Latest news with #Quick-Step
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
‘Starvation' days over as cyclists prepare to gorge on Tour de France
Soudal Quick-Step British rider Ethan Hayter, competes during the third stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour cycling race, on June 20. PHOTO: AFP 'Starvation' days over as cyclists prepare to gorge on Tour de France PARIS - Not so long ago, cyclists heading into the Tour de France were skinny string beans weighing and measuring every grain of rice that entered their body but that image has not just gone, it's taken a seismic shift in the other direction. This year's riders will be gorging themselves like never before, taking on board the equivalent of a large plate of pasta per hour and even training their stomachs to cope with this influx of food. 'Intake has doubled,' Julien Louis, nutritionist for the Decathlon-AG2R team, told AFP. In fact, it's a 180-degree turnaround from the 2010s and the 'low carb' fad popularised by four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome's Sky team. This method consisted of depriving the body of sugars during training in order to lose weight and encourage the body to use fat for energy. 'Two eggs for breakfast and we were off for five-six hours of training, with water in the bottles. We were exhausted the whole time,' recalls British veteran Simon Yates, winner of the last Giro. Climber Pavel Sivakov paints an even more dramatic picture. 'Mentally, it was very hard,' he says. 'We were starving, with no energy, tapping into our fat.' Those days are gone. 'When there's nothing left in the tank the runner switches to using fat,' explains Louis who used to work for English Premier League side Liverpool. 'It works but it's much less effective than carbohydrates.' - 'Never eaten so much' - One look at the map for the Tour de France which runs 3,338 kilometres over three weeks from Lille, all the way down south and back up to Paris for the finish, is a giveaway when it comes to a rider's nutritional needs. He will burn through roughly 7,000 calories on one of the lung-busting, muscle-crunching mountain stages. 'You have to eat four times as much as a normal person,' says Cofidis rider Simon Carr. 'We've never eaten so much on a bike.' Most riders now take in up to 120 grammes of carbohydrates per hour while racing, in some cases even more, which is enormous. 'It's the equivalent of six bananas or around 200 grammes of dried pasta per hour,' says Louis. Until recently, eating such large quantities, mainly in the form of gels and energy drinks, was unimaginable, as it would lead to too much intestinal distress. 'Up until five years ago, 120g of carbohydrates per hour was impossible,' Tadej Pogacar explained in a podcast in September, adding such an intake would have had him in dire need of a trip to the toilet. - Intestinal training - Since then, great progress has been made with energy products, which now contain a combination of two types of carbohydrate. 'For a long time, we thought there was only one kind of carbohydrate transporter in the intestine,' explains Louis. 'Then we discovered that there was a second type that could transport fructose. As a result, by using these two pathways at the same time, we can push through twice as much sugar.' According to all the parties interviewed by AFP, these advances in nutrition, along with developments in equipment and training methods, help to explain the increasingly high levels of performance in cycling, a sport which has often been associated with doping. Although products are now better tolerated by the body, making this revolution possible, riders still have to train their stomachs to cope with such quantities. 'Otherwise you can't digest when you're asked to eat six gels an hour. Your body just can't cope,' says Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, this year's winner of the women's Paris-Roubaix and gold medallist in the cross-country mountain bike at the Paris Olympics. She found this out the hard way when she gave up, ill, during the World Championships in September, unused to the longer distances after her switch from mountain bikes. During winter training, the riders now do 'at least one session a week of intestinal training, or 'gut training'', says Louis. 'At the very beginning, there may be a little discomfort,' he adds. 'But without it, you're at a huge disadvantage. It's as if you're not running on the same fuel.' jk/ig/bsp/nf SKY Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
France 24
4 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Evenepoel wins second Belgian time-trial title
Over a 40.2km course, a distance comparable to the fifth-stage time-trial of the upcoming Tour on July 9 in Caen, the Olympic and world champion outclassed his competitors, finishing one minute and 11sec ahead of Florian Vermeersch. Alec Segaert was third at 1:31 in the race at Brasschaat, near Antwerp. This is Quick-Step rider Evenepoel's 20th victory in time-trials. In 2025, he had already triumphed in time-trials on the Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine. Evenepoel returned to Belgium on Thursday after a high-altitude training camp at Tignes in the French Alps where he "trained a little less than planned due to the heat". "This weekend, the Belgian championships (time-trial and road race on Sunday) are the last big block before the start of the Tour de France on July 5 in Lille," he said. "Today was tough because the route didn't offer any recovery time. But the feelings are good. That's the most important thing."
