No broken bones for Keukeleire, Tony Martin disappointed with ITT, Roglic confident, Tour of the Alps unveils 18-team field
Image 1 of 5
Primoz Roglic en route to a third-place finish in stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Primoz Roglic atop the podium as the new leader of the Volta ao Algarve after three stages(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Giro del Trentino passes the vineyards in the valley(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The race organisers had the old Orica-GreenEdge decals for Jens Keukeleire (Orica-BikeExchange)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Reigning world time trial champion Tony Martin delivered an impressive ride in the third stage of the Volta ao Algarve, but it wasn't enough to win the stage.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Greipel criticises moto driver for allowing Roglic to draft
Andre Greipel questioned the fairness of Primoz Roglic’s jump into the leader’s jersey at the Volta ao Algarve on Friday, posting a photo of a race motorbike closely in front of the Slovenian during the stage 3 time trial.
Greipel said he had no complaints with Roglic himself - "every rider would do the same" - but was unhappy with the marshal's failure to accelerate and prevent Roglic from entering the slipstream.
"FairPlay that is what we want @UCI_cycling?" Greipel wrote on Twitter with a photo of Roglic behind the moto. He then added: "Guys don't get me wrong-every rider-including me would do the same and use the slipstream.... so @rogla can't do anything about it."
His complaints echo similar ones made recently by Dan Martin, who posted a photo of a two-man break behind a moto at the Tour of Oman, with the caption, 'Always great to watch another round of the Motorpacing World Series'. Tosh Van der Sande posted a similar photo from the Ruta del Sol on Thursday, saying "This has to stop! Either you buy a proper telelens or you ride on the other side of the road... #notfair."
Initial reports suggested a possible broken collarbone, with Keukeleire saying after his crash that pain in his left shoulder reminded him of a previous collarbone fracture. Fortunately, further examinations on Friday found nothing broken, according to his team.
It is not yet clear when the 28-year-old Belgian will return to racing. Before the crash, he was listed on the provisional start list for the upcoming Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Jens Keukeleire (Orica-Scott)
Martin disappointed with 2nd in Algarve ITT
Tony Martin (Katusha) had his eye on the Tour of Algarve individual time trial yesterday, but could only finish second, four seconds down on Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar). It was “not the end of the world,” however, for the German.
“Of course I am disappointed. I want to win every time I start a time trial,” he wrote on his website. “But I am also realistic. It is February and I must still work on my condition after training rather quietly lately.”
“What is important to me is that I had a super feeling on the bike and that Paris-Nice will be my first real test.”
The German has won the overall title in Algarve twice, but conceded that going into the final stages in seventh place, at 1:40 down, “another overall win here at the Tour of Algarve is unrealistic.”
Tony Martin in his first individual time trial for the Katusha team (TDWSport)
Roglic confident after taking Volta ao Algarve lead
With just two stages remaining, LottoNL-Jumbo's Primoz Roglic is confident in his ability to bring home the final overall victory at the Volta ao Algarve, after taking the lead during Friday's 18km stage 3 time trial.
Roglic, the reigning Slovenian time trial champion, was third on the day behind European champion Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) and world champion Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin), but his time gap to previous leader Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) propelled him into the overall lead.
"This was a good result and it’s nice to take the leader’s jersey,” Roglic said after Friday's time trial.
"After a bad day in the Valenciana stage race last week, this is a good result. I was not good enough to be able to help the team in Valenciana during the team time trial, but it's nice to prove that I’m in good shape. Today, I was good and that gives me confidence for the rest of this race, but also with an eye on the rest of the season."
Roglic now leads the Algarve general classification by 22 seconds over Kwiatkowski and by 36 seconds over Castroviejo. Martin dropped to sixth, 1:31 down.
"We have a strong team and I believe we can hold the lead through until the end,” Roglic said.
Primoz Roglic en route to a third-place finish in stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve (TDWSport)
Tour of the Alps announces 18-team field
The Tour of the Alps, formerly called the Giro del Trentino, will have an 18-team field that includes seven WorldTour squads for its inaugural run this year, from April 17-21. The five-day 2.HC race made the announcement on Friday during the Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria.
Last year's Giro del Trentino winner Mikel Landa's Team Sky will return among the WorldTour teams, along with AG2R La Mondiale, Astana, BMC Racing, Bora-Hansgrohe, Cannondale-Drapac and FDJ.
Pro Continental teams in the race include Androni Giocattoli, Aqua Blue Sport, Bardiani CSF, Caja RuralSeguros RGA, Gazprom-Rusvelo, Nippo-Vini Fantini and Wilier Triestina. Bike Aid, Sangemini-Mg. K Vis and Tirol Cycling Team will represent the Continental ranks, with the Italian National Team filling out the roster.
"On the road to 2018 World Championships in Innsbruck, we’re confident the Tour of the Alps becoming a milestone for the best riders and also improving the quality of Austrian cycling further," said host Josef Margreiter, director of Tirol Werbung.
Growing out of the 40-year-old Italian race, the new Tour of the Alps will be run by the same management organisation, but the race is now the property of the three-part cross-border region comprising Trentino and its northern neighbour South Tyrol in Italy, as well Tyrol in Austria.
WorldTour Teams: Ag2R La Mondiale (Fra) Astana Pro Team (Kaz) BMC Racing Team (USA) Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger) Cannondale-Drapac (USA) FDJ (Fra) Team Sky (GBr)
Pro ContinentalTeams: Androni Giocattoli (Ita) Aqua Blue Sport (Irl) Bardiani CSF (Ita) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spa) Gazprom-Rusvelo (Rus) Nippo-Vini Fantini (Ita) Wilier Triestina (Ita)
Continental Teams: Bike Aid (Ger) Sangemini-Mg. K Vis (Ita) Tirol Cycling Team (Aut)
National Team: Italy (Ita)
The 2016 Giro del Trentino passes through a vineyard in the shadow of the Alps.
