It’s a Saturday round up from the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Yorkshire [note only one is French speaking]. Both fascinating races so let’s get right down to it.
Tour de Romandie, Stage 3, Sion to Sion, time trial, 15.11km
Thibaut Pinot has been posting some great TT times all season and now the FDJ rider finally put it altogether. The Frenchman posted the fastest time on a climbers course to take his first WorldTour timed effort, and a whole bunch of scalps. Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) finished second at +2secs with Quickstepper young Bob Jungels at +9secs. What a young gun’s podium. Quintana retains the leader’s jersey. Pinot moves from fourth to second place 23secs adrift, with Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin on the third step.
Thibaut at the start…
Nairo in yellow (via race website)…
Highlights…
Tour de Yorkshire, Stage 1, Beverley to Settle, 184km
It was a day for a sprint and neither the weather, the climbs, nor a Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) stealth attack in the final kilometres (how does he do that?) was going to spoil the fast men’s party on the line. In a technical finish it was Lotto-Jumbo’s Dylan Groenwegen who got his positioning and timing just right, taking the victory from hot favourite Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Giant-Alpecin’s Nikias Arndt.
Always great crowds in Yorkshire…
Best bit race craft all day… Local hero Pete Williams (ONE Pro Cycling) outfoxing his two breakaway companions to secure the KOM jersey on Greenhow Hill.
Highlights…
Links:
Official site for Tour de Romandie, Twitter #TDR2016
Official site for Tour de Yorkshire, Twitter, #TDY
Featured Image: Sprint finish in Settle. Getty images by Bryn Lennon