France 24
29-04-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Watson wins Tour de Romandie prologue, Evenepoel eighth
Ineos rider Watson covered the winding 3.44km course in 4min 33.30sec for his first win of the season ahead of Portugal's Ivo Oliveira and Spaniard Ivan Romeo. The 2023 British junior road race champion will wear the yellow jersey on Wednesday for the 194.3km first stage which finishes in Fribourg. The race concludes in Geneva on Sunday with another time-trial. Evenepoel started the time-trial with ambition, attacking hard on the pedals to post an encouraging eighth-place finish in four minutes and 37 seconds. Lacking racing after spending the winter on the sidelines, the Soudal Quick-Step rider has made the Tour de France his top goal for the season, having finished on the podium in 2024 behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. On Tuesday, Portugal's Joao Almeida of the UAE team was ninth with defending champion Carlos Rodriguez of Ineos in 56th. © 2025 AFP
The National
21-02-2025
- Sport
- The National
UAE Tour: Tim Merlier claims Stage 5 as Tadej Pogacar extends overall lead
Tim Merlier made up for defeat the previous day by winning Stage 5 of the UAE Tour in another thrilling sprint finish in Dubai on Friday. The Soudal Quick-Step rider stormed to victory ahead of Matteo Malucelli and Jonathan Milan at the end of the 160-kilometre flat route from American University to Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University. UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider and world champion Tadej Pogacar picked up three bonus points by taking the first intermediate sprint to stretch his GC lead to 21 seconds from Ineos Grenadiers man Joshua Tarling. The stage was marred by a couple of crashes as the cyclists scrambled for positions in the last few kilometres of the race. 'We discussed yesterday with the team what we did wrong, and today we did a really good job,' Merlier said after the stage. 'They brought me in a really good position towards the last one kilometre and a half, and in the last corner I came on to the wheel of Milan, and then the crash behind. 'I was waiting, waiting, waiting for my moment. I'm really happy. Some riders were really motivated to have a training day today, so it was a hard pace all day, but for us it was okay.' Merlier's win makes him the first rider to pick up six wins at the UAE Tour. He added: 'I'm always happy to come over here. I like this country but also Saudi, Oman, I like to race in these kinds of races. Happy to take another victory here this season.' Pogacar is now sitting pretty for a third UAE Tour title and his first since 2023. 'It was another tough day because we were in the breakaway, me and Domen [Novak], we found ourselves in the front and it was a good day, we take some bonus seconds as well and we did a good effort,' the three-time Tour de France winner said. 'It was just a fast day, because of that we finish soon the stage. So, also today the team did a great job as we have seen it since the beginning. 'The team is as always exceptional. We never have any problem with positioning or with the legs. We're always where we want to be and today also in the final, we stayed safe with everybody. 'I'm really happy to be in this UAE Team Emirates and racing for the home country and representing this team. It's just great and I wouldn't change it for the world.' With Saturday's stage in Abu Dhabi followed by the final day's mountain stage finish atop Jebel Hafeet, Pogacar warned the race is not won until it's won. 'Let's not jinx it, tomorrow is another sprint stage, you never know what happens,' he added. 'Then it's a very tough stage on the final day, a lot of wind, it's going to be really hot and with the climb in the end, so, it will be super important to stay focussed and then to push with good legs on the final on Sunday.' Stage 5 results: 1. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) 3:16:55 2. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) +0 3. Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana) +0 General Classification: 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) 15:40:34 2. Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) at 21sec 3. Ivan Romeo (Movistar Team) at 27sec
