Pro Log: Gaia Realini wears first red jersey of La Vuelta Femenina, Alison Jackson dances after winning Stage 2, CiCLE Classic rained out, Ronde de l’Isard to award Bjorg Lambrecht Trophy

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Pro Log: Gaia Realini wears first red jersey of La Vuelta Femenina, Alison Jackson dances after winning Stage 2, CiCLE Classic rained out, Ronde de l’Isard to award Bjorg Lambrecht Trophy

Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. Grand Tour season is upon us, which kicked off on Sunday with the week-long La Vuelta Femenina and continues with the Giro d’Italia starting next weekend.

But before that, Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) won the six-day Tour of Romandie with Bora-Hansgrohe duo Aleksandr Vlasov and Florian Lipowitz completing the podium. Dorian Godon (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) sprinted to victory on the last stage, adding to a successful season so far for the squad. Maybe it was a smart move to get rid of their infamous brown bib shorts (although I miss them).

Gaia Realini wears first maillot rojo of La Vuelta Femenina

At La Vuelta Femenina, Lidl-Trek won the Stage 1 team time-trial to put Gaia Realini into the race-leader’s red jersey. In the final corner of the 16km course, Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Bäckstedt crashed, but Realini rallied her remaining teammates to bring them home for the win less than a second ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike.

Van Dijk later required stitches on her chin, however both riders were able to start the next day.

Alison Jackson bursts into dance after Stage 2 victory

On Stage 2, EF Education-Cannondale’s Alison Jackson won in a sprint, just ahead of SD Worx-Protime’s Blanka Vas.

Thanks to her performance in the previous day’s team time-trial, Vas’s second place in the Stage 2 sprint was enough to put her into the maillot rojo by eight seconds ahead of Jackson.

After the finish, Jackson was happiness personified, screaming and jumping while hugging every single member of the team. She also broke out some of her classic dance moves. You love to see it.

CiCLE Classic rained out

Britain’s answer to Paris-Roubaix, the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, was rained out this weekend. The scheduled 185km trip around farm roads and cobbles on Sunday 28th April had to be cancelled due to flooding after heavy rainfall.

A statement from the race organisers said, ‘Following discussions in line with the UCI extreme weather protocol, with the Organisation Commissaires Panel and representatives from teams and riders from Israel Premier Academy and Saint Piran discussing the safety and management of the route, it has reluctantly been decided to cancel the 2024 CiCLE Classic.

‘The decision has been taken after the best efforts of the organisation to design a reduced route, but significant flooding at different sections of the routes have sadly made this impossible.

‘The race organisation wishes to convey their thanks to the team’s riders, officials, volunteers and supporters for the patience and understanding.’

Aside from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is the only time in the race’s 18-year history that it has been called off. Previous winners include Finn Crockett, who went on to win a road race bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and three-time USA Criterium Champion Luke Lamperti who now rides for Soudal QuickStep. All received a huge pork pie from Melton Mowbray for their efforts.

Ronde de l’Isard to award the Bjorg Lambrecht Trophy

Ronde de l’Isard, the U23 stage race from 1st to 5th May 2024, will award the Bjorg Lambrecht Trophy on Stage 4 atop the Plateau-de-Beille in France.

Bjorg Lambrecht won the race in 2016. The following year he claimed victory on Stage 3 of the Ronde de l’Isard which culminated atop the same Plateau-de-Beille and finished second overall in the general classification.

Lambrecht died in 2019 after hitting a concrete culvert during Stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne while riding for Lotto-Soudal. He was 22 years old. The Ronde de l’Isard trophy is in honour of his memory.

See you next week.  

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