Cycling in Corona-times sucks, the cities empty. To be had of the almost 500-year-old fortress of Fortezza Medicea in Siena gathered on Friday evening a number of people to an Open-Air cinema show. The day after, the fortress was cordoned off. The only access was sharply controlled. And who had no authorization, could also not into the medieval walls.
the Start of the Strade Bianche was held on Saturday, the first World Tour race in the Post-Corona-calendar of road Cycling. Men and women took part in the race in Tuscany. In the women’s – only 45 out of 125 starters reached the finish – won the Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten. She has won a pandemic across the last five races. For men only 42 professionals came into the goal. At the beginning of rolled 166 los.
184 km at 43 degrees Celsius
The heat the race was so hard. 43 degrees Celsius had it at 14 o’clock on the second of a total of eleven gravel sections of the 184-kilometre-long race. The brought the skin to Glow. The Eiswesten, in which many professionals had wrapped before the Start, there were filed a long time ago. Water came only in bottle form. And with the dust from the wheels thrown-up gravel rise, mixed sweat and water to a clay crust on the skin, as it races only in the case of mountain Biking-or just the ultimate classic Paris-Roubaix is.
“to Me the race in the spring is better, I must honestly say. As you can see, at least, still on the ground,“ said Maximilian chess man in the goal. The Berlin-based professional cyclist was in the heat and dust of battle, not only to the drivers who have achieved the beautiful Piazza del Campo in the heart of the old town of Siena. He was even third, behind the Belgian, Wout Van Aert and the Italian champion Davide Formolo. “In the end, it made me miss him a little bit of force,” said chess man and then described the crucial scene, about 13 kilometers from the finish: “Wout has made the decisive Move in the downhill in the last sector.
That was me then a bit too much to commit suicide. I’ve also received so much cooperation.“ With space for three on the Strade Bianche, the German champion has been conquered definitively a place in the first row of the classics specialists. Also from roadside, he could not stop. “We had a lot of damage,” said Enrico Poitschke, the sport Director of Bora hansgrohe. “Also Max had to change the wheel.”
Little drop of bitterness
At the end of almost all of the radiation in the robbery linger racing team but were able to. A small drop of bitterness mingled in the light of the Corona-conditions only in the case of team Manager Ralph Denk in the assessment. He kept the Balance between safety and accessibility of Cycling for success. “We need to provide security, above all against the health authorities that have the jurisdiction over the event,” he said. “On the other hand, we must think of our range. The media are in large part responsible. If we close ourselves to the complete, you will not find our donors is so great.“
the journalists were officially excluded from the paddock. Only on blocking boundaries could communicate. The Tour de France, provides an even stronger foreclosure. Thinking keeps the security bubble for useful. “You should not hide but also in his Bubble and only for the race To come out.”