Times of Oman
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Vervaeke's stellar performance secures maiden victory and overall lead
MUSCAT: A gripping battle on the roads of Oman saw Louis Vervaeke (Soudal–Quick-Step) emerge victorious in a thrilling Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman 2025 on Sunday. The 31-year-old Belgian rider claimed his first professional victory after a courageous solo effort atop the Yitti Hills, narrowly holding off a charging peloton in a crash-marred finale. With the win, Vervaeke also surged into the overall lead of the race. The stage, the longest of this year's Tour of Oman at 202.9 kilometres, began with a picturesque yet challenging setting at Al Rustaq Fort. The peloton faced a hot and unforgiving morning sun, but the riders were soon engaged in a relentless battle for position. Early on, breakaway attempts began to take shape, as riders vied for the chance to form the day's lead group. By the ninth kilometer, the first significant breakaway emerged, with Kane Richards (Roojai Insurance) and Rodrigo Álvarez (Burgos Burpellet BH) breaking clear of the pack. The duo had tried their luck in Stage 1 as well but were caught just 25km from the finish. However, their efforts were once again stymied as the peloton reeled them back in. At the 24th km, Mohamed Al Wahibi and Mundher Al Hasani, both from the Omani national team, joined the escape, and soon Magnus Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) added his presence. The lead group was now growing, and the peloton let them stretch their advantage to over six minutes by kilometer 34. At this point, the peloton splintered into three parts, with a 17-man counter-attack forming at the 63rd kilometre. Among the riders involved were Valentin Madouas (Groupama–FDJ) and Ethan Hayter (Soudal–Quick-Step). However, this move was short-lived as the break was quickly neutralised. With the lead group still holding a five-minute advantage over the main pack with 140 kilometers to go, Vervaeke took matters into his own hands. At the halfway stage, Vervaeke made his move, bridging the gap to the front group, now comprising five riders, including Mikel Azparren (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who had been chasing for some time. The two riders caught the leaders and formed a new six-man breakaway. As the race progressed, the group continued to work well together, despite some attempts from other riders, such as Madouas and Orluis Aular (Movistar), to make a solo bid for the front. Yet, the peloton, still trailing by over seven minutes, struggled to organize an effective chase. The race intensified as the peloton bore down on the leaders, and the Bausher Al Amerat climb (3.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 9.8%) shattered the breakaway group. Vervaeke, Azparren, and Kulset were the only riders to hold strong and ascend together, maintaining a lead of around five minutes with 30 kilometres to go. However, with the peloton picking up speed under the efforts of Jayco–AlUla, the gap began to shrink quickly. With 11 kilometres to go, the gap had already narrowed to just over one minute, prompting Vervaeke to make a decisive move on Al Jissah, the second-to-last climb of the stage. This bold attack split the remaining escapees, and Vervaeke was soon alone in his pursuit of victory, holding a slim lead over a rapidly closing peloton. As he approached the final climb of the day, the pressure mounted, but Vervaeke managed to hang on, reaching the bottom of the last challenge—a 3km climb with a steep 1.6km section at 6.8% - with just over a minute to spare. As the peloton surged behind him, the race for the win came down to a frantic final stretch. With seconds ticking away, crashes in the final kilometer further disrupted the chase, leaving Vervaeke with just enough to hold off his rivals. Valentin Paret-Peintre, Vervaeke's teammate at Soudal–Quick-Step, made a valiant sprint to second place, crossing the line just two seconds behind. Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL) rounded out the podium in third. With Stage 2 now behind him, Vervaeke heads into the next phases of the race in a commanding position, ready to defend his lead with the support of his Soudal–Quick-Step teammates..
