The double world champion, the French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe of Quick-Step Alpha Vinylthe season will start on Thursday at the Tour of Provencewhere Colombians Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), winner of the test in 2020, and Ivan Sosa (Movistar), winner of the last edition, will be their main rivals.
The French round will also be the comeback of Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grandiers), recovered from his fall at the Étoile de Bessèges.
The participation of the Colombian was also planned Egan Bernal (Ineos), third in 2021, but the serious crash suffered during training at the end of January has prevented it.
To replace him, Ineos will be entrusted to Carapaz, if it reaches fullness after the fall that occurred on Friday during the dispute of the Étoile de Bessèges, in France.
The race will end on Sunday with a climb to the top of Lurewhich will consist of 13.4 kilometers and an average gradient of 6.7%.
(VIDEO) Fall of Richard Carapaz in the third stage of the Étoile de Bessèges
Alaphilippe recognized that he returns to the competition very motivatedbut at the same time pressured to wear the world champion jersey.
“During the preparation, I stopped running for a week and missed an important workout. I have been working well for 10 days, but I am still late, ”Alaphilippe explained this Wednesday in a videoconference.
“The objective is to find the rhythm of the race and make efforts that we cannot reproduce in training”, said the runner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McULlnzQuVs
After a 7.1 km flat prologue along Berre l’Etang Thursdaycyclists must challenge the wind on Friday’s stage in the Camargue.
The Saturday, the stage will end in mid-mountainbefore closing on Sunday at the top of Lure, at 1,600 meters high.
Invited at the last minute, the world champion in time trial, the Italian Filippo Ganna (Ineos), will be the man to beat in the prologue on Thursday at seventh edition of La Provencejust four days after winning the time trial at the Ètoile de Bessèges, in Alès.
“Last minute. Tomorrow we will have a second World Champion in Berre l’Etang with the confirmed presence of Filippo Ganna. He will be wearing a rainbow jersey, a great show is yet to come”, announced the organization of the race.
As the first day was a time trial, the output will be individual, with the local kevin besson (Nice Metropole Côte d’Azur) as the first runner, from 8:15, Ecuadorian time.
Carapaz will be 69 in the starting order (9:23), Quintana on 30 (8:44), Sosa 54 (9:08), Ganna 103 (9:57), followed by Alaphilippe (9:58)before the Spaniard Gorka Izagirre, who will close the list in position 105, at 9:59.
In Ecuador, the race can be followed through DirecTV Sport (channels 612 and 1612). The network announces the start of the transmission from 8:00. (D)
Stages:
– Thursday: Prologue Berre l’Etang – Berre l’Etang (7.1 kilometers)
– Friday: 1st stage, Istres – Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (158.1 kilometres)
– Saturday: 2nd stage, Arles – Manosque (180.5 kilometres)
– Sunday: 3rd stage, Manosque – Montaña de Lure (166.1 kilometres)
Source: Eluniverso
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