Sivakov wins Poland GC, rain halts racing in Scotland: Daily News Digest
Welcome to your Daily News Digest. Here’s what’s happening today:
Pavel Sivakov wins the Tour of Poland as Matej Mohiric takes the final stage, stage 1 of the Women’s Tour of Scotland abandoned due to extreme weather, CCC signs Ilnur Zakarin. Those stories and more in today’s Daily News Digest.
Story of the Day: Sivakov wins the Tour of Poland, Mohoric wins the final stage
Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) won the overall title at the Tour of Poland, marking his first WorldTour win amid what has been a breakthrough season for the 22-year-old Russian.
Sivakov, who won this year’s Tour of the Alps and finished in the top 10 overall at the Giro d’Italia, headed into Friday’s mountainous seventh stage at the Tour of Poland sitting second overall. Overnight leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) was dropped with around 45 kilometers still to go, and Sivakov finished with the main GC group on the day to take the victory.
23-year-old Australian Jai Hindley (Sunweb) nabbed second overall, with Diego Ulissi (UAE-Team Emirates) rounding out the podium.
The final podium at the Tour of Poland. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski/Cor Vos © 2019
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) won stage 7 after spending more than an hour in a solo move off the front.
The 153.3-kilometer final stage from Bukovina Resort to Bukowina Tatrzansk featured plenty of climbing with short ascents scattered throughout the day. Mohoric joined a big early break, which had a lead of around a minute and a half when he fired solo off the front on a descent with just under 60 kilometers to go.
The rest of the chasing breakaway group splintered over a very steep climb with around 47 kilometers to go, while the shrinking peloton behind upped the tempo. The pace proved too high for Vingegaard, who lost touch with the group. That made Sivakov, who finished second on stage 6, the race leader on the road.
Several riders attacked out of the pack in the up-and-down finale, with Neilson Powless (Jumbo-Visma), Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo), Tsgabu Grmay (Mitchelton-Scott), and Pavel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) forming a group chasing Mohoric, but the pursuit never came particularly close to catching the Slovenian.
Mohoric took his first win of 2019 as he crossed the line. Neilson Powless was second nearly a minute down, with Brambilla in third a few seconds behind. Over two minutes behind Mohoric, the GC group arrived at the line with Sivakov safely tucked in to seal the overall victory.
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CCC signs Zakarin
Ilnur Zakarin will race for CCC in 2020 after spending the last five seasons at Katusha-Alpecin.
The 29-year-old Russian, whose Grand Tour successes include stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France and a third-place overall ride at the Vuelta a España, will give CCC a general classification rider to build around moving forward. The squad formerly known as BMC has been without a big-name GC rider since it transformed into the CCC squad, with riders like Richie Porte heading elsewhere last transfer season.
Ilnur Zakarin wins stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia. Photo: ©kramon
“Having placed in the top ten at all three Grand Tours, including a podium place at the 2017 Vuelta a España, Ilnur brings a wealth of experience to the team and will be instrumental in the team’s general classification ambitions,” said CCC Team’s general manager Jim Ochowicz.
“Our title sponsor, CCC, has a large presence in Russia so it is exciting for the team and for CCC to sign a Russian rider of Ilnur’s caliber.”
Zakarin will join CCC on a two-year deal.
Stage 1 of the Women’s Tour of Scotland abandoned
The opening stage of the inaugural Women’s Tour of Scotland was stopped due to extreme weather, which caused hazardous road conditions.
Heavy rainfall led to flooding along the route of what was planned to be a 103.1-kilometer stage 1 from Dundee to Dunfermline. To avoid sending riders through dangerous road conditions, organizers stopped the race midway through the stage.
“Due to extreme weather conditions we have taken the unfortunate decision together with Police Scotland and the other relevant authorities to abandon today’s stage,” organizers said in a statement.
“Conditions have proven impossible due to heavy sections of standing water. Rider safety is therefore paramount and conditions were no longer safe to continue.”
Lovely Up RIVER finish pic.twitter.com/XBFapmWfCe
— 3 Pistes Sportive (@3Pistescycle) August 9, 2019
Sunweb signs Sütterlin and Denz
Germans Jasha Sütterlin and Nico Denz will join Sunweb in 2020, the team has announced.
Jasha Sutterlin at Tirreno-Adriatico. Photo: LB/RB/Cor Vos © 2019
Sütterlin, a big engine with Classics potential and experience as a Grand Tour domestique, will make the move after six years at Movistar. Denz turned pro with Ag2r La Mondiale in 2015 and has raced there ever since.
Cofidis adds Consonni for 2020
Simone Consonni will race for Cofidis for the next two seasons after three years with UAE-Team Emirates. The 24-year-old Italian will form a key part of Elia Viviani’s lead-out as both of them don new kit next year.
“It is great that from now on we can count on a talented rider like Simone,” said the team’s general manager Cedric Vasseur. “He has the talent to win victories himself, but also to help Elia.”
In case you missed it …
Feature Image: Matej Mohoric wins stage 7 of the Tour of Poland. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski/Cor Vos © 2019
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