Filippo Ganna, Tim Merlier, Tao Geoghegan Hart,
Jonas Vingegaard, Jai Hindley & Richard Carapaz
Top Riders Press Conference | Tirreno-Adriatico 2024
📸 by Tim de Waele/Getty Images
One thing I would have been confident in writing last week was that a duel between stage-hunter Fred Wright and Primoz Roglic would not end up deciding the Vuelta’s general classification.
But we saw a bizarre stage 16 end the suspense as to whether or not Remco Evenepoel would win the Tour of Spain 2022.
We left the race in our last review at the final rest day with Remco starting to ship time…
RICHARD CARAPAZ: "TENGO LAS GANAS DE SIEMPRE QUERER GANAR"
RICHARD CARAPAZ: “TENGO LAS GANAS DE SIEMPRE QUERER GANAR”
El ciclista ecuatoriano participó este lunes de 6 de junio en una rueda de prensa, en la que confirmó los próximos eventos en los que participará.
En su más reciente competencia, Carapaz quedó subcampeón del Giro de Italia en la edición de este año, frente al australiano Jai Hindley que se coronó ganador. Respecto a su futuro confirmó “Ahora estoy enfocado en correr la Vuelta a España”, por lo…
Jan Hirt (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) has won Stage 16 of the 2022 Giro d’Italia, the 202km-long Salò-Aprica route (Sforzato Wine Stage). Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) and Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second and third respectively.
Speaking seconds after the stage finish, Hirt said: “I’ve had a few problems during the stage. My chain dropped, I cramped… but I never gave up. I’m glad…
Round Two, Match Seven: Jonas Vingegaard v. Marc Soler
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Marc Soler Propaganda
He may be ranked #130 in the UCI rankings but he is #1 in my heart ❤️
More propaganda under the cut.
As you may know, Marc Soler moved to UAE Team Emirates in 2022 and has since been one of Tadej Pogačar's most valuable mountain domestiques – pulling the peloton for kilometres on end, being there in the final group before Tadej and Jonas start attacking each other. Then there's stage 17 this year; his infamous ‘scary eyes’ and comforting hand, pulling his leader up the Col de la Loze and helping maintain his podium place.
However! There is much more to Marc Soler than that! Before 2022, his entire professional career was spent with Movistar – that blue-clad stalwart of Spanish cycling hopes. With them, he was again an invaluable domestique to the likes of Enric Mas, Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana, and Richard Carapaz. In the intra-team ~drama~ that plagued Movistar’s 2019/2020 seasons, he remained if not neutral, but relatively uninvolved. This is well-documented in their documentary ‘Movistar: The Least Expected Day’, the series that first endeared him to me.
In 2018, he had his day as a GC challenger – a week, really, swooping to victory at Paris-Nice to take the overall win with a fantastic attack on the final stage to make up more than a minute on Simon Yates
Now let me discuss stage 5 of the Vuelta 2022: Marc’s second stage win at this race – the first being in 2020. There was a battle for the breakaway, and Marc missed out! Never fear – the intrepid Spaniard did what he does best; launch a seemingly futile attempt to bridge, riding solo or in a small group for 50km+ that never really gets anywhere. Not today, though! He joined them, when Stewart attacked he countered brilliantly and rode solo for the final 15km. Brilliant stuff. This won him the stage, the combativity award, and later actions brought him the overall super-combative award, all while supporting Juan Ayuso to the podium.
Oh yeah, did I mention the mullet?? And the earring??
Outside of racing, he comes across as a genuinely nice guy – though I have yet to come across an interview in English, translations of Spanish-language seem cheerful and respectful, having fun in UAE’s social media videos!
He recovered brilliantly from having to abandon in both the Giro and the Tour in 2021 – breaking both of his arms in a crash in the latter, yet soldiering on and completing the stage.
Soler in his natural habitats; pulling the peloton up some steep, steep slopes, or breaking away for a hail-Mary attack that’s seemingly done only for the sheer joy of doing so. He’s a valuable domestique, brilliant rider, and most certainly embodies the spirit of ciclismo!