News Editor
What’s news
| Sagan is sticking to his Giro plans, will miss Flanders and Roubaix
Bora-Hansgrohe has confirmed that Peter Sagan is sticking to his pre-season plan of making his Giro d’Italia debut in 2020—meaning that he will miss both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“I gave my word to the Giro that Peter will participate there and Peter did this as well,” said Bora-Hansgrohe team manager Ralph Denk in a press conference.
“It’s part of our style, how we work. It was a handshake agreement but for us that very important and we’ll stay to this agreement. That’s why Peter will fulfill this agreement and get full support from the team.”
When Sagan initially made his plans to start the Italian Grand Tour this season, the race was scheduled for May as usual. With the reshuffled calendar, however, the event overlaps with both of the cobbled Monuments, and therefore Sagan will miss Roubaix for the first time since 2013 and Flanders for the first time since 2010.
| Terpstra suffers multiple injuries in training crash
Niki Terpstra has been hospitalized after crashing heavily during a training ride in the Netherlands.
The 36-year-old Dutchman, a former winner of both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, was motorpacing with friends when he swerved to avoid geese, hit a rock, and crashed, according to NOS. Terpstra reportedly suffered a collapsed lung, a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken collarbone.
Fortunately, the Total-Direct Energie rider “is not in mortal danger,” according to a social media post from his wife. That said, he is expected to remain at the hospital for some time.
| Boels-Dolmans renews with D’hoore and Majerus
The Boels-Dolmans team has continued its run of signing riders to extensions, announcing on Tuesday that Jolien D’hoore will ride on with the team for one more season while Christine Majerus has renewed for two more.
After announcing in February that it was bringing on new title sponsor, SD Worx, starting in 2021, the squad has extended several riders. The new contracts of D’hoore and Majerus come on the heels of extensions for Anna van der Breggen, Chantal Blaak, Lonneke Uneken, and Amy Pieters.
| Cunego hospitalized after brain infection
2004 Giro d’Italia winner Damiano Cunego has been in the hospital for a week to treat a brain infection, the 38-year-old Italian said on social media.
Cunego wrote on Instagram that he had contracted a cerebral ventricle infection, and was thus hospitalized. He now faces a few weeks of antibiotic therapy, but wrote that “fortunately everything will be fine” after the recovery period ahead.
| Japanese road champ Iribe breaks scapula and clavicle in training crash
NTT said on Tuesday that Shotaro Iribe is set for surgery following a bad crash.
The reigning national road champion of Japan reportedly broke both his scapula and clavicle after crashing heavily on his left side.
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY NEWS DIGEST PODCASTToday’s featured image of Damiano Cunego winning the Giro di Lombardia comes from Cor Vos.
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