⛰️ Stage 4 : The Tour leaves Italy to join the French Alps where the favourites are expected to have their first fight. ⛰️ Étape 4 : Le Tour quitte l’Italie pour attaquer les Alpes Françaises où l’on attend une première explication entre favoris. #TDF2024
David Lappartient would like to see more WT racing in February: "Today we have no World Tour races in South America or Africa while there are possibilities there"
CyclingSunday, 18 February 2024 at 04:00
This cyclo-cross season, the World Cup calendar was questioned more than ever with numerous riders unable to participate in all heats due to the busy schedule. But not only the field calendar, but also the road cycling program must be thoroughly revised, according to UCI chairman David Lappartient as reported by Het Nieuwsblad.
Lappartient speaks of an 'evolution, not a revolution' in the WorldTour calendar from 2026. "We want as few overlaps as possible. The UAE Tour takes place today at the same time as the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. Both competitions of the UCI World Tour. We want to avoid that as much as possible. I compare it to women's cycling."
"In women's cycling we started from a blank slate. That is a lot more difficult with the men you are looking at with 130 years of history. I am the first to realize that the Tour de France will always be ridden in July. Just like the classics will of course take place in the spring or autumn. Or that the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will always be ridden close to each other - simply because that is better for the riders. You have to respect that."
Lappartient wants more WorldTour races in February. "Currently we only have the UAE Tour and the Omloop het Nieuwsblad as World Tour competitions in February. Why not plan additional races in that month? Then I think of parts of the world where we are currently not strong. Today we have no World Tour races in South America or Africa. While there are possibilities there. Also in Africa, yes. Who knows what the World Championships in Rwanda might bring next year?"
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- It will be just a waste of time to finish out of the podium. Giro Vuelta makes a better choiceabstractengineer19-11-2024
- I would agree, top 3 with Remco improving and snapping at his heels. I just wish he wouldn't keep crashing in the TDF.Pedalmasher19-11-2024
- Backstedt and Schreiber are not juniors they are under 23. There were I think about 7 or 8 juniors in this race. Under the current rules a race that has juniors in can't go over 45 minutes. The winning time was 43.53 so the timing was correct. The organisers are in the wrong because they should be putting on a juniors race and then we wouldn't be in this situation as the timings for the elite race would be 50 minutes, not 45.NorrisHippocampe19-11-2024
- It's everywhere. Just like it was before. But we can just pretend it isn't. Just like we did before.Sweep19-11-2024
- Not a top 4 GT rider? He's got more GT wins (just not at the Tour) than any viable active rider (Froome not included). Were it not for his team messing it up for him, he'd have won the Vuelta even more often. He's a bizarrely accident prone, deeply conservative rider, but it delivers. He's also one of the best 1-week GC riders in the peloton. The man may not be Pogacar or Vingegaard (who is?), but he is definitely in the top 3 of the field, right now.RidesHills19-11-2024
- Nobody is saying that he is tin he Top 4 GT riders but nobdy is also saying he is capable of winning the TDF in the presence of Pog and Jonas. He was already fairly blown away before his crash and if we assume that Bora hired him to win the TDF, then it would not be considered a success. That he won the Vuelta only make it not a total fail.abstractengineer19-11-2024
- "The viewing and visitor figures are both better than when they were riding" - what a BS. Please compare (and only then) visitor figures during current season vs when WvA and MvdP are back in December (hopefully!) otherwise you are comparing oranges to apples.averagecyclist19-11-2024
- I counted 16 riders under 24 out of 43 that started. Once was only 16 ! Two of the top riders are Zoe and Schreiber and both under 23 yet that have done 50 min races in the past with the elites so I think it's just bad clock management. Let them race 50 freakin' minutes! One more lap could have made a big dffierence most times in the podium and winner.frieders319-11-2024
- He needs to finish out his contract and then go hit MTB and Cross/Gravel really hard, that's where his heart is.awp18-11-2024
- Pidcock is starting to sound like Froome now.Sweep18-11-2024