2017 - WK (interview & quotes)

Sterrenverdeling obv presteren in WK's (laatste 4 jaar - Top 20 = 1, Top 30 = 0,5)

***0,5

Bo Hagen

***

Van Avermaet
Matthews
Kristoff
Gilbert
Sagan

**0,5

Costa

**

Terpstra
Bennati
Gallopin
Kwiatko
Mollema
Paterski

*0,5

Dumoulin
Howes
Bookwalter
Swift
Degenkolb

*

Colbrelli
Viviani
Impey
Barguil
Grivko
Blythe
Arashiro
Valgren

0,5

Amador
Haller
LL Sanchez
Dillier

Sterrenverdeling obv "gelijkaardige" koersen dit jaar (MSR - AGR - Plouay - Québecq - Montreal)

*****

Matthews
Colbrelli

****0,5

Van Avermaet

***0,5

Impey

***

Sagan
Wellens
Henao
Naessen
Benoot

**0,5

Ulissi

**

Kwiatko
Kristoff
Viviani
Mezgec
Bo Hagen
Slagter
Vakoc
Gallopin
Stuyven
Herrada

*0,5

Bennati
Gilbert
Barbero

*

Alaphilippe
Gaviria
Degenkolb
Cort Nielsen
Swift
Rojas
McCarthy
Martens
Guerreiro
Pöstlberger
Calmejane
Bettiol
Mollema

0,5

LL Sanchez
Langeveld
Juul Jensen
Howes
Roux
Stybar
Reichenbach
Kreuziger
Dumoulin

Combisterren : sterkte dit seizoen in gelijkaardige wedstrijden + sterkte in verleden in WK's

********
Matthews

*******0,5
Van Avermaet

******
Colbrelli
Sagan

*****0,5
Bo Hagen

*****
Kristoff

****0,5
Gilbert
Impey

****
Kwiatko
Gallopin

***0,5
Bennati

***
Wellens
Henao
Naessen
Benoot
Viviani
Mollema

**0,5
Ulissi
Degenkolb
Swift

**
Howes
Mezgec
Slagter
Vakoc
Stuyven
Herrada

*0,5
Barbero

*
Bettiol
Martens
Guerreiro
Pöstlberger
Cort
Gaviria
Alaphilippe
Rojas
McCarthy
Calmejane
Barguil
Grivko
Blythe
Arashiro
Valgren

0,5
LL Sanchez
Langeveld
Juul Jensen
Roux
Stybar
Reichenbach
Kreuziger
Dumoulin
Amador
Haller
Dillier

een 23-jarige Colombiaanse Fernando Gaviria, die al vier dagen in Giro d'Italia heeft gewonnen, heeft vandaag de overwinning van het Kampionschap van Vlaanderen gewonnen. Het is maar een paar weken sinds Gaviria terugkeerde na een langere blessure break en hij is momenteel in volle gang met het gebouw tegen het WK in Bergen.
 
Op het einde probeerde meerdere mensen grind gooien naar QuickStep machines, maar het Belgische team zorgde ervoor dat iedere aanval te neutraliseren en met hun gespierde trein in de voorkant was Colombiaanse geleverd in de perfecte positie voor de eindsprint in Koolskamp.
 
"Ik ben erg blij om hier te winnen. Het betekent veel te winnen voor de tiende keer dit seizoen en dit gevoel te hebben voor het wereldkampioenschap in Bergen!" klonk van de gelukkige winnaar die nu uitkijkt op zijn tweede wereldbeker.
 
"Ik kijk echt uit naar de race. Het zal echt moeilijk, ook vanwege het weer, maar ik ga daar in goede vorm en het vertrouwen na deze overwinning, ik dank mijn teamgenoten. Ze hebben een geweldig team werk".
 
Morgen wordt Primus Classic, waar hij als winnaar verdedigt.
 
Voor QuickStep team van sportdirecteur Rik van Slycke, het was een bijzondere dag, niet alleen omdat het QuickStep vloeren UCI overwinning nummer 50 dit seizoen, of omdat het was het zesde achtereenvolgende jaar dat het team rondes van 50 seizoen overwinningen , iets dat niemand anders heeft gedaan.
 
