Degenkolb finishes 2013 with Paris-Tours victory
Argos-Shimano sprinter quickest in final race
The finale of Paris-Tours is a delicately-poised battle between the attackers and the sprinters, and John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) reported for duty on both fronts en route to victory on the Avenue de Grammont on Sunday.
Degenkolb proved a convincing winner of the bunch sprint ahead of Michael Mørkøv (Saxo-Tinkoff) and Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr), having already showcased his form by tracking what had appeared to be the race-winning move on the penultimate climb of the Côte de Beau Soleil with apparent ease.
Indeed, there can be little argument over the worthiness of the top three, given that Démare and Mørkøv also made it across to that dangerous seven-man break that formed in the finale but then petered out on the run-in to Tours, largely because of its preponderance of generals and dearth of foot soldiers.
Jetse Bol (Belkin) took advantage of that lack of cohesion in the group to slip clear on the descent of the final climb, the Côte de l'Épan, but once Degenkolb, Démare, Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) et al were caught with a shade under five kilometres to go, Argos-Shimano duly set about pegging back Bol.
Bol put up fierce resistance, aided in no small part by teammate Lars Boom’s spoiling tactics behind, but his insurgence was cruelly stamped out shortly after he swung onto the finishing straight with 800 metres to go. By that point, FDJ had taken over the reins at the head of the peloton, with Yoann Offredo prominent, and Démare was dropped off in front a shade over 200 metres from the line.
Démare was forced to open his sprint a little too early, perhaps, but in truth, it seemed that there was little to be done against the on-form Degenkolb, who won Paris-Bourges in midweek and had pedalled with such facility when he followed Marco Marcato’s attack on the Beau Soleil with 10 kilometres to race here. The German duly ripped past Démare and he had more than enough in reserve to hold off the fast-finishing Mørkøv to end his campaign with a classic victory.
“It was a pretty typical Paris-Tours, it was hectic on in the finale with those little hills and the situation kept changing,” Degenkolb said of his decision to take a risk by following the attacks on the penultimate climb. “I think I did it pretty smart as I didn’t waste too much energy, so I had something left for the finish. It was up to us to chase Bol when he was left out in front and you could see how strong the team was by the way they worked in the finale.”
Reinardt Janse van Rensburg was prominent in marshalling the chase of Bol, but Degenkolb was irritated by Belkin’s attempts to sabotage Argos-Shimano’s well-drilled pursuit. Boom, in particular, cleverly infiltrated the pace line and allowed Bol to stretch his lead out to 12 seconds with two kilometres remaining.
“I’m disappointed in Belkin. I know they didn’t want us to catch Bol they didn’t do it in such a good way,” Degenkolb said, darkly warning of further strife between the two remaining Dutch WorldTour teams. “It will have consequences in the future.”
How it unfolded
After heavy rain had such an impact on the world championships and the Tour of Lombardy over the past two weekends, the skies were mercifully clear as the peloton set out from Authon-du-Perche for a race that may now sadly be overlooked by the UCI WorldTour, but one that remains a reassuring constant in the cycling cosmos.
The early break featured Sebastian Lander (BMC), Julien Duval (Roubaix Lille Metropole), Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling) and Yannick Martinez (La Pomme-Marseille) and the quartet established a lead of ten minutes over the peloton by the 75km mark, before FDJ.fr, Garmin-Sharp and Argos-Shimano quietly went about the business of whittling down their advantage.
By the time they hit the Côte de Crochu with 31 kilometres to go, their margin had been pegged back to just 1:22, while the race behind was beginning to ignite into action thanks to a carefully-planned attack from Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s Niki Terpstra, who was looking to bring Sylvain Chavanel across with him. Argos-Shimano shut down the move over the summit, but it was a clear signal that the sprinters’ teams could expect fierce resistance on the run-in to Tours.
Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) was the next to try his luck, bringing Martin Velits (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and four others away with him, but the sprinters’ teams never allowed them out of sight, and they were caught with 15 kilometres to go.
