Cycling – cold shock in the peloton: extreme conditions in spring races

The traditional spring races in road cycling have now become a lottery. In the south and west of Europe, the sun can seem great. The sun’s rays at the paris-nizza stages were once perceived as so beneficial that the tour acquired the nickname “Race to the Sun”. This year, powerful clouds made of raindrops and hailstormers between the sun and the surface of the earth were pushing that a stage had to be neutralized in the meantime due to the violent rainfall.

It hardly looked better in the parallel Tirreno Adriatico. This multi -stain trip is also called “race between the seas”. To the Tyrrhenic Sea on the west coast of Italy, where the tour always begins, and the Adriatic on the east coast, where it ends, the sky was still joined as the third water dimension. He poured such floods on the peloton that one could speak of a third sea, just that from above.

Of course, the teams were prepared. “The drivers came to the car several times to get rain jackets and other clothing,” said Zak Dempster, sporting director at Ineos Grenadiers with the overall leading Filippo Ganna to “Nd”. “We also served a lot of hot tea,” he added. Warmth from the inside, heating stories for outside – that was the motto. However, the length of some rain stages was added to difficult. The third section was 239 kilometers long. “Milan-Sanremo of the little man” called Radprofi Niklas Märkl half jokingly this stage. “We sat on the bike for seven hours. It was extremely extreme for me personally. It went for five hours, but then the body broke together, there was nothing left in the tank, «said the professional of the Dutch racing team Picnic Postnl.

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Trouble gained it the next day compatriot Jonas Rutsch. The Odenwälder was well on the way to ensure one of the few successes of German professionals in this race. In the almost 60 years that the Tirreno is now held, there was only one overall victory – 2007 with Andreas Klöden – and 22 stage wins for German professionals. Rutsch was well placed in the escape group of the day, it also went well. At the back, the field was divided, which made it difficult to follow. “We agreed and also knew that we had to work together if we want to have a chance. It worked well, ”said Rutsch to» ND «.

However, he was suddenly on the floor 26 kilometers before the finish. The cause was a sludge layer on the asphalt. “I was in the back of the group and already saw the back wheel left at the very front of the man,” he said the situation. He tried to brake. “I just typed the brake. But the front wheel went away immediately and I was there. That was the end of the story today, «he said. And he summed up laconically: »It is something different when a 65 or 70 kilo driver pulls the brake than if an 80-kilo driver like me does it. I had no chance. “

His escape companions regretted this. Because they were captured again on the very last kilometer. College Mirco Maestri from Italy was still fifth. He speculated that the group “with two additional legs”, especially those from Rutsch, might have come through.

Of course, a warning about the dangerous situation would also help. “Maybe you could have put someone there, because it was really a nice layer of mud on the floor. Depending on where you also drive in the field, it is not necessarily apparent that there is dirt, «he explained. That hadn’t happened.

Rain showers have also been announced for the royal stage on Saturday to the 7.4 kilometer long and up to nine -percent steep Frontignano. In some regions of Italy, such as in Florence and the surrounding area, public life was even partially restricted on Friday. Schools remained closed because of the weather, Mayor called companies to have their employees work in the home office.

The cycling professionals will probably crown their best. The strong Spaniard Juan Ayuso (from the Pogacar team UAE Emirates, and in the absence of the Slovenian leader), the Italian Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain) and the Canadian Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) emerged. The British co -favorite Tom Pidcock (Team Q36.5) is one minute ago. An overall German victory is out of the question this year. At best, a stage victory by outshage slide. He wants to keep trying it. “The day at least showed that the legs are good,” he drew a conciliatory conclusion from his accident day.