"Vandaag was een bijzondere dag voor mij, want het is precies 25 jaar geleden dat ik de race gewonnen. Om te winnen met het team weer, 25 jaar later, is gewoon perfect", zei hij na de race, eraan toevoegend dat alles ging precies zoals men zou hebben gehad.

Sagan travelled back to Europe last Monday after several weeks of altitude training and after racing the Grand Prix de Quebec and then Sunday’s Grand Prix de Montreal. The 2015 and 2016 world champion showed he is on form for a possible third consecutive world title by winning in Quebec.

However, his build-up for Bergen hit a problem when he returned home.

Bora-Hansgrohe senior directeur sportif Enrico Poitschke told Norwegian television channel TV2 about Sagan’s illness on Thursday evening. A source confirmed to Cyclingnews that Sagan came down with a temperature on his return to Europe. Sagan’s coach Patxi Vila told Cyclingnews that Sagan had suffered with a sore throat.

“He was supposed to do the TTT but we decided it was better he takes it easy, trains at home and then comes back for the road race. It’s a throat thing but nothing to worry about,” Vila said.

Sagan was entered for the 42.5km team time trial by his Bora-Hansgrohe team but was not named in the final six-rider squad on Friday. Jan Barta, Marcus Burghardt, Maciej Bodnar, Patrick Konrad, Alex Saramotins and Lukas Pöstlberger will represent Bora-Hansgrohe in Bergen.

Poitschke suggested to TV2 that Sagan’s illness could affect his chances of winning a third world title next Sunday in the elite men’s road race. However, the Bora-Hansgrohe team played down Sagan’s absence and the possible impact of his illness.

"The plan was changed because he should focus entirely on the road race. After the altitude training in the United States and races in Canada, he was more tired than the coaches thought, especially with the jet lag," Bora-Hansgrohe press officer Ralph Scherzer told TV2.

Verschillende vueltagangers (oomen - kelderman - Froome - Moscon - ...) heel sterk in de ploegenTT en bijvb Trentin in KVV. Soort supercompensatie toch op een moeilijker parcours dan verwacht.

Quick-Step Floors started the men's team time trial at the Bergen Road World Championships hoping to take a second consecutive world title but their chances were derailed after a fast start, when Niki Terpstra was distanced after just 20 kilometres of the 42.5-kilometre course. With Tony Martin now at Katusha-Alpecin and Marcel Kittel not on form and not in the six-rider line-up, Quick-Step could only finish fourth, 35 seconds down on winner Team Sunweb.

Terpstra has often been a key rider for Quick-Step Floors in team time trials. He rode the Vuelta a España after a injury-hit summer, and, dealing with illness, he was not at his best in Bergen. The other five riders: Philippe Gilbert, Jack Bauer, Yves Lampaert, Julien Vermote and Bob Jungels were unable go make up for losing Terpstra so early.

"We gave everything but the result is not what we expected," Gilbert sentenced with honesty as he passed through the mixed zone with his disappointed teammates.

"We were hoping to win or at least be on the podium but we finished fourth and we have to accept it. We didn't make any mistakes or anything. I think you always get the place you deserve in a team time trial. We were 10 or 12 seconds off the podium and that's a lot. If you miss the podium by one or two seconds, it's a different feeling. We have to accept this result."

Gilbert had no qualms about revealing how the loss of Terpstra affected their performance.

"I think the cohesion was the key this time and losing one guy quickly made a big difference. Every time you have to pull, having one less guy means you have 25 seconds less of recovery time. For one or two kilometres you can do it but for 10 kilometres you pay for it and feel it," he explained.

"When we lost Niki I didn't look back because it's dangerous and you can cause a crash in the team. I think he had a mechanical problem or something. At first we didn't know if we had to wait but then we kept going. Jack [Bauer] did a good job till the last hard climb and then had to stay behind but he did his job before."

Nu, Søren Kragh Andersen kijken ernaar uit om VM-lijn cursus op zondag, waar de 23-jarige renner zal reeds een vrije rol toegekend.

Voilà les commentaires du sélectionneur Belge sur le tracé de Bergen ,bien plus compliqué qu'il ne paraît ! les Belges ont sans doute les clés de la course

C'est un circuit en ville typique. Il y a beaucoup des changements de rythme, des montées, des descentes, des faux-plats et des petits pavés", explique De Weert. "Cela tourne sans arrêt. C'est un Mondial où il faudra être attentif toute la journée".

