Aidis Kruopis Video: Stage winner’s press conference from Tour of Turkey
Orica GreenEdge rider says he was lucky, but also skilful in dangerous finaleStage two of the 2013 Presidential Tour of Turkey will be remembered for a dramatic crash in the finale which took down a very sizeable chunk of the peloton, but also marked a strong victory for Orica GreenEdge’s impressive Lithuanian rider, Aidis Kroupis. The 26 year old managed to avoid the incident which spilled out across the road, somehow manoeuvring his way through and then sprinting hard all the way to the line, overtaking riders who were ahead of him. He blazed in ahead of Marco Coledan (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) and André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol), landing one of the biggest wins of his career thus far. “I feel very good to have won today,” said Kruopis afterwards. “I had a bit of bad luck with Qatar and Langkawi. I was looking for a victory at both of those races [...]
Gerald Ciolek video interview: Sanremo winner hungry for more success in Tour of Turkey
MTN Qhubeka leader talks targets in 2.HC event and beyondGearing back up after a recent break from racing, Gerald Ciolek believes he has the necessary condition to chase stage wins in the Presidential Tour of Turkey. The Milan Sanremo winner wasn’t in the mix yesterday, with his sprint train getting swamped and the German rolling across the line in 50th place. However today’s stage offers another opportunity, and there are several more stages which should suit him this week. “We have a few sprints here, we want to do some good results,” he said in the video interview below, adding that he believes his fitness is where it needs to be to achieve that goal. Ciolek moved to the MTN Qhubeka team this year after two years with the Omega Pharma Quick Step setup. He has gone from being one of the bigger names on the Belgian squad to being [...]
Video: Kittel speaks after Turkey stage win, says strong second Tour de France is important goal
German sprinter speaks about race, last year’s Tour and the pleasure of sprinting well in stage one press conferenceEncouraged by his Presidential Tour of Turkey stage win on Sunday ahead of several other big WorldTour sprinters, Marcel Kittel has fixed his sights on a strong Tour de France performance this July. The German rider made his debut in the race last year but had a torrid time; he was ill, also had knee issues, and dropped out on stage five. The 24 year old has time on his side and wants to head back to the race in little over two months’ time and show what he can do. He’s beaten all of the top sprinters in the sport; now he plans to do it in the biggest race in cycling. “The Tour is the highlight for me this year,” he affirmed at the post-stage press conference in Alanya on [...]
Video: Highlights from women’s Flèche Wallonne
Report from yesterday’s World Cup Classic The men’s race may have been given all the TV coverage once again by the broadcasters but some of the action and pre- and post-race interviews have been released by the UCI for the women’s Flèche Wallonne, which was held in Belgium yesterday. The reigning world champion Marianne bolstered her lead in the World Cup when she was quickest to the top of the Mur de Huy, beating Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products UCK) and Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto Belisol Ladies) to the line. Anna Van Der Breggen (Sengers Ladies Cycling Team) and Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) were the next-nearest challengers, but were six seconds back. Vos’ victory is the latest in a remarkable showing in the race; she won in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 and was second last year to the American Evelyn Stevens (Specialized lululemon). Her performance yesterday puts her back on the [...]
Video: Highlights from women’s Flèche Wallonne
Report from yesterday’s World Cup ClassicThe men’s race may have been given all the TV coverage once again by the broadcasters but some of the action and pre- and post-race interviews have been released by the UCI for the women’s Flèche Wallonne, which was held in Belgium yesterday. The reigning world champion Marianne bolstered her lead in the World Cup when she was quickest to the top of the Mur de Huy, beating Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products UCK) and Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto Belisol Ladies) to the line. Anna Van Der Breggen (Sengers Ladies Cycling Team) and Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) were the next-nearest challengers, but were six seconds back. Vos’ victory is the latest in a remarkable showing in the race; she won in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 and was second last year to the American Evelyn Stevens (Specialized lululemon). Her performance yesterday puts her back on the top [...]
Video: MTN Qhubeka releases stirring documentary into team’s early success
Tirreno Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo races covered in first installment Several weeks after its superb and unexpected victory in Milan-Sanremo, the MTN Qhubeka team has released the first episode of a documentary into the squad. Over eighteen minutes in length, the video traces the team’s participation in Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo, its two first WorldTour events. It features the thoughts of team principal Douglas Ryder, directeur sportif Jens Zemke, European Tour manager Brent Copeland and riders such as Sanremo winner Gerald Ciolek and Songezo Jim, the first black South African to ride the race. Ryder explains the team balance between African and European riders and how they are further divided up into Classics and stage race riding. He also speaks about the need for international pros to help mentor those from the African continent, sharing their experience and helping bring the team to the point where the African riders are making a [...]