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Pro Log: Narváez wins Tour Down Under; Van Aert to ride CX Worlds; 19-year-old Italian pro killed
Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. Here’s a rundown of the latest results before we get started:
- Men’s Tour Down Under, Overall, Sun 26th Jan: 1st Jhonatan Narváez, UAE Team Emirates XRG, 19h 19min 16sec; 2nd Javier Romo, Movistar, +09sec; 3rd Finn Fisher-Black, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +12sec.
- Stage 6, Men’s Tour Down Under, Sun 26th Jan: 1st Sam Welsford, Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe, 1h 53min 14sec; 2nd Bryan Coquard, Cofidis, +00sec; 3rd Phil Bauhaus, Bahrain Victorious, +00sec.
- Hoogerheide, Men’s World Cup, Sun 26th Jan: 1st Mathieu van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck, 57min 00sec; 2nd Michael Vanthourenhout, Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines, +1min 42sec; 3rd Lars van der Haar, Baloise Glowi Lions, +1min 57sec.
- Hoogerheide, Women’s World Cup, Sun 26th Jan: 1st Lucinda Brand, Baloise Glowi Lions, 47min 47sec; 2nd Blanks Vas, SD Worx-Protime, +28sec; 3rd Puck Pieterse, Fenix-Deceuninck, +38sec.
Jhonatan Narváez wins Tour Down Under
The 2025 season is finally underway and UAE Team Emirates XRG got their first overall win on the board thanks to new signing Jhonatan Narváez. Highlighted by an impressive attack on Willunga Hill, the Ecuadorian champion improved on his second place at the race last year to stand on the top step of the podium by nine seconds ahead of Movistar’s Javier Romo. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s signing from UAE Finn Fisher-Black finished third, 12 seconds down.
The six stages were largely dominated by Fisher-Black’s Australian teammate Sam Welsford, who notched up three sprint wins, making himself a sprinter to watch this year.
Lidl-Trek suffered different fortunes. Juan Pedro López, who began Stage 5 in 54th place overall, was disqualified due to a sticky bottle. The 27-year-old clung onto a bidon from a neutral motorbike for multiple seconds and was understandably booted from the race one day prior to the finish.
Red Bull’s Laurence Pithie was also sanctioned as a result of an irregular sprint on Stage 4, receiving a 500CHF fine and relegation from fourth to seventh on the day.
Wout van Aert to race Cyclocross Worlds
Wout van Aert has confirmed his participation in the upcoming Cyclocross World Championships. Taking place this weekend in Liévin, near Lille, the men’s race is on Sunday 2nd February and will see a stacked start list that also includes Mathieu van der Poel, winner of seven consecutive races this season.
Van der Poel will be looking to defend his rainbow jersey against eternal rival Van Aert, while fellow defending champion Fem van Empel will headline the women’s race on Saturday 1st February with competition most likely coming from Lucinda Brand, Blanka Vas and Puck Pieterse.
Ineos Grenadiers sign Caleb Ewan
Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan has joined Ineos Grenadiers on a one-year deal that will be a make-or-break year for both parties. Ewan’s most recent victory was at the Vuelta a Burgos last August and he joins a team whose success in sprints has been non-existent for most of their history.
Sara Piffer dies aged 19
Italian cyclist Sara Piffer has died after being hit by a car driver. The 19-year-old was training in the Trentino region with her brother Christian when she was struck by a car trying to overtake another vehicle. Christian suffered minor injuries.
In a statement, the Italian Professional Cyclists’ Association said, ‘Our thoughts are with the family of our associate, with Mendelspeck, with the group companions, and with all those who today are devastated by the pain of yet another life lost to road violence.’
Piffer raced for Team Mendelspeck, a Continental team based in Italy. She won the Giornata Rosa – GP Citta Di Corridonia in May last year and most recently participated in Tre Valli Varesine in October.
Tour of Scandinavia cancelled
In a blow to the women’s racing calendar, the Tour of Scandinavia is no more. Last year’s edition of the race was cancelled due to financial issues and the parent company of the Ladies Tour of Norway AS has also been dissolved.
In a statement, a race spokesperson said, ‘We must acknowledge that we have not succeeded in building a brand that is attractive enough to media, sponsors, and other important stakeholders in Norway.
‘There are no national TV channels in Norway, like NRK and Tv2, who wish to distribute the race on TV despite us covering all production costs.’
The last edition of the race took place in 2023 and was won by Annemiek van Vleuten. It was the successor to the Ladies Tour of Norway, which ran from 2014 to 2021.
See you next week.
The post Pro Log: Narváez wins Tour Down Under; Van Aert to ride CX Worlds; 19-year-old Italian pro killed appeared first on Cyclist.