Deux côtes, une "vraie" difficulté

Deux côtes émaillent le parcours Solheim et Salmon Hill. De Weert compare la première ascension au Berendries (950m à 6,9%) "en moins raide". Selon le sélectionneur, il sera très important d'être bien placé au pied. "Le peloton sera très étiré, surtout s'il pleut. Et la descente est étroite. Il y a des îlots directionnels ennuyants et quelques virages piégeux".

Vient ensuite le "gros morceau" du circuit : Salmon Hill, une côte en deux temps avec un replat au milieu. La première rampe fait 500m à 8% de moyenne. Il y a ensuite un palier de 600m et puis la route s'élève à nouveau pour rejoindre le sommet (1,5 km à 6,4 %). "Certains considèrent qu'il s'agit de deux côtes différentes. Personnellement, je compare l'entièreté de cette portion au Vaalserberg de l'Amstel Gold Race. Tout l'art sera de rester devant parce que la décision peut tomber à tous moments. Nous avons intérêt à rendre la course difficile pour faire 'sauter' des garçons comme Matthews, Kristoff et Trentin".

Un final piégeux

Cette côte peut donc permettre de faire des écarts et la descente sinueuse qui suit n'est pas défavorable aux attaquants. Mais une fois en bas, il reste presque 8 kilomètres. "Mais il y a encore deux faux-plats séparés par un secteur pavé de 600m. Dans ces faux-plats après 250 kilomètres si quelqu'un est encore frais, il peut encore tenter sa chance".

La fin du tracé est tortueux et ne favorise pas nécessairement un sprint massif. "Dans la dernière ligne droite en légère descente , il ne faudra pas être trop loin", prévient encore De Weert.

12 years since France last scored a medal in the men's World Championship road race, a squad of mostly punchy riders led by Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) will look to turn things around this week in Bergen, Norway.

Gallopin, who delivered top 10s in the GPs Québec and Montréal during his pre-Worlds build-up, acknowledges that several big names will shine more brightly as pre-race favourites in Norway than anyone on his squad. He's not worried.

"We are outsiders, that's for sure," he told Cyclingnews in Quebec City. "The big favourites are the sprinters who can go really well in the climb. Sagan, Matthews, Van Avermaet, even Kristoff or Boasson Hagen. So I don't think we are big favourites but that's what's nice about cycling – it's not always the favourites that win the race."

With the likes of Nacer Bouhanni and Bryan Coquard staying home, the French team will have no choice but to ride an aggressive race if they want a chance at winning.

"It's the World Championships, anything can happen. Sure, it's a long time that we haven't gotten a medal but we're going to try like every year. We've now been in the top 10 a couple of years in a row so that means we are close," Gallopin said.

"This year we're going without a sprinter so I think we have to try something with an attack. We have a really good group so we'll see what can happen."

Bergen, one Europe's rainiest cities, could lend a hand to the French cause.

"I hope for a hard day, a long day in the rain and the cold. And then it's a different race. I think after 250k, it's different riders. It's more difficult to control the race," Gallopin said.

With top 10s in both Canadian races and runner-up honours at the Grand Prix de Wallonie, Gallopin looks to be rounding into form. He says he's been all-in for Bergen ever since taking a short break at the end of July.

"I split my seasons in three parts. First is Paris-Nice and the Classics, and then it's time for the Tour, and then after the Tour and San Sebastian I take a break, and for me the World Championships is the most important race at the end," he said. "Canada, Lombardia are also important, but for me, two times in the top 10 in the Worlds, it's a really important race for me and I'm focused 100 per cent on the race."

With Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) developing into bona fide Grand Tour contenders and Arnaud Démare (FDJ) claiming the country's first Monument in nearly 20 years at last season's Milan-San Remo, French cycling has enjoyed an upswing in results recently after a long stretch without much to cheer for. Success at Worlds remains elusive, but for Gallopin it's a matter of continued progress.

"It would be really nice for France, for the country and for cycling in France, to have a World Championship," he said. "Now we have riders back in the Tour de France GC, which we also missed for 10 or 15 years. So we're in a good way and I think we have to keep going like this."

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