By that point, a number of riders had been jettisoned on the Crochu, and more were lost in a crash that brought down Bryan Coquard with 25km to go, although the Europcar youngster did manage to regain the bunch. Up ahead, the four leaders were beginning to weaken, and one by one, they faded away until the obvious strongman, Saramotins, was left out in front, but he, too, was caught on the approach to the Côte de Beau Soleil.
On the climb, defending champion Marco Marcato was instantly on the offensive, bringing Vanmarcke and Degenkolb clear with him, and they were joined soon afterwards by Sylvain Chavanel, Bol, Démare and Mørkøv, forming what looked every inch the winning break with 9 kilometres remaining.
The presence of so many sprinters may have dissuaded the bunch’s chase efforts, but it also discouraged collaboration in the break itself, and that reticence was compounded when the impressive Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) soloed across on the final climb. In the confusion over the summit, Bol managed to slip away, while his erstwhile companions were eventually enveloped by the peloton ahead of the rapid approach to Tours.
In those frantic closing kilometres, Argos-Shimano did what was required of them by their leader Degenkolb, and after Bol was caught, the German delivered a pitch perfect sprint finish to crown his season. “I’ve shown I’m a man for the classics this season,” Degenkolb said. “Paris-Tours was the next step for me after winning in Hamburg in August [at the Vattenfall Cyclassics – ed.] and I’m very satisfied."
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 5:29:19 |
2 | Michael Morkov (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Kenneth Van Bilsen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Pieter Serry (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Peio Bilbao (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Bram Tankink (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Graeme Brown (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Julien Simon (Fra) Sojasun | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana Pro Team | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Rus) Katusha | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Kristof Goddaert (Bel) IAM Cycling | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Romain Lemarchand (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Clément Koretzky (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Jean-Luc Delpech (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Christophe Premont (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Hugo Houle (Can) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Stephane Rossetto (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Sojasun | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Adrian Saez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Laurent Pichon (Fra) FDJ | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Miguel Minguez Ayala (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Zico Waeytens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | David Lelay (Fra) Sojasun | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Sojasun | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Sojasun | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Sojasun | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Gael Malacarne (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Marco Bandiera (Ita) IAM Cycling | 0:00:08 |
62 | Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Bert De Backer (Bel) Team Argos-Shimano | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Michel Kreder (Ned) Garmin-Sharp | 0:00:11 |
66 | Lars Boom (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Jetse Bol (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 0:00:13 |
72 | Jelle Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:00:15 |
73 | Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:17 |
74 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:00:29 |
75 | Kevin Ista (Bel) IAM Cycling | 0:00:33 |
76 | Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:51 |
77 | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Team Argos-Shimano | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Mathieu Drujon (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 0:00:59 |
79 | Julian Kern (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:01:02 |
80 | Yoann Paillot (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 0:01:13 |
81 | Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 80 - Cell 2 |
82 | Maxim Razumov (Rus) Katusha | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
84 | Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | Bertjan Lindeman (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Sébastien Hinault (Fra) IAM Cycling | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Justin Jules (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Rudy Kowalski (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Stijn Steels (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | José Gonçalves (Por) La Pomme Marseille | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 96 - Cell 2 |
98 | Frederic Brun (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
99 | Marko Kump (Slo) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | Row 98 - Cell 2 |
100 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
101 | Stig Broeckx (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:01:54 |
102 | Christophe Laborie (Fra) Sojasun | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Davide Appollonio (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Kevin Lalouette (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
108 | Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:01:58 |
109 | Joshua Berry (USA) La Pomme Marseille | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
110 | James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:02:19 |
111 | Jakub Novak (Cze) BMC Racing Team | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
112 | Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
113 | Klaas Sys (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
114 | Benjamin Verraes (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
115 | Loïc Desriac (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
116 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 115 - Cell 2 |
117 | Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 116 - Cell 2 |
118 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha | 0:02:25 |
119 | Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Garmin-Sharp | 0:03:16 |
120 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 119 - Cell 2 |
121 | Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) IAM Cycling | Row 120 - Cell 2 |
122 | Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 121 - Cell 2 |
123 | Martin Wesemann (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 122 - Cell 2 |
124 | Marcel Aregger (Swi) IAM Cycling | Row 123 - Cell 2 |
125 | Robert Vrecer (Slo) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 124 - Cell 2 |
126 | Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha | Row 125 - Cell 2 |
127 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 126 - Cell 2 |
128 | Franz Claes (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 127 - Cell 2 |
129 | Franck Vermeulen (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 128 - Cell 2 |
130 | Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 129 - Cell 2 |
131 | Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 130 - Cell 2 |
132 | Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 131 - Cell 2 |
133 | Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 132 - Cell 2 |
134 | Gert Joeaar (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 133 - Cell 2 |
135 | Martin Reimer (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 134 - Cell 2 |
136 | Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | Row 135 - Cell 2 |
137 | Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Sharp | Row 136 - Cell 2 |
138 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 0:03:55 |
139 | Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Argos-Shimano | 0:05:31 |
140 | Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne-Seche Environnement | 0:05:54 |
141 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 0:06:17 |
142 | Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | Row 141 - Cell 2 |
143 | Alex Rasmussen (Den) Garmin-Sharp | Row 142 - Cell 2 |
144 | Raymond Kreder (Ned) Garmin-Sharp | Row 143 - Cell 2 |
145 | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha | Row 144 - Cell 2 |
146 | Benjamin Giraud (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | Row 145 - Cell 2 |
147 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | Row 146 - Cell 2 |
148 | Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:06:19 |
149 | Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ | Row 148 - Cell 2 |
150 | Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ | Row 149 - Cell 2 |
151 | Morgan Kneisky (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 150 - Cell 2 |
152 | Maxime Le Montagner (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 151 - Cell 2 |
153 | Gaetan Bille (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 152 - Cell 2 |
154 | Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 153 - Cell 2 |
155 | Tim De Troyer (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | Row 154 - Cell 2 |
156 | Yannick Martinez (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | Row 155 - Cell 2 |
157 | Grégoire Tarride (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | Row 156 - Cell 2 |
158 | Andrew Fenn (GBr) Omega Pharma-Quick Step | Row 157 - Cell 2 |
159 | Steven Tronet (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | Row 158 - Cell 2 |
160 | Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | Row 159 - Cell 2 |
161 | Rick Flens (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team | Row 160 - Cell 2 |
162 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Sojasun | Row 161 - Cell 2 |
163 | Mads Christensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff | 0:08:06 |
164 | Sebastian Lander (Den) BMC Racing Team | Row 163 - Cell 2 |
165 | Jonathan Breyne (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 164 - Cell 2 |
166 | Julien Duval (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 165 - Cell 2 |
167 | Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:08:09 |
168 | Dominic Klemme (Ger) IAM Cycling | 0:08:53 |
169 | Alexandre Billon (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 0:09:05 |
170 | Kevin Verwaest (Bel) Doltcini-Flanders | Row 169 - Cell 2 |
171 | Romain Bacon (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 0:10:08 |
172 | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 171 - Cell 2 |
173 | Kenny Dehaes (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 172 - Cell 2 |
174 | Youcef Reguigui (Alg) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 173 - Cell 2 |
175 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 174 - Cell 2 |
176 | Benoit Drujon (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | 0:14:33 |
DNF | Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin-Sharp | Row 176 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Ricardo Mestre (Por) Euskaltel-Euskadi | Row 177 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Tony Hurel (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 178 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka | Row 179 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Koen Barbe (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 180 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Garmin-Sharp | Row 181 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Theo Vimpere (Fra) BigMat-Auber 93 | Row 182 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | Row 183 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Frederique Robert (Bel) Lotto Belisol | Row 184 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Argos-Shimano | Row 185 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Bryan Nauleau (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 186 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Laurent Mangel (Fra) FDJ | Row 187 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | Row 188 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Crelan-Euphony | Row 189 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 190 - Cell 2 |
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
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